最近,,一篇名為「I Wish You Bad Luck.」(我祝你不幸)的畢業(yè)演講在美國社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)刷屏了,! 不同于各類名人勵志演講,聽完讓人熱血沸騰,。這次給大家灌下的卻是一大缸毒,!雞!湯,! 先來看看這位演講者,,是何許人也? 約翰 · 羅伯茨(John G. Roberts Jr),, 1955年1月27日生于紐約州水牛城,,在印第安納州長大。父親是一名小職員,,家中共有4個孩子,,家境拮據(jù)。 1971年羅伯茨考入哈佛大學(xué),,1976年以第一名的成績從哈佛法學(xué)院畢業(yè),,1979年獲得哈佛法學(xué)院法學(xué)博士學(xué)位。曾擔(dān)任《哈佛法律評論》的執(zhí)行總編,。 2005年9月,,羅伯茨被時任美國總統(tǒng)布什提名,隨后獲參議院通過,,成為第17任美國最高法院首席大法官,,年僅50歲,成為美國歷史上最年輕的首席大法官。 上過兩次《時代周刊》封面 羅伯茨與妻子育有一子一女,,都是領(lǐng)養(yǎng)的,。 兒子杰克今年從新罕布什爾州的卡迪根山中學(xué)(Cardigan Mountain School)畢業(yè),學(xué)校就請了他老爸來畢業(yè)典禮致辭,。 結(jié)果,,他沒有祝福畢業(yè)生們有個美好的未來,卻祝愿他們遭遇“不公,、不幸,、孤獨(dú)、被忽視,、背叛”……
我希望你們能遭遇不公,,這樣,你才能懂得公正的價值,。 I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. 我希望你們能遭受背叛,,這樣,你才能領(lǐng)悟忠誠的重要,。 I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. 我希望你們能體驗(yàn)到孤獨(dú),,這樣,你才會明白朋友的珍貴,。 I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. 我希望你們也有運(yùn)氣不佳的時候,,這樣,你才會意識到機(jī)遇的重要性,,才會明白你的成功并非天經(jīng)地義,,而他人的失敗也不是理所應(yīng)當(dāng)。 I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. 我希望你們的對手會時不時對你們的失敗幸災(zāi)樂禍,,這樣,,你才懂得人要有競爭精神。 I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others. 我希望你們會被無視,,這樣,,你才能明白要學(xué)會傾聽。 I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. 我希望你們遭受痛苦,,這樣,,你就能懂得要抱有同情心。 這些祝福雖然句句扎心,,卻深得人心,,迅速圈粉各路媒體和網(wǎng)友! 連《華盛頓郵報》評論都說:「羅伯茨大法官本年度最好的作品,,不是某個案子的判決書,,而是在兒子畢業(yè)典禮上的致辭,。」 附:視頻演講完整版 (沒有字幕,,大家就跟演講全文對照來看吧,,順便練一練英語) 演講全文 Rain, somebody said, is like confetti from heaven. So even the heavens are celebrating this morning, joining the rest of us at this wonderful commencement ceremony. 人們常說,雨就像天堂灑下的五彩紙屑,。所以今早,,連上天也在和我們一起慶祝這個美妙的畢業(yè)典禮。(演講時下雨了) Before we go any further, graduates, you have an important task to perform because behind you are your parents and guardians. Two or three or four years ago, they drove into Cardigan, dropped you off, helped you get settled and then turned around and drove back out the gates. It was an extraordinary sacrifice for them. They drove down the trail of tears back to an emptier and lonelier house. They did that because the decision about your education, they knew, was about you. It was not about them. That sacrifice and others they made have brought you to this point. But this morning is not just about you. It is also about them, so I hope you will stand up and turn around and give them a great round of applause. Please. 同學(xué)們,,在我們演講之前,希望你們先為一直在背后支持你們的父母和監(jiān)護(hù)人做一件事,。兩年,、三年、或四年之前,,他們送你們來到這所學(xué)校,,幫你安頓妥當(dāng)后,就轉(zhuǎn)身默默離開了,,他們或許一路含著淚,,回到了家里空蕩蕩、孤獨(dú)的房子,。這對他們來說不容易,,但他們知道,讓你們接受教育,,比他們自己的感受更重要,。為了幫助你們成長,他們愿意做出犧牲,,并愿意付出一切,。所以,今天不只是你們的大日子,,也是他們的大日子,,我希望你們能站起來,轉(zhuǎn)過身,,為他們送上熱烈的掌聲,。 Now when somebody asks me how the remarks at Cardigan went, I will be able to say they were interrupted by applause. 好了,現(xiàn)在如果有人問我在卡迪根學(xué)校的演講怎么樣,,我就可以說,,掌聲如雷,把演講都打斷了,。(大家笑了,,并鼓掌) Congratulations, class of 2017. You’ve reached an important milestone. An important stage of your life is behind you. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you it is the easiest stage of your life, but it is in the books. While you’ve been at Cardigan, you have all been a part of an important international community as well. And I think that needs to be particularly recognized. 祝賀你們,2017屆畢業(yè)生。這是你們生命中的一個重要里程碑,,你們?nèi)松械囊粋€重要階段已經(jīng)告一段落,。但我遺憾地地告訴你們,這其實(shí)是你們生命里最容易的階段(大家會心一笑),。你們就讀于卡迪根山中學(xué)時,,同時也是國際社會中的一員,我覺得大家尤其應(yīng)當(dāng)認(rèn)識到這一點(diǎn),。 Now around the country today at colleges, high schools, middle schools, commencement speakers are standing before impatient graduates. And they are almost always saying the same things. They will say that today is a commencement exercise. ‘It is a beginning, not an end. You should look forward.’ And I think that is true enough, however, I think if you’re going to look forward to figure out where you’re going, it’s good to know where you’ve been and to look back as well. And I think if you look back to your first afternoon here at Cardigan, perhaps you will recall that you were lonely. Perhaps you will recall that you were a little scared, a little anxious. And now look at you. You are surrounded by friends that you call brothers, and you are confident in facing the next step in your education. 現(xiàn)在,,在全國各地的學(xué)校里,有很多畢業(yè)典禮的嘉賓們正站在一群躁動不安的畢業(yè)生面前,,說著幾乎同樣的話,。 他們會說,「今天只是一個開始,,而不是結(jié)束,。你們應(yīng)該向前看?!顾麄冋f得很對,,但是,如果你想弄清楚下一步方向,,不妨回頭看看你走過的路,。回想一下來到卡迪根中學(xué)的第一天,,你也許曾感到孤獨(dú),、害怕和焦慮。再看看現(xiàn)在你,,身邊滿是朋友,、兄弟,正信心滿滿地準(zhǔn)備迎接下一階段的教育,。 It is worth trying to think why that is so. And when you do, I think you may appreciate that it was because of the support of your classmates in the classroom, on the athletic field and in the dorms. And as far as the confidence goes, I think you will appreciate that it is not because you succeeded at everything you did, but because with the help of your friends, you were not afraid to fail. And if you did fail, you got up and tried again. And if you failed again, you got up and tried again. And if you failed again, it might be time to think about doing something else. But it was not just success, but not being afraid to fail that brought you to this point. 想一想,,為什么會有這樣的變化?我想你們也許會感謝同學(xué)們在課堂上,、運(yùn)動場上,、宿舍里給予的幫助。朋友的幫助,,讓你們不再害怕失敗,。你們知道了:如果失敗了,你會爬起來重新來過,。如果又失敗,,你會再來一次,。如果又又又失敗了,也許就是時候考慮做點(diǎn)別的事了(大家轟然大笑),。你們之所以走到今天,,不僅是因?yàn)槟銈兊某晒Γ€有不懼失敗的勇氣,。 Now the commencement speakers will typically also wish you good luck and extend good wishes to you. I will not do that, and I’ll tell you why. 現(xiàn)在,,畢業(yè)典禮的演講嘉賓照例要祝你們好運(yùn)并送上祝福了。我不會這樣做,,讓我來告訴你為什么,。 From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted.I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. 我希望你們在未來的歲月中,不時遭遇不公對待,,這樣才會理解公正的價值所在,。 愿你們嘗到背叛滋味,這會教你們領(lǐng)悟忠誠之重要,。 抱歉,我還希望你們時常會有孤獨(dú)感,,這樣才不會將良朋摯友視為理所當(dāng)然,。 愿你們偶爾運(yùn)氣不佳,這樣才會意識到機(jī)遇在人生中的地位,,進(jìn)而理解你們的成功并非命中注定,,別人的失敗也不是天經(jīng)地義。 當(dāng)你們偶爾遭遇失敗時,,愿你們受到對手幸災(zāi)樂禍的嘲弄,,這才會讓你們理解體育精神的重要性。 愿你們偶爾被人忽視,,這樣才能學(xué)會傾聽,。 愿你們感受到切膚之痛,才能對別人抱有同情心,。 Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes. 無論我怎么想,,這些遲早會來臨。而你們能否從中獲益,,取決于能否參透人生苦難傳遞的信息,。 Now commencement speakers are also expected to give some advice. They give grand advice, and they give some useful tips. The most common grand advice they give is for you to be yourself. It is an odd piece of advice to give people dressed identically, but you should — you should be yourself. But you should understand what that means. 畢業(yè)典禮嘉賓們還會給出一些建議。有些很宏大,,有些很實(shí)用,。他們最普遍的忠告,就是「做你自己」,。給一群穿著整齊劃一的人提這樣的建議有點(diǎn)奇怪(全場大笑),。不過你們確實(shí)應(yīng)該做自己,,但你們也要明白這句話的真正含義。 Unless you are perfect, it does not mean don’t make any changes. In a certain sense, you should not be yourself. You should try to become something better. People say ‘be yourself’ because they want you to resist the impulse to conform to what others want you to be. But you can’t be yourself if you don't learn who are, and you can’t learn who you are unless you think about it. 如果你并非足夠完美,,那你不應(yīng)該只做你自己,,而是應(yīng)該努力成為更好的自己。人們常說「做你自己」,,是因?yàn)樗麄兿M悴灰谒说囊庠鸽S波逐流,。但如果你都不了解自己,你是不可能「做你自己」的,。 The Greek philosopher Socrates said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ And while ‘just do it’ might be a good motto for some things, it’s not a good motto when it’s trying to figure out how to live your life that is before you. And one important clue to living a good life is to not to try to live the good life. The best way to lose the values that are central to who you are is frankly not to think about them at all. 古希臘哲學(xué)家蘇格拉底曾說,,「未經(jīng)審視的人生沒有意義」。對某些事而言,,「Just do it」“放膽去做”也許是句金玉良言,,但在你還未想明白要過怎樣的人生之前,這個座右銘其實(shí)并不適用,。擁有美好人生的途徑,,就是不要去過容易的生活。如果你從不思索生活的意義,,那你很容易就會迷失自我,。 So that’s the deep advice.Now some tips as you get ready to go to your new school. Other the last couple of years, I have gotten to know many of you young men pretty well, and I know you are good guys. But you are also privileged young men. And if you weren’t privileged when you came here, you are privileged now because you have been here. My advice is: Don’t act like it. 以上就是我給出的深刻建議。現(xiàn)在再給你們一些去新學(xué)校后的建議,。過去幾年里,,我知道你們當(dāng)中很多年輕人,都是很好的青年,。但你們也是享有特權(quán)的一群年輕人,。即使初來此地之時你們并沒有什么特權(quán),現(xiàn)在你們也已經(jīng)享有了比其他人更多的優(yōu)勢,。我的建議是,,不要表現(xiàn)得高人一等。 When you get to your new school, walk up and introduce yourself to the person who is raking the leaves, shoveling the snow or emptying the trash. Learn their name and call them by their name during your time at the school.Another piece of advice: When you pass by people you don’t recognize on the walks, smile, look them in the eye and say hello. The worst thing that will happen is that you will become known as the young man who smiles and says hello, and that is not a bad thing to start with.You’ve been at a school with just boys. Most of you will be going to a school with girls. I have no advice for you. The last bit of advice I’ll give you is very simple, but I think it could make a big difference in your life. Once a week, you should write a note to someone. Not an email. A note on a piece of paper. It will take you exactly 10 minutes. Talk to an adult, let them tell you what a stamp is. You can put the stamp on the envelope. Again, 10 minutes, once a week. I will help you, right now. I will dictate to you the first note you should write. It will say, ‘Dear [fill in the name of a teacher at Cardigan Mountain School].’ Say: ‘I have started at this new school. We are reading [blank] in English. Football or soccer practice is hard, but I’m enjoying it. Thank you for teaching me.’ Put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and send it. It will mean a great deal to people who — for reasons most of us cannot contemplate — have dedicated themselves to teaching middle school boys. As I said, that will take you exactly 10 minutes a week. By the end of the school year, you will have sent notes to 40 people. Forty people will feel a little more special because you did, and they will think you are very special because of what you did. No one else is going to carry that dividend during your time at school. 當(dāng)你來到新學(xué)校時,,見到那些掃落葉,、鏟雪、倒垃圾的人,,走上前自我介紹,,同時記住他們名字,下次見到他們記得叫他們的名字,。 當(dāng)你在路上遇見陌生人,,看著他們的眼睛并微笑致意。這樣做最糟糕的結(jié)果不過是,,人們會記住你這個愛笑愛打招呼的年輕人,,這并不是什么壞事(全場大笑),。 你們之前在的學(xué)校里只有男孩,現(xiàn)在大多數(shù)人都將進(jìn)入有女生的學(xué)校,。關(guān)于這件事,,我沒有建議。(全場爆笑,,并熱烈鼓掌) 最后一條建議十分簡單,,但卻會對你的人生產(chǎn)生重大影響:每周給人寫一封信。不是電子郵件,,而是真正寫在紙上,,只要10分鐘??梢詥栆幌麻L輩郵票是什么,,然后你就可以給信封貼郵票了。再說一遍,,10分鐘,,每周一次。 我現(xiàn)在就可以教你怎樣寫,,“親愛的「填上學(xué)校老師的名字」:“從這所新學(xué)校開始,。我們正在用英語閱讀「空白處填寫」,。足球和足球訓(xùn)練都很難,,但我很享受,。謝謝您的教誨?!?把它放在信封里,貼上郵票寄出去,。這對于那些把生命奉獻(xiàn)給教育初中小男孩的中學(xué)老師們來講意義非凡(爆笑),。 如我所說,每周只需要花十分鐘,。當(dāng)學(xué)年結(jié)束時,,你差不多給40位老師寄出過便條。這40位老師會因?yàn)槟阕龅倪@件事而感到自己很特殊,,同時也會對你另眼相看,。在學(xué)校的時光里,這是你一人獨(dú)享的一份紅利,。 Enough advice. I would like to end by reading some important lyrics. I cited the Greek philosopher Socrates earlier. These lyrics are from the great American philosopher, Bob Dylan. They’re almost 50 years old. He wrote them for his son, Jesse, who he was missing while he was on tour. It lists the hopes that a parent might have for a son and for a daughter. They’re also good goals for a son and a daughter. The wishes are beautiful, they’re timeless. They’re universal. They’re good and true, except for one: It is the wish that gives the song its title and its refrain. That wish is a parent’s lament. It’s not a good wish. 最后,,我想用一段歌詞來結(jié)束今天的致辭。前面,,我引用了古希臘哲學(xué)家蘇格拉底的名言,。下面,,我要引述偉大的美國音樂哲人鮑勃 · 迪倫的歌詞,這些歌詞已有快超過50年的歷史了,。是鮑勃 · 迪倫當(dāng)年巡回演出期間,,思子心切,寫給兒子杰西的,。歌詞表達(dá)了家長對子女的美好期盼,,這些期盼是美好的、永恒的,,也是普世的……其中有一條除外,,即歌名和副歌里表達(dá)的愿望,那只能算是家長們的嘆息,,算不得美好的愿望,。 So these are the lyrics from Forever Young by Bob Dylan: 這就是鮑勃 · 迪倫的《永遠(yuǎn)年輕》: May God bless you and keep you always 愿上帝庇佑,護(hù)你前路 May your wishes all come true 愿你美夢均可成真 May you always do for others And let others do for you 愿你與人為善,,相互扶持 May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung 愿你建成通往群星的天梯 穩(wěn)妥沿它而上 And may you stay forever young 愿你永遠(yuǎn)年輕 May you grow up to be righteous 愿你成為正直之人 May you grow up to be true 愿你成就真實(shí)自我 May you always know the truth And see the lights surrounding you 愿你永遠(yuǎn)感知真理,,看向身邊無盡光明 May you always be courageous Stand upright and be strong 愿你勇敢無懼,堅(jiān)強(qiáng)可靠 And may you stay forever young 愿你永遠(yuǎn)年輕 May your hands always be busy 愿你雙手永遠(yuǎn)忙碌 May your feet always be swift 愿你腳步永遠(yuǎn)輕盈 May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift 在變故橫生之時,,愿你根基牢靠 May your heart always be joyful 愿你心中永遠(yuǎn)充滿快樂 May your song always be sung 愿你的歌聲永遠(yuǎn)嘹亮 And may you stay forever young 愿你永遠(yuǎn)年輕 |
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