美国学生人类历史第45期:古希腊城邦(2)

 　　"That is all very well," you will say, "and no doubt it is a great virtue¹ to care so much for moderation and perfection², but why should the Greeks have been the only people to develop this quality in olden times?" For an answer I shall point to the way in which the Greeks lived.

　　"那很好啊，"你会说，"注重适度与完美当然是一种优秀的德性。可是为什么在古代只有古希腊人一个民族发展了这种素质呢？"作为对你问题的回答，我必须讲一讲古希腊人的生活状态。

　　The people of Egypt or Mesopotamia had been the "subjects" of a mysterious Supreme³ Ruler who lived miles and miles away in a dark palace and who was rarely seen by the masses of the population. The Greeks on the other hand, were "free citizens" of a hundred independent little "cities"the largest of which counted fewer inhabitants than a large modern village. When a peasant who lived in Ur said that he was a Babylonian he meant that he was one of millions of other people who paid tribute⁴ to the king who at that particular moment happened to be master of western Asia. But when a Greek said proudly that he was an Athenian or a Theban he spoke⁵ of a small town, which was both his home and his country and which recognised no master but the will of the people in the market-place.

　　在埃及或者美索不达米亚，人们仅仅是一个神秘莫测的最高统治者的"臣民"。这位统治者住在遥远的宫廷里面，统治着他庞大的帝国。他的绝大部分臣民一生都未见过他一面。可希腊人正好相反：他们是分属数百个小型"城邦"的"自由 公民"。这些城邦中最大的，其人口也超不过一个现代的大型村庄。当一个住在乌尔的农民说自己是巴比伦人时，他的意思是，他属于数百万向当时正好是西亚统治者的国王纳税进贡的大众之一。可当一个希腊人自豪地称自己是雅典人或底比斯"人，他谈到的是那个既是他的家园又是他的国家的小城镇。那里不承认有什么最高的统治者，一切由集市上的人们说了算。

　　To the Greek, his fatherland was the place where he was born; where he had spent his earliest years playing hide and seek amidst the forbidden rocks of the Acropolis; where he had grown into manhood with a thousand other boys and girls, whose nicknames⁶ were as familiar to him as those of your own schoolmates. His Fatherland was the holy soil where his father and mother lay buried.

　　对希腊人来说，祖国就是他出生的地方，是他在雅典卫城的石墙间玩捉迷藏游戏而度过童年的地方，是他与许多男孩女孩一起长大成人 的地方。他对他们每一个人的熟悉就如同你知道班级里所有同学的绰号一样。他的祖国是他的父母亲埋骨于此的圣洁土壤。

1 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

2 perfection   

n.尽善尽美，无比精确

参考例句：

• Their works reach to a great height of perfection.他们的作品到了极完美的境地。
• The picture wants something of perfection.这幅画还有些不够完美。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 tribute   

n.颂词，称赞，(表示敬意的)礼物；贡品

参考例句：

• She accepted their tribute graciously.她慈祥地接受了他们的致意。
• Many conquered nations had to pay tribute to the rulers of ancient Rome.许多被征服的国家必须向古罗马的统治者朝贡。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 nicknames   

n.绰号，诨名，昵称( nickname的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The other children taunted him with nicknames. 其他的孩子用绰号取笑他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He tried to amuse her by calling her the affectionate nicknames "Dark Sweetie" and "Miss Chocolate." 方鸿渐要博鲍小姐欢心，便把“黑甜”、“朱古力小姐”那些亲昵的称呼告诉她。 来自汉英文学 - 围城