一个父亲对儿子说

           假如

    路加。吉朴林

(本诗与一场在非洲的殖民战争有关)

假如周围的人纷纷掉脑袋并归咎于你，
      而你却能保持头脑清醒；
假如所有的人都在怀疑你，
      并提出怀疑你的理由，你还能信任你自己；
假如你能等待，又不倦与等待，
      被谗言诽谤，能够置之不理，
被人憎恨，而不去恨人，
      同时不摆高姿态，不在谈吐中显得聪明过人；

假如你有梦想，又不被梦想左右；
      假如你能思考，又不把思想当目标；
假如你能坦然面对胜利和失败--
      对这俩个骗子一视同仁；
假如你能忍心倾听，你所说的真情
      被无赖恶棍们蓄意扭曲成愚人的陷阱；
抑或眼睁睁看着一生最中意的宝物顷刻破碎，
      你能俯下身子，用旧工具重做一个。

假如你能将所有的战利品集中在一起，
      在孤注一掷的赌局中投注，
全盘尽输了，仍可从头开始，
      却不向任何人透露你的失利；
假如你能管住你的心， 你的筋，你的神经，
      在你死后很久仍然为你服务，
那么，当你的一切化为乌有之后应当挺住，
      除非你的意念对它们说：“挺住！”

假如你对着人群说话，能保持自己的德行，
      同君王平步，而不失凡人的本性，
假如敌友双方都无法伤害你，
      假如人人都在算计你，而谁对你都不太过分，
假如你能将那毫不宽容的一分钟，
      用作六十秒的短跑，
那么，这个地球是你的，连同地球上的一切，
      更紧要的是， 你将是个堂堂好汉， 我的儿子！

     1998年12月8日初译，2008年1月21日校

Rudyard Kipling: If
Kipling wrote If with Dr Leander Starr Jameson in mind. In 1895, Jameson led about 500 of his countrymen in a failed raid against the Boers, in southern Africa. What became known as the Jameson Raid was later cited as a major factor in bringing about the Boer War of 1899 to 1902.  But the story as recounted in Britain was quite different. The British defeat was interpreted as a victory and Jameson portrayed as a daring hero.

                   If

If you can keep your head when all about you
      Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
      But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
      Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
      And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
      If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
      And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
      Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
      And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
      And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
      And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
      To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
      Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
     Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
      If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
      With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
      And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Source:
This text is part of the Internet Modern History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use of the Sourcebook.
© Paul Halsall, July 1998