麥克阿瑟為子祈禱文 A Father's Prayer

麦帅为子祈祷文 
作者：麦克阿瑟
译者：吳奚真 

主啊，请陶冶我的儿子，使他成为一个坚强的人，能夠知道自己什么時候是软弱的；
使他成为一个勇敢的人，能夠在畏惧的時候认清自己，谋求补救；
使他在诚实的失败之中，能夠自豪而不屈，在获得成功之际，能夠谦逊而温和。 

请陶冶我的儿子，使他不要以愿望代替实际作为；
使他能夠认识主---並且晓得自知乃是知识的基石。 
我祈求你，不要引导他走上安逸舒适的道路，而要让他遭受困难与挑战的磨炼和策励。
让他借此学习在风暴之中挺立起來，让他借此学习对失败的人加以同情。 

请陶冶我的儿子，使他的心地纯洁，目标高超;
在企图驾驭他人之前，先能驾驭自己；
对未来善加筹划，但是永不忘记过去。 
在他把以上诸点都已做到之后，还请赐给他充分的幽默感，
使他可以永远保持严肃的态度，但绝不自视非凡，过于拘执。
请赐给他谦逊，使他可以永远记住真实伟大的朴实无华，
真实智慧的虚怀若谷，和真实力量的温和蕴藉。 

然后，作为他的父亲的我，
才敢低声说道：「我已不虚此生！」

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 be take the place of deeds;
a son who will know thee and
that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray,
not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. 
Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;
here, let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son
whose heart will be clean, 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".