Provider:Fr. Pierre Demer /談德義神父

Let me not to the marriage of true minds 1
Admit impediments; love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no, it is an ever-fixed mark, 5
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his heighth be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come; 10
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Line / No.
Word or Phrase
Annotation
2
 Admit impediments 允許阻礙之介入。本句倒裝，原為Let me not admit impediments to the marriage of true minds。意謂不要讓阻礙真正有情人結合之事實介入；亦即我不透露他或她過去的行為、缺點，以免影響彼此對方的觀感，以致不能結合。Impediment這個字是結婚儀式 (marriage service)裏的用語。主持儀式的牧師或神父在婚禮中宣稱："If any of you know cause or just impediment why these persons should not be joined together?" [back]
3
 alteration 改變，指愛情的改變，亦即同行第二字alters 的名詞。[back]
4
 Or bends…remove Or wishes to change when the loved one is inconstant。[back]
5
 ever-fixed mark 固定不動的星球或燈塔或任何可作為航行標誌的燈光。[back]
7
 wandering bark 漂泊的（帆）船；暗喻迷惘徬徨的人。[back]
8
 his height be taken height指的是高度；星星的高度為人所曉，對航行方位之辨認有實際裨益。[back]
9
 Time's fool mocked by Time。全句Love's not Time's fool意謂愛情不為時間所愚弄；亦即愛情永恒。此處Time已擬人化。
rosy lips and cheeks 青春美貌。[back]
10
 Within his…come Come within his bending sickle's compass; "his"指的是Time; bending sickle's彎彎的鐮刀的；compass作range（範圍）解。全行大意是：在時間彎彎的鐮刀的範圍之內；亦即青春美貌將為時間所摧毀。『時間』比作手持鐮刀的reper。[back]
12
 bears it out even to the edge of doom 永久保持不變。
doom Doomsday，亦即the Day of Judgement；the end of the world：最後審判日；世界末日。[back]
13
 upon against。全行If this be error and upon the proved = if there is evidence that my love has changed。[back]
14
 wrt: pt. & pp. Of write 全行I never writ, nor no man ever loved. =I have written nothing about love, neither has any one ever loved. [back]

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