ess; jokes; reminiscences; laughter。 We are a kindly people; and it is worth a fog to know it。 Another pleasure of a fog is a mild but extended form of the pleasure we feel when we hear that a millionaire has broken his leg。 The too fortunate are suffering a discontent health cannot remove。 There was in that block a fat brougham containing an important…looking old man who foamed at the mouth; and one reflected that there was a temporary equality of fortunes。
Such are the pleasures we may take in a London fog。
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郁金香(1)
'英国'约瑟夫·艾迪生
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约瑟夫·艾迪生(1672—1719),英国著名作家。他于1672年生于英国一个乡村牧师家庭,后受教于牛津大学,并于1693年获得硕士学位。从1708年开始,艾迪生先后担任过议会议员、国务大臣助理、英国驻爱尔兰总督秘书等职。后曾为理查德·斯梯尔主编的《闲话报》撰写文章。1711年,他与斯梯尔合作创办报纸《旁观者》并担任主编。他的散文文风优美,文笔流畅,亲切通俗,主题明晰,对以后的散文作家有很大的影响。
今年夏天的一个清晨,我碰巧起得很早。于是,便跑去乡间散步,希望能在绿草丛中和田野间得到一份安逸。夏天,正是绿草芬芳,百花绽放的季节。每年一到这个时节,任何一条小路都是一片美妙的景色,任何一道篱笆上都点缀着鲜花。四周满是丛生的灌木,我快乐地沉浸在鸟儿委婉动听的歌唱声中。我已经在嘈杂和浓烟中熬过了整整一个冬天,眼前的景色可谓是人间仙境。清新的露水洒落在世间万物上(包括我),还有那清爽宜人的清晨空气,周围的一切不但让鸟儿焕发出欢快的本性,也让我感到丝丝喜悦,内心深处充溢着一种神秘的、无以言表的满足与快乐。在这样的情景下,我总是不由得想起弥尔顿诗行中那个精妙的比喻:
犹如长久禁锢于躁动的市井之人,择夏日的一个清晨,步出城墙,步出林立的房屋,步出水天污浊,吐纳于宜人的田间村舍。
乡间万物孕育着乐趣,谷物、干草、黄牛、牛乳,每一处农家美景,每一处乡间乐章。
那些熟悉这些名人佳作的人,在他们的脑海里总能浮现名人笔下反复出现的娇媚景色,因此他们更能从乡间美景中获得一份意外的乐趣。
正当我独自品味着弥尔顿的诗句时,忽然发现迎面飘来一团乌云,刹那间绵长的雨丝急坠而下。我赶忙起身,举目四望,向不远处的一座农舍跑去。当我坐在门廊中时,听到两三个人谈话的声音。他们似乎正在十分认真地争论着什么。听他们提到亚历山大大帝和阿塔克西斯的名字,我的好奇心立即被吸引了出来。因为他们争论的好像是古代英雄和伟人,我想里面应该不会有任何秘密。想到这儿,我想或许可以仔细地听一下他们的谈话。
他们先是比较了几个伟人。在我看来,这种比较根本毫无根据,纯属虚构。我十分诧异地听到其中一个人说,他认为黑色王子远比旺多姆公爵好得多。旺多姆公爵和黑色王子怎么能作比较呢?我感到非常不解。然后,我又听到第二个人斩钉截铁地说,如果德国皇帝不退位的话,那么他就最推崇德国皇帝。听到这里,我更是惊叹不已。这个人又补充说,尽管岁月如流水,但马尔伯勒公爵始终是风流倜傥。他们从哪里知道的这些谬论,我绞尽脑汁也想不明白。还有比这更荒谬的,他们还谈到了几位将军,其中就有黑森王子和瑞典国王。他们说这两个人现在正在逃亡中。后来他们所说的,我是完全同意的。他们提到法国国王身体虚弱,维拉尔元帅却仍旧精神饱满。最后,他们当中的一个人说,如果大家同意跟他一起去,他会叫他们看到一个扫烟囱的人和一个美丽的少女“同床共枕”。他确信,这样的场景一定会令大家非常开心。我和他们都是跑到这家农舍来避雨的,此时大雨已经停了。当他们从我身旁经过,朝花园走去的时候,我便要求加入到他们的队伍之中。
农舍的主人对我说,如果我对花感兴趣的话,很值得去花园看一看。因为他相信,他让我看的那片郁金香,在全国都找不出可以与之媲美的。
我接受了他的邀请,也马上明白刚才那几个人谈论的是园艺。他们所说的国王、将帅全是郁金香的名字。花匠们按照习惯做法赋予那些花头衔或称号。
郁金香(2)
看到花团锦簇的美妙画面,我真是又惊又喜。一垄一垄的花儿,密密麻麻地将我笼罩。一时间,我觉得每一片叶子都变成一方精美别致的薄纱,经纬交错,形成一幅幅千娇百媚的画卷。阳光照在薄纱不同的角落上,叶子便映出五彩斑斓的色彩。有时我觉得,这大片的郁金香,在曾经最伟大的数学家和哲学家看来,就是由众多的光学仪器把光线分散成的各种不同的颜色。
意识到大家似乎一直在嘲笑我,我这才从陶醉中清醒过来。我赞美一朵郁金香,认为它是世界上最美丽的花朵。但他们却出乎意料地告诉我,那仅仅是最普通的“愚人衣”。然后,我又去赞美另一朵,但那朵花好像也属于“愚人衣”。
赞美其他两三朵花时,我遇到了相同的情况。于是,我恳求花园的主人告诉我,哪些是最好的花。因为我对花一知半解,一直以为最美的就是最有价值的,最鲜艳的就是最美的。看到我这样,主人只是一笑了之。他看上去是位单纯老实的人,有较高的品位,头脑也很理智。除了郁金香,他可以理性地谈论世间的任何事物。
他告诉我,自己特别珍惜我们面前的那个花坛。虽然那个花坛不足20码长,宽也不足2码,但是即使有人用英国最肥沃的百亩良田来换,他也坚决不妥协。他又补充说,去年冬天,要不是他的一个愚蠢的厨娘误把一堆郁金香球茎当成了洋葱做了汤,差点要了他的命,否则,这个花坛的价钱至少是现在的两倍。他说:“厨娘做的那碗汤,花了我整整一千多英镑。”他随后又给我看了他心目中最好的郁金香。我觉得那些郁金香珍贵的原因,主要是稀有,形态也非常奇异。由此我想到,不论我们有多少财富,都没有什么可珍贵的。
我从来没有捕风捉影的嗜好,不会因为某样东西不同寻常、很稀有,便用不同的眼光看待它。我认为这是一件值得高兴的事。因此,我把春日的乡野看做是一座花园,时常去看看雏菊,看看紫罗兰,就像花匠照看自己的花坛一样。周围绽放的每一朵花儿,都是那么熟悉,我不会错过一朵水仙、一簇迎春,即使它们的凋谢我也都知道。带着这种心情,我穿过几处农田,几片草地,向家走去。我想,这是神的赏赐,他把那些最令人高兴的、最美丽的事物变得那么平凡,那么简单。
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乡间万物孕育着乐趣,谷物、干草、黄牛、牛乳,每一处农家美景,每一处乡间乐章都是那么清新自然。像我们这些长久禁锢于躁动的市井之人,应在某个夏日的清晨,步出城墙,步出林立的房屋,步出水天污浊,走入一幅幅由欢乐的花儿组成的绝美景致中,吐纳于宜人的田间村舍,定会收获一份无以言表的满足与快乐!
Tulips
Joseph Addison
I chanced to rise very early one particular morning this summer; and took a walk into the country to divert myself among the fields and meadows; while the green was new; and the flowers in their bloom。 As at this season of the year every lane is a beautiful walk; and every hedge full of nosegays; I lost myself; with a great deal of pleasure; among several thickets and bushes that were filled with a great variety of birds; and an agreeable confusion of notes; which formed the pleasantest scene in the word to one who had passed a whole winter in noise and smoke。 The freshness of the dews that lay upon everything about me; with the cool breath of the morning; which inspired the birds with so many delightful instincts; created in me the same kind of animal pleasure; and made my heart overflow with such secret emotions of joy and satisfaction as are not to be described or accounted for。 On this occasion I could not but reflect upon a beautiful simile in Milton:书 包 网 txt小说上传分享
郁金香(3)
As one who long in populous city pent;
Where houses thick and sewers annoy the air;
Forth issuing on a summer’s morn; to breathe
Among the pleasant villages and farms
Adjoin’d; from each thing met conceived delight:
The smell of grain; or tended grass; or kine;
Or dairy; each rural sight; each rural sound。
Those who are conversant in the writings of polite authors receive an additional entertainment from the country; as it revives in their memories those charming descriptions; with which such authors do frequently abound。
I was thinking of the foregoing beautiful simile in Milton; and applying it to myself; when I observed to the windward of me a black cloud; falling to the earth in long trails of rain; which made me betake myself for shelter to a house saw at a little distance from the place where I was walking。 As I sat in the porch; I heard the voices of two or three persons; who seemed very earnest in discourse。 My curiosity was raised when I heard the names of Alexander the Great and Artaxerxes; and as their talk seemed to run on ancient heroes; I concluded there could not be any secret in it; for which reason thought I might very fairly listen to what they said。
After several parallels between great men; which appeared to me altogether groundless and chimerical; I was surprised to hear one say; that he valued the Black Prince more than the Duke of Venoms。 How the Duke of Vendosme should bee a rival of Black Prince; I couldn’t conceive; and was more startled when I heard a second affirm; with great vehemence; that if the Emperor of Germany was not going off; he should like him better than either of them。 He added; that though the season was so changeable; the Duke of Marlborough was in blooming beauty。 I was wondering to mysel