Danish term (edited): gl�dens land

"Hans havde fundet sin nye engelske velgører, men uden at noget glædens land fulgte med. Fra den dag af blev Hans budt på en stol, hvor hynden dog var fjernet."

How about something like:

"Hans had found his new English Maecenas but had not exactly arrived in the Promised Land [or Land of Milk and Honey]. He may have been offer a chair from that day on, but it was a chair from which the pillow had been removed."

or even more loosely:

"Hans had found his new English Maecenas but neither Horace nor Vergil was there to greet him. He may have been offer a chair from that day on, but it was a chair from which the pillow had been removed."

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Note added at 2 hrs 37 mins (2006-01-05 00:03:44 GMT)
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that should, of course, have been 'offered'...

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Note added at 2 hrs 43 mins (2006-01-05 00:09:35 GMT)
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or how about...

"Hans had found his new English Maecenas but neither Horace nor Vergil was there to greet him. He may have been offered a seat at the table from that day on, but it was one set without a fork or a knife."

Thanks for a great question to lighten up the January doldrums...