异类之不一样的成功启示录 第195期:非白人混血儿的地位

 　　They lived the much easier life of working in the "house." 她们在房子里工作,

　　They were the ones most likely to be freed. 享受安逸的生活。

　　So many mulatto mistresses were left substantial fortunes in the wills of white property owners 她们是那些最像拥有自由的人,所以在很多白人财产拥有者的遗嘱中,都会留给她们大量的财富，

　　that the Jamaican legislature once passed a law capping bequests¹ at two thousand pounds which, at the time, was an enormous sum. 以致当时的牙买加立法机关通过了一部法律。规定遗产的上限不得超过2000英镑。(在当时这个可是一大笔钱)。

　　"When a European arrives in the West Indies and gets settled or set down for any length of time, 一个18世纪的观察家写道：“当一个欧洲人来到西印度群岛,定居或者要在那里生活一段时间时,

　　he finds it necessary to provide himself with a housekeeper² or mistress," one eighteenth century observer wrote. 他就会发现必须要找个家庭主妇或者情人。

　　"The choice he has an opportunity of making is various, a black, a tawney, a mulatto, or a mestee, one of which can be purchased for a hundred or a hundred and fifty sterling³... 他有很多选择,黑人、黄种人、黑白混血女人、或是梅斯蒂混血女人,这些都只需要100到150英镑就能买到。

　　If a young progeny⁴ of colored children is brought forth⁵, these are emancipated⁶,  如果那些非白人的小孩出生,他们是不受约束的。”

　　and mostly sent by their fathers who can afford it at the age of three or four years to be educated in England." 当他们3、4岁时,通常都会被他们那些有能力支付费用的父亲们送到英国接受教育。

　　This is the world Daisy's grandfather John was born into. 这就是戴西伟大祖父出生的世界。

　　He was one generation removed from a slave ship, living in a country best described as an African penal⁷ colony, 是从奴隶船上下来的一代人,生活在一个被描述作为非洲人刑罚聚居地的国家。

　　and he was a free man with every benefit of education. 他是个自由人,由于受过教育的益处,

　　He married another mulatto, a woman who was half European and half Arawak, which is the Indian tribe indigenous⁸ to Jamaica, and had seven children. 他娶了一个有一半欧洲血统和一半牙买加印第安土族部落阿拉瓦血统的混血儿,他们有7个孩子。

　　"These people, the colors, had a lot of status," the Jamaican sociologist⁹ Orlando Patterson says. “这些非白人混血儿很有地位，”牙买加社会学家奥兰多·帕特森说,

　　"By 1826, they had full civil liberties. In fact, they achieved full civil liberties at the same time as the Jews do in Jamaica. “在1826年,他们拥有完全的公民自由。实际上,在牙买加他们跟犹太人一样拥有完全的公民自由。

　　They could vote. Do anything a white person could do, and this is within the context of what was still a slave society. 他们有选举权，在那个还是奴隶社会的背景下,他们能做白人所能做的一切。”

1 bequests   

n.遗赠( bequest的名词复数 )；遗产，遗赠物

参考例句：

• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He left bequests of money to all his friends. 他留下一些钱遗赠给他所有的朋友。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

3 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

4 progeny   

n.后代，子孙；结果

参考例句：

• His numerous progeny are scattered all over the country.他为数众多的后代散布在全国各地。
• He was surrounded by his numerous progeny.众多的子孙簇拥着他。

5 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。

6 emancipated   

adj.被解放的，不受约束的v.解放某人（尤指摆脱政治、法律或社会的束缚）( emancipate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Slaves were not emancipated until 1863 in the United States. 美国奴隶直到1863年才获得自由。
• Women are still struggling to be fully emancipated. 妇女仍在为彻底解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。

8 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

9 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。