A Modest Proposal: For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick — Page 12
当母亲们确信她们可怜的孩子将由公众以某种方式安置终身，每年为她们带来收益而非负担时，这将增进母亲们对孩子的关爱与呵护。
It would encrease the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the publick, to their annual profit instead of expence.
我们很快就会看到已婚妇女之间展开一场诚实的竞争，看谁能把最肥的孩子带到市场上去。
We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market.
男人们会像现在珍爱怀驹的母马、怀犊的母牛或临产的母猪一样，在妻子怀孕期间对她们宠爱有加，再也不会像现在这样动辄打踢她们——这种恶习实在太普遍——以免造成流产。
Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.
还可以列举许多其他好处。例如，我们出口的桶装牛肉数量会增加数千具胴体；猪肉的产量会得到提升，制作优质咸肉的工艺也会得到改进——这在我们当中是极为匮乏的，因为猪只在我们的餐桌上遭到大量宰杀，而这些猪在口味和气派上都远不及一个烤制完整的、肥嫩的周岁孩童——后者在市长宴会或其他公共宴席上将会成为一道十分体面的菜肴。
Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel'd beef: the propagation of swine's flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor's feast, or any other publick entertainment.
但这一点以及许多其他内容，我都略去不提，因为我力求简洁。
But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.
Vocabulary
- would
- 助动词，表示将会或可能
- encrease
- increase的旧式拼写，意为增加、增长
- care
- 关心、照顾、爱护
- tenderness
- 温柔、体贴、关爱之情
- towards
- 介词，表示朝向或对于某人
- sure
- 确定的、确信的
- settlement
- 安置、定居、生活保障安排
- poor
- 贫穷的、可怜的
- babes
- 婴儿们，babe的复数
- provided
- 提供、供给，动词过去式
- sort
- 种类、方式，in some sort意为在某种程度上
- publick
- public的旧式拼写，意为公共的
- annual
- 每年的、年度的
- profit
- 利润、收益、好处
- instead
- 代替、而不是
- expence
- expense的旧式拼写，意为费用、开支
- honest
- 诚实的、真诚的
- emulation
- 竞争、仿效、互相效仿争胜
- among
- 在……之中，表示在群体之间
- married
- 已婚的、结婚了的
- fattest
- 最肥胖的，fat的最高级
- fond
- 喜爱的、钟爱的，fond of表示喜欢
- during
- 在……期间
- pregnancy
- 怀孕、妊娠期
- mares
- 母马们，mare的复数
- foal
- 马驹、幼马
- calf
- 小牛犊、牛的幼崽
- sows
- 母猪们，sow的复数
- farrow
- （母猪）产仔、分娩
- nor
- 连词，也不，表示否定并列
- offer
- 此处旧式用法，意为尝试、企图
- beat
- 打、殴打
- kick
- 踢、踹
- frequent
- 频繁的、经常发生的
- practice
- 做法、惯例、习惯行为
- fear
- 害怕、担忧、恐惧
- miscarriage
- 流产、胎儿自然流失
- advantages
- 优点、好处，advantage的复数
- might
- 助动词，表示可能或也许
- enumerated
- 列举出来、一一列出
- instance
- 例子，for instance意为例如
- addition
- 增加、添加、附加物
- carcasses
- 动物尸体、屠宰后的躯体
- exportation
- 出口、向外输出商品
- barrel'd
- 装桶的、用桶腌制保存的
- beef
- 牛肉
- propagation
- 繁殖、增殖、推广传播
- swine's
- 猪的，swine指猪
- flesh
- 肉、肌肉、动物的肉
- improvement
- 改进、提升、改良
- art
- 技艺、技术、艺术
- bacon
- 培根、腌制猪肉
- wanted
- 需要的、渴望得到的
- destruction
- 毁灭、消耗、大量杀灭
- comparable
- 可比较的、可媲美的
- taste
- 味道、口味、品味
- magnificence
- 宏伟、壮观、豪华壮丽
- grown
- 长大的、成熟的、育肥的
- fat
- 肥胖的、肥腻的
- yearling
- 一岁大的动物，尤指幼畜
- roasted
- 烤制的、经过烘烤的
- whole
- 整个的、完整的
- considerable
- 相当大的、可观的、值得注意的
- figure
- 形象、场面，make a figure意为显得突出
- Lord
- 勋爵、贵族，Lord Mayor指市长大人
- Mayor's
- 市长的，Mayor指市长
- feast
- 盛宴、宴席、节日宴会
- entertainment
- 宴请、招待、娱乐活动
- omit
- 省略、略去、忽略不提
- studious
- 刻意追求的、专心致力于
- brevity
- 简洁、简短、言简意赅
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