西洋幽默语录(之六十六)
山姆尔约翰生 (JOHNSON, Samuel), 1709-1784
英国作家和辞典作者
Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.
戒酒对我而言是容易的, 正如禁酒是困难的一样.
A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.
鱼竿是根棒, 一端是个钩, 另一端是个傻子.
He is not only dull himself, but the cause of dullness in others.
他不但自己无趣, 而且是使得其他人无趣的主因.
He talks like a watch, which ticks away minutes, but never strikes the hour.
他讲话如钟表, 只会拨动分针, 而从不晓得敲时针.
I am very fond of the company of ladies; I like their beauty, I like their delicacy, I like their vivacity, and I like their silence.
我很喜欢有女人倍伴; 我喜欢她们的美丽, 我喜欢她们的优雅, 我喜欢她们的活泼, 还有, 我喜欢她们的安静.
I live in the crowds of jollity, not so much to enjoy company as to shun myself.
我生活在愉快的人群中, 并不是享受和他们作伴, 更多的是为了逃避自已.
The Irish are a fair people; they never speak well of one another.
爱尔兰人是个公平的民族; 他们从不互相夸奖对方.
A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table than his wife talks Greek.
男人一般上会比较高兴, 当他的桌上有一顿好的晚餐, 而不是他太太在讲一些他不懂的话.
Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasure.
结婚有很多痛苦, 但独身没有乐趣.
My disease are an asthma and a dropsy and, what is less curable, seventy-five.
我有哮喘和水肿病, 但较难治疗的是, 七十五岁.
Of all noises I think music the least disagreeable.
在所有的噪声中, 我觉得音乐是最少有争议的.
Second marriage: the triumph of hope over experience.
再婚: 希望战胜经验.
That fellow seems to me to possess but one idea, and that is a wrong one.
那家伙在我看来似乎只有一个想法, 而且是错误的.
There are charms made only for distant admiration.
有些美色只能在远处欣赏.
There is nothing too little for so little a creature as man.
没有比人如此渺小的动物再小的了.
What I gained by being in France was learning to be better satisfied with my own country.
我在法国所得到的, 让我学会如何对自己的国家更加满意.
When a man says he had pleasure with a woman he does not mean conversation.
当一个男人说他享受和一个女人在一起的乐趣, 他的意思不是说谈话.
Wine makes a man better pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others.
酒让一个人对自已更为高兴; 我没说他让其他人更为高兴.
You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument.
当你该加强你的辩论, 你却提高你的声音.
Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.
你的原稿又好又原创; 但好的部分并不原创, 而原创的部分并不好.
What provokes your risibility, sir? Have I said something you can understand? Then I ask pardon for the rest of the company.
先生,是什么让你这么好笑? 是不是我讲的你都能了解? 那么, 我要向其他人道歉.
We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know because they have never deceived us.
我们倾向於相信那些我们不认识的人, 因为他们从没欺骗我们.
In lapidary inscriptions a man is not upon oath.
墓碑上的碑文并没要人宣誓.
Worth-seeing? Yes, but not worth going to see.
值得看? 是的, 但不值得去看.
