Two crownèd Kings, and One that stood alone
With no green weight of laurels round his head,
But with sad eyes as one uncomforted,
And wearied with man's never-ceasing moan
For sins no bleating victim can atone,
And sweet long lips with tears and kisses fed.
Girt was he in a garment black and red,
And at his feet I marked a broken stone
Which sent up lilies, dove-like, to his knees.
Now at their sight, my heart being lit with flame,
I cried to Beatricé, 'Who are these?'
And she made answer, knowing well each name,
'Aeschylos first, the second Sophokles,
And last (wide stream of tears!) Euripides.'
两位加冕的国王,另有一位遗世而独立,
他的头顶并没有绿色月桂树的王冠,
却有一双难以慰藉的忧伤的眼睛,
流露因永不止息的呻吟而产生的倦态,
那罪愆并非哞哞叫的羊羔所能救赎,
眼泪和亲吻滋养他甜蜜的宽嘴唇。
他穿着一袭黑红相间的长袍,
我注意到他的双脚踩着一块碎裂的石头,
石缝里钻出鸽子似的百合,齐膝高。
看到这些景象,我的心被烈焰照亮,
我对着贝雅特丽采大嚷:“他们都是谁?”
每一个名字她都熟悉,给出了答案:
“第一个是埃斯库罗斯,第二个是索福克勒斯,
最后一个(泪如溪涌的!)是欧里庇得斯。”