——W. Shakespeare
When daisies pied and violets blue
And ladysmocks all silver-white
And cuckoobuds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo: Oh word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!
When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are plowmen's clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo: Oh word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!
莎士比亞[2]
當五顏六色的雛菊開放,
藍色的紫羅蘭,銀白的剪秋羅,
杜鵑花的蓓蕾吐露嬌黃,
整個原野繪出一片歡樂,
布谷鳥卻棲息在每棵樹上,
譏嘲娶妻的呆男,它們這樣唱:
“苦苦!
苦苦,苦苦!”——啊,可怕的聲音,
做丈夫的聽了何等傷心!
當牧羊人把麥笛吹奏,
歡快的云雀把農(nóng)夫喚醒,
斑鳩和烏鴉忙著覓侶求偶,
姑娘們洗滌夏季的衣裙,
布谷鳥卻棲息在每棵樹上,
譏嘲娶妻的呆男,它們這樣唱:
“苦苦!
苦苦,苦苦!”——啊,可怕的聲音,
做丈夫的聽了何等傷心!
* * *
[1]此詩見于《愛的徒勞》第五幕,為小丑演唱的收場詩。
[2]威廉·莎士比亞(William Shakespeare,1564—1616),劇作家,詩人,1564年生于英格蘭沃里克郡埃文河畔的斯特拉特福鎮(zhèn)。父親曾經(jīng)擔任過鎮(zhèn)長。鎮(zhèn)上有一所文法學校,是莎士比亞接受教育的地方。1582年與年長他8歲的安妮·哈撒韋結(jié)婚。大約于1586年離開家鄉(xiāng),赴倫敦謀生。一開始在劇院跑龍?zhí)?,后來為劇院編寫劇本,擁有環(huán)球劇院的股份。他一生共寫出喜劇13部,歷史劇11部,悲劇10部,傳奇劇5部,長詩2首,十四行詩154首和若干短詩。在學術界,有“說不盡的莎士比亞”之說。