Those persons who wish to gain a clear idea of the battle of Waterloo have only to place, mentally, on the ground, a capital A. The left limb of the A is the road to Nivelles, the right limb is the road to Genappe, the tie of the A is the hollow road to Ohain from Braine-l’Alleud. —
那些希望了解滑铁卢战役的人只需将一个大写字母A在脑海中摆放好。A字的左臂是通往尼维尔的道路，右臂是通往热纳普的道路，A字的连接处是从布兰勒吕德通往奥安的中空道路。 —

The top of the A is Mont-Saint-Jean, where Wellington is; —
A字的顶部是Mont-Saint-Jean，那里是惠灵顿所在的地方； —

the lower left tip is Hougomont, where Reille is stationed with Jerome Bonaparte; —
左下角是侯格蒙，里尔和波拿巴的儿子杰罗姆驻扎在那里； —

the right tip is the Belle-Alliance, where Napoleon was. —
右下角是贝尔联盟，拿破仑所在的地方。 —

At the centre of this chord is the precise point where the final word of the battle was pronounced. —
在这条弦的中心是战斗最终结局发生的确切地点。 —

It was there that the lion has been placed, the involuntary symbol of the supreme heroism of the Imperial Guard.
正是在那里放置了狮子，它是帝国卫队最高英雄主义的无意象征。

The triangle included in the top of the A, between the two limbs and the tie, is the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean. The dispute over this plateau constituted the whole battle. —
A字的顶部和两臂之间的三角形就是Mont-Saint-Jean的高地。争夺这片高地构成了整个战役。 —

The wings of the two armies extended to the right and left of the two roads to Genappe and Nivelles; —
两军的翼展开在通往热纳普和尼维尔的两条道路的右侧和左侧； —

d’Erlon facing Picton, Reille facing Hill.
德尔龙对阵皮克顿，里尔对阵希尔。

Behind the tip of the A, behind the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean, is the forest of Soignes.
在A字的尖端后面，Mont-Saint-Jean的高地后面，是索恩森林。

As for the plain itself, let the reader picture to himself a vast undulating sweep of ground; —
至于平原本身，读者可以想象一个广阔起伏的地势； —

each rise commands the next rise, and all the undulations mount towards Mont-Saint-Jean, and there end in the forest.
每一处高地都能俯视下一个高地，所有的地势都朝着Mont-Saint-Jean上升，并且以森林为终点。

Two hostile troops on a field of battle are two wrestlers. —
战场上的两支敌对军队就像是两名摔跤手。 —

It is a question of seizing the opponent round the waist. The one seeks to trip up the other. —
这是一个争夺对手腰部的问题。一方试图绊倒另一方。 —

They clutch at everything: a bush is a point of support; —
他们抓住任何东西：一株灌木是支撑点； —

an angle of the wall offers them a rest to the shoulder; —
墙角的一个角度为他们的肩膀提供了休息之处； —

for the lack of a hovel under whose cover they can draw up, a regiment yields its ground; —
由于没有遮风挡雨的小屋，一个团队让出了地面； —

an unevenness in the ground, a chance turn in the landscape, a cross-path encountered at the right moment, a grove, a ravine, can stay the heel of that colossus which is called an army, and prevent its retreat. —
地面的凹凸不平，风景的一个偶然转变，适时遇到的十字路口，一个林地，一个沟壑，都能阻止称为军队的巨人的后退脚步。 —

He who quits the field is beaten; hence the necessity devolving on the responsible leader, of examining the most insignificant clump of trees, and of studying deeply the slightest relief in the ground.
离开战场的人就是被打败的人；因此，负责领导的需要详细研究最微小的树丛，并深入研究地面上最细微的起伏。

The two generals had attentively studied the plain of Mont-Saint-Jean, now called the plain of Waterloo. —
这两位将军曾仔细研究了蒙桑热平原，现在被称为滑铁卢平原。 —

In the preceding year, Wellington, with the sagacity of foresight, had examined it as the possible seat of a great battle. —
在前一年，惠灵顿用远见卓识，曾考察过这里是否适合进行一场大战。 —

Upon this spot, and for this duel, on the 18th of June, Wellington had the good post, Napoleon the bad post. —
在这个位置，以及为这场决斗，于1815年6月18日，惠灵顿站在好的位置，拿破仑站在坏的位置。 —

The English army was stationed above, the French army below.
英军位于上方，法军位于下方。

It is almost superfluous here to sketch the appearance of Napoleon on horseback, glass in hand, upon the heights of Rossomme, at daybreak, on June 18, 1815. —
1815年6月18日，天一亮，那是拿破仑骑在罗索姆高地上，手持望远镜的形象，几乎不需要再详细描绘，全世界都看见过他。 —

All the world has seen him before we can show him. —
在我们展示他之前，所有人都已经看到了他。 —

That calm profile under the little three-cornered hat of the school of Brienne, that green uniform, the white revers concealing the star of the Legion of Honor, his great coat hiding his epaulets, the corner of red ribbon peeping from beneath his vest, his leather trousers, the white horse with the saddle-cloth of purple velvet bearing on the corners crowned N’s and eagles, Hessian boots over silk stockings, silver spurs, the sword of Marengo,–that whole figure of the last of the Caesars is present to all imaginations, saluted with acclamations by some, severely regarded by others.
这位具有最后凯撒之称的整个身影，戴着布里恩学校风格的三角帽，穿着绿色制服，白色翻领遮掩了荣誉军团勋章，披着大衣掩盖了肩章，从背心下露出的红缎带角，他骑的白马上承载着紫色天鹅绒鞍布上边角装饰着皇冠N及猎鹰标志，海兰靴搭配丝袜，银箍马刺，马伦哥之剑，-那位欧洲最后的凯撒在所有想象中都显现出来，有些人欢呼，有些人严肃注视。

That figure stood for a long time wholly in the light; —
那个身影在明亮的光线中立了很久； —

this arose from a certain legendary dimness evolved by the majority of heroes, and which always veils the truth for a longer or shorter time; —
这种延续于大多数英雄身上的传奇朦胧，总是在更长或更短的时间内掩蔽真相； —

but to-day history and daylight have arrived.
但如今历史和阳光已经来临。

That light called history is pitiless; it possesses this peculiar and divine quality, that, pure light as it is, and precisely because it is wholly light, it often casts a shadow in places where people had hitherto beheld rays; —
历史这种如光明般无情的光，具有特殊而神圣的品格，那就是，即便它是完全的光明，恰恰因为如此，它常常在人们此前只看到光芒的地方投下阴影； —

from the same man it constructs two different phantoms, and the one attacks the other and executes justice on it, and the shadows of the despot contend with the brilliancy of the leader. —
由同一人构造出两个不同的幻影，其中一个攻击另一个并对其进行审判，而暴君的阴影与领袖的光辉相争。 —

Hence arises a truer measure in the definitive judgments of nations. —
因此，在民族最终的判断中产生了更真实的尺度。 —

Babylon violated lessens Alexander, Rome enchained lessens Caesar, Jerusalem murdered lessens Titus, tyranny follows the tyrant. —
巴比伦的背叛减弱了亚历山大，罗马的被囚禁减少了凯撒，耶路撒冷的谋杀削弱了提图斯，暴政随暴君而来。 —

It is a misfortune for a man to leave behind him the night which bears his form.
对一个人来说，留下承载其形象的夜晚是一种不幸。