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Sonnet #101
O truant Muse, what shall be thy amends
For thy neglect of truth in beauty dyed?
Both truth and beauty on my love depends;
So dost thou too, and therein dignified.
Make answer, Muse: wilt thou not haply say
'Truth needs no colour, with his colour fix'd;
Beauty no pencil, beauty's truth to lay;
But best is best, if never intermix'd?'
Because he needs no praise, wilt thou be dumb?
Excuse not silence so; for't lies in thee
To make him much outlive a gilded tomb,
And to be praised of ages yet to be.
Then do thy office, Muse; I teach thee how
To make him seem long hence as he shows now.
1、truant:neglectful of duty.玩急职守的。muse:参见38.1注.what shall be thy amends:what amends will you make,how will you amend(thy 及以下的thou,thee均指muse).
2、truth in beauty dyed:truth steeped in beauty；浸染于美中的真理，指 the moral excellence of the beloved,which is imbued with his phsical beauty.
3、这与柏拉图的观点正相反，但莎士比亚的本意可能是：我的爱乃是真与美的标准。love:beloved. depends，作主语的两个抽象名词被视为复合单数，故动词仍用单数。
4、So dost thou too:And you(i.e. muse) too depend on my love.therein dignified:from which(i.e. my love) you derive your worth.
5、haply:perhaps.
6-8、系莎士比亚假设 muse 的回答，有的版本前后加了引号。
6、Truth:(1)Moral excellence；(2)Truthfulness；(3)Reality.colour:colouring；彩饰（指勾绘、化妆、文字虚饰等）。his:指 of the beloved;以下he,him亦指 the beloved.fixed:ingrained,unchangeable.
7\Beauty 后省略 needs.pencil:painter's brush (不象现在作"铅笔"解)。truth:reality.lay:put(beauty's truth) on canvas.
8、best...best:pure beauty and truth...pure truth and beauty. if never intermixed:without any mixture(i.e. without the inadequate qords of the muse).
9、此系诗人的反词。
10、for't lies in thee:for it depends on you,or is within your capability.
11、gilded:含artificial elaboration 之意。tomb，同第9行 dumb 押韵，参见83.12。此行可意译为：To make his fame last long after his death.
12、of:by.be:come.
13、Then:Therefore. do thy office:perform your duty.
日期: 2007年4月23 周一