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.

在一段时间里一些贵族附和民众获得他们的选票，然后夺取了统治权。

Rulers like these were called tyrants3.

这样的统治者被称为专制君主。

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

但是不久他们又被人民赶走了，后来人们就更加注意让人民自己真正进行统治。

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

我已经给你讲过雅典人是很不安宁的人。

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

所以他们纯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统治并将他们放逐，以免这些政治家得到统治权并由此而使自己成为独裁者。

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

这是曾战胜过波斯人的自由的雅典人民，也就是后来很不知感激地对待米尔提亚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过了这样的命运。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,

当他在公民大会上讲话时，他总使雅典人相信是他们在商议和决定要做什么事，

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

而实际上这些事早已由伯利克里决定了。

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

倒不是因为他有某种特别的机构或某种特殊的力量——仅仅是因为他最聪明能干。