美國語文第五冊 第165期：約翰-亞當(dāng)斯的假設(shè)演講（01）
Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart to this vote.
沉淪抑或求生，活著抑或死亡，幸免抑或毀滅？我完全支持這一投票表決。
It is true, indeed, that, in the beginning, we aimed not at independence.
誠然，最初我們并非旨在謀取獨(dú)立，
But "There's a divinity that shapes our ends."
然而，“神靈預(yù)設(shè)了我們的終局”。
The injustice of England has driven us to arms;
英國非道義行為驅(qū)使我們拿起武器，
and blinded to her own interest, she has obstinately persisted, till independence is now within our grasp.
英國盲目失去了對自身利益的判斷，然而它仍在執(zhí)拗堅持，直到我們最終將獨(dú)立掌控在自己手中。
We have but to reach forth to it, and it is ours.
我們只不過向前伸出手，獨(dú)立就在那里，它屬于我們。
Why then should we defer the declaration?
那么，我們?yōu)槭裁赐涎幼约盒裕?/p>
Is any man so weak as now to hope for a reconciliation with England,
目前，難道還有人如此軟弱地希望與英國和解？
which shall leave either safety to the country and its liberties, or security to his own life and his own honor!
難道和解可給這一國家?guī)戆踩蜃杂?，抑或給他個人生活帶來保障甚至個人榮譽(yù)？
Are not you, sir, who sit in that chair, is not he, our venerable colleague,
先生，不會是現(xiàn)在坐在椅子上的你，亦不是緊挨你而坐的他，
near you, are you not both already the prosCRIbed and predestined objects of punishment and of vengeance?
我們受人尊敬的同僚，我們難道不都是已被剝奪公權(quán)，命中注定淪為懲罰與復(fù)仇的對象？
Cut off from all hope of royal clemency, what are you, what can you be, while the power of England remains, but outlaws?
摒棄那些高尚以及仁厚寬容的所有希望！一旦英國統(tǒng)治權(quán)威得以保留，法律之外，你是什么？你又可能是什么？
If we postpone independence, do we mean to carry on, or to give up, the war?
如果我們推遲獨(dú)立，那么我們打算繼續(xù)還是放棄這場戰(zhàn)爭，
Do we mean to submit, and consent that we shall be ground to powder, and our country and its rights trodden down in the dust?
開始和解且恢復(fù)我們與英國的友誼？我們將要服從甚至完全臣服于武力，目睹我們國家以及它的權(quán)利將被踐踏成灰？
I know we do not mean to submit. We NEVER shall submit!
我知道，我們不會屈服，我們永遠(yuǎn)不會屈服！
