英國語文第五冊(cè)(雙語):弗吉尼亞州(2)

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But, happily for Virginia, there sailed with these reprobate founders of a new empire a man whom Providence had highly gifted with fitness to govern his fellow-men. His name was John Smith. No writer of romance would have given his hero this name. But, in spite of his name, the man was truly heroic. He was still under thirty, a strong-limbed, deep-chested, massively-built man. From boyhood he had been a soldier—roaming over the world in search of adventures, wherever hard blows were being exchanged.

但是值得慶幸的是，一起來到弗吉尼亞的一群惡棍之中有一個(gè)新帝國的締造者，上帝賦予他管理同胞的權(quán)力，他的名字就是約翰·史密斯。雖然沒有任何浪漫主義作家在其作品中為主人公起過這個(gè)名字，但是這個(gè)人的確是一位真正地英雄。他不到三十歲，四肢強(qiáng)健，胸膛結(jié)實(shí)，體格健壯。從少年時(shí)代就征兵入伍，他在世界各地游歷，尋找冒險(xiǎn)經(jīng)歷，無論在哪里，他總能克服險(xiǎn)境。

Returning to England when the passion for colonizing was at its height, he caught at once the prevailing impulse. He joined the Virginian expedition. Ultimately be became its chief. His fitness was so manifest, that no reluctance on his own part, no jealousies on that of his companions, could bar him from the highest place. Men became kings of old by the same process which now made Smith a chief.

回到英國以后，他立刻被開拓殖民地這種盛行的思想所吸引，他的熱情極度高漲，于是加入了弗吉尼亞遠(yuǎn)征隊(duì)，最終成為了探險(xiǎn)隊(duì)的首領(lǐng)。他身體強(qiáng)壯，條件合適，不受任何阻撓，也不遭人嫉妒，所有這些讓他眾望所歸成為了最高領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。所以就像過去君主推選的方式一樣，史密斯被推選為首領(lǐng)。

The "dissolute persons" sailed in their ships up the James river. Landing there, they proceeded to construct a little town, which they named Jamestown, in honour of the King. This was the first colony which struck its roots in American soil. The colonists were charmed with the climate, and with the luxuriant beauty of the wilderness on whose confines they had settled.

這群“墮落的人”坐船來到詹姆斯河。他們?cè)谝粋€(gè)小鎮(zhèn)登陸，在那里建立了這座小鎮(zhèn)并起名詹姆斯敦，此舉是為了向他們的國王表達(dá)敬意。這是在北美建立的第一個(gè)殖民地。殖民者為這里的氣候以及這片荒地的繁茂之美所深深著迷。

But as yet it was only a wilderness. The forest had to be cleared that food might be grown. The exiled gentlemen laboured manfully, but under grievous discouragements. "The axes so oft blistered their tender fingers that many times every third blow had a loud oath to drown the echo." Smith was a man upon whose soul there lay a becoming reverence for sacred things. He devised how to have every man's oaths numbered; "and at night for every oath, to have a can of water poured down his sleeve." Under this treatment the evil assuaged.

但是這里不過是一片荒野。森林中的林木被砍掉以后或許能長出農(nóng)作物。流放的貴族們滿懷壯志的開始勞作，但是結(jié)果卻讓他們氣餒?！案^讓柔嫩的手指起了水泡，經(jīng)常每砍三下，就會(huì)聽到咒罵的聲音，”史密斯對(duì)神圣的事情會(huì)心懷敬畏。他想辦法給每個(gè)宣誓的人編號(hào)，“每天晚上拿一罐水倒在這些人的袖子上”。以這種方式人們受的苦終于得到了緩解。