Let the bird of loudest lay,

On the sole Arabian tree,

Herald sad and trumpet be,

To whose sound chaste wings obey.

让那歌喉最响亮的鸟雀，

飞上独立的凤树的枝头，

宣布讣告，把哀乐演奏，

一切飞禽都和着拍子跳跃。

But thou, shrieking harbinger,

Foul pre-currer of the fiend,

Augur of the fever's end,

To this troop come thou not near.

可是你叫声刺耳的狂徒，

你魔鬼的邪恶的信使，

死神的忠实的信士，

千万别走近我们的队伍。

From this session interdict

Every fowl of tyrant wing,

Save the eagle, feather'd king:

Keep the obsequy so strict.

任何专横跋扈的暴徒，

都不容走近我们的会场，

只除了鹰，那羽族之王：

葬礼的尊严不容玩忽。

Let the priest in surplice white,

That defunctive music can,

Be the death-defying swan,

Lest the requiem lack his right.

让那身穿着白色袈裟，

懂得死亡之曲的牧师，

唱出死神来临的挽诗，

并由他领着作弥撒。

And thou, treble-dated crow,

That thy sable gender mak'st

With the breath thou giv'st and tak'st,

'Mongst our mourners shalt thou go.

还有你寿长过人的乌鸦，

也必须参加哭丧的队伍，

你生来穿着黑色的丧服，

开口就像哭不用作假。

Here the anthem doth commence:

Love and constancy is dead;

Phoenix and the turtle fled

In a mutual flame from hence.

接着他们唱出送丧的哀辞，

爱情和忠贞已经死亡；

凤和鸠化作一团火光

一同飞升，离开了尘世。

So they lov'd, as love in twain

Had the essence but in one;

Two distincts, division none:

Number there in love was slain.

它们是那样彼此相爱，

仿佛两者已合为一体；

分明是二，却又浑然为一：

是一是二，谁也难猜。

Hearts remote, yet not asunder;

Distance, and no space was seen

'Twixt the turtle and his queen;

But in them it were a wonder.

两颗心分开，却又在一起；

斑鸠虽和它的皇后分开，

它们之间却并无距离存在：

这情景只能说是奇迹。

So between them love did shine,

That the turtle saw his right

Flaming in the phoenix' sight:

Either was the other's mine.

爱情在它俩之间如电光闪灼，

斑鸠借着凤凰的眼睛，

就能清楚地看见自身：

彼此都认为对方是我。

Property was thus appall'd,

That the self was not the same;

Single nature's double name

Neither two nor one was call'd.

物性仿佛已失去规矩，

本身竟可以并非本身，

形体相合又各自有名，

两者既分为二又合为一。

Reason, in itself confounded,

Saw division grow together;

To themselves yet either-neither,

Simple were so well compounded

理智本身也无能为力，

它明明看到合一的分离，

二者全不知谁是自己，

这单一体原又是复合体。

That it cried how true a twain

Seemeth this concordant one!

Love hath reason, reason none

If what parts can so remain.

它不禁叫道，“多奇怪，

这到底是二还是一！

这情景如果长存下去，

理智将变作爱情的奴才。”

Whereupon it made this threne

To the phoenix and the dove,

Co-supreme and stars of love;

As chorus to their tragic scene.

因此它唱出一首哀歌，

敬献给凤凰和斑鸠，

这爱情的明星和旗手，

吊唁它们的悲惨结果。

THRENOS.

哀歌

Beauty, truth, and rarity.

Grace in all simplicity,

Here enclos'd in cinders lie.

美、真、至上的感情，

如此可贵，如此真纯，

现在竟一同化作灰烬。

Death is now the phoenix' nest;

And the turtle's loyal breast

To eternity doth rest,

凤巢现在已不复存在；

那斑鸠的忠贞情怀，

此一去，永远难再。

Leaving no posterity:--

'Twas not their infirmity,

It was married chastity.

也未留下后代儿孙——

这并非因它们身体有病，

而是因为婚后仍童身。

Truth may seem, but cannot be:

Beauty brag, but 'tis not she;

Truth and beauty buried be.

从今后，再说真，是谎，

再有美，不过是假相，

真和美已被埋葬。

To this urn let those repair

That are either true or fair;

For these dead birds sigh a prayer.

不真不美的也别牢骚，

这骨灰瓶可以任你瞧，

这两只死鸟正为你默祷。