Dedicated to my father

Dear son, 我的儿子：

The day that you see me old and I am already not, have patience and try to understand me. 哪天当你看到我日渐老去，身体也渐渐不行，请耐着性子，试着了解我。 If I get dirty when eating, if I can not dress, have patience. Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you. 如果我吃的脏兮兮，甚至已不会穿衣服，耐心一点儿。 你记得，我曾经花了多少时间教你这些事吗？

If, when I speak to you, I repeat the same things thousand and one times, do not interrupt me, listen to me. When you were small, I had to read to you thousand and one times the same story until you got to sleep. 当我一再重复说着同样的事情，请你不要打断我，听我说。 你小时候，我必须一遍又一遍地，读着同样的故事，直到你渐渐睡着。

When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame me nor scold me. Remember when I had to chase you with thousand excuses I invented, in order that you wanted to bath. 当我不想洗澡，不要羞辱我，也不要责骂我。 你记得小时候，我曾经编出多少理由，只为了哄你洗澡。

When you see my ignorance on new technologies… give me the necessary time and not look at me with your mocking smile. I taught you how to do so many things, to eat good, to dress well, to confront life. 当你看到我对新科技一无所知，给我一点时间，不要嘲笑我。 我曾经教会了你多少事情啊，如何好好地吃，好好地穿，如何面对你的生命。

When at some moment I lose the memory or the thread of our conversation, let me have the necessary time to remember. And if I cannot do it, do not become nervous. As the most important thing is not my conversation but surely to be with you and to have you listening to me. 如果交谈中，我忽然失忆，不知道该说什么了，给我一点时间想想。如果我还是无能为力，不要紧张。 对我而言，重要的不是说话，而是能跟你 在一起。

If ever I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to and when not. When my tired legs do not allow me walk, give me your hand, the same way I did when you gave your first steps. 但我不想吃东西，不要勉强我，我知道什么时候该吃，什么时候不该吃。 当我的腿不听使唤，扶我一把，就像我当初，扶着你踏出你人生的第一步。

And when someday I say to you that I do not want to live any more, that I want to die, do not get angry, some day you will understand. Try to understand that my age is not lived but survived. 当哪天我告诉你 ，我不想再活下去了，哦，不要生气，总有一天你会了解。 了解我，已风烛残年，来日可数。

Some day you will discover that, despite my mistakes, I always wanted the best thing for you and that I tried to prepare the way for you. 有一天，你会发现，即使我有许多过错，我总是尽我所能给你最好的。

You must not feel sad, angry or impotent for seeing me near you. You must be next to me, try to understand me and to help me as I did it when you started living. 当我靠近你时，不要觉得感伤、生气或埋怨。 你要紧挨着我，如同当初我帮着你展开人生一样的了解我。

Help me to walk, help me to end my way with love and patience. I will pay you by a smile and by the immense love I have had always for you. 帮我，扶我一把，用爱和耐心，帮我走完人生。 我将用微笑和我始终不变的爱，来回报你。


love you, son. 我爱你，我的孩子。


You father 你的父亲