马克西米连·罗伯斯庇尔(Maximilien Robespierre)

名人档案

马克西米连·罗伯斯庇尔（Maximilien Robespierre,1758—1794），法国大革命时期重要领袖之一，雅各宾派政府的实际首脑。他深受洛克、孟德斯鸠及卢梭的影响，致力于建立体现自由平等的法律原则并维护其神圣性。

1793年6月罗伯斯庇尔当选为国民公会主席、“法兰西第一共和国独裁官”，主持通过保障人民自由权利的新宪法。次月，雅各宾派另一重要领袖让 · 保尔 · 马拉（Jean- Paul Marat）被暗杀后，罗伯斯庇尔推行雅各宾专政，采取革命恐怖政策惩罚罪犯和叛徒。

简介与鉴赏

此演讲为罗伯斯庇尔在1794年7月26日所作。他向国民公会发表了长达四小时的演讲，暗示要清算革命的叛徒；但第二日便被送上了断头台。

这是罗伯斯庇尔的演讲经典之一。他于演讲并无天赋，嗓音尖锐且动作生硬，但优点是勤奋并具激情。演讲采取假设的方式，论述自身事业的公共道德基础，并表明对死亡的态度。演讲语气激昂，内容少思辨、多论断，颇具鼓动性。

英文正文

The enemies of the Republic call me tyrant! Were I such they would grovel ^[1] at my feet. I should gorge ^[2] them with gold, I should grant them impunity ^[3] for their crimes, and they would be grateful. Were I such, the kings we have vanquished ^[4] ,far from denouncing ^[5] Robespierre, would lend me their guilty support. There would be a covenant ^[6] between them and me.Tyranny must have tools. But the enemies of tyranny— whither ^[7] does their path tend? To the tomb, and to immortality!What tyrant is my protector? To what faction ^[8] do I belong?Yourselves! What faction, since the beginning of the Revolution,has crushed and annihilated so many detected traitors? You, the people—our principles—are that faction! A faction to which I am devoted, and against which all the scoundrelism ^[9] of the day is banded!

The confi rmation of the Republic has been my object; and I know that the Republic can be established only on the eternal basis of morality. Against me, and against those who hold kindred ^[10] principles, the league is formed. My life? Oh, my life I abandon without a regret! I have seen the Past; and I foresee ^[11] the Future. What friend of his country would wish to survive themoment when he could no longer serve it—when he could nolonger defend innocence against oppression? Wherefore shouldI continue in an order of things, where intrigue ^[12] eternally triumphs ^[13] over truth; where justice is mocked; where passions the most abject ^[14] , or fears the most absurd, override ^[15] the sacred interests of humanity? In witnessing the multitude ^[16] of vices which the torrent 1 ⁷ of the Revolution has rolled in turbid 1 ⁸ communion with its civic virtues, I confess that I have sometimes feared that I should be sullied ^[19] , in the eyes of posterity, by the impure neighborhood of unprincipled men,who had thrust themselves into association with the sincere friends of humanity; and I rejoice that these conspirators ^[20] against my country have now, by their reckless ^[21] rage, traced deep the line of demarcation ^[22] between themselves and all true men.

Question history, and learn how all the defenders of liberty,in all times, have been overwhelmed by calumny ^[23] . But their traducers ^[24] died also. The good and the bad disappear alikefrom the earth; but in very different conditions. O Frenchmen! Omy countrymen! Let not your enemies, with their desolating ^[25] doctrines, degrade your souls, and enervate ^[26] your virtues!No, Chaumette , no! Death is not “an eternal sleep!” Citizens! efface ^[27] from the tomb that motto, graven by sacrilegious ^[28] hands, which spreads over all nature a funereal crape ^[29] , takes from oppressed innocence its support, and affronts ^[30] the benefi cent dispensation of death! Inscribe rather thereon these words:“Death is the commencement ^{31of immortality!” I leaveto the oppressors of the people a terrible testament, which Iproclaim with the independence} befi tting ^{32one whose career isso nearly ended; it is the awful truth: “Thou shalt die!”}

单词/词组

[1] grovel ⁸ : v. 卑躬屈膝，匍匐

[2] gorge ⁸ : v. 吞吃

[3] impunity ⁸ : n. 不受惩罚

[4] vanquish ⁸ : v. 征服，击败

[5] denounce ⁶ : v. 谴责，检举

[6] covenant ⁸ : n.公约

[7] whither ⁸ : adv. 到哪里，什么目的

[8] faction ⁶ : n. 派系

[9] scoundrelism ⁸ : n.卑鄙，无赖

[10] kindred ⁸ : a dj. 类似的，同源的

[11] foresee ⁶ : v. 预见，预料

[12] intrigue ⁸ : n. 密谋，诡计

[13] triumph ⁴ : v. 战胜

[14] abject ⁸ : adj. 凄惨的，怯懦的

[15] override ⁸ : v. 凌驾，推翻

[16] multitude ⁶ : n. 大量，人群，民众

[17] torrent ⁴ : n. 激流，迸发

[18] turbid ⁸ : adj. 浑浊的

[19] sully ⁸ : v. 败坏，玷污

[20] conspirator ⁸ : n. 阴谋家

[21] reckless ⁶ : adj. 轻率的

[22] demarcation ⁸ : n.界限

[23] calumny ⁸ : n. 污蔑

[24] traducer ⁸ : n. 诽谤者

[25] desolate ⁶ : v. 毁坏

[26] enervate ⁸ : v. 使衰弱

[27] efface ⁸ : v. 消除

[28] sacrilegious ⁸ : adj.亵渎的

[29] crape ⁸ : n. 黑纱

[30] affront ⁸ : v. 侮辱，冒犯

[31] commencement ⁶ : n. 开始

[32] befi 8: v. 适合，适宜

中文译文

共和国的敌人说我是暴君！倘若我真是暴君，他们就会俯伏在我的脚下。我会塞给他们大量的黄金，赦免他们的罪行，他们就会感恩戴德。倘若我是个暴君，被我们打倒了的那些国王就绝不会谴责罗伯斯庇尔，反而会用他们那有罪的手支持我。他们和我就会缔结盟约。暴政必须借助工具。可是暴政的敌人，他们的道路又会引向何方呢？引向坟墓，引向永生！哪个暴君是我的保护人？我属于哪一派？我属于你们！有哪一派从大革命开始以来查出并镇压、消灭了这许多的叛徒？这派别就是你们，是人民——我们的原则。我忠于这个派别，而现代的一切流氓恶棍都拉帮结党反对它！

确保共和国的存在一直是我的目标；我知道共和国只能建立在永存的道德基础之上。为了反对我，反对那些跟我有共同原则的人，他们结成了联盟。至于说我的生命，我早已把生死置之度外！我曾看见过去，也预见将来。 一个忠于自己国家的人，当他不能再为自己的国家服务，再不能使无辜的人免受迫害时，他怎么会希望再活下去？ 当阴谋诡计永远压倒真理、正义受到嘲弄、热情常遭鄙薄、有所忌惮被视为荒诞无稽，而压迫欺凌被当做人类不可侵犯的权势时，我还能在这样的制度下继续做些什么呢？目睹在革命的潮流中，沙泥俱下，鱼龙混杂，周围都是混迹在人类真诚朋友之中的坏人，我必须承认，在这样的环境下，有时我确实害怕我的子孙后代会认为我已被他们的污秽沾染了。令我高兴的是，这些反对我们国家的阴谋家，因为不顾一切的疯狂行动，现在已和所有忠诚正直的人划下了一条深深的界限。

向历史请教一下，看看在各个时代，所有自由的卫士是怎样受尽诽谤的。但那些诽谤者也终不免一死。 善人与恶人同样要从世上消失，只是死后情况大不相同。 法兰西人，我的同胞啊，不要让你的敌人用那为人唾弃的原则使你的灵魂堕落，令你的美德削减吧！不，肖梅特啊，死亡并不是“长眠”！公民们！请抹去这句用亵渎的手刻在墓碑上的铭文，因为它给整个自然界蒙上一层丧礼黑纱，使受压迫的清白者失去依赖与信心，使死亡失去有益的意义！ 请在墓碑上刻下这样的话：“死亡是不朽的开端。”我为压迫人民者留下骇人的遗嘱；只有一个事业已近尽头的人才能毫无顾忌地这样说，这也就是那严峻的真理：“你必定要灭亡!” V++t0tvDDusgQpVO/xmVPCSzhh3iuYxzV7E/dy75Rt5dk+pUoN/WS9uqKBECqnOg