这是在我的《 《铁娘子》获得了奥斯卡奖》中，提到过的一篇文章。 他们付出的代价 兼欢迎余杰（二） 老钱 01/21/2012 前不久（一月十八日），在168上，曾经有过一篇短文，是一位笔名为江南翠湖 的网友转发的，题目是《转载： 代价》。不是太醒目，大家都不太在意。我也没注意。一个朋友打电话告诉我，这篇很好，让她非常感动，建议我一读。我就点开进去了，是英文的。其标题是“THE PRICE THEY PAID”。我读了，确实很让人深思，很叫人感动。她还建议我将之翻译过来。本来，就我的英文水准而言，我是不具资格来做此翻译的。 前年，余杰到访亚城时，我写了《老钱：欢迎余杰》。现在，在余杰再次来到美国之际，读了他的“去国”声明，看到了他两年来的经历，我满腔悲愤，正不知说什么为好。现在，我就抖胆把这段文字翻译出来。借花献佛了。仅以此，作为我对余杰的再次欢迎，也是对刘晓波，陈光诚，艾未未，譚作人，高智晟，胡佳，。。。，等等，以及其他，据说有二百多位，一旦有风吹草动，一旦“维”不“稳”时，按照“维稳”的既定方针，就有可能被“活埋”处理的仁人志士们的敬意（见余杰的《我的去国声明 》）。 在人类追求自由，民主，平等的历史长河中，美国的独立宣言是举世闻名，永彪史册的。在这个宣言上签字的是有56个人。他们为人民，为历史，为美国立下了不朽的功勋。为开创一个史无前例的新时代，新国家，他们永垂史册。可是，他们是什么样的一群人？他们自己得到了什么？这就是这篇短文《代价》要告诉我们的。 下面的蓝字是我的译文，我把英文原文附在下面，如有翻译错误，欢迎批评指正。或者说，就叫抛砖引玉吧。 他们付出的代价 美国的独立宣言是有56个人签字的。你有没有想到过，此后，这56个人都是什么样的遭遇？ 其中，有五个签署人被英国人当作叛徒抓了起来，受尽酷刑致死。还有12个签署人的房子遭到抢劫和纵火。有两个人的儿子作为军人在独立战争中献身。另有一人的两个儿子都被捕了。这56人中的9人在独立战争中，由于受伤和艰苦严酷的环境而献出了生命。为了签署这个独立宣言，他们付出了生命、财产、和神圣的荣誉。 这究竟是一群什么样的人啊！ 他们当中有24人是律师或是从事与司法相关的职业。有十一人是商人，有九个人是农场主和拥有大片土地的，他们都是受过良好教育的富人。他们在独立宣言上签字时，都很完全清楚地知道，被英国人抓住是要杀头的。 来自弗吉尼亚的Carter Braxton是一个富裕的垦荒者和贸易商人，看着英国海军把他的商船击毁。他卖了他的家园和财产来还债，最后死于贫困之中。 Thomas McKean被英国人到处追捕，他不得不带着他的家人不断迁徙。他在国会供职，没有任何薪金，同时他的家庭始终在东躲西藏中度日。他的财产被抢走，得到的尽是贫困。 商贩走卒，地痞流氓，抢走了Ellery，Clymer，Hall，Walton，Gwinnett，Heyward，Rutledge 和Middleton等人的财产。 在Yorktown的战斗中，Thomas Nelson Jr.，得知英军将军Cornwallis 占据了他的住宅作为司令部。Nelson 只是平静地促求George Washington/华盛顿将军向之开火。因此，Nelson的房子夷为平地，后来，Nelson 也在破产后的贫困中去世。 Francis Lewis 的家园财产也都被毁掉了。敌人/英军囚禁了他的妻子。没几个月后，他的妻子死于囚禁中。 为了独立事业，John Hart 在妻子临死的时候，不能守在妻子的身边；他们的13个孩子四下逃散。他的田园和磨坊被荒废了。以后的一年多时间里，他生活在树林间，山洞里。回到家里时，他已经一贫如洗，失去了妻子，失去了孩子们。仅仅数周之后，他自己也死于贫困潦倒和楸心之痛中。 Norris 和 Livingston 等人也经历了同样的痛苦遭遇。 这就是他们为美国独立作出的牺牲。 他们都不是那样青筋暴烈，呲牙裂眼的有仇必报的造反者，革命家；也不是那种善于摇唇鼓舌，声嘶力竭的鼓动家，宣传家。他们都是修养极佳，教育良好的谦谦君子。他们自身的生活，原本富裕稳定。但是，他们更追求，崇尚自由。他们高风亮节，如玉树临风，挺拔高大，宁折不弯。他们发誓：“为了支持这篇独立宣言，我们坚决信赖上帝的庇佑，以我们的生命、我们的财产和我们神圣的名誉，相互保证，共同宣誓。。。”正是这些不惜自己身家性命及荣誉的人，给了你和我这个自由独立的美利坚/America！ 过去的历史书籍往往忽略了这些在独立战争中发生过的细节。当时，我们还是大英帝国的臣民。所以，我们不是在反对一个“入侵的”大英帝国，而是在对“自己”的 政府作战！也许，你现在能看清了，为什么我们的先贤们极其憎恨那些镇压他们的军队，而竭力要在宪法修正案上保证人民拥有枪支武器的权利（保障人民有权反抗 一个坏政府的暴政）。 坦白地说，当我得知这些历史细节时，我止不住地热泪滚滚。我们也许以为我们拥有的自由是与生俱来的，理所当然的。我们不该这样认为。（这是我们的先贤们拼了自己的身家性命，为我们挣来的。） 安息吧， 签署独立宣言的56位先驱先贤们。 （我的译文完，下面是英文原文） THE PRICE THEY PAID Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Target shooter’s notes: They gave you and I a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the revolutionary war. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Perhaps you can now see why our founding fathers had a hatred for standing armies, and allowed through the second amendment for everyone to be armed. Frankly, I can't read this without crying. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted. We shouldn't. Peace my friends. （英文原文完，下面是我的话） 现在，我们知道了，这签署独立宣言的56位先驱先贤们，他们都是富人，不是穷人；更没有“贫下中农、工人阶级的觉悟”：“打天下就要坐天下”。相反，像华盛顿等那些美国的先贤们一样，他们打了天下，还要拒绝“坐天下”。更没有让自己的子孙一代一代地有可能世袭特权，葬送先驱们以生命为代价换来的民主与自由！ 他们不仅仅要拒绝自己来“坐天下”，还要写下光辉的历史文献，创立宪法，立下法规，不让今后想要“坐天下”的，想当皇帝的人，有可能卷土重来；不让帝王将相，专制独裁的历史， 有可能在这片新大陆上重演！没有民主自由就没有法制，没有法制就是特权社会、独裁体系，特权与独裁必然导致腐败猖獗、灾害泛滥，民不聊生，。。。他们特别担心政府做坏事。为此，他们特地在宪法修正案上保证人民拥有枪支武器的权利，保障人民有权反抗坏政府。他们是一批杰出无私，目光远大，思想深邃的先哲贤者。 与他们相比，那些号称要“解放全人类”的人中，由此而“坐天下”的人，只是一捧粪土。他们才是高崇入云霄的峻岭， 令人敬仰。 让我们接过那些号称要“解放全人类”的人的话来说吧：无数的先烈先贤们在我们的前头英勇牺牲了，让我们继承他们的精神，坚持他们的理念，。。。 在Google 上搜索“wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians”，或者其他这篇短文中的关键词，很容易找到许多文章，都给出类似叙述。例如： http://www.rogerknapp.com/knap/quote.htm#theprice http://keelynet.com/4th99.htm www.mhkeehn.tripod.com/pricepd.pdf |
