The honest fellow who comes to dig in my garden is puzzled to account for my peculiarities; I often catch a look of wondering speculation in his eye when it turns upon me. It is all because I will not let him lay out flower-beds in the usual way, and make the bit of ground in front of the house really neat and ornamental. At first he put it down to meanness, but he knows by now that that cannot be the explanation. That I really prefer a garden so poor and plain that every cottager would be ashamed of it, he cannot bring himself to believe, and of course I have long since given up trying to explain myself. The good man probably concludes that too many books and the habit of solitude have somewhat affected what he would call my "reasons."
The only garden flowers I care for are the quite old-fashioned roses, sunflowers, hollyhocks, lilies and so on, and these I like to see growing as much as possible as if they were wild. Trim and symmetrical beds are my abhorrence, and most of the flowers which are put into them -- hybrids with some grotesque name -- Jonesia, Snooksia -- hurt my eyes. On the other hand, a garden is a garden, and I would not try to introduce into it the flowers which are my solace in lanes and fields. Foxgloves, for instance -- it would pain me to see them thus transplanted.
来我的花园里翻土的那个老实人，认为我的癖好奇怪至极;我常常能在他看向我的眼中发现一种惊奇、疑惑的情绪。他之所以会如此看待我,是因为我不让他按照通常的方式来布置花坛，也不让他把房前的小片空地整理得整洁、美观。最初他以为我是为了省钱才这样做的,但现在他知道并不是那样。我是真的更愿意拥有这样一个任何农夫都会为之感到羞愧的普通且贫瘠的花园,他很难相信这一点,当然,我也从未试图为自己辩解过。这个好心的人很可能会如此推断:太多的书和常年独居的生活已经或多或少地影响了他所谓的我的“理智”。
在花园里,我最喜欢玫瑰、向日葵、蜀葵和百合等被认为是过时了的花，而且我喜欢看到这些花尽可能像在野外那样生长。那种修剪整齐、布局对称的花坛惹人厌烦,种植在里面的许多起了稀奇古怪名字的杂花一一如琼尼希亚或斯努克希亚等一也有碍观瞻。另一方面,花园就是花园，我不愿把生长在小路上和田野中的那些令我感到慰藉的花移植到花园里来，例如毛地黄一一如果看到它们这样被移植,我一定会痛苦不已。
I think of foxgloves, for it is the moment of their glory. Yesterday I went to the lane which I visit every year at this time, the deep, rutty cart-track, descending between banks covered with giant fronds of the polypodium, and overhung with wych elm and hazel, to that cool, grassy nook where the noble flowers hang on stems all but of my own height. Nowhere have I seen finer foxgloves. I suppose they rejoice me so because of early memories - to a child it is the most impressive of wild flowers; I would walk miles any day to see a fine cluster. As I would to see the shining of purple loosestrife by the water edge, or white lilies floating upon the still depth.
我想到了毛地黄,是因为眼下正是它们盛放的季节。昨天,我到每年这个时候都会去的那条小路上走了走。小路中间到处都是深深的车辙,路的两边则少了很多,上面覆盖着巨大的瓦苇叶,榆树和榛树的枝条垂挂其间;在绿草如茵的偏僻之地,许多高贵艳丽的花朵在几乎与我一样高的枝头盛开。我从未在其他地方看到过生长得如此茂盛的毛地黄。我想，我如此喜欢它们,是因为往昔的记忆吧一一对于一个孩子来说,那是最能留给人深刻印象的野花了。无论何时,即使要为观赏这样一丛美丽的花朵走上几英里的路，我也心甘情愿;当然，我也愿意去水边看闪闪发亮的紫色珍珠菜,或者在平静的深水中漂浮着的白色百合花一这与之有着同样的初衷。
But the gardener and I understand each other as soon as we go to the back of the house and get among the vegetables. On that ground he finds me perfectly sane. And indeed I am not sure that the kitchen garden does not give me more pleasure than the domain of flowers. Every morning I step round before breakfast to see how things are "coming on." It is happiness to note the swelling of pods, the healthy vigour of potato plants, aye, even the shooting up of radishes and cress. This year I have a grove of Jerusalem artichokes; they are seven or eight feet high, and I seem to get vigour as I look at the stems which are all but trunks, at the great beautiful leaves. Delightful, too, are the scarlet runners, which have to be propped again and again, or they would break down under the abundance of their yield. It is a treat to me to go among them with a basket, gathering; I feel as though nature herself showed kindness to me in giving me such abundant food. How fresh and wholesome are the odours - especially if a shower has fallen not long ago!
I have some magnificent carrots this year -- straight, clean, tapering, the colour a joy to look upon.
然而,当我和园丁来到屋后的菜地时,我们就理解了彼此。在那块地里，他发现我的头脑非常清醒。是的,我不相信菜园给我带来的快乐会比花园给我的少。在每天的早餐前,我都会到这里来走上一圈,看看蔬菜的“长势”如何。看着豆荚逐渐膨胀、马铃薯秧苗蓬勃生长,是的,甚至是萝卜和水芹冒出新芽-这些都令人感到无比愉快。今年我种了一丛菊芋，它们已经长到七八英尺高了;每当看着它们那几乎粗如树干的茎和极为漂亮的叶子,我仿佛也获得了新的生命力。红花菜豆的长势也很令人高兴,现在,必须一次次地添加支架来支撑和加固,否则它们就会被结出的累累果实压断。提着篮子漫步其中,采摘它们的果实,对我来说,真是一大乐事。大自然赐给我如此丰盛的食物,仿佛是在向我示好一样。这是多么新鲜且有益健康的昧道啊一阵雨过后更是如此!
今年我还种了一些非常不错的胡萝卜——挺直且干净,一头尖细,颜色令人赏心悦目。
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