每天讀一點英文 那些激勵我前行的身影 33 英國人對美國的友情-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，首先談談他提到的關于我們之間為時已久的自然交往。

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.

當我接到紐約新聞界人士邀我今天與他們共進晚餐的邀請時，我懷著對我曾從事過的職業(yè)的愉快回憶，和我在內心從未拋棄過的對報界同仁的真誠關心，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，我年輕時曾在嚴格的新聞工作中受到的有益的鍛煉，今后我的兒子們會證實，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，我就會得到他們很差的評價，但基本上我是不會得到那種評價的。所以，諸位，不管怎樣，這樣的聚會都會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，我原以為這次聚會會像《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。因為你們很快就會相信：我的款待者在美國新聞界的代表性越廣，我所感受到的他們對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)定這樣一項責任：不僅在這里，而且在任何一個適宜的場合，我都要表達我對第二次訪美時所受到的款待的分外感激之情，并提供我對這個國家的慷慨、高尚行為的誠實見證，同時也要告訴大家，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.

請相信我，我決不會自負到認為自己在25年里沒有變化，并且覺得沒有什么可以學習的東西，沒有什么足以糾正我首次訪美時觀感的強烈印象。

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，我自己對美國的感情和興趣，看來可以很自然地轉變?yōu)槲覍ν麄兊母星楹团d趣。但是，無論如何，我是出于一種公開的目的來進行這方面的工作的。

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，有人問我：美國人，作為一個在英國的外國人，會不會處于某種不利地位。

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.

把在英國的美國人視為外國人，并以這種眼光去看待他、談論他，在我看來是非常不恰當和荒謬的。因此在那次談話中，我表現(xiàn)得過于嚴肅。

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.

在恢復了平常后說，多年來我一直希望像任何一個活著的英國人一樣，擁有眾多的美國朋友，接待那么多的美國來訪者，并且希望他們的經(jīng)驗會使我更加相信：美國人在英國處處都會充分地感受到英國人發(fā)自內心的尊重和關懷。

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.

對于這一點，我可以立即舉出兩個人的例子。其中之一是一位很有藝術修養(yǎng)的美國紳士。某個星期日，他來到一座以收藏名畫而著名的英國古城堡的城墻外。

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)英國對于星期日的嚴格規(guī)定，那天是不允許進入城堡的。但是在他說明自己是一個正在旅行的美國紳士以后，不要說畫廊，就連整個城堡都讓他參觀了。

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.

另一個例子講的是一位美國女土，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，因為博物館停止開放一星期，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.

這位女士后來告訴我，她獨自走到博物館門前，自我介紹來自美國，大門就神奇般地敞開了。我不情愿但又不得不補充一句，她當時很年輕，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，博物館看門人是個大胖子，而且據(jù)我認真觀察，他還是一個不易被打動的人。

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，英國人對美國人就像對英國本國人一樣的誠懇，他們本來就沒有什么敵對的觀念。

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

在這兩個偉大的民族之間，盡管過去、現(xiàn)在和將來都會有不一致的地方

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.

然而在英國廣泛地傳播著、洋溢著這樣一種感情：這兩個偉大的民族實質上是一家人，他們共同肩負著高舉盎格魯一撒克遜旗幟的責任(這一點我們的主席已經(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——如果我對我的同胞們有所了解，先生們，盡管除了我們自己國家的旗幟外，我們的心不為其他任何飄動的旗幟而激動，但英國人的心已經(jīng)為星條旗的飄揚而激動了。

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對待他們同美國的一切關系;不論曾經(jīng)有過什么樣的小情緒，也不論現(xiàn)在、將來、這里、那里會有什么樣的小小的官僚脾氣和官僚政策，請相信我的話，構建一種寬容的公正態(tài)度才是全體英國人一直以來的首要想法。

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，我最后講一個問題并請大家予以指正。我完全相信，在大西洋兩岸眾多的、誠實的、有思想的人中，可能會有這樣一種看法：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，也比這兩個通過各自的方式和時機而成功地爭取到自由的、偉大的民族對立起來的景象好。先生們，對于主席和你們大家如此友好、親切的對待我的健康問題和我的拙劣言辭，我感激不盡。請相信，我的確是以我最大的熱情來感謝你們的。

【人物簡介】

查爾斯·約翰·赫芬姆·狄更斯，英國作家。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世紀英國批判現(xiàn)實主義小說家。狄更斯特別注意描寫生活在英國社會底層的“小人物”的生活遭遇，深刻地反映了當時英國復雜的社會現(xiàn)實，為英國批判現(xiàn)實主義文學的開拓和發(fā)展做出了卓越的貢獻。他的作品至今依然盛行，對英國文學發(fā)展起到了深遠的影響。主要作品《匹克威克外傳》、《霧都孤兒》 、《老古玩店》、《艱難時世》、《我們共同的朋友》。