-
A Modest
Proposal
（一个温和的建议）
[1]
It is a melancholy
Object to those, who walk through this great
Town,
1
or
travel
in the Country, when they see
the
Streets
, the
Roads
, and
Cabin-
Doors
, crowded with
Beggars
of the female Sex,
followed by three, four, or six
Children,
all in Rags
, and
importuning every Passenger for an Alms
.
对于走过这座大城市，或在乡间旅行的
人，他们看到的这些景
象真是悲凉：街上、马路上、茅屋内挤满了女
乞
丐，后
面跟着三个、
四个或六个衣衫褴褛的孩子，
向每
个路人强要施舍。
These
Mothers
instead
of being able to work for their honest livelihood,
are forced to employ all their
time in
Strolling, to beg Sustenance for their
helpless Infants
, who, as
they grow up
either turn
Thieves
for want of work, or
leave their
dear native Country to
fight for the
Pretender in
Spain
,
2
or sell themselves to the
Ba
rbadoes
.
这些母亲无法靠
诚实
劳
动谋生，
被迫终日游荡去养活那些无
助的孩子，
这些孩子长大后要么因找不到工
作而沦为小偷，
要么背井离乡去为西班牙那个觊觎王位者卖命，
也许还会卖身到
巴巴多斯。
[2]
I think it is agreed by
all Parties, that this prodigious number of
Children, in the
Arms, or on the Backs,
or at the
heels
of their
Mothers
, and frequently of
their Fathers,
is
in the
present deplorable state of the Kingdom
a very great additional grievance;
我想
所有的党派
人士
（各方面）
都会同意，这些母亲（有时常常是父亲）怀
中抱着、背上背着以及身后跟着的数量如
此多的孩子
，在王国可悲的现状下，
将是一个平添民怨的灾难。
and therefore whoever could
find out a fair, cheap and
easy method
of making these Children sound and useful Members
of the
common-wealth would deserve so
well of the public, as to have his Statue set up
for a
preserver of the Nation.
如果谁能想出一个简单易行的办法让这些孩子成为国家的
健全有用之才，他将值得公
众为他树立雕像，尊他为保国英雄。
[3]
But my Intention is very
far from being confined to provide only for the
Children
of
professed
beggars
, it is of a much greater
extent, and shall take in the whole
number of Infants at a certain Age, who
are born of Parents in effect as little able to
support them, as those who demand our
Charity in the Streets.
然而我的
目的远不止限于救治那些公开宣称的乞丐的孩子，
我所说的范围要大得
< br>多，
包括所有那些在某个年代出生，
其父母与那些在街上
要求我们大发慈悲的乞
丐一样，无力养活他们的幼儿。
[4]
As to my own part,
having turned my thoughts for many Years, upon
this
important Subject, and maturely
weighed the several
Schemes of other
Projectors
,
4
I have always found them
grossly mistaken in their computation. .
至于
我自己，
我酝酿这个想法已有多年，
也曾和其他提出计划的人充分地权衡过几个
方案，
但总是发现他们在计算时犯了极大的错误。
It is true a Child,
just dropt from
it's Dam
,
5
may be supported by her
Milk, for a Solar year with little other
Nourishment, at most not above the
Value of two Shillings, which the Mother may
certainly get, or the Value in
Scraps
, by her lawful
Occupation of begging, and it is
exactly at one year Old that I propose
to provide for them, in such a manner, as,
instead of being a Charge upon their
Parents
, or the
Parish
,
6
or
wanting
7
Food
and Raiment
for the rest of their Lives, they shall, on the
Contrary, contribute to the
Feeding and
partly to the Clothing of many Thousands.
确实，一个初生的婴儿在第
一年里也许只需母乳而不用其他营养品，
费用顶多不超过两先令，
或不超过乞讨
所得的残羹剩饭
的价值。
这两先令他们的母亲通过合法的乞讨肯定能挣到的。
为
了使他们不再成为父母或其所在教区的负担，也无需在余生要吃要穿，我提议，
在正好一岁的时候，
他们反而应该为成千上万的人的食物，
部分也可以作为衣物。
[5]
There is likewise
another great Advantage in my Scheme, that it will
prevent those
voluntary
Abortions
, and that horrid practice of
Women murdering their Bastard
Children
, alas, too frequent
among us, Sacrificing the
poor innocent
Babes
, I
doubt,
8
more to avoid the Expense,
than the Shame, which would move Tears and
Pity in the most Savage and inhuman bre
ast.
我的方案也有另外一个很大的好处
,
< br>它
能使妇女自愿堕胎和可怕的杀婴行为就此绝迹。
唉，<
/p>
这种现象在我们之中太普遍
了，
我怀疑<
/p>
（她们）
牺牲那些无辜的婴儿与其说是为了逃避耻辱，
不如说是为了
逃避抚养的代价。即使是最无情最没人性的人，对此也将一洒
同情之泪。
[6]
The
number of Souls in this Kingdom being usually
reckoned one Million and a
half, Of
these I calculate there may be about two hundred
thousand Couple whose
Wives are
breeders, from which number I Subtract thirty
Thousand Couples, who are
able to
maintain their own Children, although I
apprehend
9
there cannot be so many,
under
the present distresses
of the Kingdom
, but this being granted,
there will remain
an hundred and
seventy thousand Breeders.
这个王国的人口数量大概总计
为一百五
十万，
在其中我估计有二十万对夫妇妻子尚能生育，<
/p>
从这个数目里我减去三千对
有能力抚养孩子的夫妇——虽然我知道
在王国现今十分窘迫，不可能有这么多
——确定之后，
就剩下十
七万能够生育的妇女。
I again Subtract fifty
Thousand for
those Women who miscarry,
or whose Children die by accident or disease
within the
Year.
我再减去五万流产的或孩子在一年内死于意外和疾病的妇女。
There only
remain an hundred
and twenty thousand Children of poor Parents
annually born.
现在
实际出生的贫困家庭孩子只
余十二万。
The question therefore
is, How this number
shall be reared and
provided for, which, as I have already said, under
the present
Situation of Affairs, is
utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto pro
posed.
所以问
题是如何抚养这么多的孩子，
这个我之前已经说过，
在目前的条件下，
迄今所提<
/p>
的方案无一能解决。
For we can
neither employ them in
Handicraft
, or
Agriculture
;
we
neither build Houses, (I mean in the Country) nor
cultivate Land.
10
< br>因为我们既
不能雇他们从事手工业，
也不可能雇他们从事
农业；
我们不建造房屋
（我指的是
在农
村）
，
也不用开拓耕地。
They
can very seldom pick up a Livelyhood
by
Stealing
until they arrive
at six years Old, except where they are of
towardly
parts,
11
although, I confess they
learn the Rudiments much earlier; during which
time they can however be properly
looked upon only as
Probationers
, as I have been
informed by a
principal Gentleman in the County of
Cavan
, who protested to me,
that
he never knew above one or two
Instances under the Age of six, even in a part of
the
Kingdom
so renowned for
the quickest proficiency in that Art
.
这些孩子在六岁之前
几乎不可能靠小偷小摸自讨生计，
除非在那些他们有望拉帮抱团的地方。
我承认，
他们
很早前就开始入门，
但在这段期间他们只能被看作见习小偷。
我
从卡文郡一
个数一数二的缙绅那里得知此中内情，
他曾对我断言
，
在这么一个因对那门艺术
掌握得最迅速最熟练而闻名的王国里
，
他从没听说过哪个地方有小于六岁的小偷
的一两个事例。
[7]
I am assured
by our Merchants, that a Boy or Girl, before
twelve years Old, is no
saleable
Commodity, and even when they come to this Age,
they will not yield above
three Pounds,
or three Pounds and half a Crown at most on the
Exchange, which
cannot turn to Account
either to the Parents or the Kingdom, the Charge
of
Nutriments and Rags having been at
least four times that Value.
我从我们的商人那里
得到确证，
十二岁前的男孩或女孩作为商品并不适合销售，
即使他们到了十二岁，
他们的利润也不会多于三镑，
最多通过交易获利三镑五先令，
可这并不能补偿他
们的父母
，
也不能补偿王国，
他们吃过的营养品和穿过的衣物的钱至少是
这些的
四倍。
[8]
I shall now therefore
humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will
not be
liable to the least Objection.
因此，我谨此提出我的想法，希望不至遭到任何反对。
[9]
I have been assured by a
very knowing
American
of my
acquaintance in
London
,
that a young healthy Child well Nursed
is at a year Old, a most delicious, nourishing,
and wholesome Food, whether
Stewed
,
Roasted
,
Baked
, or
Boiled
, and I make no
doubt that it will equally serve in a
Fricassee
, or
Ragout
.
12
我在伦敦的一个深知内
情的美国朋友向我证实，
一个
年轻健康、
营养良好的孩子在一岁的时候是味道最
美、营养最佳
、最有益健康的食品，焖、烤、焙、煮皆无不可；而我也确信无论
做成炖重汁肉丁和蔬菜
炖肉，他们都一样美味可口。
[10]
I do therefore humbly
offer it to
public
consideration
, that of the hundred and
twenty thousand Children, already
computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for
Breed, whereof only one fourth part to
be Males, which is more than we allow to
Sheep
,
black
Cattle
, or
Swine
,
and my reason is, that these Children are seldom
the
Fruits of Marriage,
a
Circumstance not much regarded by our
Savages
, therefore,
one
Male
will be sufficient to
serve
four Females
.
< br>因此我谨将其提交公众考虑：
上面统
计过的十二万名儿童
，
两万也许将留于饲养，
其中男性只需四分之一——这已经
比猪牛羊的比例大了——我的理由是：
这些孩子不是婚姻的产物，<
/p>
我们的粗人也
不会计较这些，因此一男足配四女。
That the remaining hundred thousand may at a
year Old be offered in Sale to the
persons of
Quality
,
13
and
Fortune
,
through the
Kingdom, always advising
the Mother to let them Suck plentifully in the
last Month,
so as to render them Plump
and Fat for a good Table.
剩下的十万名在满一周岁时<
/p>
可以卖给国内有权有势的人，
要总叮嘱母亲在他们最后一个月让他
们喝饱奶，
把
他们养得圆圆胖胖，好作成美味佳肴。
A Child will make two Dishes at an
Entertainment for Friends, and when the
Family dines alone, the fore or hind Quarter
will make a
reasonable Dish, and seasoned with a little Pepper
or Salt will be very
good Boiled on the
fourth Day, especially in
Winter
.
在招待朋友的筵席上，
一个孩子
可以做成两道菜，
家庭聚餐的话，
孩子的前后腿的四分之一
已经可以作为一道好
菜了，如果加点胡椒粉和盐放上四天再煮，味道将更好，尤其是在冬
天。
[11]
I have
reckoned upon a Medium, that a Child just born
will weigh 12 pounds, and
in a solar
Year if tolerably nursed increaseth to 28 Pounds.<
/p>
我算过，一个刚出生的孩
子重十二磅，照料得好的话一年以后就可
增至二十八磅。
[12]
I
grant this food will be somewhat dear,
14
and therefore very
proper for
Landlords
,
15
who, as they have already
devoured most of the Parents, seem to have
the best Title to the Children.
< br>我承认这种食物多少有点昂贵，
所以非常适合地主们
食用
，他们已经榨干了孩子的父母，似乎也最有资格吃掉孩子。
[13]
Infant's flesh will be
in Season throughout the Year, but more plentiful
in
March
,
and a
little before and after.
幼儿的嫩肉一年四时当令，
但在三月及前后供应最为充
足。
For we are told by a grave
Author
16
an
eminent
French
physician,
that
Fish
being a prolific
Diet
, there are more Children born in
Roman Catholic Countries
about nine Months after
Lent
, than at any other
Season; therefore reckoning a Year
after
Lent
, the
Markets will be more glutted than usual, because
the Number of
Popish
Infants
, is at least three
to one in this Kingdom; and therefore it will have
one other
Collateral advantage by
lessening the Number of
Papists
among us.
一位严肃的作家
——著名的法国内科医生告诉我们，
由于鱼是促
进生育的食物，
在信仰罗马天主
教国家里，
出生在四旬斋后九个月后的孩子要比别的时节多。
因此估计四旬节过
后一年，
市场上婴儿肉的供应将比平常充足，
因为这个
王国里天主教婴儿的数量
至少是三比一。
所以这个方案还有一个
附带的好处，
就是可以减少天主教婴儿的
数量。
[14]
I have
already computed the Charge of nursing a Beggar’s
Child (in which list I
reckon all
Cottagers
,
Labourers
, and four fifths
of the
Farmers
) to be about
two
Shillings
per
Annum
, Rags included; and I believe no
Gentleman would repine to give
Ten
Shillings for the
Carcass of a good fat
Child
, which, as I have said will make
four
Dishes of excellent Nutritive
Meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or
his
own Family to Dine with him.
我已经算过，照料一个乞丐孩子的费用（我把所有
的佃农、
劳工和五分之四的农民都算进去）
每年大约要两先令，
包括
衣物；
我相
信没有一个绅士会对花十先令买一个优质多肉的婴儿
的躯体有任何意见，
我之前
已经说过，一个婴儿可以做成四道营
养丰富的菜肴，如果他只有一些特别嘉宾、
或只是和家人用餐的话。
Thus the Squire will learn to be a
good Landlord, and
grow popular among
his Tenants, the Mother will have Eight Shillings
neat profit, and
be fit for Work till
she produceth another Child.
这样，乡绅们都会成为好
地主，并
受到佃户们的敬爱，
母亲们将有八先令的净利润，
在生出下一胎之前还可以出外
打工。
[15]
Those who are more
thrifty (
as I must confess the Times
require
) may flay the
Carcass; the Skin of which,
Artificially
17
dressed, will make admirable
Gloves for
Ladies
, and
Summer Boots for fine Gentlemen
< br>.
那些比较注重节约的绅士（我必须说
明这是时代所需）
可以剥下婴尸的皮，
经过加工，
这些皮
可以制成极好的女用手
套和绅士穿的夏季长靴。
[16]
As to our City of
Dublin
, Shambles
18
may be appointed for
this purpose in the
most convenient
parts of it, and Butchers we may be assured will
not be wanting,
although I rather
recommend buying the Children alive, and dressing
them hot from
the Knife, as we do
roasting Pigs
.
至于在
我们的都柏林城，屠宰场可以借便承担这
项任务，
我们将保证屠
夫不会紧缺，
虽然我建议大家还是买活的婴儿，
在家用刀
活生生地把他剥皮更好，就像我们对烤猪一样。
[17]
A very worthy Person, a
true Lover of his Country
,
and whose Virtues I highly
esteem, was
lately pleased, in discoursing on this matter, to
offer a refinement upon
my Scheme.
一位十分可敬的人——他是一个真正的爱国者，
我对他的德行十分敬
重——最近在这件事的讨论上，十分愿意根据我的方案再加改进。
He
said, that
many Gentlemen of this
Kingdom, having of late destroyed their Deer, he
conceived
that the want of Venison
might be well supplied by the Bodies of young Lads
and
Maidens, not exceeding fourteen
Years of Age, nor under twelve; so great a Number
of both Sexes in every County being now
ready to Starve, for want of Work and
Service: And these to be disposed of by
their Parents if alive, or otherwise by their
nearest Relations.
他说，近来这个王国的
许多绅士畋猎无度导致野鹿绝迹。他构
想对鹿肉的需求可以由十四周岁以下、
十二周岁以上的童男童女的肉来填补。
眼
下在每个
国家里，
这个年龄段的童男童女快饿死的、
找工作的、
要服役的数不胜
数
。
他们的父母
（如果还活着的话）
或最近
亲的人早就想这么做了。
But with due
deference to so excellent a friend, and
so deserving a Patriot, I cannot be altogether in
his Sentiments, for as to the Males, my
American
acquaintance
assured me from
frequent Experience,
that their flesh was generally Tough and Lean,
like that of our
School-boys, by
continual exercise, and their Taste disagreeable,
and to Fatten them
would not answer the
Charge.
一个这么优秀的朋友，
这么值得褒奖的爱国者，
我本
应当听从他的意见，
可我不能完全
站在他的立场，
因为我的美国朋友告诉我，
根
< br>据他丰富的经验，男性由于经常活动，肉一般又硬又瘦，像我们的小学生一样，
而
且味道也很糟，
养肥之后卖出去也抵不回这期间的费用。
The
n as to the Females,
it would, I think,
with humble Submission,
be a loss to
the Public,
because they soon
would become Breeders themselves: And
besides it is not improbable that some
scrupulous People might be apt to
Censure such a Practice, (although indeed very
unjustly) as a little bordering upon
Cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with
me the strongest objection against any
Project, how well soever intended.
至于女性，
我认为，
虽然她们天性顺从，
但这对公
众也仍是一笔损失，
因为她们很快便要成
为哺乳者。
除此，
一些自命善良的人也有可能对此提出非难
（
尽管这是十分不公
正的）
，
说这个方案
有失残忍。
对于我而言，
这种抗议总是最义愤填膺地针对任
何方案，无论这种方案多么好。
[18]
But in order to justify
my friend, he confessed, that this expedient was
put into his
head by the famous
P
sallmanazor
,
19
a Native of the Island
Formosa
, who came
from thence to
London
, above twenty Years
ago, and in Conversation told my friend,
that in his
Country when any young Person happened to be put
to Death, the
Executioner sold the
Carcass to
Persons of
Quality
, as a prime Dainty, and that,
in his
Time, the Body of a plump Girl
of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to
Poison
the Emperor, was sold to his
Imperial
Majesty's prime Minister of
State
, and other
great
Mandarins
20
of the Court,
in Joints from
the Gibbet
,
21
at four hundred
Crowns.
为了证明自己，我的朋友坦言，
这个权宜之计是
那著名的台湾岛公民
P
sallmanazor
灌输给他的，
此人二十多年前从台湾去到伦敦，
在一次谈话中他告
诉我的朋友，
在他的国家
，
年轻人被处死时，
其躯体的肉会被刽子手卖给有权势
的人作为一种上等的美食。
在他那时还有一个十五岁的胖姑娘意谋弑君，
被钉死
在十字架上，
绞架上的大块肉以
四百克朗的价钱卖给了帝国最权威的宰相以及朝
廷的其他王公大臣。
Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of
several plump young Girls
in this Town, who, without one single
Groat
22
to
their
Fortunes, cannot stir abroad
without a Chair,
23
and appear at a
Play-
House
, and
Assemblies
in Foreign
fineries, which they never will Pay for; the
Kingdom would not
be the worse.
< br>确实，我两者都不能否认：如果这个城市里那些年轻的胖姑娘也被
如此处理的话—
—这些身无分文的小姐没有轿子就绝不踏出家门一步，
在剧场招
摇，
身着外国绸缎
（她们永远不会为此掏一点钱）
聚集成群——我们的王国就不
会每况愈下了。
[19]
Some Persons of a
desponding Spirit are in great concern about that
vast Number
of poor People, who are
aged, diseased, or maimed, and I have been desired
to
employ my thoughts what Course may
be taken to ease the Nation of so grievous an
encumbrance.
一些心灰意冷的人对数目庞大的穷苦人民感到
担忧，
这些人老的老，
病的病，
残的残
，
我极其渴望运用我的才智让我们的国家采取措施清除这些令人
忧心的累赘。
But I am not in the
least pain upon that matter, because it is very
well
known, that they are every Day
dying
, and
rotting
, by
cold
, and
famine
, and
filth
, and
vermin
, as fast as can be
reasonably expected.
我并非对此毫无恻隐，众所周知，他
们每天都在垂死、
腐烂，
为饥饿寒冷所迫，<
/p>
与尘菌虫鼠为伍，
快得正如可以合理
地预
料的那样。
And as to the younger
Labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful
a Condition.
那些年轻的劳动者，
他们现在几乎也和那样老弱病残一样可悲。
They
cannot get Work, and consequently pine
away from want of Nourishment to a degree
that if at any time they are
accidentally hired to common Labour, they have not
strength to perform it, and thus the
Country and themselves are happily delivered
from the Evils to come.
他们找不到
工作，如果由于某个偶然的机会他们被招为一
个低贱的劳工，
他
们也没有力气做好，
最终由于营养不足而形如槁木，
国家和他<
/p>
们自己都十分高兴因此摆脱了厄运。
[20]
I have too long
digressed, and therefore shall return to my
subject. I think the
advantages by the
Proposal which I have made are obvious and many,
as well as of
the highest importance.
我扯得太远，还是回到正题吧。我认为我的提议有众多明
显的好处，
而且包含极端的重要性。
[21]
For first, as I have already observed, it would
greatly lessen
the Number of
Papists
, with whom we are
Yearly over-run, being the principal Breeders of
the
Nation, as well as our most
dangerous Enemies, and who stay at home on purpose
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
上一篇：常用外贸术语简称大全
下一篇：装箱单的格式与说明