When I Was One-And-Twenty

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
“Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.”
But I was one-and-twenty
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
“The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
‘Tis paid with signs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.”
And I am two-and-twenty
And oh, ‘tis true, ‘tis true.

A. E. Housman

當年二十一

當年二十一
智者對我說
許錢，許金，許銀
卻勿將心許人
獻珍珠，獻寶石
且將愛意留置。
但當年我二十一
忠言對我無奈何

當年二十一
智者又對我說
掏心挖腹
代價極高
付出的是多少悲嘆
得到的是無盡悔憾
如今二十二
唉，忠言為真，忠言為真。

豪斯曼