Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 7
很明显，你们许多人过着卑微而鬼鬼祟祟的生活，因为我的眼光已被经验所磨砺；
It is very evident what mean and sneaking lives many of you live, for my sight has been whetted by experience;
总是徘徊在边缘，试图做成生意，又试图摆脱债务，
always on the limits, trying to get into business and trying to get out of debt,
这是一个极为古老的泥潭，拉丁人称之为"æs alienum"，意为"他人的铜钱"，因为他们有些硬币是用黄铜铸成的；
a very ancient slough, called by the Latins æs alienum, another's brass, for some of their coins were made of brass;
就这样靠着他人的铜钱活着、死去、被埋葬；
still living, and dying, and buried by this other's brass;
总是承诺还钱，承诺还钱，说明天还，却在今天就已资不抵债地死去；
always promising to pay, promising to pay, tomorrow, and dying today, insolvent;
千方百计地讨好他人、招揽生意，用尽各种手段，只差没有触犯刑律；
seeking to curry favor, to get custom, by how many modes, only not state-prison offences;
撒谎、谄媚、拉票、把自己缩成一个礼貌的硬壳，或者膨胀成一团稀薄虚浮的慷慨气氛，
lying, flattering, voting, contracting yourselves into a nutshell of civility or dilating into an atmosphere of thin and vaporous generosity,
只为说服邻居让你给他做鞋、做帽、做外套、造马车，或者替他代购杂货；
that you may persuade your neighbor to let you make his shoes, or his hat, or his coat, or his carriage, or import his groceries for him;
把自己累得生病，只为积攒一些备用之物，塞进一只旧箱子，或者藏在墙灰背后的长袜里，或者更稳妥地存入砖砌的银行；
making yourselves sick, that you may lay up something against a sick day, something to be tucked away in an old chest, or in a stocking behind the plastering, or, more safely, in the brick bank;
不管放在哪里，不管多少。
no matter where, no matter how much or how little.
我有时不禁感到奇怪，我们竟如此轻浮——几乎可以这么说——去关注那种粗粝却又略显域外色彩的奴役形式，即所谓的黑奴制度，
I sometimes wonder that we can be so frivolous, I may almost say, as to attend to the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery,
而实际上有那么多精明而隐秘的主人，正在奴役着南北各地的人们。
there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both north and south.
Vocabulary
- It
- 代词，指代事物或情况
- is
- 动词be的第三人称单数现在式
- very
- 副词，表示程度很深或非常
- evident
- 形容词，明显的、显而易见的
- what
- 疑问代词，用来提问或引导名词从句
- mean
- 动词，意思是、表示意义
- and
- 连词，用来连接词语或句子
- sneaking
- 形容词，偷偷摸摸的、鬼鬼祟祟的
- lives
- 名词复数，生活或动词第三人称单数
- many
- 形容词，许多的、数量多的
- of
- 介词，表示所属、组成或关系
- you
- 代词，你或你们
- live
- 动词，生活、居住
- for
- 介词，表示目的、原因或受益人
- my
- 形容词性物主代词，我的
- sight
- 名词，视力、景象
- has
- 动词have的第三人称单数现在式
- been
- 动词be的过去分词
- by
- 介词，表示被动语态中的施事者
- experience
- 名词，经验、体验
- always
- 副词，总是、一直
- on
- 介词，在...上面、关于
- the
- 定冠词，用来特指某个或某些人或物
- limits
- 名词复数，限制、边界
- trying
- 动词或形容词，尝试、令人厌烦的
- to
- 不定式标记，用在动词前
- get
- 动词，获得、变成
- into
- 介词，进入...里面
- business
- 名词，商业、事务
- out
- 副词或介词，出去、在...外
- debt
- 名词，债务、欠债
- ancient
- 形容词，古代的、古老的
- called
- 动词，被称为、叫做
- another
- 代词或形容词，另一个
- brass
- 名词，黄铜、厚脸皮
- some
- 形容词或代词，一些、某些
- their
- 形容词性物主代词，他们的
- coins
- 名词复数，硬币
- were
- 动词be的过去式复数
- made
- 动词make的过去式和过去分词
- still
- 副词或形容词，仍然、静止的
- dying
- 动词或形容词，死亡、垂死的
- buried
- 动词，埋藏、隐藏
- this
- 代词或形容词，这个、这些
- other
- 形容词或代词，其他的、另一个
- promising
- 动词或形容词，承诺、有前景的
- pay
- 动词，支付、付款
- tomorrow
- 名词或副词，明天
- today
- 名词或副词，今天
- seeking
- 动词，寻求、追求
- favor
- 名词，恩惠、偏爱
- custom
- 名词，习俗、风俗
- how
- 副词，如何、怎样
- modes
- 名词复数，方式、样式
- only
- 副词或形容词，仅仅、唯一的
- not
- 副词，不、没有
- offences
- 名词复数，犯罪、冒犯
- lying
- 动词，撒谎、躺着
- flattering
- 动词或形容词，奉承、令人高兴的
- voting
- 名词或动词，投票
- contracting
- 动词，签订合同、收缩
- yourselves
- 代词，你们自己
- or
- 连词，或者、或
- an
- 不定冠词，一个
- atmosphere
- 名词，大气、气氛
- thin
- 形容词，薄的、稀薄的
- generosity
- 名词，慷慨、大方
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