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serene,calm. audience, a hearing.
bondage, slavery. suppliant, petitioner; one asking a favour.
dauntless, fearless. triumph, procession.
uncofiquered,not subdued. deigned, stooped; lowered myself.
imperial, belonging to an empire. unfurled, unrolled.
maintained, defended. unquelled, not subdued.
mimic, imitation; sham. unreft, not bereft; not deprived.
pagsantry, display. victorious, successful.
preferred, put forth. wrested, torn away.
prostrate, on their faces.
1. Before proud Rome's imperial throne,
In mind's unconquered mood,
As if the Triumph were his own,
The dauntless captive stood.
None, to have seen his free-born air,
Had fancied him a captive there.
2. Though through the crowded streets of Rome,
With slow and stately tread,
Far from his own loved island home,
That day in triumph led—
Unbowed his head, unbent his knee,
Undimmed his eye, his aspect free.
3. A free and fearless glance he cast
On temple, arch, and tower,
By which the long procession passed,
Of Rome's victorious power;
And somewhat of a scornful smile
Upcurled his haughty lip the while
4. And now he stood, with brow serene,
Where slaves might prostrate fall,
Bearing a Briton's manly mien
In Caesar's palace
hall;
Claiming, with kindled brow and cheek,
The liberty, even there, to speak.
5. Nor could Rome's haughty lord withstand
The claim that look preferred,
But motioned, with uplifted hand,
The suppliant should be heard—
If he indeed a suppliant were
Whose glance demanded audience there-
6. Deep stillness fell on all the crowd,
From Claudius
on his throne
Down to the meanest slave that bowed
At his imperial throne;
Silent his fellow-captives' grief,
As fearless spoke the Island Chief:—
7. “Think not, thou eagle Lord of Rome,
And master of the world,
Though victory's banner o'er thy dome
In triumph be unfurled,
I would address thee as thy slave,
But as the bold should greet the brave!
8. “I might, perchance, could I have deigned
To hold a vassal's throne,
E'en now in Britain's isle have reigned—
A king in name alone,
Yet holding, as thy meek ally,
A monarch's mimic pageantry.
9. “Then through Rome's crowded streets to-day
I might have rode with thee,
Not in a captive's base array,
But fetterless and free—
If freedom he could hope to find
Whose bondage is of heart and mind.
10. “But canst thou marvel that, free born,
With heart and soul unquelled,
Throne, crown and sceptre I should scorn,
By thy permission held?
Or that I should retain my right
Till wrested by a conqueror's might?
11. “Rome, with her palaces and towers,
By us unwished, unreft,
Her homely huts and woodland bowers
To Britain might have left;—
Worthless to you their wealth must be,
But dear to us, for they were free!
12. “I might have bowed before, but where
Had been thy Triumph now?
To my resolve no yoke to bear
Thou ow'st thy laurelled brow;
Inglorious victory had been thine,
And more inglorious bondage mine.
13. “Now I have spoken, do thy will;
Be life or death my lot,
Since Britain's throne no more I fill
To me it matters not.
My fame is clear; but on my fate
Thy glory or thy shame must wait.”
14. He ceased: from all around upsprung
A murmur of applause;
For well had Truth and Freedom's tongue
Maintained their holy cause.
The conqueror was the captive then;—
He bade the slave be free again!
—BERNARD BARTON
中文阅读
1. 骄傲的罗马帝国皇帝在前，
内心依然未被征服，
尽管凯旋之刑是他的命运，
依然没有吓倒这英勇的俘虏。
只要见到他那天生自由的气质，
没人能想到他是一个俘虏。
2. 即使穿过喧嚣的罗马街道，
他依然迈着舒缓而庄严的脚步，
远离他深爱的英伦故土，
被押解在游行的队伍，
那一天，他没有低头、没有屈膝，
炯然的双眼依然彰显着他自由不屈的风骨。
3. 他用自由而无畏的眼神向四下环顾，
神庙、拱门和高楼充塞着道路，
就这样一步一步走过，
这是罗马人彰显胜利的队伍；
他稍稍轻蔑地微笑，
骄傲的嘴唇显示出他的不屑一顾。
4. 奴隶也许早就拜倒在地，
而他却立身站定，面貌淡定如初，
这可是恺撒的宫殿
，
却不得不感受一番不列颠男人英勇的风度；
他一脸正气，即使在这里，
他也要求自由并准备慷慨讲诉。
5. 傲慢的罗马君王本可拒绝
这看似合理的要求，
但他还是用手简单示意，
也该听听这位乞求者的陈诉——
当然他并非一般的乞求者，
他坦诚的眼神示意他需要听众。
6. 大众顿时鸦雀无声，
从王座上的克劳狄
，
到阶下对他卑躬屈膝的奴隶皆沉静注目；
他的俘虏满怀悲伤，
但这位英伦首领大无畏的语调依然声震穹庐：
7. “我不认为汝乃罗马之王，
更非世界之主，
尽管尔等满堂之胜利旗帜
在凯旋队伍中迎风飞舞。
我本应像奴隶一样与汝讲话，
但尔等还算英雄的话也该礼贤英雄人物！
8. 如若可能，我愿屈尊，
作一个尔等臣封的诸侯，
即如当今英伦王权之现状，
作一个名义之王守我疆土，
亦作为汝之盟友，
保留君王面目。
9. 如此一来，今日我本该与汝并驾齐驱，
穿过罗马喧闹的道路，
不是以一个俘虏的卑微之身，
而是一个自由的他邦之主，
他对自由抱以希望，
而这希望来自内心深处。
10. 尔等认同与否，
内心与灵魂本该自由。
王座、皇冠和权杖在我眼中一如粪土，
汝将允许我拥有它们？
还是我该保留权利，
等待被一个征服者随意侮辱？
11. 罗马，还有城里的宫殿与建筑，
我们希望都不被掠夺。
还有它的森林草地，和平凡的小木屋，
恰似我之故土；
这些对你一定毫无价值，
但对我们无比珍贵，那里全是自由的一草一木。
12. 我本该弯腰鞠躬，
但汝现在认为尔等依旧大获全胜？
我决不会忍受任何奴役，
汝虽拥有头上之桂冠，
尔等之战果却胜之不武，
还用欲加之罪将我束缚。
13. 我所言已毕，等汝发落，
或生或死，听天由命，
不列颠的君主已不再是我，
但我的清誉已成注定，
汝等也可自决，
是遗臭万年还是流芳千古。”
14. 他话音刚落，
周围响起热烈的欢呼，
他真诚而善意的言语，和自由而慷慨的陈述，
留住了他与战友们神圣的事业，
征服者如今成了他的精神俘虏，
下令让他自由如初！
（伯纳德·巴顿
）