Spoon River Anthology — Page 8
因为新教徒买下了这块地,
For the Protestants bought this lot,
把我的遗体葬在这里,
And buried my body here,
紧挨着银行家尼古拉斯的墓,
Close to the grave of the banker Nicholas,
还有他的妻子普里西拉。
And of his wife Priscilla.
你们这些谨慎虔诚的灵魂,请留意,
Take note, ye prudent and pious souls,
生命中那些相互交错的暗流,
Of the cross—currents in life
它们把荣耀带给了那些生前活在耻辱中的死者。
Which bring honor to the dead, who lived in shame
哈里·凯里·古德休
Harry Carey Goodhue
斯彭河的蠢货们,你们从未感到惊奇,
You never marveled, dullards of Spoon River,
当蔡斯·亨利投票反对酒馆,
When Chase Henry voted against the saloons
只为报复那些拒绝给他供酒的人。
To revenge himself for being shut off.
但你们中没有一个人足够敏锐,
But none of you was keen enough
去追踪我的足迹,或循迹找到我的根源,
To follow my steps, or trace me home
认出我是蔡斯精神上的兄弟。
As Chase's spiritual brother.
你们还记得吗,当我与银行和法院的权贵们较量,
Do you remember when I fought the bank and the courthouse ring,
因为他们中饱私囊,侵吞公款利息?
For pocketing the interest on public funds?
当我与我们的地方名流抗争,
And when I fought our leading citizens
因为他们让穷人背负税收的重担?
For making the poor the pack-horses of the taxes?
当我与自来水公司较量,
And when I fought the water works
因为他们侵占街道、抬高水费?
For stealing streets and raising rates?
当我与那些商人们斗争,
And when I fought the business men
那些在这些争斗中与我为敌的人?
Who fought me in these fights?
那么你们还记得吗:
Then do you remember:
从失败的废墟中踉踉跄跄地爬起,
That staggering up from the wreck of defeat,
从一段被毁前程的废墟之中,
And the wreck of a ruined career,
我从斗篷下抽出我最后的理想,
I slipped from my cloak my last ideal,
直到那一刻都深藏不露,
Hidden from all eyes until then,
犹如那把秘藏的驴腮骨,
Like the cherished jawbone of an ass,
我用禁酒令痛击了银行和自来水公司,
And smote the bank and the water works,
以及那些商人们,
And the business men with prohibition,
让斯彭河为我曾经输掉的那些战斗付出代价。
And made Spoon River pay the cost of the fights that I had lost.
Vocabulary
- Protestants
- 新教徒,基督教新教的信徒
- lot
- 一块土地;也指命运或大量
- buried
- 埋葬,将遗体安放于地下
- grave
- 墓穴,埋葬死者的地方
- banker
- 银行家,经营银行业务的人
- ye
- 古英语中"你们"的意思
- prudent
- 谨慎的,做事深思熟虑的
- pious
- 虔诚的,对宗教信仰忠诚的
- souls
- 灵魂,人的精神或内心
- cross
- 交叉;此处指相互冲突的
- currents
- 潮流,趋势;水流或气流
- honor
- 荣誉,受人尊敬的名声
- shame
- 羞耻,令人感到耻辱的行为
- marveled
- 感到惊奇,对某事感到惊叹
- dullards
- 笨蛋,迟钝愚笨的人
- voted
- 投票,通过投票表达意见
- saloons
- 酒馆,出售酒精饮料的场所
- revenge
- 报复,以行动回应所受的伤害
- keen
- 敏锐的,思维敏捷或热切的
- trace
- 追踪,发现某人行踪或来源
- spiritual
- 精神上的,与灵魂或信仰相关
- courthouse
- 法院,处理法律事务的建筑
- ring
- 团伙,一群共谋不法之徒
- pocketing
- 中饱私囊,非法据为己有
- interest
- 利息,借贷资金所产生的费用
- funds
- 资金,用于特定目的的钱财
- leading
- 领先的,处于重要地位的
- citizens
- 市民,某地的居民或公民
- pack
- 驮负重物;此处指被迫承担重担
- taxes
- 税收,政府向公民征收的费用
- works
- 公共工程,市政基础设施项目
- stealing
- 偷窃,秘密拿走他人财物
- rates
- 费率,收费的标准或比例
- staggering
- 步履蹒跚的;令人震惊的
- wreck
- 残骸;彻底的失败或毁灭
- defeat
- 失败,在竞争中被击败
- ruined
- 毁掉的,遭到彻底破坏的
- career
- 职业生涯,一个人的工作历程
- slipped
- 悄悄披上,不知不觉地穿上
- cloak
- 斗篷;遮盖物,用来隐藏的东西
- ideal
- 理想,心中最完美的信念或目标
- Hidden
- 隐藏的,不为他人所见的
- cherished
- 珍藏的,被精心保存珍视的
- jawbone
- 颌骨,下巴的骨头
- ass
- 驴;此处典故指《圣经》中的驴骨
- smote
- smi te的过去式,猛烈打击某人
- prohibition
- 禁酒令,禁止生产销售酒精的法律
- cost
- 代价,为某事所付出的损失
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