I would rather be a poor man in a garret with plenty of good books to read than a king who did not love reading
[譯]寧為窮漢住閣樓,擁有好書(shū)任我讀,不愿身居帝王位,縱有好書(shū)不愛(ài)讀。
If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him.
[注解]語(yǔ)出Franklin(富蘭克林)。
[譯]如果一個(gè)人傾其所有錢(qián)財(cái)求學(xué)問(wèn),那么所求的學(xué)問(wèn)誰(shuí)也拿不走。
If you do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old.
[譯]年輕不求知,年老無(wú)福享。
If you want knowledge, you must toil for it.
[譯]要想求知,就得吃苦。
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
[注解]語(yǔ)出Albert Einstein,美國(guó)科學(xué)家愛(ài)因斯坦。
[譯]想像力比知識(shí)更重要。
Imagination is sometimes more vivid than reality.
[譯]想像有時(shí)比現(xiàn)實(shí)生動(dòng)得多。
It is a silly goose that comes to the fox's sermon.
[注解]sermon布道,說(shuō)教。
[譯]只有呆鵝才去聽(tīng)狐貍說(shuō)教。
It is a wise father that knows his own child.
[注解]語(yǔ)出莎士比亞《威尼斯商人》第2幕第2場(chǎng)。這是一句比較古老的諺語(yǔ)。莎士比亞時(shí)代的用法,和現(xiàn)代英語(yǔ)的用法不同,它不是強(qiáng)調(diào)結(jié)構(gòu)。不能照字面譯。
中國(guó)雖有“知子莫若父”的古話,但莎翁這句英文的意思卻適得其反。
[譯]無(wú)論怎樣聰明的父親也不見(jiàn)得知道他自己的兒子。(錢(qián)歌川譯)
It is a wise man that never makes mistakes.
[譯]智者千慮,必有一失。
It is absurd to ape our betters.
[注解]語(yǔ)出伊索寓言《猴子和駱駝》。Betters(人和事物)較好者,較優(yōu)越者。ape模仿。此句似含有“東施效顰”之意。
[譯]天生笨拙者硬要模仿機(jī)靈人的行動(dòng),實(shí)在太愚蠢。
It is wisdom sometimes to seem fool.
[譯]有時(shí)糊涂是智慧的表示;大智若愚;難得糊涂。