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安徒生童话英文版:The Thorny Road of Honor
添加时间:2014-02-27 14:47:38 浏览次数: 作者:Andersen
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  • (1856)

    AN old story yet lives of the “Thorny1 Road of Honor,” of a marksman, who indeed attained2 to rank and office, but only after a lifelong and weary strife3 against difficulties. Who has not, in reading this story, thought of his own strife, and of his own numerous “difficulties?” The story is very closely akin4 to reality; but still it has its harmonious5 explanation here on earth, while reality often points beyond the confines of life to the regions of eternity6. The history of the world is like a magic lantern that displays to us, in light pictures upon the dark ground of the present, how the benefactors7 of mankind, the martyrs8 of genius, wandered along the thorny road of honor.

    From all periods, and from every country, these shining pictures display themselves to us. Each only appears for a few moments, but each represents a whole life, sometimes a whole age, with its conflicts and victories. Let us contemplate9 here and there one of the company of martyrs—the company which will receive new members until the world itself shall pass away.

    We look down upon a crowded amphitheatre. Out of the “Clouds” of Aristophanes, satire10 and humor are pouring down in streams upon the audience; on the stage Socrates, the most remarkable11 man in Athens, he who had been the shield and defence of the people against the thirty tyrants12, is held up mentally and bodily to ridicule—Socrates, who saved Alcibiades and Xenophon in the turmoil13 of battle, and whose genius soared far above the gods of the ancients. He himself is present; he has risen from the spectator’s bench, and has stepped forward, that the laughing Athenians may well appreciate the likeness14 between himself and the caricature on the stage. There he stands before them, towering high above them all.

    Thou juicy, green, poisonous hemlock15, throw thy shadow over Athens—not thou, olive tree of fame!

    Seven cities contended for the honor of giving birth to Homer—that is to say, they contended after his death! Let us look at him as he was in his lifetime. He wanders on foot through the cities, and recites his verses for a livelihood16; the thought for the morrow turns his hair gray! He, the great seer, is blind, and painfully pursues his way—the sharp thorn tears the mantle17 of the king of poets. His song yet lives, and through that alone live all the heroes and gods of antiquity18.

    One picture after another springs up from the east, from the west, far removed from each other in time and place, and yet each one forming a portion of the thorny road of honor, on which the thistle indeed displays a flower, but only to adorn19 the grave.

    The camels pass along under the palm trees; they are richly laden20 with indigo21 and other treasures of value, sent by the ruler of the land to him whose songs are the delight of the people, the fame of the country. He whom envy and falsehood have driven into exile has been found, and the caravan22 approaches the little town in which he has taken refuge. A poor corpse23 is carried out of the town gate, and the funeral procession causes the caravan to halt. The dead man is he whom they have been sent to seek—Firdusi—who has wandered the Thorny road of honor even to the end.

    The African, with blunt features, thick lips, and woolly hair, sits on the marble steps of the palace in the capital of Portugal, and begs. He is the submissive slave of Camoens, and but for him, and for the copper24 coins thrown to him by the passers-by, his master, the poet of the “Lusiad,” would die of hunger. Now, a costly25 monument marks the grave of Camoens.

    There is a new picture.

    Behind the iron grating a man appears, pale as death, with long unkempt beard.

    “I have made a discovery,” he says, “the greatest that has been made for centuries; and they have kept me locked up here for more than twenty years!”

    Who is the man?

    “A madman,” replies the keeper of the madhouse. “What whimsical ideas these lunatics have! He imagines that one can propel things by means of steam.”

    It is Solomon de Cares, the discoverer of the power of steam, whose theory, expressed in dark words, is not understood by Richelieu; and he dies in the madhouse.

    Here stands Columbus, whom the street boys used once to follow and jeer26, because he wanted to discover a new world; and he has discovered it. Shouts of joy greet him from the breasts of all, and the clash of bells sounds to celebrate his triumphant27 return; but the clash of the bells of envy soon drowns the others. The discoverer of a world—he who lifted the American gold land from the sea, and gave it to his king—he is rewarded with iron chains. He wishes that these chains may be placed in his coffin28, for they witness to the world of the way in which a man’s contemporaries reward good service.

    One picture after another comes crowding on; the thorny path of honor and of fame is over-filled.

    Here in dark night sits the man who measured the mountains in the moon; he who forced his way out into the endless space, among stars and planets; he, the mighty29 man who understood the spirit of nature, and felt the earth moving beneath his feet—Galileo. Blind and deaf he sits—an old man thrust through with the spear of suffering, and amid the torments30 of neglect, scarcely able to lift his foot—that foot with which, in the anguish31 of his soul, when men denied the truth, he stamped upon the ground, with the exclamation32, “Yet it moves!”

    Here stands a woman of childlike mind, yet full of faith and inspiration. She carries the banner in front of the combating army, and brings victory and salvation33 to her fatherland. The sound of shouting arises, and the pile flames up. They are burning the witch, Joan of Arc. Yes, and a future century jeers34 at the White Lily. Voltaire, the satyr of human intellect, writes “La Pucelle.”

    At the Thing or Assembly at Viborg, the Danish nobles burn the laws of the king. They flame up high, illuminating35 the period and the lawgiver, and throw a glory into the dark prison tower, where an old man is growing gray and bent36. With his finger he marks out a groove37 in the stone table. It is the popular king who sits there, once the ruler of three kingdoms, the friend of the citizen and the peasant. It is Christian38 the Second. Enemies wrote his history. Let us remember his improvements of seven and twenty years, if we cannot forget his crime.

    A ship sails away, quitting the Danish shores. A man leans against the mast, casting a last glance towards the Island Hueen. It is Tycho Brahe. He raised the name of Denmark to the stars, and was rewarded with injury, loss and sorrow. He is going to a strange country.

    “The vault39 of heaven is above me everywhere,” he says, “and what do I want more?”

    And away sails the famous Dane, the astronomer40, to live honored and free in a strange land.

    “Ay, free, if only from the unbearable41 sufferings of the body!” comes in a sigh through time, and strikes upon our ear. What a picture! Griffenfeldt, a Danish Prometheus, bound to the rocky island of Munkholm.

    We are in America, on the margin42 of one of the largest rivers; an innumerable crowd has gathered, for it is said that a ship is to sail against the wind and weather, bidding defiance43 to the elements. The man who thinks he can solve the problem is named Robert Fulton. The ship begins its passage, but suddenly it stops. The crowd begins to laugh and whistle and hiss—the very father of the man whistles with the rest.

    Conceit44! Foolery!” is the cry. “It has happened just as he deserved. Put the crack-brain under lock and key!”

    Then suddenly a little nail breaks, which had stopped the machine for a few moments; and now the wheels turn again, the floats break the force of the waters, and the ship continues its course; and the beam of the steam engine shortens the distance between far lands from hours into minutes.

    O human race, canst thou grasp the happiness of such a minute of consciousness, this penetration45 of the soul by its mission, the moment in which all dejection, and every wound—even those caused by one’s own fault—is changed into health and strength and clearness—when discord46 is converted to harmony—the minute in which men seem to recognize the manifestation47 of the heavenly grace in one man, and feel how this one imparts it to all?

    Thus the thorny path of honor shows itself as a glory, surrounding the earth with its beams. Thrice happy he who is chosen to be a wanderer there, and, without merit of his own, to be placed between the builder of the bridge and the earth—between Providence48 and the human race.

    On mighty wings the spirit of history floats through the ages, and shows—giving courage and comfort, and awakening49 gentle thoughts—on the dark nightly background, but in gleaming pictures, the thorny path of honor, which does not, like a fairy tale, end in brilliancy and joy here on earth, but stretches out beyond all time, even into eternity!



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    1 thorny [ˈθɔ:ni] 5ICzQ   第11级
    adj.多刺的,棘手的
    参考例句:
    • The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem. 年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
    • The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson. 孩子们辩论功课中的难点。
    2 attained [ə'teɪnd] 1f2c1bee274e81555decf78fe9b16b2f   第7级
    (通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况)
    参考例句:
    • She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
    • Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。
    3 strife [straɪf] NrdyZ   第7级
    n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争
    参考例句:
    • We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife. 我们不想卷入内乱之中。
    • Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages. 金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。
    4 akin [əˈkɪn] uxbz2   第11级
    adj.同族的,类似的
    参考例句:
    • She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters. 她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
    • Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel. 听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。
    5 harmonious [hɑ:ˈməʊniəs] EdWzx   第9级
    adj.和睦的,调和的,和谐的,协调的
    参考例句:
    • Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals. 他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
    • The room was painted in harmonious colors. 房间油漆得色彩调和。
    6 eternity [ɪˈtɜ:nəti] Aiwz7   第10级
    n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷
    参考例句:
    • The dull play seemed to last an eternity. 这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
    • Finally, Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity. 英台和山伯终能双宿双飞,永世相随。
    7 benefactors ['benɪfæktəz] 18fa832416cde88e9f254e94b7de4ebf   第9级
    n.捐助者,施主( benefactor的名词复数 );恩人
    参考例句:
    • I rate him among my benefactors. 我认为他是我的一个恩人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • We showed high respect to benefactors. 我们对捐助者表达了崇高的敬意。 来自辞典例句
    8 martyrs [ˈmɑ:təz] d8bbee63cb93081c5677dc671dc968fc   第9级
    n.martyr的复数形式;烈士( martyr的名词复数 );殉道者;殉教者;乞怜者(向人诉苦以博取同情)
    参考例句:
    • the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
    • They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    9 contemplate [ˈkɒntəmpleɪt] PaXyl   第7级
    vt.盘算,计议;周密考虑;注视,凝视
    参考例句:
    • The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了,真不堪细想。
    • The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate. 后果不堪设想。
    10 satire [ˈsætaɪə(r)] BCtzM   第7级
    n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品
    参考例句:
    • The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry. 那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
    • Satire is often a form of protest against injustice. 讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。
    11 remarkable [rɪˈmɑ:kəbl] 8Vbx6   第7级
    adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
    参考例句:
    • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills. 她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
    • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines. 这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
    12 tyrants [ˈtaɪərənts] b6c058541e716c67268f3d018da01b5e   第8级
    专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 ); 暴君似的人; (古希腊的)僭主; 严酷的事物
    参考例句:
    • The country was ruled by a succession of tyrants. 这个国家接连遭受暴君的统治。
    • The people suffered under foreign tyrants. 人民在异族暴君的统治下受苦受难。
    13 turmoil [ˈtɜ:mɔɪl] CKJzj   第9级
    n.骚乱,混乱,动乱
    参考例句:
    • His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep. 内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
    • The robbery put the village in a turmoil. 抢劫使全村陷入混乱。
    14 likeness [ˈlaɪknəs] P1txX   第8级
    n.相像,相似(之处)
    参考例句:
    • I think the painter has produced a very true likeness. 我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
    • She treasured the painted likeness of her son. 她珍藏她儿子的画像。
    15 hemlock [ˈhemlɒk] n51y6   第10级
    n.毒胡萝卜,铁杉
    参考例句:
    • He was condemned to drink a cup of hemlock. 判处他喝一杯毒汁。
    • Here is a beech by the side of a hemlock, with three pines at hand. 这儿有株山毛榉和一株铁杉长在一起,旁边还有三株松树。
    16 livelihood [ˈlaɪvlihʊd] sppzWF   第8级
    n.生计,谋生之道
    参考例句:
    • Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood. 他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
    • My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands. 父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。
    17 mantle [ˈmæntl] Y7tzs   第9级
    n.斗篷,覆罩之物,罩子;vt.&vi.罩住,覆盖,脸红
    参考例句:
    • The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green. 大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
    • The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow. 山上覆盖着一层雪。
    18 antiquity [ænˈtɪkwəti] SNuzc   第9级
    n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹
    参考例句:
    • The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity. 博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
    • There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity. 有许多关于古代英雄的传说。
    19 adorn [əˈdɔ:n] PydzZ   第8级
    vt.使美化,装饰
    参考例句:
    • She loved to adorn herself with finery. 她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
    • His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books. 他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。
    20 laden [ˈleɪdn] P2gx5   第9级
    adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的
    参考例句:
    • He is laden with heavy responsibility. 他肩负重任。
    • Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。
    21 indigo [ˈɪndɪgəʊ] 78FxQ   第11级
    n.靛青,靛蓝
    参考例句:
    • The sky was indigo blue, and a great many stars were shining. 天空一片深蓝,闪烁着点点繁星。
    • He slipped into an indigo tank. 他滑落到蓝靛桶中。
    22 caravan [ˈkærəvæn] OrVzu   第9级
    n.大蓬车;活动房屋
    参考例句:
    • The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in. 社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
    • Geoff connected the caravan to the car. 杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。
    23 corpse [kɔ:ps] JYiz4   第7级
    n.尸体,死尸
    参考例句:
    • What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse. 她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
    • The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming. 尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
    24 copper [ˈkɒpə(r)] HZXyU   第7级
    n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的
    参考例句:
    • The students are asked to prove the purity of copper. 要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
    • Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity. 铜是热和电的良导体。
    25 costly [ˈkɒstli] 7zXxh   第7级
    adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
    参考例句:
    • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this. 维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
    • This dictionary is very useful, only it is a bit costly. 这本词典很有用,只不过贵了些。
    26 jeer [dʒɪə(r)] caXz5   第9级
    vi.嘲弄,揶揄;vt.奚落;n.嘲笑,讥评
    参考例句:
    • Do not jeer at the mistakes or misfortunes of others. 不要嘲笑别人的错误或不幸。
    • The children liked to jeer at the awkward students. 孩子们喜欢嘲笑笨拙的学生。
    27 triumphant [traɪˈʌmfənt] JpQys   第9级
    adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的
    参考例句:
    • The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital. 部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
    • There was a positively triumphant note in her voice. 她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。
    28 coffin [ˈkɒfɪn] XWRy7   第8级
    n.棺材,灵柩
    参考例句:
    • When one's coffin is covered, all discussion about him can be settled. 盖棺论定。
    • The coffin was placed in the grave. 那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。
    29 mighty [ˈmaɪti] YDWxl   第7级
    adj.强有力的;巨大的
    参考例句:
    • A mighty force was about to break loose. 一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
    • The mighty iceberg came into view. 巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
    30 torments [ˈtɔ:ments] 583b07d85b73539874dc32ae2ffa5f78   第7级
    (肉体或精神上的)折磨,痛苦( torment的名词复数 ); 造成痛苦的事物[人]
    参考例句:
    • He released me from my torments. 他解除了我的痛苦。
    • He suffered torments from his aching teeth. 他牙痛得难受。
    31 anguish [ˈæŋgwɪʃ] awZz0   第7级
    n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼
    参考例句:
    • She cried out for anguish at parting. 分手时,她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
    • The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart. 难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。
    32 exclamation [ˌekskləˈmeɪʃn] onBxZ   第8级
    n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
    参考例句:
    • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval. 他禁不住喝一声采。
    • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers. 作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
    33 salvation [sælˈveɪʃn] nC2zC   第8级
    n.(尤指基督)救世,超度,拯救,解困
    参考例句:
    • Salvation lay in political reform. 解救办法在于政治改革。
    • Christians hope and pray for salvation. 基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。
    34 jeers [d'ʒɪəz] d9858f78aeeb4000621278b471b36cdc   第9级
    n.操纵帆桁下部(使其上下的)索具;嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 )
    参考例句:
    • They shouted jeers at him. 他们大声地嘲讽他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The jeers from the crowd caused the speaker to leave the platform. 群众的哄笑使讲演者离开讲台。 来自辞典例句
    35 illuminating [i'lu:mineitiŋ] IqWzgS   第7级
    a.富于启发性的,有助阐明的
    参考例句:
    • We didn't find the examples he used particularly illuminating. 我们觉得他采用的那些例证启发性不是特别大。
    • I found his talk most illuminating. 我觉得他的话很有启发性。
    36 bent [bent] QQ8yD   第7级
    n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的;v.(使)弯曲,屈身(bend的过去式和过去分词)
    参考例句:
    • He was fully bent upon the project. 他一心扑在这项计划上。
    • We bent over backward to help them. 我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
    37 groove [gru:v] JeqzD   第8级
    n.沟,槽;凹线,(刻出的)线条,习惯
    参考例句:
    • They're happy to stay in the same old groove. 他们乐于墨守成规。
    • The cupboard door slides open along the groove. 食橱门沿槽移开。
    38 Christian [ˈkrɪstʃən] KVByl   第7级
    adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
    参考例句:
    • They always addressed each other by their Christian name. 他们总是以教名互相称呼。
    • His mother is a sincere Christian. 他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
    39 vault [vɔ:lt] 3K3zW   第8级
    n.拱形圆顶,地窖,地下室
    参考例句:
    • The vault of this cathedral is very high. 这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
    • The old patrician was buried in the family vault. 这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
    40 astronomer [əˈstrɒnəmə(r)] DOEyh   第7级
    n.天文学家
    参考例句:
    • A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer. 新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
    • He is reputed to have been a good astronomer. 他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。
    41 unbearable [ʌnˈbeərəbl] alCwB   第7级
    adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的
    参考例句:
    • It is unbearable to be always on thorns. 老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
    • The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became. 他越想越觉得无法忍受。
    42 margin [ˈmɑ:dʒɪn] 67Mzp   第7级
    n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘
    参考例句:
    • We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train. 我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
    • The village is situated at the margin of a forest. 村子位于森林的边缘。
    43 defiance [dɪˈfaɪəns] RmSzx   第8级
    n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗
    参考例句:
    • He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning. 他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
    • He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance. 他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。
    44 conceit [kənˈsi:t] raVyy   第8级
    n.自负,自高自大
    参考例句:
    • As conceit makes one lag behind, so modesty helps one make progress. 骄傲使人落后,谦虚使人进步。
    • She seems to be eaten up with her own conceit. 她仿佛已经被骄傲冲昏了头脑。
    45 penetration [ˌpenɪˈtreɪʃn] 1M8xw   第8级
    n.穿透,穿人,渗透
    参考例句:
    • He is a man of penetration. 他是一个富有洞察力的人。
    • Our aim is to achieve greater market penetration. 我们的目标是进一步打入市场。
    46 discord [ˈdɪskɔ:d] iPmzl   第8级
    n.不和,意见不合,争论,(音乐)不和谐
    参考例句:
    • These two answers are in discord. 这两个答案不一样。
    • The discord of his music was hard on the ear. 他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。
    47 manifestation [ˌmænɪfeˈsteɪʃn] 0RCz6   第9级
    n.表现形式;表明;现象
    参考例句:
    • Her smile is a manifestation of joy. 她的微笑是她快乐的表现。
    • What we call mass is only another manifestation of energy. 我们称之为质量的东西只是能量的另一种表现形态。
    48 providence [ˈprɒvɪdəns] 8tdyh   第12级
    n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝
    参考例句:
    • It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat. 乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
    • To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence. 照你的所作所为那样去行事,是违背上帝的意志的。
    49 awakening [ə'weikəniŋ] 9ytzdV   第8级
    n.觉醒,醒悟 adj.觉醒中的;唤醒的
    参考例句:
    • the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
    • People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

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