John O’Hara to His Daughter

约翰?奥哈拉给女儿的信

Quogue，Long Island

16 September1962，Sunday

于奎基，长岛，星期日

1962年9月16日

My dear：

我的宝贝：

Well，here we are——but not here．You at St．Tim's，Sister in Princeton，and me in Quogue，and another brand new year is about to start for you．For me，too．I always seem to approach the autumn in the frame¹ of mind that spring induces² in most people．The excitement of new things；the new plays，the new books，new clothes，etc．，etc．，etc．At the same time the autumn for me is a season of a sweet melancholy³ that is hard to explain. I love the early evenings，the leaves burning，the lights in houses．

好了，我们到了——但不是到这儿。你在圣?蒂姆斯，西斯特在普林斯顿，而我在奎基，对你来说崭新的一年又开始了。对于我，也是如此。我似乎总是带着一种春天在大多数人身上所激发的心情走近秋季。新生事物给人们带来的兴奋；新剧目、新书、新服装，等等，等等，等等。同时，秋天对于我则是带着美丽的忧郁的季节。这是难以用言语表达的。我爱黄昏，爱像火一样燃烧着的红艳艳的树叶，爱房屋里的灯光。

It is the beginning of a big year for you，in many respects your biggest so far．By the time June comes around you will be 18，and graduating from school．In the past week or so I have called you“Kid” but subconsciously⁴ I have been doing that because your kid days are over，or just about．I suspect that you are going through the experience of first love，and no matter what else happens，after that experience you are never a kid again．

对你来说，这是至关重要的一年的开始，从许多方面来说这是你最重要的一年。到六月份你就18岁了，将中学毕业。在过去的几周里，我称你为“小孩子”，但在潜意识里我这样做是因为你的少年时代已经过去，或正要过去。我猜想你已在经历你的初恋，不管发生什么，有过初恋的经历之后，你再也不是小孩子了。

Most of the nice things we associate with being a kid are okay——while you are still a kid．But you gain more than you lose．You gain in understanding standing，in appreciation⁵ of people，in understanding and appreciation of yourself．You begin to see the wisdom in that quotation⁶ I have so often repeated to you：to thine own self be true．Every year at this time I have repeated that quotation to you，and the time is not really too far distant when you will be passing it on to your own children．It is probably the best single piece of advice I can give you，or you can give them．

与当个孩子相关的许多美好的事物都是很不错的——然而你仍然是个孩子。但你将得到比所失去的更多的东西。你将得到理解、人们的欣赏，以及你对你自己的理解和欣赏。你将明白我常常告诉你的那句话所隐含的智慧：真诚地对待你自己。每一年的这个时候我都对你重复这句话，而且这离你把这句话告诉你的孩子们的时候也为时不远了。这句话也许是我能够给你的最好的一条建议，或许也是你能够给你的孩子们的最好的一条建议。

You have done well，and I am pleased with you，not only for what you have done，but for what you are．As Miss Finnegan said to Sister，“Wylie has the right reactions．”So good luck in your Senior Year，and always know that the old man loves you very much．

你做得很好，我对你很满意，并不只是因为你所做的那些事，而且因为你本人。就像芬尼根小姐对西斯特所说的那样“威利反应敏捷”。因此，祝你中学的最后一年交好运，并且永远记住，我这个老人非常爱你。

Always

Dad