世界最小的国家：塔沃拉拉岛

 　　Just south of Sardinia’s world-famous Costa Smeralda, thelonely island of Tavolara rises wildly from the cerulean sea like ajagged mountain. There are no roads or hotels, and the onlyinhabitable stretch is a white-sand tongue that’s best measuredfrom end to end in steps.

　　塔沃拉拉孤岛如一座锯齿状的山峰，从蔚蓝的海面升起，坐落于撒丁岛举世闻名的翡翠海岸南部。这里没有道路，也没有酒店，唯一适宜居住的地方就是一个白沙舌，测量它最好的方法就是一步挨着一步。

　　This is where I found Antonio Bertoleoni as our ferry sputtered¹ to a float. Better known as"Tonino", the 83-year-old former fisherman owns Tavolara’s only restaurant and is the reigningruler of the island, which happens to be the smallest inhabited kingdom in the world. For the past22 years, Tonino has commanded this 5sqkm mini-monarchy in shorts and sandals.

　　这就是我遇见Antonio Bertoleoni 的地方，当时，我们的渡船撞到了一个浮船上。最好把AntonioBertoleoni叫做"Tonino"，他是前拥有塔沃拉拉唯一一间餐厅的渔夫，现年83岁，是这座岛屿的执政统治者，这是世界上最小的人居王国。在过去的22年里，Tonino穿着短裤和凉鞋指挥这座五平方公里的袖珍君主国。

　　“I’m probably the world’s most ordinary king,” Tonino said, burying his feet in the sand andlooking toward his restaurant. “The only privilege I enjoy is free meals.”

　　Tonino说：“我可能是世界上最普通的国王了。“他将双脚埋入沙中，看着他的餐厅。我享有的唯一特权就是免费餐饮。

　　The Kingdom of Tavolara is currently celebrating its 180th anniversary and actually predates Italyby 25 years. Forming your own island nation might sound like the kind of thing you’d dream upwhen you’re marooned² in the Mediterranean³, but the story began in 1807 when Tonino’s great-great-grandfather, Giuseppe Bertoleoni, became the then uninhabited island’s first settler.Described as a “half shepherd, half pirate” in the book Tavolara, Island of the Kings, the Genoveseimmigrant had recently married two sisters and was seeking a safe haven⁴ to escape his bigamycharge.

　　目前，塔沃拉拉王国正在庆祝它180周年的纪念日，其实，该岛的建立早于意大利25年。当你被孤身放逐到地中海后，组建属于自己的岛屿王国也许是一种梦想，但是1807年时，Tonino的祖祖祖父Giuseppe Bertoleoni,成为了当时无人岛的第一个定居者，故事便开始了。塔沃拉拉的书籍将这描述为“一半牧羊人，一半海盗”，近日，岛上的国王-热那亚移民和两个姐妹成婚，寻求一个安全的避难所以逃避重婚罪指控。

　　Giuseppe and his small harem soon realized that they were sharing their island paradise with a rarespecies of wild goats whose teeth were dyed a golden-yellow colour by the seaweed and lichenthey ate. Word of the gilt-toothed goats eventually spread to Sardinia’s ruler, Carlo Alberto, whoeagerly travelled to Tavolara to hunt the animals in 1836. Giuseppe’s 24-year-old son, Paolo,guided the hunting excursions.

　　Giuseppe和他的小妾马上意识到，他们正在和一种罕见的野生山羊共享岛屿天堂，这种山羊的牙齿被他们吃的海藻和地衣染成了金黄色。金牙山羊这个词语最终传到了撒丁岛统治者Carlo Alberto的耳朵里，1836年，他热切地到塔沃拉拉旅行，猎捕这种金牙山羊。Giuseppe24岁的儿子Paolo指挥狩猎短途旅行。

　　“When he landed, Carlo Alberto introduced himself by saying, ‘I’m Carlo Alberto, the King ofSardinia,’” Tonino said. “And so my great-grandfather replied, ‘Well, I’m Paolo, the King ofTavolara.’”

　　“当他着陆的时候，Carlo Alberto这样介绍自己，我是Carlo Alberto，撒丁岛的国王。”我的曾祖父Tonino回答道：“你好，我是Paolo，塔沃拉拉的国王。”

　　After killing⁵ several goats and feasting for three days at Paolo’s home, Carlo Alberto was sodelighted that he said, “Paolo, you really are the King of Tavolara!” before sailing off, according toTonino. Joking or not, Carlo Alberto later confirmed that the far-flung island had never officiallybeen part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and he sent Paolo a scroll⁶ from Carlo Alberto’s royal family,the House of Savoy, that certified⁷ the monarchy’s status.

　　在捕杀了几只山羊，然后在Paolo家设宴三天后，Carlo Albert非常开心地说：“Paolo，你真的是塔沃拉拉的国王!”起航离开前，据Tonino说，不知道是不是开玩笑，Carlo Alberto随后承认，这座偏远的岛屿官方上从来都不是撒丁王国的一部分，他赠与 Paolo 一个Carlo Alberto皇室家庭的画册——《萨沃伊的家》，证明岛屿君主国的地位。

　　“For me, it’s a privilege just to live here,” Tonino said,. “Who needs a crown when you have apalace?”

　　Tonino说：“对我来说，只是住在这里就是一种特权。”当你拥有一个宫殿的时候，还需要王冠吗?”

1 sputtered   

v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• The candle sputtered out. 蜡烛噼啪爆响着熄灭了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The balky engine sputtered and stopped. 不听使唤的发动机劈啪作响地停了下来。 来自辞典例句

2 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

3 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

4 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

7 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。