When Thou Must Home
When you must home to shades of underground,
And there arrived, a new admired guest,
The beauteous spirits do engirt thee round,
White Iope, blithe Helen and the rest,
To hear the stories of thy finished love
From that smooth tongue, music hell can move:
Then wilt thou speak of banqueting delights,
Of masques and revels which sweet youth did make,
Of tourneys and great challenges of knights,
And all these triumphs for thy beauty’s sake.
When thou hast told these honors done to thee,
Then tell, O! tell, how thou didst murder me.
你已到了垂暮的年龄
你已到了垂暮的年龄,
却把一位新欢钟情;
白衣的约普, 快乐的海伦,
你身边围着许多美丽的精灵;
听你编造精美的爱情故事,
你巧舌如簧, 妙语感动鬼神:
你说起青年的化装舞会和狂欢,
你还要高谈宴会的喜庆;
还有骑士们的挑战和比武,
这所有盛会都是为了你的美人。
当你说这一切以你的名义安排,
天啊, 你就这样谋害了我的性命!
托玛斯•坎皮恩(Thomas Campion 1567—1622)英国诗人到了暮年,可老伴喜新厌旧,爱上了一位美人,并大张旗鼓地为她举行庆典,老妻当然痛不欲生了。