纪录片《文明》 第125期 艺术的胜利（2）

between Islamic East and Christian¹ West.

和西方基督教相互影响

But for the imaginative freedom of the artists themselves,

但对于东西方的艺术家们来说

the future awaiting them, East or West,

等待着他们的未来

could hardly have been more different.

与他们所想象的自由完全不同

Whenever something profound happens,

凡是那种意义重大

which propels civilisation² forward, it usually happens,

推动文明进步的事件发生 通常而言

not through isolated³ sparks of invention in one city or state

都不是发生在某个零星城市或国家

but through the spur of competition.

而是通过竞争 互相激励

Competition across time,

不仅是纵向时间上

going one better than the ancients,

和古代的竞争

but competition across borders, too,

也是横向国家之间的竞争

even when those borders divided warring cultures.

甚至是那些文化互不相容的国家

So it was with the renaissances

穆斯林世界和基督教世界的

in the Muslim and Christian worlds.

文艺复兴就是如此

1,000 miles apart, in Rome and Istanbul,

相距一千六百多公里的罗马和伊斯坦布尔

two old men - Michelangelo and the Turk Mimar Sinan

有两位老人 米开朗基罗和米马尔.希南

both veteran builders were competing for the same prize.

他们同样建筑经验丰富 竞争着同一份荣耀

To outdo what, for almost a millennium⁴,

都想让自己的作品超越近千年来

had been regarded as the greatest house of God

被公推为世界上最宏伟建筑的

in the world.

神之殿堂

The Hagia Sophia.

圣索菲亚大教堂

Commissioned by the Emperor Justinian

六世纪早期 皇帝查士丁尼一世

in the early sixth century,

下令建造了这座教堂

the Byzantine basilica was the greatest architectural

这座拜占庭大教堂是基督教早期

achievement of the early Christian church.

最伟大的建筑成就

"Its dome," Wrote one scholar,

一位学者写道

"Seemed not to be founded on masonry⁵ at all,

"它的穹顶仿佛不是建在石砌上

"But suspended from heaven itself."

而是延伸自天堂"

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

3 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

4 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

5 masonry   

n.砖土建筑；砖石

参考例句：

• Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
• The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。