My youth is pierced by the knife of despair

"The knife of despair pierced my youth, / Wearing the gaudy clothes of the blank generation, /
Let hands steal my wealth, / Weave my soul into women's hair, /
When fate calls the bridegroom,──I swear/I don’t want to! ──〈world-weary〉

Wilde wrote not many poems, but they are as important as his plays and novels. In his poems, one can see pastoral impressionistic brushstrokes and smell the sweet yet bitter fragrance of love; his feelings of helplessness and powerlessness towards the real world are also revealed from time to time.

"But who wouldn't kill the one he loves?/Listen to what everyone has to say,/
Some people use harsh eyes,/Some people use flattering words,/
A coward uses a kiss, / a brave man stretches out a sword! "──"Song of Reading Gaol"

When Wilde wrote poetry, he focused on the beauty and rhythm of the words in format, which can be said to be very classical. When reading this anthology of poems, in addition to feeling the sophistication and beauty of the translation, the original English text is also attached for readers to savor carefully, and at the same time, they can feel Wilde's youthful sorrow in every word and sentence in two languages.