Convey the immortal1 emotions through poetical2 numbers.

-- As a lily among brambles
so is my love among maidens³.
As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among young men.
from "the Song of Solomon" in Bible (tenth century B.C.)

我的佳偶在女子中，好像百合花在荆棘内。（夫语）
我的良人在男子中，如同苹果树在树林中。（妇语）

"所罗门的歌"是《圣经》中的雅歌，搜集于民间。"妻子在丈夫心间如百合般高贵，丈夫在妻子眼中如苹果数般充满青春朝气"。在中国古代诗句中，对女性具体的意象描写首推《诗经》中 "硕人"Her fingers were like the blades of the young white-grass；Her skin was like congealed⁴ ointment；Her neck was like the tree-grub；Her teeth were like melon seeds（手如柔荑，肤如凝脂，领如蝤蛴qiu qi，齿如瓠犀hu xi），可惜此语非出自丈夫之口。

-- Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate⁵.
from Sonnet⁶ 18 by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

或许我可用夏日将你作比方，
但你比夏日更可爱也更温良。

在中国，若将爱人比做"夏日"，恐怕也只有云南男子才敢借用。但对多雨雾天气的英国来说，"心爱之人如同夏日般令人惬意"，实在是再贴切不过的比喻了，因为那里温暖而不炎热，是一年中最宜人的季节。

-- Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I'll not look for wine.
from Song to Celia by Ben Jonson (1573-1637)

"诗人祈求情人只用目光向他祝酒，他也会回报脉脉含情的目光"。真情无需借助累赘的话语，因为眉目足以传情。情人在杯中留下一吻，胜过美酒千杯。作者本·琼森与莎士比亚同时代，这首《致西莉亚》是一首脍炙人口的抒情诗。以间接委婉的笔法描绘了情人的眉目顾盼和醉人的吻。

-- With thee conversing⁷ I forget all time,
All seasons and their change, all please alike.
from Paradise Lost (Eve is speaking to Adam here) by John Milton (1608-1674)
"与亚当说话，能让夏娃忘记时间、季节轮转与变化"，或许，撇开诗人的视角，在常人眼中，人世间最纯朴的爱情表白就是这句了。弥尔顿的《失乐园》是英国文学史上最伟大的一部史诗，常运用大量典故和比喻。幸亏描述爱情的这句简洁明了，否则我们还要望洋兴叹呢。

-- O, my Luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my Luve is like the melodie,
That's sweetly played in tune⁸.
from A Red, Red Rose 不要by Robert Burns (1759-1796)

在爱情诗句里，彭斯的这首《一朵红红的玫瑰》总能赢得一席之位，虽然它没有华丽的词藻也缺乏绮丽意象。在诗人眼中，"爱人就是六月初绽的玫瑰，火红斗妍；又是一支奏起的曲子，美丽悠扬"。

-- Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle:-
Why not I with thine?
from Love's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

在雪莱这首《爱的哲学》里，诗人站在哲人的角度给恋人说理，向其展开求爱攻势。"由于神圣的自然法规，世间万物从不孤零零存在，他们都必然容于一体，为什么你我却要例外？"

-- How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach . . .
from Sonnets⁹ from the Portuguese¹⁰ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

"我是怎样的爱你，请让我细数端详。我爱你爱到心灵深处，之深之广只有灵魂才能触摸"，其排比一泻千里，似有不可遏制之势。布朗宁在《葡萄牙十四行诗》中的炽烈情感、直露表白，总能让人联想到《上邪》中那个对爱无所顾忌的女子："上邪！我欲与君相知，长命无绝衰！山无棱，江水为竭，冬雷震震，夏雨雪，天地合；乃敢与君绝！" 言语夸张却无造作之嫌，感情细腻却又大气磅礴。或许，只有女子才敢留下这种大手笔，也只有女子写下的这种绝世之爱才能被世人接受和理解。

-- Ah love is bitter and sweet,
but which is more sweet
the bitterness or the sweetness,
none has spoken it.
from Eros by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle, 1886-1961)

与布朗宁相比，另一位女诗人H·杜利特尔则以简洁明了的风格道出了"爱"的真谛。"爱情有甜蜜也有苦涩，但甜蜜更多一些；爱情究竟是甜蜜还是苦涩？却无人道得出"。