The Awakening of Europe, 28. Captain John Smith

28. Captain John Smith

Failure after failure had attended the early efforts of the English to plant colonies in the West. Still they would not give up.

"I shall yet live to see Virginia an English nation," the far-sighted Raleigh had said even when the news had reached him of the pathetic end of his little colony. But it was not till the power of Spain had been destroyed that the English could hope to succeed in America. For an infant colony is like an army at the end of a long line of communications. If the line is cut, it must perish. Before England could plant thriving colonies in America she had to gain control of the ocean-paths leading across the Atlantic. Now this was done. The defeat of the Spanish Armada had made American colonisation possible to England.

And so in 1606 another infant colony, consisting of 105 persons, sailed from "merrie England" for Virginia, the "paradise of the world" as the poets loved to call it. Queen Elizabeth was dead, but James I. was ready enough for a chance of extending his dominions beyond the seas. The emigrants sailed in three small ships, which took four long months to reach the shores of America. They had intended to land on the coast of Virginia, but a great storm drove them out of their course, and they found themselves in a magnificent bay, called by the natives Chesapeake Bay. Landing on the banks of a river, which they called James river, after the king, they decided on a suitable site for a colony, which they called Jamestown. They began to build, but it was soon evident that the wrong stamp of colonist had come out. Out of the 105 emigrants there were but twelve labouring men; the others were gentlemen, unused to toil, unfit for hardships. Again and again the Indians attacked them.

Then came the old story—food ran short, disease followed, three or four died daily, and the survivors were too weak to bury them. At last half the little colony was dead.

Among the colonists was a young man called John Smith. He was strong and vigorous, and he saw something must be done. So he undertook to rule them. He first strengthened the town against attacks from the Indians, and, to get fresh supplies of food, he led parties to explore the neighbourhood. He cheered the few survivors, and all went well for a time, till one day Smith himself was attacked and taken prisoner by the Indians. He was led before the chief and doomed to death. For a time he warded off the evil moment by explaining the mariner's compass and telling the ignorant natives stories. "And when I told them the wonders of the earth and sky and spheres, of the sun and moon and stars, and how the sun did chase the night round the world continually, they all stood amazed with admiration," said John Smith when he wrote of all his strange adventures with the Indians. But when his stories came to an end, all their fury burst forth again, and tying him to a tree, they prepared their arrows to shoot him. Another moment he would have been a dead man, when the chief stepped forward and bade them unbind the prisoner, who was to be taken before Powhatan, the king of the tribe.

From one village to another he was now led in triumph—the only white man among all the Indians—till at length he reached the king. The old chieftain was sitting before a fire on a bench. He was covered with skins of animals, whose tails hung around him like tassels. Near him sat a row of women, their faces and bare shoulders painted bright red. Smith thought he was well received, for the queen brought him water to wash his hands and a bunch of feathers to dry them instead of a towel.

But preparations to kill him now went forward. Two large stones were brought in, on which the unhappy Englishman was made to lay his head. Two dusky warriors stood, with clubs upraised, waiting the word to strike, when suddenly the king's little daughter of ten years old darted forward, laid her young head upon his, and thus saved his life. The king was deeply touched by this act of devotion on the part of his child Pocahontas. He at once set his prisoner free, and sent him back to Jamestown under escort.

He found the colonists reduced to forty now, and they were in the act of leaving when Smith arrived and once more saved the situation. Thanks to Pocahontas, there was now peace with the Indians, and food came in regularly. Moreover, they taught the colonists many things—how to grow maize and how to till the ground. Emigrants now poured over from England.

"He who will not work, shall not eat," he said. But the axes blistered their tender hands till the sound of oaths drowned the echo of the blows. To put down this swearing Smith decreed that every oath should be punished by a can of cold water being poured down the swearer's sleeve, which was the cause of much merriment and fewer oaths. So John Smith succeeded where others had failed. He was the first to show that the true interest of England was not to seek gold in Virginia, as the early colonists had done, but rather, by patient toil and unwearying industry, to establish trade and commerce.

"Nothing," he used to say—"nothing is to be expected from thence but by labour." The sequel to this story is interesting. Pocahontas became a Christian and married one of the colonists, John Rolfe, at Jamestown, and in 1616 she went to England with her husband. She had been the first native in America to become a Christian, and her romantic story drew crowds to see her. "La Belle Sauvage" was taken to the Court of King James by John Smith himself, who was in England at the time. But she had not been in England long before she was taken very ill, and she died before she could be put on board ship to return to her native country.

28. Captain John Smith 28. Kapitän John Smith 28. Capitán John Smith 28. Capitano John Smith 28.ジョン・スミス大尉 28. Capitão John Smith 28. Капитан Джон Смит 28. Kaptan John Smith 28. Капітан Джон Сміт

"To the West! To the West! To the land of the free, Where the mighty Missouri rolls down to the sea, Where a man is a man, if he's willing to toil, And the humblest may gather the fruits of the soil." 向|||||自由的|||强大的|密苏里|奔流|||||||||||||||辛勤工作|||最卑微的||||土地的果实||| In das Land der Freien, wo der mächtige Missouri zum Meer hinunterrollt, wo ein Mann ein Mann ist, wenn er bereit ist, zu arbeiten, und der Bescheidenste die Früchte des Bodens ernten kann." Nella terra dei liberi, dove il potente Missouri rotola giù fino al mare, dove un uomo è un uomo, se è disposto a faticare, e il più umile può raccogliere i frutti del suolo". 去往自由之地，伟大的密苏里河奔腾而下至海洋，凡是愿意劳动的人都是人，而最卑微的人也能收获土地的果实。 —MACKAY. 麦凯(1) 麦凯 —麦凯。

Failure after failure had attended the early efforts of the English to plant colonies in the West. ||||伴随而来|||||||||||| I primi tentativi degli inglesi di impiantare colonie in Occidente erano stati un fallimento dopo l'altro. 早期英国人在西部建立殖民地的努力经历了接连的失败。 Still they would not give up. Tuttavia non si sono arresi.

"I shall yet live to see Virginia an English nation," the far-sighted Raleigh had said even when the news had reached him of the pathetic end of his little colony. ||||||||||||远见的|拉尔赫||||||||||||||||| "我还会活着看到弗吉尼亚成为一个英国国家，" 远见卓识的雷利在听到他的小殖民地悲惨结局的消息时曾说道。 But it was not till the power of Spain had been destroyed that the English could hope to succeed in America. |直到||直到||||||||被摧毁|||||希望|||| Ma solo dopo aver distrutto il potere della Spagna, gli inglesi poterono sperare di avere successo in America. 但直到西班牙的力量被摧毁，英国人才有希望在美洲取得成功。 For an infant colony is like an army at the end of a long line of communications. ||kolonie|||||||||||||| ||幼虫|||||军队|||||||||通讯线 Perché una colonia nascente è come un esercito alla fine di una lunga linea di comunicazione. 因为一个幼小的殖民地就像是一支军队，处于一条漫长的通讯线的末端。 If the line is cut, it must perish. |||||||消失如果这条线被切断，它必定会灭亡。 Before England could plant thriving colonies in America she had to gain control of the ocean-paths leading across the Atlantic. ||||||||||||||||航道|||| 在英格兰能够在美洲建立繁荣的殖民地之前，她必须控制通往大西洋的海洋通道。 Now this was done. 现在这一切都已经完成。 The defeat of the Spanish Armada had made American colonisation possible to England. ||||||||||可能|| 西班牙无敌舰队的失败使得英国能够进行美洲殖民。

And so in 1606 another infant colony, consisting of 105 persons, sailed from "merrie England" for Virginia, the "paradise of the world" as the poets loved to call it. |||||||||||vesele||||||||||||||| 因此|||||||||||快乐的|||||世界的乐园|||||||||| En zo zeilde in 1606 een andere zuigelingenkolonie, bestaande uit 105 personen, van "merrie England" naar Virginia, het "paradijs van de wereld" zoals de dichters het graag noemden. 因此在1606年，另一个由105人组成的幼小殖民地从"快乐的英格兰"出发，驶向弗吉尼亚，这个被诗人们称作"世界的天堂"的地方。 Queen Elizabeth was dead, but James I. was ready enough for a chance of extending his dominions beyond the seas. ||||||||准备好|相当准备|||||||||| 伊丽莎白女王已经去世，但詹姆斯一世十分渴望有机会将他的领土扩展到海洋之外。 The emigrants sailed in three small ships, which took four long months to reach the shores of America. |移民|||||||||||||||| 移民们乘坐三艘小船出航，经过四个漫长的月头才到达美洲的海岸。 They had intended to land on the coast of Virginia, but a great storm drove them out of their course, and they found themselves in a magnificent bay, called by the natives Chesapeake Bay. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||切萨皮克| 他们原本打算在弗吉尼亚海岸登陆，但一场大风暴使他们偏离了航线，最终发现自己在一个壮丽的海湾，土著人称之为切萨匹克湾。 Landing on the banks of a river, which they called James river, after the king, they decided on a suitable site for a colony, which they called Jamestown. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||詹姆斯镇他们在一条河岸登陆，这条河以国王的名字命名为詹姆斯河，他们决定在此选择一个合适的地点建立一个殖民地，称之为詹姆斯敦。 They began to build, but it was soon evident that the wrong stamp of colonist had come out. |||||||||||错误的|印记||||出现| 他们开始建筑，但很快显而易见，不适合的殖民者类型出现了。 Out of the 105 emigrants there were but twelve labouring men; the others were gentlemen, unused to toil, unfit for hardships. ||||||||||||||||dřina||| |||||||十二|劳动者||||||||||| ||||||||labouring||||||||||| ||||||||劳作||||||||||| Su 105 emigranti c'erano solo dodici operai; gli altri erano gentiluomini, disabituati alla fatica e inadatti agli stenti. 在105名移民中，只有十二名劳工；其他人都是绅士，不习惯劳动，不适应艰苦。 Again and again the Indians attacked them. 印第安人一次又一次地袭击他们。

Then came the old story—food ran short, disease followed, three or four died daily, and the survivors were too weak to bury them. ||||||||||||||||||||||pochovat| |||||||||||||||||幸存者|||||埋葬| At last half the little colony was dead. ||一半||||| 最后，一半的小殖民地已经死去了。

Among the colonists was a young man called John Smith. ||||||||约翰| 在殖民者中，有一个年轻人叫约翰·史密斯。 He was strong and vigorous, and he saw something must be done. ||||有活力的||||||| 他强壮而有活力，他意识到必须采取一些行动。 So he undertook to rule them. 因此他承担起统治他们的责任。 He first strengthened the town against attacks from the Indians, and, to get fresh supplies of food, he led parties to explore the neighbourhood. |||||||||||以便|||||||||||| 他首先强化了城镇，以抵御印第安人的攻击，并且为了获取新鲜的食品，他带领队伍勘探附近地区。 He cheered the few survivors, and all went well for a time, till one day Smith himself was attacked and taken prisoner by the Indians. |欢呼|||||一切|||||||||||||||囚犯||| 他激励着为数不多的幸存者，一切都运转良好，直到有一天，史密斯自己被印第安人袭击并被俘。 He was led before the chief and doomed to death. 他被带到首领面前，注定要死。 For a time he warded off the evil moment by explaining the mariner's compass and telling the ignorant natives stories. ||||odvracel||||||||námořníkovy|||||neznalým|| ||||抵御|||||||||航海罗盘|||||| ||||||||||||水手的||||||| 一段时间内，他通过解释航海家的指南针和给无知的土著讲述故事来抵挡邪恶的时刻。 "And when I told them the wonders of the earth and sky and spheres, of the sun and moon and stars, and how the sun did chase the night round the world continually, they all stood amazed with admiration," said John Smith when he wrote of all his strange adventures with the Indians. ||||||||||||||||||月亮|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||不断地|||||||||||||||||||| 约翰·史密斯在写下他与印第安人的奇异冒险时说道："当我告诉他们有关地球、天空和星球的奇迹时，关于太阳、月亮和星星，和太阳如何不断地追逐夜晚环绕世界时，他们都惊讶得目瞪口呆。" But when his stories came to an end, all their fury burst forth again, and tying him to a tree, they prepared their arrows to shoot him. |||||||||||||||把他绑||||||||||| 但当他的故事结束时，所有的愤怒再次爆发，他们把他绑在一棵树上，准备射箭射杀他。 Another moment he would have been a dead man, when the chief stepped forward and bade them unbind the prisoner, who was to be taken before Powhatan, the king of the tribe. |||||||||||||||přikázal||odvázat|||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||解开|||||||||波瓦坦||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||波瓦坦||||| Un altro momento sarebbe stato un uomo morto, quando il capo si fece avanti e ordinò di liberare il prigioniero, che sarebbe stato portato davanti a Powhatan, il re della tribù. 再过片刻他就将成为死者，这时首领迈步上前，命令他们解开这个囚犯的绑缚，他将被带去见波瓦坦，部落的国王。

From one village to another he was now led in triumph—the only white man among all the Indians—till at length he reached the king. ||||||||||||||||||||最后||||| 他现在被带着胜利的姿态从一个村庄走向另一个村庄——在所有的印第安人中他是唯一的白人——直到最终他到达了国王那里。 The old chieftain was sitting before a fire on a bench. ||náčelník|||||||| ||酋长|||||||| ||酋长|||||||| 老酋长坐在长凳上，火焰前面。 He was covered with skins of animals, whose tails hung around him like tassels. |||||||||||||tasselů ||||||||尾巴|||||流苏 ||||||||尾巴||||| 他全身裹着动物的皮毛，尾巴像流苏一样垂在他周围。 Near him sat a row of women, their faces and bare shoulders painted bright red. ||||||||||光裸的|||| Vicino a lui sedeva una fila di donne, con il volto e le spalle nude dipinte di rosso vivo. 他旁边坐着一排妇女，她们的脸和裸露的肩膀涂抹成鲜红色。 Smith thought he was well received, for the queen brought him water to wash his hands and a bunch of feathers to dry them instead of a towel. ||||||||||||||||||||羽毛束||||||| Smith pensò di essere ben accolto, perché la regina gli portò dell'acqua per lavarsi le mani e un mazzo di piume per asciugarle al posto dell'asciugamano. 史密斯以为自己受到了良好的接待，因为女王给他带来了洗手用的水和一束羽毛来擦干手，而不是一条毛巾。

But preparations to kill him now went forward. |准备|||||| 但是现在已经开始准备杀死他。 Two large stones were brought in, on which the unhappy Englishman was made to lay his head. 两块大石头被带了进来，那个不幸的英国人被迫把头放在上面。 Two dusky warriors stood, with clubs upraised, waiting the word to strike, when suddenly the king's little daughter of ten years old darted forward, laid her young head upon his, and thus saved his life. |temní|||||vzhůru zdviženými|||||zasáhnout|||||||||||vyskočila|||||||||tak||| |黝黑的||||棍子|高举|||||攻击|||||||||||冲向|||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||darted|||||||||||| ||||||高举|||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 两个黑肤的战士举起棍棒，等待出击的命令，这时国王的十岁小女儿突然冲了上来，把自己的小头放在他的头上，因而救了他的命。 The king was deeply touched by this act of devotion on the part of his child Pocahontas. |||||||||oddanosti||||||| ||||||||||||||||波卡洪塔斯 ||||||||||||||||波卡洪塔斯国王对他的孩子波卡洪塔斯的这一奉献行为深感触动。 He at once set his prisoner free, and sent him back to Jamestown under escort. ||||||||||||詹姆斯敦||护送 Il libéra aussitôt son prisonnier et le renvoya à Jamestown sous escorte. 他立刻释放了他的囚犯，并派人护送他返回詹姆斯敦。

He found the colonists reduced to forty now, and they were in the act of leaving when Smith arrived and once more saved the situation. ||||||||||||||||||||||拯救了|| 他发现殖民者现在只剩下四十人，他们正在准备离开，史密斯到达时再次拯救了局势。 Thanks to Pocahontas, there was now peace with the Indians, and food came in regularly. ||波卡洪塔斯|||||||||||| 多亏了波卡洪塔斯，现在与印第安人达成了和平，食物定期供应。 Moreover, they taught the colonists many things—how to grow maize and how to till the ground. ||||||||||||||耕作|| 此外，他们还教会了殖民者许多东西——如何种植玉米和如何耕作。 Emigrants now poured over from England. ||přicházeli||| Les émigrants affluaient maintenant d'Angleterre. 如今，移民纷纷从英格兰涌来。

"When you send again, I entreat you send me thirty carpenters, husbandmen, gardeners, fishermen, and blacksmiths, rather than a thousand such as these," Smith wrote home pitifully. |||||naléhám||||||rolníky|||||||||||||||žalostně ||发送|||恳求||||||||||||||||||||| |||||恳求|||||||园丁|||铁匠|||||||||||可怜地 "Quando mi manderai di nuovo, ti prego di mandarmi trenta falegnami, marittimi, giardinieri, pescatori e fabbri, piuttosto che mille come questi", scrisse Smith a casa in modo pietoso. "当你再次派人过来时，我恳求你给我送三十个木匠、农夫、园丁、渔民和铁匠，而不是一千个这样的劳工，"史密斯可怜地写道。 He made a rule that every one must work for six hours a-day at least. 他制定了一条规则，要求每个人每天至少工作六个小时。

"He who will not work, shall not eat," he said. "不劳动者不得食，"他说。 But the axes blistered their tender hands till the sound of oaths drowned the echo of the blows. ||sekyry|bilyy||něžné||||||přísah|||||| ||轴|磨破||嫩弱的||||||咒骂声|||回声|||击打 ||axes|blistered||||||||oaths|||||| |||伤害||||||||誓言|||||| To put down this swearing Smith decreed that every oath should be punished by a can of cold water being poured down the swearer's sleeve, which was the cause of much merriment and fewer oaths. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||veselí||| |下|||咒骂|||||||||||罐子||||||||发誓者||||这||||欢笑||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||sleeve|||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||发誓者||||||||||| Pour réprimer cet juron, Smith a décrété que chaque serment devait être puni par une canette d'eau froide versée dans la manche du jureur, ce qui était la cause de beaucoup de gaieté et de moins de serments. 为了制止这种咒骂，史密斯法令每一个发誓的人都该受到惩罚，用一罐冷水倒在他们的袖子里，这引起了很多欢笑和减少了咒骂。 So John Smith succeeded where others had failed. 因此，约翰·史密斯在其他人失败的地方成功了。 He was the first to show that the true interest of England was not to seek gold in Virginia, as the early colonists had done, but rather, by patient toil and unwearying industry, to establish trade and commerce. 他是第一个证明英格兰的真正利益并不是像早期殖民者那样在弗吉尼亚寻金，而是通过耐心的辛勤劳动和不懈的努力来建立贸易和商业。

"Nothing," he used to say—"nothing is to be expected from thence but by labour." « Rien, disait-il, il n'y a rien à attendre de là que par le travail. "没有，"他常说—"没有什么可以期待的，只有通过劳动。" The sequel to this story is interesting. |続編||||| 这个故事的续集很有趣。 Pocahontas became a Christian and married one of the colonists, John Rolfe, at Jamestown, and in 1616 she went to England with her husband. 波卡洪塔斯|||||||||||罗尔夫||||||||||| |||||||||||罗尔夫||||||||||| 波卡洪塔斯成为了一名基督徒，并在詹姆斯敦与殖民者约翰·罗尔夫结婚，1616年她和丈夫一起前往英国。 She had been the first native in America to become a Christian, and her romantic story drew crowds to see her. ||||||||||||||||吸引了|||| Elle avait été la première native d'Amérique à devenir chrétienne, et son histoire romantique a attiré les foules pour la voir. 她是美国第一位成为基督徒的土著，她的浪漫故事吸引了很多人前来观看。 "La Belle Sauvage" was taken to the Court of King James by John Smith himself, who was in England at the time. 拉|美丽的|野性||||||||||||||||||| ||萨瓦奇||||||||||||||||||| "美丽的野蛮人"是由约翰·史密斯亲自带到詹姆斯国王的宫廷，他当时在英格兰。 But she had not been in England long before she was taken very ill, and she died before she could be put on board ship to return to her native country. ||||||||不久之后|||||||||之前||||||||||||| Mais elle n'avait pas été longtemps en Angleterre qu'elle tomba gravement malade, et elle mourut avant d'avoir pu être embarquée sur un navire pour retourner dans son pays natal. Ma non era rimasta a lungo in Inghilterra quando si ammalò gravemente e morì prima di poter essere imbarcata sulla nave per tornare in patria. 但她在英格兰待得不久便病得很重，她在被送上船返回祖国之前就去世了。