He lived in the house by the hawthorn lane, With roses and woodbine over the door;
他住在山楂树巷的一幢房子里,门口掩映玫瑰和忍冬;
His rooms were quiet, and neat, and plain, But a spirit of comfort there held reign, And made him forget he was old and poor.
他的房间静谧,整洁又简朴,但充满温馨和惬意,他简直忘了自己年事已高又贫穷。
"I need so little," he often said;
“我无所求,”他常说。
"And my friends and relatives here below Won't litigate over me when I am dead," Said the jolly old pedagogue, long ago.
“我死时,我的朋友和亲戚在阴间不会起诉我的。”很久以前,这个欢快的老先生说。
But the pleasantest times he had of all, Were the sociable hours he used to pass,
他的全部快活的时光就是那几小时与人交流的时间,
With his chair tipped back to a neighbor's wall, Making an unceremonious call, Over a pipe and a friendly glass:
他的椅子向后抵着邻家的墙,随意叫人给他拿来烟斗和花镜
This was the finest pleasure, he said, Of the many he tasted here below:
这是最纯粹的快乐,他说,他在那里已经尝试很多回了:
"Who has no cronies had better be dead," Said the jolly old pedagogue, long ago.
“没有朋友的人生不如死,”很久以前,这个欢快的老先生说。
The jolly old pedagogue's wrinkled face Melted all over in sunshiny smiles;
这个欢快的老先生那张闪闪发光的脸绽出愉快的微笑;
He stirred his glass with an old-school grace, Chuckled, and sipped, and prattled apace, Till the house grew merry from cellar to tiles.
他扶了一下花镜,姿势那般优雅,咯咯一笑,呷了一口茶,像孩子般天真无邪地说着什么,直到整幢房子从地窖到瓦片都透着欢乐。