
1909年,英国诗人拉迪亚德·吉卜林写下了这首《如果》,寄语12岁的儿子约翰。几年后,约翰不幸死于“一战”中的一场战役,但是这首诗却成为一种激励,广为流传。据说迈克尔·杰克逊的妈妈把它刻在儿子的墓碑上。网上对原文的理解和表达各有千秋,试着自己翻译一下,不足之处请各位斧正。
If
如果
If you can keep your head when all about you, Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
如果你能在所有的人都失去理智并埋怨你的时候保持冷静
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;
如果所有的人都责怪你,你仍然能理解他们并保持自信
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
如果你满身疲惫仍然能够坚持
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
或者,身处谎言却不回击谎言
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
身处仇恨却不用仇恨去回击
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
不盲目乐观,也不夸夸其谈

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
如果你能坚持梦想,而不是一个梦想家
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
你能习惯思考,而不把思考当做目标
If you can meet with triumph and disaster,and treat those two impostors just the same;
如果不管成功还是失败,你都能平静对待
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken,twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
如果你能承受你讲的话被别有用心的人歪曲
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;
或者看着自己的生活破败不堪,你能拿起破旧的工具去重建它们

If you can make one heap of all your winnings,And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
用你所有的一切去孤注一掷
And lose,and start again at your beginnings,And never breathe a word about your loss;
失败之后,重新开始,从不多言
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew,To serve your turn long after they are gone,
如果你能鼓起勇长久地坚持下去
And so hold on when there is nothing in you,Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on !”;
在你一无所有的时候对自己说:坚持

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
如果你能与人交谈而不失于礼
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch;
或者与贵胄同行而不失平和
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,If all men count with you, but none too much;
不管是你的敌人、朋友,包括你自己,再没有人能伤害你
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds “worth of distance run”
如果你能用60秒的长跑替代你认为的不可饶恕一分钟
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
你将成为自己的主人
And - which is more - you’ll be a Man my son!
更重要的是,孩子,你将成为一个顶天立地的人

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