The Souls of Black Folk — Page 13

人们称这种阴影为偏见，并煞有介事地解释说，这是文明对野蛮的天然防御，是学识对无知的天然防御，是纯洁对罪恶的天然防御，是"高等"种族对"低等"种族的天然防御。

Men call the shadow prejudice, and learnedly explain it as the natural defence of culture against barbarism, learning against ignorance, purity against crime, the "higher" against the "lower" races.

对此，黑人高呼赞同！并发誓说，凡这种奇异偏见中建立在对文明、文化、正义与进步的正当敬意之上的部分，他都谦恭地低头，虔诚地致敬。

To which the Negro cries Amen! and swears that to so much of this strange prejudice as is founded on just homage to civilization, culture, righteousness, and progress, he humbly bows and meekly does obeisance.

然而，面对那超越一切的无名偏见，他却茫然无助、惊惶失措，几乎无言以对；

But before that nameless prejudice that leaps beyond all this he stands helpless, dismayed, and well-nigh speechless;

面对那种人身侮辱与嘲弄，那种讥讽与蓄意的羞辱，那种对事实的歪曲与对想象的肆意放纵，那种对美好的愤世嫉俗的漠视与对丑陋的喧嚣欢迎，那种无处不在的、将一切黑色事物——从杜桑到魔鬼——都灌输为鄙视对象的欲望，

before that personal disrespect and mockery, the ridicule and systematic humiliation, the distortion of fact and wanton license of fancy, the cynical ignoring of the better and the boisterous welcoming of the worse, the all-pervading desire to inculcate disdain for everything black, from Toussaint to the devil,—

面对这一切，一种令人作呕的绝望油然而生，这种绝望足以令任何民族丧失斗志、一蹶不振，唯独那黑色的民众除外——对他们而言，"丧气"二字从未存在于他们的字典之中。

before this there rises a sickening despair that would disarm and discourage any nation save that black host to whom "discouragement" is an unwritten word.

然而，面对如此巨大的偏见，势必会引发那不可避免的自我质疑、自我贬低，以及理想的消沉——这些始终伴随着压迫而生，滋生于蔑视与仇恨的氛围之中。

But the facing of so vast a prejudice could not but bring the inevitable self-questioning, self-disparagement, and lowering of ideals which ever accompany repression and breed in an atmosphere of contempt and hate.

窃窃私语与种种预兆从四面八方传来：看哪！那黑暗的民众哭喊道：我们已病入膏肓、奄奄一息；我们不能书写，我们的选票毫无意义；既然我们注定只能烧火做饭、侍候他人，又何须教育？

Whisperings and portents came home upon the four winds: Lo! we are diseased and dying, cried the dark hosts; we cannot write, our voting is vain; what need of education, since we must always cook and serve?

而整个国家也回应并强化了这种自我批评，说道：安于做仆人就好，别无他求；对于半个人来说，更高的文化教育又有何用？

And the Nation echoed and enforced this self-criticism, saying: Be content to be servants, and nothing more; what need of higher culture for half-men?