世界小史 第169期:狼吞虎咽

 　　Now about 30 years after Christ's death on the cross, that is, around 60 years after his birth – in AD 60, a cruel emperor was ruling over the Roman empire.

　　在耶稣钉死于十字架之后的大约30年，也就是说在他出生后60年——公元60年左右，一位残暴的皇帝尼禄统治着罗马帝国。

　　He was called Nero. People still shudder¹ when they hear the name of this monster.

　　今天，人们还像谈论最可怕的恶棍那样毛骨悚然地谈论他。

　　But what is truly repellent about him is that he didn't start out as a monster – ruthless and wicked through and through.

　　他的可恶之处其实就在于，他不是一个了不起的，完全毫无顾忌的，极坏极坏的人，

　　He was simply weak, vain, suspicious and lazy. Nero fancied himself as a poet and composed songs which he performed himself.

　　而是简简单单的一个懦弱、爱好虚荣、多疑、懒惰的人，他自己写诗文和唱歌，

　　He ate – or, rather, gorged² himself on – the rarest delicacies³ and was utterly⁴ devoid⁵ of decency⁶ or dignity.

　　几乎是狼吞虎咽地吃着珍馐美味，是一个毫无诚信或坚定意志的人。

　　He was not unattractive, but there was something cruel and self-satisfied about his smile.

　　他有着一张松弛的、并非不漂亮的脸，嘴角挂着一丝知足、残忍的笑意。

　　He had his own mother murdered, and his wife and his tutor, along with a number of other relations and friends.

　　他杀害了自己的母亲、妻子和他的老师，还杀害了许多亲朋好友。

　　He lived in constant fear of assassination⁷, for he was a coward too.

　　他经常感到害怕，怕人家总有一天也会杀死他，因为他也胆小。

1 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

2 gorged   

v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 )；作呕

参考例句：

• He gorged himself at the party. 在宴会上他狼吞虎咽地把自己塞饱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The men, gorged with food, had unbuttoned their vests. 那些男人，吃得直打饱嗝，解开了背心的钮扣。 来自辞典例句

3 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

4 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

5 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

6 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

7 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。