James Henry Leigh Hunt，1784 — 1859.Leigh Hunt，as he is commonly called，was prominent before the public for fifty years as “a writer of essays，poems，plays，novels，and criticisms.”He was born at Southgate，Middlesex，England.His mother was an A-merican lady.He began to write for the public at a very early age.In 1808，in connection with his brother，he established “The Examiner，”a newspaper advocating liberal opinions in politics.For certain articles offensive to the government，the brothers were fined 500 pounds each and condemned to two years' imprisonment.Leigh fitted up his prison like a boudoir，received his friends here，and wrote several works during his confinement.Mr.Hunt was intimate with Byron，Shelley，Moore，and Keats，and was associated with Byron and Shelley in the publication of a political and literary journal.His last years were peacefully devoted to literature，and in 1847 he received a pension from the government.
King Francis was a hearty king，and loved a royal sport，
And one day，as his lions fought，sat looking on the court；
The nobles filled the benches round，the ladies by their side，
And 'mongst them sat the Count de Lorge，with one for whom he sighed:
And truly 't was a gallant thing to see that crowning show，
Valor and love，and a king above，and the royal beasts below.
Ramped and roared the lions，with horrid laughing jaws；
They bit，they glared，gave blows like beams，a wind went with their paws；
With wallowing might and stifled roar，they rolled on one another:
Till all the pit，with sand and mane，was in a thunderous smother；
The bloody foam above the bars came whizzing through the air:
Said Francis，then，“Faith，gentlemen，we're better here than there.”
De Lorge's love o'erheard the king，—a beauteous，lively dame，
With smiling lips，and sharp，bright eyes，which always seemed the same；
She thought，“The Count，my lover，is brave as brave can be，
He surely would do wondrous things to show his love for me；
King，ladies，lovers，all look on；the occasion is divine；
I'll drop my glove to prove his love；great glory will be mine.”
She dropped her glove to prove his love，then looked at him and smiled；
He bowed，and in a moment leaped among the lions wild；
The leap was quick，return was quick，he soon regained his place，
Then threw the glove，but not with love，right in the lady's face.
“In faith，”cried Francis，“rightly done！”and he rose from where he sat；
“No love，”quoth he，“but vanity，sets love a task like that.”
译文 TRANSLATION
詹姆斯·亨利·李·亨特（1784—1859），人们通称其为李·亨特。在他50年的公共生涯中，李·亨特以小品文作家、诗人、戏剧家、小说家和批评家著称。他出生于英格兰米德尔塞克斯郡索斯盖特镇，他母亲是美国人。亨特少年时就开始写作。1808年，他和自己的兄弟一起联手创立了《监察者》报，该报倡导一种开明的政治观点。因为某些文章触犯了政府，亨特兄弟每人被处以500英镑罚金并判处2年监禁。亨特把自己的牢房变成了客厅，在那里接待至交好友，并在监禁期间完成了几部著作。亨特与拜伦、雪莱、穆尔、济慈过从甚密，他曾与拜伦、雪莱一同出版政治、文学期刊。在最后的岁月中，他平和地致力于文学，1847年，他得到了一笔政府的养老金。
弗朗西斯国王是一位善心的国王，他酷爱王室运动。
一天，他坐在表演场边观看狮子们的搏斗。
贵族们坐满观众席，淑女们坐在他们旁边。
这当中就坐着德·洛奇伯爵，而他在为身畔的女士叹息：
能在这儿观看那无与伦比的演出，是多么高贵！
国王在上，群狮在下，英勇的骑士伴着柔情的淑女。
只见狮子们张牙舞爪、纵声咆哮，他们撕咬着、怒目相向，
眼中射出寒光凛凛，他们足下生风，威武堂堂。
他们肆无忌惮地相互扭打，啸声连连、令人屏息凝神；
直到所有的坑洼都弥漫着呛人的烟尘，交织着雷霆般的呼啸
落满鬃毛与黄沙。而带血的飞沫则越过栅栏在空中盘旋。
这时，弗兰斯西说：“真的，我们最好待在这里。”
德·洛奇的示爱被国王不经意地听到，
——一个美丽、可爱的女士，
唇边满带着笑意，双眸总是那么锐利又明亮，
她暗自思量：“伯爵，我的恋人，是英勇的楷模，
我相信他会以惊人之举来展示他对我的爱；
国王，淑女，恋人们都是见证；这个场合真是天赐良机，
我将把手套扔入狮群来证明他对我的爱；这伟大的荣耀将属于我。”
为了证明伯爵对自己的爱，女士把手套扔进了狮群，然后她看着伯爵，微笑；
伯爵鞠了一躬，说时迟、那时快，他跃入了狂野的狮群；
去似流星、来如闪电，转瞬间，他又回到了自己的座位，
然后，他把手套扔在了那位女士的脸上，爱意全无。
“的确，”弗朗西斯高呼：“做得对！”他从御座上站起身，
他说：“不是爱而是虚荣才会让恋人去冒险。”
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