VOA常速英语2013--罗本岛的曼德拉悼念活动即将结束

 

Mandela Mourners Seek Closure at Robben Island 罗本岛的曼德拉悼念活动即将结束

ROBBEN ISLAND, SOUTH AFRICA — After 10 days of official mourning, Nelson Mandela’s body has been laid to rest.  On Robben Island off Cape¹ Town, where Mandela was imprisoned², visitors are coming together seeking some kind of closure after an emotional week for South Africa.

南非罗本岛-历经10天的官方悼念活动之后，曼德拉的遗体入土为安。开普敦旁的罗本岛上，在南非伤感的一周过后，人们正聚集在一起结束悼念活动。曼德拉曾在罗本岛上入狱。

Crossing the rolling swells³ of Table Bay, the old boats that once carried prisoners to Robben Island are now packed with well-wishers coming to pay their respects at the site of Nelson Mandela’s incarceration⁴.

曾经押送犯人到罗本岛上的古老船只穿过层层巨浪，载满了祈福者们，他们聚集在曼德拉曾经被监禁的地方向他表达敬意。

He spent 18 of his 27 years in jail on this island, alongside dozens of other political prisoners.

在他有生之年的27年监禁生涯之中，有17年是在这个岛上和其他政治犯们度过的。

Among them was Vusumzi Mcongo, who was jailed here for 12 years. He now works as a tour guide.

这其中有个叫Vusumzi Mcogo的人，他在这里被监禁了12年，现在是一名导游.

“People come to mourn every day in different ways.  To give him their last respects.  And we have to respect that; the people actually say they have lost a father,” he said.

“人们每天都会以不同的方式来悼念曼德拉，向他致以最后的敬意。我们没理由去拒绝这种敬意。人们甚至说他们失去了一位父亲。”他说到。

Prisoners were forced to toil⁵ day after day in the island’s lime quarry⁶, where the harsh light permanently⁷ damaged Mandela’s eyesight.  The tiny damp cell, now a simple shrine⁸ to his memory, also contributed to his ill health in later years.

囚犯们被强制在岛上的采石场辛苦工作。正式采石场上的强光毁坏了曼德拉的视力。狭小潮湿的牢房也使得他今后身体状况欠佳，如今这里已经变成我们追忆他的小小祠堂。

But former prisoners here say they did not want Robben Island to become a monument to suffering and hardship, but rather to the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of evil.

然而之前在这里的囚徒们说他们不想让罗本岛变成一个悲惨遭遇以及艰苦生活的纪念地，他们更愿意让这里成为一个他用人格魅力征服邪恶力量的胜利见证。

And that triumph, says Mcongo, was personified in Nelson Mandela.

Mcongo说，曼德拉诠释了什么是胜利。

“He was an inspiration to us.  As some of the other prisoners that were here, he led us.  He gave us that leadership and education.  The country and the world at large have lost a hero of a different epoch,” he said.

“他对我们是一种激励。像其他一些囚徒一样，他领导我们，引导我们，教育我们。这个国家，也可以说整个世界失去了一个时代的英雄.”他说。

Many visitors hope a visit here offers a chance to come to terms with Mandela’s death. “It is kind of like seeking for closure.  It is a tragedy.  I do not know how to explain it.  It has been hard. And it is going to take a while,” said Amanda Tshabalala who is from Cape Town.

很多游客都希望此次旅行还能有机会去送曼德拉最后一程。“我想应该到结束的时候了。这是一场悲剧。我不知道如何用言语表达。这的确是一场艰难的经历，需要用一段时间去化解。”来自开普敦的Amada Tshabalala说。

William Dikotsi from Johannesburg says the visit brings home the enormity of Nelson Mandela’s achievements.

来自Johannesburg的William Dikotsi说，他领略了曼德拉的崇高与伟大，的确是不虚此行.

“Today we realized that what Mandela did was best for this country.  Because he avoided the bloodshed.  He avoided what is happening in other African countries.  And we never [not only] lost a leader, we lost a father,” he said.

“现在我们意识到曼德拉所做的让我们的国家极为受益。因为他避免了流血杀戮，避免了其他非洲国家正在经历的痛苦。我们不仅失去了一位领袖，我们还失去了一位父亲。”他说.

Behind the prison walls, forced to endure degrading treatment at the hands of the white prison guards, Nelson Mandela forged the political courage that would offer his country a future beyond apartheid.

狱墙之内，纳尔逊 曼德拉被迫忍受白人狱监的人格侮辱，但是却造就了他为他的国家超越种族隔离的未来而战的政治勇气。

And it is to this remote island where thousands of people come to salute⁹ that courage; and to say simply, "Thank you, Madiba." 在这个偏远的小岛上，成千上万的人们来向这种勇气致敬。简单来说，“谢谢你，曼德拉”

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

3 swells   

增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
• A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。

4 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

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 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

7 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

8 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

9 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。