美国语文第六册 第193期:新英格兰清教徒先辈的品格(5)

Their piety¹ was not merely external; it was sincere;

他们的虔诚不仅仅是永恒的，这是发自内心的。

it had the proof of a good tree in bearing good fruit; it produced and sustained a strict morality.

这恰好证明了善良之因必将结出善良之果。这种虔诚导致并维系着严格的道德准则。

Their tenacious² purity of manners and speech obtained for them, in the mother country,

他们坚持习俗的纯粹性，他们的语言也从中获取营养。

their name of Puritans, which, though given in derision, was as honorable an appellation³ as was ever bestowed⁴ by man on man.

清教徒这个称谓，尽管有些嘲弄的意味，却是赋予他们的具有荣誉感的称号。

That there were hypocrites among them, is not to be doubted; but they were rare.

在他们中间存在伪君子，这一点毋庸置疑。不过，这种人很少见。

The men who voluntarily exiled themselves to an unknown coast, and endured there every toil⁵ and hardship for conscience' sake,

那些自愿将自己放逐到未知海岸的人，出于良心的缘故在那儿忍受千难万苦，

and that they might serve God in their own manner, were not likely to set conscience at defiance⁶, and make the service of God a mockery;

他们以自己的方式为上帝服务，这样的人不可能将良知弃之不顾，嘲弄对上帝的虔敬。

they were not likely to be, neither were they, hypocrites.

这样的人不可能，也不会是伪君子。

I do not know that it would be arrogating⁷ too much for them to say, that, on the extended surface of the globe,

我不晓得是否可以这样说，在地球的广阔大地上，

there was not a single community of men to be compared with them, in the respects of deep religious impressions and an exact performance of moral duty.

没有哪个人类社会在强烈的宗教情感和道德责任的严格履行方面能与他们相比。

1 piety   

n.虔诚，虔敬

参考例句：

• They were drawn to the church not by piety but by curiosity.他们去教堂不是出于虔诚而是出于好奇。
• Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness.经验使我们看到虔诚与善意之间有着巨大的区别。

2 tenacious   

adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的

参考例句：

• We must learn from the tenacious fighting spirit of Lu Xun.我们要学习鲁迅先生韧性的战斗精神。
• We should be tenacious of our rights.我们应坚决维护我们的权利。

3 appellation   

n.名称，称呼

参考例句：

• The emperor of Russia Peter I was given the appellation " the Great ".俄皇彼得一世被加上了“大帝”的称号。
• Kinsfolk appellation is the kinfolks system reflection in language.亲属称谓是亲属制度在语言中的反应。

4 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

5 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

6 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

7 arrogating   

v.冒称，妄取( arrogate的现在分词 )；没来由地把…归属（于）

参考例句：

• It often refers to a bunch of party-approved village apparatchiks arrogating ownership rights for themselves. 在中国，这通常代表一群当局委派的官员将产权据为己有。 来自互联网