经济学人:也门人和沙特人 跨越边界的爱恋

 　　Yemenis and Saudis

　　也门人和沙特人之间

　　Love across the line

　　跨越边界的爱恋

　　The geopolitics of illicit¹ love

　　地缘政治间的非法恋爱

　　FOR daysYemenhas been abuzz with talk of Huda and Arafat. Huda al-Niran, a 22-year-old Saudi woman, fell in love with Arafat Muhammad, a Yemeni, while he was working inSaudi Arabia. In October the couple fled toYemenafter her parents refused to let them marry, but Ms Niran was arrested for entering the country illegally. She seemed set for a quick trial and deportation². Then their love story became a cause célèbre for young Yemenis, who view it as a version of Romeo and Juliet in the south-west of theArabian peninsula. On November 26th Ms Niran was freed into the custody³ of the UN for a period of three months, allowing her to seek refugee status.

　　近几天以来，也门一直在谈论胡达和阿拉法特之间的故事。胡达是一名22岁的沙特女子，她与一名曾在沙特阿拉伯工作的也门男子阿拉法特·穆罕默德相爱了。在其父母不同意他们的结婚请求后，他们十月逃往了也门。但是胡达却因非法入境被捕了。她似乎面临着快速审判和驱逐出境。他们的爱情故事也将在也门的年轻人中产生轰动，他们认为他俩的爱情就像阿拉伯半岛西南部版的罗密欧与朱丽叶。11月26日，胡达被转交给联合国监护，以寻求难民身份，时间长达三个月。

　　也门人和沙特人之间.jpg

　　Yemenis have been gripped by the saga⁴ for several reasons. The country's deep-rooted conservative traditions are slowly changing. Young middle-class men and women have grown increasingly willing to challenge their families' expectations, with many now bidding to choose their own spouse⁵ rather than submit to an arranged marriage. But more often than not, unlike Mr Muhammad and Ms Niran, they end up putting their adolescent relationships aside and fulfilling their parents' wishes.

　　因为多种原因，也门人一直被这个传奇笼罩着。该国根深蒂固的保守传统正在渐渐改变。年轻的中产阶层男人和女人越来越渴望挑战他们家庭的期望，他们中许多人正自由选择自己的配偶，而非服从包办婚姻。但往往不会像默罕默德和胡达一样，放弃他们的青春爱情而服从父母的意愿。

　　Yemeni interest in the star-crossed lovers touches on geopolitics, too. The case has presented an opportunity for Yemenis to score a point against the Saudis, who want the Yemeni authorities to return Ms Niran. Many Yemenis resent their richer and more powerful neighbour's interference in their country's affairs. Moreover, the kingdom recently deported⁶ tens of thousands of Yemeni workers after deciding to cut down on foreign labour.

　　也门人对跨越界限又触犯地缘政治的恋人也很感兴趣。这个案件有机会让也门人胜了沙特人一分，沙特想要也门当局送回胡达。许多也门人憎恨比他们富强的邻国干涉他们国家事务的行为。与此同时，沙特王国最近宣称为了削减外来劳务，遣返了成千上万的也门工人。

　　Many of the Yemeni campaigners who spearheaded the protests that led to the ousting⁷ of President Ali Abdullah Saleh two years ago have enthusiastically taken up the cause of Ms Niran and Mr Muhammad, organising street protests to press the government to drop the charges against Ms Niran and grant her refugee status. They describe their temporary shift in focus from agitating⁸ for political change as ensuring the “victory of love”.

　　两年前，许多也门竞选者带头反对导致了总统萨利赫的下台，他们热情地接手了胡达和默罕默德案件，组织了街道游行抗议，迫使政府撤销了对胡达的控告，并承认其难民身份。他们认为暂时转移鼓动政变的重心是为了确保“真爱的胜利”。

　　Some Yemenis whisper that public opinion might have been different if the nationalities had been reversed. “Let's face it,” says a young Yemeni. “If Huda were a Yemeni who ran across the Saudi border with her Saudi boyfriend, we'd be cursing the Saudis and demanding that they send her back.”

　　一些也门人私下说，如果两恋人的国籍调换过来，公众的意见可能有所不同。一位年轻的也门人说道：“我们一起来期待吧，如果胡达是一名也门姑娘，与她的沙特男友逃到沙特，我们会诅咒沙特人，要求把她送回来。

　　1.fall in love with 爱上；爱上某人

　　例句:Slowly but surely she started to fall in love with him.

　　虽然过程缓慢，但她无疑开始爱上他了。

　　2.refuse to 不肯；拒绝

　　例句:I've always had a loud mouth, I refuse to be silenced.

　　我一贯大声说出自己的想法，不会迫于压力而一言不发。

　　3.allow to 允许

　　例句:Add a little of the warmed milk and allow to froth a little.

　　加一点温牛奶，并让它起点儿沫。

　　4.submit to 顺从；服从

　　例句:Never submit to a threat.

　　永远不要屈服于威胁。

1 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

2 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

4 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

5 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

6 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 ousting   

驱逐( oust的现在分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• The resulting financial chaos led to the ousting of Bristol-Myers' s boss. 随后引发的财政混乱导致了百时美施贵宝的总裁下台。
• The ousting of the president has drawn widespread criticism across Latin America and the wider world. 洪都拉斯总统被驱逐时间引起拉丁美洲甚至全世界的广泛批评。

8 agitating   

搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论

参考例句：

• political groups agitating for social change 鼓吹社会变革的政治团体
• They are agitating to assert autonomy. 他们正在鼓吹实行自治。