O, how I faint when I of you do write,

Knowing a better spirit doth use your name,

And in the praise thereof spends all his might,

To make me tongue-tied, speaking of your fame!

But since your worth, wide as the ocean is,

The humble as the proudest sail doth bear,

My saucy bark inferior far to his

On your broad main doth wilfully appear.

Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat,

Whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride;

Or being wreck'd, I am a worthless boat,

He of tall building and of goodly pride:

Then if he thrive and I be cast away,

The worst was this; my love was my decay.

哦，我寫到你的時候多么氣餒，

得知有更大的天才利用你名字，

他不惜費盡力氣去把你贊美，

使我箝口結舌，一提起你聲譽！

但你的價值，像海洋一樣無邊，

不管輕舟或艨艟同樣能載起，

我這莽撞的艇，盡管小得可憐，

也向你茫茫的海心大膽行駛。

你最淺的灘瀨已足使我浮泛，

而他岸岸然駛向你萬頃汪洋；

或者，萬一覆沒，我只是片輕帆，

他卻是結構雄偉，氣宇軒昂：

　　如果他安全到達，而我遭失敗，

　　最不幸的是：毀我的是我的愛。