They are big, beautiful animals with soft thick hair. They come from Persia. 体型较大，非常漂亮，长着又柔又厚的毛，产自波斯。

Persia is one of those "once-was" or "used-to-be" countries too. 波斯也是那些“有过昔日辉煌”的国家之一，

It used to be the greatest country, yet many people now do not even know exactly where Persia is and can't even find it when they look for it on a map 它过去是世界上最伟大的城市。然而现在很多人甚至都不知道它确切的位置，他们就是在地图上也找不到它，

for the Persian name for Persia is Iran and most maps now say Iran instead of Persia. 因为“波斯”的波斯语名字是伊朗，现在大多数地图上标的是“伊朗”，而不是“波斯”。

As I look around me in my home where I'm writing this, 在家里写到这儿的时候，我环顾四周，

I find, to my surprise, I can count nearly a dozen things that have come from Persia or are connected with Persia, 惊讶地发现我竟能数出差不多十几样来自波斯或者与波斯有关的东西，

though before I began to count I should have said not a single thing Persian did I own. 不过，不数一数的话，会说我没有一件东西是来自波斯的。

The rug at my feet was made in Persia, entirely by hand. 我脚下的地毯是波斯制造的，

It was woven of woolen threads in beautiful colored designs and must have taken some Persian many months, perhaps a year or more, to make. 用羊毛线纯手工编织而成，上面有漂亮的彩色图案，某个波斯人一定编织了好几个月甚至一年多的时间才完成。

Some Persian rugs are said to have taken one person the whole of his lifetime to make. 据说，有些波斯地毯需要一个人一生的时间才能织完。

My wife has a silken shawl also woven by hand in Persia. 我妻子有一条丝质的披肩，也产自波斯，纯手工做的。

The silkworms were raised there, the cocoons unwound, the silk spun into thread, dyed in many colors, and then woven into this shawl. 波斯人养蚕，抽茧出丝，再纺成线，染成各种颜色，最后织成披肩。

She has a ring set with greenish blue stones, called Turquoises. 她有一个戒指，上面镶有青绿色宝石，叫做“绿松石”。

A turquoise is the birth-stone of December, and they also come from Persia. 绿松石是象征十二月份的诞生石，也产自波斯。

In some countries of the East people wear turquoises to keep away what is called the "evil eye." 在东方的一些国家，人们佩带绿松石是为了远离所谓的“邪恶的目光”，

They believe that some persons can do them harm by looking at them, and the turquoise prevents this "evil eye" harming them. 他们认为有些人看他们时会给自己带来伤害，而绿松石可以防止这些“恶目”伤害自己。