The Soote Season

Herry Howard

The soote season, that bud and bloom forth brings,

With green hath and the hill and eke the vale;

The nightingale with feathers new she sings;

The turtle to her mate hath told her tale.

Summer is come, for every spray now spings;

The hart hath hung his old head on the pale;

The buck in brake his winter coat he flings;

The fishes float with new repair’d scale;

The adder all her slough away she slings;

The swift swallow pursueth the flies’ small;

The busy bee her honey now she mings.

Winter is worn, that was the flowers’ bale.

And thus I see among these pleasant things,

Each care decays, and yet my sorrow spings.

溫和的季節

亨利·霍華德

溫和的季節，催生葉芽和花蕾，

綠樹青草覆蓋了山巒和山谷，

換上新羽毛的夜鶯把歌聲放飛，

斑鳩對她的伴侶傾訴心曲。

夏日來臨，繁花茂葉壓彎了樹枝根根，

雄鹿把他暗褐色的角掛上籬樁，

公羊把他的冬裝遺棄于灌木叢，

披上新鱗的魚兒漂浮在水上。

蛇兒蛻去她的舊皮，

輕捷的燕子追逐著小小的蒼蠅，

忙碌的蜜蜂正在釀造花蜜，

嚴冬，戕害花兒的兇煞，如今筋疲力盡。

目光所至，萬物一片生機，一覽無余，

憂郁的事在消亡，悲哀依然襲上我的心頭。