世界小史 第86期:圣地

 All we have are little paintings on pottery¹ – on vases and urns².

我们只见到陶制器皿上、花瓶上和坛子上的小型画像。

Their loveliness tells us what we have lost.

这些画像如此之美以至我们能够想象得出来我们丧失了什么。

However, the temples are still standing³. Even in Athens.

但神庙今日犹在。它们仍矗立在雅典。

And best of all, the citadel⁴ of Athens is still there – the Acropolis – where new sanctuaries⁵ made of marble were erected⁶ in the time of Pericles,

雅典的城堡——卫城如今还在——伯里克利时期人们在这城堡上建了新的大理石圣地，

because the old ones had been burnt and destroyed by the Persians while the Athenians watched from the island of Salamis.

因为旧的圣地在雅典人在驻守萨拉米斯岛上的时候被波斯人烧毁了。

The Acropolis still contains the most beautiful buildings we know.

今天卫城仍还是我们所见到的建筑物中最美的。

Not the grandest, or the most splendid.

那里根本就没有什么特别大或特别豪华的东西。

Simply the most beautiful.

只因为它最美。

Every detail is so clear and so simple that one cannot imagine it otherwise.

每一个细部都雕塑得如此清楚和简单，致使人们不会把它想象成另外的样子。

All the forms which the Greeks employed in these buildings were to be used again and again in architecture.

所有这些希腊人在那里曾使用过的式样从此以后在建筑艺术中一直一再被运用。

You will find Greek columns – of which there are several kinds – in almost every city of the world, once you have learnt to recognize them.

你看希腊式柱子——它们有各种式样，你只要注意观察，你就几乎会在世界上的每个城市见到它们。

But none of them is as beautiful as those on the Acropolis where they are used not for show and decoration but for the purpose for which they were invented: as elegant supports for the roof.

当然它们哪儿也不如雅典卫城的那样美，那里的柱子不是用做装饰和点缀，而是具有实用的价值：为了当作造型美丽的支柱支撑屋顶。

1 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

2 urns   

n.壶( urn的名词复数 )；瓮；缸；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• Wine utensils unearthed include jars, urns, pots, bowls and cups. 发掘出的酒器皿有瓶、瓮、罐、壶、碗和杯子。 来自互联网
• Ernie yearned to learn to turn urns. 呕尼渴望学会转咖啡壶。 来自互联网

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

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 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句

6 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。