英國語文第六冊(雙語):大馬士革與倫敦（二）(5)

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Conceive now how ludicrous the streets of London would appear, if green, white, black, and gray turbans moved indiscriminately, instead of the present hats; and if all the ladies, walking or on donkeys, instead of the present varieties of showy dress, beautiful bonnets, and smiling faces, presented only the appearance of headless ghosts clothed in white!

現(xiàn)在可以想象一下，如果倫敦街頭的女人不是像現(xiàn)在這樣戴著漂亮的帽子、穿著各式艷麗的裙子并且面露笑容，而是戴著綠色、白色、黑色和灰色的頭巾僵尸般地行走著或者騎著驢子，大街上滿是穿著白色衣服無法分辨的無頭幽靈，那場景得有多滑稽??！

As to the general motion and life, the difference is immense between Damascus and a western city. Let us glance for a moment at two streets, and compare them: —

至于城市的整體運(yùn)作和生活，大馬士革和一個西方城市之間的差異更大了。我們來看一下它們的街道，對比一下：——

1. In Damascus there is more openness and publicity. The tradesmen of every kind work in the open bazaars; many of the merchants and artisans dine in public—that is, eat their bread and oil, bread and honey, or bread and grapes, in the street where they work. All are smoking, without exception, in the intervals of business. Some are engaged in reading the Koran, swinging their bodies to and fro in the most earnest and violent manner. Some are sleeping calmly, with the long pipe in their mouth! There a butcher is killing a sheep, surrounded by a circle of hungry, expectant dogs. Yonder is a company engaged at a game of skill. Everything is done in the open air, and nothing seems to be concealed but the ladies.

1.大馬士革的開放空間更大，公開程度更高。不論什么行業(yè)的小販都在開放的集市上經(jīng)營；很多商人和技工都會在公共區(qū)域吃飯——一般是在街上他們工作的地方吃面包和食用油、面包和蜂蜜、或者面包和葡萄。所有人在工作之余都會吸煙，無一例外。有的前后搖晃著身體一臉認(rèn)真并充滿激情專注地讀著《古蘭經(jīng)》；有的嘴里叼著長長的煙管平靜地睡著；還有一個屠夫正在宰殺一只羊，旁邊圍著一群饑餓的面露期待的狗兒們；遠(yuǎn)處是一群玩著某種技巧游戲的人們。所有這些行為都是公開進(jìn)行的，這里似乎只有女人是被藏在面紗里，而其他的一切都是公開的。

2. In the eastern city there is much more quiet. Their manners are sober, formal, and stately; arising partly, I believe, from the famous and universal dogma of obedience. There is, indeed, hardly any other law. The subject, the wife, the son, the slave obeys: to hear is to obey. This principle of unhesitating, unquestioning obedience leads to quiet. There is no contradiction. There is nothing to talk about. There is nothing like politics. There is no public opinion, of course; for that is based upon private opinion, and determined, resolute will.

2.比起西方，東方的城市要安靜很多。那里的人們舉止穩(wěn)重、規(guī)整、從容；我想部分原因是受著名且流傳甚廣的順從教義的影響。的確，除了順從，那里幾乎沒有其他法律了。臣民、妻子、兒子和奴隸要遵守的原則是：聽到就得遵從。這種不容猶豫、不容質(zhì)疑的服從原則帶來的后果就是“安靜”，沒有矛盾，沒有可談?wù)摰臇|西，也沒有類似政治這種東西，當(dāng)然，更沒有公眾輿論，因為公眾輿論是建立在個人觀點和堅決意志的基礎(chǔ)之上的。