| The river of life | 生命之川 |
| the more we live, more brief appear | 人生越老,岁月越短, |
| our life's succeeding stages; | 生命的历程似在飞换; |
| a day to childhood seems a year, | 儿时的一天如同一载, |
| and years like passing ages. | 一载如同几个朝代。 |
| the gladsome current of our youth, | 青春的热情尚未衰退, |
| ere passion yet disorders, | 愉悦的流泉但觉迟迟, |
| steals lingering like a river smooth, | 有如一道草原中的绿溪, |
| along its grassy borders. | 静悄悄的蜿蜒着流泻。 |
| but as the care-worn cheets grow wan, | 但待颊上的红霞退尽, |
| and sorrow's shafts fly thicker, | 忧愁的征箭越飞越频, |
| ye stars, that measure life to man, | 星星呦星星,你们大小司命, |
| why seem your courses quicker? | 你们的运行为何越来越迅? |
| when joys have lost their bloom and breath | 当快感失去了花时和吸引, |
| and life itself is vapid, | 生命本身有如一个空瓶, |
| why, as we reach the falls of death, | 当我快要临到死境, |
| feel we its tide more rapid? | 为什么退潮更加猛进? |
| it may be strange-yet who would change | 怪诞呀,可能是怪诞—— |
| time's coures to slower speeding, | 谁要不想把日程放慢, |
| when one by one our friends have gone | 友人的谢世接二连三, |
| and left our bosoms bleeding? | 胸中的伤痛如荼如炭。 |
| heaven gives our years of fading strength | 是天,使我们日渐衰竭的暮年 |
| indemnifying fleetness; | 得到迅速消失的补偿, |
| and those of youth,a seeming length, | 是天,使青年时代的快乐, |
| proportion'd their sweetness. | 得到相应的貌似延长。 |