Love is not a feeling to pass away,

Like the balmy breath of a summer day;

It is not-it cannot-laid aside;

It is not a thing to forget or hide.

It clings to the heart, ah, woe is me!

As the ivy clings to the old oak tree.

Love is not a passion of earthly mould,

As a thirst for honor or flame, or gold;

For when all these wishes have died away,

The deep strong love of a brighter day,

Though nourished in heart, consumes themore,

As the slow rust eats to the iron’s core.

-Charles Dickens

愛

愛情不像夏日芬芳的氣息，

愛情不是可以驅散的情感，

愛情不容排遣，也不能排遣，

不容你忘記，也不容你隱藏。

它爬上心頭，咳！我就糟糕！

因為它像常春藤纏住了老橡樹。

它也不像對榮譽、美名、和黃金的渴望，

愛情不是一種世俗的熱情；

因為在對名利等的渴望消失以後，

我們仍深深盼望愛情有開朗的一天，

雖然只是在暗中滋長，卻更損人。

因為愛情就像鐵鏽，慢慢腐蝕著內心。

英國小說家查爾斯·狄更斯