时差N小时:希望的一代

I recently read an article in which one of myfavorite columnists, William Safire, explores the useof "generation" in a litany of literary references toAmerican writers. He begins with Hemingway'squotation of "lost generation" and then exploresother references throughout recent history.

最近,我在最喜欢的作家William Safire的专栏里看到一篇文章，他擅长研究“generation”一词在美国冗长文学史上的含义。William Safire以海明威的《垮掉的一代》为开始进行研究，然后又探索近代其它文献。

This massive amount of repetition of "generation" in the column by Mr. Safire ought tohave already driven home the point. We all belong to specific generations, and cultures anderas tend to identify, mark and classify us according to our age and time on this planet.

在William Safire的专栏里“generation”一词大量重复得出现，强烈突出了其观点。我们正处在一个特殊的时代，只有根据人类在地球上的年代和时间，才能给我们的文化、时代加以定义和标记，从而将我们分类。

What about my generation? I am a baby-boomer. I grew up in the light of Dr. Martin LutherKing and the Kennedys, and under the shadow of the Vietnam War. I have always believed inhope. If asked, I would say that I belong to the Generation of Hope.

我们这一代是什么样的呢?我出生于人口高峰期。我在马丁·路德金和肯尼迪的光环下成长，同样也经受了越战的阴霾。我一直相信希望。如果被问到，我会说我属于希望的一代。

When I was young, I was convinced there was more good in the world than evil. I stillbelieve that. I thought then and still think that one person can make a difference.

我小的时候就相信世界上有比罪恶更美好的东西。不管是过去还是现在，我仍然相信人们可以创造奇迹。

Hope is taking some very hard knocks these days. Hope may be down at the moment, but itis far from out. Many of us are hopers. We know to which generation we belong.

怀有希望的日子是痛苦的。希望也许会在某一刻消失，但希望不会离我们而去。我们当中大部分人都有过希望。我知道我们属于哪一代。