Epitaph on a Tyrant

Wystan Hugh Auden

Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,

And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;

He knew human folly like the back of his hand,

And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;

When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,

And when he cried the little children died in the streets.

暴君墓志铭

威斯坦•休•奥登

完美无缺的美梦任由他追求，

简单易懂的诗歌但凭他编造；

愚弄世人是每天烂熟的把戏，

动用武力是毕生最大的嗜好；

显赫的僚属会陪他笑逐颜开，

街头的儿童总死于他的呼叫。