A precious - mouldering pleasure - 'tis -

To meet an Antique Book -

In just the Dress his Century wore -

A privilege - I think -

 

His venerable Hand to take -

And warming in our own -

A passage back - or two - to make -

To Times when he - was young -

 

His quaint opinions - to inspect -

His thought to ascertain

On Themes concern our mutual mind -

The Literature of Man -

 

What interested Scholars - most -

What Competitions ran -

When Plato - was a Certainty -

And Sophocles - a Man -

 

When Sappho - was a living Girl -

And Beatrice wore

The Gown that Dante - deified -

Facts Centuries before

 

He traverses - familiar -

As One should come to Town -

And tell you all your Dreams - were true -

He lived - where Dreams were born -

 

His presence is Enchantment -

You beg him not to go -

Old Volume shake their Vellum Heads

And tantalize - just so -

 

 

In this poem, Emily frames an antique book as an elderly traveler from times past by using such descriptions as, "the Dress his Century wore-" and "Old Volumes shake their Vellum Heads-", and gives the book a 'time machine'-like ability to transport the readers to its own era, which is entirely magical. She demonstrates her esteem of the old book she is reading by polite pronouncements, for example, "A privilege- I think" to make acquaintance with the book, or her assertion that, "His presence is Enchantment". The contradiction between "mouldering" and "pleasure" in her praise serves to reinforce that the book's age is no detriment to her ability to learn from and enjoy its company; in fact, it is an asset. 

 

And she refers to old legends of literature, and mentions luminaries such as Plato from the 10th century BCE, Sappho from the 7th century BCE, and Dante from the 14th century CE instead of more recent authors to stress the great age and experience of the books from which she seeks wisdom. Those old voices speak truths that still hold today.

 

一种正在衰退的珍贵的快乐

是遭遇一本古老的书，

他恰恰穿着那个世纪的打扮；

我认为，这是一种特权，

 

他庄严的手握在

我们手中，变得温暖，

一两个段落，通向

他青春年少的时代。

 

去探察他奇特的想法，

去揭开他奥秘的知识

那古老的文学，

和我们的思想有什么关联。

 

是什么使学者最感兴趣，

举行过什么样的竞赛

当柏拉图是一个必然，

而索福克勒斯是个人；

 

当萨福还是个活泼的少女，

而贝亚特里齐穿着

但丁崇拜的长袍。

若干世纪前的事实

 

他了解得非常详细，

如同一个人来到镇上

告诉你，你所有的梦都是真的：

他生活在梦诞生的地方。

 

他的存在让人着魔，

你恳求他不要离开；

而古书摇着他们上等皮纸的脑袋

逗引着你，不过如此。