英汉对照|王尔德诗选：致弥尔顿

To Milton

Milton! I think thy spirit hath passed away

From these white cliffs, and high-embattled towers;

This gorgeous fiery-coloured world of ours

Seems fallen into ashes dull and grey,

And the age changed unto a mimic play

Wherein we waste our else too-crowded hours:

For all our pomp and pageantry and powers

We are but fit to delve the common clay,

Seeing this little isle on which we stand,

This England, this sea-lion of the sea,

By ignorant demagogues is held in fee,

Who love her not: Dear God! is this the land

Which bare a triple empire in her hand

When Cromwell spake the word Democracy!

致弥尔顿

弥尔顿！我想你的精神已经不在，

离开了白色悬崖和森严的高塔；

我们火红的华丽世界看来

已经沦落成尸灰，苍白而沉闷，

时代也演变成了模仿的闹剧，

其中耗费了我们过多的光阴：

为了所有的盛典、壮观和强力，

我们只配去钻研普通的黏土，

看到我们站立的这个小岛，

英格兰，这头海洋的雄狮，

被愚昧的蛊惑家所占据，

他们并不爱她：亲爱的上帝！

当克伦威尔说出“民主”一词，

这片土地曾是三岛联盟的帝国！