经济学人92:生命的终点 The end of the line

 　　Books and Arts; Book Review; Death and mourning; The end of the line;

　　文艺；书评；死亡与哀悼;生命的终点站;

　　“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” mused¹ Benjamin Franklin. With death, at least, humans have devised myriad² ways to deal with the inevitable³, from the practicalities of disposing the body to the grief of losing a loved one. In her new book “Making an Exit”, Sarah Murray, a contributor to the Financial Times, travels the globe to discover how different cultures conduct funeral rites⁴ and honour the dead.

　　本杰明·富兰克林曾沉思，“在这个世界上，除了死亡和税收，没有什么是确定无疑的”。面对死亡，人类至少已经想过无数种方式来应对这一无法回避的现实，从安置尸体的实际操作到失去所爱的悲痛之心。金融时报撰稿人Sarah Murray曾游历世界各地，在她的新书《退出》中探索了不同文化背景的人们是如何举行葬礼以纪念逝者。

　　A morbid⁵ subject, perhaps. But as Ms Murray's book reveals, it is a peculiarly British habit to quarantine death with “pragmatism, etiquette⁶ and control”. Other cultures have a more comfortable relationship with the deceased, and even commune with the spirits of ancestors. Funerals are not always solemn affairs.

　　这或许是个有点病态的话题。但是正如Murray女士在书中所呈现的，习惯将死亡和“实用主义、礼节规矩、和镇定自若”这些词隔离开只是一种英国独有的怪癖。相比之下，在其他的文化信仰中，人们对待逝者则要轻松许多，甚至会和祖先的灵魂有所交流。葬礼不总是件严肃庄重的事情。

　　A self-described “child of globalisation”, Ms Murray has led a nomadic⁷ life. Having lived and worked on four continents, she is now based in New York—the depot⁸ of choice for those who pine for immortality⁹. She undertook this globetrotting adventure for two reasons: to feed her wanderlust and to ponder her own final resting place. The death of her father, and his clear orders for an unfussy, secular¹⁰ send-off, prompted Ms Murray to consider her own long goodbye. The result is not only a fascinating travelogue¹¹, but also a personal meditation¹² on loss and fate.

　　Murray女士过着流浪般的生活，所以她自称是个“全球化的孩子”。她之前在四个大洲生活工作过，现在定居纽约。对于渴望永生不朽的人们来说，纽约将是个理想圣地。她着手这趟全球旅行是有两个原因：一是满足她的旅行癖，二是考虑自己最终的安息之地。她父亲的去世，以及他生前要求简单的、非宗教的送行仪式，这一切促使Murray开始考虑起她自己的后事。这本书不仅是一本奇妙的旅游日志，也是一次个人对死亡和命运的思考。

　　Ms Murray excels in the role of intrepid¹³ tour guide. She has an inviting¹⁴ way of taking readers by the hand to explore new cultures and places. Unfortunately she is less strong when she turns her gaze back at herself. Some anecdotes¹⁵ feel like a distraction—readers may wonder at the relevance¹⁶ of her hairdresser's great aunt's cremation¹⁷, or of her bout¹⁸ of food poisoning in China. But if you are prepared to meander¹⁹ and occasionally indulge, then there is a wealth to discover within these pages.

　　Murray女士在这趟旅行中出色地饰演了勇敢的向导一角。她用引人入胜的方式带领读者去探索新鲜的文化和地方。遗憾的是当她再过头来看自己的书，内容就没有那么精彩了。一些趣闻似乎有些跑题：读者或许会好奇她美发店的婶祖母火化，还有她在中国食物中毒这些事情和主题有什么相关。但是如果你准备好时不时地翻一两页书或者偶尔沉浸于书中的话，那么你将会在这本书中获益匪浅。

　　The Balinese have the most extravagant²⁰ funeral rites. They spend weeks creating elaborate pyres, often in the shape of a sacred bull, and burn their coffin-sheathed dead in joyous²¹ public ceremonies. Crying is frowned upon, as they believe this may hinder the spirit from reaching heaven. Conversely, the Shia Muslims in Iran embrace grief. They hold an annual ceremony of public weeping and wailing²² to commemorate²³ the martyrdom in 680AD of Imam Husayn, grandson of Muhammad.

　　巴里岛的火葬仪式是最为奢华隆重的。他们要花费几个星期的时间搭建复杂精致的柴堆（通常搭成圣牛的形状），然后在热闹的公众仪式中火化躺在灵柩中的逝者。哭泣是不允许的，因为人们相信这样可能会阻碍逝者的灵魂抵达天堂。相反地，伊朗的什叶派穆斯林则会尽情表达自己的悲痛。他们每年举行公众仪式纪念公元680年殉难的穆罕穆德的孙子——伊玛目?侯赛因，仪式中他们痛哭流涕。

　　Pragmatism informs many funerary practices. The Zoroastrians in Iran, for example, traditionally leave corpses²⁴ in towers for vultures to devour²⁵, so the bodies do not pollute the soil. Cremation is becoming more popular around the world, not only because land for cemeteries²⁶ is increasingly rare and expensive, but also because ashes are easily transported. This is important in an ever globalised world, as for most people “the desire to be buried at home is the strongest”.

　　实用主义影响着很多葬礼的风俗习惯。比如说，伊朗的拜火教按照传统将尸体放在高塔之上，让秃鹰啄食吃光，这样人的躯体就不会腐蚀土壤。火葬在全世界越来越受欢迎，不仅仅是因为墓地的持续紧缺，而且价格上涨，同时也是因为骨灰更容易运输。在不断全球化的世界中，这一点对于大多数强烈渴望落叶归根的人们非常重要。

　　But most practices are shaped by religious beliefs and a faith in the afterlife. The Chinese keep shrines²⁷ to the dead in their homes, and burn paper offerings to encourage the spirits to bestow²⁸ good fortune on the living. Communities from Chile to Egypt to Sicily have mummified their dead to preserve the body for the afterlife. Ms Murray visits some particularly ghoulish mummies, dressed but withered²⁹, in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo. For Hindus, though, the body is just a vehicle for the soul. In India the dying make pilgrimages to sacred sites, such as Varanasi, to be cremated³⁰ and released into the River Ganges, India's holiest waterway. This is so the dead can achieve moksha—breaking the cycle of birth, death and rebirth to gain enlightenment. The cremation ghats in Varanasi burn day and night.

　　但是大多数风俗习惯深受宗教信仰和来世之说的影响。中国将神龛保存在逝者的家中，而且烧纸糊的祭品，祈求逝者的灵魂可以保佑生者。像智利、埃及，还有西西里（意大利），那里的人们都会将死者做成木乃伊，为来世保存好躯体。Murray女士在巴勒莫（意大利）嘉布遣会修士陵墓里参观过一些特别恐怖的木乃伊。他们穿戴整齐，但是干瘪枯槁。对于印度人来说，躯体只是灵魂的载体。在印度，死亡就是前往圣地（像瓦腊纳西）的远游，火化后将骨灰撒在印度最神圣的水上航道——恒河中。这样逝者即可得以解脱——超脱生而死，死而再生的轮回，获得开悟。在瓦腊纳西，火葬的河岸石梯上日夜都在焚烧着尸体。

　　Rituals for the dead are “hooks on which to hang our behaviour”, says Ms Murray. They help the living to make sense of loss. Death may be hard to contemplate³¹, but this book is as much about the journey as it is about the last stop.

　　Murray女士说，葬礼是“悬着人类行为方式的挂钩”。这些仪式帮助生者懂得失去的意义。死亡也许很难让人接受，但是这本书不仅谈论死亡，而且也会涉及很多有关旅行的话题。

1 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

2 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

3 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

4 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

5 morbid   

adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的

参考例句：

• Some people have a morbid fascination with crime.一些人对犯罪有一种病态的痴迷。
• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like.不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。

6 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。

7 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

8 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

9 immortality   

n.不死，不朽

参考例句：

• belief in the immortality of the soul 灵魂不灭的信念
• It was like having immortality while you were still alive. 仿佛是当你仍然活着的时候就得到了永生。

10 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

11 travelogue   

n.游记；旅行见闻

参考例句：

• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache.马可·波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。
• The book adds up to a readable,sociopolitical travelogue of America.总的看，这是一部尚可一读的描述美国社会和政治的游记。

12 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。

13 intrepid   

adj.无畏的，刚毅的

参考例句：

• He is not really satisfied with his intrepid action.他没有真正满意他的无畏行动。
• John's intrepid personality made him a good choice for team leader.约翰勇敢的个性适合作领导工作。

14 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

15 anecdotes   

n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor 关于他短暂演员生涯的趣闻逸事
• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman. 他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

17 cremation   

n.火葬，火化

参考例句：

• Cremation is more common than burial in some countries. 在一些国家，火葬比土葬普遍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Garbage cremation can greatly reduce the occupancy of land. 垃圾焚烧可以大大减少占用土地。 来自互联网

18 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

19 meander   

n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈

参考例句：

• Visitors and locals alike meander along the sidewalks of the Seine River.游客与当地人沿着塞纳河岸漫步聊天。
• They tumble down mountainsides and meander through flat farmlands.它们滚滚冲下山脊，蜿蜒穿过平坦的农田。

20 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

21 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

22 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。

23 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

24 corpses   

n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

25 devour   

v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷

参考例句：

• Larger fish devour the smaller ones.大鱼吃小鱼。
• Beauty is but a flower which wrinkle will devour.美只不过是一朵，终会被皱纹所吞噬。

26 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

27 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

28 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

29 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

30 cremated   

v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句

31 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。