My friend, I am not what I seem. Seeming is but a garment I wear--a care-woven garment that protects me from thy questionings and thee from my negligence.
我的朋友，我並不像你所見。那外表不過是罩在我身外的一襲衣飾——精心織就的衣飾，它會在你的好奇下將我保護，並能謹慎地掩蓋著我的粗疏。

The 'I' in me, my friend, dwells in the house of silence, and therein it shall remain for ever more, unperceived, unapproachable.
朋友，那在我體內的“真我”被深鎖於沉默之屋，它將緘默其中直至永恆，無人知曉，不被接近。

I would not have thee believe in what I say nor trust in what I do--for my words are naught but thy own thoughts in sound and my deeds thy own hopes in action.
我並不求你相信我所說，也不要你信任我所做——因為我的言語並無意義，不過是把你的思想配上聲音，而我的作為也不過是把你的希冀付諸行動。

When thou sayest, 'The wind bloweth eastward,' I say, 'Aye it doth blow eastward'; for I would not have thee know that my mind doth not dwell upon the wind but upon the sea.
當你說：“這風從東方吹來。”我則應聲道：“是啊，這風確是從東方吹來。”因為我不想讓你知道我的心靈並非飄蕩於風中而是沉浮于大海。

Thou canst not understand my seafaring thoughts, nor would I have thee understand. I would be at sea alone.
你不會看透我在大海中蘊孕的思緒，而我也無意讓你們看透，我願獨自領略。我與大海同流。

When it is day with thee, my friend, it is night with me; yet even then I speak of the noontide that dances upon the hills and of the purple shadow that steals its way across the valley; for thou canst not hear the songs of my darkness nor see my wings beating against the stars--and I fain would not have thee hear or see. I would be with night alone.
當你的白晝降臨，我的朋友，我則沉浸於我的黑夜；但即使在那時，我也談論著那跳躍於山巒間的陽光，也賞評著那在山谷裡偷得一席之地的絳紫峰影；因此，你聽不到我夜晚縹緲的歌聲，也看不到我的翅膀向著群星奮力拍擊——而我愜意於你們得不聞不見，我只願獨居於黑夜。

When thou ascendest to thy Heaven I descend to my Hell--even then thou callest to me across the unbridgeable gulf, 'My companion, my comrade,' and I call back to thee, 'My comrade, my companion'--for I would not have thee see my Hell. The flame would burn thy eyesight and the smoke would crowd thy nostrils. And I love my Hell too well to have thee visit it. I would be in Hell alone.
當 你升上你的天堂，我則墜入我的地獄——儘管這時你在不可逾越的深淵那邊呼喚：“我的同伴，我的朋友。”我高聲回應：“我的朋友，我的同伴！”——而我並不 想讓你見識我的地獄。那裡熾熱的火焰會灼傷你的雙眼，彌漫的濃煙將窒息你的呼吸。我深愛我的地獄，因而無意邀你同遊。我只願獨居其中。

Thou lovest Truth and Beauty and Righteousness; and I for thy sake say it is well and seemly to love these things. But in my heart I laught at thy love. Yet I would not have thee see my laughter. I would laugh alone.
你崇尚真理、美與正義。為了附和你，我說，這種熱愛是適宜而體面的。但我的內心卻嘲笑你的信仰。然而我不會讓你看見什麼。我只想一個人笑個痛快。

My friend, thou art good and cautious and wise; nay, thou art perfect--and I, too, speak with thee wisely and cautiously. And yet I am mad. But I mask my madness. I would be mad alone.
我的朋友，你善良，嚴謹而明智；不，不僅如此，你是完美無瑕的——於是我也睿智而謹慎的與你交談。在那時，我變成了瘋人。但我在我的瘋狂外罩了一層面具。我只想獨自瘋狂。

My friend, thou art not my friend, but how shall I make thee understand? My path is not thy path, yet together we walk, hand in hand.
我的朋友，你實際並不是我的朋友，但我如何能讓你明白呢？我們也非同路人，儘管你我仍舊相伴同行，手挽著手。