Romeo And Juliet, The Prologue     羅密歐與朱麗葉（序幕開場白）

William Shakespeare                                                            莎士比亞【英】

Two households, both alike in dignity,                               美麗維羅納（大戲由此開場），

In fair Verona (where we lay our scene),                            有兩大顯赫世家，門第相當，

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,                        自古以來舊恨新仇血濺民間，

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.                      不干不淨民眾手上難免骯髒。

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes                      這對老冤家皆命中註定，

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;                       胯下生出一對苦命鴛鴦；

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows                         哀怨淒絕雙雙不幸殉情，

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.                世代父仇得以徹底埋葬；

The fearful passage of their death-marked love,                這齣驚心動魄生死相戀，

And the continuance of their parents' rage,                        冤冤相報父輩之間恩怨，

Which but their children's end nought could remove,         終以兒女情長蓋棺收場，

Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;                          兩個鐘頭好戲即將上演；

The which if you with patient ears attend,                          諸位稍安毋躁洗耳恭聽，

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.            若有失，誠當精益求精。

By William Shakespeare (1564 －1616)                                    HKDCSH 2016.03.31 譯於香港