Shadows and Light Over Myanmar 缅甸巡礼
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2003年9月10日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年6月06日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：283
课文朗读
课文讲解
Racked by decades of political violence, the people of Myanmar (formerly Burma) saw a glimmer of hope in 1989 when Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD party won an overwhelming majority in the country’s elections. Shortly thereafter, the ruling military junta placed Suu Kyi under house arrest, annulled the legitimate election results, and killed, tortured or imprisoned thousands of NLD members. Ever since, Suu Kyi has urged the international community to avoid Myanmar until the junta surrenders its illegitimate authority. However, many Burmese, including NLD members disagree with her. Hence the traveler’s dilemma: to go or not to go …?
历经了数十年政治动荡的痛苦折磨，缅甸民众在1989年翁山苏姬领导的国家民主联盟【注】以压倒性多数赢得国家大选后，终于见到了一线希望的曙光。然而不久之后，执政的军政府软禁了翁山苏姬，宣布该次合法的选举结果无效，并杀害、折磨或监禁数千名的国家民主联盟成员。此后翁山苏姬就吁请国际社会勿走访缅甸，直到不合法的军政府交出政权。然而，有很多缅甸人，包括国家民主联盟的成员在内，都不赞成她的做法。于是游客们面临了一个两难的抉择：到底要不要去缅甸旅游？
The argument for avoiding Myanmar assumes that any visit will legitimize and enrich the country’s military dictatorship. The majority of services catering to tourists are affiliated with the government, and dollars spent there help fund atrocities against Myanmar’s people.
支持不要去缅甸旅行的论点是，去缅甸访问等于是承认该国的军事独裁政权，并让其势力坐大。大部份对旅客的服务都是由国营企业机构提供的，所以在当地消费意味着间接资助独裁政权对缅甸民众施以暴行。
On the other hand, tourism provides one of the few ways for ordinary Burmese to make money independent of the junta. Conscientious travelers can avoid government-owned business by staying with locals, whose smiles and quiet religious devotion make it easy to understand Suu Kyi efforts to free her country. But the question remains: will a travel boycott benefit the Burmese, or simply further isolate them and strengthen the junta’s control?
另一观点则是，观光业是少数几种方法中，给一般缅甸民众独立、不受军政府管控的一条赚钱途径。有正义感的旅客可以避开国营企业机构而在民间消费，民众的笑靥和平和的宗教信仰可以让他们完全了然于心，为什么翁山苏姬要致力于缅甸的民主化。不过原来的那个问题依旧存在：抵制缅甸的军政府不去当地旅游，到底是对缅甸民众有利，或只是进一步把他们孤立，而更加强军政府对他们的掌控？
Vocabulary
单词发音
Myanmar [ˋmjænmɑr] n. 缅甸（联邦）（原名Burma，位于亚洲）
rack [ræk] v. 使受极大痛苦，折磨
glimmer [ˋglɪmɚ] n. 少许[S][（+of）]; 微光
overwhelming [͵ovɚˋhwɛlmɪŋ] adj. 占压倒优势的
junta [ˈhʊntə] / [ˈdʒʌntə] n.〔靠武力取得政权的〕军政府
annul [əˋnʌl] v. 废除，取消；宣告……无效
surrender [səˋrɛndɚ] v. 交出，放弃
Burmese [bɝˋmiz] n. 缅甸人；缅甸语
dilemma [dəˋlɛmə] n. 困境，进退两难
assume [əˋsjum] v.（想当然地）认为[+（that）]
dictatorship [dɪkˋtetɚ͵ʃɪp] n. 独裁政府﹐独裁制度﹐专政
affiliate [əˋfɪlɪ͵et] v. 使隶属于[H][（+to/with）]
atrocity [əˋtrɑsətɪ] n. 残暴；残酷
conscientious [͵kɑnʃɪˋɛnʃəs] adj. 凭良心的；诚实的
boycott [ˋbɔɪ͵kɑt] v. 联合抵制
Sentence of the Day
"The power of unarmed violence is any day far superior to that of armed force" - Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi
印度国父甘地警语：「运用非武力所产生的力量，比用武力更强大有效。」
课文讲解
Those who disregard Suu Kyi’s entreaties to boycott Myanmar will discover the world’s greatest repository of Buddhist art and architecture.
无视于翁山苏姬配合杯葛的请求而走访缅甸者，将发现那里蕴藏着全世界最伟大的佛教艺术和建筑。
After King Anawratha, the Burman king of Bagan (near present-day Mandalay), converted to Theravada Buddhism in 1057 C.E., he invaded the neighboring Mon kingdom of Thaton. Anawratha then seized king Manuha of Thaton, precious Theravada scriptures, and thirty thousand skilled Mon craftspeople and monks, enabling the transformation of Bagan into a leading center of Buddhism. The subsequent imprisonment of Manuha in a pagoda at Bagan remains a powerful reminder for modern Burmese of the abominable regime under which they currently suffer.
缅甸国王安那拉塔来自巴干地区（在今日的曼德勒附近），他在公元1057年开始皈依上座部佛教【注】。之后他进攻邻近蒙国的萨同地区。安那拉塔擒获了萨同的国王曼华、带回许多珍贵的上座部佛教经书和三万名熟练的蒙国技师与僧侣，让巴干转变成为佛教的领导中心。曼华后来被囚禁在巴干的一座塔里面，这件事也大大地提醒着现代的缅甸民众，他们目前就是遭受这样一个强权的统治。
Unlike the present regime, Anawratha and his successors’ rule had a positive outcome: a phenomenal building project of pagodas, stupas and statuary that continued until Kublai khan’s Tartars conquered Bagan 230 years later.
安那拉塔与当前的缅甸统治者不同，他和他的继承人统治时期有一项非常正面的成就，就是大兴佛塔与雕像，一直到230年之后忽必烈汗的鞑靼人征服了巴干为止。
What remains of Bagan today is reminiscent of an Indiana Jones adventure: a mystifying and fantastic deserted city, whose thousands of structures have remained largely undisturbed over the past 700 years. Wandering amidst temples, one is more likely to encounter pilgrims or monks than tourists. In fact, exploring the myriad dark, narrow corridors or gazing out at the endless blood-red spires, it’s as if the only other person there is king Manuha’s ghost.
目前留在巴干的遗址，会令人连想到电影印地安那琼斯里的冒险故事：一座令人赞叹不已而又充满神秘气氛的废弃城池，里面上千座古代建筑历经了700年的岁月而多半未遭人破坏。在这些寺庙中徘徊巡礼，看到的是朝圣者及僧侣，数目可能比游客还多。事实上，在无数幽暗狭窄的回廊之间探索，或凝望那无际的血红尖塔，在场的人除了自己外，似乎就只有曼华国王的魂魄了。
【注】：上座部（南传）佛教是佛教的三个主要教派中历史最悠久、最保守者。如今信众多半在斯里兰卡、缅甸和泰国。
－by Charles Yonts
Vocabulary
单词发音
disregard [͵dɪsrɪˋgɑrd] n. 不理会，不顾
entreaty [ɪnˋtritɪ] n.【文】恳求；乞求
repository [rɪˋpɑzə͵torɪ] n. 宝库
Theravada [͵θɛrəˋvɑdə] n.（佛教）小乘
invade [ɪnˋved] v. 侵入，侵略
scripture [ˋskrɪptʃɚ] n.〔某一宗教的〕经文﹐经籍﹐圣书
imprisonment [ɪmˋprɪznmənt] n. 监禁；关押
pagoda [pəˋgodə] n.（佛）塔
abominable [əˋbɑmənəb!] adj.【口】糟透的，极差的
successor [səkˋsɛsɚ] n. 后继者，继任者
phenomenal [fəˋnɑmən!] adj. 非凡的; 惊人的
stupa [ˋstupə] n.（佛教）卒塔婆，佛塔，浮图（浮屠）
statuary [ˋstætʃʊ͵ɛrɪ] n.（总称）雕像；塑像
Kublai khan [ˌkublaɪˈkɑn] 忽必烈（元世祖）
Tartar [ˋtɑrtɚ] n. 鞑靼人
reminiscent [͵rɛməˋnɪsnt] adj. 回忆往事的﹐ 怀旧的; 发人联想的[（+of）]
mystifying [ˋmɪstə͵faɪɪŋ] adj. 使（某人）困惑不解的
deserted [dɪˋzɝtɪd] adj. 被遗弃的
pilgrim [ˋpɪlgrɪm] n. 香客，朝圣者
corridor [ˋkɔrɪdɚ] n. 走廊，回廊，通道
spire [spaɪr] n 尖塔；尖顶
Sentence of the Day
The ruins are almost beyond belief.
废墟残破到令人难以置信的地步。
beyond belief (因太大、太难、太可怕等)难以置信的; 不可思议的