What Is an American ? (by Michel-Guillaume de Crevecoeur)

　　Michel-Guillaume de Crevecoeur (1735-1813) was born in France and came to the American colonies as a military in the French army. He became a naturalized American and settled down to farming. Between 1765 and 1780 he wrote on American life. He returned to France in 1780, came back to America in 1783, and became French consul in New York. In 1790 he went back to France where he lived the rest of his life.

　　I wish I could be acquainted with the feelings and thought which must agitate the heart and present themselves to the mind of an enlightened Englishman, when he first lands on this continent. He must greatly rejoice, that he lived at a time to see this fair country discovered and settled; he must necessarily feel a share of national pride, when he views the chain of settlements which embellishes these extended shores. When he says to himself, this is the work of my countrymen who, when convulsed by factions, afflicted by a variety of miseries and wants, restless and impatient, took refuge here. They brought along with them their national genius, to which they principally owe what liberty they enjoy, and what substance they possess. Here he sees the industry of his native country, displayed in a new manner, and traces in their works the embryos of all the arts, sciences, and ingenuity which flourish in Europe. Here he beholds fair cities, substantial villages, extensive fields, an immense country filled with decent houses, good roads, orchards, meadows, and bridges, where a hundred years ago all was wild, woody, and uncultivated !

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　　After a foreigner from any part of Europe is arrived, and become a citizen; let him devoutly listen to the voice of our great parent, which says to him, “Welcome to my shores, distressed European; bless the hour in which thou didst see my verdant fields, my fair navigable rivers, and my green mountains ! - If thou wilt work, I have bread for thee; if thou wilt be honest, sober and industrious, I have greater rewards to confer on thee - ease and independence. I will give thee fields to feed and clothe thee; a comfortable fire-side to sit by, and tell thy children by what means thou hast prospered; and a decent bed to repose on. I shall endow thee, beside, with the immunities of a freeman. If thou wilt carefully educate thy children, teach them gratitude to God, and reverence to that government, that philanthropic government, which has collected here so many men and made them happy, I will also provide for thy progeny: and to every good man this ought to be the most holy, the most powerful, the most earnest wish he can possibly form, as well as the most consolatory prospect when he dies. Go thou, and work and till; thou shalt prosper, provided thou be just, grateful and industrious.”

　　注釋：

　　settle, (移民)定居，安家;agitate使激動，刺激;enlightened, 開明的;fair, 美麗的;embellish，裝飾，裝點;factions: (宗教)的派系;thou=you, thy= your, thee為you的賓語。-st為動詞詞尾(現(xiàn)代英語中已不用);navigable, 可通航的;immunities (豁免)特權(quán)。

　　何為美國人?

　　作者簡介： 米·居奎維古爾(1734-1831)生于法國，隨法軍進入北美殖民地，取得美國國籍后定居務(wù)農(nóng)。1765-1780年間執(zhí)筆評論美國人的生活。1780年返回法國，1783年又到美國，并成為法國駐紐約領(lǐng)事。1790年回法國渡過晚年。

　　…

　　但愿我也象一位初次登上北美大陸的英國開明人士那樣，曾經(jīng)體會到那種使人心潮澎湃、浮想聯(lián)翩的思想感情。他一定欣喜若狂，慶幸自己有生之年能親眼看到人們發(fā)現(xiàn)這塊美麗的國土并在此定居下來。當他看到連綿不斷的人群來到這里，用一座座居所使這漫長的海岸線錦上添花的時候，他怎能不享有一份民族驕傲感呢!他自然會想到，這些杰作都出自我的同胞之手，他們?yōu)榻膛善群Χ�震驚，受盡了苦難和貧窮，是在焦躁不安的情況下來這里避難的。他們帶來了民族天賦，所以才會享受現(xiàn)在的自由，才會擁有現(xiàn)在的財產(chǎn)。在這里，可以看到故國的勤勞展現(xiàn)出了新的姿態(tài)，在其杰作中可以找到那些盛行于歐洲的所有的藝術(shù)、科學和創(chuàng)造的萌芽。在這里，他看到了美麗的城鎮(zhèn)，富饒的村莊，廣闊的田野，看到了一片汗漫無邊的國土，其間有典雅的建筑，通達的道路，有果園，草地，橋梁;而這里在100年前還是一片荒蠻，草木叢生，不見農(nóng)田!…

　　一個人無論來自歐洲何處，當他到達這里并成為公民以后，就讓他虔誠地聆聽我們偉大祖國的聲音吧。這聲音說，“歡迎你登上我的海岸，不幸的歐洲人。銘記這一神圣的時刻吧!此刻，你看到了我碧綠的田野，美麗的河道和蒼翠的群山!如果你愿意勞動，我為你準備了面包;如果你正直、樸實、勤勞，我要給你更大的報償――安逸與自主。我將給你土地供你豐衣足食;給你舒適的壁爐供你取暖，并讓你在爐火邊告訴你的后代你如何得以成功;我還要給你體面堂皇的床鋪供你棲身;還要賜給你一個自由人的特權(quán)。如果你愿精心教育子女，教他們感激上帝、尊重政府，尊重這個使如此之多的人聚集在這里并得到幸福的慈善的政府，我也將為供給你的后代。這對任何善良的人來說都應(yīng)該是他所能懷有的最神圣、最強烈、最殷切的希望，也是人彌留之際最大的慰藉。去吧，去勞動，去耕耘，只要你公正守法、知恩圖報、勤奮努力，你必將興旺、富強�！�