評論
打印
1. On the morning of April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln lay dying in a hall bedroom of a cheap lodging house directly across the street from Ford's Theater, where John Wilkes Booth had shot him. Lincoln's long body lay stretched diagonally across a sagging bed that was too short for him. A cheap reproduction of Rosa Bonheur's famous painting The Horse Fair hung above the bed, and a dismal gas jet flickered yellow light.
1.1865年4月15日清晨,亞伯拉罕.林肯奄奄一息地躺在(lay dying)福特戲院對面一家廉價客棧(a cheap lodging house)的臥房里。約翰·威爾克斯·布斯槍殺(shoot-shot-shot)了他。那張下陷的床(a sagging bed)對身材修長的林肯而言實在太短了。床的上方，掛著一件羅莎·邦赫的名畫《馬市》(the horse fair)的廉價仿制品(reprdoduction)，一盞陰暗的(dismal)煤氣燈發出(flicker)慘淡的黃暈。
2. As Lincoln lay dying, Secretary of War Stanton said, "There lies the most perfect ruler of men that the world has ever seen."
2.當林肯奄奄一息地躺著(lay dying)時，陸軍部長斯坦頓說：“躺在這里的，是世界上有史以來最完美的元首。”
3. What was the secret of Lincoln's success in dealing with people? I studied the life of Abraham Lincoln for ten years and devoted all of three years to writing and rewriting a book entitled Lincoln the Unknown. I believe I have made as detailed and exhaustive a study of Lincoln's personality and home life as it is possible for any being to make. I made a special study of Lincoln's method of dealing with people. Did he indulge in criticism? Oh, yes. As a young man in the Pigeon Creek Valley of Indiana, he not only criticized but he wrote letters and poems ridiculing people and dropped these letters on the country roads where they were sure to be found. One of these letters aroused resentments that burned for a lifetime.
3.林肯待人方面成功的秘訣是什么？我花了十年的時間研究亞伯拉罕·林肯的一生，并投入(devote to n. or doing sth)了整整三年的時間(all of three years)寫作和潤色一本叫做(entitled)《林肯不為人知的一面》的書。我相信我已經盡了人類一切的可能(as it is possible for any being to make)，對林肯的個性和他的家庭生活，做了詳盡和透徹的研究(detailed and exhoustive a study)。關于林肯待人的方法我還做了特別的研究。(make a study of v. 仔細研究)林肯熱衷于(indulge in)批評嗎？是的，年輕時，他住在印第安納州的鴿溪谷；他不但批評他人，還寫信做詩揶揄(ridicule)別人，他把寫好的信扔到鄉間街道上故意讓人看到，其中有一封信所引起的怨恨（arouse resentment），延續了一輩子。
4. Even after Lincoln had become a practicing lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, he attacked his opponents openly in letters published in the newspapers. But he did this just once too often.
4.林肯在伊利諾斯州的春田鎮，掛牌做了律師后(had become a practicing lawyer)，甚至投書給報社，公開攻擊他的對手，但是像這樣的事他只做了一次(just once too often; once too often 次數太多)。
5. In the autumn of 1842 he ridiculed a vain, pugnacious politician by the name of James Shields. Lincoln damned him through an anonymous letter published in Springfield Journal. The town roared with laughter. Shields, sensitive and proud, boiled with indignation. He found out who wrote the letter, leaped on his horse, started after Lincoln, and challenged him to fight a duel. Lincoln didn't want to fight. He was opposed to dueling, but he couldn't get out of it and save his honor. He was given the choice of weapons. Since he had very long arms, he chose cavalry broadswords and took lessons in sword fighting from a West Point graduate; and, on the appointed day, he and Shields met on a sandbar in the Mississippi River, prepared to fight to the death; but, at the last minute, their seconds interrupted and stopped the duel.
5.1842年秋季，林肯譏笑(ridicule)一個自大好斗的政客(a vain, pugnacious politician)，這人叫(by the name of)詹姆斯·西爾滋。林肯在春田的報上，刊登出一封匿名信諷刺(damn)他，令鎮上的人都捧腹大笑(roar with laughter 哄堂大笑)起來。西爾滋是個敏感（sensitive）和驕傲的人，他怒火中燒。他查出寫這封信的人是誰，跳上了馬，去找林肯(start after sb. )，要和他作一次決斗(to fight a duel)。林肯不想打架，反對決斗(he was opposed to dueling)，可是為了自己的面子又不能退出（get out of it）。對方給他選擇武器的自由。林肯手臂特別長，就選了騎兵用的大砍刀，他向一位西點軍校畢業生學習刀術(took lessons in sword fighting)。到了指定的日期(on the appointed day)，他和西爾滋在密西西比河的河灘上碰頭，準備決一死戰(to the death準備決戰到底)，就在最后一刻（at the last minute），他們雙方的助陣者(their seconds)介入并阻止了決斗。
6. That was the most lurid personal incident in Lincoln's life. It taught him an invaluable lesson in the art of dealing with people. Never again did he write an insulting letter. Never again did he ridicule anyone. (兩句由Never引導的倒裝句。) And from that time on, he almost never criticized anybody for anything.
6.在林肯的一生中，這是件最可怕的個人事件(the most lurid personal incident)。在做人的藝術方面，林肯學到了無價的一課。他再沒有寫過侮辱人的信，也沒有取笑過任何人。從那時起（from that time on），他幾乎沒有因任何事而批評任何人。
7. Time after time, during the Civil War, Lincoln put a new general at the head of the Army of the Potomac, and each one in turn-McClellan, Pope, Burnside, Hooker, Meade-blundered tragically and drove Lincoln to pacing the floor in despair. Half the nation savagely condemned these incompetent generals, but Lincoln, "with malice toward none, with charity for all," held his peace. One of his favorite quotations was "Judge not, that ye be not judged". And when Mrs. Lincoln and others spoke harshly of the southern people, Lincoln replied: "Don't criticize them; they are just what we would be under similar circumstances." He had learned by bitter experience that sharp criticisms and rebukes almost invariably end in futility.
7.美國內戰的時候，林肯屢次(time after time)委派新將領（依次有柯克林、波伯、伯恩賽德、胡克、米德），統帥“波多馬克”軍隊，可是他們都相繼慘敗而歸（blundered tragically），使林肯絕望地（in despair）在地板上踱步。有一半的國人都在痛罵(savagely condesmned)這些差勁的將領，可是林肯因為“不怨恨任何人，對所有人寬容”（with malice toward none, with charity for all），一聲也不吭(保持平靜)。他最喜歡引用的一句格言(quotation)是，“不要批評別人，別人(ye)才不會評議你”。當林肯太太和其他人非議(spoke harshly of)南方人士時，林肯總是這樣回答：”不要批評他們，我們在相同的情形下，也會像他們一樣?！彼呀洀乃耐纯嘟涷炛忻靼?，尖銳的批評、指責(sharp criticisms and rebukes)從來都是(almost invariably)無果而終(end in futility)。
8. Theodore Roosevelt said that when he, as President, was confronted with a perplexing problem, he used to lean back and look up at a large painting of Lincoln which hung above his desk in the White House and ask himself, "What would Lincoln do if he were in my shoes? (虛擬語氣) How would he solve this problem? "(虛擬語氣) The next time we are tempted to admonish somebody, let's pull a five-dollar bill out of our pocket, look at Lincoln's picture on the bill,-and ask, "How would Lincoln handle this problem if he had it? "(虛擬語氣)
8.西奧多·羅斯福說過，他任總統時，每逢遇到棘手的問題，他常會往后一靠，抬頭望望他白宮辦公桌墻上那張林肯的巨幅畫像，并自問：“如果林肯處在我目前的情形(in my shoes, shoe 偏意 [pl.]所處的地位; 境遇)，他會怎么辦？他將怎樣解決這個問題？”下次我們如果忍不住(be tempted to do sth)要訓誡某人時，不妨從口袋拿出一張五元的鈔票，看看鈔票上林肯的像問自己：“如果林肯遇到這種事，他會如何解決這個問題呢？”
9. Do you know someone you would like to change and regulate and improve? Good! That is fine. I am all in favor of it. But why not begin on yourself? From a purely selfish standpoint, that is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others-yes, and a lot less dangerous. "Don't complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof," said Confucius(孔夫子), "when your own doorstep is unclean."
9.你愿意你認識的人有所改變、調整(regulate)和改進嗎？如果是，那很好。我完全贊同(I am all in favor of it)。但為何不從你自己開始呢？站到純自私的立場上，這要比改進別人獲益更多--沒錯，而且風險更小?？追蜃诱f過：“如果你的門階不干凈，就不要對你鄰居家屋頂上的雪大發牢騷。”（“不能正其身，如正人何？”）
10. When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity. If you and I want to stir up a resentment tomorrow that may rankle across the decades and endure until death, just let us indulge in a little stinging criticism-no matter how certain we are that it is justified.
10.當我們與人相處時，應該記住，我們所接觸的不是邏輯生物(creatures of logic)，而是情感生物(creatures of emotion)，會因為偏見(with prejudices)而怒發沖冠(bristle)，也會被驕傲與虛榮心所激勵。如果你我明天要造成(stir up 引起; 激起)一種歷經數十年，直至死亡才會消失的反感，只要輕輕吐出一句惡毒的評語(a little stinging criticism)就得了--不論你多么肯定自己那樣做事理所當然的。
11. Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain-and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
11.任何一個愚蠢的人，都會批評人、斥責人、抱怨人，絕大多數蠢人都是這樣。若要做到了解和寬恕別人，那就需在性格、自制力(self-control)上下功夫。
12."A great man shows his greatness," said Carlyle, "by the way he treats little men." And Dr. Johnson said: "God himself, sir, does not propose to judge man until the end of his days." Why should you and I?
12.卡萊爾曾經說：”看一個偉人的偉大之處，就是看他如何對待卑微之人(little men)。”約翰遜博士也說過：“上帝在一個人的末日之前是不會給他下結論的。“那么你我又為什么要批評人呢？
