I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.
我深信，人不仅会忍耐，他还将蓬勃发展。他是不朽的，不是因为生物中唯有他的声音永不衰竭，而是因为他有灵魂，有能同情能牺牲能忍耐的心灵。
诗人和作家的特权就是去鼓舞人的斗志、使人们记住过去曾经有过的光荣——人类曾有过的勇气、荣誉、希望、自尊、同情、怜悯与牺牲精神——以达到永恒。”
威廉·福克纳是美国文学史上最具影响力的作家之一，意识流文学在美国的代表人物，1949年诺贝尔文学奖得主，获奖原因为“因为他对当代美国小说做出了强有力的和艺术上无与伦比的贡献”。他一生著作颇丰，最有代表性的作品是《喧哗与骚动》。 今天是威廉·福克纳去世56周年，转发此文以纪念。
