Day 67|战后,斯雅一降一升
上句见:Day66
The Story of Philosophy的第67句:第1章Plato第1节The Context of Plato第4段第3句:
In 490-470B.C. Sparta and Athens, forgetting their jealousies and joining their forces, fought off the effort of the Persians under Darius and Xerxes to turn Greece into a colony of an Asiatic empire. In this struggle of youthful Europe against the senile East, Sparta provided the army and Athens the navy. The war over, Sparta demobilized her troops, and suffered the economic disturbances natural to that process; while Athens turned her navy into a merchant fleet, and became one of the greatest trading cities of the ancient world. Sparta relapsed into agricultural seclusion and stagnation, while Athens became a busy mart and port, the meeting place of many races of men and of diverse cults and customs, whose contact and rivalry begot comparison, analysis and thought.
浙江大学版本:战争结束后,斯巴达解散军队,经历了战后不可避免的经济混乱;雅典则将海军打造成一支商船队伍,摇身一变成为当时最伟大的商贸城市之一。
解析
这句讲的是战争结束后的斯巴达与雅典的不同发展轨道。用的是对照写法,斯巴达是解散了部队,以及经济混乱;而雅典则是把海军转成商船,从而一跃而起。措施是一个demobilize,另一个turn;结果是一个混乱,一个平稳过渡。不同措施也是因为两个城邦不同的地位位置造成的。斯巴达三面环山,唯一靠海的那面到处是礁石,发展海上势力没有优势。而雅典三面靠海,以山地为主,如上段所说的她是门户,得天独厚的航海和商贸场所。
1、'The war over, Sparta demobilized her troops, …'。随着战争结束,斯巴达就解散了军队。应该是省略句,省略了最前面的with,“with the war over ”作为伴随状语,表原因。
demobilize:to release (someone or something) from military service 遣散,解散(部队)
Both leaders agreed to demobilize their armies and sign the peace treaty.
2、’...and suffered the economic disturbances natural to that process; …'。斯巴达还遭受到经济的不稳定。军队解散,原来的农民归农民,但是此时农民不再有心思种地,同时农业是有周期性。以农业为主以及以战争所得的斯巴达不可避免陷入经济混乱中。当然经济衰退原因更复杂,不仅仅以上一点。
disturbance:something that stops you from working, sleeping, etc. : the act of disturbing someone or something骚乱;混乱
These disturbances may burn out, only to flare again unexpectedly.这些混乱可能终有一天会耗尽消失,却会出乎意料的再次爆发。
3、’...while Athens turned her navy into a merchant fleet, …’。相反,雅典把海军舰队变成商船队,顺利转型。这里用了个turn动词,表示了战时与平常军队的转换,用简单词达到了效果。
4、’...and became one of the greatest trading cities of the ancient world.’。由于顺序转型,她成了古代最伟大的贸易城市之一。
战争结束后,斯巴达解散了她的军队,经济自然而然遭受与军队转型相关的动荡;而雅典则将她的海军转变为商船队,并成为了当时最伟大的贸易城市之一。
乱则生变,这估计也是伯罗尼撒战争的原因之一吧。富则生闲,这也是雅典失败的原因吧。野蛮对民主,民主输了,但总体流动了。