THORNS & ROSES

SHAKESPEARE - SONNET 146

莎士比亞 - 《〸四行詩》第一四六首

譯者：Sophia L.

Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth,

我可悲的魂魄，萬惡之軀的樞紐

These rebel powers that thee array;

自行部署的反叛勢力將你網羅

Why dost thou pine within and suffer dearth,

你的內在忍受著飢渴與嬴弱

Painting thy outward walls so costly gay?

又何須為外在繪上高貴華麗的衣著？

Why so large cost, having so short a lease,

短暫的租約、斑駁的巢廄

Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend?

為何你情願在這之上如此揮霍？

Shall worms, inheritors of this excess,

難道蛆蟲將繼承這餘物之多？

Eat up thy charge? is this thy body's end?

當它啃噬完生命，你的人生便走到盡頭？

Then soul, live thou upon thy servant's loss,

如此，靈魂超脫，不再被僕人左右

And let that pine to aggravate thy store;

使它軟弱加劇並沉入你的記憶之中

Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross;

購買了神性之期，在販賣了虛浮的光陰以後

Within be fed, without be rich no more:

內在得到了滋養，富足無窮

So shalt thou feed on Death, that feeds on men,

死亡以人為食，你卻因它而壯碩

And Death once dead, there's no more dying then.

若死亡也死透，世上就永無森羅。