Don’t you know, my son, the affection all mothers naturally bear their children? Our love is unbounded, incessantly fed by1 that tenderness unknown to all but ourselves. Nothing should be more dear to us than what we have bought with the risk of our lives; nothing more precious than what we have endured such grief and pain to procure. These are so acute and unbearable that if it were not for the vision of a successful birth, which makes us forget our agonies, generation would soon cease.
Do you forget that nine full months I carried you in my womb and nourished you with1 my blood? How likely is it, then, that I would destroy the dear child who cost me so much anguish to bring into the world? It may be that the just gods were angry at my excessive love of you, and used this way to punish me.
Unhappy Agrippina! You are suspected of2 a crime of which nobody could really think you guilty.... What does the title of empress mean to me, if I am accused of a crime that even the basest of women would abhor? Unhappy are those who breathe the air of the court. The wisest of people are not secure from storms in that harbor. There even a calm is dangerous. But why blamethe court? Can that be the cause of my being suspected of parricide?
Tell me, why should I plot against your life? To plunge myself into3 a worse fate? That’s not likely. What hopes could induce me to build upon your downfall? I know that the lust for empire often corrupts the laws of nature; that justice has no sword to punish those who offend in this way; and that ambition disregards wrong so long as it succeeds in its aim. ... Nay, to what deity could I turn for absolution after I had committed so black a deed?
What difficulties have I not surmounted to crown your brow with laurels? But I insult your gratitude by reminding you of my services. My innocence ought not to defend itself but to rely wholly on your justice.
Farewell.
incessantly adv. 不断地
endure v. 忍受
procure v. 取得
agony n. 痛苦
anguish n. 煎熬
abhor v. 痛恨
parricide n. 弒（君、长辈）
induce v. 促使
lust n. 欲望
nay = no
deity n. 神祇
absolution n. 赦罪
surmount v. 克服
laurels n. 桂冠；荣誉
中译 亚格利琵娜致尼罗的申辩书
儿啊，难道你不知道：每个母亲对自己的儿女都有一种天性的爱吗？母爱是无边无际的，不断得到只有我们自己才能理解的那种柔情的滋养。对做母亲的来说，人世间没有什么比我们冒着生命危险换取来的孩子更亲的了；没有什么比我们担惊受苦而后得到的东西更宝贵的了。我们的忧虑和痛苦剧烈得难以忍受，如果不是抱着顺利生产的希望（它使我们忘却痛楚），传宗接代的事就会立即终止。
难道你不记得，我怀你在身足足九个月之久，用我的血液滋养着你吗？因此，说我会害死自己受尽磨难才生出来的儿子，有这样的可能吗？也许是公正的神明因我对你溺爱过甚而震怒，才用这种办法来惩罚我吧。
苦命的亚格利琵娜呀！你被怀疑犯下了一宗没有谁真正相信你会犯的罪……如果我被控犯下这宗连最下贱的女人都痛恨的罪，那么，太后的名位对我还有什么意义呢？生活在宫廷里的人多么不幸啊。即使是大智大慧的人也躲不过这海港中的风暴。在那里，连风平浪静的时刻也不安全。然而，为什么要埋怨宫廷呢？宫廷会是我被怀疑犯下了弒君之罪的根由吗？
告诉我，我为什么要谋害你呢？为了使自己陷入厄运吗？那不大可能吧。要是你覆灭，我有什么好处呢？我知道篡位的野心往往会使人伤天害理，而法律又无权惩办这类罪犯。我也知道，野心家为了达到目的，是不择手段的……然而，如若我犯下了这种恶毒的罪，我还能到哪个神祇面前去乞求宽赦呢？
为了使你登上王位，我什么苦难没有经历过？但我对你这样表功，岂非玷辱了你的感恩之心？我不该为自己的清白申辩，应该完全信赖你的公正。
永别了！
原来如此！
尼罗（Nero, 37-68）凭母亲亚格利琵娜（Agrippina, 15-59）之助，于公元54年继位为罗马帝国皇帝。后来，尼罗的情妇诬告亚格利琵娜意欲谋害尼罗，这是亚格利琵娜被拘后的自辩书。尼罗终不为所动，于公元59年下令将母亲处死。
作者指出做母亲的种种滋味，由怀胎至养育儿子所承受的忧虑和痛楚，更怀疑是否因溺爱尼罗而引致上天以儿子对付她为惩罚。描述过做母亲患得患失的感受后，作者说明自己完全不可能，也没有任何野心去谋害君王，强调自己不会伤天害理，言词十分激动。
妙笔生花
I - You（你我）直接对话式，表现亲切，诚恳：
Don’t you know, my son...
Do you forget that nine full months I carried you in my womb and nourished you with my blood? 设问 (rhetorical questions)：一连串的问题，像在法庭辩护律师的 反问，目的在促使尼罗三思而回心转意：
But why blame the court? / Can that be the cause of...parricide? / Why should I plot against your life? / What hopes could induce me to build upon your downfall? / to what deity could I turn...? What difficulties have I not surmounted...?
用第三者来称呼自己以增强戏剧化效果：
Unhappy Agrippina! you are suspected of a crime ... 用形容词的最高级 (superlative) 作强调：
the basest of women / the wisest of people 用不同的词语来表达不同程度的痛苦：
grief（悲伤）；pain（痛楚）；agony（极大痛苦——肉体及心灵的）；anguish（心灵的痛苦、煎熬）
描述这些痛苦，用了so acute and unbearable that...
增值英语
1 Our love is...fed by that tenderness / I ...nourished you with my blood...
句式 is fed by... 解作“由……供给（滋养、资源）”；is nourished with 解作“由……培育、滋养”，都是被动式。可以说 sth is fed by love, fed by greed, fed by hatred；sth is nourished with love, with care 等：
Children nourished with love usually grow up to be positive and optimistic. 以爱心培育的儿童长大后通常是积极的、乐观的。
Fed by greed, he began to receive bribes. 受贪念驱使，他开始收取贿款。
注意 fed up (with sb / sth) 则解作“（对某人 / 事物）受够了，不耐烦了”：
I am fed up with exam drills. 我对考试练习受够了。
The people are fed up with lying politicians. 人们对说谎的政客烦透了。
101
2 You are suspected of a crime...
句式 suspect sb of sth 解作“怀疑某人做了某事”：
The police suspected him of shoplifting. 警方怀疑他盗窃店铺。
句式 suspect sth 则解作“怀疑某事物”：
I suspect his honesty. 我怀疑他的诚信。
注意 suspect that-clause 有正负两面用法，可解作“怀疑是……”，也可解作“感到是……”：
She suspects (that) he is a hacker. 她怀疑他是个计算机“黑客”。
I suspect (that) you are right. 我觉得你是对的。
suspect 可作名词，重音第一音节，解“嫌疑人物”：
The police found their suspect for the murder. 警方找到了谋杀案的疑犯。
3 To plunge myself into a worse fate?
句式 plunge into / to 解作“急坠、直落某地方 / 情况”。注意用 into 一般偏重“进入某地方”或“急速陷入某境界”的意味，而 to 则偏重“境况急转”的意味，二者不能调换使用：
The car plunged into a ravine. 汽车直坠深谷里。
The man plunged to his death by jumping from the top of the building. 那男子由屋顶跳下，坠楼身亡。
The city was plunged into total darkness owing to a power failure.
由于电力故障，全城陷入漆黑一片。
The stock market plunged to an all-time low in the wake of the economic crisis. 股市随着经济危机急跌至历年新低点。
