英文诗 纪伯伦

Children

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.

- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, Chapter 4

《论孩子》

你们的孩子，都不是你们的孩子

乃是生命为自己所渴望的儿女。

他们是借你们而来，却不是从你们而来

他们虽和你们同在，却不属于你们。

你们可以给他们爱，却不可以给他们思想。

因为他们有自己的思想。

你们可以荫庇他们的身体，却不能荫蔽他们的灵魂。

因为他们的灵魂，是住在明日的宅中，那是你们在梦中也不能想见的。

你们可以努力去模仿他们，却不能使他们来象你们。

因为生命是不倒行的，也不与昨日一同停留。

你们是弓，你们的孩子是从弦上发出的生命的箭矢。

那射者在无穷之间看定了目标，也用神力将你们引满，使他的箭矢迅速而遥远的射了出来。

让你们在射者手中的弯曲成为喜乐吧。

因为他爱那飞出的箭，也爱了那静止的弓。

- 卡里尔?纪伯伦，《先知》第四章

I am forever walking upon these shores，betwixt the sand and the foam. The high tide will erase my foot-prints, and the wind will blow away the foam. But the sea and the shore will remain forever.

我永远走在这些岸上，在沙与沫之间。涨潮会抹掉我的足迹，海风会吹去这泡沫。可是海和岸，却永远存在。

It was but yesterday I thought myself a fragment quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life. Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.

仅仅就在昨天，我觉得自己只是一块碎片，在生命的苍穹中毫无节奏地颤动着。如今我知道自己就是那苍穹，一切生命都是节奏分明的碎片，在我内心律动。

Remembrance is a form of meeting.

F orgetfulness is a form of freedom.

追忆是一种会面。

遗忘是一种自由。

My house says to me, 'Do not leave me, for here dwells your past.'

And the road says to me, 'Come and follow me, for I am your future.'

And I say to both my house and the road, 'I have no past, nor have I a future. If I stay here, there is a going in my staying; and if I go there is a staying in my going. Only love and death will change all things.'

我的房子对我说：“不要离开我，这儿住着你的过去。”

路对我说：“跟我来吧，我是你的未来。”

我对房子和路说：“我没有过去，也没有未来。如果我留在这儿，我的留中有去;如果我去那儿，我的去中有留。唯有爱和死亡才能改变一切。”

Strange, the desire for certain pleasures is a part of my pain.

真怪，渴望某些欢乐，正是我痛苦的一部分。

Seven times have I despised my soul：

The first time when I saw her being meek that she might attain height.

The second time when I saw her limping before the crippled.

The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.

The fourth time when she committed a wrong, and comforted herself that others also commit wrong.

The fifth time when she forbore for weakness, and attributed her patience to strength.

The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.

And the seventh time when she sang a song of praise, and deemed it a virtue.

我曾七次鄙视自己的灵魂。

第一次是看见她在可以升华时却故作谦卑。

第二次是看见她在跛子前瘸着腿走。

第三次是在当她在难和易之间选择了易。

第四次是当她犯了过失，却以别人也有过失来自慰。

第五次是当她容忍软弱，并将忍耐视为坚强。

第六次是当她鄙视一张丑脸，却不知那正是她自己的面具之一。

第七次是当她唱起赞歌，还以美德自诩。

There is a space between man's imagination and man's attainment that may only be traversed by his longing.

在人的想象和成就之间有着一个空间，唯有他的渴望能穿越。

Our mind is a sponge; our heart is a stream. Is it not strange that most of us choose sucking rather than running?

我们的脑是一块海绵，我们的心是溪流。然而我们大多数选择吸收而非奔流，这不是很奇怪吗?

The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.

他人的真实并非在于他向你显露什么，而在于他无法向你显露什么。因此，倘若你想了解他，不要去听他所说的，而要去听他所没有说的。

A sense of humor is a sense of proportion.

幽默感即分寸感。

A truth is to be known always, to be uttered sometimes.

真理永远为人所知，偶尔才被道中。

The voice of life in me cannot reach the ear of life in you; but let us talk that we may not feel lonely.

我内在生命的声音到达不了你内在生命的耳朵;但让我们交谈吧，为了不再寂寞。

When two women talk they say nothing; when one woman speaks she reveals all of life.

当两个女人交谈，她们什么也没说;当一个女人说话，他驾驶了生命的一切。

Now let us play hide and seek. Should you hide in my heart it would not be difficult to find you. But should you hide behind your own shell, then it would be useless for anyone to seek you.

现在让我们来玩捉迷藏吧。你要是藏在我的心里，我就不难找到你。但要是你藏到自己的壳里去，那谁也找不到你。

How noble is the sad heart who would sing a joyous song with joyous hearts.

一颗悲伤的心，却能和欢乐的心同唱欢乐的歌，这是何等高贵啊!

Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.

诗是大量的欢乐、痛苦和奇迹，再加上少许文辞。

A madman is not less a musician than you or myself; only the instrument on which he plays is a little out of tune.

疯子是个不亚于你我的乐师，只是他演奏的乐器有点走调。

Every man loves two women; the one is the creation of his imagination, and the other is not yet born.

每一个男人都爱着两个女人：一个是他想象的作品，另外一个尚未诞生。

Generosity is not in giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is in giving me that which you need more than I do.

慷慨不在于把我比你更需要的东西给我，而在于把你比我更需要的东西给我。

We often borrow from our tomorrows to pay our debts to our yesterdays.

我们常常向自己的明天去借贷，以偿还昨天所欠下的债务。

If your heart is a volcano how shall you expect flowers to bloom in your hands?

如果你的心是座火山，你怎么能指望手中鲜花盛开?

It is only when you are pursued that you become swift.

只有当你被追逐时，你才变得敏捷。

Oftentimes I have hated in self-defense; but if I were stronger I would not have used such a weapon.

我经常以恨来自卫;但如果我坚强些，我就不必使用这一武器。

Your saying to me：“I do not understand you.”is praise beyond my worth, and an insult you do not deserve.

你说：“我不理解你。”这对我是过分的赞誉，对你则是无端的侮辱。

How mean am I when life gives me gold and I give you silver, and yet I deem myself generous.

我是何等卑鄙，当生活给了我金，我却给你银，还自以为很大方。

Strange that you should pity the slow-footed and not the slow-minded. And the blind-eyed rather than the blind-hearted.

奇怪，你可怜那脚步慢的，却不可怜那心思慢的。你可怜那眼盲的，却不可怜那心盲的。

Life is a procession. The slow of foot finds it too swift and he steps out;

And the swift of foot finds it too slow and he too steps out.

生命是一次行军，脚步慢的人觉得它太快了，于是退出。

脚步快的人觉得它太慢了，也退出。

I would be the least among men with dreams and the desire to fulfill them, rather than the greatest with no dreams and no desire.

我宁做个最渺小的人，拥有这梦想和实现梦想的渴望;也不做那既无梦想，也无渴望的最伟大的人。

We are all climbing toward the summit of our hearts’ desire. Should the other climber steal your sack and your purse and wax fat on the one and heavy on the other, you should pity him;

The climbing will be harder for his flesh, and the burden will make his way longer.

And should you in your leanness see his flesh puffing upward, help him a step; it will add to your swiftness.

我们都在攀登理想的顶峰。如果别的攀登者偷了你的背包、钱袋，装满他自己的背包，加重他自己的钱袋，你应该可怜他;

攀登对他的肉体来说将更为困难，负担会使他的路程更漫长。

轻装的你若看见他的肉体气喘吁吁地往上爬，拉他一把，这会加快你的速度。

You cannot judge any man beyond your knowledge of him, and how small is your knowledge.

你判断一个人不可能超过你对他的了解，而你的了解又是多么肤浅。

Strife in nature is but disorder longing for order.

自然界的斗争不过是混乱对秩序的寻求。

If it were not for our conception of weights and measures we would stand in awe of the firefly as we do before the sun.

若不是因为我们崇尚重量和尺度，我们站在萤火虫前就会像在太阳前一样心怀敬畏。

Death is not nearer to the aged than to the newborn; neither is life.

死亡离老年人不比离新生儿更近;生命也是一样。

We are all seeking the summit of the holy mountain; but shall not our road be shorter if we consider the past a chart and not a guide?

我们都在寻觅圣山之巅;如果我们把过去视为一张地图而非一名向导，我们的路程是否会缩短一些?

Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too self-full to seek other than itself.

当智慧骄傲到不能哭泣，庄严到无法欢笑，自满到放弃交流，那就不是智慧了。

Had I filled myself with all that you know what room should I have for all that you do not know.

我若把你所知道的一切来装满自己，那么还有什么空间来装你所不知道的一切吗?

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.

我从话多的人那里学会沉默，从偏执的人那里学会宽容，从刻薄的人那里学会仁慈;但也奇怪，我对这些老师并不感激。

A bigot is a stone-deaf orator.

一个执迷不悟的人是个全聋的演说家。

If you can see only what light reveals and hear only what sound announces. Then in truth you do not see nor do you hear.

如果你只能于光明之处看见影像，只能于有声处听见声音。那么你其实既看不到也听不见。

A shy failure is nobler than an immodest success.

由于不自信而失败比骄傲自大的成功更可贵。

Said a philosopher to a street sweeper, “I pity you. Yours is a hard and dirty task.”

And the street sweeper said, “Thank you, sir. But tell me what is your task?”

And the philosopher answered saying, “I study man’s mind, his deeds and his desires.”

Then the street sweeper went on withhis sweeping and said with a smile, “I pity you too.”

一个哲学家对一个清洁工说：“我可怜你，你的工作又脏又苦。”

清洁工说：“谢谢，先生。那么告诉我，你的工作是什么呢?”

哲学家回答道：“我研究人的思想、行为和欲望。”

清洁工继续扫他的地，并微笑着说：“我也可怜你。”

He who listens to truth is not less than he who utters truth.

聆听真理的人并不亚于说出真理的人。

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.

慷慨是给予你所能给予的更多，自尊是接受比你所需要的更少。

When either your joy or your sorrow becomes great the world becomes small.

当你的悲或喜变大的时候，世界就变小了，

Desire is half of life; indifference is half of death.

欲望是半个生命;冷漠是半个死亡。

If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.

倘若你把自己的秘密透露给风，那就别怪风把你的秘密散播给树。

Turtles can tell more about roads than hares.

龟比兔更了解道路。

Only when a juggler misses catching his ball does he appeal to me.

玩杂耍的人只有在他没接着球的时候，才引起我的注意。

The envious praises me unknowingly.

妒嫉我的人在无意中赞扬了我。

Only those with secrets in their hearts could divine the secrets in our hearts.

只有心中有秘密的人才能提示我们心中的秘密。

I am the flame and i am the dry bush,

and one part of me consumes the other part.

我是干柴同时我也是烈火，一部分的我燃烧另一部分。

They say to me, 'Would you know yourself you would know all men.'

And i say,'only when i seek all men shall i know myself.'

他们告诉我：当你了解了自己，你就了解了全人类。

我说：当我感知一切人，我了解了我自己。

Mayhap a funeral among men is a wedding feast among the angels.

也许人间的葬礼也同时是天使的婚礼。

If the other person laughts at you, you can pity him;

but if you laught at him you may never forgive yourself.

If the other person injures you,you may forget the injury;

but if you injure him you will always remember.

如果他人嘲笑你，你可以可怜他。但如果你嘲笑别人，你将永远无法自恕。

如果他人伤害你，你可以忘记它。但如果你伤害别人，你必将永远记住它。

Once i spoke of the sea to a brook, and the brook thought me but an imaginative exaggerator;

And once i spoke of a brook to the sea, and the sea thought me but a depreciative defamer.

我曾对一条小溪谈起大海，小溪认为我只是一个充满狂想的夸张者。纪伯伦英文(语)爱情名言由名言网整理

我也曾对大海谈起小溪，大海认为我只是一个贬低别人的诽谤者。

I would not be the least among men with dreams and the desire to fulfill them,rather than

the greatest with no dreams and no desires.

我宁愿是一个心怀梦想并努力去实现愿望的最渺小的人，也不愿去做一个失去梦想和愿望的最伟大的人。

When either your joy or your sorrow becomes great,

the world becomes small.

当你的快乐或悲伤变得很大，世界就会变得很小。

When I stood a clear mirror before you,

you gazed into me and saw your image.

Then you said,'I love you.'

But in truth you loved yourself in me.

当我站在你面前的一面明亮的镜子里，

你从我身上看到你的影象。

于是你说：我爱你

事实上你只是爱在我身上的你。

There are only two elements here,beauty and truth;

Beauty in the hearts of lovers,

and truth is in the arms of the tillers of the soil.

世界上只有两种元素：美和真。

美在情人的心里，真在耕者臂弯里。