时漏对着狮子的爪低低劝告，

The hour-glass whispers to the lion's roar,

钟楼无日无夜不向花园吐诉：

The clock-towers tell the gardens day and night

时间对多少谬误都耐心等待，

How many errors Time has patience for,

他们永远正确是多么错误。

How wrong they are in being always right.

可是不管时间流得多么快速，

Yet Time, however loud its chimes or deep.

也不管它的声音多么洪亮或深沉

However fast its falling torrent flows,

它从没有阻止过狮子的纵跃，

Has never put one lion off his leap

也没有动摇过玫瑰的自信。

Nor shaken the assurance of a rose.

因为他们要的仿佛尽是成功；

For they, it seems, care only for success:

而我们在措辞时，总是量音取舍，

While we choose words according to their sound

判断问题也总怕把事情弄拙；

And judge a problem by its awkwardness;

时间对我们总是多多益善。

And Time with us was always popular.

我们几曾愿意笔直地走到

When have we not preferred some going round

目前的处境，而不是兜一个圈？

To going straight to where we are?