I wish first that you love,
And that in loving, you are also loved.
And if you are not, that you be brief in forgetting.
And that in forgetting, you hold no grudge.
I wish, then, that it may not be so,
But if it is, may you know how to be without despair.
I also wish that you have friends,
Who even if bad and inconsequential,
Are brave and faithful,
And that in at least one of them
You can trust without doubt.
And because life is like that,
I further wish that you have enemies.
Not many, not few,
But in the exact measure so that, sometimes,
You may question yourself
About your own certainties.
And that among them, there be at least one who is just,
So that you do not feel too secure.
I wish then that you be useful,
But not irreplaceable.
And that in bad times,
When nothing else remains,
This usefulness be enough to keep you standing.
I further wish that you be tolerant,
Not with those who err little, because that is easy,
But with those who err much and irremediably,
And that by making good use of this tolerance,
You serve as an example to others.
I wish that you, being young,
Do not mature too quickly,
And that being mature, you do not insist on rejuvenating
And that being old, you do not dedicate yourself to despair.
Because every age has its pleasure and its pain and
It is necessary to let them flow through us.
I wish, by the way, that you be sad,
Not all year round, but just for a day.
But that on that day you discover
That daily laughter is good,
Habitual laughter is bland, and constant laughter is insane.
I wish that you discover,
With the utmost urgency,
Above and regarding everything, that there are oppressed,
Wronged, and unhappy people, and that they are all around you.
I further wish that you pet a cat,
Feed a cuckoo, and hear the hornero
Raise its morning song triumphantly
Because, in this way, you will feel good for nothing.
I also wish that you plant a seed,
No matter how tiny it may be,
And follow its growth,
So that you may know of how many
Many lives a tree is made.
I wish, furthermore, that you have money,
Because one must be practical.
And that at least once a year
You place a little of it
In front of you and say "This is mine",
Just so it is very clear who is the owner of whom.
I also wish that none of your loved ones die,
For their sake and for yours,
But if they do die, that you may cry
Without lamenting and suffer without blaming yourself.
I wish finally that you, being a man,
Have a good woman,
And that being a woman,
Have a good man
And that you love each other today, tomorrow, and in the days to follow,
And when you are exhausted and smiling,
There is still love to start over.
And if all this happens,
I have nothing more to wish you."
Victor Hugo
