7 Robben Island

Chapter 7 Robben Island While Nelson was in prison, the police searched Liliesleaf and arrested Walter Sisulu and other members of Spear of the Nation. Luckily Oliver Tambo was outside South Africa. When he heard about the arrests he knew he couldn't go back. He was as determined as ever to help his friends. In October 1963, Nelson went on trial again. He was accused of 222 acts of sabotage between 1961 and 1963. Sabotage means to destroy or disrupt things so that they don't work. For instance, Spear had plans to set off explosions in police stations and other government buildings (but not when people were around). The state asked for the maximum penalty: death by hanging.

纳尔逊在监狱期间，警察搜查了利利斯利夫，逮捕了沃尔特·西苏鲁和国家之矛的其他成员。 幸运的是奥利弗·坦博不在南非。 当他听到逮捕的消息时，他知道他回不去了。 他一如既往地决心帮助他的朋友。 1963年10月，纳尔逊再次受审。 他被指控在1961年至1963年间进行了222次破坏活动。 Sabotage的意思是破坏或破坏事物，使其无法工作。 例如，斯皮尔曾计划在警察局和其他政府大楼引爆炸弹（但不是在有人在场的时候）。 国家要求最高刑罚：绞刑。

The courtroom was tense. The lawyers against

法庭气氛紧张。律师反对

Nelson and his friends took five months to present their argument. Then, in April, Nelson stood to speak. His elderly mother and his wife watched from the gallery. He offered no evidence in his defense. Instead, he made a statement. "We believe that South Africa belongs to all the people who live in it," he said, "and not to one group, be it black or white." Nelson spoke about the unjust laws, life in the crowded townships, and the cruel actions of the government. He spoke on the right to vote, the right to an education, and the right to be treated with basic

纳尔逊和他的朋友们花了五个月的时间来陈述他们的论点。 然后，在4月，纳尔逊站起来发言。 他年迈的母亲和妻子在旁听席上看着他。 他没有为自己辩护提供任何证据。 相反，他发表了一份声明。 “我们相信，南非属于生活在这里的所有人，”他说，“而不属于一个群体，无论是黑人还是白人。” 纳尔逊谈到了不公正的法律，拥挤城镇的生活，以及政府的残酷行为。 他谈到了选举权、受教育权和受到基本待遇的权利

respect. For hours the courtroom listened, spellbound. "I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people...," Nelson said. "It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." After the trial, the judge sentenced Nelson and the other defendants, including Walter Sisulu, to life in prison. Nelson and Sisulu were flown to a maximum- security prison on Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town. No ships were allowed within a mile of the island. Escape was impossible. Mandela was led to the cell that would be his home for the next eighteen years. It was eight feet wide and seven feet long, lit by a single forty-watt lightbulb. The bulb stayed on day and night. Mandela could walk across the room in three steps. There was a mat for sleeping and three blankets so thin he could see through them. His toilet was a small iron bucket.

尊重。法庭上的人听得入迷，听了好几个小时。 “我把自己奉献给了非洲人民的斗争……尼尔森说。 “这是我希望为之而活并实现的理想。 但如果需要的话，我愿意为这个理想献出生命。” 审判结束后，法官判处纳尔逊和包括沃尔特·西苏鲁在内的其他被告终身监禁。 纳尔逊和西苏鲁被送往开普敦海岸附近罗本岛的一所戒备森严的监狱。 任何船只不得进入该岛一英里范围内。 逃跑是不可能的。曼德拉被带进了一间牢房，在接下来的18年里，这里就是他的家。 它有八英尺宽，七英尺长，只有一个四十瓦的灯泡。 灯泡日夜亮着。 曼德拉可以三步走过房间。 有一张睡觉用的垫子和三条薄得他都能看透的毯子。 他的马桶是一个小铁桶。

All the prisoners on Robben Island were black. All the guards were white. Mandela could write to his family and receive a letter from them only once every six months. Before Nelson was allowed to read a letter, prison officials crossed out anything in the letter they didn't think Nelson should see. Often so many words were crossed out, the letter barely made sense. Nelson did not see Winnie for years at a time. He was not allowed to attend the funerals of his mother or his eldest son, Thembi, who died in a car accident in 1969. Every day, he was woken up at five thirty. He washed and shaved with cold water. He emptied his

罗本岛上所有的囚犯都是黑人。 所有的警卫都是白人。 曼德拉可以写信给他的家人，每六个月才会收到他们的来信。 在纳尔逊被允许阅读一封信之前，监狱官员划掉了信中他们认为纳尔逊不应该看到的任何内容。 经常有很多字被划掉，这封信几乎没有意义。 纳尔逊有好几年没有见到温妮。 他不被允许参加母亲和长子泰姆比（Thembi）的葬礼。泰姆比1969年死于一场车祸。 每天，他在五点半被叫醒。 他用冷水洗脸刮胡子。 他喝光了他的酒。