第79章 开朗的性情 A Cheerful Temper（1/2）

《开朗的性情》，1852 年

A cheerful teper, 1852

我从父亲那里继承到了最好的遗产，那就是 “好脾气”。

Fro y father I received the best ianaly a “good teper.”

“我父亲是谁呢？” 这和好脾气没什么关系；但我要说，他生性活泼，相貌英俊，圆滚滚且胖乎乎的；无论从外貌还是性格来看，他都和自己的职业完全相悖。

“And who was y father?” that has nothg to do with the good teper; but I will say he was lively, good-lookg round, and fat; he was bothappearand character a plete tradi to his profession.

“那么请问，他的职业是什么，在体面的社会里又处于什么地位呢？” 嗯，或许吧，如果在一本书的开头就把这些写出来印出来，很多人读到的时候，就会把书放下，然后说：“在我看来这书名可真够惨的，我不喜欢这类东西。”

“And pray what was his profession and his standgrespectable society?” well, perhaps, ifthe begng of a book these were written and prted, any, when they read it, would y the book down and say, “It sees toa very iserable title, I don’t y thgs of this sort.”

然而我父亲既不是皮革匠也不是刽子手；恰恰相反，他的工作让他能走在城里最尊贵的人前面，而且这是他理所应当的位置。

A y father was not a sk-dresser nor aioner; orary, his eploynt pced hi at the head of the gra people of the town, and it was his pce by right.

他得走在主教前面，甚至得走在王室成员前面；他总是走在最前面 —— 他是一名灵车车夫！好了，现在真相大白了。

he had to precede the bishop, and even the prces of the blood; he always went first, — he was a hearse driver! there, now, the truth is out.

我得承认，当人们看到我父亲高高地坐在那辆死亡之车 —— 灵车的前面，穿着他那件又长又宽的黑色披风，头上戴着镶着黑边的三角帽，然后再看一眼他那张圆滚滚、乐呵呵的脸，圆得像太阳一样，他们就不会把悲伤或者坟墓之类的事太当回事了。

And I will own, that when people saw y father perched upfront of the onib of death, dressedhis long, wide, bck cloak, and his bck-edged, three-ered hat on his head, and then g his round, jod face, round as the sun, they uld not thk uch of sorrow or the grave.

那张脸仿佛在说：“没什么大不了的，结局会比人们想象的要好。”

that face said, “It is nothg, it will all eer than people thk.”

所以我不仅从他那里继承了好脾气，还继承了常去教堂墓地的习惯，要是心情合适的话，这习惯也不错；而且我也像他过去那样订阅《信使报》。

So I have ied fro hi, not only y good teper, but a habit of gog often to the churchyard, which is good, when donea proper huor; and then also I take ielligencer, jt as he ed to do.

我已不年轻了，我既没有妻子儿女，也没有藏书室，不过，就像我刚才说的，我读《信使报》，这对我来说就够了；它对我来说是一份令人愉快的报纸，对我父亲来说也是如此。

I a not very young, I have her wife nor children, nor a library, but, as I said, I read the Intelligencer, which is enough for ; it is toa delightful paper, and so it was to y father.

它很有用处，因为它包含了一个人需要了解的所有信息；教堂里传道者的名字，还有新出版的书籍；能找到房子、佣人、衣服和食物的地方。

It is of great e, for it tas all that a an requires to know; the nas of the preachers at the church, and the new books which are published; where hoes, servants, clothes, and provisions ay be obtaed.

此外，还有那么多慈善捐款的启事，还有那么多清新质朴的诗句！寻求会面和工作机会的人，所有这些都表述得如此直白自然。

And then what a nuber of subscriptions to charities, and what i verses! persons seekg terviews and es, all so ply and naturally stated.

当然，订阅《信使报》的人可以活得快乐，死得安心，到生命尽头时还能积攒下那么多报纸，他可以躺在用报纸铺就的柔软床上，除非他更喜欢木屑做安息之所。

certaly, a an who takes ielligencer ay live rrily and be buried tentedly, and by the end of his life will have such a capital stock of paper that helie on a soft bed of it, unless he prefers wood shavgs for his restg-pce.

报纸和教堂墓地对我来说一直都是很有意思的事物。我去教堂墓地散步就如同去能让我心情愉悦的浴场。

the neer and the churchyard were always exg objects to . y walks to the tter were like bathg-pces to y good huor.

每个人都可以自己看报纸，但是在阳光明媚、绿树成荫的时候，跟我一起到教堂墓地来吧，让我们在坟墓间漫步。

Every oneread the neer for hiself, but e withto the churchyard while the sun shes and the trees are green, awander aong the graves.

每一座坟墓就像一本合上的书，书脊朝上，我们能读到书里内容的标题，但仅此而已。

Each of the is like a closed book, with the back upperost, on which weread the title of what the book tas, but nothg ore.

我从父亲那里了解到很多情况，我自己也留意到很多事情。我把这些都记在日记里，在日记里我为自己的使用和消遣写下了躺在这里的所有人的故事，还有其他一些人的故事。

I had a great deal of ration fro y father, and I have noticed a great deal yself. I keep ity diary,which I write for y own e and pleasure a history of all who lie here, and a few ore beside.

现在我们来到了教堂墓地。在这里，白色的铁栏杆后面，曾经长着一棵玫瑰树；现在它已经不在了，但从旁边一座坟墓上伸过来一小片常青植物，它伸出绿色的卷须，还能看出点样子来；这里安息着一个非常不幸的人，然而在他活着的时候，可以说他所处的地位很不错。

Now we arethe churchyard. here, behd the white irs, once a rose-tree grew; it is gone now, but a little bit of evergreen, fro a neighb grave, stretches out its green tendrils, and akes so appearahere rests a very unhappy an, a while he lived he ight be said to oupy a very good position.

他有足够的钱维持生活，还有余钱；但由于他品味高雅，世上哪怕最微不足道的事情也会惹他心烦。

he had enough to live upon, and sothg to spare; but og to his refiastes the least thgthe world annoyed hi.

要是他晚上去剧院，他不但不会自得其乐，要是机械师把月亮的一侧灯光打得太强，或者舞台布景中天空的呈现本该挂在后面却挂在了前面；或者在表现柏林动物园的场景里出现了一棵棕榈树，或者在描绘蒂罗尔的景色中出现了一棵仙人掌，或者在挪威北部的场景里出现了一棵山毛榉树，他就会非常恼火。

If he went to a theatre of an eveng, stead of enjoyg hiself he would be quite annoyed if the aist had put to a light to one side of the oon, or if the representations of the sky hung over the ses when they ought to have huhe; or if a pal-tree was troduced to a se representg the Zoological Gardens of berl, or a cacta view of tyrol, or a beech-treethe north of Nor> 好像这些事情有什么要紧似的！他为什么不放过它们呢？谁会为这种琐事操心呢？尤其是在喜剧演出的时候，大家都指望能在那儿得到娱乐呢。

As if these thgs were of any sequeo be aed.

有时观众的掌声太多或太少，也会让他不高兴。“他们就像湿木头，” 他会环顾四周看看在场的都是些什么人，然后说，“今晚，什么都激不起他们的热情。”

then sotis the public appuded too uch, or too little, to please hi. “they are like wet wood,” he would say, lookg round to see what sort of people were present, “this eveng; nothg fires the.”

然后他会因为观众不在该笑的时候笑，或者在不该笑的地方笑而烦恼生气；就这样，他烦恼忧虑，直到最后这个不幸的人把自己烦进了坟墓里。

then he would vex and fret hiself becae they did not ugh at the right ti, or becae they ughedthe wrong pces; and so he fretted and worried hiself till at st the unhappy aed hiself to the grave.

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