Those hours that with gentle work did frame

一刻刻时辰，先用温柔的工程

The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell

造成了凝盼的美目，教众人注目，

Will play the tyrants¹ to the very same

过后，会对这同一慧眼施暴政，

And that unfair which fairly doth excel;

使美的不再美，只让它一度杰出；

For never-resting Time leads summer on

永不歇脚的时间把夏天带到了

To hideous² winter and confounds him there,

可怕的冬天，就随手把他倾覆；

Sap checked with frost and lusty leaves quite gone,

青枝绿叶在冰霜下萎黄枯槁了，

Beauty o'ersnowed and bareness everywhere.

美披上白雪，到处是一片荒芜：

Then, were not summer's distillation³ left

那么，要是没留下夏天的花精——

A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass,

那关在玻璃墙中的液体囚人，

Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft⁴,

美的果实就得连同美一齐扔，

Nor it nor no remembrance what it was.

没有美，也不能纪念美的灵魂。

But flowers distilled⁵ though they with winter meet,

花儿提出了香精，那就到冬天，

Leese but their show, their substance still lives sweet.

也不过丢外表；本质可还是新鲜。