美國語文第六冊 第174期:北美印第安人(3)
在獵鷹的注視下和獅子的養(yǎng)育下，在聆聽傷感的民謠和令人唏噓的英雄傳奇的過程中繁衍起來的印第安人已經(jīng)一去不復返了。
and his degraded offspring crawls upon the soil where he walked in majesty,
他們退化了的后代拜倒在祖先昂首闊步走過的土地上，
to remind us how miserable is man when the foot of the conqueror is on his neck.
不禁令我們想到當征服者的鐵蹄踩在一個人的脖頸上時是何等可悲。
As a race they have withered from the land.
作為一個民族，他們已經(jīng)從這塊土地上漸漸消失了。
Their arrows are broken, their springs are dried up, their cabins are in the dust.
他們背上的弓箭已經(jīng)折斷，他們賴以生存的泉水已經(jīng)干涸。
Their council fire has long since gone out on the shore, and their war cry is fast fading to the untrodden west.
在水濱，部落大會已經(jīng)很長時間不見篝火了，在人跡罕至的西部他們打仗時的吶喊聲很快就消弭了。
Slowly and sadly they climb the distant mountains, and read their doom in the setting sun.
他們緩緩地爬上高山，神情悲戚，在落日下他們依稀分辨著自己家的茅屋。
They are shrinking before the mighty tide which is pressing them away;
在巨大的潮汐面前他們退縮著。
they must soon hear the roar of the last wave which will settle over them forever.
他們必然很快就能聽到將他們永遠沖到這里定居的最后的波濤咆哮之聲。
Ages hence, the inquisitive white man, as he stands by some growing city,
因此，多年以后當他站在旁邊凝望成長中的城市時，
will ponder on the structure of their disturbed remains, and wonder to what manner of persons they belonged.
好盤根問底的白人考慮的是印第安人被破壞的遺跡的建筑結(jié)構(gòu)，會對住在這樣的建筑物里的人的生活方式感到好奇。
They will live only in the songs and chronicles of their exterminators.
他們只存在于歌謠和滅殺他們的人的編年史里。
Let these be faithful to their rude virtues as men, and pay due tribute to their unhappy fate as a people.
還是讓這些記錄忠實于他們作為人的原始的德性吧，理應(yīng)對他們作為一個民族不幸的命運進行憑吊。
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