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爱尔兰巨人堤道的传说

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On the coast of Northern Ireland, a vast plateau of basalt slabs and columns called the Giant's Causeway stretches into the ocean.

在北爱尔兰的海岸,有一大片玄武岩石板和石柱绵延入海,其名为巨人堤道。
The scientific explanation for this is that it's the result of molten lava contracting and fracturing as it cooled in the wake of a volcanic eruption.
科学表明,这是在火山喷发之后,灼热的熔岩反复冷却收缩并爆裂所形成的景观。
But an ancient Irish myth has a different accounting.
但是,一个古爱尔兰传说却对其有着不同的诠释。
According to legend, the giant Finn MacCool lived happily on the North Antrim coast with his wife Oonagh.
传说是这样讲的:爱尔兰巨人芬·麦库尔与他的妻子乌娜幸福地生活在北安特里姆的海岸上。
Their only disturbance came from the taunts and threats of the giant Benandonner, or the red man, who lived across the sea in Scotland.
唯一的烦恼来自巨人贝南德纳的嘲讽和挑衅,贝南德纳别名红色巨人,他住在海的彼岸的苏格兰。
The two roared insults and hurled rocks at each other in dramatic shows of strength.
两个人互相嘲讽,为了展现自己的实力甚至向对方投掷石块。
Once, Finn tore up a great clump of land and heaved it at his rival, but it fell short of reaching land.
有一次,芬挖起了一块巨石掷向了对手,但巨石落在了海里。
Instead, the clump became the Isle of Man, and the crater left from the disturbed earth filled with water to become Lough Neagh.
于是,那块巨石变成了如今的马恩岛,而石块原先所在的地方留下的坑渐渐装满了水,变成了内伊湖。
The giants' tough talk continued, until one day Benandonner challenged Finn to a fight, face to face.
两个巨人之间的争吵还在继续,直到一日,贝南德纳要求芬和他面对面单挑。
And so the Irish giant tossed enough boulders into the sea to create a bridge of stepping stones to the Scottish coast.
于是芬不断地将一块块石头丢到海里,搭起了一座通往苏格兰海岸的石桥。
Finn marched across in a fit of rage. When Scotland loomed before him, he made out the figure of Benandonner from afar.
芬愤怒地跨过了大海。当他总算抵达苏格兰时,他看到了在远处的贝南德纳的身影。
Finn was a substantial size, but at the sight of his colossal enemy thundering towards him, his courage faltered.
芬自己也身高马大,但当他看到比他还魁梧高大的贝南德纳向他走来时,他的勇气一下子没了。
With one look at Benandonner's thick neck and crushing fists, Finn turned and ran.
芬看了一眼贝南德纳粗壮的脖子和坚不可摧的双拳,转头就跑。

爱尔兰巨人堤道的传说

Back home, with Benandonner fast approaching, Finn trembled as he described his enemy's bulk to Oonagh.

他跑回了家,贝南德纳紧追在后,芬一边颤抖着,一边向乌娜形容了敌人的个头。
They knew that if he faced Benandonner head on, he'd be crushed.
他们明白若他正面迎上贝南德纳,芬是赢不了的。
And so Oonagh hatched a cunning plan
于是乌娜想出了一个狡猾的计策
they needed to create an illusion of size, to suggest Finn was a mountain of a man whilst keeping him out of sight.
他们必须诱导敌人的思维,在芬不在场的情况下,让他以为芬是一个不可战胜的人。
As Benandonner neared the end of the bridge, Oonagh stuffed her husband in a huge cradle.
随着贝南德尔走下石桥,乌纳将丈夫塞进了一个巨大的婴儿摇篮里。
Disguised as an enormous baby, Finn lay quiet as Benandonnner pounded on the door. The house shook as he stepped inside.
芬假装自己是一个巨大的婴儿,在贝南德尔敲门时一语不发。当贝南德尔进门时,房子都抖了起来。
Oonagh told the enraged visitor that her husband wasn't home, but welcomed him to sit and eat while he waited.
乌娜告诉愤怒的来访者她的丈夫不在家,但欢迎他坐下来吃点东西,一起等芬回来。
When Benandonner tore into the cakes placed before him, he cried out in pain for he'd shattered his teeth on the metal Oonagh had concealed inside.
贝南德尔对着面前的蛋糕一阵狼吞虎咽,却痛得叫出声来,因为乌娜提前将金属藏在了蛋糕里,导致他的牙齿都碎裂了。
She told him that this was Finn's favorite bread, sowing a seed of doubt in Benandonner's mind that he was any match for his rival.
她告诉贝南德尔这是芬最喜欢的面包,使得贝南德尔开始怀疑自己是否真的敌得过对方。
When Finn let out a squawk, Benandonner's attention was drawn to the gigantic baby in the corner.
随后芬发出一声尖叫,使得贝南德尔注意到了角落里巨大的婴孩。
So hefty was the infant swaddled under piles of blankets, Benandonner shuddered at the thought of what the father would look like.
裹在一层层被子里的婴儿显得那么魁梧,贝南德尔甚至无法想象其父亲的体型将有多么恐怖。
He decided he'd rather not find out.
他决定还是不要去弄清楚这件事。
As he fled, Benandonner tore up the rocks connecting the shores, breaking up the causeway.
于是贝南德尔逃之夭夭,途中他故意拆断了堤道。
What remains are two identical rock formations: one on the North Antrim coast of Ireland and one at Fingal's Cave in Scotland, right across the sea.
剩下的便是两个完全相同的岩石构成:一个在爱尔兰北安特里姆的海岸上,另一个则在海的彼岸,苏格兰的芬格洞穴里。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
lava ['lɑ:və]

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n. 熔岩,火山岩

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vast [vɑ:st]

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adj. 巨大的,广阔的
n. 浩瀚的太

 
bulk [bʌlk]

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n. 体积,容积,大批,大块,大部分
vt.

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explanation [.eksplə'neiʃən]

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n. 解释,说明

 
dramatic [drə'mætik]

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adj. 戏剧性的,引人注目的,给人深刻印象的

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volcanic [vɔl'kænik]

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adj. 火山的,猛烈的

 
concealed [kən'si:ld]

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adj. 隐蔽的,隐匿的

 
eruption [i'rʌpʃən]

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n. 爆发,喷发,出疹,长牙

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substantial [səb'stænʃəl]

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adj. 实质的,可观的,大量的,坚固的
n.

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legend ['ledʒənd]

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n. 传说,传奇

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