现在我们来到了墓地。这儿，在一排涂了白漆的栅栏后面，曾经长着一棵玫瑰树。它现在已经没有了，不过从邻近坟上的一小棵常青树伸过来的枝子，似乎弥补了这个损失。在这儿躺着一个非常不幸的人；但是，当他活着的时候，他的生活很好，即一般人所谓的“小康”。他的收入还有一点剩余。不过他太喜欢关心这个世界——或者更正确地说，关心艺术。当他晚间坐在戏院里以全副精神欣赏戏的时候，如果布景人把月亮两边的灯光弄得太强了一点，或者把本来应该放在景后边的天空悬在景上面，或者把棕榈树放在亚马格尔的风景里，或者把仙人掌放在蒂洛尔的风景里，或者把山毛榉放在挪威的北部，他就忍受不了。这是什么大不了的事情，谁会去理它呢？谁会为这些琐事而感到不安呢？这无非是在做戏，其目的是给人娱乐。观众有时大鼓一顿掌，有时只略微鼓几下。
“Theyre like wet wood this evening，”he would say；“they wont kindle at all！”And then he would look round to see what kind of people they were；and sometimes he would find them laughing at the wrong time，when they ought not to have laughed，and that vexed him；and he fretted，and was an unhappy man，and now he is in his grave．
“这简直是湿柴火，”他说，“它今晚一点也燃不起来！”于是他就向四周望，看看这些观众究竟是什么人。他发现他们笑得不是时候：他们在不应当笑的地方却大笑了——这使得他心烦，坐立不安，成为一个不幸的人。现在他躺在坟墓里。
Here rests a very happy man．That is to say，a very grand man．He was of high birth，and that was lucky for him，for otherwise he would never have been anything worth speaking of；and nature orders all that very wisely，so that its quite charming when we think of it．He used to go about in a coat embroidered(embroider vt.刺绣，镶边，装饰，给...添油加醋vi.绣花)back and front，and appeared in the saloons of society just like one of those costly，pearlembroidered bellpulls which have always a good thick，serviceable cord behind them to do the work．He likewise had a good stout cord behind him，in the shape of a substitute(substitute n.代用品，代替者，替代品v.代替，替换，替代)，who did his duty，and who still continues to do it behind another embroidered bellpull(bellpull n.钟的拉索，钟绳，铃扣)．Everything is so nicely managed，its enough to put one into a good humour．
这儿躺着一个非常幸福的人，这也就是说——一位大人物。他出身很高贵，而这是他的幸运，否则他也就永远是一个渺小的人了。不过大自然把一切安排得很聪明，我们一想起这点就觉得很愉快。他过去常穿着前后都绣了花的衣服，在沙龙的社交场合出现，像那些镶得有珍珠的拉铃绳的把手一样——它后面老是有一根很适用的粗绳子在代替它做工作。他后边也有一根很粗的好绳子——一个替身——代替他做工作，而且现在仍然在另一个镶有珍珠的新把手后面做工作。样样事情都安排得这样聪明，使人很容易获得好心境。
Here rests—well，its a very mournful reflection—here rests a man who spent sixtyseven years considering how he should get a good idea．The object of his life was to say a good thing，and at last he felt convinced in his own mind that he had got one，and was so glad of it that he died of pure joy at having caught an idea at last．Nobody derived any benefit from it，for nobody even heard what the good thing was．Now，I can fancy that this same good thing wont let him lie quiet in his grave；for let us suppose that it is a good thing which can only be brought out at breakfast if it is to make an effect，and that he，according to the received(received adj.被一般承认的，被认为标准的)opinion concerning ghosts，can only rise and walk at midnight．Why，then the good thing does not suit the time，no one laughs，and the man must carry his good idea down with him again．That is a melancholy(melancholy adj.忧郁的n.忧郁)grave．
这儿躺着——晤，想起来很伤心！——这儿躺着一个人，他花了67年的光阴要想说出一个伟大的思想。他活着就是为了要找到一个伟大的思想。最后他相信他找到了。因此他很高兴，他终于怀着这个伟大的思想死去。谁也没有得到这个伟大思想的好处，谁也没有听到过这个伟大的思想。现在我想，这个伟大的思想使他不能在坟墓里休息：比如说吧，这个好思想只有在吃早饭的时候说出来才能有效，而他，根据一般人关于幽灵的看法，只能在半夜才能升起来和走动。那么他的伟大的思想与时间的条件不合。谁也不会发笑，他只好把他的伟大思想又带进坟墓里去。所以这是一座忧郁的坟墓。
这儿躺着一个异常吝啬的妇人。在她活着的时候，她常常夜间起来，学着猫叫，使邻人相信她养了一只猫——她是那么地吝啬！