為什么是倫敦？

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.

英國詩人塞繆爾·約翰遜曾說：“如果你厭倦了倫敦，你就厭倦了生活。”作為世界上擁有最多博物館的城市，倫敦到底擁有什么魅力，能讓我們平淡的生活重新煥發光彩呢？讓我們跟隨筆者的腳步，探索這座傳統與現代完美結合的城市，在追溯歷史的旅程中審視當下，再次整裝待發。

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： 酷熱的，熱得使人發昏的。

3. squint： 斜視，瞇著眼睛看；soaring： 高聳入云的；spire： 尖頂，塔尖；gilded： 鍍金的；dial： 鐘面，表盤；weathercock：（公雞形）風向標。

4. Houses of Parliament： 議會大廈，又稱威斯敏斯特宮（Palace of Westminster），是英國議會（包括上議院和下議院）的所在地。它是哥特復興式建筑的代表作之一，1987年被列為世界文化遺產。

5. turret： 角樓，塔樓；honeycomb： 蜂窩。

6. double-decker bus： 雙層巴士；briskly： 迅速地；chime：（使）鐘鳴。

7. dazzling： 耀眼的，令人眼花繚亂的；dwarf：使顯得矮小，使相形見絀。

8. stroll： 閑逛；漫步；hunky： 結實性感的；willowy： 修長苗條的，婀娜多姿的；breeze： 輕盈而自信地走；London Eye： 倫敦眼，是坐落于泰晤士河畔的一座巨大的觀景摩天輪。

9. Westminster Abbey： 威斯敏斯特教堂，又稱西敏寺，坐落在倫敦泰晤士河北岸，始建于公元960年，原是一座天主教本篤會隱修院，1540年之后成為圣公會教堂。威斯敏斯特教堂是英國的象征之一，建成后承辦了國王加冕、皇家婚禮、國葬等重大儀式，歷任君主以及一些偉人都葬于此。

10. William the Conqueror： 威廉一世（William I， 約1028—1087），英格蘭諾曼王朝第一任國王，綽號“征服者威廉”。威廉一世的“諾曼征服”引進了封建主義和諾曼人習俗，使法蘭西文化同盎格魯-撒克遜文化融為一體，對英國歷史產生了巨大影響；coronation： 加冕儀式。

11. antiquity： 古代，古物。

12. ramble： 漫游，散步；aisle：（教堂、戲院、火車等座位間或超市貨架間的）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：（圣公會的）晚禱；linger：徘徊，逗留。

15. disciple： 門徒，信徒；prayer： 禱文，禱詞。

16. Saint Benedict： 圣·貝內迪克特，即圣本篤，是蒙特卡西諾本篤會修道院的創始人，西方修道主義之父，他所建立的規則后來成為整個歐洲修道院生活的常態。

17. atheist： 無神論者。

18. pious： 虔誠的；chorus： 合唱；reverberate： 回蕩，回響；vaulted： 有拱頂的，穹廬形的。

19. poignant： 令人悲痛的，令人感傷的。

20. epitaph： 碑文，墓志銘。

21. detour： 繞道；quire： 古同choir，（教堂內）唱詩班的座席；service：（教堂）禮拜式中的樂曲；sacrarium：（古羅馬）神龕，圣堂。

22. shrine： 圣壇，神龕；St. Edward the Confessor：懺悔者愛德華（約1003—1066），英國盎格魯-撒克遜王朝君主，因其對基督教信仰有無比的虔誠，被稱作“懺悔者愛德華”，或稱“圣·愛德華”。

23. slant： 傾斜；peek： 窺視，偷看；relish： 享受；effulgence： 燦爛，光輝。

24. tinge： 染上淡淡的顏色；watery：（顏色）淡的。

25. putter： 從容漫步。

26. fable： 寓言；ponder： 深思，沉思。

27. Washington Irving： 華盛頓·歐文（1783—1895），美國作家，開創了美國短篇小說傳統，被稱為“美國文學之父”，代表作有《紐約外史》《見聞札記》等；dismay： 灰心，沮喪；meditation： 冥想，沉思。

28. 輝煌的榮譽和勃勃的雄心都隨風而逝，悔恨的淚水磨滅了傲慢的冷笑，高貴的國王與可憐的士兵盡歸塵土，世仇都可能被葬于同一座教堂。remorse： 懊悔，遺憾；obliterate： 清除，毀掉；arrogant： 傲慢的，自大的；dignitary： 地位尊榮的；chapel： 小教堂。

29. saunter： 漫步，閑逛。

30. transept：（教堂的）交叉甬道，十字形翼部；signpost： 路標；Geoffrey Chaucer： 杰弗里·喬叟（約1343—1400），英國小說家、詩人，被稱為“英國詩歌之父”，代表作為《坎特伯雷故事集》。

31. 此處提到的人物依次為：莎士比亞（1564—1616，文藝復興時期英國最杰出的戲劇家和詩人），華茲華斯（1770—1850，英國浪漫主義詩人，代表作《抒情歌謠集》），拜倫（1788—1824，英國浪漫主義詩人，代表作《恰爾德·哈羅爾德游記》《唐璜》），濟慈（1795—1821，英國浪漫主義詩人，代表作《夜鶯》），艾略特（1888—1965，英國詩人、劇作家和文學批評家，詩歌現代派運動領袖，代表作《荒原》《四個四重奏》），奧登（1907—1973，英國詩人、文學批評家，曾是英國左翼青年作家領袖）。

32. squat： 蹲下；scrutinize： 細看；medallion： 大獎章，徽章；inscription： 銘文，題詞。

33. Dylan Thomas： 迪倫·托馬斯（1914—1953），英國作家、詩人，人稱“瘋狂的迪倫”，代表作為《死亡與出場》。評論界普遍認為他是繼奧登以后英國的又一位重要詩人。

34. 我的腦海中立刻浮現出這樣一幅畫面：一棵樹直立著，像塊方尖碑一般靜默而剛正，下方腐木堆積；但是它其實在秘密地蓬勃生長，它抽枝吐芽，汲取養分，盡力伸展，把得到的能量輸送到頂端的枝丫，展開一片蔥綠的流蘇狀羽翼。obelisk： 方尖碑；seethe： 沸騰，激動；heave： 舉起，托起；hurl： 猛扔；fringed：帶穗子的，有流蘇的；fling： 投，拋。

35. babbling：（水流過石塊）潺潺作響的；considerably：大幅度地；jagged： 鋸齒狀的，凹凸不平的；swirling： 有漩渦的，打轉的。

36. inheritance： 遺產；ramification： 意想不到的后果，派生的影響；gem：（經切割打磨的）寶石；vein： 血管，靜脈。

37. cloister：（大教堂、修道院等的）回廊。

38. murky： 昏暗的；lush： 青蔥的，草木茂盛的。

39. monastic： 修道院的，寺院的；precinct： 區域，轄區。

40. dye plant： 染料植物；culinary： 烹飪的，食物的；sheer： 純粹的，完全的；tranquility： 寧靜。

41. saturate： 浸透，使充滿。

42. fennel： 茴香。

43. H. V. Morton： 莫頓（1892—1979），英國記者、先鋒旅行作家，以其關于英國和圣地（Holy Land）的多本暢銷書而聞名。