William Shakespeare
1 "All's well that ends well" - All's Well That Ends Well
这句习语出自莎翁的剧作All’s Well That Ends Well。因为中文译名的原因经常被与As You Like it混淆。朱生豪先生把As You Like It 翻译成《皆大欢喜》, All's Well That End Well 则翻成《终成眷属》;梁实秋先生把As You Like It 翻成《如愿》,All's Well That End Well 译成《皆大欢喜》。
2 "A heart of gold" - Henry V
这句习语出自《亨利五世》。在剧中,罗马帝国皇帝亨利五世将自己乔装为一个平民,他的结拜兄弟Pistol没认出他来。国王问Pistol,是否觉得他自己比国王更伟大。Pistol说道:
“The king’s a bawcock, and a heart of gold, A lad of life, an imp of fame; Of parents good, of fist most valiant.”
译文:国王么,他是好人,有纯金的心,一个活跃的人,荣誉的骄子,有良好的父母,有坚硬的拳头。(梁实秋译)
3 "The world's mine oyster" - The Merry Wives of Windsor
这句习语出自《温莎的风流娘儿们》:
Falstaff:
I will not lend thee a penny.
Pistol:
Why then the world's mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open.
Falstaff:
Not a penny.
可以看出,在戏剧中这句话的原意是用来威胁的,当然现在已经演化成为表达对世界无限美妙的赞叹了。
4 "Vanish into thin air" - Othello/The Tempest
这个表达最早出现在莎翁1604年的剧作《奥赛罗》当中:
Clown:
Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll away. Go; vanish into air; away!
后来在1610年的《暴风雨》中,出现了更为完整的表述:
Prospero:
These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air
5 "Salad days" - Antony and Cleopatra
这个表述出现于1606年的《安东尼与克里欧佩特拉》中,指的是青春年少的时期,含有阅历浅显的:
“My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood”
这是克里欧佩特拉在悔恨年轻时放浪度日。而它的意思有所变化,也指代创作家等的最佳时期。