At the Garrick Club in London, the librettist, William Gilbert,① was once making light of Shakespeare, to the horror of those surrounding him. "All right then," said Gilbert in answer to their protests. "Let us take this passage for example: 'I would as lief be thrust through a quickset hedge, / As cry plosh to a callow throstle.' "
"Why, that's perfectly clear," insisted one of his hearers, rising to the defence of the Bard.② " It just means that this bird lover would rather get himself all scratched up in the thorny bush than disturb the bird's song. What play is the passage from?"
"No play," said Gilbert, "I made it up - and jolly good Shakespeare too."
歌劇作家威廉.吉柏特①有一次上加立克俱樂部，輕詆莎士比亞，語驚四座。吉柏特見他人不贊同其言，就說：「好吧，謹試引一段為例：『我寧擠荊棘樹籬，不願向黃口畫眉鳥高喊：喝！』」
一人為詩豪莎士比亞辯護，力言：「這並不難明白，意思是那愛鳥之人，寧願身犯荊棘叢，遍體刺傷，都不願驚擾鳥兒歌唱。這段話引自那齣戲劇？」
吉柏特說：「那不是引自任何一齣莎劇，而是我杜撰的，也是很不錯的莎士比亞式文字。」
①吉柏特是著名英國喜劇作家，卒於一九一一年。
②Bard是「詩人」，莎士比亞有the Bard（of Avon）之譽，Stratford-on-Avon是其出生地。