History vs. Genghis Khan - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Sanqiang Xiao 校对人员: Cissy Yun

He was one of the most fearsome warlords who ever lived,

他曾是世上最令人闻风丧胆的军阀

waging an unstoppable conquest across the Eurasian continent.

在欧亚大陆上发动过一场势不可挡的侵略战争

But was Genghis Khan a vicious barbarian

但成吉思汗是一个凶狠的野蛮人吗？

or a unifier who paved the way for the modern world?

还是一个为现代社会奠定了道路的统一者？

We'll see in "History vs. Genghis Khan."

我们来在历史法庭“历史vs. 成吉思汗”中讨论一下这个问题

"Order, order. Now who's the defendant today?

“肃静，谁是被告？”

Khan!"

“汉！”

"I see Your Honor is familiar with Genghis Khan,

“法官大人，您对成吉思汗很熟悉吧

the 13th century warlord whose military campaigns killed millions

他是13世纪的军阀，他的军队杀害了百万之众

and left nothing but destruction in their wake."

在他么身后只留下了断垣残壁”

"Objection. First of all, it's pronounced Genghis Kahn."

“反对。首先，应该是成吉思汗”

"Really?"

“是吗？”

"In Mongolia, yes.

“在蒙语中，是的

Regardless, he was one of the greatest leaders in human history.

不管怎样，他是人类历史上最著名的领袖

Born Temüjin, he was left fatherless and destitute as a child

出生时叫铁木真，没有了父亲，他自幼贫困

but went on to overcome constant strife to unite warring Mongol clans

但接着他征服并统一的纷争不断的蒙古各部落

and forge the greatest empire the world had seen,

打造了世界上最伟大的帝国

eventually stretching from the Pacific to Europe's heartland."

最终将版图从太平洋延展到欧洲腹地”

"And what was so great about invasion and slaughter?

“侵略和屠杀怎么能说是伟大呢？

Northern China lost 2/3 of its population."

中国北部有2/3的人口死亡”

"The Jin Dynasty had long harassed the northern tribes,

“金朝长期骚扰北方部落

paying them off to fight each other and periodically attacking them.

收买他们相互斗争，定期侵略他们

Genghis Khan wasn't about to suffer the same fate

成吉思汗没有像上一代试图统一的大汗一样

as the last Khan who tried to unite the Mongols,

死于非命

and the demographic change may reflect poor census keeping,

而人口的变化可能是不准确的人口调查导致的。"

not to mention that many peasants were brought into the Khan's army."

更不用说很多的农民被征召入伍了”

"You can pick apart numbers all you want,

“你能忽视所有不利于你的数据

but they wiped out entire cities, along with their inhabitants."

那不能忽略他们抹平了整个城市及所有聚居地的事实”

"The Khan preferred enemies to surrender and pay tribute,

成吉思汗更希望敌人投降并致敬

but he firmly believed in loyalty and diplomatic law.

但他坚信忠诚和外交法

The cities that were massacred were ones that rebelled after surrendering,

那些被屠城的地方都曾投降后又反叛

or killed as ambassadors.

或斩杀了大使

His was a strict understanding of justice."

他对正义有着严格的理解”

"Multiple accounts show his army's brutality going beyond justice:

“很多案例显示他的军队的残暴可远远超过了正义

ripping unborn children from mothers' wombs,

从孕妇子宫中剥出未出生的孩子

using prisoners as human shields,

用囚犯当人肉盾牌

or moat fillers to support siege engines,

或填充护城河来放攻城武器

taking all women from conquered towns--"

将女人从被征服的地方赶出来..."

"Enough! How barbaric!"

“够了！太野蛮了”

"Is that really so much worse than other medieval armies?"

“这真比中世纪其他的军队更坏吗？”

"That doesn't excuse Genghis Khan's atrocities."

“这不是这些暴行的借口”

"But it does make Genghis Khan unexceptional for his time

“但这些行为在他的年代再正常不过

rather than some bloodthirsty savage.

相比于一些嗜血的暴行

In fact, after his unification of the tribes abolished bride kidnapping,

事实上，他统一各部消灭了抢新娘的行为

women in the Mongol ranks had it better than most.

蒙古女性的地位提升到了最高的水平

They controlled domestic affairs,

她们管理家庭事务，

could divorce their husbands,

能与丈夫离婚，

and were trusted advisors.

是可靠的顾问。

Temüjin remained with his first bride all his life,

铁木真和他的首任妻子共度终身，

even raising her possibly illegitimate son as his own."

甚至将她可能是私生子的孩子当自己的孩子一样看待"

"Regardless, Genghis Khan's legacy was a disaster:

"然而，成吉思汗的传奇是一场灾难

up to 40 million killed across Eurasia during his descendents' conquests.

在欧亚地区至多有4千万人在他后代的征伐中死亡

10% of the world population.

占世界人口的10%

That's not even counting casualties from the Black Plague

这还不算黑死病带来的伤亡

brought to Europe by the Golden Horde's Siege of Kaffa."

而黑死病是由钦察汗国围攻卡法时带到欧洲来的”

"Surely that wasn't intentional."

“当然，这不是故意的”

"Actually, when they saw their own troops dying of the Plague,

“事实上，当他们看见他们自己的军队死于瘟疫时

they catapulted infected bodies over the city walls."

他们将感染的尸体投入城中”

"Blech."

“呃”

"The accounts you're referencing

“你所引用的案例

were written over a hundred years after the fact.

是在事件发生100年后记录的

How reliable do you think they are?

你认为这可信吗？

Plus, the survivors reaped the benefits of the empire Genghis Khan founded."

另外，幸存者在成吉思汗建立的帝国中获益了”

"Benefits?"

“获益？”

"The Mongol Empire practiced religious tolerance among all subjects,

“ 蒙古帝国对各个宗教都实行宽容政策

they treated their soldiers well, promoted based on merit, rather than birth,

他们善待军人，择优提拔，不论出身

established a vast postal system,

建立庞大的邮政系统，

and inforced universal rule of law,

强制推广法律，

not to mention their contribution to culture."

更不用提他们对文化的贡献。”

"You mean like Hulagu Khan's annihilation of Baghdad,

“你是指他们对巴格达的毁灭吗？

the era's cultural capital?

那可是那个时代的文化之都！

Libraries, hospitals and palaces burned, irrigation canals buried?"

图书馆，医院还有宫殿都化为灰烬；灌溉水渠填为平地？”

"Baghdad was unfortunate,

“巴格达确实是一个不幸，

but its Kalif refused to surrender,

但那是因为哈里发拒绝投降

and Hulagu was later punished by Berke Khan for the wanton destruction.

而且旭烈兀之后也被伯克汗以肆意破坏的罪名惩罚了

It wasn't Mongol policy to destroy culture.

破坏文化不是蒙古的政策

Usually they saved doctors, scholars and artisans from conquered places,

通常他们都保护被征服地区的医生，学者和艺术家

and transferred them throughout their realm,

把他们从故地带出来

spreading knowledge across the world."

向世界各地传递知识”

"What about the devastation of Kievan Rus,

“你怎么解释基辅罗斯的毁灭

leaving its people in the Dark Ages

这使当地人陷入黑暗时期

even as the Renaissance spread across Western Europe?"

即使到了文艺复兴在西欧传播的时候？”

"Western Europe was hardly peaceful at the time.

“西欧在那时几乎没有和平

The stability of Mongol rule made the Silk Road flourish once more,

蒙古统治的稳定使得丝绸之路再次繁荣

allowing trade and cultural exchange between East and West,

促进了东西方的文化交流及贸易

and its legacy forged Russia and China from warring princedoms

这也导致了俄罗斯和中国从交战的双方

into unified states.

变成了统一的国家

In fact, long after the Empire,

事实上，帝国之后

Genghis Khan's descendants could be found

成吉思汗子孙的身影

among the ruling nobility all over Eurasia."

出现在欧亚各地的统治贵族之中”

"Not surprising that a tyrant would inspire further tyrants."

“难怪，暴君之后总会有更多的暴君”

"Careful what you call him. You may be related."

“注意你的用词，你也可能与他有关”

"What?"

“啊？”

"16 million men today are descended from Genghis Khan.

“时至今日，成吉思汗的子孙有1600万人

That's one in ever 200."

每200人中就有一个”

For every great conqueror, there are millions of conquered.

每一个伟大的征服者，都有百万被征服者

Whose stories will survive?

谁的故事会留下来呢？

And can a leader's historical or cultural signifigance

领袖对历史或文化的重要性

outweigh the deaths they caused along the way?

比得过他们造成的死亡吗？

These are the questions that arise when we put history on trial.

这些都是我们在审视历史时会浮现的疑问。