地狱的箴言
The Proverbs of Hell
威廉•布莱克（William Blake,1757-1827），飞白 译
春天学习，秋天教导，冬天享受。
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
让你的大车和犁头碾着死人的白骨前进吧。
Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.
离经叛道是通向智慧之宫的必由之路。
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
审慎是无能追求的一位富有而丑陋的老处女。
Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.
有欲望而无行动者滋生瘟疫。
He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.
被犁断的蛀虫原谅犁头。
The cut worm forgives the plow.
把好水者置于河中。
Dip him in the river who loves water.
傻瓜和智者看到的不是同一棵树。
A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
谁的脸上不发光就永远成不了星星。
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
永恒喜爱时间的产品。
Eternity is in love with the productions of time.
忙碌的蜜蜂没有时间悔恨。
The busy bee has no time for sorrow.
愚蠢的钟点可以由钟表衡量，但智慧的时间没法衡量。
The hours of folly are measur'd by the clock; but of wisdom, no clock can measure.
凡有益健康的食品都不是由网和陷阱得来的。
All wholesome food is caught without a net or a trap.
度量衡要在荒年颁布。
Bring out number, weight and measure in a year of dearth.
如果单凭自己的翅膀，没有一只鸟儿会飞得很高。
No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.
只有尸体才不会为受到的伤害报复。
A dead body revenges not injuries.
最崇高的行为就是把别人置于你的前面。
The most sublime act is to set another before you.
如果愚人坚持其愚蠢，那他就会变聪明。
If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.
愚蠢是无赖的斗篷。
Folly is the cloak of knavery.
羞涩是骄傲的外衣。
Shame is Pride's cloke.
监狱由法律的石头砌就，妓院由宗教的砖块造成。
Prisons are built with stones of law, brothels with bricks of religion.
孔雀的骄傲是上帝的荣耀。
The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.
山羊的淫欲是上帝的博爱。
The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.
女人的裸体是上帝的杰作。
The nakedness of woman is the work of God.
狮子的愤怒是上帝的智慧。
The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.
过悲会笑，过乐会哭。
Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.
狮子的咆哮，狼的嚎叫，暴风雨中海的发怒，和毁灭一切的剑，在凡人眼中都是过于伟大的永恒的一部分。
The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity, too great for the eye of man.
狐狸责怪陷阱，而不责怪自己。
The fox condemns the trap, not himself.
欢乐授胎，悲哀生育。
Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.
让男人穿狮皮，女人穿羊毛。
Let man wear the fell of the lion, woman the fleece of the sheep.
鸟需巢，蜘蛛需网，人需友谊。
The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.
窃窃自笑的傻瓜和愁眉苦脸的都应看作是聪明的，他们也许是同一根棍子的两端。
The selfish, smiling fool, and the sullen, frowning fool shall be both thought wise, that they may be a rod.
凡现已证实的都曾是现象。
What is now proved was once only imagin'd.
鼠、鼷、狐、兔只看到树根，狮、虎、马、象才看到果实。
The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit watch the roots; the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant watch the fruits.
水池蓄，泉水涌。
The cistern contains: the fountain overflows.
一个思想可充满太空。
One thought fills immensity.
永远准备说真话，那样卑鄙的人就会避开你。
Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.
一切可信之物都是真理之象。
Every thing possible to be believ'd is an image of truth.
鹰决不会浪费时间屈尊向乌鸦学习。
The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow.
狐狸供养自己，但上帝供养狮子。
The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.
清晨思想，中午行动，黄昏进食，夜晚睡眠。
Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.
上过你的当的人最了解你。
He who has suffer'd you to impose on him, knows you.
犁头服从人使唤，上帝报答祈祷者。
As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers.
愤怒的虎比说教的马更聪明。
The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.
死水有毒。
Expect poison from the standing water.
除非你知道什么是过度，你决不会知道什么是足够。
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
请听傻瓜的责骂，这是一种莫大的荣耀。
Listen to the fool's reproach! it is a kingly title!
火是眼，风是鼻孔，水是嘴，大地是胡子。
The eyes of fire, the nostrils of air, the mouth of water, the beard of earth.
怯于勇气者善使诡计。
The weak in courage is strong in cunning.
苹果树从不问山毛榉如何生长，狮子从不问斑马如何觅食。
The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow; nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.
高兴的税收官带来一个丰年。
The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
如果别人从来不傻，那一定是我们傻了。
If others had not been foolish, we should be so.
甜蜜快乐的灵魂不会受污损。
The soul of sweet delight can never be defil'd.
当你看鹰时，你就在看天才的一部分，抬起头来！
When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!
毛虫总爱在最美的叶子上产卵，教士总爱诅咒最正当的快乐。
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
创造一朵小花需万年之功。
To create a little flower is the labour of ages.
诅咒使人振奋，祝福使人懈怠。
Damn braces. Bless relaxes.
酒越陈越好，水越鲜越好。
The best wine is the oldest, the best water the newest.
祈祷者不耕作，赞美者不收获。
Prayers plow not! Praises reap not!
极乐不笑，极悲不哭。
Joys laugh not! Sorrows weep not!
崇高为头，痛苦为心，生殖为美，平衡为手足。
The head Sublime, the heart Pathos, the genitals Beauty, the hands and feet Proportion.
卑鄙之于卑鄙者正如风之于鸟水之于鱼一样。
As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.
乌鸦希望一切皆黑，猫头鹰则希望一切皆白。
The crow wish'd every thing was black, the owl that every thing was white.
丰盛即美。
Exuberance is Beauty.
如果狮子接受狐狸的劝告，他也只会使使诡计。
If the lion was advised by the fox, he would be cunning.
道路修整后变得平直，但未加修整的曲折道路才是天才之路。
Improvement makes strait roads; but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius.
有欲望无行动等于把婴儿扼杀在摇篮之中。
Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires.
人迹未到之处，自然一片荒凉。
Where man is not, nature is barren.
真理决不会是只能理解而不能信仰的。
Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd.
够了，太多了！
Enough! or too much.
（选自《天堂与地狱的婚姻》）