世界小史 第82期:雅典人

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 For a while individual noblemen curried1 favor with the people to win their votes, and then seized power.

在一段時間里一些貴族附和民眾獲得他們的選票，然后奪取了統(tǒng)治權。

Rulers like these were called tyrants3.

這樣的統(tǒng)治者被稱為專制君主。

But the people soon expelled them and took better care next time to ensure that it was they themselves who really governed.

但是不久他們又被人民趕走了，后來人們就更加注意讓人民自己真正進行統(tǒng)治。

I have already told you about the wayward nature of the Athenians.

我已經(jīng)給你講過雅典人是很不安寧的人。

And it was this, together with a real fear of losing their freedom once again,

所以他們純粹由于害怕再次失去自由,

which led them to banish4 any politician who showed signs of becoming too popular, lest he seize power for himself and rule as a tyrant2.

而推翻了所有非常有名的政治家的統(tǒng)治并將他們放逐，以免這些政治家得到統(tǒng)治權并由此而使自己成為獨裁者。

The same free people of Athens who defeated the Persians later treated Miltiades and Themistocles with just such ingratitude5.

這是曾戰(zhàn)勝過波斯人的自由的雅典人民，也就是后來很不知感激地對待米爾提亞德斯和泰米斯托克利斯的雅典人民。

But there was one politician who avoided this fate. His name was Pericles.

但是有一位政治家躲過了這樣的命運。他名叫伯里克利。

When he spoke6 in the Assembly, the Athenians always believed that it was they who had made the decisions,

當他在公民大會上講話時，他總使雅典人相信是他們在商議和決定要做什么事，

whereas in fact it was Pericles, who had made up his mind long before.

而實際上這些事早已由伯利克里決定了。

This wasn't because he held any special office or had any particular power – he was simply the wisest and the most intelligent.

倒不是因為他有某種特別的機構或某種特殊的力量——僅僅是因為他最聰明能干。