Character of a Happy Life
Henry Wotten (1568-1639)
How happy is he born or taught
That serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And silly1 truth his highest skill!
Whose passions not his masters are,
Whose soul is still prepared for death;
United unto the world with care
Of princely love or vulgar breath;
Who hath his life from rumours freed,2
Whose conscience is his strong retreat;
Whose state can neither flatters feed,
Nor ruin make accusers great;3
Who envieth none whom chance doth raise
Or vice; who never understood
How deepest wounds are given with praise;
Nor rules of state, but rules of good:
Who God doth late and early pray
More of his grace than gifts to lend;4
Who entertains the harmless day
With a well-chosen book or friend;
—This man is free from servile bands
Of hope to raise, or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands;
And having nothing, he hath all.
幸福生活的品質(zhì)
亨利·沃頓
何等幸福,他天生不會(huì),
也沒(méi)學(xué)會(huì)服務(wù)別人的意志;
誠(chéng)實(shí)的思想是他的護(hù)身甲胄,
最高的技藝就是講究真實(shí)!
他不受激情的支配,
靈魂總是作好死的準(zhǔn)備;
他與世界融為一體,帶著
貴人的愛(ài)心或平民的氣息;
他從不相信也不散布流言蜚語(yǔ),
良知是他堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的歸屬地;
他的尊嚴(yán)既不能使他去阿諛,
即使毀滅也不使指控者得益;
他不羨慕任何人因機(jī)遇而升遷
或淪喪道德;他從不會(huì)用贊揚(yáng)
給人帶來(lái)深刻創(chuàng)傷;也不懂什么
統(tǒng)治國(guó)家的條例,只知善的規(guī)章:
他早晚祈禱上帝
賜他更多慈悲而非禮物;
他和一本好書(shū)或和一位知己
把有益無(wú)害的日子歡度;
這種人沒(méi)有奴顏婢膝的約束,
不望升遷,也不怕貶抑;
他主宰著自己,自己雖不是地主;
他一無(wú)所有,卻擁有一切。
1 silly: simple.
2 這句話的意思是:他既不聽(tīng)流言蜚語(yǔ),也不傳播流言蜚語(yǔ)。
3 正常詞序是"Nor (whose) ruin (can) make accusers great"。在羅馬帝國(guó)時(shí)期,控告有錢有勢(shì)的人,控告者若能獲勝,就可獲得受控人的一大筆財(cái)產(chǎn)。
4 這兩行的正常詞序應(yīng)是:"Who doth pray late and early God to lend (him) more of his grace than gifts."
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