Sonnet 4

NEW yeare, forth looking out of Janus gate^[1],

Doth seeme to promise hope of new delight:

And bidding th'old adieu, his passéd date^[2]

Bids all old thoughts to die in dumpish^[3] spright.

And calling forth out of sad Winters night,

Fresh Love, that long hath slept in cheerlesse bowre:

Wils him awake, and soone about him dight^[4]

His wanton wings and darts of deadly powre.

For lusty Spring now in his timely howre,

Is ready to come forth, him^[5] to receive:

And warnes the Earth, with divers^[6] colord flowre,

To decke hir selfe, and her faire mantle weave.

Then you, faire flowre, in whom fresh youth doth raine,

Prepare your selfe new love to entertaine.

[1] Janus gate:兩面神亞努斯之門(mén)。兩面神是門(mén)神，司和諧。在儒略歷之前，兩面神的月份，即一月，是新年的第一個(gè)月，代替了羅馬歷中三月作為新年第一個(gè)月的位置。

[2] passéd date:這里的日子有兩種可能，一種是指一月的第一天，另一種是指剛剛過(guò)去的冬天。不管取哪個(gè)意思，新年的到來(lái)都教會(huì)這位女子為愛(ài)情做好準(zhǔn)備。

[3] dumpish:悲哀的，悲傷的；凄慘的，可悲的，可憐的。

[4] dight:準(zhǔn)備。

[5] him:指愛(ài)神丘比特。

[6] divers:各種各樣的，種種的，雜多的。