纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 034中国汉族漆杯(4)

Fostering that sense of an imagined community was a key Imperial strategy-and it didn't come cheap. Typically, the emperor paid out a large chunk¹ of state revenue every year to provide allies and vassal² states with luxury gifts, including thousands of rolls of silk and hundreds of lacquer cups. So, our cup is very much part of a system-it was given either as an Imperial gift or in lieu of a salary, to a senior official at the Han military garrisons³ near present day Pyongyang in North Korea. We can be pretty sure that, apart from its sheer monetary⁴ value, it was intended to bestow⁵ prestige and to suggest a personal link between the commander and the emperor.

给人民一种“想象的共同体”的归属感是巩固帝国的重要策略，但这种归属感代价高昂。皇帝每年都要花费大量税收赠送珍贵的礼物给盟国和属国，包括成千匹丝绸及数百件漆器。因此，我们这只漆杯是帝国体系的一部分，被当作礼物（或某种形式的俸禄）送给了驻扎在今朝鲜平壤附近的一位高级官员。除了货币价值之外，它还代表着荣耀，体现出皇帝与官员之间的亲密关系。

At this point in the Han's history, however, the affairs of state were not in the hands of the emperor but of the dowager empress, the formidable Grand Empress Dowager Wang, who effectively ran the state for 30 years, as none of the emperors had much time for business. She had one emperor son-who spent most of his time with his concubine, Flying Swallow, who, it was said, was so light that she could dance on the palm of his hand-one grandson emperor-who was besotted with his male lover-and another grandson the one on the throne at the time of our cup, who had acceded⁶ at the age of nine, and was to be poisoned with pepper wine at the age of fifteen, two years after our cup was made. So this cup lived in interesting times, and its making was almost certainly organised by the Grand Dowager Empress.

但在当时的汉朝，国家事务并非由皇帝掌管，太皇太后独揽了朝政大权。这位太后实际掌管了朝政三十余年，因为当时的几个皇帝要么平庸无能，要么沉迷声色。她的儿子成帝与妃子赵飞燕（相传体态轻盈，能在皇帝的掌上舞蹈）终日厮混，一位皇孙沉迷男色，另一位皇孙九岁即位，十五岁便被人用酒鴆杀，就在本文中的酒杯制成两年之后。因此，这个酒杯一定是在太皇太后的授意下制作的。

The machinery⁷ of the state, and the production of luxury goods, was so well structured that it could work perfectly⁸ well despite any foibles at the top. This cup is remarkable⁹ for the supreme¹⁰ craftsmanship¹¹ of its making, and even more so because it was subjected to a level of quality control that far exceeds any designer handbag today.

尽管宫闱中丑闻不断，但当时的国家机器运行良好，包括奢侈品制作在内的一切仍在有条不紊地进行。我们的耳杯除了有登峰造极的制作工艺之外，对其生产品质的监管甚至超过了今天的许多奢侈品。

1 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

2 vassal   

n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的

参考例句：

• Wales was a vassal kingdom at that time.那时威尔士是个附庸国。
• The vassal swore that he would be loyal to the king forever.这位封臣宣誓他将永远忠诚于国王。

3 garrisons   

守备部队，卫戍部队( garrison的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I've often seen pictures of such animals at the garrisons. 在要塞里，我经常看到这种动物的画片。
• Use a Black Hand to garrisons, and take it for yourself. 用黑手清空驻守得步兵，为自己占一个。

4 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

5 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？

6 acceded   

v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职

参考例句：

• He acceded to demands for his resignation. 他同意要他辞职的要求。
• They have acceded to the treaty. 他们已经加入了那个条约。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

8 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 craftsmanship   

n.手艺

参考例句：

• The whole house is a monument to her craftsmanship. 那整座房子是她技艺的一座丰碑。
• We admired the superb craftsmanship of the furniture. 我们很欣赏这个家具的一流工艺。