2022年经济学人 俯身去征服（1）

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Book review: The Normans

书评：诺曼人

They stooped to conquer

他们俯身去征服

Empires of the Normans. By Levi Roach.

《诺曼人的帝国》列维·罗奇著

For many years, a Viking host led by a charismatic brigand¹, Rollo, had been pillaging² up and down the Seine.

多年来，富有魅力的海盗罗洛率领的一群维京人在塞纳河上到处抢劫。

But when he overextended himself with an attack on the cathedral city of Chartres in 911, Rollo’s forces were given a bloody³ nose by the Frankish magnate Robert of Neustria.

但是，当罗洛在911年对教堂城市沙特尔发动进攻时，罗洛的军队被纽斯特利亚的法兰克大亨罗伯特打得鼻青脸肿。

Robert knew this was only a temporary reprieve⁴ and advised the king, Charles the Simple, to cut a deal with Rollo while the going was good.

罗伯特知道这只是暂时的喘息之机，于是建议国王查理三世在进展顺利的时候与罗洛达成协议。

They offered land between the Epte and the sea and marriage to Charles’s daughter, Gisla.

他们提供了艾普特和大海之间的土地，并让其与查理三世的女儿吉斯拉结婚。

In exchange Rollo would make a pledge of service to the king (including protection from other Vikings) and convert to Christianity.

作为交换，罗洛将宣誓效忠国王(包括保护国王免受其他维京人的伤害)，并皈依基督教。

He had no hesitation⁵ in accepting the terms while demanding (and getting) yet more territory.

他毫不犹豫地接受了这些条款，同时要求(并获得)更多的领土。

But when it came to displaying gratitude⁶ by kissing Charles’s feet, as custom required, he got one of his men to do it.

但是，在按照惯例需要亲吻查理三世的脚以示感激时，他让他的一个手下做了这件事。

Also refusing to kneel, Rollo’s henchman simply grabbed the king’s ankle, pulled the royal foot to his lips and sent the monarch⁷ sprawling⁸.

罗洛的追随者也拒绝下跪，只是抓住国王的脚踝，将王室的脚拉到嘴唇上，让君主摔倒在地。

The symbolism could not have been clearer.

其象征意义再清楚不过了。

Over the next three centuries, Rollo’s Norman successors—his great-great grandson was William the Conqueror—turned Normandy into the most politically and militarily cohesive⁹ territory in what would become France.

在接下来的三个世纪里，罗洛的诺曼继任者--他的曾孙是征服者威廉--将诺曼底变成了后来的法国最具政治和军事凝聚力的领土。

From there they set forth¹⁰ to dominate much of western and southern Europe, carving¹¹ out kingdoms in England, the south of Italy, Sicily and the Holy Land.

他们从那里开始统治西欧和南欧的大部分地区，在英格兰、意大利南部、西西里岛和圣地开辟了王国。

Exactly 301 years after Rollo’s refusal to bend the knee, the 17-year-old Frederick II was being crowned in Mainz as king of the Germans and Holy Roman Emperor in waiting.

在罗洛拒绝屈膝的整整301年后，17岁的腓特烈二世在美因茨被加冕为德国国王和神圣罗马帝国的待任皇帝。

Young Frederick was a Norman from Apulia.

年轻的腓特烈二世是来自阿普利亚的诺曼人。

1 brigand   

n.土匪，强盗

参考例句：

• This wallace is a brigand,nothing more.华莱士只不过是个土匪。
• How would you deal with this brigand?你要如何对付这个土匪？

2 pillaging   

v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The rebels went looting and pillaging. 叛乱者趁火打劫，掠夺财物。
• Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting. 士兵们横冲直撞，洗劫商店并且开枪射击。 来自辞典例句

3 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

4 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

5 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

6 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

7 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

8 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

9 cohesive   

adj.有粘着力的；有结合力的；凝聚性的

参考例句：

• She sealed the parcel with cohesive tape.她用粘胶带把包裹封起来。
• The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.作者将这些片断巧妙地结合成一个连贯的整体。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。