纪录片《凡尔赛宫》 21晚年时光究竟怎样才算完美

As Louis grew old and frail¹,

随着路易变老衰弱

he fell ever more under the influence of his devout² wife,

他越加受到虔诚妻子的影响

and now shunned³ the lavish⁴ amusements

并避免他过去终日

that had once filled his beloved palace.

沉湎其中的奢靡享乐

I think Versailles became a chilly⁵,

当德·曼特侬掌控路易后

tedious place in many respects

凡尔赛宫变得

once De Maintenon got Louis into her grip.

冰冷而乏味

It became this sort of rather dreary⁶ world

宫殿沉闷枯燥

where whatever the King of France was doing,

无论国王在做什么

you could set your watch by,

只要你调好钟表

you could look at a clock at any hour of the day

在任何时候看一眼

and know exactly where Louis was,

就会知道国王在哪里

and his whole life became this,

他的生活变成了

this endless choreography of etiquette⁷ and ritual,

一段又一段无尽的宗教礼仪排演

with Madame De Maintenon sitting there in the corner

德·曼特侬夫人坐在角落里

like some sort of holy spider watching it all.

如同暗中观察的圣蜘蛛

Maintenon was a comfort to Louis when he needed it the most.

曼特侬在路易最需要时给予他安慰

Illness took the life of many members of his family,

他的许多家人被疾病夺走生命

including a son and grandson,

包括一子一孙

and he was haunted by the legacy⁸ of his wars.

他还被战后的阴影困扰

I think Louis was a tragic⁹ figure in his final days.

路易的晚年很不幸

I think the tragedy began with the sudden deaths

他的悲剧始于

of so many of his nearest and dearest.

许多挚爱亲近的人突然辞世

Louis had Maintenon by his side,

尽管路易有曼特侬的陪伴

but she said about him

她说他偶尔在

that sometimes he would be alone with her, he'd shut the doors

与她独处时关上门

and then he would just weep about the way things had gone.

然后为物是人非而流泪

I think it was a very sad old age, you know,

他的晚年非常悲伤

outliving his descendents, and having led France into these wars,

他比后代长寿 让法国遭受战乱

which seemed wonderful when he was winning them

当他战胜时皆大欢喜

and became ghastly when he wasn't.

而失败后又截然不同

1 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

2 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

3 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

5 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

6 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

7 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。