莎士比亚十四行诗之十七朗诵练习第二天

莎士比亚十四行诗之十七朗诵练习第二天

17

Who will believe my verse in time to come

If it were filled with your most high deserts?

Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb

Which hides your life and shows not half your parts. 4

If I could write the beauty of your eyes,

And in fresh numbers number all your graces,

The age to come would say 'This poet lies,

Such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.' 8

So should my papers, yellowed with their age,

Be scorned, like old men of less truth than tongue,

And your true rights be termed a poet's rage

And stretched meter of an antique song: 12

 But were some child of yours alive that time,

 You should live twice, in it and in my rhyme.


17

将来，谁会相信我诗中的话来着，

假如其中写满了你至高的美德？

可是，天知道，我的诗是坟呵，它埋着

你的一生，显不出你一半的本色。

如果我能够写出你明眸的流光，

用清新的诗章勾出你全部的仪容，

将来的人们就要说，这诗人在扯谎，

上天的笔触触不到凡人的面孔。

于是，我那些古旧得发黄的稿纸，

会被人看轻，被当做嚼舌的老人；

你应得的赞扬被称做诗人的狂思，

称做一篇过甚其辞的古韵文：

  但如果你有个孩子能活到那时期，

  你就双重地活在——他身上，我诗里。

【译解】诗虽永久，但不足以表达他那好比是“上天的笔触”所点化的美。所以万全之策是：他结婚生孩子，诗人写诗，两件事同来。诗人如实地描摹爱友的美，将来的读者竟会不相信诗人的话，认为诗人在撒谎。这从另一个角度说明爱友的美是非凡的、无与伦比的。