歐美文化:美國國旗的意義

One of our great symbols is the American Flag,13 red and white stripes corresponding to the number of original stats on a rectangular piece of color, one corner blue with 50 white stars for 50 states.
　 美國的象徵之一是國旗,長方形布上13道紅白相間的條紋表示美國原來的州數,藍色一角上印着的50顆白星代表50個州。

You see the flag everywhere now, "what so proudly we hail.” It means the World Trade Center happened to all of us. "We're proud to be Americans, "say flags on front porches in small towns across the country. Some homes seem to have been built to fly the flag. This wouldn't be complete without it; just perfect. "We're American too" say the flags inelegant glued to the city apartment windows. The declaration of patriotic intent is everywhere, the simplest as persuasive as the displays where one was considered not enough. Rockefeller Center with 150 beauties is in show business, a stirring sight although it's unlikely that management there loves our country more than the owner of the smallest small business, displaying just one.
　　現在是四處都能看到國旗,"是什麼讓我們感到驕傲。"那表示世貿中心事件與每個美國人息息相聯。美國各小城鎮的前廊懸掛着的國旗體現出"身爲美國人的自豪"。有些房子彷彿就是爲了掛國旗而建的。沒有國旗便不完整;掛上後便完美了。"我們也是美國人"--這是斜貼在這所市內公寓窗外的國旗傳達出的信息。處處洋溢着愛國宣言,從小處看最能讓人信服這一點,比如,有些人認爲掛一面國旗還不足夠。洛克菲勒中心高高飄起150面美麗的美國國旗,景象令人歎爲觀止,但這並不說明此處的管理者就比只掛出一面國旗的小商店店主更愛國。

The Annin flag company makes most American flags. They have more business than they can do now. You don't have to go to Annin to buy a flag though. Flag sales are a street corner cottage industry. Furtive operatives set up shops, to them the buck means more than the banner.
　　安寧國旗公司出產全美大部分的國旗。現在他們的生意是應接不暇。但要買國旗並不非得到安寧公司。街角也有出售國旗的攤子。對於那些偷偷售賣國旗的街販,錢比國旗更重要。

　　The color of our flag and the numbers of stars and stripes are ordained, but there is no rule regarding dimension. There are tiny flags on sticks made in China. This grand flag is so big on a building in New York that it had to be continued around the corner. This beauty hangs from the side wall of a fire house. And you wouldn't want a dirty flag so they wash them.
　　美國國旗的顏色、星星的數目、橫條都是規定好了的,但尺寸大小就沒有限制。也有中國製造的小籤國旗。紐約一棟大樓外的國旗巨大得要轉彎接着掛起。消防局的牆上掛着一面國旗。如果不想掛髒國旗就像他們一樣拿去清洗吧。

　　Everyone wants to be associated with the flag. America and Yale, America and Episcopalians, America and an, America and Maxell, America and the Ritz Tower.
　　人人都想跟國旗扯上關係:美國和耶魯、美國和聖公會教徒、美國和摩根、美國和萬勝、美國和麗晶大廈。

There are inevitably people who are more anxious to appear patriotic than to be patriotic. They treat a fine line between patriotism and commerce. The flag is everywhere in close proximity to a business interest. It sells shoes and shoe repair, women's dresses. The American flag invites diners to foreign restaurants, Japanese, Italian, even Afghan.
　　難免也有人擺出愛國姿態而非真正愛國。他們在愛國主義和商業間徘徊。隨處可見對國旗感興趣的商家:賣鞋和修鞋的,女士的裙子。美國國旗吸引顧客到外國餐館用餐??日本餐館、意大利餐館、甚至阿富汗餐館。

There is an official flag code but it is routinely ignored. It is not to be used as a awning or a canopy or plastered to the hood of a car. The code says the American flag is not to be used as decorative clothing. Some find it irresistibly fashionable though and we are more amused than they.
　　政府有國旗用法的規定,但常給人們忽視了:國旗不能拿來當餐布,不能做遮篷、檐篷或汽車貼條。美國國旗按規定是不能用來設計服裝的??有些人卻覺得難以抵制此誘惑,我們比他們還更樂在其中。

This is how the star spangled banner was meant to be flown on the end of a pole of its own, free to wave majestically in our own free air.
　　美國國旗應當掛在旗杆上,自由自在地在美國領土的上空美麗莊嚴地飄揚。