美国语文第六册 第105期:战争(1)

 I need not dwell now on the waste and cruelty of war. 现在，我无需详述战争的损耗和残忍。

These stare us wildly in the face, like lurid¹ meteor lights, as we travel the page of history. 当我们在历史长河中驻足时，这些景象就像流星耀眼的光芒一样，粗暴地映在我们脸上。

We see the desolation and death that pursue its demoniac footsteps. 我们曾目睹为了留下恶魔般的足迹而带来的破坏和死亡。

We look upon sacked towns, upon ravaged² territories, upon violated homes; 我们凝望被洗劫一空的城镇，被蹂躏劫掠的疆土，还有被侵犯的家园。

we behold³ all the sweet charities of life changed to wormwood and gall⁴. 我们见证了生活中所有温馨的善举变成苦恼和怨恨；

Our soul is penetrated⁵ by the sharp moan of mothers, sisters, and daughters: 我们的灵魂被那些母亲们、姐妹们和女儿们凄厉的哀鸣深深刺痛了：

of fathers, brothers, and sons, who, in the bitterness of their bereavement⁶, refuse to be comforted. 这是因为父亲们，兄弟们和儿子们的惨死，处于丧亲之痛的他们和她们拒绝别人的安慰。

Our eyes rest at last upon one of these fair fields, where Nature, in her abundance, spreads her cloth of gold, 我们的目光最终停留在那些相当不错的土地中一块，在那里大自然物产十分丰裕，摊开她那宽敞的金色外衣，

spacious⁷ and apt for the entertainment of mighty⁸ multitudes — or, perhaps, from the curious subtlety⁹ of its position, 恰好为神气活现的芸芸众生带来欢娱——也许从她所处位置的奇妙的差别来看，

like the carpet in the Arabian tale, seeming to contract so as to be covered by a few only, or to dilate¹⁰ so as to receive an innumerable host. 就像阿拉伯传说中的地毯，似乎可以缩小到只能允许几个人站在上边，或者膨胀到可以接待难以计数的宾客。

Here, under a bright sun, such as shone at Austerlitz or Buena Vista¹¹ — amidst the peaceful harmonies of nature, 这里，在明亮的太阳下面，就像奥斯特里茨或者布埃纳维斯塔的骄阳一样——在大自然安宁的和谐氛围中，

on the Sabbath of peace — we behold bands of brothers, children of a common Father, heirs to a common happiness, struggling together in the deadly fight, 在宁静的安息日——我们注视将属于一个父亲的兄弟们、孩子们连在一起的纽带，他们继承了共同的幸福，一起进行殊死的抗争，

with the madness of fallen spirits, seeking with murderous weapons the lives of brothers who have never injured them or their kindred. 凭借对堕落精神的疯狂，他们用杀人武器要了兄弟们的性命，而这些人从来没有伤害他们或者他们的亲属。

 

1 lurid   

adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的

参考例句：

• The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.这份报纸对这起凶杀案耸人听闻的细节描写得淋漓尽致。
• The lurid sunset puts a red light on their faces.血红一般的夕阳映红了他们的脸。

2 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

3 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

4 gall   

v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难

参考例句：

• It galled him to have to ask for a loan.必须向人借钱使他感到难堪。
• No gall,no glory.没有磨难，何来荣耀。

5 penetrated   

adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
• They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。

6 bereavement   

n.亲人丧亡，丧失亲人，丧亲之痛

参考例句：

• the pain of an emotional crisis such as divorce or bereavement 诸如离婚或痛失亲人等情感危机的痛苦
• I sympathize with you in your bereavement. 我对你痛失亲人表示同情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

8 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

9 subtlety   

n.微妙，敏锐，精巧；微妙之处，细微的区别

参考例句：

• He has shown enormous strength,great intelligence and great subtlety.他表现出充沛的精力、极大的智慧和高度的灵活性。
• The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.大多数听众都没有觉察到他讲话的微妙之处。

10 dilate   

vt.使膨胀，使扩大

参考例句：

• At night,the pupils dilate to allow in more light.到了晚上，瞳孔就会扩大以接收更多光线。
• Exercise dilates blood vessels on the surface of the brain.运动会使大脑表层的血管扩张。

11 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。