时代周刊:波特兰抗议者自述(2)

It is Lewis' words—"Freedom is the continuous action we all must take,

是刘易斯的那句话——“自由是我们所有人都必须采取的持久行动，

and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair,

每一代人都应当尽一份力，来创建一个更公平、

more just society"—that echo as the gas swallows me.

更公正的社会”——在毒气吞噬我的时候一直回响在我耳边。

I feel men crashing into me as they flee pepper bullets and fires from flash-bang grenades,

我感觉到无数人，无数想要逃离胡椒炮弹和致盲弹的火力攻击，

dragging choking, bleeding bodies away,

拖着喘不上气、流血的身体四处逃窜的人在挤压我，

but I hold my ground because I know the law:

但我决定坚持自己的立场，因为我了解法律：

a federal injunction prohibits the use of gas unless the lives or safety of the public or the police are at risk,

联邦禁令是禁止使用毒气的，除非公众或警察的生命或安全受到了威胁，

and that is obviously not the case here.

此时此刻显然不属于上述情况。

I listen and am prepared to obey dispersal orders from authorities, but they never come.

我听从了，也准备好了服从当局的驱逐令，但我并未等到他们。

But I am also naively¹ stunned² by the suspension of my lifelong privilege.

然而，我还天真地被他们吊销我享受了一辈子的特权惊呆了。

Those federal agents are the brothers-in-arms of men I love—

那些联邦特工都是我爱的人——

my father the Navy submariner, my former father-in-law the disabled Marine³,

我的父亲是海军潜艇兵，前岳父是伤残海军陆战队队员，

the police officer I swooned over in my youth—and I am a white woman,

年轻时爱上的一位警察——的手足兄弟，我是一名白人女性，

the high school cheerleader those feds once fell for, the sorority girl they courted,

是那些联邦调查局曾经迷恋过的高中啦啦队队长，他们追求过的联谊会女孩，

the one person those officers truly referred to when they swore an oath to serve and protect.

是那些官员在宣誓效忠和保护时真正所指的人。

If they are willing to turn on me, to fire on me,

如果他们情愿背叛我，向我开火，

for finally breaking my silent complicity and standing⁴ with and for my Black neighbors,

就因为我终于打破了等同于助纣为虐的沉默，为我的黑人邻居，和我的黑人邻居站到了一起，

what havoc⁵ will be wreaked⁶ on the Black bodies left behind if I vacate this street?

那我要是离开了这条街，没能逃走的黑人会遭受怎样的噩运？

For a second the gas lifts, and it seems there are only a few women left,

刹那间，催泪瓦斯升腾起来，似乎只有几个女性留了下来，

standing arm in arm in the yellow shirts those agents know mark us as mothers,

穿着黄色T恤的我们手挽着手，特工们知道，黄色T恤就代表着我们是一群母亲，

just empty asphalt between us and the men some other mothers raised.

我们和被其他母亲抚养长大的男人之间只剩下了空荡荡的柏油马路。

And that is when they shoot us, point blank, with impact munitions⁷.

就在这时，他们开始朝我们开枪，近距离地朝我们发射冲击弹药了。

The woman on my right falls forward; the woman on my left is struck in the head; I feel my bone break.

我右边的女人向前倒下了；左边的女人头部被击中了；我自己也感觉骨头断了。

My right ankle is encased in a bulky cast after a fall the previous week,

一周前，我刚因为摔伤右脚踝被裹上了厚厚的石膏，

and those American sons shoot my other foot out from under me.

美国之子们却连我的另一只脚也没有放过，他们从下面射中了我的脚。

Today, now that federal agents have withdrawn⁸, our protests go on peacefully.

如今，联邦特工已经撤退，我们的抗议活动仍在和平地进行着。

But America, be wary⁹.

但是，美国啊，切莫大意。

Forget Portland at your peril¹⁰.

忘记波特兰是要付出代价的。

Everyone thinks they'd have joined the Resistance if they lived in 1940s Europe,

所有人都觉得，如果生活在20世纪40年代的欧洲，他们就一定会加入抵抗运动，

when we know that most stayed inside, served supper, tucked the children into bed with a kiss and a lie:

但我们知道，大多数人最终都只选择了留在家里，端上晚餐，用亲吻和谎言把孩子们哄上床：

"All is well, close your eyes."

“一切都很好，快闭上眼睛好好睡觉。”

Don't wait to be knocked off your feet.

别等着被他们撂倒。

It may be you they aim for next.

因为他们的下一个目标很可能就是你。

1 naively   

adv. 天真地

参考例句：

• They naively assume things can only get better. 他们天真地以为情况只会变好。
• In short, Knox's proposal was ill conceived and naively made. 总而言之，诺克斯的建议考虑不周，显示幼稚。

2 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 wreaked   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city. 地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• They have wreaked dreadful havoc among the wildlife by shooting and trapping. 他们射杀和诱捕野生动物，造成了严重的破坏。

7 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

8 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

9 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

10 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。