纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 058日本铜镜（5）

 

"One thing that distinguishes medieval Japanese culture, is that it was extremely aestheticised, it turned beauty into a kind of cult¹. And that included everything in daily life, not just objects like mirrors, or chopsticks, or whatever it was, but life itself, which was of course highly ritualised - in an aristocratic society it always is. That's true of all aristocratic societies, but possibly the aristocracy of the Heian period went further than any other culture, before or since. People communicated by writing poetry, and they had incense-smelling contests; they were connoisseurs³ of every kind of aesthetic² pursuit, and that included the relations between men and women. And of course feelings came into it, and so that led to jealousies⁴ and all the normal forms of human behaviour which Murasaki recorded so beautifully."

And we can see something of Lady Murasaki's world of aesthetic refinement⁵ and incense-smelling contests in our mirror. On the back, the elegant decoration shows a pair of cranes in flight, their heads thrown back, their wings outstretched, and pine branches in their beaks⁶. Their necks elegantly curve, to match exactly the curve of the circular mirror. And on the outer edge are more decorative⁷ pine fronds⁸. It's a beautifully balanced, perfectly⁹ composed, work of art. But as well as being beautiful, our mirror also had a meaning, because cranes had a reputation for longevity¹⁰ - the Japanese believed that they lived for a thousand years. Lady Murasaki tells us of one of her contemporaries, who at a particular court event wore a gown decorated with cranes on a seashore.

日本中世纪文化独树一帜。当时的民众极端追求美，将美当作宗教般膜拜。审美体现在生活的方方面面，不只是镜子、筷子这样的物品，生活本身自然也是高度仪式化的。任何贵族社会都如此，但平安时代的贵族阶层对美的追求可谓空前绝后。人们用诗歌交流，举办闻香比赛。他们追求一切美的活动，包括男女关系。当然这其中不免有个人情感，滋生为紫式部所唯美描绘的嫉妒等一切正常人的品行。

在这面铜镜中，我们窥见了紫式部生活其中的那个追求美、举办闻香比赛的世界。镜子背面的装饰图案是一对飞翔的仙鹤，它们昂首展翅，嘴里衔着松枝，颈部弧线与镜子本身的曲线相契合，外缘则装饰着更多松枝。这是一件对称严格、构图完美的艺术品。它美丽的外观之下还蕴藏着深意：仙鹤寓意长寿，日本人相信它们的寿命长达千年。紫式部告诉我们，与她同时代的一位女子曾在一项特殊的宫廷仪式中穿着一件绘有在海边起舞的仙鹤图案的礼服：

1 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

2 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

3 connoisseurs   

n.鉴赏家，鉴定家，行家( connoisseur的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Let us go, before we offend the connoisseurs. 咱们走吧，免得我们惹恼了收藏家。 来自辞典例句
• The connoisseurs often associate it with a blackcurrant flavor. 葡萄酒鉴赏家们通常会将它跟黑醋栗口味联系起来。 来自互联网

4 jealousies   

n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡

参考例句：

• They were divided by mutual suspicion and jealousies. 他们因为相互猜疑嫉妒而不和。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I am tired of all these jealousies and quarrels. 我厌恶这些妒忌和吵架的语言。 来自辞典例句

5 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。

6 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

7 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

8 fronds   

n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You can pleat palm fronds to make huts, umbrellas and baskets. 人们可以把棕榈叶折叠起来盖棚屋，制伞，编篮子。 来自百科语句
• When these breezes reached the platform the palm-fronds would whisper. 微风吹到平台时，棕榈叶片发出簌簌的低吟。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。