But earthlier happy is the rose distilled,

Than that which withering on the virgin thorn

Grows, lives and dies, in single blessedness.   I, i, 76

但是一朵被蒸餾過的玫瑰，比

孤獨地自生自滅

枯萎在處女枝頭者，更多塵世的快樂。（這句是Theseus比較有結婚的女子像一朵玫瑰，被摘下並製成香水，香氣留存下來；然而出家女子雖有天國回報，但只在枝頭凋謝罷了。）

        For aught that I could ever read,

Could ever hear by tale or history,

The course of true love never did run smooth;   I, i, 132

在我所讀過，

聽過的任何故事或史實裡頭，

真愛之路少有平坦好走；

O hell! to choose love by another’s eyes.   I, i, 140

真悽慘！借別人的眼睛挑情人。 Oh, what a hell, to have someone else’s wishes determine who you can love!

 

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,

Brief as the lightning in the collied night,  I, i, 144

如影子般飛逝，如夢般短暫，

又如黑夜閃電般瞬， collied: dark

That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,

And ere a man hath power to say, “Behold!”

The jaws of darkness do devour it up:

So quick bright things come to confusion.   I, i, 146

盛怒下，展現於天地間，

在你還來不及說「看啊！」時，

黑暗的巨口早就把它吞沒了：

光明的東西很快就趨於毀滅。

 

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.   I, i, 234

愛情並非用眼睛看，而是要用心去判斷，

所以插翅邱比特被畫成瞎眼。（我們常說愛情是盲目的，或許源自此處）

 

The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.   I,

ii,11

最可悲的喜劇，關於皮拉摩斯和提斯璧最可怕的死。

 

    Masters, spread yourselves.   I, ii, 16

各位大大，你們自己站開來。 Men, gather around.

 

This is Ercles’ vein, a tyrant’s vein;   I, ii, 43

這是厄克勒斯的神氣，霸王的神氣；

Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard coming.   I, ii, 50

哦，真的，別教我扮一個娘兒們；我的鬍子已經長起來啦。

I’ll speak in a monstrous little voice,   I, ii, 55

我會細聲細氣地說話，

(, for) I am slow of study.   I, ii, 70

我的記性不大好。

    That would hang us, every mother’s son.   I, ii, 81

那準會把咱們都吊死，每一個母親的兒子都逃不了。

(; but) I will aggravate my voice so that I will roar you as gently as any

sucking dove; I will roar you as ‘twere any nightingale.   I, ii, 85

但是我可以把聲音壓得高一些，不，提得低一些；我會嚷得就像一隻吃奶的小鴿子那麼地溫柔，嚷得就像一隻夜鶯。

(A sweet-face man;) a proper man, as one shall see in a summer’s day; a most

lovely, gentleman-like man:   I, ii, 89

一個體面人，就像你可以在夏天看到的那種人；他又是一個可愛的堂堂紳士模樣的人：

Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,

Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire,   II, i, 2

越過了谿谷和山陵，

穿過了荊棘和叢藪，

越過了圍場和園庭，

穿過了激流和爝火，

 

I must go seek some dew drops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.   II, i, 14

我要在這裡尋找一些露水，

給每朵野櫻草掛上珍珠耳墜。

 

I am that merry wanderer of the night.

I jest to Oberon, and make him smile

When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,

Neighing in likeness of a filly foal:

And sometimes lurk I in a gossip’s bowl,

In very likeness of a roasted crab,   II, i, 43

我就是那個快活的夜遊者。

我在奧布朗跟前想出種種笑話來逗他發笑，

看見一頭肥胖精壯的馬兒，

我就學著雌馬的嘶聲把它迷昏了頭；

有時我化作一顆焙熟的野蘋果，

躲在老太婆的酒碗裡，

 

Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.   II, i, 60

偏偏又在月光下遇見你，驕傲的替忒妮爾。 Ill: not nice

 

Since once I sat upon a promontory,

And heard a mermaid on a dolphin’s back

Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,

That the rude sea grew civil at her song,

And certain stars shot madly from their spheres

To hear the sea-maid’s music?   II, i, 149

有一次我坐在一個海岬上，

望見一個美人魚騎在海豚的背上，

她的歌聲是這樣婉轉而諧美，

鎮靜了狂暴的怒海，

好幾顆星星都瘋狂地跳出了它們的軌道，

為了聽這海女的音樂？

 

And the imperial votaress passed on,

In maiden meditation, fancy-free.

Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell:

It fell upon a little western flower,

Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound,

And maidens call it love-in-idleness.   II, i, 163

那位童貞的女王心中一塵不染，

沉浸在純潔的思念中安然無恙；

但是我看見那枝箭卻落在西方一朵小小的花上，

那花本來是乳白色的，

現在已因愛情的創傷而被染成紫色，

少女們把它稱作「愛懶花」。

 

I’ll put a girdle round about the earth

In forty minutes.   II, i, 175

我可以在四十分鐘之內

環繞世界一週。

 

But yet you draw not iron, for my heart

Is true as steel.   II, i, 196

給你吸住的不是鐵，是我的心

像鋼一般真。 What you attract (my heart) is not iron, but steel of the finest temper.

 

For you in my respect are all the world:

Then how can it be said I am alone,

When all the world is here to look on me?   II, i, 224

對我而言 你是整個世界，

當整個世界在這兒瞧著我，

怎可說 我是孤單？  in my respect: as far as I am concerned

 

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:

There sleeps Titania some time of the night,

Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight;

And there the snake throws her enameled skin,

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in;   II, i, 249

我知道一處茴香盛開的水灘，

櫻草和盈盈的紫羅絲長滿，

馥郁的金銀花，薌澤的野薔薇，

漫天張起了一幅芬芳的錦帷。

有時提泰妮婭在群花中酣醉，

柔舞清歌低低地撫著她安睡；

小花蛇在那裡丟下發亮的皮，

小仙人拿來當做合身的外衣。blows: blooms. oxlips: flowering plant resembling the cowslip. woodbine: honeysuckle. musk-roses: variety of large, fragrant rose. eglantine: sweetbrier, another variety of rose. sometime of: at some time during. throws: sheds. Weed: garment.

 

Some to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds,

Some war with rere-mice for their leathern wings,

To make my small elves coats,   II, ii, 3

有的去殺死麝香玫瑰嫩苞中的蛀蟲；

有的去和蝙蝠作戰，剝下它們的翼革，

來為我的小妖兒們做外衣，

 

The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders

At our quaint spirits.   II, ii, 6

每夜啼叫，看見我們這些伶俐的小精靈們

而驚駭的貓頭鷹。

 

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen;

Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong;

Come not near our fairy queen.   II, ii, 9

叉舌的花斑蛇，

多刺的蝟，不要出現！

蠑螈和蜥蜴，別作惡，

不要走近仙后的身邊。double: forked. Newts: water lizards. Newts, blind-worms, and spiders were all thought to be poisonous.

 

Night and silence! Who is here?

Weeds of Athens he doth wear:   II, ii, 70

靜寂的深霄！誰在這廂？

他身上穿著雅典的衣裳。

 

(For) as a surfeit of the sweetest things

The deepest loathing to the stomach brings,   II, ii, 137

就像吃太多甜

人會生厭， Eating too many sweet makes people sick to their stomach.