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General MacArthur's Prayer For His Son / 麥帥為子祈禱文

     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 whishes will not 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 com-
 passion for those who fail.

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

[中譯]

　　主啊，請陶冶我的兒子，使他成為一個堅強的人，能夠知
道自己什麼時候是軟弱的；使他成為一個勇敢的人，能夠在畏
懼的時候認清自己，謀求補救；使他在誠實的失敗之中，能夠
自豪而不屈，在獲得成功之際，能夠謙遜而溫和。

　　請陶冶我的兒子，使他不要以願望代替實際作為；使他能
夠認識主──並且曉得自知乃是知識的基石。

　　我祈求你，不要引導他走上安逸舒適的道路，而要讓他遭
受困難與磨練和策勵。讓他藉此學習在風暴之中挺立起來，讓
他藉此學習對失敗的人加以同情。

　　請陶冶我的兒子，使他的心地純潔，目標高超；在企圖駕
馭他人之前，先能駕馭自己；對未來善加籌畫，但是永不忘記過去。

　　在他把以上諸點都已做到之後，還請賜給他充分的幽默
感，使他可以永遠保持嚴肅的態度，但絕不自視非凡，過於拘執。

　　請賜給他謙遜，使他可以永遠記住──真實偉大的樸實無
華，真實智慧的虛懷若谷，和真實力量的溫和蘊藉。

　　然後，作為他的父親的我，才敢低聲說道：「我已不虛此生！」