There is a wireless station 你我心中有电台

Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite for what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from man and from the infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.

Whether 60 or 16,无论60岁还是16岁

there is in every human being’s heart每个人的心里都存在着

the lure of wonder, 奇迹带来的诱惑，

the unfailing childlike appetite 经久不衰的孩子般的欲望

什么欲望呢？

for what’s next对于接下来会发生什么

and the joy of the game of living. 以及生命这场游戏的欢乐。

也就是说：无论年老或年少，人人都被各种令人惊奇的事物所诱惑，人人都渴望知道未来会发生什么，人人都渴望享受生命的欢乐。

接下来是一个暗喻的句子，来形容一个人如何才能青春永驻：

In the center of your heart and my heart, 在你我的内心当中，

there is a wireless station;（都）有一座无线电台；

so long as it receives messages只要它在接收信息

什么样的信息呢？

of beauty, hope, cheer,美好，希望，快乐

courage and power 勇气和力量

这些信息都是来自哪里的呢？

from man and from the infinite,来自人和无限（空间、时间），

infinite是形容词“无限的”，作名词可以表示“无限的东西”，比如“时间、空间”等。

so long are you young. 你就会如此长时间地年轻。

我们也可以理解成：你就会青春永驻。

我们继续来看最后一段，仍然是一个暗喻的表达手法：

When the aerials are down, 当天线倒下，

and your spirit is covered 你的精神被覆盖

被什么覆盖呢？

with snows of cynicism（被）犬儒主义的白雪

and the ice of pessimism, 以及悲观主义的寒冰，

也就是说：当你的天线倒下，精神被犬儒主义和悲观主义的冰雪所覆盖的时候，

then you are grown old, even at 20; 那么即使只有20岁，你也已经变老了；

but as long as your aerials are up,但只要你的天线竖起，

to catch waves of optimism,去捕捉乐观主义（信号）的波浪，

there is hope（就）有希望

什么希望呢？

you may die young at 80.你80岁去世的时候，（心态）也是非常年轻的。

再把最后一段完整看一下：

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20; 一旦天线下降，锐气便被冰雪覆盖，玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生，即使年方二十，实已垂垂老矣；

but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80. 然则只要竖起天线，捕捉乐观信号，你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。

在太平洋战争期间，麦克阿瑟将军把这首诗带到了日本的美军总部，也因此让这篇散文在日本广泛流传起来。据说在日本的实业界，稍有成就的人都对这篇散文非常熟悉，比如松下电器的创始人松下幸之助，就一直把这首散文诗当做自己的座右铭。

1951年，麦克阿瑟在告别政治舞台的演说当中，讲过一句名言：“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”老兵永远不死，只是慢慢凋零。