美国学生人类历史第58期:古希腊的戏剧(2)

 　　The singer who meh-mehed like a goat therefore was called a "tragos-oidos" or goat singer, and it is this strange name which developed into the modern word "Tragedy," which means in the theatrical¹ sense a piece with an unhappy ending, just as Comedy (which really means the singing of something "comos" or gay) is the name given to a play which ends happily.

　　由此，学山羊发出咩咩之声的歌手就被称为山羊歌手。这一奇怪的称呼后来演变为现代名词--"悲剧"（tyagedy）。从戏剧的角度来说，"悲剧"意味着一出结局悲惨的戏，就如同喜剧（原意是歌咏、欢快、幽默之事）以大团圆而收场。

　　But how, you will ask, did this noisy chorus² of masqueraders, stamping around like wild goats, ever develop into the noble tragedies which have filled the theatres of the world for almost two thousand years?

　　你肯定会问，这些化装成野山羊的歌手们嘈杂的合唱，究竟是如何发展成在世界各剧院上演2000年而不衰的高贵悲剧的呢？

　　The connecting link between the goat-singer and Hamlet is really very simple as I shall show you in a moment.

　　山羊歌手和哈姆雷特之间的联系，其实非常简单。我马上就向你说明。

　　The singing chorus was very amusing³ in the beginning and attracted large crowds of spectators⁴ who stood along the side of the road and laughed. But soon this business of tree-hawing grew tiresome⁵ and the Greeks thought dullness an evil only comparable⁶ to ugliness or sickness. They asked for something more entertaining. Then an inventive young poet from the village of Icaria in Attica hit upon a new idea which proved a tremendous success. He made one of the members of the goat-chorus step forward and engage in conversation with the leader of the musicians who marched at the head of the parade playing upon their pipes of Pan.

　　起初，山羊歌手的咩咩合唱很让人着迷，吸引了大批的观众站在街道两旁围观，笑声不断。可没过多久，这种叫声便让人厌烦了。希腊人把沉闷乏味视为与丑陋、疾患同等的罪恶，他们强烈要求合唱队拿出一些更吸引人的东西。后来，一位来自阿提卡地方伊卡里亚村的青年诗人，他想出了一个颇富创意的新点子。

1 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

2 chorus   

n.合唱，合唱队，齐声

参考例句：

• Never before have I heard this song sung in chorus.我从来没有听过这首歌的合唱。
• The children repeated the words after her in chorus.孩子们跟她齐声朗读单词。

3 amusing   

adj.有有趣的，好玩的

参考例句：

• The girl was amusing herself with a doll.那女孩在玩洋娃娃自娱。
• He related some amusing stories in his childhood to his children.他向孩子们述说了他少年时代的一些趣事。

4 spectators   

n.观众，旁观者( spectator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun. 看得出观众在炎热的阳光下快支撑不住了。
• The policemen asked the spectators to stand well back. 警察要求旁观者靠后站。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

6 comparable   

adj.相似的，同类的，可比的，比得上的

参考例句：

• A fire is comparable with the sun,both give light and heat.火可以和太阳相比，两者都可以发光发热。
• No horse has a speed comparable to that of his.没有一匹马的速度能比得上他的马。