On His Being Arrived to the Age of Twenty-Three

by John Milton

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,

Stolen on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!

My hasting days fly on with full career,

But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.

Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth

That I to manhood am arrived so near;

And inward ripeness doth much less appear,

That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.

Yet, be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still in strictest measure even

To that same lot, however mean or high,

Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven;

All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.

满二十三周岁

时间啊，这窃取青春的巧贼，竟这样

迅速地用双翅运走了我的二十三岁，

我的逝水年华匆匆地过去，

但我的暮春却不曾开花结蕾;

我的面貌也许还不够苍老，

但是我确已接近成人的年岁，

我的内心更显得不够成熟，

远不如那些早立业的同辈;

但不管我成熟迟早，或快或慢，

这和我既定的命运――那时间与天意

要领我达到的命运无论是(贵贱)――

仍然会严格符合，不爽毫厘。

只要我好自为之，一切都还是

在我的严厉主人监督的眼里。

注：这首十四行诗可能是弥尔顿在1631年12月9日周岁生日当天或在1632年早些时候写的。他在1632年7月获剑桥大学硕士学位前夕就准备放弃他原先打算进入教会的初衷，因此他的一位朋友试图对他进行规劝。弥尔顿给他的朋友写了一封信作为回答，并在信中附上这首十四行诗。