纪录片《文明》 第84期 画卷天堂（8）

Which gave us the word paradise.

也是"天堂"这一名词的起源

Islamic rulers from the Nasrids in Spain to the Mughals in India

从西班牙纳斯里德到印度莫卧儿的伊斯兰统治者

laid out their gardens according to the Koran's description of the afterlife.

都按照《古兰经》对彼世的描绘修建花园

Four quarters, bounded by four rivers,

四个角以四条河为界

which, in paradise, it was said,

传说中 天国的这四条河

would flow with water, wine, milk and honey.

会流淌着水 酒 奶和蜜

Flora¹ and fauna², the fertile attributes of God's blessing³,

鲜花和动物作为主赐予的丰饶之属

also found their way into decorations on the pavilions

在平静优雅地矗立在花园中的凉亭

and palaces which gracefully⁴ stand amidst the gardens.

和宫殿的装饰中 也找到了自己的一席之地

But the art of the paradise garden found its richest expression

但天国花园也找到了最适于传播的形式

in a form that sprang, like Islam itself, from the desert.

正如伊斯兰文明自身找到了在沙漠中的繁衍之道

It was the garden you could carry with you--the carpet.

那就是可携带的花园毯子

For the nomadic⁵ tribes of the Middle East, everything in life -

对于中东游牧民族而言 生活中的一切

talking, eating, praying-- was done close to the ground.

交谈 吃饭 祈祷 都在地面上完成

Carpets made life not just bearable, but civilised,

地毯不仅使生活变得可以忍受 还让其更文明

especially when woven with an image of paradise.

尤其是纹饰着天国图景的织物

By the late Middle Ages,the garden carpet had migrated

到中世纪后期,花园地毯从最开始的

from its humble⁶ origins in Arabia and Central Asia

阿拉伯半岛和中亚发源时的平民用品

to become a symbol of luxury and sophistication in the royal court of the Persian Shah.

变成了波斯沙阿王庭中奢侈繁复的装点

The 16th and 17th centuries were a golden age for Persian garden carpets.

十六和十七世纪是波斯花园地毯的黄金时期

And this is an extremely rare, fragile survival.

这是一片极其稀罕而脆弱的遗存

Known as the Wagner Carpet,after a recent German owner,

以其前德国主人之名命名被称为瓦格纳地毯

it is crammed⁷ with every kind of living thing, teeming⁸ through the foliage⁹.

它绣满了居住在林间的各种生物

1 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

2 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

3 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

4 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

5 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。

6 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

7 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

8 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

9 foliage   

n.叶子，树叶，簇叶

参考例句：

• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
• Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。