On Children by Gibran

Eto ang isang kontrobersyal na tula ni Kahlil Gibran.  Tinuturing na premyadong manunula si Gibran sa buong mundo.  Ang tula ay sinalin sa Tagalog.  Kung naalala nyo ang pelikulang Dekada 70...eto ang tulang pinadala ni Piolo kay Vilma Santos.  Naiyak nga si Vilma nung binasa nya ito..

Ang inyong anak ay hindi ninyo anak.

Sila'y mga anak na lalaki't babae ng Buhay.
Nagdaan sila sa inyo ngunit hindi galing sa inyo,
At bagama't sila'y kasama ninyo, sila'y hindi inyo.

Maiibibigay ninyo sa kanila ang inyong pagmamahal ngunit hindi ang inyong paniniwala.
Maiibibigay ninyo ng tahanan ang kanilang katawan ngunit hindi ang kanilang kaluluwa,
Sapagkat ang kanilang kaluluwa ay namamahay sa templo ng kinabukasan,
na hindi ninyo madadalaw, kahit sa inyong mga panaginip.

ang tula sa wikang Ingles


On Children

Kahlil Gibran


Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.



You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.



You are the bows from which your children

as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

so He loves also the bow that is stable.