and I'm probably America's

事實上,我的可能是美國

most widely read children's author, in fact.

最被廣泛閱讀的兒童文學作家。

And I always tell people

而我常常告訴人，

that I don't want to show up looking like a scientist.

我不希望看起來像一個科學家。

You can have me as a farmer, or in leathers,

你可以把我看成是個農夫，或穿著皮衣的人

and no one has ever chose farmer.

但從來沒有人選農夫。

I'm here today to talk to you

我今天要在這裡要和你們談談

about circles and epiphanies.

有關循環和頓悟。

And you know, an epiphany

你都知道，頓悟，

is usually something you find that you dropped someplace.

通常是你掉某處的某樣東西。

You've just got to go around the block

你只要再兜一圈回來

to see it as an epiphany.

便會看出頓悟就在那裡。

That's a painting of a circle.

這是一幅有關循環的圖畫。

A friend of mine did that -- Richard Bollingbroke.

我的一位朋友畫的--理查德•保令布魯克。

It's the kind of complicated circle

這是一種我要告訴你的

that I'm going to tell you about.

複雜的循環。

My circle began back in the '60s

我的循環早在60年代就開始

in high school in Stow, Ohio

在俄亥俄州的士都高中，

where I was the class queer.

在那裡我是班上的異類。

I was the guy beaten up bloody

我是那個每週在男生宿舍裡，

every week in the boys' room,

被打得滿身是血的男孩,

until one teacher saved my life.

直到有一個老師救了我。

She saved my life by letting me go to the bathroom

她藉著讓我使用教師休息室的洗手間

in the teachers' lounge.

救了我的性命。

She did it in secret.

她默默的做這件事，

She did it for three years.

長達三年之久，

And I had to get out of town.

直到我不得不離開這個城鎮。

I had a thumb, I had 85 dollars,

我有一隻大拇指(搭便車手勢)，我有85美元，

and I ended up in San Francisco, California --

我最後來到了加州 舊金山--

met a lover --

認識了一個情人 --

and back in the '80s, found it necessary

並在80年代當時，認為有必要

to begin work on AIDS organizations.

便在愛滋病組織開始工作。

About three or four years ago,

大約三，四年前，

I got a phone call in the middle of the night

我在半夜接到一通電話

from that teacher, Mrs. Posten,

一通由當初那位老師--普斯頓老師的電話

who said, "I need to see you.

說：「我必須要見你。

I'm disappointed

我很失望

that we never got to know each other as adults.

我們從未用成人的身份了解彼此。

Could you please come to Ohio,

請你能否到俄亥俄州，

and please bring that man

並請帶著那位

that I know you have found by now.

我知道你現在已經找到的男人。

And I should mention

而我要補充的是

that I have pancreatic cancer,

我有胰腺癌，

and I'd like you to please

我想請你對這個請求

be quick about this."

快馬加鞭。」

Well, the next day we were in Cleveland.

好，第二天我們便抵達克利夫蘭市。

We took a look at her, we laughed, we cried,

我們來看一看她，我們又笑又哭，

and we knew that she needed to be in a hospice.

並且我們知道，她必需接受安寧照顧。

We found her one, we got her there,

我們為她找到一個，我們把她安頓穩當,

and we took care of her

我們照顧她，

and watched over her family,

照顧她的家庭，

because it was necessary.

因為那是必要的，

It's something we knew how to do.

這是我們認為該怎麼做的。

And just as the woman who wanted to know me as an adult

而正當這個想要認識長大成人的我的女士

got to know me,

剛剛認識我的時候,

she turned into a box of ashes

她便變成了一盒骨灰

and was placed in my hands.

並被放置在我的手中。

And what had happened

那便是一個循環

was the circle had closed,

完成的句號,

it had become a circle --

它已成為一個完整的循環 --

and that epiphany I talked about

而我所提到的頓悟

presented itself.

便呈現於我跟前。

The epiphany is

那個頓悟便是

that death is a part of life.

死亡是生命的一部分。

She saved my life;

她曾經救活了我，

I and my partner saved hers.

我和我的夥伴救她的。

And you know, that part of life needs everything

你知道，生命中有關死亡的這一部分，

that the rest of life does.

所需要的和其他部份的生命一樣。

It needs truth and beauty,

它需要真理與美麗，

and I'm so happy it's been mentioned so much here today.

我很高興這些已在今天被多次提到

It also needs --

它還需要 --

it needs dignity,

它需要尊嚴，

love and pleasure,

愛和快樂。

and it's our job to hand those things out.

而我們的工作是要將它顯現出來。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）