双语有声阅读:The Fairy-Tale Castle of Mad King Ludwig 令

The Fairy-Tale Castle of Mad King Ludwig 令国王痴迷的童话城堡
Nestled in the mountains of Bavaria, the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein (New Swan Castle) stands as a king's tribute to the chivalry¹ and magic of a mythical² age.

The castle was the brainchild of Bavaria's “mad” King Ludwig Ⅱ. Inspired by Richard Wagner's operas, the young King Ludwig sought to re-create the legendary³ dreamworld of medieval knights⁵ and heroes. Accordingly, he employed scenic⁶ artists, sculptors⁷, and stonemasons to turn that dreamworld into concrete reality.

In consultation⁸ with Wagner and various theatrical⁹ designers, plans for the castle were drawn¹⁰ up and the foundations laid in 1869. No expense was spared. Fourteen sculptors spent four-and-a-half years to complete the wood carvings¹¹ in the king's bedroom. The floor of the throne room was composed of no fewer than 2 million stones. In all, 15 rooms were completed. Most depict¹² scenes from the king's favorite operas---especially “Lohengrin,” the “Swan Knight⁴.”

Like many an opera, Ludwig's life ended in tragedy.His fascination¹³ with castles led government officials to rebel. They accused him of neglecting his duty and forced him to abdicate¹⁴. The following day, Ludwig was found drowned---in six inches of water.

But the mad king's unfinished dream lives on---a tribute to a “once upon a time” that never was.

It became everyone's idea of a fairy-tale castle, and the prototype for Walt Disney's Castle of the Sleeping Beauty.

1. chivalry n. 骑士（精神）

2. brainchild n. 创作品，脑力创造物

3. depict v. 描绘

4. abdicate v. 让位

新天鹅堡，一座童话般的城堡，座落在巴伐利亚山，它是一位国王对骑士精神的颂扬，也展现了神话时代的魅力。

这座城堡是巴伐利亚（对城堡）“着迷”的国王路德维希二世奇想的产儿。年轻的路德维希国王受到瓦格纳歌剧的启发，想要再造传说中中世纪骑士英雄们的奇幻世界。因此，他雇了制造景观的艺术家、雕刻家和石匠，来將这个梦幻世界变为现实。

在与瓦格纳及多位剧场设计师商议后，画出了城堡的平面图，并于1869年奠基，不惜耗费巨资。14位雕刻家花了4年半的时间完成了国王卧室里的木雕品。王宫的地板至少由两百万块石头砌成。共建造了15个房间。多数绘画取材于国王最喜爱的歌剧场景，特別是“罗格恩林”，即“天鹅骑士”。

路德维希的生活就像许多歌剧一样，最终以悲剧告终。他对城堡的痴迷引起了政府官员们的反对。官员们谴责他荒废国事，并迫使他退位。第二天，有人发现路德维希溺死在6英寸深的水中。

然而这位“痴迷”的国王没有做完的美梦──对一个从未存在的“很久以前”（的童话）的颂扬，保存了下来。它成为所有人心目中童话城堡的形象，也成为了迪斯尼睡美人城堡的原型
 

1 chivalry   

n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤

参考例句：

• The Middle Ages were also the great age of chivalry.中世纪也是骑士制度盛行的时代。
• He looked up at them with great chivalry.他非常有礼貌地抬头瞧她们。

2 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

3 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

4 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

5 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

6 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

7 sculptors   

雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座

参考例句：

• He is one of Britain's best-known sculptors. 他是英国最有名的雕塑家之一。
• Painters and sculptors are indexed separately. 画家和雕刻家被分开，分别做了索引。

8 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

9 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。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

13 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

14 abdicate   

v.让位，辞职，放弃

参考例句：

• The reason I wnat to abdicate is to try something different.我辞职是因为我想尝试些不一样的东西。
• Yuan Shikai forced emperor to abdicate and hand over power to him.袁世凯逼迫皇帝逊位，把政权交给了他。