When I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced
The rich proud cost of outworn buried age;
When sometime lofty towers I see down-razed
And brass¹ eternal slave to mortal rage;
When I have seen the hungry ocean gain
Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,
And the firm soil win of the watery² main,
Increasing store with loss and loss with store;
When I have seen such interchange of state,
Or state itself confounded to decay;
Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate,
That Time will come and take my love away.
  This thought is as a death, which cannot choose
  But weep to have that which it fears to lose.

当我眼见前代的富丽和豪华
被时光的手毫不留情地磨灭；
当巍峨的塔我眼见沦为碎瓦，
连不朽的铜也不免一场浩劫；
当我眼见那欲壑难填的大海
一步一步把岸上的疆土侵蚀，
汪洋的水又渐渐被陆地覆盖，
失既变成了得，得又变成了失；
当我看见这一切扰攘和废兴，
或者连废兴一旦也化为乌有；
毁灭便教我再三这样地反省：
时光终要跑来把我的爱带走。
　　哦，多么致命的思想！它只能够
　　哭着去把那刻刻怕失去的占有。