经济学人11:彩花玻璃艺术家迈克尔·拉森

 　　Obituary；Michael Lassen；

　　讣告；迈克尔.拉森；

　　Michael Lassen, stained-glass artist, died on September 8th, aged¹ 61；

　　迈克尔·拉森，彩花玻璃艺术家，卒于9月8日，享年61岁；

　　ALMOST nothing is known of the men who built the great medieval cathedrals. A mason's mark chiselled² on a column; a game of nine-men's-morris scratched on a stone; a gargoyle's half-human face, of foreman or master of works, are all that remind observers of the crowds of labouring souls who raised Canterbury or Winchester, Beauvais or Cologne.

　　对于建造中世纪大教堂的那些人我们几乎一无所知。一个被刻进圆柱的工匠的标记；一个在石头上乱划的九人莫里斯游戏；一个怪兽状滴水嘴的半人脸，那些工头或者大师的作品，都会让观者想起那些建造坎特伯雷，温彻斯特，科隆或韦伯大教堂的那些千万劳苦大众的在天之灵。

　　The dangers of such projects were legion. Contemporary illustrations show cathedral spires³ collapsing⁴, vaults⁵ caving in, high scaffolding keeling over in a chaos⁶ of planks⁷ and poles. Casualties were expected, and were many, though the fabric⁸ accounts often could not name them. In modern times the labour is no less perilous⁹; but in the days of health-and-safety and hard hats, accidents are rare. Hence the horror in Durham when, on September 3rd, Michael Lassen fell from a ladder as he helped to fix a new stained-glass window in the south quire aisle¹⁰ of the cathedral. He died some days later in hospital.

　　这些大项目危险重重。同时代的画作显示了大教堂尖塔的倾倒，拱顶的塌陷，高高的脚手架倒在一片八七八糟的木板和柱子中。尽管凭零星的记录难以命名，但意外事故的确在所难免而且经常发生。时至今日，这种劳动的危险一点也没有减少。因此，在9月3日达勒姆发生了惨案，当迈克尔。拉森帮助修复一个大教堂南边唱诗班席位的彩色玻璃窗时，他从梯子上摔了下来。几天后他在医院里死去。

　　Climbing up in the south quire to look at the traceries originally, he had found them heavily fissured¹¹, like all Durham's ancient sandstone. Blocks were missing on the exterior¹², and one side of the main arch was worn away almost to a skeleton, as though two or three centuries of wild north-east weather had blown through it. But all the stone had been carefully stabilised before his work began.

　　爬到南唱诗班席位上去原本是去看花饰窗格，他却发现他们已经严重破裂，就像所有达勒姆古老的沙岩那样。外围那些石块已经掉了，主拱经过两三百年的东北风吹过，一侧已经破损得只剩一个骨架， 但在他的工作开始之前是所有的石头都被仔细地固定下来。

　　The window was of the Transfiguration of Christ, made by Tom Denny, and one of the largest to be installed in Durham in modern times. Mr Lassen was working from top to bottom, fixing the glass he had leaded. He started with the small quatrefoil lights of the Holy Spirit and the crucifixion, proceeding¹⁴ down through the main panels of Christ and his followers¹⁶ on the mountain, with all the way the white shaft¹⁷ of God's transfiguring light growing broader through the fire-and-storm colours of the glass. The four principal lights, nicknamed after the chief figures in them, were Cuthbert, Moses, Elijah and Michael; they became familiar friends. He was fitting a small panel at the bottom left-hand side, a pane¹⁵ of bruised¹⁸ blue glass that showed the broken and suffering about to be transformed by light, almost the last piece in the window, when he fell. He was not particularly high up, working at the ledge¹⁹. But stone flags are unforgiving.

　　窗户是圣容显现，为汤姆丹尼所造，这是在现代达赫姆大教堂要安装的最大的一个。拉森的工作从顶部到底部，负责修复玻璃。他从那些圣灵和十字架的四叶草光芒和开始，接下去通过基督的主体和他在山上的追随者，从上到下，神的美丽的光线透过火红色的玻璃逐渐变光，投射出白色的光柱。四道主要的光，以里面的主要任务命名，分别是库斯伯特，摩西，以利亚和迈克尔。他们成为熟悉的朋友。当迈克尔坠落的时候，他正在安装左手边底部的一个小的镶嵌板，那是一块磨损了的蓝色玻璃，几乎是窗户上的最后一块玻璃。他其实并不是特别的高，也不是特别靠边缘。但是石板是无情的。

　　Mr Lassen had been called in late to lead and fix this window. The man originally contracted had fallen ill, and the deadline for the installation, the end of September, was fast approaching. Help was needed fast; Mr Lassen provided it, expertly and fully¹³. The tight timetable troubled him; but he was not a keen marathon runner for nothing.

　　拉森很晚的时候被召来领导修复窗户。起初签约的那个人生病了，而九月底工期的最后时限即将到来。拉森专业而不遗余力地提供了急需的帮助。紧张的时间表给他添了麻烦，但拉森不是一个只顾跑步的马拉松运动员。

　　His training had been traditional, in the Government School of Stained Glass at Hadamar in Germany; though English, he had spent many childhood years in Bavaria. After working as a glazer²⁰ and glass-restorer, he had turned to glass-painting and designing, gradually obtaining commissions in churches all over Britain. His own windows, at St Cadoc's chapel²¹ in Cowbridge in South Wales, or in the Church of Sts Peter and Paul at Great Somerford in Wiltshire, showed a love of blocks of pure colour carefully contained within thick, angular leads, especially glowing blues²² and rich reds: the medieval way of glass. His figures, too, had a medieval solidity, dignity and stillness about them.

　　拉森在德国哈达马尔的国立彩花玻璃学校受到过传统的训练，尽管是个英国人，但他很多童年时光都是在巴伐利亚度过的。在成为一名上釉和玻璃安装工后，他转而从事玻璃彩绘和设计，逐渐获得了英国各地教堂的任务。他自己的彩窗作品，遍布南威尔士考布里奇的圣卡多克礼拜堂，威尔特郡大萨默福德的圣彼得圣保罗教堂，展示了他对于仔细地填满又厚又尖的纯色块的热爱，尤其是鲜艳的蓝色和饱满的红色：这是中世纪式的玻璃。他的形状，也具有中世纪的坚固，端庄和沉静。

　　Lead and fire

　　铅与火

　　The techniques needed to lead and fix his own glass had barely changed. He would stretch the H-section lead strips, or cames, to stop “creep” in the soft, ductile²³ metal; cut them expertly straight with his pliers, so as to leave no gaps between them when they were moulded round the glass pieces; apply the hot chisel-tip of the soldering²⁵ iron just long enough to melt the solder²⁴, not the lead, when joining the strips together. The double-layered and plated technique of leading Mr Denny's glass, with the lines almost lost in the painting, was at first new to him, and correspondingly tricky²⁶. But by the time of the Durham project he had become an enthusiast²⁷, and all was going well until he fell.

　　他固定和修复自己的玻璃所需要的技术几乎没有什么变化。他伸展H型铅条，或卡梅斯，消除柔软韧性金属的脆性； 熟练地用他的钳子把它们弄直，这样当镶嵌上玻璃后就不会产生空隙；用滚烫的带凿头的焊接烙铁刚好溶化焊条，当把两个条焊接起来时不会化掉铅条。起初这种在涂色中几乎不留线条的双层镀金属的工艺对他来说是全新的，而且技术性很强。但是随着达赫姆项目的进行，他对此越发痴迷，一直到他从那里坠落。

　　A memorial service for him was held at the foot of the window while the scaffolding still covered it. Mr Lassen, who worked from Bristol, was barely known in Durham, although he had once had a studio at Worship Farm, not far away. To most of the people who attended, extending the human crowd in the bottom panels of the window, he was just “that nice chap” who had had the accident. But when September 25th came, the day of dedication²⁸, he was remembered in a different way. The clue lay in George Herbert's poem “The Windows” which was sung as an anthem²⁹ at evensong. Man was “a brittle³⁰ crazy glass”:

　　Yet in thy temple thou dost him afford This glorious and transcendent place To be a window, through thy grace.

　　一个为他举办的纪念仪式就在那窗户脚下进行，脚手架还没有拆掉。来自布里斯托尔的拉森在达赫姆几乎不为人知，尽管他在不远的礼拜农场有一个工作室。对于来参加纪念仪式的人群来说，他就是那个出事故的“好小伙”。但是当9月25日，奉献日这天到来的时候，他以一种不同的方式被怀念。而线索就藏在乔治·赫伯特的一首诗里“窗”，这是晚祷的一首赞美歌。人是一块“易脆的疯狂的玻璃”：

　　然而，栖身在你的圣殿，透过你的恩典，他这一光荣而超然的地方是一扇窗

　　As the congregation pressed through afterwards into the south quire aisle they found the windows still wreathed in incense³¹, like the cloud of God that had enveloped³² Jesus on the mountain. Through it shone the glass. Its golds and blues were smoky in the evening light, but the central column blazed white, like the transfiguration of a man; and of all men, named or un-named, whose lives and skills are embedded³³ in the stone and glass of great cathedrals.

　　众人在集会通过南唱诗班的走廊，他们还发现窗户依然在香缭绕，像神云笼罩了耶稣在山上。通过它闪耀的玻璃，金色和蓝色在夜色里显得烟雾迷茫，但中央纵队开辟白色像一个人变身，和所有的人，有名的无名的，他们的生命和手艺，都早已嵌入大教堂的石头和玻璃中。

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 chiselled   

adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 )

参考例句：

• A name was chiselled into the stone. 石头上刻着一个人名。
• He chiselled a hole in the door to fit a new lock. 他在门上凿了一个孔，以便装一把新锁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

5 vaults   

n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴

参考例句：

• It was deposited in the vaults of a bank. 它存在一家银行的保险库里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

7 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

8 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

9 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

10 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

11 fissured   

adj.裂缝的v.裂开( fissure的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• South African vine having a massive rootstock covered with deeply fissured bark. 南非藤蔓植物，有很大的根状茎，皮上有很深的裂纹。 来自互联网
• The concentrated leakage passage in fissured rock is studied with dummy heat source method. 利用虚拟热源法研究坝基裂隙岩体中存在的集中渗漏通道。 来自互联网

12 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

15 pane   

n.窗格玻璃，长方块

参考例句：

• He broke this pane of glass.他打破了这块窗玻璃。
• Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.他们呼出的水气，在冰冷的窗玻璃上形成一层雾。

16 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

17 shaft   

n.(工具的)柄，杆状物

参考例句：

• He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
• This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

18 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

19 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

20 glazer   

n.上釉工人，加光工人

参考例句：

• There's no set figure from the Glazer family [for transfers]. 格拉泽家族没有设置限制。 来自互联网
• The Glazer family have insisted that Manchester United are not for sale. 格雷泽家族已经强调曼彻斯特联是非卖品。 来自互联网

21 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

22 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

23 ductile   

adj.易延展的，柔软的

参考例句：

• Steel in this class is tough，ductile and easily machined.这种钢强韧，延展性好，而且容易加工。
• The metal is very hard and strong and less ductile than before.金属会非常坚硬、坚固，并比以前减少了韧性。

24 solder   

v.焊接，焊在一起；n.焊料，焊锡

参考例句：

• Fewer workers are needed to solder circuit boards.焊接电路板需要的工人更少了。
• He cuts the pieces and solders them together.他把那些断片切碎，然后把它们焊在一起。

25 soldering   

n.软焊；锡焊；低温焊接；热焊接v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Care must be exercised in attaching the lead wires to the soldering tabs. 在往接线片上焊导线时必须非常小心。 来自辞典例句
• I suggest posing me with a soldering wand over my head like a sword. 我想让自己这样像把剑一样把电焊杆举过头顶。 来自电影对白

26 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

27 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

28 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

29 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

30 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

31 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

32 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。