造化借美｜莎士比亞十四行詩 4

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
問汝風華姿，為何愛奢侈，
Upon thyself thy beauty’s legacy?
美所傳後世，於己揮霍之？
Nature’s bequest gives nothing but doth lend,
造化所贈與，無非只借持，
And being frank, she lends to those are free.
不吝所借予，凡願慷慨賜。

Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse
美貌汝慳吝，濫用何以致，
The bounteous largess given thee to give?
既得豐厚賞，後人竟不施？
Profitless usurer, why dost thou use
無利汝放貸，能用何以致，
So great a sum of sums yet canst not live?
集聚萬貫資，難養及後嗣？

For, having traffic with thyself alone,
交易而流通，汝與己為止，
Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive.
俊美汝自身，欺人反欺自。
Then how, when nature calls thee to be gone,
造化以大限，命汝歸還時，
What acceptable audit canst thou leave?
審計如何清，遺留何價值？

Thy unused beauty must be tombed with thee,
有美卻不用，同葬汝墓室，
Which usèd lives th’ executor to be.
有美能善用，生而遺囑執。

河水再流：
深河莎譯