Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
Upon thyself thy beauty's legacy?
Nature's bequest gives nothing but doth lend,
And being frank she lends to those are free.
Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse
The bounteous largess given thee to give?
Profitless usurer, why dost thou use
So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?
For having traffic with thyself alone,
Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive.
Then how, when nature calls thee to be gone,
What acceptable audit canst thou leave?
Thy unused beauty must be tomb'd with thee,
Which, used, lives th' executor to be.

俊俏的浪子，為什么把你那份
美的遺產在你自己身上耗盡？
造化的饋贈非賜予，她只出賃；
她慷慨，只賃給寬宏大量的人。
那么，美麗的鄙夫，為什么濫用
那交給你轉交給別人的厚禮？
賠本的高利貸者，為什么浪用
那么一筆大款，還不能過日子？
因為你既然只和自己做買賣，
就等于欺騙你那嫵媚的自我。
這樣，你將拿什么賬目去交代，
當造化喚你回到她懷里長臥？
你未用過的美將同你進墳墓；
用呢，就活著去執(zhí)行你的遺囑。