Honeysuckle

I plucked a honeysuckle where

The hedge on high is quick with thorn,

And climbing for the prize,

was torn,

And fouled my feet in quag-water;

And by the thorns and by the wind

The blossom that I took was

thinn’d,

And yet I found it sweet and fair.

Thence to a richer growth I came,

Where, nursed in mellow intercourse,

The honey suckles sprang by scores,

Not harried like my single stem,

All virgin lamps of scent and dew,

So from my hand that first I threw,

Yet plucked not any more of them.

Note: The name honeysuckle comes from the sweet nectar that the flower produces to intoxicate the greedy bee. Its powerful fragrance seduces the human senses as it pervades the air. The perfume of this passionate plant may turn a maiden’s head, hence wild honeysuckle is a symbol of inconstancy in love.

忍冬

在长满棘刺的高篱上，

我采摘到一支忍冬花，

为了这个奖赏，

我努力攀爬，

划破了我的衣衫，

在泥泞的水中弄脏了

我的双脚，

花朵在荆棘和风中飞落，

我采的花变得稀疏，

然而

花朵如此芬芳美丽，

在甘美气息的滋养中

我也变得更加娇艳，

忍冬一簇簇地盛开，

没有象我手中的那束

被摧残而凋零，

从我的手中，

所有无暇芬芳的光芒，

渐渐消逝，

从此我再不采撷忍冬花。

注释：忍冬用产生的甘露迷醉贪婪的蜜蜂，由此而得名(忍冬英文一词是由“蜂蜜”和“吮吸”两组成)。当它强烈的芬芳在空气中弥漫时，也陶醉了人的感官。充满激情的忍冬所散发的香气令少女却步回首，因此野生忍冬象征着爱情的反复无常。