2020年经济学人 《哈布斯堡家族》书评--异类(1)

Books  arts

来自文艺版块

Book review

书评

European history

欧洲历史

A breed apart

异类

The Habsburgs. By Martyn Rady.

《哈布斯堡家族》，作者：马丁·雷迪

There were early hints that the union of Philip of Habsburg with Juana the Mad in 1496 might not be a happy one. It says a lot about the aristocracy of the era that the main problem came less from the bride's line than from the groom's: Philip counted among his ancestors such unpromising genetic¹ material as Albert the Lame², Leopold the Fat and, in an age that excelled in the honest epithet³, Frederick of the Empty Pockets.

早期有迹象表明，1496年哈布斯堡家族的菲利普和胡安娜的结合可能并不愉快。它讲述了许多关于那个时代的贵族，很多人认为主要的问题不是来自新娘的血统，而是源于新郎的血统：在一个擅长诚实称呼的时代，菲利浦在盘点自己祖先时，把许多不乐观的遗传物质算在其中，比如跛子阿尔伯特，胖子利奥波德以及腓特烈四世。

Sure enough, the union proved disastrous⁴.Eventually its worst sufferer was Don Carlos, the couple's deformed⁵ and mentally delusional⁶ great-grandchild, in whom ancestral inbreedings echoed.The family anriously treated its young heir to the most sophisticated medical cures then available but, despite being made to share a bed with the wizened⁷ body of a mummified saint, Don Carlos did not recover. Nor did the reputation of the Habsburgs.

果然，这场结合被证明是灾难性的。最终，这对夫妇结合的最大受害者是唐·卡洛斯，他是他们的曾孙，患有畸形以及精神妄想症，祖辈的近亲繁殖回响在他身上。这个家族焦急地为年轻的继承人提供了当时最先进的医疗方法，但尽管被安排与一具干瘪的圣人的尸体同床共枕，但唐·卡洛斯并没有康复。哈布斯堡家族也声名狼藉。

Martyn Rady's new book is billed as "the definitive⁸ history" of the clan⁹. Not, it must be said, a hotly contested title. Once the names of Europe's most powerful families- the Bourbons and Battenbergs and Garibaldis-were known across the world. Today, beyond the biscuit tin, they are largely forgotten.

马丁雷迪的新书被誉为是这个家族的“不可更改的历史”。必须说，这不是一个竞争激烈的头衔。波旁家族、巴滕贝格斯家族和加里波第家族曾经是欧洲最有权势的家族，它们的名字闻名于世。今天，除了饼干罐，他们基本上被遗忘了。

Except, that is, for their eccentric matchmaking. If you have ever wondered why marrying your uncle is inadvisable, the Habsburgs can enlighten you. For centuries they experimented with marriages between first cousins, second cousins and cousins so multiply intertwined that the traditional familial vocabulary breaks down. A mother might double as a cousin; the wife of Leopold I referred to him throughout their marriage as "Uncle".

也就是说，除了他们家族古怪的婚配。如果你想知道为什么嫁给你叔叔是不可取的，哈布斯堡家族可以启发你。几个世纪以来，他们一直在尝试表亲、远房表亲之间进行婚姻、繁衍，以至于传统的家庭词汇被打破。一个母亲可以兼任表亲；利奥波德一世的妻子在他们的婚姻中称他为“叔叔”。

The result was less a family tree, branching and widening, than a convoluted¹⁰ web. At one point the mortality rate of Habsburg children reached 80%, four times the average of the time. Of those who lived, many were hideously¹¹ misshapen, with the infamous¹² drooping¹³ lip and jutting¹⁴ Habsburg jaw¹⁵. It is one of the abiding¹⁶ puzzles of European history that its aristocrats¹⁷, so good at breeding homes, should have been so bad at breeding themselves.

其结果与其说是一个分支和扩张的家谱，不如说是一个盘绕的网。哈布斯堡儿童死亡率一度达到80%，是当时平均水平的四倍。在那些活着的人中，许多人都有着可怕的畸形，有着臭名昭著的下垂的嘴唇和突出的哈布斯堡下巴。这是欧洲历史上一个永恒的谜团，为什么贵族们很善于养家，却如此不善于家庭繁衍。

1 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

2 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

3 epithet   

n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语

参考例句：

• In "Alfred the Great","the Great"is an epithet.“阿尔弗雷德大帝”中的“大帝”是个称号。
• It is an epithet that sums up my feelings.这是一个简洁地表达了我思想感情的形容词。

4 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

5 deformed   

adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的

参考例句：

• He was born with a deformed right leg.他出生时右腿畸形。
• His body was deformed by leprosy.他的身体因为麻风病变形了。

6 delusional   

妄想的

参考例句：

• You became delusional and attacked several people trying to escape. 你产生了错觉并攻击了许多人还试图逃走。 来自电影对白
• He is incoherent, delusional, suffering auditory hallucinations. 他出现无逻辑的，妄想的，幻听的症状。 来自电影对白

7 wizened   

adj.凋谢的；枯槁的

参考例句：

• That wizened and grotesque little old man is a notorious miser.那个干瘪难看的小老头是个臭名远扬的吝啬鬼。
• Mr solomon was a wizened little man with frizzy gray hair.所罗门先生是一个干瘪矮小的人，头发鬈曲灰白。

8 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

9 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

10 convoluted   

adj.旋绕的；复杂的

参考例句：

• The snake slithered through a convoluted path.蛇在羊肠小道上爬行。
• The policy is so convoluted even college presidents are confused.这项政策太令人费解，甚至连大学校长们也是一头雾水。

11 hideously   

adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地

参考例句：

• The witch was hideously ugly. 那个女巫丑得吓人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pitt's smile returned, and it was hideously diabolic. 皮特的脸上重新浮现出笑容，但却狰狞可怕。 来自辞典例句

12 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

13 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

14 jutting   

v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出

参考例句：

• The climbers rested on a sheltered ledge jutting out from the cliff. 登山者在悬崖的岩棚上休息。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldier saw a gun jutting out of some bushes. 那士兵看见丛林中有一枝枪伸出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

16 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

17 aristocrats   

n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many aristocrats were killed in the French Revolution. 许多贵族在法国大革命中被处死。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To the Guillotine all aristocrats! 把全部贵族都送上断头台！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记