Chapter 2

MacDonough’s Song

Whether the State can loose and bind¹
??In Heaven as well as on Earth:
If it be wiser to kill mankind
??Before or after the birth —
These are matters of high concern
??Where State-kept schoolmen are;
But Holy State (we have lived to learn)
??Endeth in Holy War.

Whether The People be led by the Lord,
??Or lured² by the loudest throat:
If it be quicker to die by the sword
??Or cheaper to die by vote —
These are the things we have dealt with once,
??(And they will not rise from their grave)
For Holy People, however it runs,
??Endeth in wholly Slave.

Whatsoever³, for any cause,
??Seeketh to take or give,
Power above or beyond the Laws,
??Suffer it not to live!
Holy State or Holy King —
??Or Holy People’s Will —
Have no truck with the senseless thing.
??Order the guns and kill!
??Saying — after — me:—

Once there was The People — Terror gave it birth;
Once there was The People and it made a Hell of Earth.
Earth arose and crushed it. Listen, O ye slain⁴!
Once there was The People — it shall never be again!

1 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

2 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

3 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

4 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。