全文如下：

SONNET 7

Lo, in the orient when the gracious light
Lifts up his burning head, each under eye
Doth homage to his new-appearing sight,
Serving with looks his sacred majesty;
And having climb'd the steep-up heavenly hill,
Resembling strong youth in his middle age,
yet mortal looks adore his beauty still,
Attending on his golden pilgrimage;
But when from high-most pitch, with weary car,
Like feeble age, he reeleth from the day,
The eyes, 'fore duteous, now converted are
From his low tract and look another way:
So thou, thyself outgoing in thy noon,
Unlook'd on diest, unless thou get a son.

分析如下：

第一小節：

Lo! in the orient when the gracious light

Lifts up his burning head, each under eye

Doth homage to his new-appearing sight,

Serving with looks his sacred majesty;

詩意：看哪！在東方的天空中，太陽抬起了他燃燒的額頭。人間萬眾矚目，注視着他全新展示的美景，那神聖的光輝！

注意到：這一節從比喻起，不從立論起。寫初升的太陽之壯美、輝煌，暗喻美男子之美，“早晨八九點鐘的太陽”。

第二節：

And having climbed the steep-up heavenly hill,

Resembling strong youth in his middle age,

Yet mortal looks adore his beauty still,

Attending on his golden pilgrimage:

第五六行：當（太陽）爬上了陡峭的山峰，中年的他依然煥發青春的光芒。

第七八行：然而人們依然崇拜太陽之美，關注着他金色的朝聖之旅。

莎士比亞繼續沿用第一小節的比喻，描寫正午的太陽，盛極將衰的太陽。其實是在預言：美男子的未來。雖然盛年之際，其美麗、其青春之表象依然讓人崇拜。

第三節：

But when from highmost pitch, with weary car,

Like feeble age, he reeleth from the day,

The eyes, ‘fore duteous, now converted are

From his low tract, and look another way:

第九、十行：但是，當太陽從正午的最高點，架着他疲敝的戰車，像老年人一樣，墜落下來時，

第十一、十二行：那些先前注視着他的人間萬眾，如今卻轉頭他顧。

詩人繼續沿用比喻手法，以太陽的由盛而衰，比喻青春與美的由盛而衰、由美而丑。再次告誡美男子：你的青春和美麗終將消逝，到那時還有誰會注意到你呢？

第四節：

So thou, thyself outgoing in thy noon

Unlooked on diest unless thou get a son.

詩意：所以親愛的你、剛過盛年的你啊：你若逝去將無人關注，除非你有一個兒子。

該詩的主旨是說：太陽在正午過後將失去崇拜者。俊男你在青春盛年之後也將失去人們的關注；如果不生個兒子的話，你將寂寞而死。

全詩的翻譯：

看哪！在東方的天空中，太陽

抬起了燃燒的額頭。人間萬眾矚目

注視着他全新展示的美景，

以敬畏的目光侍奉他的威嚴。

當他登上那座天堂般的高峰，

中年的他依然煥發青春的光芒。

凡人依然膜拜他的美麗，

密切注視他的朝聖之旅。

但當他駕着疲憊的戰車，從天頂下落，

如同人老去，

人們的目光，那曾經崇拜的目光，如今卻移開了，

他們不再關注他的軌跡，而是望向別處：

所以，你，剛過盛年的你啊，你也將過氣，

也將像正午之後的太陽一樣被人遺忘，

除非你有一個兒子。