英语沙龙：Funeral Sermon for Mammy Caroline

Funeral Sermon for Mammy Caroline Barr

Caroline has known to me all my life.

It was my privilege to see her out of hers.

After my father’s death,

to Mammy I came to represent the head of that family

to which she had given a half century of fidelity¹ and devotion.

But the relationship between us never became that of master and servant.

She still remained one of my earliest recollections,

not only as a person,

but as a fountain of authority over my conduct

and of security for my physical welfare,

and of active and constant affection and love.

She was an active and constant percept for decent behaviour.

From her I learned to tell the truth,

to refrain from waste,

to be considerate of the weak and respectful to age,

I saw fidelity to a family which was not hers,

devotion and love for people she had not borne.

She was born in bondage²

and with a dark skin and most of her early maturity³

she was passed in a dark and tragic⁴ time

for the land of her birth.

She went through vicissitudes⁵ which she had not caused;

she assumed cares and grieves

which were not even her cares and grieves.

She was paid wages for this,

but pay is still just money.

And she never received very much of that,

so that she never laid up anything of this world’s goods.

Yet she accepted that too, without cavil⁶ or calculation or complaint,

so that by that very failure she earned the gratitude⁷

and affection of the family she had given the fidelity and devotion upon,

and gained the grief and regret of the aliens who loved and lost her.

She was born and lived and served,

and died and now is mourned;

if there is a heaven, she has gone there.

1 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

2 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

3 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 vicissitudes   

n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废

参考例句：

• He experienced several great social vicissitudes in his life. 他一生中经历了几次大的社会变迁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected. 饱经沧桑，不易沮丧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cavil   

v.挑毛病，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• A carper will cavil at anything.爱挑剔的人对什么都挑剔。
• Even he could find nothing to cavil about.连他都挑不出什么毛病来。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。