On Children is a poem written By Lebanese-American writer and poet, Kahlil Gibran. The poem was originally published in 1923. The poem explores the theme of parenting and relation between parents and child.
On Children 2nd Puc Poem Summary
Summary of On Children Poem By Kahlil Gibran
The poem “On Children” is about children and in the poem, God is giving advice to parents for good parenting. The story of poem begins with woman who is holding her new born child in her bosom and asking Prophet for advice on parenting.
The story of poem begins with woman who goes to Prophet along with her new born baby, and ask him about Children. The woman wants to know what god wants from parents when the child is born, like how parents should treat and how they should grow their children.
The Prophet distinctly said to woman, your children are not your children. The woman is shocked to hear that, she wants to know why god said this. In the next stanza we will learn why god said that to woman.
The children are the sons and daughters of life’s longing. Here poet mean to say, the children are the sons and daughters of nature. The parents are like a soil where the children take birth, children born through them yet they not belong to them. They are a children of nature.
The children are coming through you but you are not the one who is making them. The children does not belong to parents because they are the children of god. Children are the gift of god and they live in their parents house as a guest.
The parents can give their love to their children but not their thoughts. You can show love to your children as much as you want to but you cannot give them your thoughts as they have their own thoughts and ideas. The children born with their own thoughts and ideas, so they will work with their own style and thoughts.
If you want to rule on your children you can rule on their bodies but not their inner soul. If you keep giving your own thoughts to your children, it means you are housing their bodies. By giving your thoughts to your children, you are controlling their bodies.
The children’s soul belongs to the house of future, no one knows what they will become in future. The children belong to that place of future where parents cannot visit. You can’t visit their future not in your dreams.
The parents can strive to be like their children but make sure not to make them like you. Do not teach your children to think like you and become like you. The parents decided their future themselves, therefore, let children decide their future by their own. Do not force your children. The life does not go backward nor it tarries with yesterday.
The Prophet is comparing parents with Bows and their children with living arrows that are sent forward through bows. And the one is who shoots arrows is God.
The parents do not need to worry about their children as they are the form of God. For the happiness of your children, leave your children’s destiny at the hands of God. The God love bows as much as they love their living arrows.
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