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Children Chapter IV


And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:
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.

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1 - 15 of 15

  • November 30, 2007
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    From guest Susan (contact)
    Sheer brilliance

  • pankaja
    October 31, 2007
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    children

    Lofty thoughts,inspiring in every sentence.A great poet!
    NuggehalliPankaja

  • colagne
    October 19, 2007

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    khalil

    i have seen most of his art work and read one of his books,"OUT OF THIS WORLD"
    thats all i said ,heis profound just like old masters.
    (from south africa;colagne)

  • rhondasail
    January 26, 2007

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    This reminds me of a Native American adage,"The earth is not yours, it is loaned to you by your children" (my own paraphrase) Reminiscent of the Great Poet's, "And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you." Great truth's are available to all if we but open our eyes and spirit to see and hear; to let ourselves become the bows bent to the will of the Archer.


  • June 14, 2005
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    This is marvelous, applicable to this generation, good formula to avoid generation gap and recipe for parenting


  • March 25, 2005
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    Love what you said about your little arrow :-D

  • JM Kenyon
    February 18, 2005
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    Your children are not your children.

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

    Life is what we give to our children...we may guide them, raise them, care for them, love them, give them nourishment and spirituality... but it LIFE that will determine who they become. They are not ours, they do not reflect us in completion when we must let life take them away from us. So, for all those parents who kick themselves thinking they were aweful parents because their children have obvious flaws... it doesn't mean you were a deciding factor... life; our very paths are what make each of us an individual person.

    ~genielassie~

  • oumer
    January 18, 2005
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    Gibran's words transcend time....I was reminded of this piece when I saw some lines of it in a psychology book....

    "The prophet" is the first book of Gibran that I read, and I think most of the writings in there are really breathtaking...

    My favorite lines "They come through you but not from you,
    And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you."

    How I wish my dad read these lines before I was born!

  • BonnieQ
    November 26, 2004
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    Though I have the book and have read this piece from it, I decided to stop by anyway, Matt. This is the first time I've seen the picture in color. I love this particular piece, in that it is a strong message to parents: there is a time to parent and there is a time to let go. And, I like how Gibran points out that our children are not our own, they only come through us; for like us, they belong to our Creator.

    I feel it was wise of you to present some of Gibran's wonderful prose. As I mentioned to you previously, I've loved his works since the first time I was introduced to The Prophet.

    Love and hugs, my friend! ~Bon


  • Nobody126
    November 17, 2004
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    Oh! This is from "The Prophet".. The greatest Masterpiece of Gibran. The entire book is full of such great thoughts
    And look at the painting...this is also by Gibran the Great...thanks for sharing these gems on the old poetry site...this is a very wonderful site for classic poetry...I love it.

  • Nam
    November 14, 2004
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    I feel that Gibran is correct in what he speaks here but I also feel in society, even when Gibran was vibrant, that it actually is incorrect.

    It's an excellently written piece, it moves with grace from each word to the next and then from that to the lines situated as they are.

    An excellent piece that Gibran has written here. I may just have to read more of his work.


  • Pari Ali
    April 21, 2004
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    Oh great you added the Prophet. I always had to go looking for it outside the site, now I can read it here. Thanks DD. I love this one it is so true. A lot parents can learn if they will just reflect on this awhile.

  • TheFlawedOne
    September 26, 2003
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    This is my favorite peice. I love this part. I have used this to raise my son by. I think this is the best peice of parenting advice I have ever seen. I wish I had seen this when my eldest children were younger. I think that its great that back when children were merely more than property that Mr. Gibran had written something like this. I love how it says that the children are more than just "you" that they are seperate beings. I have printed this out, sent it to people who are in contact with my son, read it and re read it many times. I cannot say enough good things about this. But I do have to take my little arrow to school.

  • MasochistBunny
    July 22, 2003
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    I think it is really interesting how he starts most of his writing, like a passage from the bible. Never "once upon a time" or anything like that .. but most of them start ..
    Here is a person, your equal, your better, and they wish to hear your truth.
    A mother, a poet, a merchant .. all asking to hear your thoughts .. speak to them of how you see, how you feel. As if it were his duty to do this, and I believe it was.
    And, once again, his unique way of speaking has garnered my applause .. especially with these lines ..
    "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. "


  • rufina caraid Moderators member
    April 28, 2003
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    'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' - how profound is that?
    I like this one too - the picture is incredible -made to fit.
    ~Von~

  • NurseChilly
    April 28, 2003
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    Woman holds with strong arms.. the arrow of man catches the wind both strong both will survive..
    I liked this piece.. made me feel good about human nature

    ~GILL~xx

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