纪录片《文明》 第113期 信仰之眼（12）

In fact, the only man-made image

事实上 唯一的人造图像

is a wonderful piece of calligraphy¹

是一件杰出的书法作品

which is a quote from the Koran.

语句出自《古兰经》

It's as if what we're expected to do when we come in here

就好像我们来到这里的意义就是

is to see and go away with the Word of God.

目睹真主阿拉的启示 并将其铭记于心

Islam, as a faith of the word,

作为一门恪守经文的宗教

is enshrined in the Koran itself.

伊斯兰铭刻于《古兰经》中

There are many famous sayings and stories that condemn² idolatry

有许多有名的谚语和故事谴责盲目崇拜

and give warning about the dangers of images.

并且对图像的危险给予了警告

But in the ancient city of Istanbul itself,

但在古城伊斯坦布尔

a very different picture of Islam fills our field of vision.

进入我们视野的却是一幅迥异的伊斯兰图景

Islam is absolutely not an artless religion.

伊斯兰教绝不是缺乏艺术的宗教

In the whole history of the faith,

在它的整个历史进程中

you cannot trace a single, uncontested line

你无法根据某一条毫无争议的线索

about images of living creatures or about the image of God.

回溯生物图案或真主肖像的发展过程

In the Middle Ages, the Islamic world held some of the most

中世纪时 伊斯兰世界针对美学

intricate debates on aesthetics³, the nature of beauty,

美的本质 人类眼睛的光学原理

the optics of the human eye,

以及我们对自然界的感知

and our sensory⁴ experience of the natural world.

发起了多次极为复杂的争论

And there's a kaleidoscope of stories and parables⁵

千变万化的故事与寓言

that are Islam's conversation with itself

描述了伊斯兰教内部

about the role of the artist and the purpose of the image.

对艺术家角色与图像意义进行的讨论

And one of the most revealing

其中一个最具启发性的故事

takes us into the domestic life

带我们一窥先知穆罕默德

of the Prophet Muhammad himself.

本人的家庭生活

One day, Muhammad came home to discover that his wife Aisha

有一天 穆罕默德回家发现妻子阿伊莎

had acquired a tapestry⁶

得到了一条挂毯

with images of living creatures woven into the design.

花纹中交织着生物的图案

And she'd hung it up.

她把它挂了起来

1 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

2 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

3 aesthetics   

n.(尤指艺术方面之)美学，审美学

参考例句：

• Sometimes, of course, our markings may be simply a matter of aesthetics. 当然，有时我们的标点符号也许只是个审美的问题。 来自名作英译部分
• The field of aesthetics presents an especially difficult problem to the historian. 美学领域向历史学家提出了一个格外困难的问题。

4 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

5 parables   

n.（圣经中的）寓言故事( parable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jesus taught in parables. 耶酥以比喻讲道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In the New Testament are the parables and miracles. 《新约》则由寓言利奇闻趣事构成。 来自辞典例句

6 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。