年轻人

Young people...

年轻人……

Craig Wilson ■姜凡 选注

每年的毕业演说都少不了亮丽的词句和善意的谎言。而一位35年前的毕业生，用亲身体验道出了一番独特的毕业赠言。

Scanning through my e-mails the other day, one in particular jumped out at me. The subject line read: "Note from Lyndonville Central School."

Since I graduated from that fine institution of learning what seems like 147 years ago, I opened it first. It was from a man who teaches math there now, a man who was a few grades behind me, a man who was inviting me, on behalf of the student council, to speak at Class Day1 in June.

"I would like to invite you 'back home,' " he wrote. "What do you think?"

What do I think?

I don't know.

The last time I spoke at Lyndonville Central School was graduation night of 1967. I can't remember exactly what I said that warm June evening, but I fear I proclaimed, among other things, that I was going to change the world, make it a better place for mankind, cure cancer and stop the spread of the leisure suit, the fashion faux pas2 that was sweeping the country.

I came through only on3 the leisure suit promise. It was on the road to extinction by the following spring.
But people will cut you some slack4 when you're 17. I distinctly remember applause. Perhaps they were just happy that I finally shut up, I don't know. At the time, I took it as a positive response, grabbed my diploma and got out of town. Never looked back, as they say.5

And now western New York was calling me home.

If I go, what would I say this time around? What would I share with these kids who were me 35 years ago, sitting there in the bleachers, eager to get on with life?6

I've always been wary of adults bearing advice.7 Any adult who has ever tried to give me any over the years will vouch for that. (Not that I consider myself an adult, but I look like one now, so I can infiltrate places adults frequent and pass for one if I must.)8

Would I fall into that cliche9 pool of graduation speeches? Follow your dreams! Climb every mountain! Go out there and make a difference! Carpe diem!10

Or would I be brutally11 honest and tell them they'll be working for the next 50 years, have children who will think them fools and more than likely have as little hair as I do? And when all that's over, there will be no Social Security Check12 for them, because I will have already spent it.

Actually, I'm not sure it really matters what I'd say.

I'm sure there's a Class Day　picnic they'll be itching to get to, a girl or boyfriend they'll be flirting with across the auditorium, a school's-almost-out daydream that will happily occupy their thoughts the whole time I might be speaking13.

I should know. I don't have a clue what any of my end-of-high-school speakers said. All I remember is they were old, rambled on14 for far too long and all looked like someone I would hope I'd never become.

And now I have.

1. Class Day：毕业纪念日。
2. faux pas：（法）不检点的话（或行为）
3. come through on sth.：成功、实现。
4. cut sb. some slack：对某人表示理解。
5. 当时，在自以为是赞许的掌声中，我一把拿过毕业证，象他们说的那样头也不回地离开了镇子，。
6. 这些孩子们恍如35年前的我，和他们我能谈些什么呢？他们就坐在露天看台上，一副对生活跃跃欲试的样子。bleacher：（美）运动场的露天座位。
7. 我一向对谆谆教诲的大人们心存戒备。be wary of : 提防，小心。
8. 过去几年，凡是试图忠告我的成年人都可以证明这一点。我没把自己当成年人，但因为我长得像，所以必要时我能经常混迹于成人场合并被当作其中的一员。
9. cliche 陈词滥调、套话。
10. carpe diem：size the day（拉）及时行乐，这里指珍惜大好时光。
11. brutally：残酷的、不中听的。
12. Social Security Check：社会保险支票。（美国的）社会保障制度（1935年美国政府通过“社会保障条例”，据此对老年人或残疾人员，以及贫苦儿童、失业工人给予最低额救济金）。Social Security Number:社会保险号码。
13. be itching to：渴望去做。　to flirt with：调情、卖俏。　school's-almost-out：全校倾巢而出。我想一定会有一个盼望已久的毕业纪念日野餐，一个女孩或许正和她的男朋友在会场里调笑、可能自始至终我一边演讲，台下的学生们满脑子装的却都是全校外出日的美梦。
14. ramble on： 漫谈，文中指唠叨个没完。