That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect,
For slander¹'s mark was ever yet the fair;
The ornament² of beauty is suspect,
A crow that flies in heaven's sweetest air.
So thou be good, slander doth but approve
Thy worth the greater, being woo'd of time;
For canker vice³ the sweetest buds doth love,
And thou present'st a pure unstained prime.
Thou hast pass'd by the ambush⁴ of young days,
Either not assail'd or victor being charged;
Yet this thy praise cannot be so thy praise,
To tie up envy evermore enlarged:
  If some suspect of ill mask'd not thy show,
  Then thou alone kingdoms of hearts shouldst owe.

你受人指摘，并不是你的瑕疵，
因为美丽永远是诽谤的对象；
美丽的无上的装饰就是猜疑，
像乌鸦在最晴朗的天空飞翔。
所以，检点些，谗言只能更恭维
你的美德，既然时光对你钟情；
因为恶蛆最爱那甜蜜的嫩蕊，
而你的正是纯洁无瑕的初春。
你已经越过年轻日子的埋伏，
或未遭遇袭击，或已克服敌手；
可是，对你这样的赞美并不足
堵住那不断扩大的嫉妒的口：
　　若没有猜疑把你的清光遮掩，
　　多少个心灵的王国将归你独占。