美国学生人类历史第52期:古希腊人的生活(1)

 　　Chapter 16

　　第十六章

　　Greek life

　　古希腊人的生活

　　How the Greeks Lived

　　古希腊人是怎样生活的

　　But how, you will ask, did the ancient Greeks have time to look after their families and their business if they were forever running to the marketplace to discuss affairs of state? In this chapter I shall tell you.

　　我想你们会问，如果古希腊人总是一听到召唤，就赶去集市讨论城邦的事务，他们怎会有时间来照顾家庭和自己的生意？在这一章，我会给你们解释这个问题。

　　In all matters of government, the Greek democracy recognised only one class of citizens-the freemen. Every Greek city was composed of a small number of free born citizens, a large number of slaves and a sprinkling of foreigners.

　　对于政府的所有事务，希腊的民主 制度只承认一类市民拥有参与的权利，那就是自由 民。而每一个希腊城市都是由少数生来自由 的市民、大量的奴隶和零星的外国人组成的。

　　At rare intervals¹ (usually during a war, when men were needed for the army) the Greeks showed themselves willing to confer the rights of citizenship² upon the "barbarians³" as they called the foreigners. But this was an exception. Citizenship was a matter of birth. You were an Athenian because your father and your grandfather had been Athenians before you. But however great your merits as a trader or a soldier, if you were born of non-Athenian parents, you remained a "foreigner" until the end of time.

　　只在少数时候（通常是发生战争，需要征召兵员时），希腊人才愿意给予他们所谓的"野蛮人"即外国人以公民权。但这种情形纯属例外。公民资格是一个出身问题。你是一个雅典人，因为你的父亲和祖父在你之前就是雅典人。除此而外，无论你是一个多么出色的士兵或商人，只要你的父母不是雅典人，你终其一生都只能是住在雅典的"外国人"。

　　The Greek city, therefore, whenever it was not ruled by a king or a tyrant⁴, was run by and for the freemen, and this would not have been possible without a large army of slaves who outnumbered the free citizens at the rate of six or five to one and who performed those tasks to which we modern people must devote most of our time and energy if we wish to provide for our families and pay the rent of our apartments.

　　因此，只要不是由一位"国王"或"暴君"统治时，希腊的各个城市便归这个自由 民阶层管理，并为其利益服务。这种体制，如果离开了一个数量六、七倍于自由 民的奴隶阶层，根本就无法运转。奴隶为有幸成为自由 民的古希腊主人承担了种种繁重劳动，而现代人却不得不为这些养家糊口的工作，付出他们大部分的时间与精力。

1 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

2 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

3 barbarians   

n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人

参考例句：

• The ancient city of Rome fell under the iron hooves of the barbarians. 古罗马城在蛮族的铁蹄下沦陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It conquered its conquerors, the barbarians. 它战胜了征服者——蛮族。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

4 tyrant   

n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。