A_Modest_Proposal(一个小小的建议)_中英双语_格式精编

A Modest Proposal

(

for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being

a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public.)

by Dr. Jonathan Swift.

1729

A Modest Proposal

（一个小小的建议）

[1] It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great Town, 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, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.

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;

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.

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 。

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

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, I

have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation. . It is true a Child, just

dropt from it's Dam,

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,

or wanting

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.

至于我自己，< /p>

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。

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,

more to avoid the Expense, than the Shame, which would move Tears and

Pity in the most Savage and inhuman breast.

我的方案也有另外一个很大的好处

,

它能使妇女自愿堕胎和可怕的杀婴行为就此

绝迹。唉，这种现象在我们之 中太普遍了，我怀疑（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

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. I again Subtract fifty Thousand for those

Women who miscarry, or whose Children die by accident or disease within the Year.

There only remain an hundred and twenty thousand Children of poor Parents annually

born. 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 proposed. For we can neither employ them in

Handicraft, or Agriculture; we neither build Houses, (I mean in the Country) nor

cultivate Land. They can very seldom pick up a Livelihood by Stealing until they

arrive at six years Old, except where they are of towardly parts, 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，

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< /p>

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。

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。

现在实际出生

的贫困家庭孩子只余十二万。

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 所提的方案无一能解决。

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。

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，

< br>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，< /p>

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.

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。

< br>

[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. That the remaining hundred thousand

may at a year Old be offered in Sale to the persons of Quality,

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. 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.

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，

我们的粗人也不会计较这些，

因此一男足配四女。

剩下的十

万名在满一周岁时可以卖给国 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。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，

< br>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.

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, and therefore very proper for

Landlords,

who, as they have already devoured most of the Parents, seem to have the

best Title to the Children.

我承认这种食物多少有点昂贵，

所以非常适合地主们食用，