Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

zt:

Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone.
proverb: People like to be around those who are happy (but not those who are sad or morose).

This expression was coined by American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) in her poem "Solitude" (1883).

Solitude
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

《孤独》
作者，威尔考克斯

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

笑吧，整个世界都围着你；
伤心时却没有人和你在一起；
欲向古老的大地借一点欢乐，
可她自己早已迟滞、低迷。
唱吧，群山会一起呼应；
叹息，四周不会有任何动静；
回响总是跟着欢乐的声音，
而常常缺乏同情。

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.

喜庆，人们会主动同你拥抱；
怨气很容易把人赶跑；
他人可以来分享你的乐趣，
但不喜欢听你发牢骚。
高兴吧，你会有很多朋友；
悲伤时，则统统掉头远走；
没有人会拒绝蜜汁和甘露，
但你必须喝尽自己酿的人生苦酒。

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

盛宴，厅堂里高朋满座；
眨眼间去者众，留下不多。
成功和给予能让心灵丰满，
人生末路却仍然孤独寂寞。

欢乐的天堂空旷巍峨；
需先搭乘高大尊贵的列车，
还要一个一个向上叠加，
爬过狭窄过道方能成为宾客。

（太喜欢这首诗，故不揣冒昧，只博来客一笑。 ）

边君译得不错。赞！

For the sad old earth （主语） must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
for (conj.) =because/since
这句意思是说，哀伤古老的大地必须还要去借快乐（缺乏快乐），它自己的麻烦已经够多了 (自顾不暇，哪能分担你的忧愁）。
这句是解释上句为什么只与你同笑，却不陪你哭泣：
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;

The echoes （主语） bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
"shrink" 的主语也是“the echoes"， 对于"voicing care"， 即忧虑之语，echoes 会shrink.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
--- fast，禁食, 即没有什么食物，the opposite of "feast".

以上只是我个人理解，仅供参考。

好吧，重新来一遍。

Solitude
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

《孤独》
作者，威尔考克斯

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

笑吧，整个世界都围着你；
伤心时却没有人和你在一起；
古老苍凉的大地自己到处找欢笑，
她无法陪你哭泣。
唱吧，群山会一起呼应；
叹息，四周不会有任何动静；
回响总是合着欢乐的声音，
而对哀伤则冷漠无情。

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.

喜庆，人们会主动同你拥抱；
怨气很容易把人赶跑；
他人可以来分享你的乐趣，
但不喜欢听你发牢骚。
高兴吧，你会有很多朋友；
悲伤时，他们统统掉头远走；
没有人会拒绝蜜汁和甘露，
但你必须喝尽自己酿的人生苦酒。

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

盛宴，厅堂里高朋满座；
禁食，门外无人蹉跎。
成功和给予让心灵丰满，
生命的尽头只有你自己在那寂寞。
欢乐的天堂空旷巍峨；
需先搭乘高大尊贵的列车，
先要一个一个排队，
通过狭窄痛苦的过道才有欢乐。