今天是第八个南京大屠杀死难者国家公祭日。84年前的今天，侵华日军野蛮侵入南京，制造了惨绝人寰的南京大屠杀惨案。
这段历史，不仅所有中国人需要铭记，世界亦不能遗忘。很多人，为了让世界铭记这段历史而呼号奔走。
张纯如（Iris Chang）就是其中的一位。
1997年，张纯如撰写的英文历史著作《南京大屠杀：被遗忘的二战浩劫》出版，揭开了这段在西方鲜为人知的历史。
我父母没有亲眼目睹南京的暴行，但他们在很小的时候就听说了，后来又告诉了我。 Neither of my parents witnessed it, but as young children they had heard the stories, and these were passed down to me.
他们说，日本人把婴儿撕成两半，甚至三块、四块，有一段时间长江水都被血染成红色。 The Japanese, I learned, sliced babies not just in half but in thirds and fourths, they said; the Yangtze River ran red with blood for days. 因为愤怒，他们在向我述说时声音颤抖起来。他们认为，南京大屠杀是日本人在这场杀害了上千万中国人的战争中所犯下的一次最丧心病狂的罪行。 Their voices quivering with outrage, my parents characterized the Great Nanking Massacre, or Nanjing Datusha, as the single most diabolical incident committed by the Japanese in a war that killed more than 10 million Chinese people.
可能在半个世纪后，没人会在乎这事了，那些犯下罪行的人甚至会不承认，这简直太恐怖了。 Perhaps, half century later, no one would care, and the perpetrators might even say that never happened at all. It was horrifying.
我确实感到很紧迫，我担心如果时间拖得太长，很多声音会因为年老而永远消失。 I really thought there was an urgency here. I was afraid that if I waited too long, all the voices of the Rape of Nanking would be distinguished forever.
她似乎就是这个历史事件中的一员，用自己的切身感受、体会写出这本书来。她这本书不是用笔写的，是用心写的。
她在黑暗中，想象着遇难者的感觉，在脑海中她每天听到的故事串起一个个画面。在夜里，她坐在屋里，被一堆她看不见的图片包围着。看着墙上的一张张地图，想象着自己就在现场。 She was in the dark. Imagine how the victims felt and just try to internalize the story she heard each day. During the night, we would actually sit in a room surrounded by the pictures she couldn't see and the maps on the wall, trying to imagine she was there.
南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆前馆长段月萍负责联系并陪同张纯如走访幸存者； 江苏省行政学院历史学家杨夏鸣担任翻译； 江苏省社会科学院历史学家王衡星在图书馆和档案馆收集文字资料。
2021年4月1日，清明节前夕，侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆张纯如女士雕塑前摆满鲜花。图片来源：东方IC
过去，南京的暴行在西方已几乎被人们所忘记，所以，本书问世尤显重要。张小姐把它称作“被遗忘的大屠杀”，将二战期间在欧洲和亚洲发生的对数百万无辜者的屠杀联系在一起。 The Rape of Nanking has largely been forgotten in the West, hence the importance of this book. In calling it a "forgotten Holocaust," Ms. Chang draws connections between the slaughter in Europe and in Asia of millions of innocents during World War II.
任何对战争、自命正直和人类精神之间的关系感兴趣的人，都会发现该书的重要意义。它是一项充满学术精神的激动人心的研究，也是一本充满激情的著作。该书的很多章节令人不忍心读下去，但我们应该阅读，因为只有理解过去，才能更好地驾驭未来。 "Anyone interested in the relation between war, self-righteousness, and the human spirit will find The Rape of Nanking of fundamental importance. It is scholarly, an exciting investigation, and a work of passion. In places it is almost unbearable to read, but it should be read—only if the past is understood can the future be navigated."
我们没有在南京实施大屠杀，那些完全是中国人伪造出来的。 We did not commit any massacre in Nanjing in 1937. That was completely fabricated by the Chinese.
很多次，我开始痉挛性地颤抖，根本停不下来，好一阵子都停不下来。 I remember on various occasions, starting to tremble compulsively and not being able to stop. It will take some time before I stop shaking. 后来我注意到我开始脱发，在梳头发的时候都会有大片的头发脱落。 I also noticed tremendous hair loss. You know, just patches of hair disappearing.
