目 录 上一节 下一节 
有那么一段时间，伊娃看上去有些不安和难过，不过，孩子们的思想通常不会在一件事情上停留很久，所以不一会儿，她就又变得快活起来。随着马车不断向前驶去，车窗外的种种事物把伊娃逗得大笑个不停。 "Well, ladies," said St. Clare, as they were comfortably seated at the dinner-table, "and what was the bill of fare at church today?" 等每个人在餐桌旁就坐好了，圣克莱尔问道："女士们，今天教堂里有什么新鲜事呢？" "O, Dr. G---- preached a splendid sermon," said Marie. "It was just such a sermon as you ought to hear; it expressed all my views exactly.""G 博士今天的布道精彩极了，你真应该去听听，他的观点和我的完全一致。"玛丽说。 "It must have been very improving," said St. Clare. "The subject must have been an extensive one."" 那对大家一定大有帮助，他的话题有那么广泛吗？" "Well, I mean all my views about society, and such things," said Marie. "The text was, `He hath made everything beautiful in its season;' and he showed how all the orders and distinctions in society came from God; and that it was so appropriate, you know, and beautiful, that some should be high and some low, and that some were born to rule and some to serve, and all that, you know; and he applied it so well to all this ridiculous fuss that is made about slavery, and he proved distinctly that the Bible was on our side, and supported all our institutions so convincingly. I only wish you'd heard him."" 我是说他表达了我的社会观点，《圣经》上说'上帝造万物，各按其时成为美好'，G博士的布道说明这社会中的一切等级和秩序都是上帝亲手创造的，所以，人会有高低贵贱，有的人生来就是主人，而有的人生来就是奴隶，上帝把这一切都安排得极为和谐，你明白吗？G博士的观点使那些反对奴隶制的理论显得荒唐至极。他的言论证明了《圣经》是支持我们的，不仅如此，他还维护我们的制度。你没听到他的布道实在太可惜了。" 
这没有什么值得可惜的，我随时可以从《五分日报》上获得对我同样有益的东西，同时我还可以抽着雪茄。要知道，在教堂可不允许这样。" "Why," said Miss Ophelia, "don't you believe in these views?"" 难道你不相信这些观点吗？"奥菲利亚小姐问道。 "Who,--I? You know I'm such a graceless dog that these religious aspects of such subjects don't edify me much. If I was to say anything on this slavery matter, I would say out, fair and square, `We're in for it; we've got 'em, and mean to keep 'em,--it's for our convenience and our interest;' for that's the long and short of it,--that's just the whole of what all this sanctified stuff amounts to, after all; and I think that it will be intelligible to everybody, everywhere."" 你是指我吗？你知道我这个人是无药可救了。任何宗教上关于这些问题的观点看法都不会对我造成什么影响。如果一定要我就奴隶制发表观点，那我坦率地说，'我们已经陷入这个社会问题，我们占有了奴隶，并且不打算放弃他们，因为我们要享受，要谋取利益。'不论怎么样，G博士的理论虽然神圣，无非也就是要说明这些，不论在哪里，人们都一清二楚。" "I do think, Augustine, you are so irreverent!" said Marie. "I think it's shocking to hear you talk."" 奥古斯丁，我真是惊讶你会说出这些荒唐的话来！"玛丽说道。 "Shocking! it's the truth. This religious talk on such matters,--why don't they carry it a little further, and show the beauty, in its season, of a fellow's taking a glass too much, and sitting a little too late over his cards, and various providential arrangements of that sort, which are pretty frequent among us young men;--we'd like to hear that those are right and godly, too."" 惊讶！这是事实。宗教就是这么来解释这些事情的。他们为什么不把这些理论推而广之，论证论证年轻人中间酗酒赌博这类行为也是合情合理的好事呢？我倒想听听他们是怎么自圆其说的，把这些事情也说成是正确的行为，而且是上帝的旨意。" 
那么，你认为奴隶制到底是好还是坏？"奥菲利亚小姐问道。 I'm not going to have any of your horrid New England directness, cousin," said St. Clare, gayly. "If I answer that question, I know you'll be at me with half a dozen others, each one harder than the last; and I'm not a going to define my position. I am one of the sort that lives by throwing stones at other people's glass houses, but I never mean to put up one for them to stone." 圣克莱尔快活地说道："我可不愿染上你们新英格兰人那种可怕的坦率劲。我如果回答了你的这个问题，你肯定会接着问好多的问题，而且会一个比一个难以回答。所以，我不打算表明我对这个问题的看法。我是专爱拆台的人，怎么可能搭起台子让别人拆呢。" "That's just the way he's always talking," said Marie; "you can't get any satisfaction out of him. I believe it's just because he don't like religion, that he's always running out in this way he's been doing."" 他说话总是这么怪里怪气，你就别希望他会给你一个满意的答复。我想他整天在外面乱跑的原因就在于他不喜欢宗教。"玛丽说道。 "Religion!" said St. Clare, in a tone that made both ladies look at him. "Religion! Is what you hear at church, religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, and not something beneath."" 宗教！"圣克莱尔说话的语气引起两位女士对他的注意，"宗教！难道你们在教堂里听到的就是宗教吗？难道宗教就是那个左右逢源的东西吗？就是那个迎合一切世俗私利的东西吗？连我这么一个不敬神灵，庸俗的人都比它更知道廉耻，更公正，更宽厚，更为他人着想。我绝不会相信这样的宗教！假如我要信仰一种宗教的话，我也要去信仰一种比我的本性更崇高而不是更低贱的宗教。" "Then you don't believe that the Bible justifies slavery," said Miss Ophelia." 这么说，你是不相信《圣经》关于奴隶制合理性的言论了？"奥菲利亚小姐问道。 
《圣经》是我母亲为人处事的准则，如果《圣经》上这么说了，我将感到非常遗憾。我不能仅仅为了使自己相信自己抽烟、喝酒、骂人是正确的行为而去证明我母亲也有一样的嗜好，好让自己能够求得心理上的平衡。这么做不仅不能使我自己心理平衡，相反会失去因为敬重母亲而带来的欣慰。人活在这个世界上，有一个人值得自己尊敬是一件真正令人欣慰的事情。简而言之吧，"圣克莱尔说话的口气突然变得快活起来，"我只是想把各种事物分门别类。不管在美国还是在欧洲，作为社会框架的这些组成部分都经不起理想道德标准的检验。一般来说，人们不愿意去追求什么绝对真理，他们只是希望自己不要与别人取向相悖。如果有个人敢于站出来宣称我们必须保留奴隶制，没有它我们便不能生存下去，如果要放弃它，那我们将会一无所有，所以，我们绝对不可以放弃。这种坦率、直接的言论是值得钦佩的，至少它是真心话。如果按照人们的实际行为来判断，大多数人对这种观点都是赞同的。可如果有人绷起脸来，引经据典，装腔作势，我真要怀疑他是不是个十足的伪君子。" "You are very uncharitable," said Marie." 你对别人要求太苛刻了。"玛丽说道。 "Well," said St. Clare, "suppose that something should bring down the price of cotton once and forever, and make the whole slave property a drug in the market, don't you think we should soon have another version of the Scripture doctrine? What a flood of light would pour into the church, all at once, and how immediately it would be discovered that everything in the Bible and reason went the other way!"" 是这样的吗？如果棉花价格因为什么原因而大幅下跌，市场上的奴隶难以卖出，那时候恐怕我们就会听到对经文的另外一种解释了，你意下如何呢？教会马上就会意识到《圣经》上的每句话和讲的所有道理已经完全颠倒过来。" "Well, at any rate," said Marie, as she reclined herself on a lounge, "I'm thankful I'm born where slavery exists; and I believe it's right,--indeed, I feel it must be; and, at any rate, I'm sure I couldn't get along without it."" 我才不管这些，"玛丽说着在椅子上躺了下来，"总之我对自己生在长在有奴隶制的地方非常满意，我认为奴隶制是很合理的--它必须存在下去。无论怎么样，没有奴隶制我就活不下去了，这是毫无疑问的事。" "I say, what do you think, Pussy?" said her father to Eva, who came in at this moment, with a flower in her hand." 哎，宝贝，你怎么看呢？"伊娃这时刚好走进屋来，手里拿着一朵小花。圣克莱尔向女儿问道。 
关于什么，爸爸？" "Why, which do you like the best,--to live as they do at your uncle's, up in Vermont, or to have a house-full of servants, as we do?"" 你觉得在弗蒙特你伯伯家的生活好呢，还是像咱们家这样奴仆成群的生活好呢？" "O, of course, our way is the pleasantest," said Eva." 那当然是我们家好啦。" "Why so?" said St. Clare, stroking her head." 为什么呢？"圣克莱尔轻轻摸着女儿的头问。 "Why, it makes so many more round you to love, you know," said Eva, looking up earnestly." 因为有那么多人在我们周围，你可以去爱他们呀！" 
她又在说她那套莫名其妙的话了。"玛丽说。 "Is it an odd speech, papa?" said Eva, whisperingly, as she got upon his knee." 我说的话很奇怪吗？"伊娃爬到爸爸的腿上，不解地问道。
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