A Father's Prayer －General Douglas MacArthur〈麥克阿瑟為子祈禱文〉

"Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
主啊！求你塑造我的兒子， 使他夠堅強到能認識自己的軟弱；夠勇敢到能面對懼怕；
and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
在誠實的失敗中，毫不氣餒；
one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,and humble and gentle in victory.
在勝利中，仍保持謙遜溫和。

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
懇求塑造我的兒子，不至空有幻想而缺乏行動；
a son who will know Thee…… and thatto know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
引導他認識您， 同時又知道，認識自己乃是真知識的基石。 ▲Top

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
我祈禱，願您引導他不求安逸、舒適，
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;
相反的，經過壓力、艱難和挑戰， 學習在風暴中挺身站立，
here let him learn compassion for those that fail.
學會憐恤那些在重壓之下失敗的人。

Build me a son, whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high,
求您塑造我的兒子，心地清潔， 目標遠大；
a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;
使他在指揮別人之前，先懂得駕馭自己；
one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
永不忘記過去的教訓，又能伸展入未來的理想。

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor,
當他擁有以上的一切， 我還要禱求，賜他足夠的幽默感，
so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.
使他能認真嚴肅， 卻不致過分苛求自己。

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness,
懇求賜他謙卑， 使他永遠記牢， 真偉大中的平凡，
the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength.
真智慧中的開明， 真勇力中的溫柔。

Then, I, his father will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain.'"
如此，我這作父親的，才敢低聲說： 「我沒有虛度此生。」