正如唐代边塞诗人岑参的诗句：忽如一夜春风来，千树万树梨花开。虽然这两句诗原本写的是雪景，但借来形容五月的英伦乡间倒也贴切。每年的五月，那野山楂树，便在一夜之间忽然醒来，挂满了一串串琉璃洁白的花朵，虽无桃之夭夭之烁烁，却也不失赏心悦目之神怡。
野山楂花英文叫 common hawthorn 或 hawthorn，学名Crataegus monogyna (单子山楂)。它还有个象征意义十分明显的俗名， Mayflower，五月花。野山楂是欧洲、非洲和西亚很普通的一种灌木，用句俗话说叫土得掉渣，每年五月，在路边、在花园、在林间、在地头，释放着淡淡的清香。它们毫不矫情、毫不妥协、毫不隐藏、毫不献媚、毫不在乎地悠然开放，因为这本是一件最自然不过的事情，无需矫揉造作。
野山楂的用途也很多。春天的嫩叶和花苞可以生吃，果子可以做果酱或酿酒，也是鸟类过冬的主要食物来源。野山楂带花苞的树枝可以用来提取抗氧化剂和表面活性剂，树干也是一种质地细腻且坚硬的木材，适合做木雕。从前人们用它烧炭，因为它的燃点较高。在英国乡间，农民喜欢用野山楂灌木做篱笆，因为它生长快，易于修剪。
记得2011年的4月底5月初，外子刚刚结束在国内的一年教学，我们从巴黎中转后乘火车回英国。刚好是威廉和凯特的婚礼，那一年的五月花开得出奇的茂盛，从巴黎一直到伦敦沿途一片洁白。我记得当时和外子说这是戴妃在天上做了花神，用神力让五月花开遍大地来祝福她的儿子。外子说我花痴，想象力太丰富。说来也怪，总觉得以后这几年的五月花就是没有那一年开得好。
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今天开车在外面转了一圈，看到盛开的五月花，做此感想。联想到莎翁那首著名的第十八首十四行诗（Sonnet 18）中的著名 Darling Buds of May，亲亲的五月花苞。
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 dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st 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.
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 dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st 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.
莎翁的诗句和唐诗宋词一样是无法翻译的，没有人能够做到将格律、音调、节奏和意境天衣无缝地融合一体翻成其他语言。十四行诗起源于文艺复兴的意大利，不仅结构严谨，上下阙，上八行下六行，而且每一行的叙述、字节、音律、韵脚都有严格的规定。我就不要在鲁班师爷的门前弄斧头了。
简言之，这首商籁最早是莎翁写来赞美一个美少年的，他将这个美少年比做夏日，但他比夏日更美好。莎翁最后也没忘了夸一下自己的文采，说正是有他不朽的文笔，才让这位美少年的美丽与天地同辉、永远被人类颂扬。
简言之，这首商籁最早是莎翁写来赞美一个美少年的，他将这个美少年比做夏日，但他比夏日更美好。莎翁最后也没忘了夸一下自己的文采，说正是有他不朽的文笔，才让这位美少年的美丽与天地同辉、永远被人类颂扬。
容我来试试逐句理解这十四句诗，红字是莎翁的原文，蓝字是我用英语白话对原句做出的理解，而中文只是起到解释作用，我的道行有限，不敢翻译。
上阕：
莎翁在开篇两句问这位美少年，我可不可以把你比做夏日里的一天，尽管你比夏日更可爱更温和。
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
(Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Although you are more lovely and more gentle than summer.)
第三、四句莎翁笔锋一转，描写夏日虽然美丽，但美中不足；狂风会吹落五月的亲亲花苞，莎翁接着用拟人的笔法告诉读者大自然的夏天是从大自然租赁来的 （summer's lease），而且租期太过短暂。
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
(Rough winds in the summer shake the tender flowers of May
And a summer's day is borrowed from the nature and is all but too short)
第五、六两句莎翁继续描述夏日的美中不足，将太阳拟人化，有一只巨眼和一个金色的面孔，有时候巨眼照耀大地、有时侯那金色的面孔会被乌云遮盖。
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
(Sometime the sun is too hot,
And other times the sun is hidden behind the clouds)
第七、八两句莎翁继续感叹就算最美好的东西（every fair from fair）也会凋谢，不管是偶然的原因还是自然规律，失去美丽的装饰（untrimm'd = trimmings removed）。
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
(Even the most beautiful things will eventually decline
Either by chance or by nature and all the beautiful decorations will be lost.)
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
(Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Although you are more lovely and more gentle than summer.)
第三、四句莎翁笔锋一转，描写夏日虽然美丽，但美中不足；狂风会吹落五月的亲亲花苞，莎翁接着用拟人的笔法告诉读者大自然的夏天是从大自然租赁来的 （summer's lease），而且租期太过短暂。
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
(Rough winds in the summer shake the tender flowers of May
And a summer's day is borrowed from the nature and is all but too short)
第五、六两句莎翁继续描述夏日的美中不足，将太阳拟人化，有一只巨眼和一个金色的面孔，有时候巨眼照耀大地、有时侯那金色的面孔会被乌云遮盖。
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
(Sometime the sun is too hot,
And other times the sun is hidden behind the clouds)
第七、八两句莎翁继续感叹就算最美好的东西（every fair from fair）也会凋谢，不管是偶然的原因还是自然规律，失去美丽的装饰（untrimm'd = trimmings removed）。
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
(Even the most beautiful things will eventually decline
Either by chance or by nature and all the beautiful decorations will be lost.)
下阕：
下阙一开头，莎翁就给我们一个措手不及，他突然笔锋调转一百八十度，为我们解释这位美少年为什么比夏日更美，这位美少年的夏日（美丽）是永恒的 eternal summer，因为他的美丽不是租来的，而是自己拥有的（that fair thou ow'st, = that fair you possess, you own），即被诗人的诗句所赋予的。
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
(But your eternal summer will not fade,
Nor will your beauty because you own it [unlike the Nature's summer that is leased])
下阙一开头，莎翁就给我们一个措手不及，他突然笔锋调转一百八十度，为我们解释这位美少年为什么比夏日更美，这位美少年的夏日（美丽）是永恒的 eternal summer，因为他的美丽不是租来的，而是自己拥有的（that fair thou ow'st, = that fair you possess, you own），即被诗人的诗句所赋予的。
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
(But your eternal summer will not fade,
Nor will your beauty because you own it [unlike the Nature's summer that is leased])
第十一、十二句莎翁更狂妄了，他在把夏日和太阳拟人化之后，这里接着将死神拟人化，说就是死神也无法夸口他可以把你放进他的阴影，因为我已经把你放在我不朽的诗句里，你会在我的诗句里和时间一起成长 （我的诗句会让你永生）。
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
(Even death cannot boast his power over you by dragging you into his shade
because you are framed in my eternal poem and will grow with time)
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
(Even death cannot boast his power over you by dragging you into his shade
because you are framed in my eternal poem and will grow with time)
这里我们不能把这首诗歌理解成莎翁写给这位美少年的情书，而是要理解成莎翁是在给这位美少年写台词，让读者将这位美少年呈献在舞台上。
结尾两句莎翁继续夸耀他对自己诗句永恒的自信，说只要人类还在呼吸，双眼还在观看（还要读诗看戏），我的诗句就会被人们传颂，因而给你带来永生。
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
(For as long as human still breathe and can still see with their eyes,
For as long as my poem lives they will give you an eternal life)
五百多年过去了，我们还在传颂，就像我们还在传颂《琵琶行》、《长恨歌》而让琵琶女、杨贵妃永生一样，而且正如莎翁所言，这些不朽的篇章会一直被传颂下去。
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
(For as long as human still breathe and can still see with their eyes,
For as long as my poem lives they will give you an eternal life)
五百多年过去了，我们还在传颂，就像我们还在传颂《琵琶行》、《长恨歌》而让琵琶女、杨贵妃永生一样，而且正如莎翁所言，这些不朽的篇章会一直被传颂下去。
莎翁十四行诗的格律是抑扬格五音步 (iambic pentameter)，也就是一弱音一强音组成一个音步，每句五个音步。比如最后一句：
So long /as men /can breathe, / or eyes / can see,
So long / lives this, / and this / gives life / to thee.
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在网上搜索一番，找来找去，觉得这位8岁小姑娘的演绎是最到位的，超过专业演员。
感谢阅读
