When I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced

The rich proud cost of outworn buried age;

When sometime lofty towers I see down-razed

And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;

When I have seen the hungry ocean gain

Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,

And the firm soil win of the watery main,

Increasing store with loss and loss with store;

When I have seen such interchange of state,

Or state itself confounded to decay;

Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate,

That Time will come and take my love away.

This thought is as a death, which cannot choose

But weep to have that which it fears to lose.

當我眼見前代的富麗和豪華

被時光的手毫不留情地磨滅；

當巍峨的塔我眼見淪為碎瓦，

連不朽的銅也不免一場浩劫；

當我眼見那欲壑難填的大海

一步一步把岸上的疆土侵蝕，

汪洋的水又漸漸被陸地覆蓋，

失既變成了得，得又變成了失；

當我看見這一切擾攘和廢興，

或者連廢興一旦也化為烏有；

毀滅便教我再三這樣地反省：

時光終要跑來把我的愛帶走。

　　哦，多么致命的思想！它只能夠

　　哭著去把那刻刻怕失去的占有。