澳大利亚四面临海,沙漠和半沙漠占全国面积的35%。内陆地区干旱少雨,灌木丛林区早期生活极为艰苦。近两个世纪以来,丛林生活文化成为澳洲人民族身份的重要内涵。关于丛林的传说实际上是澳洲人开垦荒原与淘金史的延伸,布须曼人(Bushman)的独立与谋略以及他们在丛林中顽强生存的精神,象征着对英国殖民者的反抗,也代表着澳大利亚的民族灵魂。
For the best part of two centuries the bush has been analyzed, criticized and romanticized.It has inspired poets, painters, filmmakers and television producers, preoccupied the nation’s politicians, and attracted our social commentators. It has evoked both love and terror,and fascinated generations of Australians. There is no doubt that the bush has an iconic [1] status in Australian life and has featured strongly in any debate about national identity. Indeed,it has been revered as a source of national ideals by the likes of Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson.
在过去的两个世纪以来,人们分析丛林、批评丛林,并赋予丛林浪漫色彩。丛林激发了诗人、画家、电视电影制片的创作灵感,让政治家们日思夜想,让社会评论家们为之着迷。丛林唤起人们的爱恋、恐惧,令世代的澳洲人为之神往。毫无疑问,丛林在澳洲人生活中具有神圣的地位,并成为本民族特性中最强烈的特征。的确,丛林已被亨利·劳森和班卓·帕特森等人尊奉为民族理想的源泉。
Three-quarters of the population had been born in Australia and the camaraderie [2] and defiance of the diggers on the goldfields became a huge source of national pride. Their egalitarianism [3] , mateship,and disdain for authority were to become central to the national character.
人口中四分之三的人出生在澳大利亚,金矿中淘金者身上体现的真挚友情和挑战精神养育了伟大的民族自豪感。他们平等友爱、蔑视权贵,这些品质成为民族性格的最核心特征。
The 1890s saw a continued increase in nationalism and with it the creation of the Australian bush legend—an extension of the goldfield legend. The characters of the bush were imbued with the same qualities that the diggers on the goldfields possessed. The “Bushman”was seen as a resourceful, independent man who trusted only his mates.
19世纪90年代,民族主义持续高涨,随之诞生了澳大利亚丛林传奇——淘金传奇的延续。丛林人富有采金者一样的品质,“布须曼人(丛林人)”被认为足智多谋、自力更生,但却只信任自己的同伴。
Lawson believed that an Australian identity must emanate [4] from its own soil, not from the safe green fields of the mother country, Britain.Lawson saw the “struggle” with the bush as central to our identity. His vision was gloomy:
劳森认为澳大利亚的民族特性应从澳洲泥土里散发出来,而不应源自英国青青的安全的故土。劳森认为与丛林的“抗争”即是我们的民族特性。他的观点倒有些悲观:
There is nothing to see, however, and not a soul to meet. You might walk for twenty miles along this track without being able to fix a point in your mind, unless you are a Bushman.This is, because of the everlasting, maddening sameness of the stunted trees.
然而,荒原上没有优美的景色可供欣赏,也碰不到一个人。若你不是布须曼人,沿着同一条小径或许走了20英里,是不会觉得有任何东西值得关注的。因为这里遍布着一望无垠的矮小常青灌木丛,一望无垠,出奇的相同,几乎能把人逼疯。
Bushrangers were escapees or criminals,and the bush was the perfect place for these outlaws to remain anonymous [5] . The bush became associated with wildness and lawlessness. From around the mid-1800s onwards, the bushrangers were admired, principally because they defied the authorities. They were symbols of resistance against Britain and the colonial authorities and were perceived as courageous and patriotic. They were men of the land, self-reliant, independent and symbols of defiance. They were the embodiment of the bush.
丛林狩猎者曾经是亡命之徒或是罪犯,丛林是这些违法者隐姓埋名重新做人的绝佳之地。丛林就和野蛮与目无法纪联系在了一起。19世纪中叶之后,由于蔑视权贵,丛林狩猎者开始受到尊敬。他们成了抗击英国以及殖民当权者的象征,被认为是英勇爱国的。他们是这片土地的主人,自力更生、独立反叛,是丛林特性的完美体现。
While bush ideals have been revered in recent years with television programs like Bush Tucker Man and films like Ciocodile Dundee ,the 1980s and 1990s have seen the bush become synonymous with drought, debt, depopulation and unemployment. In his Australia Day address in 2002, author and ecologist Tim Flannery said Australians could only become a “true people” by developing “deep, sustaining roots in the land.” He said, “the land was at once our inheritance and the only force powerful enough to craft a truly Australian people.”
近年,由于电视节目诸如《丛林领巾人》和电影《鳄鱼邓迪》的播映,丛林品质已经更受尊崇。而在20世纪80年代和90年代,丛林被视为旱灾、负债、人口减少、失业的代名词。在2002年的澳大利亚日的讲话中,作家兼生态学家提姆·福兰纳里说澳大利亚唯有“把根深深植入土地”才能成为“真实的民族”。他说:“土地是我们的遗产,同时也唯有土地才具有力量塑造真正的澳大利亚民族。”
without Britain without Britain of as gloomy emanate unless however
Lawson believed that an Australian identity must 1 from its own soil, not from the safe green fields of the mother country, 2 . Lawson saw the “struggle”with the bush 3 central to our identity. His vision was 4 :
There is nothing to see, 5 , and not a soul to meet. You might walk for twenty miles along this track 6 being able to fix a point in your mind, 7 you are a Bushman. This is, because 8 the everlasting, maddening sameness of the stunted trees.
1. emanate 2. Britain 3. as 4. gloomy 5. however 6. without
7. unless 8. of
Bushrangers were escapees or criminals, and the bush was the perfect place for these outlaws to remain anonymous. The bush became associated with wildness and lawlessness. From around the mid-1800s onwards, the bushrangers were admired,principally because they defied the authorities. They were symbols of resistance against Britain and the colonial authorities and were perceived as courageous and patriotic.They were men of the land, self-reliant, independent and symbols of defiance. They were the embodiment of the bush.
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丛林狩猎者曾经是亡命之徒或是罪犯,丛林是这些违法者隐姓埋名重新做人的绝佳之地。丛林就和野蛮与目无法纪联系在了一起。19世纪中叶之后,由于蔑视权贵,丛林狩猎者开始受到尊敬。他们成了抗击英国以及殖民当权者的象征,被认为是英勇爱国的。他们是这片土地的主人,自力更生、独立反叛,是丛林特性的完美体现。
[1] iconic: relating to or having the characteristics on an icon 图标的,形象的
[2] camaraderie: the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability 友情
[3] egalitarianism: the doctrine of the equality of mankind and the desirability of political and economic and social equality 平等主义,平均主义
[4] emanate: give out (breath or an odor) 发出;散发;发源
[5] anonymous: having no known name or identity or known source 匿名的,无名的