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,
也沒學(xué)會服務(wù)別人的意志；
誠實的思想是他的護身甲胄，
最高的技藝就是講究真實！
他不受激情的支配，
靈魂總是作好死的準備；
他與世界融為一體，帶著
貴人的愛心或平民的氣息；
他從不相信也不散布流言蜚語，
良知是他堅強的歸屬地；
他的尊嚴既不能使他去阿諛，
即使毀滅也不使指控者得益；
他不羨慕任何人因機遇而升遷
或淪喪道德；他從不會用贊揚
給人帶來深刻創(chuàng)傷；也不懂什么
統(tǒng)治國家的條例，只知善的規(guī)章：
他早晚祈禱上帝
賜他更多慈悲而非禮物；
他和一本好書或和一位知己
把有益無害的日子歡度；
這種人沒有奴顏婢膝的約束，
不望升遷，也不怕貶抑；
他主宰著自己，自己雖不是地主；
他一無所有，卻擁有一切。
1 silly: simple.
2 這句話的意思是：他既不聽流言蜚語，也不傳播流言蜚語。
3 正常詞序是"Nor (whose) ruin (can) make accusers great"。在羅馬帝國時期，控告有錢有勢的人，控告者若能獲勝，就可獲得受控人的一大筆財產(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."