Joan is as good as my lady in the dark.

When candles are out all cats are grey.

黑暗中的瓊，就和我夫人一樣美。

蠟燭一滅，所有貓都是灰色的。

"Blemishes are unseen by night," says an ancient Latin proverb;?

“黑夜令瑕疵消失不見，” 一句古老的拉丁諺語是這樣講的。

And the Greeks held that "When the lamp is removed all women are alike."

而希臘人認為 “燈一滅，所有女人都一樣美?！?/p>

Opinions may differ on that point, but all agree that "The night?shows stars and women in a better light."

可能對此大家不見得會意見一致，但都會同意 “夜晚把星辰和女人都襯托得更美了?！?/p>

Hence the Italian warning to choose "Neither jewel, nor woman, nor linen by candlelight;"

所以意大利人告誡說，“不要在燭光下挑選珠寶、亞麻，或選擇女伴?！?/p>

And the French hyperbole, "By candlelight a goat looks a lady."

而法國人更夸張，“在燭光下，山羊看著像一位淑女?！?/p>

摘自公版書《Proverbs of All Nations Compared, Explained, and Illustrated》

Author: Walter Keating Kelly