0755翻譯: 我的早年生活(溫斯頓·丘吉爾)

04-27

Translation: My Early Childhood (Winston Churchill)

(assembled by: alexcwlin; reviewed by: Adam Lam)

「每個人都是昆蟲，

We are all worms.

但我確信，我是一個螢火蟲。」

But I believe that I am a glow-worm.

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剛滿12歲，我就步入了「考試」這塊冷漠的領地。

I had scarcely passed my twelfth birthday when I entered the inhospitable regions of examinations,

主考官們最心愛的科目，幾乎毫無例外地都是我最不喜歡的。

The subjects which were dearest to the examiners were almost invariably those I fancied least.

我喜愛歷史、詩歌和寫作，

I would have liked to have been examined in history, poetry and writing essays.

而主考官們卻偏愛拉丁文和數學，

The examiners, on the other hand, were partial to Latin and mathematics

而且他們的意願總是佔上風。

And their will prevailed.

不僅如此，我樂意別人問我所知道的東西，

I should have liked to be asked to say what I knew.

可他們卻總是問我不知道的。

They always tried to ask what I did not know.

我本來願意顯露一下自己的學識，而他們則千方百計地揭露我的無知。

When I would have willingly displayed my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance.

這樣一來，只能出現一種結果：場場考試，場場失敗。

This sort of treatment had only one result: I did not do well in examinations.

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我進入哈羅公學的入學考試是極其嚴格的。

This was especially true of my Entrance Examination to Harrow.

校長威爾登博士對我的拉丁文作文寬宏大量，證明他獨具慧眼，能判斷我全面的能力。

The Headmaster, Dr. Welldon, however, took a broad-minded view of my Latin prose: he showed discernment in judging my general ability.

這非常難得，因為拉丁文試卷上的問題我一個也答不上來。

This was the more remarkable, because I was found unable to answer a single question in the Latin paper.

我在試卷上首先寫上自己的名字，

I wrote my name at the top of the page.

再寫上試題的編號「1」，

I wrote down the number of the question 1.

經過再三考慮，又在「1」的外面加上一個括弧，因而成了〔1〕。

After much reflection I put a bracket round it thus (1) .

但這以後，我就什麼也不會了。

But thereafter I could not think of anything connected with it that was either relevant or true.

我乾瞪眼沒辦法，在這種慘境中整整熬了兩個小時，最後仁慈的監考老師總算收去了我的考卷。

I gazed for two whole hours at this sad spectacle: and then merciful ushers collected my piece of foolscap.

正是從這些表明我的學識水平的蛛絲馬跡中，威爾登博士斷定我有資格進哈羅公學上學。

It was from these slender indications of scholarship that Dr. Well-don drew the conclusion that I was worthy to pass into Harrow.

這說明，他能通過現象看到事物的本質。他是一個不以卷面分數取人的人，

It showed that he was a man capable of looking beneath the surface of things: a man not dependent upon paper manifestations.

直到現在我還非常崇敬他。

I have always had the greatest regard for him.

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結果，我當即被編到低年級最差的一個班裡。

In consequence of his decision, I was in due course placed in the third, or lowest, division of the Fourth, or bottom,

實際上，我的名字居全校倒數第三。而最令人遺憾的是，最後兩位同學沒上幾天學，就由於疾病或其它原因而相繼退學了。

I was in fact only two from the bottom of the whole school 5 and these two, I regret to say, disappeared almost immediately through illness or some other cause.

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在這種尷尬的處境中，我繼續待了近一年。

I continued in this unpretentious situation for nearly a year.

正是由於長期在差班裡待著，我獲得了比那些聰明的學生更多的優勢。

However; by being so long in the lowest form I gained an immense advantage over the cleverer boys.

他們全都繼續學習拉丁語、希臘語以及諸如此類的輝煌的學科，

They all went on to learn Latin and Greek and splendid things like that,

我則被看作是個只會學英語的笨學生。

But I was taught English, We were considered such dunces that we could learn only English.

我只管把一般英語句子的基本結構牢記在心——這是光榮的事情。

I learned it thoroughly. Thus I got into my bones the essential structure of the ordinary British sentence which is a noble thing.

幾年以後，當我的那些因創作優美的拉丁文詩歌和辛辣的希臘諷刺詩而獲獎成名的同學，不得不靠普通的英語來謀生或者開拓事業的時候，我一點也不覺得自己比他們差。

And when in after years my schoolfellows who had won prizes and distinction for writing such beautiful Latin poetry and pithy Greek epigrams had to come down again to common English, to earn their living or make their way, I did not feel myself at any disadvantage.

自然我傾向讓孩子們學習英語。

Naturally I am biased in favour of boys learning English.

我會首先讓他們都學英語，然後再讓聰明些的孩子們學習拉丁語作為一種榮耀，學習希臘語作為一種享受。

I would make them all learn English: and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat.

但只有一件事我會強迫他們去做，那就是不能不懂英語。

But the only thing I would whip them for would be for not knowing English. I would whip them hard for that.

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我一方面在最低年級停滯不前，而另一方面卻能一字不漏地背誦麥考利的1,200行史詩，並獲得了全校的優勝獎。這著實讓人覺得自相矛盾。

It was thought incongruous that while I apparently stagnated in the lowest form, I should gain a prize open to the whole school for reciting to the Headmaster twelve hundred lines of Macaulays 「Lays of Ancient Rome」 without making a single mistake.

我在幾乎是全校最後一名的同時，卻又成功地通過了軍隊的徵兵考試。

I also succeeded in passing the preliminary examination for the Army while still almost at the bottom of the school.

就我在學校的名次來看，這次考試的結果出人意料，因為許多名次在我前面的人都失敗了。

This examination seemed to have called forth a very special effort on my part, for many boys far above me in the school failed in it.

我也是碰巧遇到了好運——在考試中，將要憑記憶繪一張某個國家的地圖。

I also had a piece of good luck. We knew that among other questions we should be asked to draw from memory a map of some country or other.

在考試的前一天晚上，我將地球儀上所有國家的名字都寫在紙條上放進帽子里，然後從中抽出了寫有「紐西蘭」國名的紙條。

The night before by way of final preparation I put the names of all the maps in the atlas into a hat and drew out New Zealand.

接著我就大用其功，將這個國家的地理狀況記得滾瓜爛熟。

I applied my good memory to the geography of that Dominion.

不料，第二天考卷中的第一道題就是：「繪出紐西蘭地圖。」

Sure enough the first question in the paper was: 「Draw a map of New Zealand」.

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我開始了軍旅生涯。

I was now embarked on a military career.

這個選擇完全是由於我收集玩具錫兵的結果。

This orientation was entirely due to my collection of soldiers.

我有近1500個錫兵，組織得象一個步兵師，還下轄一個騎兵旅。

I had ultimately nearly fifteen hundred. They were all of one size, all British, and organised as an infantry division with a cavalry brigade.

我弟弟傑克統領的則是「敵軍」。

My brother Jack commanded the hostile army.

但是我們制定了條約，不許他發展炮兵。這非常重要！

But by a Treaty for the Limitation of Armaments he was only allowed to have coloured troops, and they were not allowed to have artillery. Very important!

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一天，父親親自對「部隊」進行了正式的視察。

The day came when my father himself paid a formal visit of inspection.

所有的「部隊」都整裝待發。

All the troops were arranged in the correct formation of attack.

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父親敏銳的目光具有強大的威懾力。他花了20分鐘的時間來研究「部隊」的陣容。

He spent twenty minutes studying the scene which was really impressive with a keen eye and captivating smile.

最後他問我想不想當個軍人。

At the end he asked me if I would like to go into the Army.

我想統領一支部隊一定很光彩，所以我馬上回答：「想」。現在，我的話被當真了。

I thought it would be splendid to command an Army, so I said 「Yes」 at once: and immediately I was taken at my word.

多年來，我一直以為父親發現了我具有天才軍事家的素質。

For years I thought my father with his experience and flair had discerned in me the qualities of military genius.

但是，後來我才知道，他當時只是斷定我不具備當律師的聰慧。

But I was told later that he had only come to the conclusion that I was not clever enough to go to the Bar.

他自己也只是最近才升到下議院議長和財政大臣的職位，而且一直處在政治的前沿。

He had only just resigned his position as Leader of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and he still towered in the forefront of politics.

不管怎樣，小錫兵改變了我的生活志向，

However that may be, the toy soldiers turned the current of my life.

從那時起，我的希望就是考入桑赫斯特皇家軍事學院。再後來，就是學軍事專業的各項技能。

Henceforward all my education was directed to passing into Sandhurst, and afterwards to the technical details of the profession of arms.

至於別的事情，那只有靠自己去探索、實踐和學習了。

Anything else I had to pick up for myself.

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