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Charles Lamb（1775-1834），British essayist and critic，was best known for his Essays of Elia （1823-1833）and for Tales from Shakespeare ，which he produced with his sister Mary．
Lamb was born in London on February 10，1775．He studied at Christ’s Hospital，a charity school，and became a friend of Samuel Taylor Coleridge，one of the Lake Poets．He left school at the age of 14 and worked as a clerk at East India House，the headquarters of the East India Company，for 33 years until his retirement in 1825．
Things had been going on well until 1796 when his sister Mary killed their mother with a table knife in a fit of madness．Although he had an elder brother，Charles took on himself the burden of looking after Mary and their elderly father．Mary’s malady was recurrent and she had to be taken to mental hospitals when she was attacked．They lived in poverty and had to move from one lodging to another until they took a cottage in the countryside in 1823．
Charles was frail and shy．He loved books and friends more than anything else．He spent his time with books and friends after his office work．He had always wanted to be a poet，and his first appearances in print were actually as a poet．He also tried his hand at romance and drama，but failed．
Tales from Shakespeare ，in collaboration with his sister Mary，was his first literary success．This is a retelling of Shakespeare’s plays for children．Charles reproduced the tragedies and Mary the comedies．This reproduction was so successful that both young and old liked the stories very much．
Lamb’s greatest contribution to the English literature were his essays，which he wrote under the pseudonym Elia．His first Elia essays were published in 1823，and The Last Essays of Elia appeared in 1833．
Lamb died in 1834 after a fall and wound in the face．
A pretty severe fit of indisposition 2 which，under the name of a nervous fever，has made a prisoner of me for some weeks past，and is but slowly leaving me，has reduced me to an incapacity of reflecting upon any topic foreign to itself 3 ．Expect no healthy conclusions from me this month，reader；I can offer you only sick men’s dreams．
And truly the whole state of sickness is such；for what else is it but a magnificent dream for a man to lie a⁃bed 4 ，and draw daylight curtains about him；and，shutting out the sun，to induce a total oblivion of all the works which are going on under it？To become insensible to all the operations of life 5 ，except the beatings of one feeble pulse？
If there be 6 a regal solitude，it is a sick bed．How the patient lords 7 it there；what caprices he acts without control！how kinglike he sways his pillow—tumbling，and tossing，and shifting，and lowering，and thumping，and flatting，and moulding it，to the ever varying requisitions 8 of his throbbing temples．
He changes sides oftener than a politician．Now he lies full length，then half length，obliquely，transversely，head and feet quite across the bed；and none accuses him of tergiversation 9 ．Within the four curtains he is absolute．They are his Mare Clausum 10 ．
How sickness enlarges the dimensions of a man’s self to himself！he is his own exclusive object 11 ．Supreme selfishness is inculcated 12 upon him as his only duty．’Tis the Two Tables of the Law 13 to him．He has nothing to think of but how to get well．What passes out of doors，or within them，so 14 he hear not the jarring of them 15 ，affects him not．
A little while ago he was greatly concerned in the event of a law⁃suit，which was to be the making or the marring 16 of his dearest friend．He was to be seen trudging about upon this man’s errand 17 to fifty quarters of the town at once，jogging 18 this witness，refreshing that solicitor．The cause 19 was to come on yesterday．He is absolutely as indifferent to the decision，as if it were a question to be tried at Pekin．Peradventure 20 from some whispering，going on about the house，not intended for his hearing，he picks up enough to make him understand，that things went cross⁃grained 21 in the Court yesterday，and his friend is ruined．But the word “friend”，and the word “ruin”，disturb him no more than so much jargon 22 ．He is not to think of anything but how to get better．
What a world of foreign cares are merged in that absorbing consideration！
He has put on the strong armour of sickness，he is wrapped in the callous hide of suffering；he keeps his sympathy，like some curious vintage 23 ，under trusty lock and key，for his own use only．
He lies pitying himself，honing 24 and moaning to himself；he yearneth 25 over himself；his bowels are even melted within him，to think what he suffers；he is not ashamed to weep over himself．
He is for ever plotting how to do some good to himself；studying little stratagems 26 and artificial alleviations 27 ．
He makes the most of himself；dividing himself，by an allowable fiction 28 ，into as many distinct individuals，as he hath sore and sorrowing members 29 ．Sometimes he meditates—as of a thing apart from him—upon his poor aching head，and that dull pain which，dozing or waking，lay in it all the past night like a log，or palpable substance of pain，not to be removed without opening the very skull，as it seemed，to take it thence．Or he pities his long，clammy 30 ，attenuated fingers 31 ．He compassionates himself all over；and his bed is a very discipline of humanity，and tender heart 32 ．
He is his own sympathizer；and instinctively feels that none can so well perform that office 33 for him．He cares for few spectators to his tragedy．Only that punctual face of the old nurse pleases him，that announces his broths，and his cordials 34 ．He likes it 35 because it is so unmoved，and because he can pour forth his feverish ejaculations before it as unreservedly as to his bedpost．
To the world’s business he is dead．He understands not what the callings 36 and occupations of mortals are；only he has a glimmering conceit 37 of some such thing，when the doctor makes his daily call；and even in the lines on that busy face he reads no multiplicity of patients 38 ，but solely conceives of himself as the sick man．To what other uneasy couch 39 the good man is hastening，when he slips out of his chamber，folding up his thin douceur 40 so carefully for fear of rustling—is no speculation which he can at present entertain．He thinks only of the regular return of the same phenomenon at the same hour tomorrow．
Household rumours touch him not．Some faint murmur，indicative of life going on within the house，soothes him，while he knows not distinctly what it is．He is not to know anything，not to think of anything．Servants gliding up or down the distant staircase，treading as upon velvet，gently keep his ear awake，so long as he troubles not himself further than with some feeble guess at their errands．Exacter knowledge would be a burthen 41 to him：he can just endure the pressure of conjecture．He opens his eye faintly at the dull stroke of the muffled knocker，and closes it again without asking “who was it？”He is flattered by a general notion that inquiries are making after him，but he cares not to know the name of the inquirer．In the general stillness，and awful hush of the house，he lies in state 42 ，and feels his sovereignty．
To be sick is to enjoy monarchal prerogatives 43 ．Compare the silent tread，and quiet ministry 44 ，almost by the eye only，with which he is served—with the careless demeanour 45 ，the unceremonious goings in and out（slapping of doors，or leaving them open）of the very same attendants，when he is getting a little better—and you will confess，that from the bed of sickness（throne let me rather call it）to the elbow chair of convalescence，is a fall from dignity，amounting to a deposition 46 ．
How convalescence shrinks a man back to his pristine stature 47 ！Where is now the space，which he occupied so lately，in his own，in the family’s eye？
The scene of his regalities 48 ，his sick room，which was his presence chamber 49 ，where he lay and acted his despotic fancies—how is it reduced to a common bed⁃room！The trimness of the very bed has something petty and unmeaning 50 about it．It is made every day．How unlike to that wavy，many⁃furrowed，oceanic surface，which it presented so short a time since，when to make it was a service not to be thought of at oftener than three or four day revolutions，when the patient was with pain and grief to be lifted for a little while out of it，to submit to the encroachments of unwelcome neatness，and decencies which his shaken frame deprecated；then to be lifted into it again，for another three or four days’respite，to flounder it out of shape again，while every fresh furrow was a historical record of some shifting posture，some uneasy turning，some seeking for a little ease；and the shrunken skin scarce told a truer story than the crumpled coverlid．
Hushed are those mysterious sighs—those groans—so much more awful，while we knew not from what caverns of vast hidden suffering they proceeded．The Lernean pangs 51 are quenched．The riddle of sickness is solved；and Philoctetes 52 is become an ordinary personage．
Perhaps some relic of the sick man’s dream of greatness survives in the still lingering visitations of the medical attendant．But how is he too changed with everything else！Can this be he—this man of news—of chat—of anecdote—of everything but physic—can this be he，who so lately came between the patient and his cruel enemy，as on some solemn embassy from Nature 53 ，erecting herself into a high mediating party？—Pshaw！ 54 ’Tis some old woman．
Farewell with him all that made sickness pompous—the spell that hushed the household—the desert⁃like stillness，felt throughout its inmost chambers—the mute attendance—the inquiry by looks—the still softer delicacies of self⁃attention—the sole and single eye of distemper 55 alonely fixed upon itself—world⁃thoughts excluded—the man a world unto 56 himself—his own theatre：
In this flat swamp of convalescence，left by the ebb of sickness，yet far enough from the terra firma 57 of established health，your note，dear Editor，reached me，requesting—an article．In Articulo Mortis 58 ，thought I；but it is something hard—and the quibble，wretched as it was，relieved me．The summons，unseasonable as it appeared，seemed to link me on again to the petty businesses of life，which I had lost sight of；a gentle call to activity，however trivial；a wholesome weaning 59 from that preposterous dream of self⁃absorption—the puffy 60 state of sickness—in which I confess to have lain so long，insensible to the magazines and monarchies of the world alike；to its laws，and to its literature．The hypochondriac 61 flatus 62 is subsiding；the acres，which in imagination I had spread over—for the sick man swells in the sole contemplation of his single sufferings，till he becomes a Tityus 63 to himself—are wasting to a span；and for the giant of self⁃importance，which I was so lately，you have me once again in my natural pretensions 64 —the lean and meagre figure of your insignificant Essayist．
1．convalescent：a person who is recovering health
2．indisposition：（ formal ）a slight illness that makes you unable to do sth．
3．any topic foreign to itself：any topic unrelated or irrelevant to itself
4．a⁃bed：in bed
5．all the operations of life：what is going on
6．If there be：if there should be
7．lord：rule
8．requisition：demand，needs
9．tergiversation：desertion of a cause，position，party，or faith
10．Mare Clausum：a sea coming under the jurisdiction of one nation and closed to all others
11．He is his own exclusive object：He has nothing or nobody but himself in his mind．He thinks nothing but how to get better．
12．inculcate：（ formal ）to cause sb．to learn and remember ideas，moral principles，etc．，especially by repeating them often
13．the Two Tables of the Law：an allusion from The Old Testament ．In Exodus，Moses came from Mount Sinai，holding two tables of stone on which were carved the Ten Commandments，rules given by God to the children of Israel to live by．
14．so：provided that
15．the jarring of them：the unpleasant sound from the door
16．the making or the marring：win or loss，success or failure
17．upon this man’s errand：running errands for this man
18．jog：to arouse alertness
19．cause：a case that goes to court
20．peradventure：perhaps，by chance
21．cross⁃grained：difficult to deal with
22．But the word “friend”，and the word “ruin”，disturb him no more than so much jargon：The words “friend”and “ruin”do not mean anything to him anymore．They do not affect him because they have only their dictionary meanings to him．
23．curious vintage：rare good quality wine
24．honing：complaining
25．yearn：（ archaic ）be filled with compassion or warm feeling
26．stratagem：a plan that is intended to achieve a particular effect，often by deceiving people
27．artificial alleviations：painkillers
28．by an allowable fiction：as much as he can imagine
29．members：（ archaic and literary ）a part of the body，especially an arm or a leg
30．clammy：damp in an unpleasant way
31．attenuated fingers：long and thin fingers
32．his bed is a very discipline of humanity，and tender heart：His sickbed serves to cultivate his temperament and improve his character．
33．office：a duty attached to one’s position；a task or function
34．cordial：an invigorating or medicinal drink；a tonic
35．it refers to old nurse’s face
36．calling：a profession or career which someone is strongly attracted to，especially one which involves helping other people
37．conceit：fantasy
38．even in the lines on that busy face he reads no multiplicity of patients：The face of the doctor shows no emotions whatever．
39．uneasy couch：sickbed
40．douceur：tips
41．burthen：burden
42．state：the formal ceremonies connected with high levels of government or with kings and queens．Lamb may probably make fun of himself here because when we say “someone lies in state”，we mean that he has just died and his body is put in a public place for people to go and show their respect．
43．prerogative：（ formal ）a right or advantage belonging to a particular person or group because of their importance or social position
44．ministry：（ rare ）the action of looking after someone
45．demeanour：（ formal ）the way that sb．looks or behaves
46．amounting to a deposition：almost equal to being removed from power
47．How convalescence shrinks a man back to his pristine stature：When a man is fully recovered，he is back to what he was，no longer enjoying the privileges（the silent tread and quiet ministry）he had when he was ill．
48．The scene of his regalities：his territory
49．presence chamber：the room in which a great person，such as a monarch，receives guests，assemblies，etc．
50．unmeaning：having no meaning
51．The Lernean pang：the great pain caused by the Lernean arrow．In Greek mythology，Lernean Hydra was a gigantic water⁃snake⁃like monster with nine heads，one of which was immortal．As soon as one head was cut off，two more heads would emerge from the wound．This immortal head was finally cut off by Hercules．The blood of Hydra was extremely poisonous．Hercules dipped his arrow in the blood and this arrow became invincible．
52．Philoctetes：the son of King Poeas in Greek mythology，a Greek hero who participated in the Trojan War．He was the one who killed Paris，and then chosen as one of the soldiers to go into the Trojan horse and participated in the sack of Troy．
53．as on some solemn embassy from Nature：as if he was dispatched solemnly by Nature
54．Pshaw：an exclamation of disgust，impatience，disbelief，etc．
55．distemper：ill humor；testiness
56．unto：to
57．terra firma：（ Latin ）safe dry land，as contrasted with water or air
58．Articulo Mortis：at the point of death，upon death
59．weaning：stopping doing sth；estranging from a habit，indulgence，desire etc．
60．puffy：turgid，bombastic
61．hypochondriac：pertaining to or suffering from hypochondria，an excessive preoccupation with and worry about one’s health
62．flatus：gas in the stomach or intestines
63．Tityus：a giant in Greek mythology
64．you have me once again in my natural pretensions：you have wakened me and brought me back to what I am．
Man is mortal，and illness in whatever form is our life⁃long companion．When we are sick and in hospital ward，we often feel sad and long for being discharged．Lamb was frail as we know from the introduction to his life and works．He often visited hospitals and was sometimes hospitalized．He suffered from a nervous fever in 1825 soon after his retirement on March 29．In the ward，however，he felt quite different from what most people feel，which is vividly reflected in his “Convalescent”．
Instead of pitying himself by describing the sufferings of a patient，Lamb felt that the ward was his kingdom and his sickbed was his throne．He was like a sovereign king，enjoying“monarchal prerogatives”．He was oblivious of what befell his friend and “insensible to all the operations of life”．He cared nothing but how to get well，as he was inculcated．When he was recovering and was going to leave the hospital，he felt lost as a king was overthrown and dispositioned．
Reading “Convalescent”，we can feel Lamb’s optimism and humour．We do not feel depressed in the slightest way．We sometimes even can’t help laughing．This is probably due to the author’s sense of playfulness and fancifulness．
The essay is well⁃organized，with the first paragraph explaining why he wrote the essay，the depiction of the psychological state of a convalescent from paragraph 2 to paragraph 21，and the last paragraph echoing with the first paragraph，tying up the whole essay．
Lamb used a lot of metaphors in the essay．For example，he compared a patient to a king，his staying in the ward to “strong armour of sickness”，his suffering to “the callous hide”，the callous face of the old nurse to bed⁃post，the staircase to velvet，his untidy bed to “wavy，many⁃furrowed，oceanic surface”，and his discharge from the hospital to the disposition of a king．
He also used words of Latin origin（for example，tergiversation，terra firma，Aticulo Mortis）and allusions（for example，Lernean Hydra，Philoctetes and Tityus）to describe petty things such as tidying the bed and nurse’s coming in and going out of the ward，thus produced a humourous effect．
We might have noticed that Lamb used a lot of dashes，about 30 in all in the essay．These dashes serve to explain，to summarize，to contrast，etc．，enhancing the humourous effects．
Last but not least，Lamb used the first⁃person point of view in the first and last paragraphs，but the third⁃person point of view in the in⁃between paragraphs．This way of narration produces the world of reality and the world of dreams．
1．What is Lamb’s tone in the essay？
2．Have you had the same experience Lamb had in the hospital ward？
3．Why does the patient（Lamb）feel unhappy when he is recovering？
4．This essay is permeated with homour．Could you find some examples and explain why they are humourous？
5．Both the first⁃person and the third⁃person point of view are used in the essay．What effect do you think this has achieved？
1．Charles Lamb， Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading ．
2．Charles Lamb， Old China ．