TED演讲:达顿解释达尔文主义的美的理论(8)

Except, of course, what's interesting about this is that we can't be sure how that idea was conveyed,

当然，有趣的是，我们无法确认这样的观点是如何传播的，

because the Homo erectus that made these objects did not have language.

因为制作这些物品的直立人没有语言。

It's hard to grasp, but it's an incredible fact.

这很难理解，但这也是难以置信的事实。

This object was made by a hominid ancestor, Homo erectus or Homo ergaster, between 50,000 and 100,000 years before language.

这一物品是在语言出现之前的5万年前至10万年前由原始人类祖先--直立人或匠人--制作出来的。

Stretching over a million years, the hand axe¹ tradition is the longest artistic² tradition in human and proto-human history.

延绵超过一百万年，手斧传统是人类和原始人历史上最长时间的艺术传统。

By the end of the hand axe epic³, Homo sapiens -- as they were then called, finally

在手斧世代结束的时候，智人--最终以此来称呼他们，

were doubtless finding new ways to amuse and amaze each other by, who knows,

毫无疑问的找到了相互娱乐的新方法，谁知道呢，

telling jokes, storytelling, dancing, or hairstyling.

通过讲笑话，讲故事、跳舞或美发。

Yes, hairstyling -- I insist on that.

是的，美发--我坚持这点。

For us moderns, virtuoso⁴ technique is used to create imaginary worlds in fiction and in movies,

对我们现代人来说，精湛的技术用于在小说和电影中创造想象中的世界，

to express intense emotions with music, painting and dance.

用音乐、绘画和舞蹈来表达强烈的情感。

But still, one fundamental trait of the ancestral personality persists in our aesthetic⁵ cravings:

但尽管如此，这种古人的基本品质保留在我们的审美渴望中：

the beauty we find in skilled performances.

我们在技巧性表现中发现的美。

From Lascaux to the Louvre to Carnegie Hall, human beings have a permanent innate⁶ taste for virtuoso displays in the arts.

从拉斯科洞窟到罗浮宫，再到卡耐基音乐厅，人类对艺术中的精湛技巧有种自发的永恒的欣赏。

We find beauty in something done well.

我们在绝世制作的事物中发现美。

1 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

2 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

3 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

4 virtuoso   

n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手

参考例句：

• He was gaining a reputation as a remarkable virtuoso.作为一位技艺非凡的大师，他声誉日隆。
• His father was a virtuoso horn player who belonged to the court orchestra.他的父亲是宫廷乐队中一个技巧精湛的圆号演奏家。

5 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

6 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。