Here he is, the standard-issue freedom fighter of imagination
他是人们印象中自由斗士的代表
The "give'em hell" whiskers, the "save me, Jesus" eyes,the hamstrings from hell.
他有着令人生畏的胡须 乞求拯救的双眼 孔武有力的双腿
We've not a clue, of course,whether william Wallace lookeld remotely like this
当然 我们并不知道 历史上的威廉·华莱士是否真是这样
Any more than we know whether he could have stood in for Mel Gibson who immortalised him in "Braveheart".
是否比我们所熟知的 梅尔·吉布森在电影《勇敢的心》当中 塑造的不朽形象更加伟大
But Wallace is one of those larger-than-life figures whose epic romance refuses to go away.
但华莱士确是一位划时代的伟人 他那史诗般的传奇流传至今
It just grows, to match this extraordinary monument to him dominating the Stirling skyline.
日益深入人心 如同这座宏伟的纪念碑 直冲斯特林的天际
There's no doubt, of course, that Wallace did count,
毫无疑问 华莱士是那段历史中不可抹去的一笔
that his brief but incredibly dramatic intervention in the wars between England and Scotland
他在英格兰与苏格兰的交战中 短暂而又戏剧性的干预
did change the course of British history.
改变了英国历史的进程
If only to show that the armies of Edward I were not invincible at all times and in all places.
他让人们意识到 爱德华一世的军队 并非时刻都所向披靡
Beyond that, Wallace was one of the few Scots who never at any stage paid homage to Edward,
除此之外 华莱士还是为数不多的几个 从未向爱德华妥协的苏格兰人
remaining loyal to king John Balliol.
他们对约翰·贝列尔君王一直忠心耿耿
More gentleman turned outlaw than peasant man of the glens,Wallace wasn't a one-man war either.
不光那些乡野之士 更多绅士贵族揭竿而起 华莱士并非是在孤身奋战
By mid-1297, all Scotland was on the boil.
到1297年中 苏格兰群情激奋
North of the Forth,Andrew Murray matched or even surpassed him by leading a wild and brilliant guerrilla war.
在弗斯河北部 安德鲁·默里指挥了一场辉煌的游击战 影响一度超过了华莱士