By Henry David Thore

However mean your life is,meet it and live it;do not shun（回避）it and call it hard names.It is not so bad as you are.It looks poorest when you are richest.The fault-finder will find faults in paradise.

Love your life,poor as it is.You may perhaps have some pleasant,thrilling and glorious hours,even in a poor house.The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode （家）;the snow melts before its door as early in the spring.

I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there and have as cheering thoughts.As in a palace,the town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any.

Maybe they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving.Most think that they are above being supported by the town,but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means,which should be more disreputable.

Cultivate poverty like a garden herb,like sage.Do not trouble yourself much to get new things,whether clothes or friends.Turn the old,return to them.Things do not change,we change.Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.

不論你的生活如何卑賤，你都要面對(duì)它;不要躲避它，更別用惡言咒罵它。它不像你那樣壞：你最富有的時(shí)候，倒是看似最窮。愛找缺點(diǎn)的人就是到天堂里也能找到缺點(diǎn)。

你要愛你的生活，盡管它貧窮?？旎?、激動(dòng)和光榮的時(shí)光即使是在濟(jì)貧院里也享受得到。夕陽照射在貧民居所的窗戶上所反射的光同照在富人公寓的窗戶上所反射的光一樣耀眼奪目，都能使得門前的積雪在早春消融。

我只看到，一個(gè)從容的人在哪里都像在皇宮中一樣，生活得心滿意足且富有愉快的思想。依我之見，城鎮(zhèn)的貧民倒是往往過著最獨(dú)立不羈的生活。

也許他們十分偉大，對(duì)任何事情皆可坦然受之。大多數(shù)人認(rèn)為他們不屑于接受城鎮(zhèn)的施救；但是實(shí)際上他們經(jīng)常使用不誠實(shí)的手段來維持自己的生計(jì)，這是更為不體面的。

像圣賢一樣，如同栽培花園中的花草一般來培植貧困吧。不要自找麻煩地去追求新鮮事物，新衣物和新朋友。讓舊物常新，回歸舊物。萬物不變，是我們?cè)谧?。衣服可以賣掉，但要保留你的思想。