The Souls of Black Folk — Page 12

English → Chinese Full Text Level 8/10

For the first time he sought to analyze the burden he bore upon his back, that dead-weight of social degradation partially masked behind a half-named Negro problem.

他第一次试图剖析压在自己背上的重担，那是社会堕落的沉重枷锁，部分地隐藏在一个被含糊称为"黑人问题"的名目之后。

He felt his poverty; without a cent, without a home, without land, tools, or savings, he had entered into competition with rich, landed, skilled neighbors.

他感受到自身的贫困；身无分文，无家可归，没有土地、工具或积蓄，他就这样与富裕、拥有土地、技艺娴熟的邻人展开了竞争。

To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.

做一个穷人已属不易，但在一片金钱当道的土地上做一个贫穷的种族，则是苦难之最深处。

He felt the weight of his ignorance,—not simply of letters, but of life, of business, of the humanities; the accumulated sloth and shirking and awkwardness of decades and centuries shackled his hands and feet.

他感受到无知的重压——不仅仅是文字上的无知，更是对生活、对商业、对人文的无知；数十年乃至数百年间积累的懒散、逃避与笨拙，将他的手脚紧紧束缚。

Nor was his burden all poverty and ignorance.

然而他所背负的重担，并非只有贫困与无知。

The red stain of bastardy, which two centuries of systematic legal defilement of Negro women had stamped upon his race, meant not only the loss of ancient African chastity, but also the hereditary weight of a mass of corruption from white adulterers, threatening almost the obliteration of the Negro home.

私生之耻的红色烙印——两个世纪以来对黑人妇女有组织的法律侵凌所留下的印记——不仅意味着古老非洲贞洁的丧失，更意味着白人奸淫者所遗留的大量腐败以遗传之重压迫而来，几乎威胁到黑人家庭的彻底消亡。

A people thus handicapped ought not to be asked to race with the world, but rather allowed to give all its time and thought to its own social problems.

一个遭受如此重重障碍的民族，不应被要求与世界竞争，而应被允许将全部的时间与心思用于解决自身的社会问题。

But alas! while sociologists gleefully count his bastards and his prostitutes, the very soul of the toiling, sweating black man is darkened by the shadow of a vast despair.

然而悲哉！当社会学家们津津乐道地统计着他们的私生子与娼妓之时，那辛劳苦作、汗流浃背的黑人的灵魂深处，正被一片巨大绝望的阴影所笼罩。

Vocabulary

他: tā — Third-person singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'.
第一次: dì yī cì — The first time; for the first time.
试图: shì tú — To attempt or try to do something.
剖析: pōu xī — To analyze or dissect in depth.
压在: yā zài — To press down upon; to weigh on.
自己: zì jǐ — Oneself; one's own self.
背上: bèi shàng — On one's back; to bear upon one's back.
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
重担: zhòng dàn — Heavy burden; a weighty responsibility.
那: nà — That; referring to something previously mentioned.
是: shì — To be; linking verb indicating identity or existence.
社会: shè huì — Society; the organized community of people.
堕落: duò luò — Moral decline; to degenerate or fall into corruption.
沉重: chén zhòng — Heavy; oppressively weighty or burdensome.
枷锁: jiā suǒ — Shackles; chains representing restriction or oppression.
部分地: bù fèn de — Partly; to a partial extent or degree.
隐藏: yǐn cáng — To hide or conceal something from view.
在: zài — At; in; located at a place or time.
一个: yī gè — One; a single unit or item.
被: bèi — Passive marker indicating an action done to subject.
含糊: hán hu — Vague; ambiguous; unclear in expression or meaning.
称为: chēng wéi — To be called or referred to as.
黑人: hēi rén — Black person; person of African descent.
问题: wèn tí — Problem; question; an issue requiring attention.
名目: míng mù — Label; name; a designated title or category.
之后: zhī hòu — After; following a particular time or event.
感受到: gǎn shòu dào — To feel or perceive; to experience emotionally.
自身: zì shēn — Oneself; one's own body or situation.
贫困: pín kùn — Poverty; a state of extreme financial hardship.
身无分文: shēn wú fēn wén — Penniless; having absolutely no money at all.
无家可归: wú jiā kě guī — Homeless; having no home to return to.
没有: méi yǒu — To not have; lacking; without something.
土地: tǔ dì — Land; earth; territory owned or worked upon.
工具: gōng jù — Tools; instruments used to perform work.
或: huò — Or; alternatively; used to present options.
积蓄: jī xù — Savings; accumulated money or resources over time.
就: jiù — Then; just; exactly; used for emphasis or sequence.
这样: zhè yàng — Like this; in this way or manner.
与: yǔ — With; and; together with someone or something.
富裕: fù yù — Wealthy; prosperous; having abundant financial resources.
拥有: yōng yǒu — To possess or own something valuable.
技艺: jì yì — Skill; craft; technical ability or artistry.
娴熟: xián shú — Skilled; proficient; highly practiced and capable.
邻人: lín rén — Neighbor; a person living nearby.
展开: zhǎn kāi — To unfold; to launch or begin an activity.
了: le — Particle indicating completion of an action.
竞争: jìng zhēng — Competition; to compete against others for resources.
做: zuò — To do; to make; to perform an action.
穷人: qióng rén — Poor person; someone living in poverty.
不易: bù yì — Not easy; difficult; challenging to accomplish.
但: dàn — But; however; introduces a contrasting statement.
一片: yī piàn — A stretch of; an expanse or realm of something.
金钱: jīn qián — Money; currency; financial wealth or capital.
当道: dāng dào — To dominate; to rule or hold sway over.
上: shàng — On; above; upon; a surface or realm.
贫穷: pín qióng — Poor; poverty-stricken; lacking financial resources.
种族: zhǒng zú — Race; ethnic group; a category of people.
则是: zé shì — Is then; serves as; marks a conclusion or contrast.
苦难: kǔ nàn — Suffering; hardship; severe pain or misfortune.
之: zhī — Classical possessive or linking particle meaning 'of'.
最深处: zuì shēn chù — The deepest place; the most profound depth.
无知: wú zhī — Ignorance; lack of knowledge or awareness.
重压: zhòng yā — Heavy pressure; an overwhelming oppressive force.
不仅仅: bù jǐn jǐn — Not only; more than just one thing.
文字: wén zì — Written characters; literacy; written language.
更是: gèng shì — Even more so; especially; to a greater degree.
对: duì — Toward; regarding; concerning a subject or person.
生活: shēng huó — Life; daily living; the way one lives.
商业: shāng yè — Commerce; business; trade and commercial activity.
人文: rén wén — Humanities; human culture and civilization broadly.
数十年: shù shí nián — Decades; a period spanning tens of years.
乃至: nǎi zhì — Even; up to; ranging as far as something.
数百年: shù bǎi nián — Hundreds of years; centuries of time passing.
间: jiān — During; within a span of time or space.
积累: jī lěi — To accumulate; to build up over time.
懒散: lǎn sǎn — Lazy; sluggish; lacking energy or motivation.
逃避: táo bì — To escape; to avoid or evade responsibility.
笨拙: bèn zhuō — Clumsy; awkward; lacking skill or dexterity.
将: jiāng — Will; about to; used before a verb for future.
手脚: shǒu jiǎo — Hands and feet; limbs; one's freedom of movement.
紧紧: jǐn jǐn — Tightly; firmly; with great force or grip.
束缚: shù fù — To bind; to restrict; to constrain someone's freedom.
然而: rán ér — However; yet; introduces a contrasting idea.
所: suǒ — Classical particle preceding a verb to nominalize it.
背负: bēi fù — To carry on one's back; to bear a burden.
并非: bìng fēi — Not at all; certainly not; used for emphasis.
只有: zhǐ yǒu — Only; there is only one condition or option.
红色: hóng sè — Red color; often symbolizing shame or danger.
烙印: lào yìn — Brand; stigma; a mark burned into one's identity.
两个: liǎng gè — Two; a pair of something countable.
世纪: shì jì — Century; a period of one hundred years.
以来: yǐ lái — Since; from a past point up to now.
妇女: fù nǚ — Women; adult females as a social group.
有组织: yǒu zǔ zhī — Organized; systematic; having deliberate structure or planning.
法律: fǎ lǜ — Law; legal system; rules enforced by authority.
留下: liú xià — To leave behind; to remain or cause to remain.
印记: yìn jì — Mark; imprint; a lasting trace or impression.
不仅: bù jǐn — Not only; used to introduce additional points.
意味着: yì wèi zhe — To mean; to signify; to imply something important.
古老: gǔ lǎo — Ancient; very old; having existed for long time.
非洲: fēi zhōu — Africa; the continent of Africa.
丧失: sàng shī — To lose; to forfeit something important permanently.
更: gèng — Even more; to a greater degree or extent.
白人: bái rén — White person; a person of Caucasian descent.
遗留: yí liú — To leave behind; to bequeath a legacy or problem.
大量: dà liàng — A large amount; a great quantity of something.
腐败: fǔ bài — Corruption; moral decay; decomposition or rot.
以: yǐ — By means of; with; using as a method.
遗传: yí chuán — Heredity; genetic transmission from parent to child.
迫: pò — To force; to compel; to press urgently upon.
几乎: jī hū — Almost; nearly; very close to a complete degree.
威胁到: wēi xié dào — To threaten; to pose a danger to something.
家庭: jiā tíng — Family; household; the basic social unit.
彻底: chè dǐ — Thoroughly; completely; in an absolute manner.
消亡: xiāo wáng — To perish; to die out; to cease to exist.
遭受: zāo shòu — To suffer; to be subjected to hardship or harm.
如此: rú cǐ — Such; like this; to this degree or extent.
重重: chóng chóng — Numerous layers; many obstacles or difficulties stacked.
障碍: zhàng ài — Obstacle; barrier; something blocking progress or movement.
民族: mín zú — Ethnic group; nation; a people sharing common identity.
不应: bù yīng — Should not; ought not to do something.
要求: yāo qiú — To demand; to require; a request or requirement.
世界: shì jiè — The world; the earth; all of human society.
而: ér — But; and; yet; a conjunction linking clauses.
应: yīng — Should; ought to; must do something appropriate.
允许: yǔn xǔ — To permit; to allow; to give permission for.
全部: quán bù — All; entire; the whole of something without exception.
时间: shí jiān — Time; a period or duration of moments.
心思: xīn si — Mind; thought; mental energy devoted to something.
用于: yòng yú — Used for; applied to a specific purpose.
解决: jiě jué — To solve; to resolve a problem or conflict.
当: dāng — When; at the time that something occurs.
社会学家: shè huì xué jiā — Sociologist; a scholar who studies human society.
们: men — Plural suffix attached to pronouns or people nouns.
津津乐道: jīn jīn lè dào — To talk about with great relish or enthusiasm.
地: de — Adverbial particle linking adverb to following verb.
统计: tǒng jì — Statistics; to count and analyze data systematically.
着: zhe — Aspect particle indicating ongoing or continuous action.
他们: tā men — They; them; third-person plural pronoun.
辛劳: xīn láo — Toil; hard work involving physical strain and effort.
汗流浃背: hàn liú jiā bèi — Sweating profusely; working extremely hard physically.
灵魂: líng hún — Soul; spirit; the inner essence of a person.
深处: shēn chù — The depths; the innermost or deepest part of something.
正: zhèng — Just; right now; in the process of something.
巨大: jù dà — Enormous; huge; of very great size or degree.
绝望: jué wàng — Despair; hopelessness; complete loss of hope.
阴影: yīn yǐng — Shadow; a dark influence or looming negative presence.
笼罩: lǒng zhào — To envelop; to shroud; to cover over completely.

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