莎士比亚十四行诗全集:第12篇

 　　When I do count the clock that tells the time,

　　当我细数报时的钟声敲响，

　　And see the brave day sunk in hideous¹ night;

　　眼看可怖夜色吞噬白昼光芒；

　　When I behold² the violet past prime,

　　当我看到紫罗兰香消玉殒，

　　And sable³ curls all silvered o'er with white;

　　黝黑的鬈发渐渐披上银霜；

　　When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,

　　当我看见木叶脱尽的高树，

　　Which erst from heat did canopy⁴ the herd⁵,

　　曾帐篷般为牧芋人带来阴凉，

　　And summer's green, all girded up in sheaves,

　　一度青翠的夏苗现在被捆打成束，

　　Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard;

　　载上灵车，连同白色坚脆的麦芒，

　　Then of thy beauty do I question make,

　　于是我不禁为你的美色担忧，

　　That thou among the wastes of time must go,

　　你也会迟早没入时间的荒凉，

　　Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake⁶,

　　既然甘美的事物总是会自暴自弃，

　　And die as fast as they see others grow,

　　眼看后来者居上自已却快速地消亡，

　　And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe⁷ can make defense⁸,

　　所以没有什么能挡住时间的镰刀，

　　Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

　　除非你谢世之后留下了儿郎。

1 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

2 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

3 sable   

n.黑貂；adj.黑色的

参考例句：

• Artists' brushes are sometimes made of sable.画家的画笔有的是用貂毛制的。
• Down the sable flood they glided.他们在黑黝黝的洪水中随波逐流。

4 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

5 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

6 forsake   

vt.遗弃，抛弃；舍弃，放弃

参考例句：

• She pleaded with her husband not to forsake her.她恳求丈夫不要抛弃她。
• You must forsake your bad habits.你必须革除你的坏习惯。

7 scythe   

n. 长柄的大镰刀，战车镰； v. 以大镰刀割

参考例句：

• He's cutting grass with a scythe.他正在用一把大镰刀割草。
• Two men were attempting to scythe the long grass.两个人正试图割掉疯长的草。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。