The Patriot《爱国者》（精讲之四）

影片对白

TAVINGTON: I dare to presume my own meager contributions will be rewarded one day.

CORNWALLIS: You may presume too much. His Majesty, like history, judges us not only by the outcome of the war and the manner in which it was fought. Although we serve the Crown, and we must conduct ourselves accordingly. Surrounding troops will be given quarter. These brutal tactics must stop!

TAVINGTON: Is it not enough, my lord, that I have never lost a battle?

CORNWALLIS: You serve me and the manner in which you serve me reflects upon me. I would've thought that a gentleman from a family as esteemed as yours would understand that.

TAVINGTON: My late father squandered any esteem in which we were held along with my inheritance. I advance myself only through victory.

CORNWALLIS: You advance yourself only through my good graces. These colonials are our brethren. And when this conflict is over, we will reestablish commerce with them. Do you understand, Colonel?

TAVINGTON: Perfectly, my lord. 

GABRIEL: Reverend, with your permission, I'd like to make an announcement.

REV. OLIVER: Young man, this is a house of God.

GABRIEL: I understand, Reverend, and I apologize. The South Caroline militia is being called up. I'm here to enlist everyman willing.

REV. OLIVER: Son, we are here to pray for the souls of those men hanging outside.

GABRIEL: Yes, pray for them. But honor them by taking up arms with us.

HARDWICK: And bring more suffering to this town?

SCOTT: If King George can hang those men, our friends, he can hang any one of us.

ANNE: Dan Scott, barely a week ago I heard you railed for two hours about independence. Mr. Hardwick, how many times have I heard you speak of freedom at my father's table? Half the men in this church, including you, Father, and you, Reverend, are as ardent patriots as I. Will you know, when you are needed most, stop at only words? Is that the sort of men you are? I ask only that you act upon the beliefs of which you have so strongly spoken and in which you so strongly believe.

GABRIEL: Who's with us?

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Quarter

这里的quarter可不是"四分之一，一刻钟"的意思，而是"（对降敌的）饶命，饶恕，宽容"，例如：He has got no quarter from the competitors whom he had forced out of business. 那些被他挤出生意圈的竞争对手们对他毫不宽容。

Quarter常用来搭配的表达有to give quarter，to ask for quarter。

2. Good graces

意指"favor; friendship"，Cornwallis 这里的意思是没有他的器重和帮助，Tavington是不可能高升的。

再给大家介绍一个关于good graces的短语：with good graces，意思是"欣然地"，例如：They had tried hard to win but accepted their loss with good grace.

3. Call up

Call up 在这里的意思是"召集，征召……入伍"，例如：He was called up for active duty.

此外，call up还可以表示"使人想起……"，例如：These stories call up old times.

Call up 现在的最新用法是"调出电脑数据"，例如：I asked him to call up the last quarter's sales figures.

4. Take up arms

"带上武器"能去干什么？当然是"奔赴战场，与敌人战斗"了。Take up arms 不仅指真刀真枪的战斗，还指语言上的交锋，我们来看两个例子：
The Kurds took up arms against the Iranians at least two centuries ago.
Some believe it's the vice-president's job to take up the arms for the president.

文化面面观

美国独立战争中的民兵

Militias, a form of citizen-based defense that shaped early American history and created an American tradition of citizen soldiery. Early American colonies faced dangers from Native American and European foes. Colonial governments quickly established universal military obligation for white males. At its simplest, men were armed or ordered to arm themselves, organized into units, and trained. In practice, the compulsory militia system worked poorly.

The American Revolution gave new life to the militia. As unrest grew, revolutionary governments formed that subverted the militia away from royal governors. The militia formed a major portion of patriot forces, achieving fame at Lexington and Bunker Hill in 1775, and playing important roles in American victories throughout the war, such as Saratoga (1777) and Cowpens (1781). Just as often, however, militias proved unreliable, breaking in battle or leaving before a battle could even be fought. George Washington penned a famous lament about the militia in 1776: "They come in you cannot tell how, go you cannot tell when, and act you cannot tell where, consume your provisions, exhaust your stores, and leave you at last at a critical moment." Yet Washington himself had a shrewd understanding of how to use militias as auxiliary and partisan forces in his campaigns. In addition to strictly military concerns, the militia played an important role in securing the countryside and subduing Loyalist sentiment.

考考你

将下面的这段话译成汉语。

Dan Scott, barely a week ago I heard you railed for two hours about independence. Mr. Hardwick, how many times have I heard you speak of freedom at my father's table? Half the men in this church, including you, Father, and you, Reverend, are as ardent patriots as I. Will you know, when you are needed most, stop at only words? Is that the sort of men you are? I ask only that you act upon the beliefs of which you have so strongly spoken and in which you so strongly believe.

The Patriot《爱国者》（精讲之三）考考你 参考答案

1． 我没有心情和你去看电影。
I'm in no mood to see a film with you.

2． 威廉将军把敌人彻底击溃了。
General William finished off the enemy.

3． 你们最好把钱交给我们。
You're better off giving us the money.