Sonnet 23

PENELOPE1, for her Ulisses2 sake,

Deuized a web her wooers to deceaue:

In which the worke that she all day did make

The same at night she did againe unreaue3.

Such subtile craft my damzell doth conceaue4,

Th’importune5 suit of my desire to shonne6:

For all that I in many dayes doo weaue,

In one short houre I find by her undonne.

So when I thinke to end that7 I begonne,

I must begin and neuer bring to end:

For with one looke she spils8 that long I sponne9,

And with one word my whole years work doth rend.

Such labour like the spyders web I fynd,

Whose fruitlesse worke is broken with least wynd.

注释：1.Penelope：【希腊神话】彭妮洛佩；贞妇。彭妮洛佩是伊萨卡岛国国王奥德修斯的妻子。她在奥德修斯离开故乡前去参加特洛伊战争前不久生下一子，从此一直苦苦等了丈夫二十年，所以被视作忠诚和贞节的象征。

2.Ulisses：【罗马神话】尤利西斯〔即希腊神话中的奥德修斯（Odyssus）；曾参加围攻特洛伊（Troy）城，智勇双全，亦为荷马史诗《奥德修记》 （Odyssey）的主人翁。

3.unreaue：荷马史诗《奥德修记》中的主人公奥德修斯在丈夫出征在外期间，推脱所有求婚的借口是等她织好网以后就会从他们中间挑一个结婚，可她每天晚上都会把自己白天织的网拆掉。

4.conceaue：图谋；策划。

5.importune：坚持的，缠扰不休的

6.shonne：闪避，躲避。

7.that：……的。

8.spils：毁坏。

9.sponne：我花了很长时间编织的。