美国语文第六册 第198期:教育的必要性(4)

I would add, as a motive¹ to immediate² action, that if we do fail in our great experiment of self-government,

我还要补充一下，作为直接采取行动的动机，如果我们未能在自治上获得重要经验，

our destruction will be as signal as the birthright abandoned, the mercies abused, and the provocation³ offered to beneficent Heaven.

那么我们的失败将如同放弃生育权，滥施仁慈一样，成了向仁慈的上帝挑衅的标志。

The descent of desolation will correspond with the past elevation⁴.

沦落到被遗弃是与过去的提升相一致的。

No punishments of Heaven are so severe as those for mercies abused;

对于滥施仁慈而言，没有什么比上帝的惩罚更严厉的了；

and no instrumentality employed in their infliction⁵ is so dreadful as the wrath⁶ of man.

在导致他们的原因中，没哪种施加的手段同人的愤怒一样骇人。

No spasms⁷ are like the spasms of expiring liberty, and no wailing⁸ such as her convulsions extort⁹.

没有什么样的痉挛堪比濒临死亡的自由所产生的痉挛，没有哪种哀号堪比对国家灾变的曲解。

It took Rome three hundred years to die;

罗马帝国历经三百年的痛苦才寿终正寝；

and our death, if we perish, will be as much more terrific as our intelligence and free institutions have given us more bone, sinew, and vitality¹⁰.

如果我们消亡的话，我们的死差不多与我们的智慧和自由的体制所给予我们的骨骼、肌肉和生命力的消亡一样可怕。

May God hide from me the day when the dying agonies of my country shall begin!

但愿上帝不让我看到，我的国家遭受的置她于死地的极大痛苦开始发作的那一天！

O thou beloved land, bound together by the ties of brotherhood¹¹, and common interest, and perils¹²! live forever — one and undivided!

啊，你们深爱的这片土地，由同胞之爱这个纽带和共同利益将大家连在一起的这片土地，处于极大的危险之中！永远屹立不倒——一个整体永不分开！

1 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

4 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

5 infliction   

n.（强加于人身的）痛苦，刑罚

参考例句：

• Don't immerse yourself in the infliction too long.不要长时间沉浸在痛苦经历中。
• Instead of rivets there came an invasion,an infliction,and a visitation.但是铆钉并没有运来，来的却是骚扰、混乱和视察。

6 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

7 spasms   

n.痉挛( spasm的名词复数 )；抽搐；（能量、行为等的）突发；发作

参考例句：

• After the patient received acupuncture treatment,his spasms eased off somewhat. 病人接受针刺治疗后，痉挛稍微减轻了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The smile died, squeezed out by spasms of anticipation and anxiety. 一阵阵预测和焦虑把她脸上的微笑挤掉了。 来自辞典例句

8 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。

9 extort   

v.勒索，敲诈，强要

参考例句：

• The blackmailer tried to extort a large sum of money from him.勒索者企图向他勒索一大笔钱。
• They absolutely must not harm the people or extort money from them.严格禁止坑害勒索群众。

10 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

11 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

12 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？