A Broken Appointment
by Thomas Hardy
You did not come,
And marching Time drew on, and wore me numb.
Yet less for loss of your dear presence there
Than that I thus found lacking in your make
That high compassion which can overbear
Reluctance for pure lovingkindness' sake
Grieved I, when, as the hope-hour stroked its sum，
You did not come.
You love me not.
And love alone can lend you loyalty:
-I know and knew it. But, unto the store
Of human deeds divine in all but name，
Was it not worth a little hour or more
To add yet this: Once you, a woman, came
To soothe a time-torn man; even though it be
You love me not.
壹次失約
托馬斯·哈代
妳沒有來，
而時光卻沙沙地流去，使我發呆。
倒不是惋惜失掉了相見的甜蜜，
是因為我由此看出妳的天性
缺乏那種最高的憐憫——盡管不樂意，
出於純粹的仁慈也能成全別人，
當指盼的鐘點敲過，妳沒有來，
我感到悲哀。
妳並不愛我，
而只有愛情才能使妳忠誠於我；
——我明白，早就明白。但費壹兩小時
使除名義外全然聖潔的人類行為
又為何不增添壹件好事：
妳，作為壹個女人，曾壹度撫慰
壹個為時光折磨的男人，即便說
妳並不愛我