Be the Best Whatever You Are

做最好的自己

By Douglas Malloch

道格拉斯·马洛赫

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill

be a scrub in the valley- but be the best little scrub

by the side of the rill;

Be a bush if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,

and some highway some happier make;

if you can't be a muskie1 then just be a bass—

but the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,

there's something for all of us here.

There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,

and the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,

if you can't be the sun be a star;

it isn't by size that you win or you fail—

Be the best of whatever you are!

如果不能成为山顶的一棵青松，

就做谷中的一棵矮树——但一定是最好的一棵矮树，

生长在小溪边。

如果不能做一棵树，就做一株灌木，

如果不能做一株灌木，就做一片青草，

如果不能做一条狗鱼就做一条鲈鱼——

做湖塘里最快活的一条鲈鱼。

不可能每个人都是船长，一定要有人做船员，

每个人都有机会各尽其用。

有轰轰烈烈的大事业，也有微不足道的小事情，

我们要做的就是做好眼前该做的。

如果你不是高速公路，就做一条悠然小径，

如果你不是太阳，可以做一颗星星;

成与败不是由外在的规模决定，

无论你是谁，做最好的自己!