美国语文第六册 第170期:希腊游吟诗人之歌(2)

 And must thy lyre, so long divine, degenerate¹ into hands like mine? 你那长久以来一直奏出神圣乐音的竖琴，竟落到我的手上？

Must we but weep o'er days more blest? 我们要为幸福的日子哭泣？

Must we but blush? Our fathers bled. 难道我们只有惭愧？我们的先辈已经流血。

Earth! render back from out thy breast a remnant of our Spartan² dead! 大地啊！把斯巴达人的遗骨从你的怀抱里送还！

Of the three hundred, grant but three, 哪怕只有三百壮士中的三个，

To make a new Thermopylae! 也会让温泉关大捷再现！

What! silent still and silent all? 什么？还是悄无声息，一切都归于静寂？

Ah! no;—the voices of the dead sound like a distant torrent's fall, 啊，不！先烈的喊杀声听上去就像远方的汹涌的瀑布，

And answer, "Let one living head, but one, arise,—we come, we come!" 那声音在说，“只要有一个人活着，站在高处号令——我们就响应，就响应！”

T is but the living who are dumb! 咦，只有活着的人才默不作声！

In vain—in vain!—strike other chords; 枉然，皆是枉然！弹别的曲调吧，

Fill high the cup with Samian wine! 且将杯子斟满萨摩斯的美酒！

Leave battles to the Turkish hordes³, 把战场留给土耳其人去厮杀吧，

And shed the blood of Scio's vine! 任塞奥那鲜红的葡萄酒流淌！

Hark! rising to the ignoble⁴ call, 听！每个冒失的酒鬼多么欢呼跃起

How answers each bold Bacchanal! 响应这个可耻的号召！

You have the Pyrrhic dance as yet; 你们跳着出征舞，

Where is the Pyrrhic phalanx gone? 可比鲁斯王的方阵朝哪里进发？

Of two such lessons, why forget the nobler and the manlier⁵ one? 这是两个榜样，为什么竟忘了那更高尚和刚强的一个？

You have the letters Cadmus gave; 卡德穆斯为你们造字，

Think ye he meant them for a slave? 想想看难道是为了奴隶？

 

1 degenerate   

v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者

参考例句：

• He didn't let riches and luxury make him degenerate.他不因财富和奢华而自甘堕落。
• Will too much freedom make them degenerate?太多的自由会令他们堕落吗？

2 spartan   

adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人

参考例句：

• Their spartan lifestyle prohibits a fridge or a phone.他们不使用冰箱和电话，过着简朴的生活。
• The rooms were spartan and undecorated.房间没有装饰，极为简陋。

3 hordes   

n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落

参考例句：

• There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
• Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ignoble   

adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的

参考例句：

• There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。
• Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

5 manlier   

manly（有男子气概的）的比较级形式

参考例句：

• The man did work that was thought to be manlier. He was a logger. 老先生做的是一般认为较适合男性的工作-当一名樵夫。