A day in the life of a Celtic Druid - Philip Freeman

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Thomas Tam

As the sun rises on a fall morning in 55 BCE,

公元前 55 年的秋日， 清晨的太阳正冉冉升起，

Camma lays two pigeons on the altar at the center of her village.

卡玛把两只鸽子 放在村中央的祭坛上，

She offers a prayer to Matrona mother goddess of the Earth,

她向大地之母玛特罗娜 和众神之主鲁格斯祈祷。

and Lugus chief of the gods.

Then, she wrings the birds’ necks

然后，她扭断鸟脖，

and cuts them open to examine their entrails for divine messages.

打开鸟体以检查其内脏 有无神的旨意。

Camma is a druid.

卡玛是一位德鲁伊，

This means she conducts religious rites,

负责主持宗教仪式，

but she also serves as a judge, healer, and scholar,

还是法官、治疗师和学者，

teaching children and mediating conflict between Celtic tribes.

她教孩子们学习，

并调解凯尔特人部落之间的冲突。

She began her studies as a child,

她从小就开始学习，

memorizing the countless details necessary to perform her many roles,

要记住行使她诸多职能 所必需的无数细节，

since the druids’ knowledge is considered too sacred to record in writing.

因为德鲁伊的知识太神圣了， 不允许用书面形式记录。

Like many druids, she spent years studying in Britain.

像许多德鲁伊一样， 她在英国学习了多年。

Now, she is a resident Druid of the Veneti tribe

现在，她是威尼蒂部落的 常驻德鲁伊，

in a small farming village near the western coast of Gaul,

该部落位于高卢西海岸 附近的一个小农村，

in what is now France.

位于现在的法国。

Since returning to Gaul, she has received many offers of marriage–

回到高卢后，她收到了许多求婚——

but she has decided to devote herself to her work, at least for now.

她仍然决心全身投身工作， 至少现在是这样。

This morning, the omens are troubling.

今天早上的预兆令人不安，

They tell of war and strife, as they often have in recent months.

关乎战争与纷争， 这也是近几个月经常发生的。

A neighboring tribe, the Redones,

一个邻近的部落雷诺斯，

have raided their village and stolen cattle in broad daylight twice this fall.

今年秋天，竟然在光天化日之下 两次袭击他们村，还偷走了牛。

The children have gathered around to watch her work.

孩子们聚在她身边，看她工作。

Camma plays her lyre and sings to them.

卡玛弹起里拉琴并唱歌给孩子们听，

She weaves stories of the powerful kings who once ruled their land –

歌词讲述那些曾经统治过 他们土地的强大国王的故事——

brave warriors who were slain naked in combat but who will be reborn,

战斗中赤膊上阵的 勇敢斗士将会重生，

as will all the Celts.

所有的凯尔特人也会像他们一样。

When the children go off to help in the fields,

当孩子们散开去田间帮忙时，

Camma heads across the village to visit an old woman with an eye infection.

卡玛穿过村庄去探望 一位眼睛感染的老妇人。

On the way to the old woman’s hut,

在前往老妇人小屋的路上，

she passes men salting pigs for the winter food supply

她路遇男人们 在用盐腌猪肉准备过冬、

and women weaving clothing from dyed wool.

女人们用染色羊毛编织衣服。

She delivers a remedy for the injured eye–

她送去了治疗受伤眼睛的疗法——

it’s made from mistletoe, a sacred healing plant,

它是由神圣的治疗植物槲寄生制成，

but deadly if used incorrectly.

但如果使用不当，则会致命。

From there, Camma visits the chieftain to discuss the omens.

在那里，卡玛去拜访酋长 讨论那个预兆，

She convinces him to go and talk through their problems with their neighbors.

并说服酋长去和邻近部落 探讨他们之间存在的问题。

Accompanied by several warriors,

在几个斗士的陪同下，

they head through the forest and demand a meeting

他们一行人穿过森林，

要求在雷诺斯村庄的墙外会谈。

outside the Redones’ village walls.

The Redones’ representatives bring their own druid,

雷诺斯的代表也带了他们的德鲁伊，

who Camma recognizes from the annual gathering in central Gaul

卡玛认识她，

是在选举产生德鲁伊首领的 年度聚会上认识的。

where head druids are elected.

The chieftains immediately begin to argue and threaten each other.

酋长们立即开始争辩并互相威胁，

Camma steps between the opposing sides to stop them from fighting—

卡玛走到对立双方之间， 阻止他们打起来——

they must honor her authority.

他们必须尊重她的权威。

Finally, the Redones agree to pay Camma’s tribe several cattle.

最后，雷诺斯部落 同意赔偿卡玛的部落几头牛。

In spite of this resolution, Camma still feels uneasy on the long walk home.

尽管争端解决，走在漫长回家路上， 卡玛还是觉得内心不安。

As they approach the village walls, a bright streak shoots across the sky—

当他们快抵达村庄的墙时， 一道明亮线条穿过夜空——

another omen, but of what?

有另一个预兆，但是什么呢？

Back home, Camma sits among the elders for her evening meal of porridge,

卡玛回到家里， 坐在长辈中间一同晚餐，

a bit of meat, and a cup of wine.

有粥、一点肉和一杯葡萄酒。

While they were out during the day, an intercepted parchment arrived.

他们白天外出时， 有人送来了截获的羊皮纸，

Camma recognizes the writing immediately.

卡玛立刻认出上面写了什么。

Although the druids are forbidden from recording their knowledge,

虽然禁止德鲁伊们记录所学知识，

she and many other young druids can read Latin.

但她和许多其他年轻的德鲁伊 都可以阅读拉丁语。

From the message, she learns that the Romans are drawing closer to their lands.

从这个消息中，她得知 罗马人离他们的土地越来越近。

Some of the elders say that the tribe should flee to the nearby hills and hide,

部分长老认为，整个部落 应逃到附近山上藏起来，

but Camma counsels them to trust in the gods and remain in their home.

但是卡玛告诉他们 要相信众神、并留在家中。

Privately, she has her doubts.

私底下，她还是疑虑重重。

Should the Romans reach them, her power to help might be limited.

要是罗马人到来， 她能帮的忙可能有限。

Unlike the other Celtic tribes,

与其他凯尔特人部落不同，

Roman legions have no regard for the druids’ sacred role as peacemakers.

罗马军团并不尊重德鲁伊 作为和平缔造者的神圣角色。

Before going to bed,

在睡觉之前，

she observes the course of the planets and consults her charts,

她观察了行星轨迹并查阅图表，

trying to make sense of the meteor she saw earlier.

试图解释之前看到的流星，

The signs are converging on a larger threat than their neighbors.

这些迹象标明， 这次的威胁比邻国要大很多。