VOA常速英语2014--Opera Tells Story of Pakistani Rape Victim Turned Women's Rights Advocate 歌剧演绎轮奸受害者演变为女权倡议者的故事

 

Opera Tells Story of Pakistani Rape¹ Victim Turned Women's Rights Advocate 歌剧演绎轮奸受害者演变为女权倡议者的故事

NEW YORK — An infamous² 2002 gang rape in Pakistan is the unlikely subject of a new opera which recently premiered at New York’s Baruch Performing Arts Center. Called Thumbprint, the opera shows how the victim in the case turned the tragedy around - and became a women's rights advocate.

纽约报道——近期在纽约巴鲁克表演艺术中心的新歌剧首次公演的歌剧，主题人物是2002年声名狼藉的巴基斯坦轮奸犯罪嫌疑人。这场名为“手印”的歌剧展示了事件的受害者将之公之于众，并且已成为了女性权利的倡导人。

The opera tells the story of Mukhtaran Mai, the Pakistani woman who became known around the world for her struggle to bring to justice the men who allegedly raped³ her in 2002 - and then became a champion of education for girls.

这场歌剧讲述的一位巴基斯坦女性莫赫塔兰·马伊，因2002年被轮奸而知名，此后她奔波寻求正义将玷污她的犯罪嫌疑人绳之以法，目前她已然是为女性教育的拥护者。

The title of the production - Thumbprint - refers to the fact that many illiterate⁴ people in Pakistan and many other countries use their thumbprints to sign their names. Composer and lead singer Kamala Sankaram, who plays the role of Mukhtaran, says that’s an important part of the plot.

歌剧的名字——手印——指的是巴基斯坦以及其它国家未受教育的人利用他们的大拇指来签名。作曲人兼主唱卡马拉·萨卡瑞饰演了莫赫塔兰的角色，表示这是戏剧的重要情节。

“We felt that the central, pivotal moment of the story is when Mukhtaran realizes the fact that she is illiterate has kept her from awareness⁵ of the laws of her country and of her rights and so it symbolizes⁶, really, what we think the show is about. It’s about this person who rises up to become an advocate for women’s education,” she said.

我们认为这个故事的关键与核心在于莫赫塔兰意识到，她的目不识丁导致她不了解国家法律所赋予她的权利，这是我们想要在戏剧中表达的象征，即代表那些站起来为女性教育而奋斗的倡议人。

The performance opens with the day Mukhtaran was allegedly gang raped at the orders of a tribal⁷ village council - because they believed her brother had had an affair with a girl from a prominent local family.

这场演出开场便是莫赫塔兰被依照村里的土法律遭多人轮奸，因为莫赫塔兰的弟弟被怀疑与当地显赫家庭的女孩发生性关系。

With a score influenced by traditional South Asian and western classical music, Thumbprint shows an illiterate woman struggling for justice after being let down by her tribal traditions.

受传统南亚和西方古典音乐的影响，“手印”演出展现了一名文盲女性在对她的种族传统失望之后为了正义而战。

Rachel Dickstein, the show’s director, says, “Mukhtaran Mai never set out to be a revolutionary for the sake of being a revolutionary. She found her own voice and for us, as artists, telling a story about that is very inspiring.”

该演出的导演雷切尔·迪斯敦表示，“莫赫塔兰将永远不会因成为变革者的原因，而被排除于变革者的行列。她是为了我们而呐喊，作为一名艺术工作者，讲述这样一个故事也很鼓舞人心。”

Composer and lead singer Sankaram says, “There is so much silence that surrounds the acts of violence [against] women in India, in Pakistan, in America, everywhere and the fact that she chose to speak out to continue by becoming an advocate for women’s education. I guess for me, it's inspirational because it shows that one person with conviction can make a change."

作曲人兼主唱卡马拉·萨卡瑞称，在印度、巴基斯坦、美国以及世界各地，很多女性遭受暴力之后都保持沉默，而她选择了公之于众并继续为了女性教育而斗争。对我而言，深受鼓舞，因为这预示了一个人坚定的信念也可以创造奇迹。

Producing Director Kim Whitener had no doubts that Mukhtaran Mai’s story would resonate with the audience.  Whitener says, “The degree to which they have sort of outpouring of tremendous empathy and personal reaction to the story has just been astounding⁸ to us.”

制片导演吉米·怀特纳确信莫赫塔兰的故事会引发观众的共鸣，怀特纳称，“他们对这个故事，所流露出的极强同情心和极大的个人反应，很让我们震惊。”

 

Thumbprint played to full houses during its eight days of performances. The producers believe that because of this response, they will be taking Mukhtaran Mai’s story to other American cities.

“手印”八天的演出期间场场爆满。鉴于观众的共鸣，制片人相信，莫赫塔兰·马伊的故事将会上演在美国其它城市。

1 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

2 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

3 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

4 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

5 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

6 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》