With How Sad Steps, O Moon

With how sad steps, O moon, thou climb’st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What! may it be that even in heavenly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries?
Sure, if that long-with-love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel’st a lover’s case：
I read it in thy looks, ---thy languished grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries．
Then, even of fellowship, O moon, tell me,
Is constant love deemed there but want of wit?
Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
Do they above love to be loved, and yet
Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?

啊, 月亮

呂志魯譯

啊, 月亮, 你爬上天空,
步履多么悲傷!
你面色如此蒼白,
你啞口無言一聲不響!
怎么, 即使在高高的天上,
忙碌的丘比特還在讓他的箭派上用場?
真的, 如果那雙慧眼明辨愛情,
那你就有了愛的跡象：
我已經看出端倪,
從你那傷感的模樣。
即使是出于友誼,
請你告訴我, 月亮,
那里是不是充滿恒久的情愛,
只是缺少智慧賴以滋長?
那里的美人是不是孤芳自賞,
與我們人間沒有兩樣?
他們是不是想要得到愛戀,
愛戀者卻嘲笑別人墮入情網?
他們如何看待情愛,
是不是把無情無義稱作品德高尚?

菲利普·悉尼(Philip Sidney 1554—1586)英國詩人 與月亮談心,和天神對話,借以發愛情之遐想、述思辨的哲理。原作為抑揚格五音步意大利式十四行詩,末尾兩行單獨押韻為獨特的變體。對照漢譯揣摩 “describe”超出常規的含義。原文末行的賓語與賓語補足語應顛倒過來方可理解。