BBC英国史

In the following months,the war broke down into grim, grinding local conflicts.

在随后的数月中 战争演变成了艰苦的局部冲突

Parliament held on to London,the king tried to nail down bases of strength in the north and south-west.

议会军据守伦敦 国王则试图依仗 北方和西南地区的力量

The south-western campaign was especially savage.

西南部的战役格外惨烈

Towns like Exeter and Taunton changed hands.

埃克塞特和汤顿等城镇几度易手

Local families were divided between brothers and cousins.

当地的家庭兄弟阋墙手足相残

Old friends became new enemies.

旧友反目成了敌人

Two such opponents, men in every other respect virtually indistinguishable,

其中这样一对 惺惺相惜的朋友

were William Waller, a parliamentary general,and Ralph Hopton, a Royalist.

是议会军将领威廉·沃勒 和保皇党人拉尔夫·霍普顿

In a lull in the fighting,Hopton wrote to Waller asking for a meeting.

在短暂的休战期间 霍普顿写信给沃勒请求会面

Waller felt he had to turn him down,but wrote back in terms which spoke of the deep sorrow he felt at their broken friendship.

沃勒感到不得不拒绝 但回信中谈到了 友情泯灭带给他的深切痛楚

It's the classic lament of this terrible civil war.

为这场可怕的内战谱写了最经典的挽歌

To my noble friend, Sir Ralph.

致我尊贵的朋友 拉尔夫爵士

Sir, my affections to you are so unchangeable that hostility itself cannot violate my friendship to your person.

阁下 我对您的感情矢志不渝 战争本身 远无法侵犯你我对你个人的情谊

But I must be true to the cause wherein I serve.

但我必须忠于自己的事业

That great God which is the searcher of my heart knows with what a sad scene I go upon this service,

伟大的上帝能探知我的心灵 他知道恪守职责于我意味着何等痛苦

and with what a perfect hatred I detest this war without an enemy.

而我又何等憎恶 这没有仇敌的战争

But I look upon it as an opus domini,which is enough to silence all passion in me.

但我将其视作神的旨意 足以冷却我心中所有的爱

词汇解析

1、respect

尊敬;敬重;尊重

I want him to respect me as a career woman.

我希望他把我当作一个职业女性来尊重。

He needs the advice of people he respects, and he respects you.

他需要从他敬重的人那里获得建议，而他一向都很敬重你。

恕我直言，恕我冒昧(用于礼貌地表示不同意见或批评)

With respect, Minister, you still haven't answered my question.

部长，恕我冒昧，您还没有回答我的问题。

With respect, I hardly think that's the point.

恕我直言，但我认为这不是重点。

探望，拜访（以示敬意）

Carl had asked him to visit the hospital and to pay his respects to Francis.

卡尔已经让他去医院看望弗朗西斯。

2、turn down

拒绝(某人或其请求、提议等)

Before this I'd have smiled and turned her down.

在这之前，我本该笑着拒绝她。

I thanked him for the offer but turned it down

我谢绝了他的提议。

关小;调低

He kept turning the central heating down.

他不断调低中央暖气的温度。

She could not bear the relentless music and turned down the volume.

她受不了没完没了的音乐，就把音量调小了。

（比率）减少;（水平）降低

The divorce rate turned down in the 1950s.

20 世纪 50 年代离婚率下降了。