Thoughts in a grave yard
When I look upon the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, even inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tombstone, my heart melts with compassion; when I see the tomb of the parents of themselves, I consider the vanity of grieving for those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placed side by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions, and debates of mankind. When I read the several dates of the tombs, of some that died yesterday, and some six hunderd years ago, I consider that great when we shall all of us be contemporaries, and make our appearance together. Excerpt from Westminster Abbey by Joseph Addison
參考譯文
當我瞻仰偉人的墳墓，心中所有的嫉妒頓時煙消雲散；當我讀到偉人的悼文，所有的非分之想頃刻消失殆盡；當我遇見在墓碑旁悲痛欲絕的父母親，我的心中也滿懷同情；當我看到那些父母親自己的墳墓，我不禁感慨：既然我們很快都要追隨逝者的腳步，悲傷又有何用。當我看到國王與那些將他們廢黜的人躺在一起，當我想到那些爭鬥一生的智者，或是那些通過競爭和爭執將世界分裂的聖人們被後人並排葬在一起，我對人類的那些微不足道的競爭、內訌和爭論感到震驚和悲傷。當我看到一些墳墓上的日期，有的死於昨日，而有的死於六百年前，我不禁想到，有那麽一天我們都會在同一個時代同時出現在世人眼前。
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