17

NOW cease, ye damsels, your delights forepast;

Enough is it that all the day was youres:

Now day is doen, and night is nighing fast:

Now bring the bryde into the brydall boures.

Now night is come, now soone her disaray1,

And in her bed her lay;

Lay her in lillies and in violets,

And silken courteins ouer her display,

The odourd2 sheetes, and Arras coverlets3,

Behold how goodly my faire love does ly

In proud humility!

Like vnto Maia4, when as Ioue her tooke,

In Tempe, lying on the flowry gras,

Twixt sleepe and wake, after she weary was,

With bathing in the Acidalian brooke.

Now it is night, ye damsels may be gon,

And leaue my love alone,

And leave likewise your former lay to sing:

The woods no more shal answere, nor your echo ring.

注释：1.disaray：如果不，要是不，除非。

2.odourd：散发香气的。

3.Arras coverlets：美丽的壁毡、床单。

4.Maia：迈亚。希腊神话中一个女神，是泰坦神阿特拉斯的女儿，母亲为普勒俄涅。阿特拉斯与普勒俄涅生了七个女儿，俱为山林仙女，称为普勒阿得斯姊妹，迈亚为其中最年长者。普勒阿得斯七姐妹住在阿耳卡狄亚地区的库勒涅山，因此有时她们也被归于俄瑞阿得斯（山岳神女）之列。在希腊神话的众神谱系中，迈亚占有一个重要位置：她同宙斯结合，生了赫耳墨斯。根据荷马颂歌，宙斯是在库勒涅山的山洞里诱奸了迈亚。