美国语文第六册 第190期:新英格兰清教徒先辈的品格(2)

and therefore they preferred it above wealth, and ease, and country; and, that they might enjoy and exercise it fully¹,

因此，他们将自由看得高于财富、安逸和国家。他们或许喜欢和充分实践自由赋予的权利，

they forsook² houses, and lands, and kindred, their homes, their native soil, and their fathers' graves.

为此他们可以放弃房子、土地、亲情、他们的家园，放弃他们的故土和祖先的坟墓。

They left all these; they left England, which, whatever it might have been called, was not to them a land of freedom;

他们抛弃了所有这些，他们离开英格兰，不论如何号召，对他们而言英格兰都不是自由的土地。

they launched forth³ on the pathless ocean, the wide, fathomless⁴ ocean, soiled not by the earth beneath, and bounded, all round and above, only by heaven;

他们在无路可走、一望无际和深不见底的大洋上起航，没有被地下的泥土弄脏，他们内心的向往只有上帝知道。

and it seemed to them like that better and sublimer⁵ freedom, which their country knew not,

对他们来说，这种向往似乎就像更好和更高尚的自由，而他们的祖国不晓得他们的追求，

but of which they had the conception and image in their hearts;

这个概念和想象只存在于他们心里。

and, after a toilsome and painful voyage, they came to a hard and wintry coast, unfruitful and desolate⁶, but unguarded and boundless⁷;

历经千辛万苦的远航后，他们抵达条件艰苦和风雪交加的海岸，他们食不果腹，孤零零地遗世而立，但是这里没有人守卫，一望无垠。

its calm silence interrupted not the ascent⁸ of their prayers; it had no eyes to watch, no ears to hearken, no tongues to report of them;

那令人感到温暖的宁静没有打断他们登岸时的祈祷。没有人盯着他们，没有人偷听他们的动静，也没有人报告他们的情况；

here, again, there was an answer to their soul's desire, and they were satisfied, and gave thanks;

在这里，他们心灵的渴望又一次得到满足，他们对这种环境非常满意，向上天的眷顾表示感谢。

they saw that they were free, and the desert smiled.

他们发现自己是自由的，即使这里是不毛之地也在所不惜。

I am telling an old tale; but it is one which must be told when we speak of those men.

我讲述的是一个古老的传奇。但是当我们提起这些人时，这是一个必须提及的传奇。

It is to be added, that they transmitted their principles to their children, and that, peopled by such a race, our country was always free.

还应该补充的是，他们将他们毕生坚持的原则传给他们的孩子，这样一个种族繁衍的结果就是，我们的国家永远是自由的。

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 forsook   

forsake的过去式

参考例句：

• He faithlessly forsook his friends in their hour of need. 在最需要的时刻他背信弃义地抛弃朋友。
• She forsook her worldly possessions to devote herself to the church. 她抛弃世上的财物而献身教会。

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 fathomless   

a.深不可测的

参考例句：

• "The sand-sea deepens with fathomless ice, And darkness masses its endless clouds;" 瀚海阑干百丈冰，愁云黪淡万里凝。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Day are coloured bubbles that float upon the surface of fathomless night. 日是五彩缤纷的气泡，漂浮在无尽的夜的表面。

5 sublimer   

使高尚者，纯化器

参考例句：

6 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

7 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

8 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。