My love is strengthen'd, though more weak in seeming;
I love not less, though less the show appear:
That love is merchandized whose rich esteeming
The owner's tongue doth publish every where.
Our love was new and then but in the spring
When I was wont¹ to greet it with my lays,
As Philomel in summer's front doth sing
And stops her pipe in growth of riper days:
Not that the summer is less pleasant now
Than when her mournful hymns² did hush³ the night,
But that wild music burthens every bough
And sweets grown common lose their dear delight.
  Therefore like her I sometime hold my tongue,
  Because I would not dull you with my song.

我的爱加强了，虽然看来更弱；
我的爱一样热，虽然表面稍冷：
谁把他心中的崇拜到处传播，
就等于把他的爱情看作商品。
我们那时才新恋，又正当春天，
我惯用我的歌去欢迎它来归，
像夜莺在夏天门前彻夜清啭，
到了盛夏的日子便停止歌吹。
并非现在夏天没有那么惬意
比起万籁静听它哀唱的时候，
只为狂欢的音乐载满每一枝，
太普通，意味便没有那么深悠。
　　所以，像它，我有时也默默无言，
　　免得我的歌，太繁了，使你烦厌。