THE BROTHER’S REPLY VI

 

Sister, fie for shame, no more!

Give this ignorant babble¹ o’er,

Nor, with little female pride,

Things above your sense deride².

Why this foolish underrating

Of my first attempts at Latin?

Know you not each thing we prize

Does from small beginnings rise?

’Twas the same thing with your writing

Which you now take such delight in.

First you learnt the down-stroke line,

Then the hairstroke thin and fine,

Then a curve and then a better,

Till you came to form a letter;

Then a new task was begun,

How to join them two in one;

Till you got (these first steps pass’d)

To your fine text-hand at last.

So, though I at first commence

With the humble⁴ accidence,

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And my study’s course affords

Little else as yet but words,

I shall venture in a while

At construction, grammar, style,

Learn my syntax, and proceed

Classic authors next to read,

Such as wiser, better, make us,

Sallust, Phædrus, Ovid, Flaccus:

All the poets with their wit,

All the grave historians writ³,

Who the lives and actions show

Of men famous long ago;

Even their very sayings giving

In the tongue they used when living.

Think not I shall do that wrong

Either to my native tongue,

English authors to despise,

Or those books which you so prize;

Though from them awhile I stray,

By new studies call’d away,

Them when next I take in hand,

I shall better understand;

For I’ve heard wise men declare

Many words in English are

From the Latin tongue derived⁵,

Of whose sense girls are deprived

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’Cause they do not Latin know.

But if all your anger grow

From this cause, that you suspect,

By proceedings⁶ indirect,

I would keep (as miser’s pelf)

All this learning to myself;

Sister, to remove this doubt,

Rather than we will fall out,

(If our parents will agree)

You shall Latin learn with me.

 

1 babble   

v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语

参考例句：

• No one could understand the little baby's babble. 没人能听懂这个小婴孩的话。
• The babble of voices in the next compartment annoyed all of us.隔壁的车厢隔间里不间歇的嘈杂谈话声让我们都很气恼。

2 deride   

v.嘲弄，愚弄

参考例句：

• Some critics deride the group as self - appointed food police.一些批评人士嘲讽这个组织为“自封的食品警察”。
• They deride his effort as childish.他们嘲笑他的努力，认为太孩子气。

3 writ   

n.命令状，书面命令

参考例句：

• This is a copy of a writ I received this morning.这是今早我收到的书面命令副本。
• You shouldn't treat the newspapers as if they were Holy Writ. 你不应该把报上说的话奉若神明。

4 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

5 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼