2021年经济学人 《伦敦黏土：城市深处之旅》书评

London Clay: Journeys in the Deep City. By Tom Chivers.

《伦敦黏土：城市深处之旅》，作者：汤姆·奇弗斯。

In 1858, London was hit by the “Great Stink” after the banks of the Thames became clogged¹ with raw sewage.

1858年，泰晤士河沿岸被未经处理的污水堵塞，伦敦遭受了“大恶臭”的袭击。

Exacerbated² by a heatwave, the stench was overpowering.

热浪加剧了恶臭，令人难以忍受。

To dispel³ it — and the threat of cholera⁴ — Joseph Bazalgette, a civil engineer, created a sewer⁵ system that, although decrepit⁶, is still in use today.

为了消除恶臭——以及霍乱的威胁——土木工程师约瑟夫·巴泽尔杰特创造出了一种污水管道系统，虽已老旧，但至今仍在使用。

As part of this Victorian megaproject, the Fleet river, by then little more than an open drain, was encased in cement and lost to public view.

舰队河作为这项维多利亚时代巨型工程的一部分，当时还只是一个露天排水沟，它被用水泥包裹起来，从公众视野中消失了。

More than a century and a half after the stream disappeared, most Londoners are unlikely to have heard of it, or to know that, where it joined the Thames, the Fleet was once almost 100 metres wide.

在这条河消失了一个半世纪之后，大多数伦敦人很可能都没听说过它，也不太可能知道，在它与泰晤士河交汇的地方，曾有近100米宽的舰队。

Residents might also be surprised to learn that Westminster Abbey, where monarchs⁷ and other worthies⁸ are interred⁹, was built on what in the 13th century was an island.

居民们可能还会惊讶地得知，威斯敏斯特教堂是在13世纪的一座岛屿上修建的，那里埋葬着君主和其他显贵。

The city is littered with such transformations¹⁰ and unexpected tales.

这个城市充满了这样的变化和意想不到的故事。

In “London Clay” Tom Chivers delves¹¹ into the capital’s streets and uncovers some of these stories.

在《伦敦黏土》一书中，汤姆·奇弗斯深入研究了伦敦的街道，揭开了其中的一些故事。

Much of his journey is conducted above ground, but in one passage he descends¹² to the “malodorous” Fleet, wisely clothed head-to-toe in protective gear.

他的大部分旅程都是在地面上进行的，但其中有一段，他向下到达了“恶臭”舰队，明智地从头到脚穿戴上了防护装备。

He finds sweeter aromas¹³ pursuing the Ambrook river in a wood in south London, and intrigue¹⁴ in the basement of a government building where the Tyburn is rumoured¹⁵ to bubble up.

他溯安布鲁克河而行在伦敦南部的树林里发现芳香，对政府大楼的地下室产生了兴趣，传言泰伯恩就是从那里冒出来的。

Forgotten waterways are not his only interest: he stomps¹⁶ around Bermondsey, once surrounded by marshes¹⁷, and peers into a sinkhole, the site of an abandoned Tube station.

被遗忘的水道并不是他唯一的兴趣所在：他在曾经被沼泽包围的伯蒙德赛漫步，凝视着一个天坑，那里是一个废弃地铁站所在的地方。

A lifelong Londoner (and a poet), Mr Chivers knows the local history and geography well.

奇弗斯毕生都是伦敦人(也是一位诗人)，他对当地的历史和地理了如指掌。

His book bounces back from Jack¹⁸ the Ripper to Geoffrey Chaucer by way of Elizabethan theatre, taking in asides on the mishmash of contemporary architecture and the idiosyncrasies of passers-by.

他的书在各主题间反复横跳，经由伊丽莎白时代的戏剧，从开膛手杰克到杰弗里·乔叟，对当代建筑大杂烩和奇异路人进行剖析。

A memorable¹⁹ assortment²⁰ of modern-day characters includes environmentalists, a youth worker and a Roman Catholic priest.

描绘了令人难忘的现代人物，包括环保主义者、青年工人和罗马天主教牧师。

The drifting focus is sometimes discombobulating, at other times charming.

这种飘忽不定的焦点有时令人不安，有时又令人着迷。

The book’s anchor is what lies beneath.

这本书的支柱就是隐藏在下面的东西。

As its title suggests, London’s geology is dominated by clay, along with sand and gravel²¹ in the river valley’s bedrock.

正如书名所示，伦敦的地质以黏土为主，以及河谷基岩中的沙石。

Mr Chivers overlays a street map with colours representing the different substrata — “half eccentric artwork, half primary-school science project” — which becomes a springboard for his digressions.

奇弗斯先生用代表不同底层结构的不同颜色，描绘出一张街道地图——“既像古怪的艺术品，又像小学的科学项目”——这成了他离题的跳板。

Quirks²² of geology may not interest everyone, but his travel-book-cum-memoir will open readers’ eyes to what is around and below them.

也许不是每个人都对地质学的奇特之处感兴趣，但他的游记兼回忆录将开阔读者的眼界，让他们看到周围的以及地下的东西。

Its delight in exploration is matched by a thoughtful meditation²³ on grief.

在书中，探索的喜悦与悲伤的沉思相互交融。

Mr Chivers reflects on the death of his mother when he was a teenager, visiting her grave and recalling her efforts to preserve the site of a 16th-century theatre.

奇弗斯回忆起他十几岁时母亲去世时的情景，拜访母亲的坟墓，回忆起她为保护一处16世纪剧院遗址所做的努力。

He likens the scars of his sorrow to the flow of a river you cannot see: “It remains²⁴, the trace of a buried channel, and gives its form to the land that is your life after loss.”

他把自己悲伤的伤痕比作一条看不见的河流：“它依然存在，留下一条深埋的沟渠的痕迹，在这片土地上被赋予形态，这就是失去后的生活。”

1 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

2 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

4 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

5 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

6 decrepit   

adj.衰老的，破旧的

参考例句：

• The film had been shot in a decrepit old police station.该影片是在一所破旧不堪的警察局里拍摄的。
• A decrepit old man sat on a park bench.一个衰弱的老人坐在公园的长凳上。

7 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分

8 worthies   

应得某事物( worthy的名词复数 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征

参考例句：

• The world is peopled with worthies, and workers, useful and clever. 世界上住着高尚的人，劳动的人，有用又聪明。
• The former worthies have left us a rich cultural heritage. 前贤给我们留下了丰富的文化遗产。

9 interred   

v.埋，葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. 玛丽·居里的遗体被移出葬在先贤祠中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The body was interred at the cemetery. 遗体埋葬在公墓里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 transformations   

n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换

参考例句：

• Energy transformations go on constantly, all about us. 在我们周围，能量始终在不停地转换着。 来自辞典例句
• On the average, such transformations balance out. 平均起来，这种转化可以互相抵消。 来自辞典例句

11 delves   

v.深入探究，钻研( delve的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That delves the grave duly. 误不了你的洞房。 来自互联网
• The exhibition delves deep into the physics, aromatics and even the timbre of flatulence. 此次展览向人们介绍了人体物理、气味甚至肠胃胀气的声音等各方面知识。 来自互联网

12 descends   

v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite. 这个节日起源于宗教仪式。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The path descends steeply to the village. 小路陡直而下直到村子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 aromas   

n.芳香( aroma的名词复数 )；气味；风味；韵味

参考例句：

• Intoxicating earth aromas induced lassitude and ethereal calm. 泥土的醉人的芳香叫人懒洋洋的，感到一种远离尘世的宁静。 来自辞典例句
• Nose and elegant nose with attractive fruity, floral and citrus fruit aromas. 芳香：优雅、馥郁、迷人的柑橘属水果的果香及花的清香。 来自互联网

14 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

15 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

16 stomps   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This one ends the world, stomps on it, grinds it up and spits it out. 这一部又把世界给终结了，践踏了地球，还碾压她，然后再把她吐出来。 来自互联网

17 marshes   

n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cows were grazing on the marshes. 牛群在湿地上吃草。
• We had to cross the marshes. 我们不得不穿过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

19 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

20 assortment   

n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集

参考例句：

• This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全，任君选择。
• She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。

21 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

22 quirks   

n.奇事，巧合( quirk的名词复数 )；怪癖

参考例句：

• One of his quirks is that he refuses to travel by train. 他的怪癖之一是不愿乘火车旅行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All men have their own quirks and twists. 人人都有他们自己的怪癖和奇想。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

23 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

24 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。