美国语文第五册 第299期:弗吉尼亚人(1)

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　　The whole usages of Virginia, indeed, were fondly modeled after the English customs. 作为殖民地的弗吉尼亚州无不热衷效仿大英帝国诸多习俗，对英国皇室极尽效忠。

　　It was a loyal colony. The Virginians boasted that King Charles the Second had been king in Virginia before he had been king in England. 弗吉尼亚人甚至不惜吹嘘，在英国登基前，国王查理二世已在弗吉尼亚州被拥戴为王，

　　English king and English church were alike faithfully honored there. 英国国王及英国教会在本州受到的敬畏丝毫不亚于英国本土民众的虔诚信奉。

　　The resident gentry² were allied³ to good English families. 弗吉尼亚州贵族家族大可追溯到英国上流社会的背景渊源，

　　They held their heads above the Dutch traders of New York, and the money-getting Roundheads of Pennsylvania and New England. 这些贵族家庭纷纷将家族显赫的祖先头像悬挂起来，炫耀地挂在那些纽约市荷兰商人的头顶上端，挂在那些宾夕法尼亚州及新英格兰地区捞钱的圆颅党人的头顶上端。

　　Never were people less republican than those of the great province which was soon to be foremost in the memorable⁴ revolt against the British Crown. 那些大省相比，该州拥戴共和政体的民众绝不会少，在反抗英国宗主国统治的难忘战争中，这点随后显示弗吉尼亚州的至关重要。

　　The gentry of Virginia dwelt on their great lands after a fashion almost patriarchal. 弗吉尼亚州贵族世家承袭的地产通常颇为可观，他们遵循近乎家族式的管理模式，

　　For its rough cultivation⁵, each estate had a multitude of hands—of purchased and assigned servants—who were subject to the command of the master. 这种模式简单粗放，每户庄园人手丰裕，包括那些买来的黑奴还有指派做活的固定奴仆。那些仆从服从主人的调遣掌控，

　　The land yielded their food, live stock, and game. 而土地则为其提供食物、牲畜以及享乐性庞杂需求。

　　The great rivers swarmed⁶ with fish for the taking. 弗吉尼亚州内河鱼类资源极为丰富，

　　From their banks the passage home was clear. 水路畅达通衢方便，

　　Their ships took the tobacco off their private wharves⁷ on the banks of the Potomac or the James River, and carried it to London or Bristol, 往来穿梭的船只从波多马克河或詹姆士河的私家码头运走烟叶，直抵伦敦或布里斯托尔，

　　bringing back English goods and articles of home manufacture in return for the only produce which the Virginian gentry chose to cultivate. 然后回程运回英国各类居家用度，那些该州名望家族视其为可熏陶其家族子女贵族气质的众多商品。

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