2020年经济学人 前红色高棉监狱长杜赫(4)

His nom de guerre, Duch, meant the schoolboy who stood up when his master asked him to. He may have hated the prison work, but he faithfully repeated the slogans. “Our party makes absolutely no mistakes.” “Angkar knows who is good and who is bad.” They did not quite smother¹ the rising fear that his perpetual system might swallow him, too. Was he sorry? In 1999, when a journalist found him, he wanted to talk. By then he had become a Christian², another ideology³ in which he could immerse himself. He knew about sins and forgiveness now.

他的假名杜赫是指那个在主人要求时就站起来的学生。他可能讨厌监狱工作，但他忠实地重复了口号。“我们的党绝对不会犯错。“柬共知道谁是好人，谁是坏人。”他们并没有完全消除心中升起的恐惧，担心他那永久的系统也会把他吞没。他感到抱歉吗？1999年，当一个记者找到他时，他想和他谈谈。那时他已经成为一名基督徒，这是另一种他可以沉浸其中的意识形态。杜赫现在知道了罪恶和宽恕。

Occasionally he shed tears. He was the first high Khmer Rouge⁴ official to go on trial, in 2009. There, often dressed in pure white, his soft voice demanding exact dates and transcripts⁵, he explained himself. But what he said one day he might retract⁶ the next. He played with truth, as he had done before. Uniquely among Khmer Rouge leaders, he accepted responsibility for his actions at S-21. But his superiors had given the orders, so he was bound to obey. And he hoped, having been useful, that he might be released. He was not. In 2012 his original sentence of 35 years for torture, murder and crimes against humanity was extended to life.

他偶尔会流泪。2009年，他成为第一个接受审判的红色高棉高级官员。在那里，他常常穿着纯白的衣服，用他柔和的声音要求对方说出确切的日期和笔录，然后交代罪行。但他今天说的话，可能第二天就会收回。他像以前一样玩弄真相。在红色高棉领导人中，他是独一无二的，他为自己在S-21监狱的行为承担了责任。但是他的上司下达了命令，所以他必须服从。他曾发挥作用，希望自己可以被释放。结果并没有。2012年，他最初因酷刑、谋杀和反人类罪被判35年徒刑，后来被延长至终身监禁。

He was not surprised, or did not let it show. He had learned young the most pertinent⁷ of Khmer Rouge mottoes for him, “Extinguish your heart.” And he had not thrown off the motivations of those days. Given the chance, he would discuss Marxism for hours. He clung tightly, too, to his nom de guerre. “Kaing Guek Eav” was the quiet teacher’s name he could have reverted⁸ to. But “Duch” was still who he was, the diligent⁹ boy who pleased his master. And wrote daily, for years, above that name, “Smash.” “Keep.” “Grind to dust.”

杜赫一点也不惊讶，或者说没有表现出来。他年轻时就学会了红色高棉最符合自己的格言：“熄灭你的心。”他没有抛弃那些日子的动力。如果有机会，他会花好几个小时讨论马克思主义。他也紧抓着自己的假名不放。“康克由”是他可以回到那个安静的老师的名字。但“杜赫”仍然是他自己，那个勤快、讨主人喜欢的男孩。多年来，每天都在这个名字上写下“粉碎”。”“保持。“化为尘土。”

1 smother   

vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息

参考例句：

• They tried to smother the flames with a damp blanket.他们试图用一条湿毯子去灭火。
• We tried to smother our laughter.我们强忍住笑。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

4 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

5 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

6 retract   

vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消

参考例句：

• The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。
• I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。

7 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

8 reverted   

恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还

参考例句：

• After the settlers left, the area reverted to desert. 早期移民离开之后，这个地区又变成了一片沙漠。
• After his death the house reverted to its original owner. 他死后房子归还给了原先的主人。

9 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。