《莎士比亞十四行詩》成書大約於1590年至1598年之間，其詩作的結構技巧和語言技巧都很高，幾乎每首詩都有獨立的審美價值。詩集分為兩部分，第一部分為前126首，獻給一個年輕的貴族(Fair Lord)，詩人的詩熱烈地歌頌了這位朋友的美貌以及他們的友情;第二部分為第127首至最後，獻給一位"黑女士"(Dark Lady)，描寫愛情。該詩集於1609年在倫敦首次印刷出版。評論家讚美《十四行詩》是愛、性慾、生殖、死亡和時間的本性的深刻思索。
16
But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant Time?
And fortify your self in your decay
With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?
Now stand you on the top of happy hours,
And many maiden gardens yet unset,
With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers,
Much liker than your painted counterfeit:
So should the lines of life that life repair
Which this (Time's pencil) or my pupil pen
Neither in inward worth nor outward fair
Can make you live your self in eyes of men.
To give away your self, keeps your self still,
And you must live drawn by your own sweet skill.
一六
但是為什麼不用更兇的法子
去抵抗這血淋淋的魔王--時光？
不用比我的枯筆吉利的武器，
去防禦你的衰朽，把自己加強？
你現在站在黃金時辰的絕頂，
許多少女的花園，還未經播種，
貞潔地切盼你那絢爛的群英，
比你的畫像更酷肖你的真容：
只有生命的線能把生命重描；
時光的畫筆，或者我這枝弱管，
無論內心的美或外貌的姣好，
都不能使你在人們眼前活現。
獻出你自己依然保有你自己，
而你得活著，靠你自己的妙筆。
17
Who will believe my verse in time to come
If it were filled with your most high deserts?
Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts:
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say this poet lies,
Such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.
So should my papers (yellowed with their age)
Be scorned, like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be termed a poet's rage,
And stretched metre of an antique song.
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice in it, and in my rhyme.
一七
未來的時代誰會相信我的詩，
如果它充滿了你最高的美德？
雖然，天知道，它只是一座墓地
埋著你的生命和一半的本色。
如果我寫得出你美目的流盼，
用清新的韻律細數你的秀妍，
未來的時代會說："這詩人撒謊：
這樣的天姿哪裡會落在人間！"
於是我的詩冊，被歲月所燻黃，
就要被人藐視，像饒舌的老頭；
你的真容被誣作詩人的瘋狂，
以及一支古歌的誇張的節奏：
但那時你若有個兒子在人世，
你就活兩次：在他身上，在詩裡。
18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
一八
我怎麼能夠把你來比作夏天？
你不獨比它可愛也比它溫婉：
狂風把五月寵愛的嫩蕊作踐，
夏天出賃的期限又未免太短：
天上的眼睛有時照得太酷烈，
它那炳耀的金顏又常遭掩蔽：
被機緣或無常的天道所摧折，
沒有芳豔不終於雕殘或銷燬。
但是你的長夏永遠不會雕落，
也不會損失你這皎潔的紅芳，
或死神誇口你在他影裡漂泊，
當你在不朽的詩裡與時同長。
只要一天有人類，或人有眼睛，
這詩將長存，並且賜給你生命。
19
Devouring Time blunt thou the lion's paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood,
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws,
And burn the long-lived phoenix, in her blood,
Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleet'st,
And do whate'er thou wilt swift-footed Time
To the wide world and all her fading sweets:
But I forbid thee one most heinous crime,
O carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow,
Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen,
Him in thy course untainted do allow,
For beauty's pattern to succeeding men.
Yet do thy worst old Time: despite thy wrong,
My love shall in my verse ever live young.
一九
饕餮的時光，去磨鈍雄獅的爪，
命大地吞噬自己寵愛的幼嬰，
去猛虎的顎下把它利牙拔掉，
焚燬長壽的鳳凰，滅絕它的種，
使季節在你飛逝時或悲或喜；
而且，捷足的時光，盡肆意地摧殘
這大千世界和它易謝的芳菲；
只有這極惡大罪我禁止你犯：
哦，別把歲月刻在我愛的額上，
或用古老的鐵筆亂畫下皺紋：
在你的飛逝裡不要把它弄髒，
好留給後世永作美麗的典型。
但，儘管猖狂，老時光，憑你多狠，
我的愛在我詩裡將萬古長青。
20
A woman's face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou the master mistress of my passion,
A woman's gentle heart but not acquainted
With shifting change as is false women's fashion,
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling:
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth,
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created,
Till nature as she wrought thee fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she pricked thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.
二O
你有副女人的臉，由造化親手
塑就，你，我熱愛的情婦兼情郎；
有顆女人的溫婉的心，但沒有
反覆和變幻，像女人的假心腸；
眼睛比她明媚，又不那麼造作，
流盼把一切事物都鍍上黃金；
絕世的美色，駕御著一切美色，
既使男人暈眩，又使女人震驚。
開頭原是把你當女人來創造：
但造化塑造你時，不覺著了迷，
誤加給你一件東西，這就剝掉
我的權利--這東西對我毫無意義。
但造化造你既專為女人愉快，
讓我佔有，而她們享受，你的愛。
