To Helen

Helen thy beauty is to me 

Like those Nicean barks of yore, 

That gently o'er a perfumed sea, 

The weary wayworn wanderer bore 

To his own native shore. 

 

On desperate seas long wont to roam, 

Thy hyacinth hair thy classic face, 

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home 

To the glory that was Greece, 

And the grandeur that was Rome. 

 

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche 

How statue-like I see thee stand, 

The agate lamp within thy hand! 

Ah Psyche from the regions which 

Are Holy Land!

 

海伦！你的美貌于我

就像昔日尼西亚的轻帆小船，

温柔地，飘荡在芬芳的海面上。

带着那倦旅劳累的流浪者

向他故乡的海岸转航。

            

早已习惯在绝望之海上长久徘徊游荡，

你紫蓝色的长发，你典雅的脸庞，

还有你水中仙女般的风姿，引我返航，

去向希腊的荣光，

去向罗马的辉煌！

              

看！在彼处精美绚烂的窗龛里，

你玉立一如雕像，

玛瑙灯在你手中光芒明亮。

啊！灵魂化身的美女，

你所来之处，就是圣地！