英语名篇诵读 历史和史诗

（单词翻译）

History and Epic¹ Poetry

历史和史诗

Daniel Webster(丹尼尔·韦伯斯特)

Well written history must always be the result of genius and taste, as well as of research and

study. It stands next to epic poetry, among the productions of the human mind. If it requires

less of invention than that, it is not behind it in dignity and importance. The province of the

epic is the poetical² narrative³ of real or supposed events, and the representation of real, or at

least natural, characters; and history, in its noblest examples, is an account of occurrences in which

great events are commemorated⁴ , and distinguished⁵ men appear as agents and actors. Epic

poetry and the drama are but narratives⁶, the former partly and the latter wholly, in the form of a

dialogue, but their characters and personages are usually, in part at least, the creations of the

imagination.

优秀的史书是天赋和品位的产物，也是探索和研究的成果。史书在想象力方面稍逊于

史诗。如果说史书在创造性方面比史诗少，那么它同史诗在庄严性和重要性方面则难分伯

仲。史诗诗化地叙述真实或虚构的事件，展现真实的或至少实际存在的各种人物和角色；

而史书，其卓越的典范，则描叙历史，记载重大历史事件，出类拔萃的历史人物纷纷以不

同身份登台亮相。史诗和戏剧都只是叙述性的，前者是部分传述，后者是以对话的形式作

整体叙述，但它们所展现的人物和个性通常或至少部分是想象的产物。