我想起，當年希臘的詩人曾經歌詠：
I thought once how Theocritus had sung
年復壹年，那良辰在殷切的盼望中
Of the sweet years, the dear and wished-for years,
翩然降臨，各自帶壹份禮物
Who each one in a gracious hand appears
分送給世人－－年老或是年少。
To bear a gift for mortals, old or young:
當我這麽想，感嘆著詩人的古調，
And, as I mused it in his antique tongue,
穿過我淚眼所逐漸展開的幻覺，
I saw, in gradual vision through my tears,
我看見，那歡樂的歲月、哀傷的歲月－－
The sweet, sad years, the melancholy years,
我自己的年華，把壹片片黑影接連著
Those of my own life, who by turns had flung
掠過我的身。緊接著，我就覺察
A shadow across me. Straightway I was 'ware,
（我哭了）我背後正有個神秘的黑影
So weeping, how a mystic Shape did move
在移動，而且壹把揪住了我的發，
Behind me, and drew me backward by the hair;
往後拉，還有壹聲吆喝（我只是在掙紮）：
And a voice said in mastery, while I strove, --
“這回是誰逮住了妳？猜！”“死，”我答話。
`Guess now who holds thee?' -- `Death.' I said. But, there
聽哪，那銀鈴似的回音：“不是死，是愛！”
The silver answer rang, -- `Not Death, but love.'
*02.EEB
白朗寧夫人抒情十四行詩集第二首
可是在上帝的全宇宙裏，總***才只
But only three in all God's universe
三個人聽見了妳那句話：除了
Have heard this word thou hast said, -- Himself, beside
講話的妳、聽話的我，就是他－－
Thee speaking, and me listening! and replied
上帝自己！我們中間還有壹個
One of us ... _that_ was God, ... and laid the curse
出來答話；那昏黑的詛咒落上
So darkly on my eyelids, as to amerce
我的眼皮，擋了妳，不讓我看見，
My sight from seeing thee, -- that if I had died,
就算我瞑了目，放上沈沈的“壓眼錢”，
The death-weights, placed there, would have signified
也不至於那麽徹底隔絕。唉，
Less absolute exclusion. `Nay' is worse
比誰都厲害，上帝的那壹聲“不行！”
From God than from all others, O my friend!
要不然，世俗的誹謗離間不了我們，
Men could not part us with their worldly jars,
任風波飛揚，也不能動搖那堅貞；
Nor the seas change us, nor the tempests bend;
我們的手要伸過山嶺，互相接觸；
Our hands would touch for all the mountain-bars
有那麽壹天，天空滾到我倆中間，
And, heaven being rolled between us at the end,
我倆向星辰起誓，還要更加握緊。
We should but vow the faster for the stars.
*03.EEB
白朗寧夫人抒情十四行詩集第三首
我們原不壹樣，尊貴的人兒呀，
Unlike are we, unlike, O princely Heart!
原不壹樣是我們的職司和前程。
Unlike our uses and our destinies.
妳我頭上的天使，迎面飛來，
Our ministering two angels look surprise
翅膀碰上了翅膀，彼此瞪著
On one another, as they strike athwart
驚愕的眼睛。妳想，妳是華宮裏
Their wings in passing. Thou, bethink thee, art
後妃的上賓，千百雙殷勤的明眸
A guest for queens to social pageantries,
（哪怕掛滿了淚珠，也不能教我的眼
With gages from a hundred brighter eyes
有這份光彩）請求妳擔任領唱。
Than tears even can make mine, to play thy part
那妳幹什麽從那燈光輝映的紗窗裏
Of chief musician. What hast _thou_ to do
望向我？－－我，壹個淒涼、流浪的
With looking from the lattice-lights at me,
歌手，疲乏地靠著柏樹，吟嘆在
A poor, tired, wandering singer, ... singing through
茫茫的黑暗裏。聖油搽在妳頭上－－
The dark, and leaning up a cypress tree?
可憐我，頭上承受著涼透的夜露。
The chrism is on thine head, -- on mine, the dew, --
只有死，才能把這樣的壹對扯個平。
And Death must dig the level where these agree.