Letter from Dr. Theodore Herz to M. Youssuf Zia Al-Khalidi, Mayor of Jerusalem
西奥多·赫泽尔博士致耶路撒冷市长优素福·齐亚·阿尔-哈立迪阁下书
19 March 1899
一千八百九十九年三月十九日
Excellency,
阁下勋鉴：
I owe to Mr. Zadok Kahn’s kindness the pleasure of having read the letter which you addressed to him. Let me tell you first of all that the feelings of friendship which you express for the Jewish people inspire in me the deepest appreciation.
蒙卡恩先生雅意，得拜读阁下致其书信。首当奉告，阁下于犹太民族所表之友情，鄙人感佩至深。
The Jews have been, are, and will be the best friends of Turkey since the day when Sultan Selim opened his Empire to the persecuted Jews of Spain.
自塞利姆苏丹广纳西班牙遭难犹民以来，犹太人实为土耳其历世不渝之挚友。
And this friendship consists not only of words—it is ready to be transferred into acts and to aid the Moslems.
此等友谊非徒托空言——吾人随时可付诸实践，以襄助穆斯林同胞。
The Zionist idea, of which I am the humble servant, has no hostile tendency toward the Ottoman Government, but quite to the contrary this movement is concerned with opening up new resources for the Ottoman Empire.
鄙人所效劳之锡安主义，于奥斯曼帝国政府绝无相忤之意，反欲为帝国开辟新资源。
In allowing immigration to a number of Jews bringing their intelligence, their financial acumen and their means of enterprise to the country, no one can doubt that the well-being of the entire country would be the happy result. It is necessary to understand this, and make it known to everybody.
倘若允许携才智、商略与资财之犹太移民入境，则帝国将举国蒙福，可无疑义。此中道理，亟需解悟，让公众广为周知。
As Your Excellency said very well in your letter to the Grand Rabbi, the Jews have no belligerent Power behind them, neither are they themselves of a warlike nature. They are a completely peaceful element, and very content if they are left in peace. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing to fear from their immigration.
阁下致大拉比书中所言极是：犹太人既无列强为后盾，亦非好勇斗狠之族。此辈全然是和平分子，但得相安无事，便觉心满意足。故犹人移民之举，实无可惧怕之处。
The question of the Holy Places? But no one thinks of ever touching those. As I have said and written many times: These places have lost forever the faculty of belonging exclusively to one faith, to one race or to one people. The Holy Places are and will remain holy for all the world, for the Moslems as for the Christians as for the Jews.
至于圣地之归属问题？然无人敢生觊觎之心。鄙人屡次申言：此等圣地永不能为某一教派、种族或民族所独据。无论穆斯林、基督徒抑或犹太人，圣地乃举世共尊之所，永世如是。
The universal peace which all men of good will ardently hope for will have its symbol in a brotherly union in the Holy Places.
仁人志士所企望之天下大同，其象征正在于各族兄弟于圣地和谐共处。
You see another difficulty, Excellency, in the existence of the non-Jewish population in Palestine. But who would think of sending them away? It is their well-being, their individual wealth which we will increase by bringing in our own.
阁下所虑巴勒斯坦原有非犹居民之安置，然谁人敢作驱逐之想？我辈携资而来，正为增进彼等福祉与资产。
Do you think that an Arab who owns land or a house in Palestine worth three or four thousand francs will be very angry to see the price of his land rise in a short time, to see it rise five and ten times in value perhaps in a few months? Moreover, that will necessarily happen with the arrival of the Jews.
试想阿拉伯人田宅现值三四千法郎，见其地价于数月间陡涨五倍十倍，岂有不欣然之理？犹太人到来，此势必然。
That is what the indigenous population must realize, that they will gain excellent brothers as the Sultan will gain faithful and good subjects who will make this province flourish—this province which is their historic homeland.
原住民当悟此理：彼等将得犹太人做难觅之兄弟佳邻，苏丹也将获忠心良民，使这方——亦是犹太人故土——土地重现荣光。
When one looks at the situation in this light, which is the true one, one must be the friend of Zionism when one is the friend of Turkey.
若能明乎此中真义，凡土耳其之友，必为锡安主义之友。
I hope, Excellency, that these few explanations will suffice to give you a little more sympathy for our movement.
愿此番浅释，能使阁下对我辈之锡安运动多几分理解。
You tell Mr. Zadok Kahn that the Jews would do better to go somewhere else. That may well happen the day we realize that Turkey does not understand the enormous advantages which our movement offers it.
阁下请卡恩先生通报我辈，称犹太人另觅他处定居为好。若土耳其终不能解我锡安运动对彼之大利，我辈自然放弃离去。
We have explained our aim publicly, sincerely and loyally. I have had submitted to His Majesty the Sultan some general propositions, and I am pleased to believe that the extreme clearness of his mind will make him accept in principle the idea of which one can afterwards discuss the details of execution.
我辈开诚布公，坦陈所志。鄙人已向苏丹陛下呈递纲要，窃以为陛下圣明，当可原则上先予采纳，而后再议施行细则。
If he will not accept it, we will search and, believe me, we will find elsewhere what we need. But then Turkey will have lost its last chance to regulate its finances and to recover its economic vigor.
若苏丹领导竟不接纳，则我辈另寻乐土——请相信，必能寻得。而土耳其将自断整改财政、重振经济活力之机缘。
It is a sincere friend of the Turks who tells you these things today. Remember that!
今日向阁下剖陈利害者，实乃土耳其至诚之友。愿阁下识之！
And accept, Excellency, the assurance of my very high consideration.
谨此 恭颂勋祺
西奥多·赫泽尔 再拜
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