名人诗歌|On His Being Arrived to the Age of Twenty-Three

by John Milton

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,

Stolen on his wing my three-and-twentieth year！

My hasting days fly on with full career,

But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.

Perhaps my 百度竞价推广blance^{1 might deceive the truth}

That I to manhood am arrived so near；

And inward ripeness doth much less appear,

That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.

Yet, be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still in strictest measure even

To that same lot, however mean or high,

Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven；

All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.

满二十三周岁

时间啊，这窃取青春的巧贼，竟如此

飞速地用双翅运走了我的二十三岁，

我的逝水年华匆匆地过去，

但我的暮春却不曾开花结蕾；

我的面貌或许还不够苍老，

但我确已接近成人的年岁，

我的内心更看上去不够成熟，

远不如那些早立业的同辈；

但不管我成熟早晚，或快或慢，

这和我既定的命那时间与天意

要点我达到的命无论是（贵贱）

仍然会严格符合，不爽毫厘。

只须我好自为之，所有都还是

在我的严厉主人监督的眼里。

注：这首十四行诗可能是弥尔顿在1631年12月9日周岁过生日当天或在1632年早些时候写的。他在1632年7月获剑桥大学硕士学位前夕就筹备舍弃他原先计划进入教会的初衷，因此他的一位朋友试图对他进行规劝。弥尔顿给他的朋友写了一封信作为回答，并在信中附上这首十四行诗。