When I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced

The rich proud cost of outworn buried age;

When sometime lofty towers I see down-razed

And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;

When I have seen the hungry ocean gain

Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,

And the firm soil win of the watery main,

Increasing store with loss and loss with store;

When I have seen such interchange of state,

Or state itself confounded to decay;

Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate,

That Time will come and take my love away.

This thought is as a death, which cannot choose

But weep to have that which it fears to lose.

当我眼见前代的富丽和豪华

被时光的手毫不留情地磨灭；

当巍峨的塔我眼见沦为碎瓦，

连不朽的铜也不免一场浩劫；

当我眼见那欲壑难填的大海

一步一步把岸上的疆土侵蚀，

汪洋的水又渐渐被陆地覆盖，

失既变成了得，得又变成了失；

当我看见这一切扰攘和废兴，

或者连废兴一旦也化为乌有；

毁灭便教我再三这样地反省：

时光终要跑来把我的爱带走。

　　哦，多么致命的思想！它只能够

　　哭着去把那刻刻怕失去的占有。