BREAKFAST XXVIII

 

A dinner party, coffee, tea,

Sandwich, or supper, all may be

In their way pleasant. But to me

Not one of these deserves the praise

That welcomer of new-born days,

A breakfast, merits; ever giving

Cheerful notice we are living

Another day refresh’d by sleep,

When its festival we keep.

Now, although I would not slight

Those kindly¹ words we use, “Good-night,”

Yet parting words are words of sorrow,

And may not vie with sweet “Good-morrow,”

With which again our friends we greet

When in the breakfast-room we meet,

At the social table round,

Listening to the lively sound

Of those notes which never tire

Of urn² or kettle on the fire.

Sleepy Robert never hears

Or urn or kettle; he appears

When all have finish’d, one by one

Dropping off, and breakfast done.

Yet has he too his own pleasure,

His breakfast hour’s his hour of leisure;

And, left alone, he reads or muses³,

Or else in idle mood he uses

To sit and watch the venturous fly,

Where the sugar’s piled high,

Clambering o’er the lumps so white,

Rocky cliffs of sweet delight.

1 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

2 urn   

n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• The urn was unearthed entire.这只瓮出土完整无缺。
• She put the big hot coffee urn on the table and plugged it in.她将大咖啡壶放在桌子上,接上电源。

3 muses   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的第三人称单数 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• We have listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe. 欧洲那种御用的诗才，我们已经听够了。 来自辞典例句
• Shiki muses that this is, at least, probably the right atmosphere. 志贵觉得这至少是正确的气氛。 来自互联网