恳求塑造我的儿子，不至空有幻想而缺乏行动；
引导他认识你，同时又知道，认识自己乃是真知识的基石。

主啊！我祈求你，不要使他走上安逸、舒适之徒，求你将他置于困难、艰难和挑战的磨练中，
求你引领他，使他学习在风暴中挺身站立，并学会怜恤那些在重压之下失败跌倒的人。

主啊！求你塑造我的儿子，求你让他有一颗纯洁的心，并有远大的目标；
使他在能指挥别人之前，先懂得驾驭自己；
当迈入未来之际，永不忘记过去的教训。

主啊！在他有了这些美德之后，我还要祈求你赐给他充分的幽默感，
以免他过于严肃，还苛求自己。

求你赐给他谦卑的心，使他永远记得，
真正的伟大是单纯，真正的智慧是坦率，真正的力量是温和。

然后作为父亲的我，才敢轻轻的说：「我这一生总算没有白白活著」，阿们！

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave

enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest

defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will

 know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of

difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn

compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master

 himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget

 how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may

 always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may

always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the

 meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, have not lived in vain.