Well,all that was thirty-three years ago.I'm an old man,and everyone is dying around me.Anne Shakespeare died in 1623,and John Hall went about twelve years later,fighting theplague Susanna's still alive,and Judith.She had three sons,but they all died.So there's no boy in the family to keep poor Will's name alive.Susanna's girl Elizabeth has had no children,and she's forty-one already…Susanna still comes to visit me sometimes,and we talk about the old days.
We live in sad times now;the Puritans cut King Charles's head off last January.But one day we'll have a king again.Then there'll be singing and dancing and plays.
You'll see.Oh yes.People won't forget William Shakespeare.In 400 years'time,the theatres will still be full.People will still laugh,and cry,over his plays.He was the finest poet that ever wrote in the English language.I think he knew that himself.There's some lines in one of his sonnets,I remember…
Not marble,nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme…
12 英國會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)記住
可這都是33年前的事了。我已是一個(gè)垂暮之年的老人,周圍的人紛紛離我而去。1623年,安·莎士比亞去世,大約12年后,約翰·豪爾死于瘟疫,只有蘇姍娜和珠迪絲尚健在。珠迪絲生過三個(gè)兒子,不幸都夭折了。所以這個(gè)家族是無人能將可憐的威爾的名字傳下去。蘇姍娜的女兒伊麗莎白已經(jīng)41歲,依然沒有一子半女。蘇姍娜有時(shí)仍過來看我,和我談?wù)勥^去的日子。
我們?nèi)缃裆钤趧?dòng)蕩的年代。去年1月,清教徒把查理國王送上了斷頭臺(tái)。但終有一天,我們又會(huì)有一位國王,到時(shí)又會(huì)歌舞升平,又可以看戲了。
你不久就可以看到的!哦,當(dāng)然啦,人們不會(huì)忘記威廉·莎士比亞。400年后,劇院依然會(huì)爆滿,觀眾依然會(huì)為他的戲劇歡笑或落淚。他是運(yùn)用英語語言創(chuàng)作最杰出的詩人。我想這一點(diǎn),他自己也清楚。我記得在他的十四行濤中曾寫下這樣的詩句……
沒有大理石或王公們鍍金的墓碑
能夠和我這些有力的詩句比壽……