莎士比亚十四行情诗精选（十三）

　　When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

And sable curls are silver'd o'er with white;

When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,

Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,

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

Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard;

Then thou among the wastes of time must go,

Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake,

And die as fast as they see other grow,

And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence,

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

翻译：
　　当我数着钟表指出的时刻，

看到晴朗的白昼没入可憎的夜；

当我注视着紫罗兰失去了丽色，

青春鬈发都变作银丝白雪。

当我看到参天大树叶尽脱，

不久前它还曾荫庇过牛羊群伙，

夏季碧绿的禾苗都打捆成摞，

戴着坚挺的白须被装上运粮车

于是我思虑到你的俊美资质，

最终也得走进时间的荒漠。

因为芳香和艳丽总把自己浪掷，

眼看着别人发育，自己却要凋落。

谁人能把时间的镰刀提防，

除非生儿育女在你死后与它争抗。

推荐理由：岁月无情，有所少前贤时哲为之叹惋。在这里，诗人更把时间称作，难以抵抗的催人死亡的“时间镰刀”（Time's scythe），让我们一起来欣赏这首十四行情诗，感悟莎翁直面人生的态度吧。