美國語文第六冊 第51期:一場政治暫停
“我們必須暫停，”那位尊敬的紳士說。
What! must the bowels of Great Britain be torn out, her best blood spilt, her treasures wasted, that you may make an experiment?
何其乃爾!難道大不列顛的國體必定是，鮮血淋淋，寶藏殆盡，這就是你們的一場實驗嗎?
Put yourselves—Oh! that you would put yourselves on the field of battle, and learn to judge of the sort of horrors you excite.
還是讓你們自己親身進(jìn)行實驗吧!你們都親身上戰(zhàn)場，學(xué)會對激起你們榮譽感的事情做出判斷。
In former wars, a man might at least have some feeling, some interest,
在之前的戰(zhàn)爭中，一個人至少還有某種情感，還有某種利益糾葛，
that served to balance in his mind the impressions which a scene of carnage and death must inflict.
在他心里抵消了這種印象，就是必須承受大屠殺和死亡場面帶來的痛苦。
But if a man were present now at the field of slaughter,
可是如果一個人現(xiàn)在置身于大屠殺的戰(zhàn)場，
and were to inquire for what they were fighting—"Fighting!", would be the answer; "they are not fighting; they are pausing."
被問到為什么而戰(zhàn)的話——“就是戰(zhàn)斗而已!”會得到這樣的回答。“他們不是在戰(zhàn)斗;他們只是在暫停。”
"Why is that man expiring? Why is that other writhing with agony? What means this implacable fury?"
“為什么那人要斷氣了?為什么其他人因極度痛苦滿地翻滾?這種無法平息的狂怒意味著什么?”
The answer must be, "You are quite wrong, sir, you deceive yourself,—they are not fighting,—do not disturb them,—they are merely pausing!
答案必定是，“你大錯特錯了，先生，你在欺騙自己。——他們沒在戰(zhàn)斗——不要打擾他們——他們只是暫停!
This man is not expiring with agony,—that man is not dead,—he is only pausing!
這個人并沒有因為嫉妒痛苦而奄奄一息——那個人也沒有死——他只是暫停而已!
Bless you, sir, they are not angry with one another; they have now no cause of quarrel;
愿上帝賜福與你，先生，他們不會生別人氣的，現(xiàn)在他們不會因為什么事情而爭吵了;
but their country thinks that there should be a pause.
可是，他們的國家認(rèn)為這就是暫停。
All that you see is nothing like fighting,—there is no harm, nor cruelty, nor bloodshed in it; it is nothing more than a political pause.
你看到的一切一點也不像在戰(zhàn)斗——沒有傷害，沒有殘酷，也沒有流血;毋寧說這是政治上的暫停。
It is merely to try an experiment—to see whether Bonaparte will not behave himself better than heretofore;
這只是嘗試做一場試驗——看看波拿巴是否會比以前表現(xiàn)得更好，
and, in the meantime, we have agreed to a pause, in pure friendship!"
與此同時，我們是否會同意暫停，純粹出于友誼!”
And is this the way that you are to show yourselves the advocates of order?
這是你們向現(xiàn)有秩序的擁護(hù)者指明的道路嗎?
You take up a system calculated to uncivilize the world, to destroy order, to trample on religion,
你們提出了一種旨在使這個世界退回到野蠻狀態(tài)的制度，來摧毀現(xiàn)有的秩序，踐踏宗教，
to stifle in the heart not merely the generosity of noble sentiment, but the affections of social nature;
不只是扼殺慷慨這種高貴的情感，而且還有對社會本質(zhì)的愛。
and in the prosecution of this system, you spread terror and devastation all around you.
在對這個制度進(jìn)行控訴的過程中，你在自己周圍傳播的都是恐怖和破壞。
