纪录片《文明》 第91期 画卷天堂（15）

But, in Flanders, in the Low Countries,

但在佛兰德斯 在低地国家

a different artist would crowd his landscapes with people.

另一位艺术家用人物来使风景画变得丰满

In 1565, the Flemish master Pieter Bruegel painted a set of landscapes which

在1565年,佛兰德大师 老彼得.勃鲁盖尔画了一幅风景画

reinvented that traditional medieval cycle,

重现了传统的中世纪时期

the labours of the months.

数月劳作的劳工们

These, of course, are on an epic¹ scale.

当然 这是以宏大的规模完成的

But, here, there's not a single feudal² lord to be found.

但在这里 没有一个是封建领主

The man who commissioned them

驱使他们劳作的人

came from bustling³, commercial Antwerp,

来自繁华而又商业化的安特卫普

a merchant called Nicolaes Jonghelinck

这位商人叫做尼古拉斯.扬格林克

who wanted them to decorate the grand dining space of his suburban⁴ villa⁵.

他想让他们装修自己在郊区别墅的豪华餐厅

Perhaps this was Jonghelinck's way

可能这是扬格林克

of identifying with the ordinary folk,

所认为的普通人的生活

because what we have, for the first time,

因为在一开始 我们拥有的就是

is a credible⁶ vision of country society,

一幅乡村社会图景

real villages with people working and playing together.

真实的乡村 还有人们在其中一同工作玩耍

Bruegel himself was no brush-wielding yokel⁷.

勃鲁盖尔自己不是一个不会写字的庄稼汉

He was learned and well-travelled.

他很有学识 游历四方

He'd taken a trip over the Alps to Italy, sketching⁸ as he went.

他曾越过阿尔卑斯去意大利旅行 同时画草图

Some of those Alpine⁹ peaks appear, incongruously,

有些阿尔卑斯山峰出现在了他所描绘的

alongside depictions of his low-lying, Flemish home.

地势低洼的佛兰德斯故乡旁边 很不和谐

But that only increases the telescopic sense of deep space

但这也只是为了增加外层空间的景深感

Bruegel gives us, using those tree lines

通过这些林木线和远方山峰的曲线

and the curve of the peaks to send our vision plunging¹⁰,

勃鲁盖尔把我们的视觉向下引导

like the flight of that bird,

就向那只鸟的飞行方向一样

from huge vistas¹¹ to the smallest detail.

从宏伟的远景拉到最细节的部分

Along with that optical drama,

除了这种戏剧性的视觉效果外

we get another kind of perspective,

还有另一种视角

a philosophical¹² confrontation¹³

伴随着我们与大自然本身关系的

with our relationship to nature itself -

一种哲学上的冲突

unsentimental, rugged¹⁴, which demands a closer look.

无情又曲折 需要细细观察

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

3 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

4 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

5 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

6 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

7 yokel   

n.乡下人；农夫

参考例句：

• The clothes make him look like a yokel.这件衣服让他看起来像个乡巴佬。
• George is not an ordinary yokel.乔治不是一个普通的粗人。

8 sketching   

n.草图

参考例句：

• They are sketching out proposals for a new road. 他们正在草拟修建新路的计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. “飞舞驰骋的想象描绘出一幅幅玫瑰色欢乐的场景。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

9 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

10 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 vistas   

长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景

参考例句：

• This new job could open up whole new vistas for her. 这项新工作可能给她开辟全新的前景。
• The picture is small but It'shows broad vistas. 画幅虽然不大，所表现的天地却十分广阔。

12 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

13 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

14 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。