8. The Soote Season

——E. of Surrey

The soote season, that bud and bloom forth brings,

With green hath clad the hill and eke the vale;

The nightingale with feathers new she sings;

The turtle to her make hath told her tale.

Summer is come, for every spray now springs;

The hart hath hung his old head on the pale;

The buck in brake his winter coat he flings,

The fishes float with new repairéd scale

The adder all her slough away she slings,

The swift swallow pursueth the flies small;

The busy bee her honey now she mings.

Winter is worn, that was the flowers' bale.

And thus I see among these pleasant things,

Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs.

8　甘美的季节

萨利伯爵[1]

甘美的季节，万物萌芽吐艳，

山谷到处青翠苍茫，

羽毛换新的夜莺在歌吟；

斑鸠跟伴侣私语侃侃，

夏天来临，万象都在更新；

雄鹿在自己的领地把头高昂，

公羊将冬衣抛弃在丛林，

鱼儿长出新鳞，在水中游荡；

小蝰蛇已将旧皮蜕尽，

疾飞的燕子将小虫追逐，

忙碌的蜜蜂为采蜜操心，

令鲜花蒙难的冬天已经过去。

这一切都是我所见的韶华淑景，

但忧虑一一消亡，我却徒生悲伤。

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[1]萨利伯爵（Earl of Surrey，1517？——1547），原名亨利·霍华德，诺福克公爵之子。他和他的父亲都被亨利八世以叛国罪处死。他在诗歌方面的重要贡献是创造了素体诗（blank verse）。他还首创了一种十四行诗的新形式（abab cdcd efef gg），深受文艺复兴时期诗人的喜爱。莎士比亚的十四行诗就是按这个押韵格式写的。