书城文学王译唐诗三百首:汉英对照
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第38章 烈女操-A Faithful Widow

烈女操

孟郊

梧桐相待老,鸳鸯会双死。贞妇贵殉夫,

舍生亦如此。波澜誓不起,妾心古井水。

A Faithful Widow

Meng Jiao

Chinese parasols won’t grow old till their mates do.

When a mandarin drake dies, its duck expires too.

In the same way, a faithful woman ought to die

For her husband, if in the grave he should once lie.

Like the cold stagnant water in the ancient well;

Her icy heart will ne’er again with ripples swell.