纪录片《文明》 第148期 初次邂逅（2）

family by family, generation by generation,

以家庭为单位 祖祖辈辈流传下来

and today the bronze-casters of Benin, like their predecessors¹,

现在的贝宁青铜雕刻者就和祖辈一样

are members of an exclusive guild²,

是这种独家行业的成员

and they still use the same methods to produce their art -

他们还使用同样的方法创造他们的艺术

the lost wax method - and almost every stage in that process

即失蜡法 几乎现在制作的每一步

is performed today as it was centuries ago.

都与几个世纪前的方法一模一样

Yet despite their ancient heritage,

虽然他们传承自古代

Benin's craftsmen³ were not the first West Africans

贝宁的匠人并非是西非

to use the technique.

首先使用这一技术的

In the 13th century, the people of Ife cast lifelike heads in metal

伊费人在十三世纪就浇铸出栩栩如生的金属头像

that are thought to represent now long-forgotten rulers.

现在那被认为是遗忘已久的统治者的头像

They achieved such a sophisticated level of realism

他们在写实技术上技艺如此纯熟

that Europeans would later suggest

以致于欧洲人后来觉得这些头像

the heads were evidence of the lost civilisation⁴ of Atlantis.

就是亚特兰蒂斯失落文明的证据

This was the indigenous⁵ artistic⁶ tradition

这是一种土著的艺术传统

inherited by the Benin Empire,

由贝宁帝国传承

who used it to honour their obas.

贝宁人用它以示对国王的尊敬

In the hands of Benin's craftsmen,

在贝宁匠人的手中

the style became more abstract,

雕刻的风格变得更加抽象

imbued⁷ with magical, symbolic⁸ power.

渗透着魔力 具有象征意义的力量

Benin's art would continue to evolve after the arrival

贝宁艺术在十五世纪下半叶

in the late 1400s of Portuguese⁹ traders,

葡萄牙商人到来后不断发展

the first Europeans to reach West Africa.

他们也是首先到达西非的欧洲人

Within Benin's art is evidence

在贝宁艺术中

that the Portuguese were more than just trading partners.

有证据表明葡萄牙人不只是他们的贸易伙伴

This brass¹⁰ statue, made by Africans for Africans,

这尊黄铜雕像由非洲人制作给非洲人

is of a Portuguese soldier.

雕刻的却是一位葡萄牙士兵

He is quite possibly one of the mercenaries

他可能是贝宁国王军队中的

who fought in the Oba's army.

一个雇佣兵

A statue like this could well have adorned¹¹ the Oba's palace.

这样的雕塑可能就用于装饰国王的宫殿

And one of the greatest of all Benin's art treasures gives us

这是贝宁艺术最了不起的珍品之一

an insight into the way Benin saw the Portuguese.

使我们了解了贝宁人是怎样看待葡萄牙人的

Made not of metal, but carved ivory,

它由象牙而不是金属雕成

it's believed to show the face of

人们认为它雕刻的是一位

a 16th-century queen mother Idia.

十六世纪的皇太后 依迪亚

1 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

3 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

4 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

5 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

6 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

7 imbued   

v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等）

参考例句：

• Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness. 她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。
• These cultivated individuals have been imbued with a sense of social purpose. 这些有教养的人满怀着社会责任感。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

9 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

10 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

11 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。