英语短文名人故事 政界精英 第12期:温斯顿.丘吉尔

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　　Winston Churchill began his love affair with painting in his 40's, a mid¹ disastrous² circumstance. 温斯顿·丘吉尔，在他四十多岁时开始迷恋上绘画，当时环境异常恶劣。

　　As First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915, he was deeply involved in a campaign in the Dardanelles that could have shortened the course of a bloody³ world war.  那是在1915年，任海军大臣的他，积极投身于在达达尼尔海峡的一场战役中，这场战役本可以缩短那段血雨腥风的世界大战。

　　But when the mission failed, with great loss of life, Chwchill paid the price, both publicly and privately⁴. 但由于遭受失败，伤亡惨重，丘吉尔于公于私都付出了代价。

　　He was removed from the admiralty and effectively sidelined. 他被从海军部调离且实则坐起了冷板凳。

　　Overwhelmed by the catastrophe⁵, he retired⁶ with his family to Hoe Farm, a country retreat in Surrey.  在灾难的折磨下，他携家带口来到萨利郡的一处乡间静居霍庄园。

　　There, as Churchill later recalled, "The muse⁷ of painting came to my rescue!" 在那儿，丘吉尔后来回忆道:“是绘画中的冥思拯救了我!”

　　Wandering in the garden one day, he chanced upon his sister-in-law sketching⁸ with watercolors.  一天他在花园散步时，偶然看到他的弟媳在用水彩作画。

　　He watched her for a few minutes, then borrowed her brush and tried his hand. 他观察了几分钟，然后向她借了画笔并一试身手。

　　Churchill soon decided⁹ to experiment with oils.  丘吉尔很快就决定试着去画油画。

　　At that time, John Lavery--a Churchill neighbor and celebrated¹⁰ painter-was tutoring Churchill in his art. 那时，约翰·拉威利—丘吉尔的邻居，也是一位有名的画家正教丘吉尔学画。

　　Later, Lavery said of his unusual pupil,  后来提及他的这位特殊的学生，拉威利说:

　　Had he chosen painting instead of statesmanship, I believe he would have been a great master with the brush. 倘若他选择绘画而不是从政，我相信他会是位绘画大师的。”

　　In painting, Churchill had discovered a companion with whom he was to walk for the greater part of the years that remained to him. 在绘画中，丘吉尔找到了能陪他度过余生大部分时光的知己。

　　Historians have called the decade after 1929, when the Conservative government fell and Winston was out of office, his wilderness¹¹ years.  史学家把1929年后的十年，也就是保守党政府垮台而温斯顿下台的时间，称为他的荒凉岁月。

　　Politically he may have been wandering in barren places, a lonely fighter trying to awaken¹² Britain to the menace of Hitler,  政治上，他一直在举步维艰的处境中排徊，是一个孤独的勇士在努力唤起受到希特勒威胁的英国人，

　　but artistically¹³ that wilderness bore abundant fruit.  但在艺术上他在那荒凉岁月却硕果累累。

　　During these years he often painted in the South of France. 那些年他经常在法国南部作画。

　　Of the 500-odd canvases extant, roughly 250 date from 1930 to 1939. 在现存的500多张油画中，大约250张是1930至1939年间的作品。

　　Painting remained a joy to Churchill to the end of his life.  绘画给丘吉尔带来了乐趣，直到他的人生尽头。

　　"Happy are the painters." he had written in his book Painting as a Pastime,  在他所著的《画中的消遣》里说：“画家其乐融融，”

　　for they shall not be lonely. Light and color, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day. 因为他们不会孤独。光与色，和平与希望，会始终伴随他们。

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