纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 057海德薇玻璃杯（3）

Although a duchess she dressed poorly, she went barefoot, even in the snow, where it was reported that she left bloody¹ footprints, and, almost unheard of in those days, she drank only water.

虽然贵为公爵夫人，她穿着极为简朴，常常赤脚，即使是行走在雪地里。据说，她曾在雪地里留下连串带血的足迹。她只饮用水。

This teetotal behaviour worried her husband a good deal; drinking wine was much safer than water that was usually unclean, and he was worried that she would fall ill or fade away.

这种滴酒不沾的行为在当时简直是闻所未闻，也让她的丈夫极为担忧，怕妻子会因此患病：其时人们常以酒代水，因为水总是不够洁净，酒相对安全一些。

But one day, so the legend goes, the Duke watched her raise her glass of water to her lips, and saw that it miraculously² turned into wine.

但有传言说，一天，公爵看到夫人端起水杯放在唇边时，杯里的水奇迹般地变成了酒。

Her sainthood, and presumably her health, was pretty much assured from then on.

她的圣徒之名自此确立，健康也大概因此得到了保证。

And so was the fame of her glass.

她使用的玻璃杯也声名远扬。

Medieval Europe had an insatiable hunger for relics³ connected to miracles.

中欧人无止尽地渴望看到与宗教神迹相关的圣物。

Among the most famous of them all was a cup which had been used at the Wedding at Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle of turning water into wine.

其中最著名的圣物之一便是据称曾在迦拿的婚礼上使用的杯子，基督用它第一次显示了奇迹，将清水变成了美酒。

But what about Hedwig's cup?

海德薇的杯子继承了这一令人自豪的传统。

I have it in my hand or, at least, I have in my hand one of the dozen or so glass beakers, all strikingly similar, which were identified by the pious⁴ as the vessels⁵ from which Hedwig had drunk.

我们所收藏的玻璃杯与其说是一个水杯，倒不如说更像是个小号的花瓶。它是世上仅存的约十二个外观酷似的玻璃杯中的一个，这些杯子被虔诚的信徒认定曾为海德薇所使用。

It's a thick glass, a smoky topaz colour, and it's about eight inches (20 cm) high, and it's really much more like a small vase.

它们用厚玻璃制成，呈烟熏的黄玉色，高约14厘米，

You need two hands to grasp it, and it's not at all easy to drink out of.

需要用双手才能捧起，想用它喝水更是不易。

If I put some water in to it, and then try to take a proper gulp⁶, the rim⁷ is so wide that it spills.

如果往里面注水，再试着一口喝光，水会因杯沿太宽而洒出。

And sadly, I have to tell you, that when I drink from this it does not turn into wine.

并且遗憾的是，水并没有变成酒。

But a miracle of a different sort has ensured that a dozen or so vulnerable or fragile glass objects like this should all have survived the centuries intact.

不过它们承载着另一个奇迹：如此脆弱的玻璃制品，竟然能够历经千年的岁月，被完整无缺地保留至今。

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

3 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

4 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 gulp   

vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽

参考例句：

• She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
• Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽，要嚼碎了再咽下去。

7 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。