When thou shalt be disposed to set me light,

And place my merit in the eye of scorn,

Upon thy side against myself I'll fight,

And prove thee virtuous, though thou art forsworn.

With mine own weakness being best acquainted,

Upon thy part I can set down a story

Of faults conceal'd, wherein I am attainted,

That thou in losing me shalt win much glory:

And I by this will be a gainer too;

For bending all my loving thoughts on thee,

The injuries that to myself I do,

Doing thee vantage, double-vantage me.

Such is my love, to thee I so belong,

That for thy right myself will bear all wrong.

當你有一天下決心瞧我不起，

用侮蔑的眼光衡量我的輕重，

我將站在你那邊打擊我自己，

證明你賢德，盡管你已經背盟。

對自己的弱點我既那么內行，

我將為你的利益捏造我種種

無人覺察的過失，把自己中傷；

使你拋棄了我反而得到光榮：

而我也可以借此而大有收獲；

因為我全部情思那么傾向你，

我為自己所招惹的一切侮辱

既對你有利，對我就加倍有利。

　　我那么衷心屬你，我愛到那樣，

　　為你的美譽愿承當一切誹謗。