吉卜齡 - 如果 @ 茶餘飯後

如果"是英國第一個獲得諾貝爾文學獎的詩人小説家吉卜齡（Joseph Rudyard Kipling, 1865~1936）寫給兒子的一首勉勵的詩，而今讀來深有感觸。在這個瞬息萬變的時代，對年輕的孩子而言，他們不應只是對明星偶像的崇拜，或對名利無盡的追逐，他們更需要的是一種歷久彌新的典範，對生命的熱忱，永不放棄的毅力,與受挫仍能堅持不懈的勇氣。在這裡,我看到了一個父親對孩子的期許與關愛,也看到了當我們在茫然失措時的一盞明燈。

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
如果周遭的人們毫無理性，向你責難，而你仍能保持寧靜的心﹔

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too;
如果眾人都對你懷疑，而你仍能卓然自信，並且思考他們懷疑的原因﹔

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
如果你能期待，而不為期待所疲憊，或為人欺騙，而不自欺騙人﹔

Or being hated don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, not talk too wise;
為人疾恨，而不生怨恨之心，既不作鄉愿，亦不賣弄聰明﹔

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
如果你有夢想，而不為夢想所主宰﹔

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
如果你能思考，卻非思而不行﹔

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same;
如果不論成功失敗，都能保持同一意態﹔

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
如果你能忍受別人歪曲你所說的真相﹔或者眼見一生心血付諸東流，

And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
仍能拾起舊工具堅忍重建﹔

If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it ob one turn of pitch-and toss,
如果你敢以累積的勝利，作孤注一擲，

And lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss;
失敗，從頭再來，一聲不提起你的損失﹔

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone,
如果你的心智和筋骨，早已喪失，而仍能由你強制運用，

And so hold on when there is nothing in you except the Will which says to them: ＂Hold on!＂
本來你已一無所有，而你仍繼續努力，因為你尚有＂堅持啊!＂的意志

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
如果你能與流俗言，仍保持美德，與權貴行，而不失本色﹔

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much;
如果你不為友所溺，不為敵所害，為眾人所信任，又不名過其實﹔

If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
如果你能在這無情的歲月裏，盡你每一秒最大的努力，

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
那麼這個世界的一切都將屬於你，

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
而且，你將成為一個真正的男子漢，孩子!