Who is it that says most? which can say more

Than this rich praise, that you alone are you?

In whose confine immured is the store

Which should example where your equal grew.

Lean penury within that pen doth dwell

That to his subject lends not some small glory;

But he that writes of you, if he can tell

That you are you, so dignifies his story,

Let him but copy what in you is writ,

Not making worse what nature made so clear,

And such a counterpart shall fame his wit,

Making his style admired every where.

You to your beauteous blessings add a curse,

Being fond on praise, which makes your praises worse.

誰說得最好？哪個說得更圓滿

比起這豐美的贊詞："只有你是你"？

這贊詞蘊藏著你的全部資產，

誰和你爭妍，就必須和它比擬。

那枝文筆實在是貧瘠得可憐，

如果它不能把題材稍事增華；

但誰寫到你，只要他能夠表現

你就是你，他的故事已夠偉大。

讓他只照你原稿忠實地直抄，

別把造化的清新的素描弄壞，

這樣的摹本已顯出他的巧妙，

使他的風格到處受人們崇拜。

　　你將對你美的祝福加以咒詛：

　　太愛人贊美，連美也變成庸俗。