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GeorgesNzongolaNtalaja_Rubber_2021E-_历史上最致命的国王_
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| On December 12, 1904, Chief Lontulu laid 110 twigs in front of a foreign commission . |
1904年12月12日,龙图鲁酋长 在一个外国调查团面前 摆下了110根树枝。 |
| Every twig represented a person in his village who died because of King Leopold’s horrific regime in the Congo— all in the name of rubber . |
每根树枝都代表一个他所在村里 死于利奥波德二世 在刚果的可怕统治时期的人, 他们罪名都是:抢劫。 |
| Chief Lontulu separated the twigs into four piles : tribal nobles , men, women, and children— then proceeded to name the dead of one-by-one. |
龙图鲁酋长把树枝分为四堆: 部落贵族、男人、女人和孩子。 然后一个个地说出他们的名字。 |
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twigs:[植]细枝; commission:n.委员会;佣金;犯;委任;委任状;vt.委任;使服役;委托制作; represented:v.代表; (represent的过去式和过去分词) horrific:adj.可怕的;令人毛骨悚然的; regime:n.政权,政体;社会制度;管理体制; in the name of:以…的名义; rubber:n.橡胶;橡皮;v.涂橡胶于…; piles:n.痔疮;痔; tribal:adj.部落的;部族的;n.(尤指南亚的)部落成员; nobles:n.贵族(noble的复数);v.(英)抓住(noble的第三人称单数); proceeded:v.继续做;接着做;继而做;行进;前往;(proceed的过去分词和过去式)
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| His testimony joined hundreds of others to help bring an end to one of the greatest atrocities in history. |
他的证词以及数百人其他人的证词 引致结束了历史上 最为残暴的暴行之一。 |
| Beginning in the late 1800s, |
从十九世纪末开始, |
| European countries participated in the so-called “Scramble for Africa.” |
欧洲国家竞相加入 “瓜分非洲”的活动中。 |
| They colonized 90% of the continent , exploiting African resources and enriching their countries. |
他们殖民了90%的非洲大陆, 把掠夺而来的资源 变成自己国家的财富。 |
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testimony:n.[法]证词,证言;证据; atrocities:n.暴行(atrocity的复数);残忍; participated:v.参加;参与;(participate的过去式和过去分词) so-called:adj.所谓的;号称的; colonized:vt.将…开拓为殖民地; vi.开拓殖民地; continent:n.大陆,洲,陆地;adj.自制的,克制的; exploiting:v.利用…为自己谋利;剥削;压榨;运用;发挥;(exploit的现在分词) resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数); enriching:v.使丰富,充实;使饱含(某物);使富有;(enrich的现在分词)
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| Belgium had recently become an independent kingdom. |
那时,比利时刚刚 成为一个独立的王国。 |
| Its ruler, Leopold II, wanted to acquire what he called “a slice of this magnificent African cake.” |
他们的统治者利奥波德二世 想如他所说的 “从非洲大蛋糕上分上一块”。 |
| Meanwhile , he read colonial explorer Henry Morton Stanley’s reports about traveling through Africa. |
此时,他读到殖民地探险家 亨利·莫顿·史丹利 所写的关于非洲的游记。 |
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recently:adv.最近;新近; independent:adj.独立的; n.无党派议员(或候选人等); acquire:v.获得;取得;学到;捕获; slice:n.片; v.切成片; (很容易地)切开; magnificent:adj.高尚的;壮丽的;华丽的;宏伟的; Meanwhile:adv.同时,其间;n.其间,其时; colonial:n.殖民地居民;adj.殖民地的,殖民的; explorer:n.探险者;勘探者;考察者;
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| Stanley emphasized the Congo basin’s majesty . |
史丹利在书中强调了 刚果盆地的雄伟壮观。 |
| So, in 1879, Leopold contracted him to return to the Congo. |
于是,1879年, |
| There, Stanley deceived leaders into signing some 450 treaties allowing for land use. |
在刚果,史丹利欺骗 领主们签署了大概450多个协议 允许使用他们的土地。 |
| Leopold persuaded the US and European powers to grant him ownership of the Congo, pledging to protect free trade in the region . |
利奥波德二世说服美国和欧洲势力确保他对刚果的所有权, 承诺保护该地区的自由贸易。 |
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emphasized:v.强调,着重(emphasize的过去式); majesty:n.威严;最高权威,王权;雄伟;权威; contracted:adj.契约的; v.使收缩; deceived:v.蒙骗;欺骗(自己);使人误信;误导;(deceive的过去分词和过去式) treaties:n.条约;协定问题(treaty的复数); persuaded:v.劝说;说服;使信服;使相信;(persuade的过去式和过去分词) grant:v.授予;允许;承认;同意;n.拨款;[法]授予物; pledging:v.保证给予(或做);正式承诺;使保证;典当;(pledge的现在分词) free trade:n.自由贸易(制度); region:n.地区;范围;部位;
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| And on May 29, 1885, a territory more than 80 times the size of Belgium and home to 20 million people was declared his own private colony— by no one it actually belonged to. |
到了1885年5月29日, 一块面积超过比利时国土面积80倍、 人口达到两千万人的土地 成为了他的私人殖民地。 而实际上,这块土地不属于任何人。 |
| Leopold lost no time consolidating power in what he called the Congo Free State. |
利奥波德二世迅速地巩固了 他在所谓的“刚果自由州”的权力。 |
| He claimed land, raised an army, and forced many Congolese men to complete unpaid labor. |
他宣誓主权,建立了一支军队, 并且强迫许多刚果男人无偿劳动。 |
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territory:n.领土,领域;范围;地域;版图; consolidating:v.使加强;使巩固;(使)结成一体,合并;(consolidate的现在分词) claimed:v.宣称;声称;断言;索取;认领;索要(claim的过去分词和过去式) unpaid:adj.未付款的;[税收]未缴纳的;无报酬的;
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| Things got even worse when, in 1887, a Scottish inventor redeveloped the pneumatic tire, creating a massive international market for rubber. |
1887年,情形变得更糟 一个苏格兰发明家（注:邓禄普） 设计出充气轮胎, 一下子为橡胶开创了巨大的国际市场。 |
| The Congo had one of the world’s largest supplies. |
刚果是世界上最大的供应国之一。 |
| Leopold seized the opportunity, requiring villages to meet ever-greater rubber quotas . |
利奥波德二世抓住了这个机会, 强迫村民们完成不断上涨的橡胶任务。 |
| Congolese men had to harvest the material from wild vines . |
刚果男人们不得不 从野生橡胶树上收割原料。 |
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redeveloped:vt.再发展;重建;vi.再发展; pneumatic:adj.气动的;充气的;有气胎的;n.气胎; massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的; quotas:n.配额(quota的复数);[经管]定额,[经]限额;v.分配(quota的第三人称单数); vines:n.葡萄藤(vine的复数形式);一件衣服;
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| As supplies drained , they walked for days to gather enough. |
当原料枯竭时, 他们要走上数天才能搜集够。 |
| Leopold’s army entered villages and held women and children hostage until the impossible quota was met. |
利奥波德二世的军队进入村庄, 把妇女和孩子当作人质, 直到不可能的任务被完成。 |
| Soldiers sexually violated women and deprived children of food and water. |
士兵们性侵妇女, 剥夺孩子们的食物和水。 |
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drained:adj.精疲力竭; v.排空; (drain的过去分词和过去式) hostage:n.人质;抵押品; sexually:adv.性,性欲 violated:v.违反,违背(法律、协议等); (violate的过去分词和过去式) deprived:adj.缺少食物的;缺乏足够教育的;
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| Congolese people rebelled— they refused to cooperate , fought Leopold’s soldiers, hid in the forests, and destroyed rubber vines. |
刚果人民忍无可忍,发动了起义。 他们拒绝合作, 与利奥波德二世的士兵作战, 躲进森林,破坏橡胶园。 |
| Leopold’s army responded to resistance or failure to meet quotas with unflinching torture and executions . |
当遭遇抵抗或生产任务未能完成, 利奥波德二世的军队用 |
| Because guns and ammunition were expensive, officers ordered soldiers to prove they used their bullets in the line of duty by removing a hand from anyone they killed. |
因为枪支弹药非常昂贵, 军官要求士兵们 砍下他们杀死的人的一只手, 来证明子弹是用于执行任务。 |
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cooperate:v.合作;配合;协作;结合; responded:v.回答,回应;作出反应;响应;反应灵敏;(respond的过去式和过去分词) resistance:n.电阻;抵抗;阻力;抗力; unflinching:adj.不畏缩的;不退缩的; torture:v.折磨;拷问;歪曲;n.折磨;拷问;歪曲; executions:n.死刑(execution的复数形式);实行;完成; ammunition:n.弹药;军火;v.装弹药于;装弹药; bullets:n.子弹;弹丸;(bullet的复数)
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| However, many soldiers hunted using their guns. |
然而,很多士兵使用枪支来狩猎。 |
| To avoid harsh penalties and account for lost bullets, they cut off living people’s hands. |
为了避免严厉的惩罚 和丢失子弹的责任, 他们从活人的身上砍下手。 |
| They also used this practice as punishment . |
他们还用这种方式作为惩罚的手段。 |
| If rubber quotas weren't meant, soldiers would sever people’s hands and bring them to their commanders instead of rubber. |
如果橡胶任务没有完成, 士兵们会砍断人们的手,把它们代替橡胶交给他们的指挥官。 |
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harsh:adj.严厉的;严酷的;刺耳的;粗糙的;刺目的; penalties:n.处罚,惩罚;点球(penalty的复数);罚款; punishment:n.惩罚;严厉对待,虐待; sever:v.割断;断绝;切开;切下; commanders:n.指挥官(commander的复数);
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| The regime dramatically upended daily life and agriculture, causing widespread starvation and disease . |
这种统治极大地改变了 日常生活和农业生产, 导致饥饿和疾病广泛传播。 |
| Meanwhile, King Leopold built monuments and private estates with the wealth he extracted . |
而与此同时,利奥波德二世 却用他攫取的财富 建立起纪念碑和私人庄园。 |
| Soon, people brought international attention to the horrific abuses of Leopold’s Congo Free State. |
很快,利奥波德二世的 “刚果自由州”的人民 所遭受的非人虐待引起了国际关注。 |
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dramatically:adv.戏剧地;引人注目地;adv.显著地,剧烈地; upended:v.颠倒,倒置;使竖立(upend的过去式和过去分词); widespread:adj.普遍的,广泛的;分布广的; starvation:n.饿死;挨饿;绝食; disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病; monuments:n.遗迹;纪念物;不朽的功业;有永久价值的作品(monument的复数形式); estates:n.房地产,[经]财产(estate的复数); v.赠(estate的三单形式); wealth:n.财富;大量;富有; extracted:adj.萃取的;引出的;v.提取(extract的过去式及过去分词); abuses:v.滥用;虐待;辱骂(abuse的三单形式);n.滥用;虐待;暴行(abuse的复数);
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| In 1890, American journalist George Washington Williams accused King Leopold of “deceit, fraud , robberies , arson , murder, slave-raiding, and [a] general policy of cruelty .” |
1890年,美国记者 乔治·华盛顿·威廉姆斯 指控利奥波德二世 “欺骗、欺诈、抢劫、纵火、 谋杀、抢劫奴隶, 和残忍的一贯政策。” |
| In 1903, Diplomat Roger Casement wrote a report that corroborated the nature and scale of the atrocities. |
1903年,外交官罗杰·凯门特 撰写了一份报告, 证实了暴政的性质和规模。 |
| It was published the following year. |
这份报告于次年出版。 |
| In response , Leopold appointed his own commission to investigate the accusations . |
作为回应,利奥波德二世派出了 自己的代表团调查这些指控。 |
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journalist:n.新闻工作者;报人;记日志者; accused:v.控告;控诉;谴责;(accuse的过去分词和过去式) fraud:n.欺骗;骗子;诡计; robberies:n.盗窃;抢劫;掠夺;(robbery的复数) arson:n.纵火;纵火罪; policy:n.政策,方针;保险单; cruelty:n.残酷;残忍;残酷的行为; Diplomat:n.外交家,外交官;有外交手腕的人;处事圆滑机敏的人; Roger:n.罗杰;[男名]男子名;int.明白;v.与某人性交; corroborated:v.证实,确证(陈述、理论等);(corroborate的过去分词和过去式) scale:n.规模;比例;鳞;刻度;天平;数值范围;v.衡量;攀登;剥落;生水垢; response:n.响应;反应;回答; appointed:adj.(时间)指定的,约定的; v.任命; (appoint的过去分词和过去式) investigate:v.调查;研究;审查; accusations:n.控告;起诉;告发;谴责;(accusation的复数)
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| They heard numerous witness statements in the Congo— Chief Lontulu’s included. |
代表团听到了刚果无数目击者的证词, |
| The report only confirmed the worst. |
最终的报告证明事实 比已出版的报告还严重。 |
| Facing pressure, Leopold relinquished control of the Congo to the Belgian government in 1908. |
面对压力,利奥波德二世 放弃了对刚果的控制, 于1908年,把权力 移交给了比利时政府。 |
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numerous:adj.许多的,很多的; witness:n.证人;目击者;证据;v.目击;证明;为…作证; statements:n.说明; v.(英国)对儿童进行特殊教育评估认定; (statement的第三人称单数和复数) relinquished:v.(尤指不情愿地)放弃;(relinquish的过去分词和过去式) Belgian:adj.比利时的;n.比利时人;
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| But this did not mean justice . |
但是,这一切并不意味着正义来临。 |
| The Belgian state awarded Leopold 50 million francs “in testimony for his great sacrifice in favor of the Congo.” |
因为,比利时政府授予 利奥波德二世5000万法郎 作为“他为刚果所付出的 巨大牺牲的证明”。 |
| He died the following year. |
利奥波德二世于第二年 （1909年）去世。 |
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justice:n.公平;公正;司法制度;审判; sacrifice:n.牺牲;舍弃;祭献;祭祀;祭品;v.牺牲;献出;作祭献
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| Crowds booed his funeral procession . |
人群对他的送葬队伍发出嘘声。 |
| For more than 50 years following, the Congo remained a Belgian colony , until declaring independence in 1960. |
在接下来的超过50年的岁月里, 刚果始终是比利时的殖民地。 直到1960年,刚果宣布独立。 |
| That year, the Congo elected its first prime minister , Patrice Lumumba. |
当年,刚果选举出第一个总理 ——帕特里斯·卢蒙巴。 |
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booed:vt.嘘;向…喝倒采;vi.发出嘘声;int.(表示不满,轻蔑等)嘘;n.嘘声; funeral:n.葬礼;麻烦事;adj.丧葬的,出殡的; procession:n.行列; v.排队前进; colony:n.殖民地;移民队; independence:n.独立;独立性;自恃心;独立不羁的精神; prime minister:n.首相;总理;
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| But months later, he was unseated in a US and Belgium backed coup . |
但是几个月后,他就被 美国和比利时支持的政变赶下了台。 |
| In early 1961, Lumumba was assassinated under Belgian supervision . |
1961年初,卢蒙巴在 比利时的“监护”下遇刺身亡。 |
| The coup launched the country into a decades-long dictatorship . |
政变把刚果带入了 长达数十年的独裁统治。 |
| Around 10 million Congolese people are thought to have died during Leopold’s occupation and looting of the Congo. |
据信,大概有一千万刚果人死于 利奥波德二世占领、 抢劫刚果的时期。 |
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unseated:vt.罢免;剥夺…的席位;使失去资格;使从座位上(或马背上)摔下; coup:n.政变; v.使…颠倒; assassinated:v.(尤为政治目的)暗杀,行刺(assassinate的过去分词和过去式) supervision:n.监督,管理; launched:v.发射;发起;开展;开始;(launch的过去式和过去分词) dictatorship:n.专政;独裁权;独裁者职位; occupation:n.职业;占领;占用;工作; looting:n.抢劫;洗劫,趁乱打劫;v.打劫(loot的现在分词);
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| Despite this devastation , calls for reparations have gone unanswered . |
尽管遭受了巨大的破坏, |
| To this day , throughout Belgium can be found the monuments King Leopold built on a foundation of inconceivable cruelty. |
时至今日,在整个比利时 随处都可以看到 利奥波德二世那些建立在 难以置信的残暴基石之上的纪念碑。 |
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Despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; devastation:n.毁坏,荒废; reparations:n.赔款;赔偿;弥补;补偿;(reparation的复数) unanswered:adj.未答复的;无反应的; To this day:至今; throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; foundation:n.基础;地基;基金会;根据;创立; inconceivable:adj.不可思议的;难以置信的;不能想象的;非凡的;
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