世界小史 第134期:屈服

 　　Unlike the gentle Indians they didn't willingly submit.

　　不同于温和的印度人，他们不愿意屈服。

　　On more than one occasion they threatened to leave the city unless they were treated better and given a share of the fields and pastures which the patricians² liked to keep for themselves.

　　他们多次威胁，若不改善他们的待遇，若不分给他们一部分迄今一直被贵族据为己有的、夺来的农田和牧场，他们就要离开这座城市。

　　After a relentless³ struggle which went on for more than 100 years,

　　经过历时一百年多年的艰苦卓绝的斗争，

　　the plebeians⁵ of Rome finally succeeded in obtaining the same rights as the patricians.

　　平民们终于成功获得跟贵族完全一样的权利。

　　Of the two consuls⁶, one would be a patrician¹, the other a plebeian⁴.

　　两个执政官中的一个必须是贵族，另一个则必须是平民。

　　So justice was done.

　　这样就公正了。

　　The end of this long and complicated struggle coincided with the time of Alexander the Great.

　　这一场长期而复杂的斗争大致在亚历山大大帝时代宣告结束。

　　From this struggle you will have gained some idea of what the Romans were like.

　　从这场斗争中你已经能够大致看到罗马人是什么样的人。

　　They were not as quick-thinking or as inventive as the Athenians.

　　他们不像雅典人那样思维敏捷并富有创造精神。

　　Nor did they take such delight in beautiful things, in buildings, statues and poetry.

　　他们也不那么喜欢美的事物，不那么喜欢建筑物、雕像和歌曲。

　　Nor was reflecting on the world and on life so vital to them.

　　他们也不怎么重视思考世界和人生。

1 patrician   

adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官

参考例句：

• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
• Its patrician dignity was a picturesque sham.它的贵族的尊严只是一套华丽的伪装。

2 patricians   

n.（古罗马的）统治阶层成员( patrician的名词复数 )；贵族，显贵

参考例句：

• There was a conflict between plebs and patricians in ancient Rome in 494BC. 在公元前494年，罗马发生了一次平民反对贵族的斗争。 来自互联网

3 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

4 plebeian   

adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民

参考例句：

• He is a philosophy professor with a cockney accent and an alarmingly plebeian manner.他是个有一口伦敦土腔、举止粗俗不堪的哲学教授。
• He spent all day playing rackets on the beach,a plebeian sport if there ever was one.他一整天都在海滩玩壁球，再没有比这更不入流的运动了。

5 plebeians   

n.平民( plebeian的名词复数 )；庶民；平民百姓；平庸粗俗的人

参考例句：

6 consuls   

领事( consul的名词复数 )； （古罗马共和国时期）执政官 （古罗马共和国及其军队的最高首长，同时共有两位，每年选举一次）

参考例句：

• American consuls warned that millions more were preparing to leave war-ravaged districts. 美国驻外领事们预告，还有几百万人正在准备离开战争破坏的地区。
• The legionaries, on their victorious return, refused any longer to obey the consuls. 军团士兵在凯旋归国时，不肯服从执政官的命令。