Abraham Lincoln 亞伯拉罕·林肯
Lincoln's face is familiar to people all around the world, at least his face when he was wearing a beard. 全世界的人們都熟悉林肯的臉,至少熟悉他留著大胡子的臉。
But he didn't wear a beard until later in his life. 但是他的胡子是在他后來(lái)的日子里才留起來(lái)的。
When he started out as a judge and then a lawyer, he had two nicknames. 當(dāng)他開(kāi)始當(dāng)法官和后來(lái)當(dāng)律師的時(shí)候,他有兩個(gè)綽號(hào)。
The first was Honest Abe. 第一個(gè)是誠(chéng)實(shí)正直的亞伯。
And there are many stories of his honesty both as a child and as he went on throughout all of his life. 有許多關(guān)于林肯小時(shí)候和他以后一生中的誠(chéng)實(shí)的故事。
His second nickname was Homely Abe. 他的第二個(gè)綽號(hào)是其貌不揚(yáng)的亞伯。
He was not good looking. 他長(zhǎng)得不好看。
Then something happened in 1860. 然而在1860年發(fā)生了一件事。
That year Abe Lincoln was the Republican Party nominee, the man the recently formed Republican Party chose a sits candidate for President of the United States. 那一年亞伯·林肯成了共和黨的被提名者,即新近成立的共和黨選出作為美國(guó)總統(tǒng)的候選人。
Just a few weeks before the presidential election,Lincoln received a short letter. It was from a girl who lived in New York State. 總統(tǒng)選舉前的幾個(gè)星期,林肯收到一封短信、信來(lái)自紐約州的一個(gè)小姑娘。
Her name was Grace Bedell. Grace wrote to Lincoln about his homely face, but in a polite way. 她叫格雷絲·伯戴爾。她寫(xiě)信給林肯是關(guān)于他那其貌不揚(yáng)的臉,但信寫(xiě)得很有禮貌。
"I am a little girl only 11 years old, but I want you should be the President of the United States very much so I hope you won't think me very bold to write such a great man as you are." “我是一個(gè)11歲的小姑娘,但我非常想讓您成為美國(guó)總統(tǒng),所以我希望您不要認(rèn)為我給您這樣一個(gè)偉大的人寫(xiě)信太鹵莽了。”
And then Grace went on. 然后格雷絲接著寫(xiě)道:
"I have got four brothers and part of them will vote for you anyway, and if you will let your whiskers grow, I will try to get the rest of them to vote for you. “我有四個(gè)哥哥,無(wú)論如何有幾個(gè)要投您的票,而且如果您讓您的胡子長(zhǎng)起來(lái)的話,我就設(shè)法讓另外幾個(gè)也投您的票。
You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. 您會(huì)好看得多,因?yàn)槟萘恕?/p>
All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you, and then you would be President” 所有的夫人都喜歡胡子,而且她們會(huì)纏著她們的丈夫投您的票,這樣您就能當(dāng)上總統(tǒng)了”
Lincoln took Grace Bedell's advice, and over the next two weeks he did not shave. 林肯果然聽(tīng)從了格雷絲·伯戴爾的話,在隨后兩個(gè)星期里他沒(méi)有刮胡子。
By election day on November 6th of 1860, he already had enough whiskers to make a short beard. 到1860年11月6日的選舉日,他的胡子已經(jīng)長(zhǎng)得可以成為短的絡(luò)腮胡子。
And he did get elected. Maybe his new beard had something to do with that. 而且他確實(shí)被選上了?;蛟S這與他新留的胡子有關(guān)。
And he did wear the beard for the rest of his life. 在以后的歲月里他一直都留著絡(luò)腮胡子。