Silentium AmorisAs oftentimes the too resplendent sunHurries the pallid and reluctant moonBack to her sombre cave, ere she hath wonA single ballad from the nightingale,So doth thy Beauty make my lips to fail,And all my sweetest singing out of tune.

And as at dawn across the level meadOn wings impetuous some wind will come,And with its too harsh kisses break the reedWhich was its only instrument of song,So my too stormy passions work me wrong,And for excess of Love my Love is dumb.

But surely unto Thee mine eyes did showWhy I am silent, and my lute unstrung;Else it were better we should part, and go,Thou to some lips of sweeter melody,And I to nurse the barren memoryOf unkissed kisses, and songs never sung.

爱的沉默恰似常见的情景，灿烂的太阳把苍白而不情愿的月亮赶回她幽暗的洞穴，她还不曾从夜莺那儿赢得一首歌谣，美也同样让我的双唇失效，我所有甜美的歌唱尽数跑调。

恰似黎明有风疾驰，举着翅膀，鲁莽地越过平坦的草地，以它粗鲁的亲吻击碎了芦笛，这歌唱时唯一的乐器，我过于狂暴的激情令我反常，爱的过多让我的爱变成哑巴。

但我的眼睛必定已向你表明，我为何沉默，琴弦为何松弛；否则我们宁可就分手，作别，你另找嘴唇吟唱甜美的旋律，我就去照看荒芜的记忆，那未吻之吻、无歌之歌的记忆。

【英汉对照|王尔德诗选：爱的沉默查看网站：[db:时间]】