Biography, in its purer form, confined to the ended lives of the true and brave, may be held the fairest meed of human virtue—one given and received in entire disinterestedness—since neither can the biographer hope for acknowledgment from the subject, nor the subject at all avail himself of the biographical distinction conferred.
Israel Potter well merits the present tribute—a private of Bunker Hill, who for his faithful services was years ago promoted to a still deeper privacy under the ground, with a posthumous1 pension, in default of any during life, annually2 paid him by the spring in ever-new mosses3 and sward.
I am the more encouraged to lay this performance at the feet of your Highness, because, with a change in the grammatical person, it preserves, almost as in a reprint, Israel Potter's autobiographical story. Shortly after his return in infirm old age to his native land, a little narrative4 of his adventures, forlornly published on sleazy gray paper, appeared among the peddlers, written, probably, not by himself, but taken down from his lips by another. But like the crutch-marks of the cripple by the Beautiful Gate, this blurred6 record is now out of print. From a tattered7 copy, rescued by the merest chance from the rag-pickers, the present account has been drawn8, which, with the exception of some expansions, and additions of historic and personal details, and one or two shiftings of scene, may, perhaps, be not unfitly regarded something in the light of a dilapidated old tombstone retouched.
Well aware that in your Highness' eyes the merit of the story must be in its general fidelity9 to the main drift of the original narrative, I forbore anywhere to mitigate10 the hard fortunes of my hero; and particularly towards the end, though sorely tempted11, durst not substitute for the allotment of Providence12 any artistic13 recompense of poetical14 justice; so that no one can complain of the gloom of my closing chapters more profoundly than myself.
Such is the work, and such, the man, that I have the honor to present to your Highness. That the name here noted15 should not have appeared in the volumes of Sparks, may or may not be a matter for astonishment16; but Israel Potter seems purposely to have waited to make his, popular advent5 under the present exalted17 patronage18, seeing that your Highness, according to the definition above, may, in the loftiest sense, be deemed the Great Biographer: the national commemorator of such of the anonymous19 privates of June 17, 1775, who may never have received other requital20 than the solid reward of your granite21.
Your Highness will pardon me, if, with the warmest ascriptions on this auspicious22 occasion, I take the liberty to mingle23 my hearty24 congratulations on the recurrence25 of the anniversary day we celebrate, wishing your Highness (though indeed your Highness be somewhat prematurely26 gray) many returns of the same, and that each of its summer's suns may shine as brightly on your brow as each winter snow shall lightly rest on the grave of Israel Potter.
THE EDITOR.
JUNE 17th, 1854.
点击收听单词发音
1 posthumous | |
adj.遗腹的;父亡后出生的;死后的,身后的 | |
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2 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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3 mosses | |
n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
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4 narrative | |
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的 | |
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5 advent | |
n.(重要事件等的)到来,来临 | |
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6 blurred | |
v.(使)变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 );(使)难以区分;模模糊糊;迷离 | |
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7 tattered | |
adj.破旧的,衣衫破的 | |
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8 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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9 fidelity | |
n.忠诚,忠实;精确 | |
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10 mitigate | |
vt.(使)减轻,(使)缓和 | |
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11 tempted | |
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词) | |
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12 providence | |
n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝 | |
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13 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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14 poetical | |
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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15 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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16 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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17 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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18 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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19 anonymous | |
adj.无名的;匿名的;无特色的 | |
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20 requital | |
n.酬劳;报复 | |
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21 granite | |
adj.花岗岩,花岗石 | |
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22 auspicious | |
adj.吉利的;幸运的,吉兆的 | |
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23 mingle | |
vt.使混合,使相混;vi.混合起来;相交往 | |
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24 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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25 recurrence | |
n.复发,反复,重现 | |
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26 prematurely | |
adv.过早地,贸然地 | |
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27 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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28 obsequious | |
adj.谄媚的,奉承的,顺从的 | |
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