I am no good at it. To do if well seems to me one of the most difficult in the word ,and probably seems so to you , too. To see a friend off from Waterloo to Vauxhall were feat . It is only when a friend is going on a longish journey, and will be absent for alongish time ,that we turn up at the railway atation.The dearer the friend,and the longer the journey,and the longer thelikely absence, the earlier do we turn up, and the more lamentably do we fail.OUr failure is in exact ratio to the seriousness of the occasion ,and to the depth of our feeling.
我不擅于送别之道,完成好送别,对我而言,实是世上最难之事也.这对你,或许也不例外.送朋友离开滑铁卢到沃克斯霍十分容易。但如此短的行程，从来无须我们上演“送别”一幕，只有当朋友要远行，要长久分离时，我们才在车站露面。友情越深，旅程越长，分离越久，我们就会越早来到车站，就越会表现木讷笨拙。笨拙的表现，正客观反映出别时的场面和心底的情感。
In a room, or even on a doorstep,we can make the farewell quite worthiry.We can express in our faces the genuine sorrow we feel. Nor do words fail us. there is no awkwardness,or restraint, on either side . thethread of our intimacy has not been snapped . The leavetaking is an ideal one.Why not , then , leave the leavetaking at thaat ?Always ,departting friends implore us not to bother to come to the railway station next morning .Always we are deaf to these entreaties, knowing them to be no quite sincere.The departing friends would think it wery odd of us if we took them at their word. Besides, the really do wand to see us again.And that wish is heartily reciprocated. We do duly turn up.And then ,oh then, what a gulf yawns! We stretch our vainly across if . We have utterly lost touch. We have nothing at all to say . We gaze at each other as dumb animals gaze at human beings. We "make conversation"-- and SUCH conversation! We knowthat these friends are the friends from whom we parted overnight.They is different; and the tension is such that we only long for the guard to blow his whistle and put and end to the farce.
我们可以在屋内，甚至门阶上，很得体地互道珍重。对离别的真实伤感可以写在我们的脸上，言语也难不倒我们。双方都不会显得局促和压抑。我们的友谊依然连系着这样的道别正是理想的方式。那么，为什么不就此作别呢？常常，即将分别的朋友恳求我们次日早晨特意到车站送别。但每一次，我们总是对之置若罔闻，因为我们明了他们的言不由衷。如果我们听从了朋友的请求，他们反觉得奇怪。而且，他们的的确很想再见我们一面。这个愿望是应以真心回报的，我们如期而至。可此时，此时此刻，我们已是无法触到彼此。我们无言以对，我们默默相望，就像无语的动物注视着人类一样。我们“交谈”着，就是这样交谈着。我们矢，他们是昨夜才分别的朋友。然而，在表面上，一切都不同了；压抑的气氛使我们只希望列车汽笛快快响起，结束这场闹剧。
On a cold gray morning of last week I duly turned up at Euston, to see off an old friend who was starting for American. Overnight , we had given him a farewell dinner , in which sadness was well mingled with festivity. Years probably would elapse before his return. Some of us might never see him again. Not ignoring the shadow of the future, we gaily cerebrated the past .We were as thankful to have known our guest as were grieved to lose him; and both these emotions were made manifest .It was aperfect farewell.
上周一个阴冷灰色的早晨，我如期到达尤斯顿，为一个即将动身前往美国的老友送行。昨晚，我们设宴为他饯行。宴席上，悲伤与欢乐交织。也许，数年后他才会归来。也许，我们中的一些人，今生将无法再与他重聚。带着对明日对离别的愁绪，我们快乐的哦往日干杯。相识，另我们心存感激；离别，让我们忧伤悲痛，这两种情感都表露无遗。这样的送别，才算完美。