Genghis Khan 成吉思汗 - 3

At the Merkit(蔑儿乞惕) camp in the mountains of northern Mongolia, Temujin(铁木真) went looking for his wife.

"We made the Merkits pay for their deed. We destroyed their families and emptied their breasts."

Temujin, the man who was to become Genghis Khan, was barely 20 and he'd already eliminated one of Mongolia's great tribes.

In those early days, Temujin and Jamuqa (扎木合) shared the leadership of the tribe. Yet, even as they celebrated¹ the victory over the Merkits, there was a hidden tension between them. At the root was a fundamental question--- how to measure a man's worth? Both Temujin and Jamuqa were the sons of tribal² leaders, Mongolian aristocrats³. But only Temujin had experienced a childhood of real adversity and learned from it.

"Now I cared only for the strength in a man's heart. A warrior⁴ does not win a battle by virtue⁵ of his birth."

Temujin rewarded ability and loyalty⁶ alone. One of his most promising⁷ warriors⁸ was Subedei(速不台), the son of a humble⁹ herdsman. But this attitude flew in the face of Mongol tradition. Jamuqa's noble birth led him to believe that high rank should be reserved only for Mongol aristocrats. But now, his blood brother was throwing out the old ways. The gulf¹⁰ between Temujin and Jamuqa widened still further until a prophecy of the Mongol holy man brought their relationship to a crisis.

"The shaman (萨满) said he had ascended¹¹ into heaven in a holy trance where the Supreme¹² God told him that he would give to me and to my sons the whole surface of the world."

adversity: a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty or adverse fortune

by virtue of: because of , due to; based on

fly in the face of: defy, clearly disobey

shaman: tribal priest or priestess who uses supernatural forces to heal illness or predict the future

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

3 aristocrats   

n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many aristocrats were killed in the French Revolution. 许多贵族在法国大革命中被处死。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To the Guillotine all aristocrats! 把全部贵族都送上断头台！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

4 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

5 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

6 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

9 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。

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。