美国语文第六册 第76期:欠债讽诵(5)
聪明的孩子会像比赛一样快速吃掉糕饼，而愚蠢的孩子则节省着吃，只是咬一小口，“留起来下次再吃。”
Most provident blockhead!
多么节俭的笨蛋啊!
The others, when they have gobbled up their shares, set upon him, plunder him, and thrash him for crying out.
当其他孩子已经狼吞虎咽地吃下自己那份后，就会想办法吃他那份，抢他的，把他打得直哭。
Before the terms "depreciation," "suspension," and "going into liquidation," were heard,
在听到“贬值”、“中止借贷”和“进行清偿”这些术语之前，
there might have been some reason in the practice of "laying up;" but now it denotes the darkest blindness.
储蓄的话或许还有一些理由，但是现在储蓄意味着最盲目。
The prudent men of the present time, are the men in debt.
在现阶段，借债的人倒成了审慎和富有远见的人了。
The tendency being to sacrifice creditors to debtors,
这个趋势就是债主向借主割肉，
and the debtor party acquiring daily new strength, everyone is in haste to get into the favored class.
而借主一方需要的是注入新的活力，每个人都急于迈入受到眷顾的阶层。
In any case, the debtor is safe.
无论如何，借主是安全的。
He has put his enjoyments behind him; they are safe; no turns of fortune can disturb them.
他暗自窃喜，他们是安全的。没有任何财富轮转能扰乱他们。
The substance he has eaten up, is irrecoverable. The future can not trouble his past. He has nothing to apprehend.
他搞垮的东西已经无可挽救了，未来不会困扰他的过去，他没有什么好担心的。
He has anticipated more than fortune would ever have granted him.
财富已经比预期的让他受益更多了，
He has tricked fortune; and his creditors—bah! who feels for creditors? What are creditors?
他已经欺骗了财富，当然还有他的债主——呸!有谁会为债主鸣冤叫屈呢?债主都是些什么人?
Landlords; a pitiless and unpitiable tribe; all griping extortioners!
地主啊，冷酷和不值得怜悯的一类人;所有应该抓起来的勒索者!
What would become of the world of debtors, if it did not steal a march upon this rapacious class?
如果不对这个贪婪的阶层悄悄地进军的话，那么借主的世界会变成什么样子呢?
