2019年经济学人 印度阶梯井(1)

 

Books & arts

来源于《图书和艺术》版块

Conservation in India

印度的保护

Liquid assets

流动资产

India’s neglected but magnificent stepwells are relics¹ of a nuanced history

印度被忽视但宏伟的阶梯井是一段微妙历史的遗迹

The story goes that devout² followers³ of Nizamuddin Auliya, a Sufi saint who lived from 1238 to 1325, had already begun work on his baoli or stepwell when Ghazi Malik, the new sultan of Delhi, ordered all projects to stop until the construction of an impregnable citadel⁴ for him was finished. Out of adoration⁵ for Nizamuddin, the labourers worked on the fortress⁶ by day and the baoli by night. Enraged⁷, Ghazi Malik banned the sale of oil for lamps—whereupon Nizamuddin blessed the well’s water and told his followers to use that instead. Miraculously⁸, it burned.

据说尼扎穆丁·奥利亚的虔诚追随者，是一位生活在1238年至1325年之间的苏菲派圣人，当德里的新苏丹加齐?马利克下令停止所有项目，只为他建造一座坚不可摧的城堡，这位追随者就已经开始他的baoli或称之为阶梯井的工作了。出于对尼扎穆丁的崇拜，工人们白天在堡垒上干活，晚上在为baoli干活。愤怒的加齐·马利克下令禁止销售油灯，于是尼扎穆丁为井水祈福，并告诉他的追随者改用井水。奇迹般地，竟也能燃烧。

Today, Nizamuddin remains⁹ one of South Asia’s most admired Sufi saints. His message of tolerance¹⁰ and humanity appeals in an age when political leaders preach communal¹¹ division. Not just Muslims but Hindus, Sikhs and Christians¹² flock to his dargah, or shrine¹³, in New Delhi, where qawwali songs of devotion are performed. Thousands crowd every day down the narrow, beggar-lined passageway that runs alongside the baoli on their way to strewing¹⁴ rose petals¹⁵ on the holy man’s tomb. Many pilgrims believe in the healing power of the baoli water.

今天，尼扎穆丁仍然是南亚最受尊敬的苏菲派圣人之一。在当今这个政治领导人鼓吹社会分裂的时代，他所传递的宽容和人道的信息颇具吸引力。不仅是穆斯林，印度教徒、锡克教徒和基督徒也纷纷涌向他在新德里的达迦或圣地，在那里人们唱着qawwali敬拜之歌。每天都有成千上万的人挤在包丽河边狭窄的、沿街乞讨的过道上，他们要把玫瑰花瓣撒在圣人的坟墓上。许多朝圣者相信baoli水的治疗作用。

Until recently that water was filthy¹⁶. The tank was full of rubbish; the neighbourhood’s raw sewage flowed into it. Worse, the structure, which is more than 160 feet (49 metres) deep, was in an advanced state of dilapidation¹⁷. One section of its walls of grey Delhi quartzite had collapsed¹⁸. Other parts were bulging¹⁹ alarmingly—and, for the dozens of families who had built homes atop them, perilously²⁰.

而之前那里的水都很脏，直到最近才有所好转。水箱里装满了垃圾；社区里未经处理的污水流入其中。更糟糕的是，这座超过160英尺(49米)深的建筑已经处于破损的晚期。其中一段灰色的德里石英岩墙已经倒塌。其他部分也在惊人地膨胀——对于那些在上面盖房子的几十个家庭来说，这是非常危险的。

1 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

2 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

3 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

4 citadel   

n.城堡；堡垒；避难所

参考例句：

• The citadel was solid.城堡是坚固的。
• This citadel is built on high ground for protecting the city.这座城堡建于高处是为保护城市。

5 adoration   

n.爱慕，崇拜

参考例句：

• He gazed at her with pure adoration.他一往情深地注视着她。
• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。

6 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

7 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

8 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

11 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

12 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

13 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

14 strewing   

v.撒在…上( strew的现在分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满

参考例句：

• What a mess! Look at the pajamas strewing on the bed. 真是乱七八糟！看看睡衣乱放在床上。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

15 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

17 dilapidation   

n.倒塌；毁坏

参考例句：

• Yet all this was apart from any extraordinary dilapidation.特别破落的样子倒也找不出。
• The farmhouse had fallen into a state of dilapidation.农舍落到了破败的境地。

18 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

19 bulging   

膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱

参考例句：

• Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
• Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她：“问问是不是重要的事。”

20 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网