精美英文欣赏:亚伯拉罕·林肯（在线收听）

Part 5 Abraham Lincoln

亚伯拉罕·林肯

August 12th, 1879

1879年8月12日

I see the President almost every day, as I happen to live where he passes to or from his lodgings out of town. He never sleeps at the White House during the hot season, but has quarters at a healthy location some three miles north of the city, the Soldiers' home, a United States military establishment. I saw him this morning about eight thirty coming in to business, riding on Vermont avenue, near L street. He always has a company of twenty-five or thirty cavalry, with sabres drawn and held upright over their shoulders They say this guard was against his personal wish, but he let his counselors have their way. The party makes no great show in uniform or horses. Mr. Lincoln on the saddle generally rides a good-sized, easy-going gray horse, is dressed in plain black, somewhat rusty and dusty, wears a black stiff hat, and looks about as ordinary in attire, as the commonest man. A lieutenant, with yellow straps, rides at his left, and following behind, two by two, come the cavalry men, in their yellow-striped jackets. They are generally going at a slow trot, as that is the pace set them by the one they wait upon. The sabres and accoutrements clank, and the entirely unornamental cortege as it trots towards Lafayette square arouses no sensation, only some curious stranger stops and gazes. I see very plainly Abraham Lincoln's dark brown face, with the deep-cut lines, the eyes, always to me with a deep latent sadness in the expression. We have got so that we exchange bows, and very cordial ones. Sometimes the President goes and comes in an open barouche. The cavalry always accompany him, with drawn sabres. Often I notice as he goes out evenings-and sometimes in the morning, when he returns early he turns off and halts at the large and handsome residence of the Secretary of War, on K street, and holds conference there. If in his barouche, I can see from my window he does not alight, but sits in his vehicle, and Mr. Stanton comes out to attend him. Sometimes one of his sons, a boy of ten or twelve, accompanies him, riding at his right on a pony. Earlier in the summer I occasionally saw the President and his wife, toward the latter part of the afternoon, out in a barouche, on a pleasure ride through the city. Mrs. Lincoln was dressed in complete black, with a long crape veil. The equipage is of the plainest kind, only two horses, and they nothing extra. They passed me once very close, and I saw the President in the face fully, as they were moving slowly, and his look, though abstracted, happened to be directed steadily in my eye. He bowed and smiled, but far beneath his smile I noticed well the expression I have alluded to. None of the artists or pictures has caught the deep, though subtle and indirect expression of this man's face. There is something else there. One of the great portrait painters of two or three centuries ago is needed.

我几乎每天都能看到总统，因为我恰好住在他往返于城外寓所的必经路上。在炎热的夏季，他晚上从不在白宫歇息，而是住在城北约3英里处的一个充满朝气的处所美国军事基地"士兵之家"。今天早晨大约8点半我看见他进城办事，骑马走在L大街附近的佛蒙特路上。和他随行的总有一支25到30人的身佩军刀的骑兵队伍， 军刀笔直地挂在他们的肩上。据说总统本人并不愿意有这支护卫队，但最终还是顺从了顾问们的意志。他们一行人的着装和马匹都不事张扬。马鞍上的林肯先生通常骑一匹体格高大、性情温和的灰色骏马，他穿着一身褪色的灰乎乎的黑色服装，头戴一顶硬挺挺的黑色帽子。从这身打扮来看，他和最普通的人一样平平常常。 一位佩戴黄色绶带的中尉骑马走在他的左侧，跟随身后的是两两一排的身着黄条上衣的骑兵。他们常常慢步前进，因为他们守候的总统先生就是这么缓缓而行。当这群军刀配件叮当作响、完全不加修饰的队伍徐徐走向拉菲特广场时，丝毫没有引起任何骚动，只有某个好奇的陌生人驻足而视。我非常清楚地看到亚伯拉罕·林肯先生的深褐色的脸庞，脸上刻着深深的皱纹，他的眼睛在我看来总带着一种潜在的深深的忧伤。我们见面时便相互欠身致意，彼此非常真诚。有时，总统也乘一辆敞篷四轮马车出入，骑兵护卫们总是手秉出鞘的军刀跟随着他。在他晚间外出，有时是清晨早早归来时，我常常注意到他会拐到K街，停在国防部长宏伟气派的官邸门前，在那里开会。如果他坐着敞篷马车，我从窗户可以看到他并不下车，而是坐在车里，斯塔顿先生会出来迎接他。有时他的儿子，一个10到12岁的男孩会骑匹小马驹陪在他的右侧。初夏时节，我偶尔见到总统和夫人在下午乘坐四轮马车高高兴兴地在城里游览。林肯夫人一身纯黑色打扮，头戴长长的黑色面纱。他们的出行装备再简单不过了，除了两匹马和他们自己就别无他物。有一次他们从我身边经过， 距离非常近，而且速度很慢，我完完全全看到了总统的面容，他的目光尽管飘忽不定，却恰好稳稳地与我的目光相遇。他欠身朝我微笑，但是在他的笑容背后，我仍然清楚地注意到我曾提及过的深深的忧郁之情。没有哪位画家，也没有哪张照片曾经捕捉到总统脸上这种深沉、细微而又内敛的表情。这张脸上还流露出某种其他的神色，只有两到三个世纪以前的某位伟大的肖像画家方可绘出。