美国语文第六册 第53期:我的演说经历(2)

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　　so that I never had a chance of showing what I was capable of in that way till I set up for myself. 以至于我从来没有机会表现出我能按照那种方式驾驭演讲，直到我亲自践行。

　　Master Moody¹, my next instructor², was thought to have uncommon³ qualifications for teaching oratory⁴. 我的下一任老师穆迪被认为在教授演说术上具有非凡的能力。

　　He was a large, handsome, heavy man, over six feet high; and having understood that the first, second, and third prerequisite⁵ in oratory was action, 他块头很大，相貌英俊，身高超过六英尺，深谙演说术三昧，

　　the boys he put in training were encouraged to most vehement⁶ and obstreperous⁷ manifestations⁸. 他鼓励接受训练的孩子要尽最大程度的热情去展现，打破种种束缚。

　　Let me give an example, and one that weighed heavily on my conscience for many years after the poor man passed away. 我不妨举一个例子，在这个可怜的人过世多年后，他的大块头还驻留在我的意识中，挥之不去。

　　Among his pupils were two boys, brothers, who were thought highly gifted in elocution. 在他的学生中有两个孩子，一对兄弟，在演说方面被认为天赋极高。

　　The master, who was evidently of that opinion, had a habit of parading them on all occasions before visitors and strangers; 这位老师显然也抱有这个看法，他有一个习惯，在所有场合，只要有访客和陌生人在场，都会拿他们炫耀。

　　though one bad lost his upper front teeth and lisped badly, and the other had the voice of a penny trumpet⁹. 然而这兄弟二人，一个上门牙掉了，严重口齿不清；另一个嗓音就像小号。

　　Week after week these boys went through the quarrel of Brutus and Cassius, for the benefit of myself and others, 过了好几个星期，他们俩当着我和其他人的面，像布鲁图和凯西厄那样争吵，

　　to see if their example would not provoke us to a generous competition for all the honors. 看看他们的争吵是否会激起我们为了所有人的荣誉而进行慷慨的竞争。

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