纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 070复活节岛雕像（8）

 

All the key elements of this later ritual are present in our statue. They're carved on the back. They must have been added several hundred years after the statue was first made, and the carving¹ style here could hardly be more different from the front. It's in low relief, the scale is small, and the sculptor² has tried to accommodate a large range of disparate detail. Each shoulder blade has been turned into a symbol of the Birdman - two frigate³ birds with human arms and feet face each other, their beaks⁴ touching⁵ at the back of the statue's neck. On the back of the statue's head are two stylised canoe paddles, each with what looks like a miniature version of our statue's face at the upper end, and between the paddles is a standing⁶ bird. It's thought to be a sooty tern, whose eggs were so central to the Birdman ritual. This carving could never have been very legible as sculpture. We know it was originally painted in bright colours, so that this cluster of very potent⁷ symbols could be easily recognised and understood. Now, without its colour, the carving looks to my eyes feeble, fussy⁸, diminished - a confused and timid postscript⁹ to the confident vigour¹⁰ of the front.

这一后期宗教仪式中的所有元素都包含在这座雕像里，刻在它的背部。这些图案应该是在雕像制成数百年后添加的，其风格与石像正面截然不同，为较小的浅浮雕，雕刻者显然试图同时表现迥异的风格。石像两侧的肩胛骨上各有一个鸟人的标志，这两只军舰鸟长着人类的胳膊，爪尖相对，喙碰触着石像的后颈。在石像的后脑上有两支极具风格的船桨，手柄上带有类似石像脸孔的图案。船桨中间站着的鸟一般认为是小乌燕鸥，它的蛋正是仪式的核心所在。这种石像背后的雕刻一向难以辨认。我们知道它曾被刷上鲜艳的颜色，更好辨认也更易于理解，但如今颜色褪去之后，它在我眼里显得繁杂而无力。和自信而充满活力的正面相比，后面简直是混乱而又怯懦的补充。

 

1 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

2 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

3 frigate   

n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰

参考例句：

• An enemy frigate bore down on the sloop.一艘敌驱逐舰向这只护航舰逼过来。
• I declare we could fight frigate.我敢说我们简直可以和一艘战舰交战。

4 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

5 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

6 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。

7 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

8 fussy   

adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的

参考例句：

• He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
• The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

9 postscript   

n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明

参考例句：

• There was the usual romantic postscript at the end of his letter.他的信末又是一贯的浪漫附言。
• She mentioned in a postscript to her letter that the parcel had arrived.她在信末附笔中说包裹已寄到。

10 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。