A day in the life of a teenager in medieval Baghdad - Birte Kristiansen and Petra Sijpesteijn

翻译人员: Gia Hwang 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

As the morning sun shines on the Golden Gate Palace,

当晨曦照耀在金门宫殿上时，

brother and sister Hisham and Asma prepare for the journey of a lifetime.

希沙姆和阿斯玛兄妹 正在为一生的旅程做准备。

It is 791 CE, and the Abbasid Caliphate is at the height of its power,

此时是公元 791 年， 阿拔斯王朝正处鼎盛时期，

stretching from India to North Africa.

从印度一直延伸到北非。

With over half a million inhabitants,

Madīnat as-Salām （和平之城）的 首府拥有 50 多万居民，

its capital city of Madinat al-Salaam, also known as Baghdad,

也被称为巴格达，

is the largest in the Islamic Empire, possibly the world.

是伊斯兰帝国最大城市，

可能也是世界上最大的。

And it's only 30 years old.

只有 30 年的历史。

Asma and Hisham will leave at sunset for the hajj,

阿斯玛和希沙姆将在日落时分出发,

the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

前往麦加朝圣。

Most people make the journey when they’re older and wealthier,

多数人都在年纪稍大、更富裕的时候 才踏上这段旅程，

but Hisham and Asma have wanted to make this journey together

但希沙姆和阿斯玛

从小就想一起踏上这段旅程。

since they were children.

They intend to travel with the big hajj caravan

他们打算加入

由哈里发士兵保护的大型朝圣车队，

that is protected by the caliph soldiers.

The caliph Al-Rashid himself is also traveling with the caravan this year.

哈里发拉希德（Al-Rashid）本人 今年也随大篷车同行。

The hajj caravan is like a massive mobile city,

朝圣车队就像一座巨大的移动城市，

with soldiers, cooks, doctors and merchants, servants and enslaved people.

有士兵、厨师、医生和商人， 还有仆人和奴隶。

The journey is long, with dangers like disease, robbery, and dehydration.

旅途漫长，充满疾病、 抢劫和脱水等危险，

Because of these perils, Hisham and Asma want to travel with the larger group—

因此，希沙姆和阿斯玛 想和更大的团队一起旅行，

but a last-minute mishap threatens to undo months of careful planning.

但最后一刻出现的意外 可能会破坏几个月的精心计划。

When the siblings visit the market to check on the supplies they’ve purchased,

当这对兄妹去市场 检查他们购买的物资时，

the merchant tells them one of their camels has fallen ill,

商人告诉他们， 他们的一只骆驼生病了，

and he doesn't have any replacements.

而且他没有备用骆驼。

Without the camel, the siblings won't be able to depart with the caravan.

没有骆驼，这对兄弟姐妹 就无法和商队一起启程。

They search the marketplace,

他们在集市上寻找，

bustling with people from different ethnic backgrounds,

那里挤满了不同种族背景的人，

such as Persians, Arabs, Turks, Africans, and Indians,

有波斯人、阿拉伯人、 土耳其人、非洲人、印度人等，

and following different religions like Islam, Judaism,

信仰也五花八门， 有伊斯兰教、犹太教、

Christianity, and Zoroastrianism.

基督教和琐罗亚斯德教等。

The market sells everything from locally made pottery, Egyptian glass,

市场上有各种商品，从当地的陶器、 埃及玻璃、撒马尔罕的纸张，

and paper from Samarkand, to Chinese silk, gold from Africa,

到中国丝绸、非洲黄金

and fox fur from the distant north.

和遥远北方的狐皮。

But with the caravan leaving tonight, no one has a camel available.

但商队今晚就要出发， 商人的骆驼都卖光了。

Though the hajj is primarily a religious journey,

虽然麦加朝圣主要是一次宗教之旅，

the siblings have other, personal hopes for it.

但兄妹俩还有其他私心。

Hisham and Asma come from a wealthy family and both had tutors as children.

希沙姆和阿斯玛出生于富裕家庭， 小时候都有家庭教师。

Hisham is studying to become a scholar,

希沙姆读书的目标是要成为学者，

progressing from Arabic grammar to Islamic law and Persian love poetry,

从阿拉伯语法到伊斯兰法律 和波斯爱情诗，

then to Indian-inspired mathematics and Greek philosophy and medicine.

然后学印度数学、希腊哲学及医学。

With scholars from all over the empire traveling to Mecca

由于帝国各地的学者都会前往麦加，

and important intellectual centers on the way,

再加上去麦加途经的重要知识中心，

the hajj is a great learning opportunity.

朝圣是一个很好的学习机会。

Asma, meanwhile, has literary ambitions.

而阿斯玛也有文学抱负，

As a woman, a life of formal scholarship is not available to her.

作为一名女性，她无法 体验正规的学术生活，

Instead, she is honing her skills as a poet.

因此，她正在磨练自己的诗人技能，

She hopes to compose poetry about the journey

希望创作以这次旅行为主题的诗歌，

that will catch the attention of important women in the city,

以吸引城市中重要女性的注意，

and maybe even Queen Zubayda.

甚至可能是女王祖巴伊达。

The siblings split up to search for a camel.

兄妹分头去找骆驼，

Hisham heads toward the library complex to ask the scholars’ advice.

希沙姆走向图书馆大楼， 向学者们寻求建议。

An elderly scholar studying Galen and Hippocrates

一位研究盖伦和希波克拉底的老学者

tells him how to treat a wound.

告诉他如何治疗伤口；

An Aramaic translator from Damascus shares a list of useful herbs

来自大马士革的阿拉姆语翻译 分享了一份有用的草药清单，

for upset stomach on the road.

用于治疗旅途中的胃部不适；

A Persian poet wants to share his latest poetry,

一位波斯诗人想分享他最新的诗歌，

but Hisham doesn’t see how that will get him the camel for tonight,

但希沙姆觉得无助于今晚找骆驼，

so he kindly refuses.

所以他婉拒了。

As he says goodbye, they give him the names of important theology scholars

告别时，他们提供了麦地那的 一些重要神学学者的名字，

to visit in Medina, on the way to Mecca.

以便他在麦加朝圣路上去拜访。

But to get there, he’ll need a camel.

但要去那里，他需要一头骆驼。

Meanwhile, Asma visits an older, married cousin.

与此同时，阿斯玛拜访了 一位年长的已婚表姐。

An enslaved girl opens the door, and takes Asma to the women’s quarters,

一位女奴打开门， 把阿斯玛带到女人们的居所，

where men cannot enter.

那里男性禁入。

Her cousin wants to hear Asma’s latest poetry,

表姐想听阿斯玛的最新诗歌，

but Asma tells her she’s in a hurry and explains their predicament.

但阿斯玛告诉她自己赶时间， 并解释了他们的困境。

She’s in luck— her cousin’s husband has a camel to offer them.

她很幸运，因为表姐的丈夫 可以送给他们一头骆驼。

With their arrangements secure at last, they make their final preparations.

终于安排妥当后， 他们开始做最后的准备。

At the designated times for men and women,

在指定的时间，男人和女人

each performs a ritual ablution at one of Baghdad’s many public bathhouses.

都要在巴格达众多 公共澡堂之一进行洗礼。

As the sun sets, the city’s criers announce the caravan’s departure,

太阳落山时，城市的广播员 宣布商队离开，

and the townspeople flock to watch the pilgrims leave.

镇上的人成群结队地 目送朝圣者离开。