14.A Speech By chief Seattle西雅圖酋長的演說

ASpeech By Chief Seattle

ByChief Seattle

1．ThePresident in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land . But how canyou buy or sell the sky , the land ? The idea is strange to us . If we do notown the ptesence of the air and the sparkle of the water , how can you buy them? Every part of this earth is sacred to my people . Every shining pine needle .Every sandy shore . Every mist in the dark woods . Every meadow . Every humminginsect . All are holy in the memory and experience of my people .

2．Weknow the sap that courses through the trees as we know the blood that coursesthrough our veins . We are a part of the earth and it is part of us . Perfumedflowers are our sisters . The bear , the deer , the great eagle , these are ourbrothers . The rocky crests , the juices in the meadow , the boody heat of thepony , and man , all belong to the same family . The shining water that movesin the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors .

3．Ifwe sell you our land you must remember that it is sacred . Each ghostlyreflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in thelife of my people . The waters ’ murmur is the voice of myfather ’s father . The rivers are ourbrothers . They quench our thirst . They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give any brother .

4．Ifwe sell you our land , remember that the air precious to us . That the airshares its spirit with all the life that it supports . The wind that gave ourgrandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh . The wind also givesour children the spirit of life . So if we sell you our land , you must keep itapart and sacred as a place where man can go to taste the wind that issweetened by the meadow flowers .

5．Willyou teach your children what we have taught our children , that the earth isour mother ? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth . This weknow . The earth does not belong man . Man belongs to the earth . All thingsare connected like the blood that unites us all . Man did not weave the web oflife , he is merely a strnd in it . whatever he does to the web he does tohimself .

6．Onething we know , our God is also your God . The earth is precious to him . Andto harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator . Your destiny is amystery to us . What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered ? Thewild horses tamed ? What will happen when the secrer corners of the forest areheavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted bytalking wires ? Where will the thicket be ? Gone . Where will the eagle be ?Gone .And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt , the end ofliving and the beginning of survival ? 

7．Whenthe last red man has vanished with his wilderness and his memory is only theshadow of a cloud moving across the prairie , will these shores and forestsstill be here ? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left ? We lovethis earth as a newborn loves its mother ’ s heartbeat . So if we sell you ourland , love it as we have loved it . Care for it as we have cared for it . Holsin your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it . Preserve theland for all children , and love it as God loves us all . As we are part of theland , you too are part of the land . This earth is precious to us , it is alsoprecious to you . One thing we know , there is only one God . No man be he redman or white , can be apart . We are brothers , after all . 

西雅圖酋長的演說

本文是1852年印第安酋長西雅圖寫給美國政府的一篇演說。起因是美國總統(tǒng)想要購買印第安人世代居住的土地。文章以詩一般的語言陳述了印第安人對大地如同母親一樣的熱愛之情，對周圍的生物和自然環(huán)境的珍視，對即將失去這一切的無奈，以及對即將擁有這一切的美國總統(tǒng)和政府所提出的建議和忠告。

時間已經(jīng)過去了一百多年，在對地球環(huán)境造成了嚴(yán)重的破壞之后，人們漸漸認(rèn)識到了環(huán)境保護(hù)的重要。重讀此文，會引起我們對許多問題加以反思。

1．總統(tǒng)自華盛頓傳話來，說他想要買我們的土地。但您怎么能夠買賣蒼穹與土地的溫馨！假如我們并不擁有空氣的清新與流水的光彩，您怎能買下他們呢？對我們?nèi)嗣穸裕蟮氐拿恳徊糠侄际鞘嵉?。每一枝閃亮的松針，每一處沙州，每一片密林中的霧靄，每一只嗡嗡作響的昆蟲，在我人民的記憶與經(jīng)驗中都是神圣的。

2．樹中流動著的汁液，載負(fù)著紅人們的記憶。我們屬于大地，而大地也是我們的一部分。芬芳的花兒是我們的姐妹。熊兒、鹿兒和老鷹都是我們的兄弟。怪石嶙峋的山峰、草原上的露水、小馬溫暖的身體以及我們?nèi)祟?。都是一家人。小溪河川里波光粼粼的流水，對我們而言，不只是水，而是先祖?zhèn)兊难骸?/p>

3．倘若我們把土地賣給你們，你們必須記住，這是神圣的土地。每一片清徹湖水的朦膿倒影里，都埋藏著我們生活中的點(diǎn)點(diǎn)滴滴。河水喃喃的低徊，是我祖先的聲音。河水就如同我們的兄弟，滿足了我們的干渴。河水載運(yùn)了我們的獨(dú)木舟，并養(yǎng)育了我們的子孫。所以你們一定得像善待弟兄那樣對待這些河流。

4．倘若我們把土地賣給你們，你們必須記得，大氣對我們而言是珍貴的，它與它所養(yǎng)育的萬物共享著這份靈氣。風(fēng)，送來了我們祖先的第一口氣，也帶走了他們最后一聲的嘆息。風(fēng)也賦于我們下一代以生命的精神。因此，假如我們將土地賣給了你，你們必須維持它的獨(dú)特于莊嚴(yán)，使它成為一塊使人們品嘗被花草所熏香的風(fēng)的地方。

5．你們要讓你們的孩子知道，大地是我們的母親，我們向來如此教育著我們的子孫。任何發(fā)生在大地上的，必將同樣地降臨在它的子民身上，假如人們唾棄了大地，其實他們就是唾棄了自己。我們知道，大地不屬于人類，而人類屬于大地。每一件事物都是有關(guān)聯(lián)的，就好像血緣緊緊結(jié)合著一家人。所有的一切都是相互有著關(guān)聯(lián)的，現(xiàn)在發(fā)生在大地的事，必將應(yīng)驗到人類來。人類并不主宰著生命，他只不過是其中的一小部分而已。他對大地做了什么，都會回應(yīng)到自己身上。

6．我們知道一件事：終有一天我們會看到，我們的上帝也是你們的上帝。大地對他是珍貴的，對大地的傷害，是對造物主的輕蔑。這樣的命運(yùn)對我們來說真是難解。尤其當(dāng)野牛被屠殺了、野馬被馴服。當(dāng)森林中最隱秘的角落也充滿了人味，原始的山林景觀被電話所破壞時，我們真是不安明白??！叢林哪兒去了？消失了！雄鷹哪兒去了？不見了。和神速的小馬駒，和諸多獵物告別意味著什么？——是生命的結(jié)束，還是存活口的開始呢？

7．當(dāng)最后一位紅人連同他的荒野消失的時候，有關(guān)他們的記憶如同飄過草原的一片云影。這些海岸、這些幽林還會存在嗎？我們民族的精神還在嗎？我們熱愛這片大地就像新生兒熱愛母親的心跳。所以，要我們出賣我們的土地，你們也得像我們這樣熱愛它，像我們這樣關(guān)心它。你們在接受土地的同時也要接受這片土地的記憶，要為所有的子孫保管好這片土地，要像上帝愛我們一樣愛惜這片土地。我們只是土地的一部分，你們也是這片土地的一部分。這片土地對我們說來無比珍貴，對你們說也是一樣。我們只知道一件事：只有一位上帝。印第人也好，白種人也好，人類不能分開。

我們畢竟都是弟兄。