【背景知识】
拉迪亚德•吉卜林(Rudyard Kipling ),英国小说家、诗人。吉卜林一生 共创作了8部诗集,4部长篇小说,21部短篇小说集和历史故亊集,以及大量散文、随笔、游记等。他的作品简洁凝炼,充满异国情调,尤其在短篇小说方面,是无与伦比的。
这是吉卜林写给他12岁的儿子的一首诗,是告诫儿子如何才能经受住人生旅途中可能遇到的种种精神上考验的勉励诗,表达了一位父亲对儿子的 深爱和期望。这首诗对当今社会的广大青少年也同样具有指导和澂励作用. 尤其是在受到种种心理压力时,如果能够去细细体会和认真领悟这首诗的深刻内涵,这种激励作用甚至会成为提高广大靑少年心理调控能力而始终保持心理健康的巨大动力。
If
假如
Rudyard kipling
拉迪亚德•吉卜林
If you can keep your head when all about you
假如你能保持冷静,即使众人
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
都失去理智并且归咎于你,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
假如你能保持自信,即使众人
But make allowance for their doubting too;
都怀疑你,让所有的怀疑动摇;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
假如你能等待而不因此厌烦,
Or, being lied about,don't deal in lies,
别人骗你,不要因此骗人,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
别人憎恨你,也不去憎恨别人,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
不要太乐观,不要自以为是;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
假如你能寻梦——而不为梦想主宰;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
假如你能思考——而不以思索为目标;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
假如你能面对成败祸福
And treat those two impostors just the same;
而同样视之如骗徒;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
假如你听到你的老实话被小人歪曲
Twiseted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
去蒙骗愚蠢之辈而尚能心平气和,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
或者见到你毕生的亊业被毀,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
而尚能执起破旧的工具去着手重建;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
如果在你赢得无数桂冠之后,
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
然后孤注一掷再搏一次,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
失败过后,东山再起,
And never breathe a word about your loss;
不要抱怨你的失败;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
假如你能驱使你的心力和精神
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
在别人走后,长久地坚守阵地,
And so hold on when there is nothin in you
让你抓牢,尽管你里面己掏空了
Except the Will which says to them:"Hold on!";
只有意志告诉它们“坚持!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
假如你能与市井之徒交谈而不失于礼,
Or walk with Kings -nor lose the common touch;
出入于贵胄之家而不忘苍生黎民,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
假如你能尊重人人而不膜拜何人,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
既不受制于仇敌亦不受制于亲朋;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
假如你能以六十秒长跑去填满
With sixty second' worth of distance run -
不可饶恕的一分钟
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
这个世界的一切都是你的,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
更重要的是——孩子——你是个顶天立地的人!