On Children
Kahlil Gibran
Pre-reading activity
What do you think is the role of parents ?
How much can parents influence their children in their lives ?
On Children by Kahlil Gibran (Sarah Laifer)
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.
Vocabulary
Through (Band II) ‫ֶּד ֶּרְך‬
Bow ‫ֶּק ֶּשת‬
Long for ‫להשתוקק‬
Arrow ‫חֵ ץ‬
Dwell ‫ּגֹורר‬
ֵ ‫ִה ְת‬
Forth ‫הָׁ ְלאָׁ ה‬
Strive ‫ָׁשאַ ף‬
Seek ‫ִב ֵקש‬
Tarry ‫ִה ְתעַ כֵב‬
Archer ‫ַק ָׁשת‬
Gladness ‫ִרנָׁה‬
Bend ‫כֹופֵ ף‬- ‫ִה ְתכֹופֵ ף‬
Basic understanding
1. According to the poet, why cannot parents house their children’s souls ?
2. Explain in the words of the poet, why should not parents try to make
children like them ?
3. Find a synonym to the verb “to strive” and to the word “gladness”.
Analysis and Interpretation
HOTS
-
List all metaphors and comparisons of the poem
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According to you, do these metaphors make sense ?
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Who do you think is “the archer” ? According to you, why does Kahlil
Gibran use this metaphor ?
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
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Poetry compilation : “The Prophet”
-
28 chapters
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First published in 1923
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Born in 1883 in Lebanon
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Died in 1931 in the US
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The third best-selling poet of all times
Post - Reading Activity
The poem “On Children” is extract from the book “The Prophet”. In this book,
Kahlil Gibran wrote about many topics such as friendship, freedom,
teaching….
Write a short paragraph about a topic of your choice in the style of the poet.
Good luck !