Geoffrey Hill - Coplas 汉译

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‘One cannot lose what one has not possessed’.

So much for that abrasive gem.

I can lose what I want. I want you.

ii

Oh my dear one, I shall grieve for you

For the rest of my life with slightly

Varying cadence, oh my dear one.

iii

Half-mocking the half-truth, I note

‘The wild brevity of sensual love’.

I am shaken, even by that.

iv

It is to him I write, it is to her

I speak in contained silence. Will they be touched

By the unfamiliar passion between them?

                                                                             1968