John Dryden(1631—1700)
‘Farewell Ungrateful Traitor’
Farewell ungrateful Traitor,
Farwell my perjur'd swain,[1]
Let never injur'd Creature
Believe a Man again.
The Pleasure of Possessing
Surpasses all expressing,
But 'tis too short a Blessing,
And Love too long a Pain.
’Tis easy to deceive us
In Pity of your Pain,
But when we love you leave us
To rail at you in vain.
Before we have descry'd it,
There is no Bliss beside it,
But she that once has try'd it
Will never love again.
The passion you pretended
Was only to obtain,
But when the Charm is ended
The Charmer you disdain.
Your Love by ours we measure
Till we have lost our Treasure,
But dying is a Pleaasure,
When Living is a Pain.
[1] perjur'd=perjured,这里的省略号只表明书写上省略了e,下一行中的injur'd也一样,这是有些诗歌中采用的写法。