如果他人的爱情左右不了你,

如果你与任何人为伍都能卓然独立;

如果昏惑的骚扰动摇不了你的意志,

你能等自己平心静气再做答时……

那么，你的修养就会如天地般博大，而你，就是个真正的男子汉了，我的儿子！

如果

“与正直的人为伍”

——《报偿与仙灵》①

如果你能保持理性，当你

身边所有人都已失去它，并为此指责你;

如果你能信任自我，当所有人都质疑你——

但还要给他人留有质疑你的余地;

如果你能等待，且不会倦于等待，

即使被谎言包围，也不亲口炮制谎言，

即使受人憎恨，也不让憎恨进人自己的胸怀。

还有，切勿眼中尽善好，尤忌出口皆箴言。

如果你能做梦，且不受梦的支使，

如果你能思想，且不止步于思想，

如果你能在功名与不幸到来时，

将两者同样视为虚妄的幻象，

如果你能承受，你说出的真相被

卑鄙地扭曲，借以诱使愚人中计，

或者目睹你置于生命中心的事物，被粉碎，

只默然躬身，操着残破的工具重新建起。

如果你能留住每一次你赢得的， 积少成多，

也能冒险孤注一掷，押上所有积蓄，

输了就重新开始，一次次反复来过，

呼吸之间，从未流露一个有关失败的词语;

如果你能驱策你的心，你的神经和体力，

坚守你的岗位，当人们早已离去，

一直守着，直到所有一切都将你遗弃，

除了你的意志，它一直告诉它们:“坚持下去！”

如果你能与平民聊天，而不降低你的品格，

或者与君王同行，也不丢失你的本色，

如果无论敌人或是亲密的朋友，都不能伤你分毫，

如果对于你，所有人都有价值，但没有谁过于重要;

如果你奔跑着，以货真价实的六十秒累加，冲抵

不留余地的一分钟面值，

世界是你的，其中的每事每物属于你，

而且——更重要的是——你将是个男子汉， 我的儿子！

① 《报偿与仙灵》 是吉卜林于一九一零年出版的短篇故事集，《如果》原本便收录在这本书里。

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 impostors 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 worn out 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 breathe 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!