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趙麗蓮退休前的臨別贈言

Farewell Address

by Lilian Chao

  趙麗蓮（Lilian Chao, 1899-1989）為中德混血兒。她出生於美國。父親為黨國元老趙士北，母為德裔美人白慧熙（Bornstein）。趙麗蓮九歲時隨父母回到中國。此後她一生都以當中國人為榮。她窮畢生之力貢獻於英語教學，成效卓著。今天我們欣賞的〈臨別贈言〉是趙麗蓮於民國五十三年五月對台大外文系畢業班的演說。演說內容由當時的學生 曾任嘉義大學副校長余玉照教授現場記錄，並由蕭蘭男先生意譯成中文而保存下來。七十八年趙麗蓮去世以後，她的許多學生，包括余玉照、朱炎、林耀福、彭鏡禧等人，因為感念趙老師的風範與愛心，於是籌備「財團法人趙麗蓮教授文教基金會」，於七十九年正式成立，以「推廣英語教學、促進文化交流」為宗旨。

My dear Students: 

I want to say something to you today which I feel would not be appropriate to say at tomorrow’s dinner that you are going to give in honor of us teachers.  Today’s words are not congratulatory, but words of advice and warning.

The time has come for me to retire, not only because I have come to the age of retirement, but also, after forty-five years of teaching, I am physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted.  You are probably the last class I shall ever teach.  My hopes for you are high, and it is my fervent prayer that you will not disappoint me.  During the past years, I have been deeply unhappy to see many of my students forget the warmth and enthusiasm of their student days only a few years after leaving school.  They have become immersed in the sloughs of society and have lost the values and ideals of their youth.  What has done this?  The pursuit of money and power which has taken hold of their minds and souls.

Truly, money is important, but it does not deserve to be pursued with the best of your abilities.  From the history of mankind, we well know that selfish wealth is something which ruins all that is good and beautiful in life.  The pursuit of money for yourself will never satisfy you.  The more you get, the more you will want.  You will never get enough, and you won’t stop pursuing money to the day you draw your last breath.

Experience has taught me that money brings vice and bitterness, not contentment and happiness.  Take myself for instance.  I was born in a rich family, and when I grew up, I married into an even richer family.  But unfortunately, it was wealth that divided my family and lengthened the distance between me and those near and dear to me.  Money deprived me of all the happiness in my life.  Money brought me nothing but sorrow and bitter regrets.  That is why I hope not one of you will become a millionaire, and lose the true blessings of life, for money can easily bring you misfortune.

Money is usually accompanied by power and can buy power.  Power is often a great temptation to young people.  Perhaps you are still too young to realize how terrible power is.  I have seen many promising youths who sought power and were destroyed by power.

It is my hope that each one of you will carry out his own responsibilities and the obligations of his own work to the best of his abilities.  Our nation is now going through a life and death struggle; it is the duty of each one of us to do the work best fitted for us, and do it to the utmost of our ability.  Each one of you must do your very best for our country and our people.  There is an old proverb which says, “A great river is made up of myriads of drops of water.”  Each one of you is like a drop of water.  Alone you are nothing, together you can form a mighty body of water that will be strong enough to turn the wheels of time and circumstance. 

Like young birds, you are soon to leave this nest and fly alone.  My hope is that you will not fly too dangerously high, but will fly smoothly and safely through all the storms of life.

 The last point I wish to impress upon you is never to depend upon anyone but yourself.  Never be lax or careless because you have kind parents, loving friends or powerful relatives to depend upon.  Experience has taught me that all these will pass away.  In this world of change and uncertainty, what have you to depend on?  Nothing, nothing but yourself.  You must have strong confidence in yourself, bred from what you have studied and from the experiences gained from your teachers.  No one can be by your side always throughout your life.  Even though you have a strong family background and influential relatives and friends, they cannot add to or detract from what is truly you.  Drink always from the fountain of knowledge, and never be afraid to learn.

Remember that all love is sacrifice.  Your life is not your own, but belongs to your country.  If you love your country, you must devote yourself to it.

Again I repeat, never rely upon anyone for anything. Remember “God helps those who help themselves.”  You are the masters of your fate.  It is a poor excuse to say that Fate is your master.

My sight becomes more and more blurred as I go farther and farther away from the center of this world, but you are now approaching that which I am now leaving.  I do not feel downhearted or unhappy, for what is taking place is a law of great, mysterious nature.  There is always some life growing old and fading away while new life is coming into being and growing and becoming stronger and stronger.

I have no gift to give you for your graduation.  But my little store of knowledge and experience I now pass on to you.  There is one parting thought I wish to leave with you.  Wherever you go, and whatever you do, act as a true Chinese should, and be very proud of being a Chinese.  Being a Chinese and acting as a true Chinese have been the mainsprings of my life.

I am proud, not of my meager knowledge, but of the chance that I have had to pass it on, small as it is to you, the younger generation.  Please make the best use of what I have taught you.  I desire that you should devote all your knowledge and ability to your country throughout your lives.

Maybe we shall never meet again in the future, but even so, let whatever I have given you during your school years be used by you in your lives, and thus we will never be parted.  A part of me will always be with you and the generations that follow you.

親愛的同學們： 

今天我要向你們講幾句話，這些話我覺得不適合在明天的謝師宴上講。今天的話不是祝賀，而是忠告與勸誡。

我的退休時間已經到了，這不但是因為我已經到了退休的年齡，而且是因為教了四十五年書以後，我在體能、心智與精神方面都已經疲憊。你們大概是我所教的最後一班學生了。我對你們的期望很高，我衷心祈禱，希望你們不會令我失望。過去多年來，我一直很不快樂，因為我看到我的很多學生，在畢業以後不久就忘記了學生時代的熱誠。他們沈溺於社會的泥淖中，並且失去了他們青春時代的價值觀與理想。是什麼原因引起這樣的結果呢？是因為追逐金錢與權力這件事佔據了他們的全部心靈。

不錯，金錢是重要的，但是金錢不值得你們花上所有的才華去追求。從人類的歷史看來，我們都很瞭解，貪圖私人的財富是會毀掉人生所有美善的東西。為自己追求金錢將永遠不會使你們滿足。你們獲得更多，需求也就更多。你們永遠不會賺得夠，於是，你們會繼續不停地追逐金錢，直到有一天嚥下最後一口氣為止。

根據我的經驗，金錢只會招致邪惡和怨恨，而不是滿足與快樂。就以我自己為例吧。我出生自富有的家庭。我長大以後，甚至嫁到一個更富裕的家庭。但是很不幸，就是財富使我的家庭破裂，並且拉長了我和我的親人之間的距離。金錢剝奪了我一生所有的幸福。金錢只是帶給我傷心和悔恨。那就是為什麼我希望你們當中，不要有任何人會因為變成百萬富翁而失去生命中真正的幸福，因為金錢很容易給你們帶來不幸。

金錢通常伴隨著權力，同時能買到權力。對年輕人來說，權力常是很大的誘惑。也許你們還太年輕，不會明白權力有多可怕。我曾看見很多有為的青年因為追求權力，也毀於權力。

我的期望是，你們每一位都會竭盡所能在自己的工作崗位上完成自己的責任與義務。我國目前正在經歷一場生死攸關的奮鬥；我們每一個人的職責，就是盡力做好最適合自己的工作。你們每一位都必須為國家，為人民盡心盡力。有一句古諺這樣說：「大河乃是由無數的水滴聚集而成。」你們每一位就像一點水滴。單獨的水滴毫無份量；聚集起來就能形成一股洪流。它強而有力，足以推動時代與局勢的巨輪。

你們就像幼鳥，不久將離巢單飛。我的希望是你們不要飛得太高而招致危險，而是平安順利地飛過生命中所有的風暴。

最後我要你們牢記在心的是：永遠不要依賴別人，而要依賴自己。千萬不可以因為有親切的父母，關愛的朋友，和權勢的親戚可以依靠，你們就輕率懶散。根據我的經驗，這些終會消逝。在這個變動與不安的世界上，你們有什麼可以依靠呢？除了你自己，你毫無所恃。你們必須對自己有堅強的信心。這種信心孕育自你們的知識學問，以及你們的師長的經驗。在你們的一生之中，沒有人能隨時陪伴著你們。即使你們有強勢的家庭背景，以及有影響力的親戚朋友，他們不能對你們的真實自我增添或減少一分。你們要隨時啜飲知識之泉，絕對不可以畏懼學習。

你們要記得，所有的愛就是犧牲。你們的生命不屬於自己，而是屬於國家。如果你愛國，就必須為國奉獻自己。

我再重覆地說，做任何事情絕對不可依賴別人。要記住：「天助自助者。」你們是命運的主宰。如果說命運是你們的主宰，那只是很拙劣的藉口。

當我離開這個世界的舞台中心愈來愈遠時，我的視力也愈來愈模糊了，但是你們也正在走向我將要離開的地方。我不會覺得沮喪或感傷，因為生命現象是神秘的大自然法則。當新生命正在誕生、成長、茁壯的時候，總會有舊生命逐漸老化與凋謝。

在你們畢業的時候，我沒有禮物可以贈給你們。但現在我將一點淺薄的知識與經驗傳授給你們。我還有一個臨別時的想法要告訴你們。無論你們走到哪裡，無論你們做什麼事，舉止行為應該要像個堂堂正正的中國人，並且深深地以當中國人為榮。當中國人以及做個堂堂正正的中國人，一直是我生命中的原動力。

我不是以一點淺薄的知識而自豪，而是因為有這個機會把這點淺薄的知識傳遞給你們年輕的一代而感到驕傲。請你們充分利用我給你們的教導。我非常希望你們終生把所有的知識與能力貢獻給國家。

 也許將來我們不會再見面了，但是即使這樣，但願你們能終生善用在學生時代我所教導你們的東西。這樣我們就永遠不會分離了。我的一部分將與你們，以及未來世世代代的人們永遠同在。

   讀完趙麗蓮的〈臨別贈言〉，令人感觸良多。她在六O年代就對功利思想深惡痛絕。未料三十六年後的今天，在社會上瀰漫的功利主義非但未曾稍減，反而益形猖獗。難怪台大陳維昭校長在校慶典禮中要再三提醒台大學子，希望他們摒棄功利、「講求品德」、「敦品勵學愛國愛人」。

本演說共十四小段，文字簡單，結構井然，言近旨遠。簡單地說，內容可分五「勿」五「要」：勿畢業即忘卻學生時代的熱誠；勿陷入社會的泥淖而失去年輕人的價值觀與理想；勿盲目地追逐權力與財富而失去生命中真正的幸福；勿好高騖遠而招致危險，行事要平穩紮實以克服人生的風暴；勿依賴別人而變成輕率懶散。要盡力在自己的工作崗位上完成自己的責任與義務；要盡力做好最適合自己的工作；要明白愛就是犧牲，才能為國為民盡心盡力；要勤於吸取知識，不斷進步；要做一個堂堂正正的中國人，以當中國人為榮。

此外，這篇演說的另一特色是，趙麗蓮在勸誡學生的時候，往往以個人的經驗為例，深具說服力，可謂字字珠璣，句句肺腑之言。盼望我們不只是時時熟讀，最重要的是要能身體力行，實踐趙教授的諄諄教誨，切切叮嚀。

  生字：發音及解釋

1. address: n. 致辭；演說

2. in honor of: prep. 向……表敬意；紀念

3. immerse: v. 深陷於

4. slough: n. 泥坑

5. pursuit: n. 追逐

   fervent : adj. 熱情的 

 6. take hold of: v. 控制；抓住

 7. contentment: n. 滿足

 8. temptation: n. 誘惑

 9. promising: adj. 有前途的

10. myriad: n. 無數，眾多

      meager : adj. 瘦的

11. impress: v. 使銘記在心

12. lax: adj. 懶散的

13. blur: v. 使模糊

14. downhearted: adj. 沮喪的

15. mainspring: n. 原動力