名人家書:約翰奧哈拉致 女兒（威利奧哈拉）（2）中英文對照
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我親愛的：
好了，我們到了——但不是到這兒。你在圣·蒂姆斯，西斯特在普林斯頓，而我在奎基，對你來說嶄新的一年又開始了。對于我，也是如此。我似乎總是帶著一種春天在大多數人身上所激發的心情走近秋季。新生事物給人們帶來的興奮；新劇目、新書、新服裝，等等，等等，等等。同時，秋天對于我則是帶著美麗的憂郁的季節。這是難以用言語表達的。我愛黃昏，愛像火一樣燃燒著的紅艷艷的樹葉，愛房屋里的燈光。
對你來說，這是至關重要的一年的開始，從許多方面來說這是你最重要的一年。到六月份你就18歲了，將中學畢業。在過去的幾周里，我稱你為“小孩子”，但在潛意識里我這樣做是因為你的少年時代已經過去，或正要過去。我猜想你已在經歷你的初戀，不管發生什么，有過初戀的經歷之后，你再也不是小孩子了。
與當個孩子相關的許多美好的事物都是很不錯的——然而你仍然是個孩子。但你將得到比所失去的更多的東西。你將得到理解、人們的欣賞，以及你對你自己的理解和欣賞。你將明白我常常告訴你的那句話所隱含的智慧：真誠地對待你自己。每一年的這個時候我都對你重復這句話，而且這離你把這句話告訴你的孩子們的時候也為時不遠了。這句話也許是我能夠給你的最好的一條建議，或許也是你能夠給你的孩子們的最好的一條建議。
你做得很好，我對你很滿意，并不只是因為你所做的那些事，而且因為你本人。就像芬尼根小姐對西斯特所說的那樣“威利反應敏捷”。因此，祝你中學的最后一年交好運，并且永遠記住，我這個老人非常愛你。
永遠愛你的，爸爸
于奎基，長島，星期日
1962年9月16日
tls，1 p.mrs.doughty
quogue，long island
16 september1962，sunday
my dear：
well，here we are——but not here.you at st.tim's，sister in princeton，and me in quogue，andanother brand new year is about to start for you.for me，too.i always seem to approach the autumnin the frame of mind that spring induces in mostpeople.the excitement of new things；the newplays，the new books，new clothes，etc.，etc.，etc.at the same time the autumn for me is a season ofa sweet melancholy that is hard to explain.i lovethe early evenings，the leaves burning，the lights inhouses.
it is the beginning of a big year for you，inmany respects your biggest so far.by the time junecomes around you will be 18，and graduating fromschool.in the past week or so i have called you“kid” but subconsciously i have been doing thatbecause your kid days are over，or just about.i suspect that you are going through the experienceof first love，and no matter what else happens，afterthat experience you are never a kid again.
most of the nice things we associate withbeing a kid are okay——while you are still a kid.but you gain more than you lose.you gain inunderstanding standing，in appreciation of people，in understanding and appreciation of yourself.youbegin to see the wisdom in that quotation i have sooften repeated to you：to thine own self be true.every year at this time i have repeated thatquotation to you，and the time is not really too fardistant when you will be passing it on to your ownchildren.it is probably the best single piece ofadvice i can give you，or you can give them.
you have done well，and i am pleased withyou，not only for what you have done，but for whatyou are.as miss finnegan said to sister，“wyliehas the right reactions.”so good luck in yoursenior year，and always know that the old manloves you very much.
always
dad
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