As virtuous men pass mildly away,
正如德行高尚之人平静地离世,
And whisper to their souls to go,
轻声向自己的灵魂道别,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say
而悲恸的友人有的说着:他此刻断气,
“The breath goes now,” and some say, “No:”
也有人却摇头否认:尚未离去;
So let us melt, and make no noise,
我们就如冰雪融化般静静道别,
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move,
莫要以泪如洪流、叹息似风暴来惊扰,
’Twere profanation of our joys
那会亵渎我们此刻的喜悦,
To tell the laity our love.
将这私密的爱宣之于庸常众耳目。
Moving of th’ earth brings harms and fears,
大地的震动能引起灾难与恐慌,
Men reckon what it did and meant;
人们因而推测、惊疑,那动荡象征何物;
But trepidation of the spheres,
可在天体层面的震荡,
Though greater far, is innocent.
虽更宏大,却不伤人分毫。
Dull sublunary lovers’ love
凡尘的爱恋往往呆滞粗浅,
(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
那以感官为灵魂的眷恋,
Absence, because it doth remove
无可忍受离别,因为这会夺去,
Those things which elemented it.
构成此爱最根本的外在凭藉。
But we by a love so much refined,
然而我们的爱已臻至精妙纯粹,
That ourselves know not what it is,
以至于连我们自己也难以言明,
Inter-assurèd of the mind,
却在精神层面彼此坚信不疑,
Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss.
不再执着于眼、唇、手之别离。
Our two souls therefore, which are one,
我们的双魂原本一体,
Though I must go, endure not yet
即便我离去,这也不是裂缝,
A breach, but an expansion,
而是一种延伸,
Like gold to airy thinness beat.
宛如黄金被锤打成薄如空气的柔软片层。
If they be two, they are two so
即便我们真是两端,亦似一对罗盘,
As stiff twin compasses are two;
虽形为双足,却同心而动;
Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
你那固定的一足,似乎原地不动,
To move, but doth, if the other do.
却会随另一足的迈离而灵巧地旋转。
And though it in the center sit,
纵然它安然地坐拥圆心,
Yet when the other far doth roam,
当另一足走向远方,
It leans and hearkens after it,
它便倾身相随,专注倾听,
And grows erect, as that comes home.
并在那足回归时复又直立如初。
Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
你于我亦是如此,因我不得不,
Like th’ other foot, obliquely run;
如那另一足般,在外斜行跋涉;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
你对圆心的稳固坚守,使我的圆周得以完整,
And makes me end where I begun.
让我最终回到起点——与你再度合一。