每天讀一點(diǎn)英文 那些激勵(lì)我前行的身影 33 英國(guó)人對(duì)美國(guó)的友情-查爾斯.狄更斯

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Charles Dickens/查爾斯·狄更斯

Gentlemen，

I cannot do better than take my cue from your distinguished President，and refer in my first remarks to his remarks in connection with the old，natural，association between you and me.

先生們，我最好是像你們杰出的主席那樣，首先談?wù)勊岬降年P(guān)于我們之間為時(shí)已久的自然交往。

When I received an invitation from a private association of working members of the press of New York to dine with them today，I accepted that compliment in grateful remembrance of a calling that was once my own，and in loyal sympathy towards a brotherhood which，in the spirit，I have never quitted.

當(dāng)我接到紐約新聞界人士邀我今天與他們共進(jìn)晚餐的邀請(qǐng)時(shí)，我懷著對(duì)我曾從事過(guò)的職業(yè)的愉快回憶，和我在內(nèi)心從未拋棄過(guò)的對(duì)報(bào)界同仁的真誠(chéng)關(guān)心，接受了這一好意。

To the wholesome training of severe newspaper work，when I was a very young man，I constantly refer my first successes;and my sons will hereafter testify to theifather that he was always steadily proud of that ladder by which he rose.

我經(jīng)常把早年的成功歸因于，我年輕時(shí)曾在嚴(yán)格的新聞工作中受到的有益的鍛煉，今后我的兒子們會(huì)證實(shí)，他們的父親始終以他借以登上成功的梯子而感到驕傲。

If it were otherwise，I should have but a very poor opinion of their father，which，perhaps，upon the whole，I have not. Hence，gentlemen，under any circumstances，this company would have been exceptionally interesting and gratifying to me.

如果情況并非如此，我就會(huì)得到他們很差的評(píng)價(jià)，但基本上我是不會(huì)得到那種評(píng)價(jià)的。所以，諸位，不管怎樣，這樣的聚會(huì)都會(huì)令我感到分外有趣和愉快。

But whereas I supposed that like the fairies’ pavilion in the“Arabian Nights，”it would be but a mere handful，and I find it turn out like the same elastic pavilion，capable of comprehending a multitude，so much the more proud am I of the honor of being your guest;for you will readily believe that the more widely representative of the press in America my entertainers are，the more I must feel the good-will and the kindly sentiments towards me of that vast institution.

不過(guò)，我原以為這次聚會(huì)會(huì)像《天方夜譚》里仙女們的帳篷一樣，只有巴掌那么大，但我發(fā)現(xiàn)它就像那頂會(huì)伸縮的帳篷，容納了一大群人，我為有幸成為你們的客人而倍感高興。因?yàn)槟銈兒芸炀蜁?huì)相信：我的款待者在美國(guó)新聞界的代表性越廣，我所感受到的他們對(duì)我的友情和感情就越深。

Gentlemen，I henceforth charge myself，not only here but on every suitable occasion whatsoever and wheresoever，to express my high and grateful sense of my second reception in America，and to bear my honest testimony to the national generosity and magnanimity. Also，to declare how astounded I have been by the amazing changes that I have seen around me on every side.

先生們，從今以后，我要給自己規(guī)定這樣一項(xiàng)責(zé)任：不僅在這里，而且在任何一個(gè)適宜的場(chǎng)合，我都要表達(dá)我對(duì)第二次訪美時(shí)所受到的款待的分外感激之情，并提供我對(duì)這個(gè)國(guó)家的慷慨、高尚行為的誠(chéng)實(shí)見(jiàn)證，同時(shí)也要告訴大家，我是如何為我所看到的各方面驚人變化而震驚。

Nor am I believe me so arrogant as to suppose that in twenty five years there have been no changes in me，and that I had nothing to learn and no extreme impressions to correct when I was here first.

請(qǐng)相信我，我決不會(huì)自負(fù)到認(rèn)為自己在25年里沒(méi)有變化，并且覺(jué)得沒(méi)有什么可以學(xué)習(xí)的東西，沒(méi)有什么足以糾正我首次訪美時(shí)觀感的強(qiáng)烈印象。

Gentlemen，the transition from my own feelings towards and interest in America to those of the mass of my countrymen seems to be a natural one;but，whether or not，I make it with an express object.

先生們，我自己對(duì)美國(guó)的感情和興趣，看來(lái)可以很自然地轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)槲覍?duì)同胞們的感情和興趣。但是，無(wú)論如何，我是出于一種公開(kāi)的目的來(lái)進(jìn)行這方面的工作的。

I was asked in this very city，about last Christmas time，whether an American was not at some disadvantage in England as a foreigner.

好像是去年圣誕節(jié)，就在紐約，有人問(wèn)我：美國(guó)人，作為一個(gè)在英國(guó)的外國(guó)人，會(huì)不會(huì)處于某種不利地位。

The notion of an American being regarded in England as a foreigner at all，of his ever being thought of or spoken of in that character，was so uncommonly incongruous and absurd to me，that my gravity was，for the moment，quite overpowered.

把在英國(guó)的美國(guó)人視為外國(guó)人，并以這種眼光去看待他、談?wù)撍谖铱磥?lái)是非常不恰當(dāng)和荒謬的。因此在那次談話中，我表現(xiàn)得過(guò)于嚴(yán)肅。

As soon as I was restored，I said that for years and years past I hoped I had had as many American friends and had received as many American visitors as almost any Englishman living，and that my unvarying experience，fortified by theirs，was that it was enough in England to be an American to be received with the readiest respect and recognition anywhere.

在恢復(fù)了平常后說(shuō)，多年來(lái)我一直希望像任何一個(gè)活著的英國(guó)人一樣，擁有眾多的美國(guó)朋友，接待那么多的美國(guó)來(lái)訪者，并且希望他們的經(jīng)驗(yàn)會(huì)使我更加相信：美國(guó)人在英國(guó)處處都會(huì)充分地感受到英國(guó)人發(fā)自內(nèi)心的尊重和關(guān)懷。

Hereupon，out of half-a-dozed people，suddenly spoke out two，one an American gentleman，with a cultivated taste for art，who，finding himself on a certain Sunday outside the walls of a certain historical English castle，famous for its pictures，was refused admission there.

對(duì)于這一點(diǎn)，我可以立即舉出兩個(gè)人的例子。其中之一是一位很有藝術(shù)修養(yǎng)的美國(guó)紳士。某個(gè)星期日，他來(lái)到一座以收藏名畫(huà)而著名的英國(guó)古城堡的城墻外。

According to the strict rules of the establishment on that day，but who，on merely representing that he was an American gentleman，on his travels，had，not to say the picture gallery，but the whole castle，placed at his immediate disposal.

根據(jù)英國(guó)對(duì)于星期日的嚴(yán)格規(guī)定，那天是不允許進(jìn)入城堡的。但是在他說(shuō)明自己是一個(gè)正在旅行的美國(guó)紳士以后，不要說(shuō)畫(huà)廊，就連整個(gè)城堡都讓他參觀了。

The other was a lady，who，being in London，and having a great desire to see the famous reading-room of the British Museum，was assured by the English family with whom she stayed that it was unfortunately impossible，because the place was closed for a week，and she had only three days there.

另一個(gè)例子講的是一位美國(guó)女土，她在倫敦非常想看一看著名的不列顛博物館的閱覽室。她借住的那家人告訴她，很遺憾這事辦不到，因?yàn)椴┪镳^停止開(kāi)放一星期，而她在倫敦只能逗留3日。

Upon that lady’s going to the Museum，as she assured me，alone to the gate，self-introduced as an American lady，the gate flew open，as it were，magically. I am unwillingly bound to add that she certainly was young and exceedingly pretty.

這位女士后來(lái)告訴我，她獨(dú)自走到博物館門(mén)前，自我介紹來(lái)自美國(guó)，大門(mén)就神奇般地敞開(kāi)了。我不情愿但又不得不補(bǔ)充一句，她當(dāng)時(shí)很年輕，而且特別漂亮。

Still，the porter of that institution is of an obese habit，and，according to the best of my observation of him，not very impressible.

不過(guò)，博物館看門(mén)人是個(gè)大胖子，而且據(jù)我認(rèn)真觀察，他還是一個(gè)不易被打動(dòng)的人。

Now，gentlemen，I refer to these trifles as a collateral assurance to you that the Englishmen who shall humbly strive，as I hope to do，to be in England as faithful to America as to England herself，have no previous conceptions to contend against.

先生們，我在這里順便提到這些小事是為了向你們肯定：正如我所希望的那樣，英國(guó)人對(duì)美國(guó)人就像對(duì)英國(guó)本國(guó)人一樣的誠(chéng)懇，他們本來(lái)就沒(méi)有什么敵對(duì)的觀念。

Points of difference there have been，points of difference there are，points of difference there probably always will be between the two great peoples.

在這兩個(gè)偉大的民族之間，盡管過(guò)去、現(xiàn)在和將來(lái)都會(huì)有不一致的地方

But broadcast in England shown the sentiment that those two peoples are essentially one，and that it rests with them jointly to uphold the great Anglo-Saxon race，to which our president has referred，and all its great achievements before the world.

然而在英國(guó)廣泛地傳播著、洋溢著這樣一種感情：這兩個(gè)偉大的民族實(shí)質(zhì)上是一家人，他們共同肩負(fù)著高舉盎格魯一撒克遜旗幟的責(zé)任(這一點(diǎn)我們的主席已經(jīng)談到了)，還要把她的一切成就展現(xiàn)在世人面前。

And if I know anything of my countrymen and they give me credit for knowing something—if I know anything of my countrymen，gentlemen，the English heart is stirred by the fluttering of those Stars and Stripes，as it is stirred by no other flag that flies except its own.

如果我對(duì)我的同胞們還是有所了解的話——他們相信我是了解一些情況的——如果我對(duì)我的同胞們有所了解，先生們，盡管除了我們自己國(guó)家的旗幟外，我們的心不為其他任何飄動(dòng)的旗幟而激動(dòng)，但英國(guó)人的心已經(jīng)為星條旗的飄揚(yáng)而激動(dòng)了。

If I know my countrymen，in any and every relation towards America，they begin，not as Sir Anthony Absolute recommended that lovers should begin，with“a little aversion.”but with a great liking and a profound respect;and whatever the little sensitiveness of the moment，or the little official passion，or the little official policy now，or then，or here，or there，may be，take my word for it，that the first enduring，great，popular consideration in England is a generous construction of justice.

如果我了解我的同胞，我知道他們并不像安東尼·艾布索列特爵士所說(shuō)到的戀人們的慣常表現(xiàn)那樣，起初是“略帶厭惡”、卻又滿懷好感與尊敬來(lái)對(duì)待他們同美國(guó)的一切關(guān)系;不論曾經(jīng)有過(guò)什么樣的小情緒，也不論現(xiàn)在、將來(lái)、這里、那里會(huì)有什么樣的小小的官僚脾氣和官僚政策，請(qǐng)相信我的話，構(gòu)建一種寬容的公正態(tài)度才是全體英國(guó)人一直以來(lái)的首要想法。

Finally，gentlemen，and I say this subject to your correction，I do believe that from the great majority of honest minds on both sides，there cannot be absent the conviction that it would be better for this globe to be riven by an earthquake，fired by a comet，overrun by an iceberg，and abandoned to the Arctic fox and bear，than that it should present the spectacle of these two great nations，each of which has，in its own way and hour，striven so hard and so successfully for freedom，ever again being arrayed the one against the other. Gentlemen，I cannot thank your President enough or you enough for your kind reception of my health，and of my poor remarks，but，believe me，I do thank you with the utmost fervor of which my soul is capable.

先生們，我最后講一個(gè)問(wèn)題并請(qǐng)大家予以指正。我完全相信，在大西洋兩岸眾多的、誠(chéng)實(shí)的、有思想的人中，可能會(huì)有這樣一種看法：讓地球被地震震碎，被彗星燒毀，被冰山撞翻，把它扔給北極的狐貍和熊，也比這兩個(gè)通過(guò)各自的方式和時(shí)機(jī)而成功地爭(zhēng)取到自由的、偉大的民族對(duì)立起來(lái)的景象好。先生們，對(duì)于主席和你們大家如此友好、親切的對(duì)待我的健康問(wèn)題和我的拙劣言辭，我感激不盡。請(qǐng)相信，我的確是以我最大的熱情來(lái)感謝你們的。

【人物簡(jiǎn)介】

查爾斯·約翰·赫芬姆·狄更斯，英國(guó)作家。1812年2月7日生于樸次茅斯市郊，1870年6月9日卒于羅切斯特附近的蓋茨山莊。19世紀(jì)英國(guó)批判現(xiàn)實(shí)主義小說(shuō)家。狄更斯特別注意描寫(xiě)生活在英國(guó)社會(huì)底層的“小人物”的生活遭遇，深刻地反映了當(dāng)時(shí)英國(guó)復(fù)雜的社會(huì)現(xiàn)實(shí)，為英國(guó)批判現(xiàn)實(shí)主義文學(xué)的開(kāi)拓和發(fā)展做出了卓越的貢獻(xiàn)。他的作品至今依然盛行，對(duì)英國(guó)文學(xué)發(fā)展起到了深遠(yuǎn)的影響。主要作品《匹克威克外傳》、《霧都孤兒》 、《老古玩店》、《艱難時(shí)世》、《我們共同的朋友》。