为什么是伦敦？

梁心璐

As I mounted the stairs of the underground station， a streak of gold prodded my eyes and left a tingle in my face1—it was Big Ben. The first time I saw it was a gloomy day， masses of dense clouds enveloping the upper London. A rather sweltering2 day with moaning wind now and then， very unusual in London. We were told before that we were lucky enough to enjoy the rare lovely weather in London—without rain or fog.

Big Ben is the nickname of the magnificent Elizabeth Tower and is actually only the name that belongs to the thirteen-anda-half ton bell which strikes the hours. Since the Westminster Station was just at the foot of Big Ben， I had to twist my neck into a right angle and squint at the soaring spire and gilded dial， throwing my thoughts higher than the weathercock.3

Lying against Big Ben is the Houses of Parliament4， officially known as the New Palace of Westminster. This forest of towers， turrets and spires rises from a vast honeycomb of courts， corridors and chambers.5

My eyes were chasing after a bright red double-decker bus running briskly along the street when the bell chimed eleven，6 the sound drifting through the Gothic churches like the smell of bread. I took a double-decker bus the other day. It provided a birds-eye view of the narrow streets and dazzling shops， dwarfing the human parade below.7

I strolled along the Westminster Bridge and leaned against the rails， rolling my eyes between the hunky guys， willowy ladies breezing by and the grand London Eye not far across the River Thames.8 My next destination was Westminster Abbey9.

英國诗人塞缪尔·约翰逊曾说：“如果你厌倦了伦敦，你就厌倦了生活。”作为世界上拥有最多博物馆的城市，伦敦到底拥有什么魅力，能让我们平淡的生活重新焕发光彩呢？让我们跟随笔者的脚步，探索这座传统与现代完美结合的城市，在追溯历史的旅程中审视当下，再次整装待发。

Standing across the street beside Houses of Parliament， Westminster Abbey was founded in the 10th century. Since the crowning of William the Conqueror here in 1066， the Abbey has been the nations coronation church.10

As I passed the Great North Door， it seemed like stepping back into the regions of antiquity11， and losing myself among the shades of former ages. I was shortly blinded by the dim light. After I regained my sight， I found myself rambling in a silent aisle.12 Beside was a row of sarcophaguses， the stone coffins， each with an effigy on it and a piece of big cloth overhead.13 When I was approaching the nave， the evensong arose and lingered sweetly.14 I turned to the nave， which was full of disciples holding a piece of prayer.15 I picked one of Saint Benedict16 and read through. Honestly speaking， I couldnt get to it thoroughly because its all about Christianity， and I was an atheist17. I was touched， however， by the pious and harmonious chorus reverberating under the vaulted ceiling.18

Hearing the chorus， I stepped closer to the simple grave of the Unknown Warrior. Its a poignant19 tomb that symbolizes the sacrifices of more than a million British who lost their lives in WWI. The grave was simply a rectangle ornamented with red roses alongside and carved epitaph20. “FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD.”

I made a detour round the quire with blazing red lamps where daily services had been sung for centuries and had a head-on meeting with the sacrarium.21 The shrine of St. Edward the Confessor was high on the stairs.22 I sank wearily into the chair and looked upwards. The sun slanted in， peeked through the colored glass and attacked the people sitting in rows and relishing the quietness with a blinding effulgence.23 The sacrarium was also tinged by the watery golden sunshine.24

Then I rose and puttered25 around the magnificent tombs and monuments. They spoke both of human dignity and achievement and of the Christian confidence in life after death. I couldnt remember all the historical stories or fables clearly， but I did ponder a lot.26 “Its the place，” says Washington Irving， “not of disgust and dismay， but of sorrow and meditation.”27

Splendid glories faded with ambitious dreams； tears of deepest remorse obliterated the arrogant smiles； dignitary kings went to the same world as the poor soldiers； deadly enemies were buried in one chapel.28 Columns， arches， pyramids， statues， what are they but heaps of sand； and their epitaphs， but characters written in the dust？ All and all were scattered to the wind.

Unconsciously I sauntered29 in Poets Corner， which I longed to see most. It occupied an end of one of the transepts of the Abbey， but there was no signpost， so I just recognized the memorial of Geoffrey Chaucer by accident.30 Name and the date of birth and death， that was all for this first great English poet in British history. A bit cruel， wasnt it？ After Chaucer， I entered a small world of poets jammed with Shakespeare （Hes the only one who owns a full-length statue）， Wordsworth， Byron， Keats， Eliot， Auden and too many to mention.31

I remained longest in this little corner， leaning or even squatting to scrutinize the medallions and inscriptions.32 A kinder and fonder feeling took place of that cold curiosity and vague admiration with which I gazed on the splendid monuments of the great and the heroic. As Washington Irving says， “They linger about these as about the tombs of friends and companions； for indeed there is something of companionship between the author and the reader.”

My favorite inscription was Dylan Thomass33：

“Time held me green and dying

Though I sang in my chains like the sea”

A picture like this immediately occurred to me： A tree stands there， accumulating deadwood， mute and rigid as an obelisk， but secretly it seethes； it splits， sucks and stretches； it heaves up tons and hurls them out in a green， fringed fling.34 Meanwhile， a babbling brook is weaving its way considerably amidst jagged mountains and finally jumping into the swirling open sea.35 All these are lives that stay eternally vigorous.

Poets are worth memorizing， for they have left the world with an inheritance， not ramification from blood and violence， but whole gems of wisdom， bright jewels of thought， and golden veins of language.36

When I left Poets Corner reluctantly， I turned a corner， walked briskly along the cloister37 and made my way to College Garden. As I sneaked out of the murky cloister， a wide lush lawn unexpectedly spread before me.38 The garden， whose only visitors were the monks who walked along the ancient stones in monastic time， was well hidden within the Abbey precincts for centuries.39 During that period， this area was used to grow vegetables， fruits， dye plants， culinary and medicinal herbs， offering the monks with sheer tranquility and a shelter from all the changes outside the walls over time.40 I wandered around the garden， saturated41 in the mild sunshine and moderate wind. Then I sat on a bench， resting my eyes randomly on a fennel42 or a head of lettuce. Not much left to be said.

H. V. Morton43 wrote， “London is too big： By the time you reach the fringe of her there is no London to be seen.” The truth of this saying becomes abundantly clear. London is not geographically but spiritually big. Never in anywhere else of the world do history and tradition nourish human so deeply and naturally.

Maybe thats why its London.

1. mount： 攀登，爬上；a streak of： 一道（光線等）；prod： 戳，刺；tingle： 刺痛感。

2. sweltering： 酷热的，热得使人发昏的。

3. squint： 斜视，眯着眼睛看；soaring： 高耸入云的；spire： 尖顶，塔尖；gilded： 镀金的；dial： 钟面，表盘；weathercock：（公鸡形）风向标。

4. Houses of Parliament： 议会大厦，又称威斯敏斯特宫（Palace of Westminster），是英国议会（包括上议院和下议院）的所在地。它是哥特复兴式建筑的代表作之一，1987年被列为世界文化遗产。

5. turret： 角楼，塔楼；honeycomb： 蜂窝。

6. double-decker bus： 双层巴士；briskly： 迅速地；chime：（使）钟鸣。

7. dazzling： 耀眼的，令人眼花缭乱的；dwarf：使显得矮小，使相形见绌。

8. stroll： 闲逛；漫步；hunky： 结实性感的；willowy： 修长苗条的，婀娜多姿的；breeze： 轻盈而自信地走；London Eye： 伦敦眼，是坐落于泰晤士河畔的一座巨大的观景摩天轮。

9. Westminster Abbey： 威斯敏斯特教堂，又称西敏寺，坐落在伦敦泰晤士河北岸，始建于公元960年，原是一座天主教本笃会隐修院，1540年之后成为圣公会教堂。威斯敏斯特教堂是英国的象征之一，建成后承办了国王加冕、皇家婚礼、国葬等重大仪式，历任君主以及一些伟人都葬于此。

10. William the Conqueror： 威廉一世（William I， 约1028—1087），英格兰诺曼王朝第一任国王，绰号“征服者威廉”。威廉一世的“诺曼征服”引进了封建主义和诺曼人习俗，使法兰西文化同盎格鲁-撒克逊文化融为一体，对英国历史产生了巨大影响；coronation： 加冕仪式。

11. antiquity： 古代，古物。

12. ramble： 漫游，散步；aisle：（教堂、戏院、火车等座位间或超市货架间的）走道。

13. sarcophagus：（雕花大理石）石棺；coffin： 棺材；effigy：（名人、圣人或神的）雕像。

14. nave： 教堂中殿；evensong：（圣公会的）晚祷；linger：徘徊，逗留。

15. disciple： 门徒，信徒；prayer： 祷文，祷词。

16. Saint Benedict： 圣·贝内迪克特，即圣本笃，是蒙特卡西诺本笃会修道院的创始人，西方修道主义之父，他所建立的规则后来成为整个欧洲修道院生活的常态。

17. atheist： 无神论者。

18. pious： 虔诚的；chorus： 合唱；reverberate： 回荡，回响；vaulted： 有拱顶的，穹庐形的。

19. poignant： 令人悲痛的，令人感伤的。

20. epitaph： 碑文，墓志铭。

21. detour： 绕道；quire： 古同choir，（教堂内）唱诗班的座席；service：（教堂）礼拜式中的乐曲；sacrarium：（古罗马）神龛，圣堂。

22. shrine： 圣坛，神龛；St. Edward the Confessor：忏悔者爱德华（约1003—1066），英国盎格鲁-撒克逊王朝君主，因其对基督教信仰有无比的虔诚，被称作“忏悔者爱德华”，或称“圣·爱德华”。

23. slant： 倾斜；peek： 窥视，偷看；relish： 享受；effulgence： 灿烂，光辉。

24. tinge： 染上淡淡的颜色；watery：（颜色）淡的。

25. putter： 從容漫步。

26. fable： 寓言；ponder： 深思，沉思。

27. Washington Irving： 华盛顿·欧文（1783—1895），美国作家，开创了美国短篇小说传统，被称为“美国文学之父”，代表作有《纽约外史》《见闻札记》等；dismay： 灰心，沮丧；meditation： 冥想，沉思。

28. 辉煌的荣誉和勃勃的雄心都随风而逝，悔恨的泪水磨灭了傲慢的冷笑，高贵的国王与可怜的士兵尽归尘土，世仇都可能被葬于同一座教堂。remorse： 懊悔，遗憾；obliterate： 清除，毁掉；arrogant： 傲慢的，自大的；dignitary： 地位尊荣的；chapel： 小教堂。

29. saunter： 漫步，闲逛。

30. transept：（教堂的）交叉甬道，十字形翼部；signpost： 路标；Geoffrey Chaucer： 杰弗里·乔叟（约1343—1400），英国小说家、诗人，被称为“英国诗歌之父”，代表作为《坎特伯雷故事集》。

31. 此处提到的人物依次为：莎士比亚（1564—1616，文艺复兴时期英国最杰出的戏剧家和诗人），华兹华斯（1770—1850，英国浪漫主义诗人，代表作《抒情歌谣集》），拜伦（1788—1824，英国浪漫主义诗人，代表作《恰尔德·哈罗尔德游记》《唐璜》），济慈（1795—1821，英国浪漫主义诗人，代表作《夜莺》），艾略特（1888—1965，英国诗人、剧作家和文学批评家，诗歌现代派运动领袖，代表作《荒原》《四个四重奏》），奥登（1907—1973，英国诗人、文学批评家，曾是英国左翼青年作家领袖）。

32. squat： 蹲下；scrutinize： 细看；medallion： 大奖章，徽章；inscription： 铭文，题词。

33. Dylan Thomas： 迪伦·托马斯（1914—1953），英国作家、诗人，人称“疯狂的迪伦”，代表作为《死亡与出场》。评论界普遍认为他是继奥登以后英国的又一位重要诗人。

34. 我的脑海中立刻浮现出这样一幅画面：一棵树直立着，像块方尖碑一般静默而刚正，下方腐木堆积；但是它其实在秘密地蓬勃生长，它抽枝吐芽，汲取养分，尽力伸展，把得到的能量输送到顶端的枝丫，展开一片葱绿的流苏状羽翼。obelisk： 方尖碑；seethe： 沸腾，激动；heave： 举起，托起；hurl： 猛扔；fringed：带穗子的，有流苏的；fling： 投，抛。

35. babbling：（水流过石块）潺潺作响的；considerably：大幅度地；jagged： 锯齿状的，凹凸不平的；swirling： 有漩涡的，打转的。

36. inheritance： 遗产；ramification： 意想不到的后果，派生的影响；gem：（经切割打磨的）宝石；vein： 血管，静脉。

37. cloister：（大教堂、修道院等的）回廊。

38. murky： 昏暗的；lush： 青葱的，草木茂盛的。

39. monastic： 修道院的，寺院的；precinct： 区域，辖区。

40. dye plant： 染料植物；culinary： 烹饪的，食物的；sheer： 纯粹的，完全的；tranquility： 宁静。

41. saturate： 浸透，使充满。

42. fennel： 茴香。

43. H. V. Morton： 莫顿（1892—1979），英国记者、先锋旅行作家，以其关于英国和圣地（Holy Land）的多本畅销书而闻名。