《好了歌》原文及笔者简评如下：

世人都晓神仙好，惟有功名忘不了！

古今将相在何方？荒冢一堆草没了。

世人都晓神仙好，只有金银忘不了！

终朝只恨聚无多，及到多时眼闭了。

世人都晓神仙好，只有娇妻忘不了！

君生日日说恩情，君死又随人去了。

世人都晓神仙好，只有儿孙忘不了！

痴心父母古来多，孝顺儿孙谁见了。

《好了歌》最早的英译文，是H.B.乔利英译本第一卷（1892年）中的译文：

        All men spiritual life know to be good,

        But fame to disregard they ne’er succeed!

        From old till now the statesmen where are they?

        Waste lie their graves, a heap of grass, extinct.

        All men spiritual life know to be good,

        But to forget gold, silver, ill succeed!

        Through life they grudge their hoardings to be scant,

        And when plenty has come, their eyelids close.

        All men spiritual life know to be good,

        Yet to forget wives, maids, they ne’er succeed!

        Who speak of grateful love while lives their lord,

        And dead their lord, another they pursue.

        All men spiritual life know to be good,

        But sons and grandsons to forget never succeed!

        From old till now of parents soft many,

        But filial sons and grandsons who have seen?

简评：译文语言平实，诗意平平也。乔利译本出版36年后，在1928年英文版《中国杂志》的第八卷上，发表了E.赫德森的译文：

       To train for a saint we know is best,

       But love of fame distracts our minds.

       Where are honoured sages now?

       Grass grows on their place of rest.

       To train for a saint we know is best,

       But love of wealth distracts our minds.

       Our eyes on gleaming treasures dote

       Till they close in death. Ah bootless zest!

To train for a saint we know is best,

       But love of wife distracts our minds.

       Eternal love to us she vows,

       When we’re dead, then others fill her breast.

       To train for a saint we know is best,

But love of son distracts our minds.

       Oh, foolish doting! Poor return!

       Whoe’er with filial son was blest?

简评：原诗中的“忘不了”被译成distracts our minds堪称佳译也。