MY love, once upon a time your poet launched a great epic in his mind.
Alas, I was not careful, and it struck your ringing anklets and came to grief.
It broke up into scraps of songs and lay scattered at your feet.
All my cargo of the stories of old wars was tossed by the laughing waves and soaked in tears and sank.
You must make this loss good to me, my love.
If my claims to immortal fame after death are shattered, make me immortal while I live.
And I will not mourn for my loss nor blame you.
我愛,從前有一天,你的詩人把一首偉大史詩投進他心里。
啊,我不小心,
它打到你的叮當?shù)哪_鐲上而引起悲愁。
它裂成詩歌的碎片散撒在你的腳邊。
我滿載的一切古代戰(zhàn)爭的貨物,
都被笑浪顛簸。被眼淚浸透而下沉。
你必須使這損失成為我的收獲,我愛。
如果我的死后不朽的榮名的希望都破滅了,
那就在生前使我不朽吧。
我將不為這損失傷心,也不責怪你。