Death, Be Not Proud
by John Donne

Death,be not proud,though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful,for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not,poor Death,nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep,which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance,kings,and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One sort sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death,thou shalt die.

死神，你莫骄横

死神，你莫骄横，尽管有人将你看得
如何强大，如何可怖，你呀，名不符实；
你自以为已经把芸芸众生毁灭，
可怜的死神，他们没死．你至今还杀不死我；
休憩和睡眠，其实就是你的写照，
你定然比它们更让人感到舒适惬意，
而我们最出色的人们随你而去越早，
越能早日让灵魂获救，肉体安息，
你是命运、时机、君主和狂徒的奴隶，
你与毒药、战争和病魔同流合污，
鸦片与巫术也能灵验地进行蛊惑，
而且效果更佳，你又何必颐指气使？
人们小憩一会，精神便得以永远清朗，
便再不会有死亡，死神你自己将死亡。

汪剑钊 译