美国语文第六册 第187期:里恩齐对罗马人的演说(1)

I come not here to talk. You know too well the story of our thraldom¹. We are slaves!

我来这里不是夸夸其谈。你们太了解我们这些奴隶的悲惨故事了。我们是奴隶！

The bright sun rises to his course, and lights a race of slaves!

阳光依旧明媚，照耀世世代代的奴隶！

He sets, and his last beams fall on a slave;

他坠下，最后的光栅落到一位奴隶头上；

not such as, swept along by the full tide of power, the conqueror² led to crimson³ glory and undying fame;

不像这样掠过，而是这位征服者凭着全部力量，鲜血将荣誉染成深红色，化成不朽的声望；

But base, ignoble⁴ slaves; slaves to a horde⁵ of petty tyrants⁶, feudal⁷ despots, lords, rich in some dozen paltry⁸ villages;

但是卑微低贱的奴隶，为一大群小气的专横之人、封建领主和大人们做苦工，富了一些小村庄哦；

Strong in some hundred spearmen; only great in that strange spell,—a name.

几百个枪兵很强壮；在那奇怪的符咒里，只有一个伟大的名字。

Each hour, dark fraud, or open rapine, or protected murder, cries out against them.

每一刻，恶毒的欺骗，公开强夺，抑或保护起来的谋杀，大声反对他们。

But this very day, an honest man, my neighbor,—there he stands,— was struck—struck like a dog, by one who wore the badge of Ursini;

可是在这特别的一天，我的邻人，一位诚实的人——站在那儿，吓呆了——就像一条狗，被戴着熊菊徽章的吓了一跳，

because, forsooth, he tossed not high his ready cap in air,

因为的确，他将手中的帽子抛得不高，

Nor lifted up his voice in servile shouts, at sight of that great ruffian!

在屈从的喊声中也没有抬高音调，见到那大恶棍！

Be we men, and suffer such dishonor? men, and wash not the stain away in blood? Such shames are common.

我们的人忍受如此的耻辱？人们无法清除血中的污点？这样的耻辱那么普遍。

1 thraldom   

n.奴隶的身份，奴役，束缚

参考例句：

2 conqueror   

n.征服者，胜利者

参考例句：

• We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。
• They abandoned the city to the conqueror.他们把那个城市丢弃给征服者。

3 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

4 ignoble   

adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的

参考例句：

• There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。
• Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

5 horde   

n.群众，一大群

参考例句：

• A horde of children ran over the office building.一大群孩子在办公大楼里到处奔跑。
• Two women were quarrelling on the street,surrounded by horde of people.有两个妇人在街上争吵，被一大群人围住了。

6 tyrants   

专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a succession of tyrants. 这个国家接连遭受暴君的统治。
• The people suffered under foreign tyrants. 人民在异族暴君的统治下受苦受难。

7 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

8 paltry   

adj.无价值的，微不足道的

参考例句：

• The parents had little interest in paltry domestic concerns.那些家长对家里鸡毛蒜皮的小事没什么兴趣。
• I'm getting angry;and if you don't command that paltry spirit of yours.我要生气了，如果你不能振作你那点元气。