the more we live, more brief appear，

人生越老，歲月越短，

our life’s succeeding stages;

生命的歷程似在飛換;

a day to childhood seems a year,

兒時的一天如同一載，

and years like passing ages.

一載如同幾個朝代。

the gladsome current of our youth,

青春的熱情尚未衰退，

ere passion yet disorders,

愉悅的流泉但覺遲遲，

steals lingering like a river smooth,

有如一道草原中的綠溪，

along its grassy borders.

靜悄悄的蜿蜒著流瀉。

but as the care-worn cheets grow wan,

但待頰上的紅霞退盡，

and sorrow’s shafts fly thicker,

憂愁的征箭越飛越頻，

ye stars, that measure life to man,

星星呦星星，你們大小司命，

why seem your courses quicker?

你們的運行為何越來越迅?

when joys have lost their bloom and breath

當快感失去了花時和吸引，

and life itself is vapid,

生命本身有如一個空瓶，

why, as we reach the falls of death,

當我快要臨到死境，

feel we its tide more rapid?

為什么退潮更加猛進?

it may be strange-yet who would change

怪誕呀，可能是怪誕——

time’s coures to slower speeding,

誰要不想把日程放慢，

when one by one our friends have gone

友人的謝世接二連三，

and left our bosoms bleeding?

胸中的傷痛如荼如炭。

heaven gives our years of fading strength

是天，使我們?nèi)諠u衰竭的暮年

indemnifying fleetness;

得到迅速消失的補償，

and those of youth,a seeming length,

是天，使青年時代的快樂，

proportion’d their sweetness.

得到相應(yīng)的貌似延長。

（兼職編輯：楊帆）