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NOW welcome, night! thou night so long expected,

That long daies labour doest at last defray1,

And all my cares, which cruell Loue collected,

Hast sumd in one, and cancelléd for aye:

Spread thy broad wing ouer my loue and me,

That no man may us see,

And in thy sable mantle vs enwrap,

From feare of perrill and foule horror free.

Let no false treason seeke us to entrap,

Nor any dread disquiet once annoy

The safety of our joy:

But let the night be calme and quietsome,

Without tempestuous storms or sad afray2:

Lyke as when Jove with fayre Alcmena3 lay,

When he begot the great Tirynthian groome:

Or lyke as when he with thy selfe did lie,

And begot Majesty4.

And let the mayds and yongmen cease to sing:

Ne let the woods them answer, nor theyr eccho ring.

注释：1.defray：支付，偿清。

2.afray：忧虑，担心，顾虑，不安。

3.Alcmena：阿克梅娜。英仙座珀尔修斯的孙女，底比斯国王安菲特律翁之妻。阿尔梅娜8个哥哥均被仇人杀害，为此她发誓此仇不报就不与安菲特律翁同床，安菲特律翁筹划了很久，终于等到机会领兵出去报仇。宙斯趁人之危盯上阿尔克墨涅，为了掩人耳目，衪还给太阳神和月亮女神放长假，使得这个漫漫长夜竞有平时的三倍之长。

4.Maiesty：斯宾塞将Majesty的父母视为乔武和夜神，但奥维德指定他们为荣誉神和敬畏神。