看经典名著学英语翻译之飘(第二章)

　　chapter 2 scarlett meeting butler

　　(noon time, the gentlemen are gathering in the downstair hall,talking about the war.)

　　mr. o'hara: we've borne enough insults from the "meddling yankees. it's time we made them understand we keep our slaves with or without their approval. who's to stop them right from the state of georgia to ^secede from the union.

　　man: that's right.

　　mr. o'hara: the south must assert ourselves by force of arms.after we fired on the yankee rascals at fort sumter, we've got to ight.there's no other way.

　　man1: fight, that's right, fight!

　　man2: let the yankee's be the ones to ask for peace.

　　mr. o'hara: the situation is very simple. the yankees can't fight and we can.

　　chorus: you're right!

　　mans: that's what i'll think! they'll just turn and runevery time.

　　man1: one southerner can lick twenty yankees.

　　man2: we'll finish them in one battle. gentlemen can always fight better

　　than rattle.

　　mans: yes, gentlemen always fight better than rattle.

　　mr. o'hara: and what does the captain of our troop say?

　　ashley: well, gentlemen...if georgia fights, i go with her. but like my father i hope that the yankees let us leave the union in peace. man1: but ashley...

　　man2: ashley, they've insulted us.

　　mans: you can't mean that you don't want war.

　　ashley: most of the miseries of the world were caused by wars. and when the wars were over, no one ever knew what they were about.

　　mr. o'hara: now gentlemen, mr. butler has been up north i hear.don't you agree with us, mr. butler?

　　rhett butler : i think it's hard winning a war with words, gentlemen.

　　charles: what do you mean, sir?

　　rhett: i mean, mr. hamilton,there's not a cannon factory in the whole south.

　　man: what difference does that make, sir, to a gentleman?

　　rhett: i'm afraid it's going to make a great deal of difference to a great many gentlemen, sir.

　　charles: are you hinting, mr. butler, that the yankees can lick us?