On-National-Prejudices

论民族偏见OliverGoldsmith(10November1728–4April1774)Goldsmith,thesonofaclergyman,aversatilewriterasapoet,novelist,dramatist,essayist.HewasoneoftherepresentativesofEnglishsentimentalism(感伤主义)inthe18thcentury.Hisbirthdateandyeararenotknownwithcertainty.AccordingtotheLibraryofCongress(国会图书馆)authorityfile,hetoldabiographerthathewasbornon10November1728inIreland.In1744GoldsmithwentuptoTrinityCollege,Dublin.(都柏林圣三一学院)Hewasgraduatedin1749asaBachelorofArts.Andhetriedvariousprofessionswithoutsuccess.Thenhestudiedmedicinedesultorily漫无目的地attheUniversityofEdinburghfrom1752to1755.Insteadoftakingadegree,hewanderedforawhileonthecontinentvisitingHolland,France,Italy,andSwitzerland.(buskingwithhisflute长笛).LifeofOliverGoldsmithHereturnedtoEnglandin1756withamysteriouslyacquiredM.D.（医学博士MedicineDoctor).Perennially终年地indebtandaddictedtogambling,Goldsmithproducedamassiveoutputasahackwriter雇佣文人forthepublishersofLondon.HisfewpainstakingworksearnedhimthecompanyofSamuelJohnson,withwhomhewasafoundingmemberofTheClub.LifeofOliverGoldsmithLifeofOliverGoldsmithHisprematuredeath（早逝）in1774mayhavebeenpartlyduetohisownmisdiagnosis误诊ofhiskidneyinfection.肾感染GoldsmithwasburiedinTempleChurch圣殿教堂inLondon.SomeWorksofOliverGoldsmith•Irishnovelist,playwrightandpoet•Novel——TheVicarofWakefield《威克菲尔德牧师传》(1766);•Essays——TheCitizenofTheWorld《世界公民》(1762);•Pastoralpoem田园诗——TheDesertedVillage《荒村》(1770)；•Plays——TheGood-Natur’dMan《好脾气的人》(1768)andSheStoopstoConquer《委曲求全》(1771,firstperformedin1773).SocialBackground1763,theendofSevenYears’War英法七年战争1760s,TheIndustrialRevolution英国工业革命ThisarticlewaspublishedwhentheBritishcapitalismwasinboomyears.MostofBritishpeoplelostthemselvesinnationalsuperiorityinthattheSevenYearsWarbetweenFranceandBritainendedwithBritain'svictoryin1763andinthattheIndustrialRevolutionwasgoingonsmoothly.Thenthenationalprejudicewastakingclearerandclearershape.Goldsmitharguesthatitispossibletoloveone’sowncountrywithouthatingthepeoplesofothercountries.InsteadofcallinghimselfanEnglishman,heclaimsthatheisacitizenoftheworld.OnNationalPrejudicesParagraphOneAsIamoneofthatsaunteringtribeofmortals,whospendthegreatestpartoftheirtimeintaverns,coffeehouses,andotherplacesofpublicresortSaunter-vi:闲逛，漫步n：闲逛，漫步作为悠闲的芸芸众生中的一员，我大多数时间是在酒馆，咖啡厅或其它公共场所里打发的。Ihavetherebyanopportunityofobservinganinfinitevarietyofcharacters正因此，我才有机会来观察形形色色的人物。which,toapersonofacontemplativeturn,isamuchhigherentertainmentthanaviewofallthecuriositiesofartornature.这种娱乐方式对生性喜爱沉思的我而言，比欣赏艺术或自然界的奇妙更引人入胜。Inoneofthese,mylaterambles,Iaccidentallyfellintothecompanyofhalfadozengentlemen,whowereengagedinawarmdisputeaboutsomepoliticalaffair;Ramble-n:漫步，漫游，随笔；vt：漫步于…vi:漫步，漫游，漫谈，闲逛，蔓延在最近一次闲逛中，我偶然碰见六位绅士，他们当时正在激烈地讨论政事，于是我便站在一边旁听。ParagraphTwothedecisionofwhich,astheywereequallydividedintheirsentiments,theythoughtpropertorefertome,whichnaturallydrewmeinforashareoftheconversation.由于意见不一，且双方支持人数相同，他们认为理应咨询我的看法。自然而然，我也加入了此次谈话。Inthethirdparagraph,I’llshowyousomeinterestingwords.Thereareredwordsandyellowwords.ParagraphThreeAmongstamultiplicityofothertopics,wetookoccasiontotalkofadifferentcharactersoftheseveralnationsofEurope;在诸多话题中，我们乘机谈到了欧洲一些国家的不同特征；whenoneofthegentlemen,cockinghishat,andassumingsuchanairofimportanceasifhehadpossessedallthemeritoftheEnglishnationinhisownperson,declaredthattheDutchwereaparcelofavariciouswretches;avaricious-adj:贪婪的wretch-n:可怜的人其中一位绅士，将帽子一歪，摆出一副郑重其事的架势，好像自己拥有英国人民所有的优点一般，声称荷兰人是一群贪婪的可怜人；theFrenchasetofflatteringsycophants;thattheGermansweredrunkensots,andbeastlygluttons;andtheSpaniardsproud,haughty,andsurlytyrants;flattering-adj:奉承的glutton-n:贪吃者Sycophants-n:马屁精haughty-a:自大的Sot-n:酒鬼surly-adj:粗暴的法国人是一群奉承谄媚者；德国人是一群饕餮烂醉之徒；西班牙人是一群傲慢专横之流。butthatinbravery,generosity,clemency,andineveryothervirtue,theEnglishexcelledalltheworld.然而，说到勇敢，慷慨，宽厚，或其它美德，英国人在世界上是可圈可点的。ComparisonInformality,redwordsareinformal,whileyellowwordsareformal.Intheoriginofthesewords,redwordsseemscomefromlocallanguage,whileyellowwordscomefromFrenchorLatin(myownunderstanding)Wecandrawaconclusionfromthecomparisonthatthesewordshelpalottovividlyshowhowarrogantthe“gentleman”inthetextwere.Thisverylearnedandjudiciousremarkwasreceivedwithageneralsmileofapprobationbyallthecompany--all,Imean,butyourhumbleservant;Judicious-adj:明智的，有见地的Approbation-n:认可，赞许在场所有人对这句“博学睿智”的言辞报之一笑，并大为赞赏。然而，尊敬的英国，这里指的所有人是除了您卑微的仆人在下之外的。who,endeavoringtokeepmygravityaswellasIcould,Ireclinedmyheaduponmyarm,continuedforsometimesinapostureofaffectedthoughtfulness,asifIhadbeenmusingonsomethingelse,anddidnotseemtoattendtothesubjectofconversation我极力保持庄重之态，双手托住头，一直假装摆出一副冥思的姿势，仿佛在思考别的事而未注意谈话的主题hopingbythesemeanstoavoidthedisagreeablenecessityofexplainingmyself,andtherebydeprivingthegentlemenofhisimaginaryhappiness.Deprive-v:剥夺，丧失希望借此可以避免发表看法，以免让自己蒙羞，也好让他们继续沉浸在自己想象的快乐之中。ParagraphfourButmypseudo-patriothadnomindtoletmeescapesoeasily.pseudo-adj表示“假的”；“虚伪的”n假冒的人，伪君子但是我们这位伪爱国主义者却绝不轻易的放过我。Notsatisfiedthathisopinionshouldpasswithoutcontradiction,hewasdeterminedtohaveitratifiedbythesuffrageofeveryoneinthecompany;forwhichpurposeaddressinghimselftomewithanairofinexpressib