Sonnet 31

AH! why hath Nature to so hard a hart,

Given so goodly giftes of beauties grace?

Whose pryde depraves1 each other better part,

And all those pretious ornaments deface2.

Sith to all other beastes of bloody race,

A dreadfull countenaunce she given hath:

That with theyr terrour al the rest may chace,

And warne to shun the daunger of theyr wrath.

But my proud one doth worke the greater scath3,

Through sweet allurement of her lovely hew4:

That she the better may in bloody bath,

Of such poore thralls her cruell hands embrew5.

But did she know how ill these two accord,

Such cruelty she would have soone abhord.

注释：1.depraves：掠夺。

2.deface：即defaces。这种语法现象在斯宾塞时代是可以接受的。

3.scath：伤害。

4.hew：形状。

5.embrew：弄脏，染污; 沾污，玷污（名誉）等。