中英文本
And was more startled when I heard a second affirm, with great vehemence, that if the Emperor of Germany was not going off, he should like him better than either of them.
然后，我又听到第二个人斩钉截铁地说，如果德国皇帝不退位的话，那么他就最推崇德国皇帝。
He added, that though the season was so changeable, the Duke of Marlborough was in blooming beauty.
听到这里，我更是惊叹不已。这个人又补充说，尽管岁月如流水，但马尔伯勒公爵始终是风流倜傥。
I was wondering to myself from whence they had received this odd intelligence：
他们从哪里知道的这些谬论，我绞尽脑汁也想不明白。
especially when I heard them mention the names of several other great generals, as the Prince of Hess and the King of Sweden, who, they said, were both running away.
还有比这更荒谬的：他们还谈到了几位将军，其中就有黑森王子和瑞典国王，他们说这两个人现在正在逃亡中。
To which they added, what I entirely agreed with them in, that the Crown of France was very weak, but that the Marshal Villars still kept his colors.
后来他们所说的，我是完全同意的。他们提到法国国王身体虚弱，维拉尔元帅却仍旧精神饱满。

At last, one of them told the company, if they would go along with him, he would show them a chimney-sweeper and a painted lady in the same bed, which he was sure would very much please them.
最后，他们当中的一个人说，如果大家同意跟他一起去，他会叫他们看到一个扫烟囱的人和一个美丽的少女“同床共枕”。 他确信，这样的场景一定会令大家非常开心。
The shower which had driven them as well as myself into the house, was now over；
我和他们都是跑到这家农合来避雨的，此时大雨已经停了。
and as they were passing by me into the garden, I asked them to let me be one of their company.
当他们从我身旁经过，朝花园走去的时候，我便要求加入到他们的队伍之中。
The gentleman of the house told me，if I delighted in flowers, it would be worth my while；
农舍的主人对我说，如果我对花感兴趣的话，很值得去花园看一看。
for that he believed he could show me such a blow of tulips as was not to be matched in the whole country.
因为他相信，他让我看的那片郁金香，在全国都找不出可以与之媲美的。
I accepted the offer，and immediately found that they had been talking in terms of gardening，and that the kings and generals they had mentioned were only so many tulips，to which the gardeners，according to their usual custom，had given such high titles and appellations of honor.
我接受了他的邀请，也马上明白了刚才那几个人谈论的是园艺。他们所说的国王、将帅全是郁金香的名字。花匠们按照习惯做法赋予那些花以头衔或称号。

作者介绍

约瑟夫艾迪生
英国散文家、诗人、辉格党政治家。曾在牛津大学求学和任教，并去欧洲大陆旅行多年。担任过南部事务部次官、下院议员、爱尔兰总督沃顿伯爵的秘书等职。与斯梯尔合办《闲话报》(1710)和《旁观者》(1711)等刊物。为英国散文大师之一。写有诗篇《远征》、悲剧《卡托》以及文学评论文章等。