感謝大家。
Thank you very much.
有人說，雨點，就像來自天堂的彩屑，所以這個早晨，即使天堂也在為我們慶祝，共同加入我們這個非凡的畢業(yè)典禮。
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.
在我們開始之前，畢業(yè)生們，你們有一個非常重要的任務(wù)——你們身后的站著的，是你們的父母和監(jiān)護人。兩年、三年或者四年前，他們開車帶你們來到這所學(xué)校，安頓好你們，然后走出大門，掉頭回去。對他們來說，那是一次不同尋常的犧牲。歸途中，他們或許淚流滿面，而迎接他們的，是一所空蕩蕩、孤單的房子。他們做出這樣的犧牲，是因為他們知道，教育是為了你們，而不是為了他們自己。因為他們的犧牲和付出，你們才能走到今天。所以今天這個早晨不光光是為了你們，同樣也是為了他們。我希望你們能夠站起來，轉(zhuǎn)過身，為他們鼓掌。
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.
（現(xiàn)場全體畢業(yè)生起立，為父母鼓掌。）
現(xiàn)在，如果有人問我關(guān)于這次演講的事，我終于可以說我的演講被掌聲打斷了。（笑聲）
Now when somebody asks me how the remarks at Cardigan went, I will be able to say they were interrupted by applause.
祝賀你們，2017 的畢業(yè)生。你們來到了一個重要的人生里程碑，度過了人生中非常重要的一個階段。我很遺憾地告訴你們，那同時也是人生中最容易的階段，它是在書本里的。當(dāng)你們身處 Cardigan（注：寄宿學(xué)校的名字）中，你們同時也成為了一個重要的國際社區(qū)的一份子?！居闷渌鞣N語言致辭。】
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.
[Roberts gave brief remarks in other languages.]
如今，在這個國家的大學(xué)里、高中里、初中里，畢業(yè)典禮致辭嘉賓都會站在不耐煩的畢業(yè)生前，說同樣的話。他們會說，今天是你們的畢業(yè)典禮，但是，這是一個開始，而不是結(jié)束，你們應(yīng)該向前看。我認為這很對，但是，當(dāng)你們向前看尋找前路的時候，向后回望來途同樣重要。當(dāng)你們回顧你們在 Cardigan 的第一個下午時，或許你會想起來，自己曾經(jīng)是孤獨的；或許你會想起來，你有一點點害怕和緊張?，F(xiàn)在看看你們自己，你們被朋友環(huán)繞，你們擁有了很多兄弟，你們自信地面對著下一階段的求學(xué)。
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.
思考一下這種轉(zhuǎn)變從何而來非常有價值。而當(dāng)你思考的時候，你會感激你的同學(xué)們，在課堂中、田徑場上、宿舍里對你的各種支持。一個人的自信，不是因為你做的事情全部都成功，而是因為有了朋友的幫助后，你不懼怕失敗。當(dāng)你失敗，你會站在來，再次嘗試。當(dāng)你再失敗，你會又站起來，再次嘗試。而當(dāng)你又失敗——你最好想想找點其它什么事情做。（笑聲）但是你要明白，不是成功，而是不懼怕失敗，才讓你走到了今天。
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.
現(xiàn)在的演講嘉賓還會給予你們很多祝福，我不打算這么做，我來告訴你們?yōu)槭裁?。在未來的歲月里，時不時的，我希望你們受到一點不公正的對待，這樣，你們才會知道正義的價值；我希望你們會遭受背叛，這樣你們才會了解忠誠的可貴。很抱歉這樣說，但我希望你們時不時會體會到孤獨，這樣你們才不會將友情視作理所當(dāng)然；我希望你們交點噩運，這樣你們才會意識到，自己的成功并非天經(jīng)地義，別人的失敗也不是咎由自取。
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. 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.
當(dāng)你們失敗時，我希望你們的競爭對手時不時地幸災(zāi)樂禍一下，這樣你們才會領(lǐng)悟體育精神的可貴；希望你們被忽視，這樣你們才會知道傾聽有多重要。不管以上這些是不是我的希望，它們都會在你們未來的人生中發(fā)生，而你們是否會從中獲益，完全取決于你們看待人生遭遇的視角。
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. 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.
現(xiàn)在的演講嘉賓還會給一些忠告，一些人生忠告，一些有用的技巧。最常見的人生忠告是——做你自己。跟一群穿著一模一樣校服的人說，「做你自己」，是件很奇怪的事情，但大家還是要說，「做你自己」。（笑聲）但是，你們應(yīng)該理解這句話背后的意義。除非你是一個完人，否則這句話真的不代表你不需要做任何改變。在有些時候，你不應(yīng)該做你自己，你應(yīng)該做一個更好的人。人們說「做自己」是因為他們不希望你們放棄內(nèi)心的夢想，而屈服于外界的壓力。但當(dāng)我們不知道我們自己是誰的時候，我們不可能做自己；而如果我們不仔細思考自己人生的價值，我們也不可能知道自己是誰。
Now commencement speakers are also expected to give some advice.They give grand advice, and they give some useful tips. The most common grandadvice they give is for you to be yourself. It is an odd piece of advice togive people dressed identically, but you should — you should be yourself. Butyou should understand what that means. Unless you are perfect, it does not meandon’t make any changes. In a certain sense, you should not be yourself. Youshould try to become something better. People say ‘be yourself’ because theywant you to resist the impulse to conform to what others want you to be. Butyou can’t be yourself if you don't learn who are, and you can’t learn who youare unless you think about it.
古希臘哲學(xué)家蘇格拉底曾說：「未經(jīng)檢驗的人生是不值得活的?！褂行r候，「just do it」可能是個很有道理的人生格言，但是，在試圖找到你該如何度過未來的人生時，這句話并無價值。當(dāng)你完全不考慮自己的人生價值時，你不可能找到自己到底是誰。
The Greek philosopher Socrates said, ‘The unexamined life is notworth 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 thatis before you. And one important clue to living a good life is to not to try tolive the good life. The best way to lose the values that are central to who youare is frankly not to think about them at all.
好了，人生忠告到此為止，下面是教你們一些小技巧到高中里去使用。過去幾年中，我認識了你們中的不少男生，我知道你們都是優(yōu)秀的孩子。但是，你們是「有特權(quán)」的男生。如果你們沒有特權(quán)，你們不會來到這個學(xué)校，即使你們來之前沒有特權(quán)，現(xiàn)在你們也有了。我的建議是：不要自視甚高。
So that’s the deep advice. Now some tips as you get ready to go toyour new school. Other the last couple of years, I have gotten to know many ofyou young men pretty well, and I know you are good guys. But you are alsoprivileged young men. And if you weren’t privileged when you came here, you areprivileged now because you have been here. My advice is: Don’t act like it.
當(dāng)你到了新學(xué)校后，見到那些掃地的、鏟雪的、倒垃圾的人，請你們走上去，介紹自己，也請教對方的名字。記住這些名字，在學(xué)校里遇到他們，稱呼他們的名字。另一條建議，如果你在路上遇到不認識的人，請你微笑、看著他們的眼睛，跟他們說你好。當(dāng)你這樣做，可能會發(fā)生的最壞的事，不過是你從此會得一個「微笑并和人打招呼的小子」這個名聲。這可不是一個壞的開始。
When you get to your new school, walk up and introduce yourself tothe 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 thewalks, smile, look them in the eye and say hello. The worst thing that willhappen is that you will become known as the young man who smiles and sayshello, and that is not a bad thing to start with.
這是一個男校，你們過去只和男生在一起。你們中的大多數(shù)將會去一個有女孩的高中，關(guān)于這點，我沒什么建議好給。（笑聲，掌聲）
You’ve been at a school with just boys. Most of you will be goingto a school with girls. I have no advice for you.
最后的一條建議很簡單，但我認為會對你的人生產(chǎn)生巨大的影響。每周一次，你們要寫一封信給一個人。不是寫 email，是在紙上寫一封信。這會花費你們一周里的十分鐘。找一個成年人問問，什么是郵票。（笑聲）你們將把郵票貼在信封上，把信寄出去。再說一次，每周十分鐘。我現(xiàn)在就會教你們寫你們的第一封信。信上這么說：「親愛的某某某老師，我到了新學(xué)校，英文課在念什么什么書。橄欖球或者足球好難，但我挺喜歡的。感謝你過去在初中的教導(dǎo)?！拱研欧诺叫欧饫铮N上郵票，寄出去。
The last bit of advice I’ll give you is very simple, but I thinkit could make a big difference in your life. Once a week, you should write anote to someone. Not an email. A note on a piece of paper. It will take youexactly 10 minutes. Talk to an adult, let them tell you what a stamp is. Youcan put the stamp on the envelope. Again, 10 minutes, once a week. I will helpyou, right now. I will dictate to you the first note you should write. It willsay, ‘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. Footballor 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.
這對那些教初中男生的老師很重要，雖然大多數(shù)人理解不了為什么重要，（笑聲）但這很重要。像我說的，一周十分鐘，一學(xué)年后，你將寄出去?40?封信給了?40?個人。這?40?個人會因為你做的事情，覺得自己的人生有點特別，同時，他們也會認為你與眾不同。
It will mean a great deal to people who — for reasons most of uscannot 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 theschool year, you will have sent notes to 40 people. Forty people will feel alittle more special because you did, and they will think you are very specialbecause of what you did.
忠告都說完了，最后我希望用一些非常有名的歌詞來結(jié)束我的講話。我之前引用了蘇格拉底，現(xiàn)在我想借用美國哲人?Bob Dylan?的歌詞。這首歌距今已經(jīng)?50?年了，是?Bob Dylan?在旅途中因為思念自己的兒子?Jesse?而寫下的。他列舉了一個做父母的，對兒子和女兒的期望。這些期望非常美妙，跨越時空。來自?Bob Dylan?的歌詞，《永遠年輕》。
Enough advice. I would like to end by reading some importantlyrics. I cited the Greek philosopher Socrates earlier. These lyrics are fromthe great American philosopher, Bob Dylan. They’re almost 50 years old. Hewrote them for his son, Jesse, who he was missing while he was on tour. Itlists the hopes that a parent might have for a son and for a daughter. They’realso good goals for a son and a daughter. The wishes are beautiful, they’retimeless. They’re universal.?
