“跳蚤”和爱情能挂上钩?听起来是不是觉得有些不可思异?可是多恩就是这么有本事。

他力劝女主人公放弃无用的贞操观，与他一起享受爱情的甜蜜，“你看跳蚤不也是吸了我们的血，而没有经过我们的许允?”还劝说女方不要杀死无辜的跳蚤，因为它吸了“我和你的血”，两个人的血由此交融在一起，所以这跳蚤也成了缔结爱情的床。

哦，他是这样说的。

虽然这诗的内容荒诞无稽，作者也有买弄之嫌，但是不可否认诗人确实论得有理有据，滑稽有趣，充分体现多恩诗歌长于思辩，善用意象的特色。 好吧，让我们就来看看多恩的这首有名“跳蚤”诗。

The Flea

--John Donne

Mark but this flea, and mark in this,

How little that which thou[1] deniest me is;

Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee[2],

And in this flea our two bloods mingled be[3];

Thou know’st that this cannot be said

A sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead,

Yet this enjoys before it woo,

And pampered swells with one blood made of two,

And this, alas, is more than we would do.

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare[4],

Where we almost, nay more than married are.

This flea is you and I, and this

Our marriage bed and marriage temple is;

Though parents grudge[5], and you, we are met,

And cloisered in these living walls of jet.

Though use[6] make you apt to kill me

Let not to that, self-murder added be,

And sacrilege[7], three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast[8] thou since

Purpled thy nail[9] in blood of innocence?

Wherein could this flea guilty be,

Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?

Yet thou triumph’st, and say’st that thou

Find’st not thy self nor me the weaker now;

’Tis true; then learn how false fears be:

Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me,

Will waste, as this flea’s death look life from thee.

注释：

1. thou：在古英语里，是表示you 的主格形式。

2. thee：在古英语里，是表示 you 的宾格形式。

3. And in this flea our two bloods mingled be：这一句是这首诗的关键句，道出“在这只跳蚤的身体里，我们两个人的血液相互交融。”

4. Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare：“哦，你先等一等，不要掐死这只跳蚤，因为它(吸了两人的血)集三条生命于一身。”

5. grudge：厌恶，怨恨。

6. use：=habit 习惯。

7. sacrilege：亵渎神圣。

8.hast：在古英语里，相当于 have 的第二人称单数的现在式，主词为 thou 。

9.purpled thy nail：thy用在古英语里，相当于your，你的。掐死了跳蚤，所以鲜血染红了指甲， 变成了“紫色”。由此可见，诗人的语言非常滑稽有趣。