主啊!请你塑造我的儿子,
使他在软弱时,坚强不屈;
在惧怕时,能勇敢自持,
在失败中,毫不气馁;
在胜利中,保持谦逊温和。
主啊!请你塑造我的儿子,
不要空有幻想而缺乏行动;
带领他认识你,同时让他知道,
认识自己,才是一切知识的基石。
主啊!请你塑造我的儿子,
让他有一颗纯洁的心,
并有远大的目标;
在指挥别人之前,
先懂得驾驭自己;
进入未来的时候,永不忘过去的教训。
主啊!在他有了这些之后,
我还要祈求你赐给他足够的幽默感,
以免他过于严肃,而苛求自己。
请你赐给他谦卑的心,
使他永远记得,
真正的伟大是单纯,
真正的智慧是坦率,
真正的力量是温和。
如此,我作为父亲,
才敢低声说:“我没有虚度此生。”
阿门!
A Father's Prayer
Build me a son,O Lord,
Who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
And brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
And humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son
Whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
A son who will know thee... and that
To know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Build me a son
Whose heart will be clear,
Whose goal will be high,
A son who will master himself
Before he seeks to master other men;
One who will reach into the future,
Yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his,
add,I pray,enough of a sense of humor,
so that he may always be serious,
yet never take himself too seriously.
Give him humility,
So that he may always remember
The simplicity of true greatness,
The open mind of true wisdom
And the meekness of true strength.
Then,I,his father,will dare to
Whisper,"I have not lived in vain."
By Douglas Mac Arthur