李光耀女儿李玮玲2015年的致词，揭示了一位超级硬汉的暮年

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李光耀2015年3月23日逝世，享年91岁。在万礼火化场举行的私人葬礼上，李光耀的三个孩子李显龙、李玮玲、李显扬分别为父亲致悼词，回忆家庭生活瞬间。其中李玮玲女士的致辞，再现了李光耀垂暮之年的情形，她说：But I can't break down, I am a Hakka woman。在李光耀晚年，李玮玲是实际的照顾者。李光耀晚年得帕金森影响行走，并患了久治不愈的打嗝，他无比坚毅地与衰老和病痛抗争，同时他礼贤下士的品格也令人印象深刻。在岁月面前，人人平等。李光耀曾在《观天下》这本书中谈及对生死的看法，称“随着每一天的流逝我的身体都变得更缺少活力”，“生比死好，但所有人终究都得面对死亡。我89岁了，没必要回避这个问题。与其陷入昏迷长期卧床，我宁愿选择快速离世。”金庸在《射雕英雄传》里面提到周伯通不断反思江湖上最厉害的武功高手，得出的结论是：能让人衰老的时间，才是最厉害的，无人能敌……所以每个人，都可以试着想象一下自己的垂暮之年，再看看年迈的父母和当下的一切，视角将会不同。

下面是李玮玲女士的致词。

Family and friends, thank you for being here with us today.

After Mama died in October 2010, Papa’s health deteriorated rapidly. The past five years have been challenging. But as always, Papa was determined to carry on as normal as possible, as best as he could.

家人们朋友们，感谢您今天与我们一同在这里。

2010年10月妈妈去世后，爸爸的健康状况越来越差。过去五年充满挑战。但就像平常一样，爸爸尽他所能，让自己和以前一样生活。

He developed Parkinson's disease three years ago which severely limited his mobility. He had great difficulty standing and walking. But he refused to use a wheel chair or even a walking stick. He would walk, aided by his SOs.

三年前，他患了帕金森症，这严重影响他的动作。站起来和行走对他来说都变成了困难。但他拒绝使用轮椅和拐杖。他在护工的帮助下行走。

Papa was also plagued by bouts of hiccups that could only be controlled by medication which had adverse side effects. Over and above the frequent hiccups, his ability to swallow both solids and liquids was impaired, a not uncommon problem in old age.

爸爸也受打嗝困扰，打嗝可以靠药物控制，但会引起副作用。除此之外，他吞咽食物的能力也受影响，老年人很多都受这个问题困扰。

Papa searched the Internet and tried a wide variety of unorthodox hiccup therapies. For example, he once used rabbit skin and then chicken feathers to induce sneezing, so as to stop the hiccups. Although the sneezing sometimes stopped his hiccups, it did not do so consistently enough. Papa also tried reducing his food intake, because he felt that eating too much could precipitate hiccups, hence he lost a lot of weight, and appeared thin and gaunt.

爸爸上网搜索资料寻找治打嗝的偏方。有一次他用兔皮和鸡毛刺激自己打喷嚏。虽然打喷嚏有时能让打嗝听着，但并不是一直都好使。爸爸也尝试减少进食，因为觉得可能是吃得太多才导致打嗝，结果他瘦了，看起来消瘦憔悴很多。

Papa was stubborn and determined. He would insist on walking down the steps at home, from the verandah to the porch where the car was parked. Ho Ching had a lift installed so Papa need not negotiate those steps. But when he was aware and alert, he refused the lift though it was a struggle for him to walk down those steps even with 3 SOs helping.

爸爸很固执，决心很强。他坚持在家从阳台走下楼梯到停车间。何晶（李显龙妻子）在家里装了电梯，这样爸爸就无需上下楼梯。但是，当他状况比较好时，他宁愿在三名护卫帮助下走楼梯下楼，也不愿意使用电梯。

But the lift was not installed in vain. On several occasions when he was ill and needed to be admitted to SGH, he did not protest when the SO guided him onto the lift. Still, even when ill, if he was asked if he wanted to use the lift, the answer would invariably be "no".

但这部电梯并没有白装。好几次他生病，需要去新加坡中央医院住院，护卫引导他进入电梯时，他不会拒绝。但是，就算在生病的时候，有人问他“要坐电梯吗”，他的答案总是“不”。

The SOs were an integral part of Papa’s life, even more so in the last five years. They looked after him with tender loving care, way beyond the call of duty. One doctor friend who came to help dress a wound Papa sustained when he fell, noticed this and said to me: "The SOs look after your father as though he is their own father.”

护卫是爸爸生活中不能缺少的一部分，尤其是这五年。他们超出职责范围、无微不至地照顾他，关爱他。曾爸爸跌倒，医生在帮他包扎伤口时注意到这一点并和我说：“这些护卫照顾你父亲，就和照顾自己的父亲一样细心。”

Papa believed that goodwill goes both ways. He was very considerate towards his SOs. Once while in Saudi Arabia on an official trip, one SO came down with chicken pox. The doctors decided that the SO should be isolated in some hospital in Saudi Arabia for two weeks. Pa thought that very unkind to the SO and insisted that the SO return to Singapore together with the rest of the delegation. He wasn't going to leave any Singaporean behind, not least an SO.

爸爸相信好人有好报。他也非常照顾自己的护卫们。有一次，他到沙特阿拉伯访问，一名护卫出水痘。医生让他在当地医院住院隔离两周。爸爸觉得这么做不合适，坚持让他一起回新加坡。他不会落下任何新加坡人。

Sensing he was special, all the SOs have been very kind to Papa. On behalf of my family, I would like to thank all of them. I know each of them well, even the number of children they have. To me, they were not only staff whose job was to look after Papa, but also friends of the family. They helped me pull out the SIM card from my blackberry when it hung; they were friends for me to share food and goodies with whenever the opportunity arose.

因感觉到他的特别，所有的护卫对爸爸都很好。我谨代表我的家人，感谢所有人。我了解他们每一个人，知道他们有几个孩子。对我而言，他们不仅是照顾爸爸的员工，也是我们一家的朋友。他们帮我把黑莓手机手机卡拿出来；他们也是我分享美食的朋友们。

Soon after my father died, Yak called to inform me. After being in my room alone and unable to go back to sleep, I went downstairs to the SOs room, and sat with the two SOs on duty, watching black and white footage of Papa in his younger days. I needed the company of friends. Junji jichaou dan ru shui. There is a Chinese saying that the relationship between two honourable gentlemen is as understated as plain water. That was the relationship between the SOs and me.

我父亲去世后，Yak打电话通知我。我自己在房间睡不着，便走去楼下护卫室，和两名护卫一起看爸爸年轻时期的黑白纪录片。我需要朋友的陪伴。“君子之交淡如水”，这正是我和护卫们之间的关系。

One occasion, while having lunch at home, Papa choked on a piece of meat. It went down his trachea and obstructed his airflow. Fortunately the SOs knew what to do. ASP Yak and Kelvin together carried out the Heimlich manoeuvre several times, but to no avail, because Pa’s abdominal muscles were very tense.

有一次，我们在家吃午饭，爸爸被肉噎到，肉进入了气管让他无法呼吸。幸运的是，这些护卫知道怎么办。Yak和Kelvin一起对爸爸做了几次“海姆立克急救法”，但是不管用，因为爸的腹部肌肉很紧。

Yak then called for help over his walky-talky. Liang Chye was the only senior SO downstairs, and sensing something strange in Yak’s voice, he came running up. They formed a human chain. Liang Chye, the shortest and probably the strongest, was positioned behind Papa; the tallest, Yak, at the furthest end of the human chain; and Kelvin, the one of middle height, between the two. They coordinated their pull, and after several attempts, the piece of meat was finally ejected. By this time, Papa had already turned purple. But within seconds of the meat being dislodged, he was mentally alert.

Yak用他的对讲机呼救，Liang是当时楼下唯一的高级护卫。他听出Yak的声调和平时不一样，跑了上来。他们连在一起，尝试了几次后，肉终于吐了出来。爸爸脸色已经青紫，吐出肉一会以后，才慢慢恢复。

I would like to give special thanks to Liang Chye and Kelvin, and especially ASP Yak, whose presence of mind saved Papa's life. To all the SOs who have served Papa over the years, I thank you on behalf of my family.

在这里，我想特别感谢他们救了爸爸的命。我也代表我的家人，向这些年来所有保护过爸爸的护卫们说声谢谢。

I would also like to thank all the nurses, doctors and specialists who have looked after Papa over the years, especially those who were involved in the last five years of his life, when his medical problems multiplied and became more complicated. At a ripe old age of 91, he had multiple medical problems and many specialists, so the list of people to thank is a very long one. I am grateful to each and every one of them for all the care they have provided to Papa.

我也要感谢所有护士、医生和专家们，在这些年照顾爸爸，特别是在过去五年中，当他的健康问题变得更复杂之后。在91岁高龄，他患有多种疾病，看过多位专家，所以感谢名单非常长。我对每一位照顾过爸爸的人都表示感激。

When Pa was not well at home, I was the first line of defence. I would handle on my own what I could at home. At other times though, I had to call the relevant specialists outside of office hours when Papa had a medical emergency. Since the most common emergency was pneumonia, one particular doctor was called most frequently. He doesn’t wish to be named so I’ll call him Dr X. After several calls, I learned that Dr X would be up by 5:45am to send his children to school. One morning at 5am, I had to call him. I apologized for waking him up, and asked him to tell his registrar on duty at SGH what to do, adding: "You don't need to rush in to see Pa. You can see him after you have sent your children to school." Dr X replied, “Today is Sunday.” But even on Sundays, he made his rounds at SGH.

爸爸在家感到不对劲时，我是第一道防线。在家里我会做所有我能作的。但有时，我也打电话向一些相关的专科医生求助关于爸爸的紧急情况。最常出现的紧急情况就是肺炎，所以有一位我最常打电话找的医生。他不想被点名，所以我这里叫他“X医生”。给他打了几次电话之后，我发现他一般在早上5：45起床，送孩子上学。有一次我在早5点就得打电话给他。我因吵醒他对他说对不起，告诉他要通知他在中央医院的初级专科医生应该怎么做，“你不着急到医院看他，先送孩子上学之后再去”。“X医生”说，“今天星期天”。即使周日，他也会到中央医院巡查。

During his last illness, Pa had to be cared for in the medical ICU of SGH. This was a very difficult time for Papa, the medical staff, as well as for the family. The MICU staff were diligent and meticulous in their care, and no effort was spared to help Papa and tend to his every need. The doctors had meetings twice a day to discuss how to proceed, including on weekends and Chinese New Year.

爸爸最后一次生病时，住进中央医院的ICU。那是对爸爸、对医护人员，我们全家来说，一段艰难的日子。ICU的医护人员都很细心地尽全力去帮助爸爸。医生们每天会开会两次讨论下一步的治疗计划，甚至周末和春节期间也不间断。

Again, I thank all the doctors involved in this last fight. That includes not only the respiratory specialist who ran the ICU, who played the most important role, but also Dr X who decided on what antibiotics to use, the cardiologists, and others who advised on how to maintain nutrition whilst Pa was sedated and intubated on respirator. Thank you all -- doctors, nurses and physiotherapists -- who have helped Papa be as comfortable as possible in his final days. My family is extremely grateful to all of you.

我再次感谢所有医生。包括扮演ICU呼吸专科医生，包括决定抗生素使用的“X医生”、心脏专科医生，以及提供镇静剂和呼吸辅助仪器建议的医生，以及营养师。谢谢你们让爸爸最后的日子不那么痛苦。我全家都非常感激你们。

I also want to thank the PMO office staff who kept the office running smoothly in Papa’s absence. Thank you all for being with Papa and for helping to ease his suffering in the last five years of his life. Thank you for being here with us today, to bid farewell to Papa.

我也要感谢总理公署的员工，在爸爸缺席之后，仍然维持办公室的运作。谢谢你们陪伴爸爸并帮助减少生命最后五年的病痛。谢谢你们今天在这与我们一起向爸爸道别。

My brothers have said much about Papa. I just want to focus on one point: what have I learnt from Pa? What is the biggest lesson he taught me?

关于爸爸，兄弟们说了很多。我只想说：我从爸爸身上学到了什么？他教会我最重要的一课是什么？

The influence parents have on children depends on many things. To a certain degree, it depends upon the temperament of the parent and the child.

父母对孩子的影响是多方面的。一定程度上，取决于父母和孩子的性格。

Temperamentally, I am very similar to Papa. So similar that in a given situation, I can predict how he would feel and respond. For example, the SOs would look on with some amusement at the way Pa struggled to complete his 12 minutes on the treadmill, even on days that he was tired. He may rest in between bouts on the treadmill, but he was always determined to hit 12 minutes. The SOs were amused because they knew I was equally fanatical about exercise. Today, I have run up and down my 20 meter corridor 800 times, making it to 16 km.

我的性格特别像爸爸，相似到很多时候我可以预测他的感受和反应。例如，护工们看到爸爸不管工作再累，也要跑12分钟跑步机。他可能会休息，但还是会坚持跑完12分钟。这些护卫们觉得很有意思，因为他们知道我也是运动狂人。我在家里20米的走廊来回跑800次，一共可以跑16公里。

Once, about 15 years ago, my father told me: “Mama and I should be very happy that you remain single and hence will be able to look after us in our old age. But you will be lonely. Also, you have inherited my traits but in such an exaggerated way that they are a disadvantage to you.”

15年前，有一次，父亲告诉我：“你一直单身的话，我和你妈妈应该会感到开心，这样我们老了你就能照顾我们。但你会很孤独。你继承了我的性格，对你来说不太好。”

Papa, I know you would have preferred if I had married and had children. But I have no regrets, no regrets I was able to look after you and Mama in your old age.

爸爸，我知道你更想要我结婚生子，但是我没有遗憾，因为我在你和妈妈晚年时候照顾你们。

What is the most important lesson I have learnt from Papa? It is never to push around anyone simply because he or she is weaker than me or in a socially inferior position. And never to let anyone bully someone else if I am in a position to stop such bullying. If I saw someone being bullied unfairly by his superior, I should have no hesitation to come to the rescue of the victim. Since I am by nature pugnacious like my father, and I enjoy a fight so long as it is for a just and good cause, I learnt these lessons readily.

爸爸教我的最重要的一课是什么？不要因为别人比你弱，或社会地位低，就随意对待他。如果我能阻止欺负人的行为，就一定会去做。如果我看到一个人被他的上司不公平地对待，我会挺身而出帮助受害者。我和我父亲一样愿意为正义而战。

We have seen an astonishing outpouring of emotion on the passing of my father this week. There are many reasons why people feel this way about Papa. But I think one reason is that they know Papa was a fighter who would always fight for them no matter what the odds were. They know that he was ready to fight for them till his last breath.

我们看到了真情流露，在父亲去世后的这个星期。人们有很多原因这么看爸爸。但我想其中一个理由是爸爸是一名为人民而战的勇者。他们知道，他会一直为人民战斗，直到呼吸停止。

This morning I noticed that the maid, in setting the dining table, had moved away Papa's chair and placed it against the wall. It was a poignant reminder that this farewell is for ever. I have been controlling my feelings for this past week, but looking at this unexpected scene, I nearly broke down. But I can't break down, I am a Hakka woman.

今天早上，我看到女佣整理饭桌时，把爸爸的椅子挪开放到墙边。这是非常痛心的，提醒我这次道别是永别。这一周我都尽量控制自己，但是看这些我没有预料到的情景时，我将近崩溃。但是我不能崩溃，因为我是客家女。

Farewell Papa. I will miss you. Rest in peace.

永别了爸爸，我会想念您。请您安息。

（英文原文来源于PMO，翻译来源于新加坡眼）

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