Conceive now how ludicrous the streets of London would appear, if green, white, black, and gray turbans moved indiscriminately, instead of the present hats; and if all the ladies, walking or on donkeys, instead of the present varieties of showy dress, beautiful bonnets, and smiling faces, presented only the appearance of headless ghosts clothed in white!
现在可以想象一下，如果伦敦街头的女人不是像现在这样戴着漂亮的帽子、穿着各式艳丽的裙子并且面露笑容，而是戴着绿色、白色、黑色和灰色的头巾僵尸般地行走着或者骑着驴子，大街上满是穿着白色衣服无法分辨的无头幽灵，那场景得有多滑稽啊！
As to the general motion and life, the difference is immense between Damascus and a western city. Let us glance for a moment at two streets, and compare them: —
至于城市的整体运作和生活，大马士革和一个西方城市之间的差异更大了。我们来看一下它们的街道，对比一下：——
1. In Damascus there is more openness and publicity. The tradesmen of every kind work in the open bazaars; many of the merchants and artisans dine in public—that is, eat their bread and oil, bread and honey, or bread and grapes, in the street where they work. All are smoking, without exception, in the intervals of business. Some are engaged in reading the Koran, swinging their bodies to and fro in the most earnest and violent manner. Some are sleeping calmly, with the long pipe in their mouth! There a butcher is killing a sheep, surrounded by a circle of hungry, expectant dogs. Yonder is a company engaged at a game of skill. Everything is done in the open air, and nothing seems to be concealed but the ladies.
1.大马士革的开放空间更大，公开程度更高。不论什么行业的小贩都在开放的集市上经营；很多商人和技工都会在公共区域吃饭——一般是在街上他们工作的地方吃面包和食用油、面包和蜂蜜、或者面包和葡萄。所有人在工作之余都会吸烟，无一例外。有的前后摇晃着身体一脸认真并充满激情专注地读着《古兰经》；有的嘴里叼着长长的烟管平静地睡着；还有一个屠夫正在宰杀一只羊，旁边围着一群饥饿的面露期待的狗儿们；远处是一群玩着某种技巧游戏的人们。所有这些行为都是公开进行的，这里似乎只有女人是被藏在面纱里，而其他的一切都是公开的。
2. In the eastern city there is much more quiet. Their manners are sober, formal, and stately; arising partly, I believe, from the famous and universal dogma of obedience. There is, indeed, hardly any other law. The subject, the wife, the son, the slave obeys: to hear is to obey. This principle of unhesitating, unquestioning obedience leads to quiet. There is no contradiction. There is nothing to talk about. There is nothing like politics. There is no public opinion, of course; for that is based upon private opinion, and determined, resolute will.
2.比起西方，东方的城市要安静很多。那里的人们举止稳重、规整、从容；我想部分原因是受著名且流传甚广的顺从教义的影响。的确，除了顺从，那里几乎没有其他法律了。臣民、妻子、儿子和奴隶要遵守的原则是：听到就得遵从。这种不容犹豫、不容质疑的服从原则带来的后果就是“安静”，没有矛盾，没有可谈论的东西，也没有类似政治这种东西，当然，更没有公众舆论，因为公众舆论是建立在个人观点和坚决意志的基础之上的。
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