莎士比亚十四行情诗精选（十八）

Who will believe my verse in time to come.

If it were fill'd 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.

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 touch'd earthly faces.

So should my papers,yellowed with their age,

Be scorn'd,like old men of less truth than tongue,

And your true rights be term'd a poet's rage,

And stretched metre of an antique song:

But were some child of yours alive that time,

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

翻译：
在未来的日子里谁会相信我的诗文，

如果那里充满了你应得的佳评，

虽然，天知道，这诗篇只是一座坟，

埋着难以显示你一半品质的一生。

如果我能描绘出你那双目的神韵，

用清新的诗句镌刻你俊美的仪容，

未来的人们会说我的诗虚饰失真，

造化之工永远也画不到凡夫俗生。

于是我那被岁月熏黄了的诗作，

将像一位嚼舌老人那样被人轻视，

你的真相也被人称作诗的妄说，

称它是一篇言过其实的古旧诗。

但是你若有个孩子能够活到那时，

你便双重地活在他的身上和我诗里。

推荐理由：这是莎士比亚154首十四行情诗中相当精妙的一首。它妙在诗人对艺术与现实二者关系的阐释，妙在作者心中装着未来的读者；更妙在莎士比亚把直面现实的人文主义精神，作为本诗之魂。做为莎翁的忠实读者你怎么能错过呢？