Or I shall live your epitaph to make,

Or you survive when I in earth am rotten;

From hence your memory death cannot take,

Although in me each part will be forgotten.

Your name from hence immortal life shall have,

Though I, once gone, to all the world must die:

The earth can yield me but a common grave,

When you entombed in men's eyes shall lie.

Your monument shall be my gentle verse,

Which eyes not yet created shall o'er-read,

And tongues to be your being shall rehearse

When all the breathers of this world are dead;

You still shall live--such virtue hath my pen--

Where breath most breathes, even in the mouths of men.

無(wú)論我將活著為你寫(xiě)墓志銘，

或你未亡而我已在地下腐朽，

縱使我已被遺忘得一干二凈，

死神將不能把你的憶念?yuàn)Z走。

你的名字將從這詩(shī)里得永生，

雖然我，一去，對(duì)人間便等于死；

大地只能夠給我一座亂葬墳，

而你卻將長(zhǎng)埋在人們眼睛里。

我這些小詩(shī)便是你的紀(jì)念碑，

未來(lái)的眼睛固然要百讀不厭，

未來(lái)的舌頭也將要傳誦不衰，

當(dāng)現(xiàn)在呼吸的人已瞑目長(zhǎng)眠。

　　這強(qiáng)勁的筆將使你活在生氣

　　最蓬勃的地方，在人們的嘴里。