美国语文第五册 第331期:《圣经》 最好的经典(2)

 　　If we inquire who are the men that have recorded its truths,   如果我们探询究竟何人记载下《圣经》真迹，

　　vindicated¹ its rights, and illustrated² the excellence³ of its scheme, from the depth of ages and from the living world,  印证《圣经》的权利，阐明《圣经》的卓越建构，从岁月幽深的尘封，到凡世红尘的喧嚣，从芸芸众生的洲陆，

　　from the populous⁴ continent and the isles⁵ of the sea, comes forth⁶ the answer: “The patriarch and the prophet, the evangelist and the martyr⁷.” 到天涯的寥落之角，所及之处的回音异口同声：“上帝是世界创始人与预言者，人类福音的传道者及殉道人。”

　　If we look abroad through the world of men, the victims of folly⁸ or vice⁹, the prey¹⁰ of cruelty, of injustice¹¹,  如果我们纵览整个人类世界，目睹那些愚蠢或恶习的受害者，残虐暴行或非正义的牺牲者，

　　and inquire what are its benefits, even in this temporal state,  我们将会质问，究竟有谁才是世间罪孽的受益者？甚至在当下世俗层面，

　　the great and the humble¹², the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, the learned and the ignorant reply, as with one voice,   伟大抑或卑微，富人抑或穷人，权高望重抑或渺小卑微，饱学之士抑或无知之徒，亦会发出同一声音，

　　that humility¹³ and resignation, purity, order, and peace, faith, hope, and charity are its blessings¹⁴ upon earth. 即谦卑、顺从、纯粹、守序、平和、信仰、希望以及善行皆为上帝带给世界的美好福音。

　　And if, raising our eyes from time to eternity¹⁵; from the world of mortals to the world of just men made perfect;  因此，如果我们仰望上天，想象时间进入永恒，想象滚滚红尘进入人类梦寐以求的世界大同，

　　from the visible creation, marvelous, beautiful, and glorious as it is, to the invisible creation of angels and seraphs;  想象那些恰如上帝本体、触目可及的创造与神奇、美丽与荣光，乃至众多天使亦无法察觉的恢弘创造；

　　from the footstool of God to the throne of God himself, we ask, what are the blessings that flow from this single volume,  从上帝脚趾直抵上帝皇冠，我们一直在探求，从这人类唯一卷轶浩繁的《圣经》中流泻的福祉究竟是什么？

　　let the question be answered by the pen of the evangelist, the harp¹⁶ of the prophet, and the records of the book of life.  不妨追溯传道士手中的蘸笔，先知吟唱的竖琴，以及生命大书的誊撰记录，答案自会知晓。

　　Such is the best of classics the world has ever admired; such, the noblest that man has ever adopted as a guide.  这是世界文明迄今为止高山仰止的古典精粹，这是有史以来人类升华自身的庄严高贵。

1 vindicated   

v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated. 我完全相信这一决定的正确性将得到充分证明。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy. 后来的事实证明那政策是对的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

3 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

4 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

5 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

8 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

11 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

12 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

13 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

14 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

16 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。