shed tears over that. But Beijing’s climate is more or less unfit for the growing of
flowers. Freezing in winter, windy in spring, and either too dry or too often visited by
rainstorms in summer. While autumn is the best of all, it is often plagued by a sudden frost.
In a climate like this, it is far beyond my capacity to grow precious flowers of southern
breed. Therefore, I only grow flowers and plants that are hardy and enjoy a high survival
rate.
Although such flowers are able to weather through by themselves, I, however never
ignore them or abandon them to their own fate, for otherwise most of them will probably
end up dead. I have to care for them every day as if they were my close friends. Thus, in
the course of time, I’ve somehow got the hang of flower cultivation some flowers which
are accustomed to growing in the shade should not be too much exposed to the sun. Those
which prefer dryness should not be watered too often. It gives me much pleasure to know
the right way of handling them. How interesting it is to be able to keep my flowers and
plants alive and watch them thrive and bloom year in year out! It is no exaggeration to say
that there is much knowledge involved in this! And the more knowledge one acquires, the
better it is of course.
As I have some trouble with my leg, I can’t more around easily, nor can I sit too long.
I don’t know if the flowers under my care are grateful to me or not. However, I wish for
my part to acknowledge my thanks to them. I often leave off sedentary work after writing a
few dozen words and go to the courtyard to take a look at the flowers, watering them and
moving about the potted ones. Then I’ll return to my room to write a bit more. I’ll go
through the same back-and-forth process again and again, thus combining mental with
manual labour. This is a better way to keep me fit in mind and body than taking medicine.
In case of a violent storm or a sudden change of weather, however, the whole family will
have to turn out to salvage the flowers and plants. Everybody will then feel keyed up. By
the time when we have managed to move the several hundred potted flowers to the rooms
in a hurry, we will be dog-tired and wet with perspiration. The next day, when the weather
is fine, we will have another round of being dog-tired and wet with perspiration in taking
all the flowers out to the courtyard again. How interesting it is! Isn’t it true that without
doing manual labour, we couldn’t even keep a single flower alive?
It filled the whole family with pride whenever the milkman exclaims on entering our
gate, “What a sweet smell!” When the night-blooming cereuses are about to be in flower,
we will invite some friends to visit us in the evening to feast their eyes on them—in an
atmosphere smacking of nocturnal merry-making under candle lights. When the cereuses
have branched out, we will pick some of the flowers and give them as a present to our
friends. We are of course especially happy to see them take away our fruits of labour.
Of course, there is a time to feel sad too. Last summer, a rainstorm hit us when 300 ∫∫網∫文∫檔∫下∫載∫與∫在∫線∫閱∫讀∫
chrysanthemum seedlings in the courtyard were about to be transplanted to pots. Suddenly,
the wall of our neighbour collapsed and crushed more than 100 seedlings of 30 varieties.
The whole family were sad-faced for quiet a few days!
Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, flowers and fruit, fragrance and colour, manual
labour and increased knowledge—all these make up the joy of flower cultivation.
注释：
老舍的《养花》于1956年10月21日发表在《文汇报》上。老舍爱花，写出了养花的乐趣，
视花儿为自己生命的一部分，人花合一。文章短小简练，朴素隽永。
(1)“所以也爱养花“译为hence have taken to growing them，其中动词短语to take to的意思
是“开始喜欢”。此句也可译为are therefore fond of growing flowers。
(2)“只好上房去玩耍”译为they have to sport about in our rooms instead，其中动词短语to sport
about的意思是“嬉戏”（to play and jump about happily）。
(3)“我只养些好种易活、自己会奋斗的花草”译时稍作灵活处理：I only grow flowers and plants
that are hardy and enjoy