莎士比亚十四行情诗精选（五十九）

　　If there be nothing new, but that which is

Hath been before, how are our brains beguil'd,

Which laboring for invention bear amiss

The second burthen of a former child.

Oh that record could with a backward look,

Even of five hundred courses of the sun,

Show me your image in some antique book,

Since mind at first in character was done,

That I might see what the old world could say

To this composed wonder of your frame;

Whether we are mended, or where better they,

Or whether revolution be the same.

Oh sure I am the wits of former days,

To subjects worse have given admiring praise.

翻译：
　　如果学问不再更新，一如从前，

那我们的头脑，定被浆糊灌满；

含辛茹苦地，想要创造点奇迹，

到头来却发现，什么都没改变；

哦！纵使太阳运行了五百万年，

但依然还有，回溯青史的竹简；

自从在古书里看到，你的肖像，

心里就首次有了，文字的概念；

让我通晓，古人曾经怎样评价，

关于组成你那些，诗体的灵感；

是我们高明，还是他们更优秀，

或者二者相同，其实并无绎演；

喔！我敢肯定前代已经有智贤；

对这烂主题，作过颂扬和称赞。

推荐理由：这首十四行情诗精选（五十九）是莎士比亚笔下的Sonnet59《治学》，如果你是莎翁的忠实读者怎能错过呢？