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原文：
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[TO THE EMPEROR OF CHINA]
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I, John Tyler, President of the United States of America - which States are: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois,Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, and Michigan - send you this letter of peace and friendship, signed by my own hand.
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I hope your health is good. China is a great empire, extending over a great part of the world. The Chinese are numerous. You have millions and millions of subjects. The twenty-six United States are as large as China, though our people are not so numerous. The rising sun looks upon the great mountains and great rivers of China. When he sets, he looks upon rivers and mountains equally large in the United States. Our territories extend from one great ocean to the other; and on the west we are divided from your dominions only by the sea. Leaving the mouth of one of our great rivers, and going constantly towards the setting sun,we sail to Japan and to the Yellow sea.
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Now, my words are, that the Governments of two such great countries should be at peace. It is proper, and according to the will of Heaven, that they should respect each other, and act wisely. I therefore send to your Court Caleb Cushing, one of the wise and learned men of this country. On his first arrival in China, he will inquire for your health. He has then strict orders to go to your great city of Pekin,and there to deliver this letter. He will have with him secretaries and interpreters.
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The Chinese love to trade with our people, and to sell them tea and silk, for which our people pay silver, and sometimes other articles.But if the Chinese and the Americans will trade, there should be rules,so that they shall not break your laws nor our laws. Our minister, Caleb Cushing, is authorized to make a treaty to regulate trade. Let it be just.Let there be no unfair advantage on either side. Let the people trade not only at Canton, but also at Amoy, Ning-po, Shang-hai, Fu-chow,and all such other places as may offer profitable exchanges both to China and the United States, provided they do not break your laws nor our laws. We shall not take the part of evil-doers. We shall not uphold them that break your laws. Therefore, we doubt not that you will be pleased that our messenger of peace, with this letter in his hand, shall come to Pekin, and there deliver it; and that your great officers will, by your order, make a treaty with him to regulate affairs of trade - so that nothing may happen to disturb the peace between China and America.Let the treaty be signed by your own imperial hand. It shall be signed by mine, by the authority of our great council, the Senate.
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And so may your health be good, and may peace reign.
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Written at Washington, this twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
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Your good friend, JOHN TYLER
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这封信用平常的白话口吻来按照原文翻译的话，是如下的意思：
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[致中国皇帝]
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我是美利坚合众国总统约翰·泰勒，合众国包括这些州：缅因、新罕布什尔、马萨诸塞、罗得岛、康涅狄格、佛蒙特、纽约、新泽西、宾夕法尼亚、特拉华、马里兰、弗吉尼亚、北卡罗莱纳、南卡罗莱纳、佐治亚、肯塔基、田纳西、俄亥俄、路易斯安那、印第安纳、密西西比、伊利诺伊、亚拉巴马、密苏里、亚肯色和密歇根。在此呈给您这封和平和友谊的亲笔信。
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我希望您身体健康。中国是一个伟大的帝国，占有这个世界上的很大一部分。中国人也非常之多。您有千千万万的臣民。拥有二十六个州的美利坚合众国与中国一样大，虽然我们的人口没有中国那么多。朝日光辉普及中国的名山大川，日落之时，光辉照样普及美利坚的大河高山。我们两国的领土从一个大洋延伸到另一个大洋，在西边我国与你们隔海相望。驶出我们的其中一条大河的河口，继续朝着日落的方向驶去，我们将抵达日本和黄海。
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现在，我认为，你我两个伟大的国家的政府应该和平相处。根据天意，我们应该尊重彼此和明智地行动，这原本也是正确的做法。在此，我正式派遣加勒·顾盛前往贵朝廷，他是我国聪明博学的人之一。抵达中国之后，顾盛将向您请安。他已经收到了前往你们伟大的北京城的严格训令，而且将在北京递呈此信。他将携带着秘书和通事。
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中国人喜欢和我们的人民做生意，卖给他们茶叶和丝绸，我国人民以银两和其他物品结算。但是中美既有贸易，就应该有规矩，然后他们就不至于违反贵国或者我国的法律。我们的公使加勒·顾盛有权签署商贸条约。让这个条约公平吧。让这个条约不会对任何一方不公吧。让人民不仅在广州交易，也可以在厦门、宁波、上海和福州以及其他的可以对中美两国带来利润交换的地方交易吧，而这些人不会破坏你们或我们的法律。我们不当与邪恶之人为伍，也不会包庇那些破坏了你们法律的人。因此，我不怀疑您将很高兴我们的公使手持此信进京，并呈递给您；您的大臣们也将按照您的命令与他签订一个条约来规范贸易事务，以期没有事情会破坏中美和平。请陛下签署这个条约吧。我也将在我们的参议院的授权之下签署这一条约。
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在此祝您安康，治下和平。
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我主降生后一千八百四十三年七月十二日，笔于华盛顿。
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您的好朋友 约翰·泰勒
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1844年之时，耆英方面自然无法像我们今天这样翻译这封信。耆英命人将此书信译成中文后，冠以“美利坚汉字国书”之名，进呈道光皇帝，后来这份公文被收入清廷编纂的《（道光朝）筹办夷务始末》之中。《筹办夷务始末》先由故宫博物院于20世纪30年代出版，后由齐思和等史学家点校整理后于1964年由中华书局出版，流布甚广，时至今日仍是研究晚清外交的核心历史资料之一，因此很多研究顾盛赴华签约一事的学者也都以《筹办夷务始末》中记载的美国“国书”为准。
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然而，耆英提交给朝廷的汉译本是“悉心酌议”的产物。当时耆英方面转交给曾协助顾盛谈判的伯驾一份汉译本，封题“伯驾老爷玉启”，译文笔书于宣纸之上，是常见的地方督抚上奏奏折所用的纸张，该文书原件现藏美国耶鲁大学医学历史图书馆。将这份译文与耆英最终上奏道光帝的译文对照后，可以发现耆英所做的一些精巧的修改，这些修改使得这份国书看上去很像一份仰慕中华文明与富庶的朝贡国的表文（图8.3）。
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图8.3 耆英致伯驾的美国国书汉译本，看上去和朝贡表文格式一致。
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以下以耆英递交给道光的译本为主线，以耶鲁藏本为辅助，解读中国对这份“国书”的理解。黑体为耆英上奏的汉译本原文，括号内的部分为笔者注解。
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亚美理驾合众国【英文国名United States of America的音译，今日多写作“美利坚合众国”，简称“美国”】伯理玺天德【英文president（总统）的音译】玉罕泰禄【总统John Tyler的音译，今多翻译为“约翰·泰勒”；“玉罕”今译“约翰”，系基于希伯来语发音的翻译】恭函【“恭”字为英文原件所无，系添加词，用来形容其以下达上的恭敬，以符合清朝体制】，专致【“致”字在耆英给道光的奏折内改做“达”】于大清大皇帝陛下【这一句也是英文原件所没有的，“大清大皇帝陛下”也是为了符合清朝体制的添饰。另外，汉译本遵照了当时的抬格体式，“大清”抬两格，“大皇帝”抬三格，下文的“皇帝”“德承乾健”“皇舆”“觐”“皇都”“龙光”“安康”等等，均抬两格；“天心”抬三格。这种抬格背后是非常严格的上下尊卑的政治秩序】：
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孤【“孤”系中国古代君王的自称，但清朝皇帝已经不用这个字，而用“朕”，此处当时的翻译者刻意选择用“孤”来译英文的“I”（我），具有强烈的显示“君”对“帝”的差异的倾向】统摄二十六联邦【此处的“联邦”指美国的州，即state，而不是指今日“联邦”一词所对应的the federal government或者the Union；截至该总统写这封信的1843年，美国拥有26个州】：曰缅【Maine，今译“缅因”】、曰纽韩诗阿【New Hampshire，今译“新罕布什尔”】、曰法尔满【Vermont，今译“佛蒙特”】、曰马萨诸色士【Massachusetts，今译“马萨诸塞”，中国人多以“麻省”称之】、曰尔罗受伦【Rhode Island，今译“罗得岛”】、曰干业底结【Connecticut，今译“康涅狄格”】、曰纽约克【New York，今译“纽约”】、曰纽热尔些【New Jersey，今译“新泽西”】、曰边西尔威呢阿【Pennsylvania，今译“宾夕法尼亚”】、曰特尔拉华【Delaware，今译“特拉华”】、曰马理兰【Maryland，今译“马里兰”】、曰费尔治尼阿【Virginia，今译“弗吉尼亚”】、曰北格罗来纳【North Carolina，今译“北卡罗莱纳”】、曰南格罗来纳【South Carolina，今译“南卡罗莱纳”】、曰热尔治阿【Georgia，今译“佐治亚”】、曰阿喇巴麻【Alabama，今译“亚拉巴马”】、曰米细细比【Mississippi，今译“密西西比”】、曰累西安纳【Louisiana，今译“路易斯安那”】、曰阿干萨士【Arkansas，今译“阿肯色”】、曰典业西【Tennessee，今译“田纳西”】、曰米苏理【Missouri，今译“密苏里”】、曰建德基【Kentucky，今译“肯塔基”】、曰呵海呵【Ohio，今译“俄亥俄”】、曰引底安纳【Indiana，今译“印第安纳”】、曰伊理奈士【Illinois，今译“伊利诺伊”】、及米诗干【Michigan，今译“密歇根”】等国【此处的“国”即美国的州，即state，并非国家之意】。兹此书亲笔画押，谨致太平，兼通和好。恭维【以示恭敬】大皇帝陛下【此系添加词汇，以符合清朝体制】，德承乾健，永绥视履之祥；治奠坤维，绵亘幅员之广；育物无遗，户口时形殷庶；广生有象，版图日益蕃滋，固不翅千万亿兆也【这几句是基于原件中以下四句话的翻译：“I hope your health is good. China is a great empire, extending over a great part of the world. The Chinese are numerous. You have millions and millions of subjects.”但这一翻译大大改变了原意，将原文塑造成了一个外夷藩邦对富庶的中国的倾心仰慕和竭诚赞美】。