BBC英国史

In a sweltering, rainy jungle,

在闷热多雨的热带丛里中

all the colonists' efforts went into lugging Cannon

殖民者们倾尽全力将加农炮

into a primitive stockade bravely christened Fort St Andrew.

拖入原始的栅栏中 这栅栏被冠以"圣安德鲁堡垒"这一英武之名

They were dying now of disease and hunger at a rate of ten a day,

每天都有十人被疾病和饥饿抛向死亡

and their supplies ran with maggots.

而他们的物资也生蛆腐烂

And there was no outside help.

没有人前来营救他们

Tropical New Caledonia was a direct threat to the English trading empire

深陷热带的新喀里多尼亚 使英格兰的贸易帝国地位岌岌可危

and the government in Westminster was determined it should fail.

英格兰政府也决意宣告失败

A law was passed making it illegal for any Englishman to invest in the scheme

政府出台了相关了法令 规定任何投资

or give assistance to the desperate Darienite

或者挽救这个计划的行为都属违法

When a second Scottish expedition arrived at New Edinburgh,all they found were hundreds of graves.

当第二支苏格兰远征队踏上新爱丁堡时 触目皆是成百上千座坟墓

Back home, when the full extent of the disaster sunk in,

当故国的人们了解了这起悲剧的始末后

the fate of the Darien expeditions became a national trauma.

第一批冒险者的多舛命运使举国哀痛

They consumed a full third of Scotland's liquid capital.

这次冒险消耗了苏格兰 整整三分之一的流动资金

but the most serious casualty of the fiasco had been the last,

而这次惨败的最大损失在于

best hope of a national rebirth Scotland going it alone.

它覆灭了苏格兰依靠自己的力量 涅槃重生的美梦

That hope died in the malarial swamps of Darien.

那希望被达连充满瘴气的沼泽吞噬殆尽

词汇解析

1、primitive

原始的；远古的；未开化的

studies of primitive societies.

对原始社会的研究

primitive tribes.

原始部落

古老的；简陋的

The conditions are primitive by any standards.

无论用什么标准来衡量，其条件都很简陋。

The primitive surgery of those days left him virtually deaf in one ear.

那时候简陋的外科手术让他一只耳朵几乎失聪。

（动植物）原始的，低等的，进化初期的

primitive whales.

原始鲸

Primitive humans needed to be able to react like this to escape from dangerous animals.

原始人必须要能作出这样的反应以逃避危险的动物。

2、assist

帮助，协助(完成工作)

Julia was assisting him to prepare his speech.

朱莉娅正在帮他准备讲演稿。

The family decided to assist me with my chores.

全家人决定帮助我做家务。

（提供信息、意见或金钱）帮助，援助

The public is urgently requested to assist police in tracing this man.

紧急要求公众帮助警方追踪此人。

Foreign Office officials assisted with transport and finance problems.

外交部官员帮助解决运输和经费问题。