纪录片《文明》 第94期 画卷天堂（18）

What happened was what always happens in such calamities¹ -

在这样的人为灾难中 该发生的总会发生

a frantic², mass migration³ of refugees.

惊慌失措的难民大量的迁移

The Netherlands became split

荷兰沿着战线

along the lines of the military slog -

一分为二

Protestant north, Catholic south.

新教徒在北 天主教徒在南

But, as so often in our story,

但人类历史中总不乏这样一幕

the most astonishing flowerings

最令人艳羡的花朵

happen in the midst of human disaster.

总是在苦难中悄然开放

In the Protestant Dutch Republic,

在新教徒的荷兰共和国中

as art was purged⁴ from churches branded as idolatry,

艺术被打上了崇拜邪教的标签而被清出教堂

it simply shifted location into other places,

却只是换了地方暗自生长

especially private homes.

尤其是在私人家中

In the years when they were most beleaguered⁵ by war,

在战火烧得最凶的那几年

the Dutch became most prolific⁶ at buying pictures

荷兰人非常热衷于购买画作

which reminded them of what they were defending.

让画作提醒自己所守卫的土地

It was the first mass-market for landscape art,

这是风景画第一次有了大众市场

precisely⁷ the kind of low art which Italians condescended⁸ to.

准确的说 是意大利人看不上的低俗艺术品

Willow-hung streams.

柳枝低垂的小溪

The life of the rustics⁹.

乡下人的生活

It was what the Dutch were most passionately¹⁰ attached to.

这正是荷兰人心中最牵动心弦的所在

The simple face of their homeland.

这是家乡简朴的脸庞

Now, the reason why the Dutch felt so emotionally invested

荷兰人之所以对这种风景投入了如此多的感情

in this landscape was because they had been responsible

是因为为了让这片土地呈现如今的景致

for physically¹¹ making so much of it.

他们付出了相当多的努力

There's this old saying that God made the world,

有句老话说 上帝创造了世界

but the Dutch made Holland.

而荷兰人创造了荷兰

And exactly at the time where they reinvent landscape painting,

而就在他们重新发明了风景画的那段时间里

this was literally¹² true.

这句老话说的一点没错

This was an area called the Beemster.

这个区名叫贝姆斯特尔

200,000 acres of what had been the inland sea of the Zuiderzee

1607至1612年间 八百平方公里土地

were turned into this glorious pasture between 1607 and 1612,

从曾经的内海须德海 变做了繁茂的牧场

while the Dutch were at war.

此时荷兰尚处于战争期间

It was reclaimed¹³ with the aid of 43 windmills,

当时全靠这四十三座风车磨坊

pumping the water out.

排水造陆

This wasn't just topography, wasn't just land,

这不只是地貌 不只是土地

it was their homeland.

这是他们的家园

1 calamities   

n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事

参考例句：

• They will only triumph by persevering in their struggle against natural calamities. 他们只有坚持与自然灾害搏斗，才能取得胜利。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• One moment's false security can bring a century of calamities. 图一时之苟安，贻百年之大患。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 purged   

清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响

参考例句：

• He purged his enemies from the Party. 他把他的敌人从党内清洗出去。
• The iron in the chemical compound must be purged. 化学混合物中的铁必须清除。

5 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

7 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

8 condescended   

屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲

参考例句：

• We had to wait almost an hour before he condescended to see us. 我们等了几乎一小时他才屈尊大驾来见我们。
• The king condescended to take advice from his servants. 国王屈驾向仆人征求意见。

9 rustics   

n.有农村或村民特色的( rustic的名词复数 )；粗野的；不雅的；用粗糙的木材或树枝制作的

参考例句：

• These rustics are utilized for the rough work of devoton. 那样的乡村气质可以替宗教做些粗重的工作。 来自互联网

10 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

11 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

12 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

13 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》