世界小史 第128期:下跪(在线收听

   Anyone who came into his presence had to fall on their knees before him and speak to him as if he were a god.

  任何人来到他的面前必须向他下跪并仿佛他真的是一个神似的同他讲话。
  And in the manner of Oriental kings he had several wives, among them the daughter of the Persian king, Darius,
  他像东方国王们那样娶了好几个妻子,其中有波斯国王大流士的女儿,
  which made him that king's rightful successor.
  以便成为后者的真正的继承人。
  For Alexander didn't wish to be seen as a foreign conqueror.
  因为他不想被看作是个外来的占领者,
  His aim was to combine the wisdom and splendor of the East with the clear thinking and vitality of the Greeks, and so create something entirely new and wonderful.
  他的目标是把东方的智慧和财富与希腊人的清晰思路和活力融合为某种崭新的、神奇的东西。
  But this idea didn't please the Greeks and Macedonians at all.
  可是希腊人和马其他人不喜欢这样。
  They were the conquerors, so they should be the masters.
  他们这些征服者也想保持其主人的地位。
  What was more, they were free men, and used to their freedom.
  而且他们是自由人、他们习惯自由。
  They weren't going to bow down to any man on earth – or, as they put it, lick any man's boots.
  他们不愿意向任何人或大地跪拜——或者,像他们说的“拍任何人的马屁”。
  His Greek friends and the soldiers became increasingly rebellious, and he was forced to send them home.
  他的希腊朋友和士兵们变得越来越反叛,他不得不将他们遣送回家。
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