VOA标准英语2010年-Iraq Exile Hopes Music Can Help Rebuil

Naseer Shamma, performing at the Iraqi embassy in Cairo, Egypt, demonstrates a one-handed technique he developed for a friend wounded in the Iran-Iraq war

With Iraq suffering from sectarian violence, lack of a new government and such basic services as electricity, the arts would seem far down the list of national priorities.   But one Iraqi, in self-imposed exile in Egypt, believes music is just as important in making the battered¹ country whole again.

 

Naseer Shamma delivers his unlikely message from the narrow alleys² in the Hussein district of Cairo.  It's not easy to find his House of Oud - a lute-like instrument - in the maze³ that makes up this ancient quarter.   But the sight of a young man, a distinctive⁴ case slung⁵ over his shoulder, proves a guide.  It's Saturday night, and he's on his way to take part in the revival⁶ of one of the Arab world's oldest forms of music.

The student joins his fellows in the courtyard of the House of Oud, where a dozen or so masters work on an especially difficult passage.  In a room nearby, beginners tackle simpler pieces.  Tucked into an adjacent hallway, a trio strum idly as they rest and talk.  They are young and old, men and women, students from Syria and Lebanon, Europe and Japan, even an American from Malaysia.

Shamma says this is his dream.  "This is the best bridge between us," he adds. "The best way [is] if we have different ways to meet each other."

Sitting in his office high up in the old house, Shamma is trim, youthful and exudes⁷ a serenity⁸ and joy that belies⁹ his past.  At 47,  he is of the generation thrown onto the frontlines of the horrific 1980's war between Iraq and Iran.  He spent 170 days in prison for allegedly slandering¹⁰ former leader Saddam Hussein. 

But, he says, nothing has hurt the social and cultural fabric¹¹ of his country more than the last seven years of the U.S.-led war.

He concedes that Saddam's rule was a dictatorship, and that danger was rife¹².  But nobody, he says, would ask about religion, everybody lived together, with good relations.  "Now, this is after the occupation," he says, "everything, it's destroyed."

Shamma says he believes that the strength of the Iraqi people will prevail, to rediscover what he calls the nation's "cultural vigor¹³."   But he refuses to return to his homeland until American forces leave.

He makes vicarious visits via the Iraqi Embassy in Cairo, where officials seem to share his belief in the power of culture.  Despite the pressing problem of no government back in Baghdad, the ambassador makes time to inaugurate a series of cultural salons¹⁴, luring¹⁵ Iraqi and Egyptian intellectuals on a recent evening with a performance by Shamma.

In the garden of a former royal palace, Shamma leads a small orchestra, or takht, in playing both traditional pieces and those of his own composition.  At one point during the concert, he plays the oud with a single hand.  It's a method he perfected to help a friend who lost his hand in the Iran-Iraq war and can be used by anyone with such a disability.

It's but a small part of Shamma's efforts to help others.  His concerts raise money for U.N. refugee programs and to sponsor Iraqi children getting medical help abroad.   And in keeping with his overriding¹⁶ belief in music as a way to bring people together, he has established music schools across North Africa, in the Palestinian territories and Sudan.  He hopes that by next year, there will be Houses of Oud in Iraq.

He is also always on the lookout¹⁷ for new talent.   During a break from rehearsal¹⁸, Oud player Youssef Abbas explains how, on a television show in his native Iraq, he boastfully challenged Shamma.  The master rose to the occasion and invited him to study in Cairo.  At 14, Youssef is one of the younger musicians at the House of Oud.

Syrian buzuq-player Jwan al-Farhan showed his eagerness more dramatically, defying orders from his commander in the Syrian army, to sneak¹⁹ out of his barrack to hear Shamma play.   His devotion landed him in prison, and later, an invitation to Cairo.

These are the stories that make Shamma convinced he made the right decision 13 years ago, when he chose Cairo over London as his new home base.  He was convinced by supporters in Egypt that Arab music should be based in the Arab world, while welcoming all others who want to come and learn and share. 

"There is a very great tradition in Arab houses in general," he says. "They enjoy so much the people coming to the house."   His idea is to make the House of Oud open for everybody.   With a laugh surprisingly free of bitterness, he adds, but only if they come as a friend, not an occupier.
 

1 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

2 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

3 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

4 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

5 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

6 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

7 exudes   

v.缓慢流出，渗出，分泌出( exude的第三人称单数 )；流露出对（某物）的神态或感情

参考例句：

• The plant exudes a sticky fluid. 这种植物分泌出一种黏液。
• She exudes sexual magnetism. 她洋溢着女性的魅力。

8 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

9 belies   

v.掩饰( belie的第三人称单数 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎

参考例句：

• His appearance belies him. 他的外貌给人以假象。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The modesty of their home belies their great wealth. 他们简朴的家使人们看不出他们拥有巨额财富。 来自辞典例句

10 slandering   

[法]口头诽谤行为

参考例句：

• He's a snake in the grass. While pretending to be your friend he was slandering you behind your back. 他是个暗敌， 表面上装作是你的朋友，背地里却在诽谤你。
• He has been questioned on suspicion of slandering the Prime Minister. 他由于涉嫌诽谤首相而受到了盘问。

11 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

12 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

13 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

14 salons   

n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅

参考例句：

• He used to attend to his literary salons. 他过去常常去参加他的文学沙龙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Conspiracy theories about Jewish financiers were the talk of Paris salons. 犹太金融家阴谋论成为巴黎沙龙的话题。 来自互联网

15 luring   

吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
• Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她：有危险，要出错儿，这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。

16 overriding   

a.最主要的

参考例句：

• Development is of overriding importance. 发展是硬道理
• My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education. 我最关心的是提高国民教育水平。

17 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

18 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

19 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。