前一页
Sonnet #12
When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
1、count:count the strokes of.tells:indicates by striking.
2、brave:bright,splendid.
3、violet:读三个音节。past prime:past its prime.
4、sable:black.all silvered o'er:Q 作“or silver'd ore”，此处照Malone(1780)的校订。
5、barren:devoid，脱尽。
6、erst:erstwhile,formerly.canopy:shelter.
7、green:green corn.girded:tied.
8、bier:有两解：(1)handbarrow for carrying harvested corn，运庄稼的小推车；(2)movable frame for carrying a dead body to the grave，简易柩车。beard 喻：“麦芒”(awn)；其读音近似于bird，与第6行 herd 押韵。注意此行多[b]的头韵(alliteration).
9、question make:(1)consider,ruminate；(2)doubt.
10、wastes of time:thing ruined by time.
11、sweets and beauties:things that are sweet and beautiful；莎士比亚时抽象名词可加复数，参见7.4,8.2注.themselves forsake:renounce themselves,change for the worse.
12、others:other seewts and beauties.
13、=Nothing can defend itself against time.time's scythe:中世纪画“时间”之神为一具骷髅，手持长把镰刀，良莠全割掉；而此处这个比喻还与7-8行收获的意思连贯。
14、Save breed:Except children.brave(v):defy.him...he:i.e. time.hence:away from this world.
日期: 2007年4月14 周六