The true story of 'true' - Gina Cooke

關於真實 (True) 的真實故事 - 吉娜．庫克 (Gina Cooke)

譯者: Geoff Chen 審譯者: Regina Chu

Everyone knows that stories

所有人皆知

are made up of words,

故事是由語詞所組成

from short poems

從短詩

to epic novels.

到史詩般的小說

But did you know

但，你可知

that a single word itself

一個語詞

can tell an entire story?

就能訴說整個故事嗎？

You see, just as we can look at a story's plot,

正如同我們可以 探索故事情節

setting,

鋪排

and characters,

和人物

we can also study the history

我們還可以研究

of an individual word,

個別語詞的歷史

where it developed,

它發展之處

and the cultures and people

以及塑造它的

who helped shape it.

文化和人民

Looking into the story of a word

探查一個語詞的故事

is like counting the rings of a tree.

就像數算一棵樹的年輪

Newer words, like Google

較新的詞，像 Google (谷歌)

or cyborg,

或 cyborg (機器人)

have shorter stories.

擁有較短的故事

But the older the word,

但隨著語彙的年齡增長

the longer the story

故事的時間便發展得越長

and the more it stands to reveal to us

它便越向我們展示了

not only about itself,

其本身之外的豐富意涵

but about ourselves and our history.

它也向我們展示 屬於我們自身的歷史意境

The oldest words in present-day English

當今最古老的英語詞彙

are those that come from Old English,

就是那些來自古英語的詞彙

the ancestor of our modern language

它們是我們現代語言的祖先

whose first seeds were planted

其第一批種子大約根植於

about 1500 years ago.

1500 年前

Compared to languages like Greek or Chinese

相比於其他語言，比如 那些可以上溯數千年的

that date back thousands of years,

希臘文或中文

English is just a sapling in the lexical forest.

英語只不過是 詞彙森林中的一株幼樹罷了

But the stories of its words

但詞彙的故事

often start long before English itself took root.

通常在英語形成之前，就開始生根了

One such word is the familiar word true,

其中一個令人熟悉的詞彙是「True」

as in true stories.

真實故事中的「真實」這個字

Let's take a look.

讓我們來看一看

True usually means factual, correct,

True 通常意指真實、 正確

or faithful to reality.

或忠於現實之意

It can also mean exact,

它也意謂精確

properly positioned,

正確定位

upright,

直立

or straight.

或直的意思

A true friend is loyal,

一個真正的 (true) 朋友是忠誠

reliable,

可靠

faithful,

忠實

and steadfast.

和堅定的

The word true is a simple word,

True 是一個簡單的詞彙

and we can add some affixes

我們可以添加一些詞綴

to grow its family tree

來增長它的家庭樹

with words like truer,

比如用 truer (較真實的)

truest,

truest (最真實的)

truly,

truly (真的)

truth,

and untruth.

truth (真相)

untruth (虛假)

But if we go in the other direction

但如果我們往其他方向

to look at the roots of true itself,

來看看 true 本身真正的字根

we find even more relatives

我們甚至會發現它更多的親戚

further up the family tree.

就在它的家庭樹之上

The words trust,

比如 trust (信任)

bethroth,

bethroth (許配)

and truce

truce (休戰)

all derive from the same source as true,

它們都來自與 true 相同的字源

and these words all denote faithfulness

所有這些詞彙都表示了忠心

or confidence.

或信心之意

A thousand years ago,

一千多年前

the word true looked and sounded

True 這個詞看起來、聽起來

different than it does today.

和今天不同

In several Old English dialects,

在幾個古英語方言中

the word treow was a noun

Treow 這個字

that meant good faith or trust,

意謂著善意或信任

a pledge or a promise.

承諾或保證

But it also had another definition,

但它也有另一個涵義

tree,

Tree (樹)

and that's no coincidence.

這並不是巧合

If we trace the roots back even farther,

如果我們追溯其更遠的字源

we find that both meanings

我們會發現這兩個意思

derive from a common origin,

來自一個共同的起源

where some of the earliest expressions

在那裡，最早的關於

of the concept of truth

真實的表述

were associated with the uprightness of an oak,

是與橡樹挺拔的樣貌 聯繫在一塊兒的

the steadiness of a silver birch,

可靠的銀樺

and the fidelity of an orchard baring fruit

和果園的堅實

year after year.

年復一年

This may sound like a stretch at first,

這也許聽起來過度引申了

but trees are the oldest living organisms

然而樹木卻是這星球上

on this planet.

最古老的生物

Some that would have been called treow long ago

一些很久以前 本來叫做 treow 的生物

still stand today.

今天仍然挺立在那兒

The Fortingall Yew in Scotland

蘇格蘭紫杉的年紀

is more than 2,000 years old.

已超過 2000 歲了

A Californian Bristlecone Pine

加州狐尾松

is more than 5,000.

更超過 5000 歲

And Utah's Pando-quaking Aspen Grove

而猶他州的顫楊樹群「潘多」

has a single root system

具有單一根系

that dates back more than 80 millennia.

它甚至超過八萬多歲了

Trees have also held a sacred place

樹木在歷史上許多文化中

in many cultures throughout history.

也被視為神聖之地

The Celtic peoples

最先居住於不列顛群島的

who first inhabited the British Isles

塞爾特人

believed that trees housed deities.

相信樹木居住著神祈

And, in fact, the ancient Druids take their name

事實上，古代德魯伊人

from the same ancient root as tree.

拿和樹一樣的古老字根 為其命名

Planting a tree is itself an act of faith

植樹本身就是一種信仰的

and commitment.

行為和承諾

Not only are trees upright and prototypically straight,

那不只是根植於 樹木參天直立的形象而已

but they are actual, solid, and real,

它們的實際、 堅定，和確切真實

something you can see and touch.

是你可以看到，與觸及的

And they are as reliable and steadfast to us today

它們今天對我們來說，依然堅定可靠

as they were a millennium ago,

如同千年前一般

nurturing us,

它們培育我們

sheltering us,

為我們遮風擋雨

and providing the pages of our books.

並提供我們書頁

Philosophers and poets,

哲學家和詩人

people in search of the truth,

尋求真理的人

have often sought it in trees.

經常在樹木中尋索

"What did the tree learn from the Earth

「樹木從土地中學到了什麼

to be able to talk with the sky?"

讓它們能夠與天空說話?」

asked Pablo Neruda.

聶魯達是這麼問的

"A tree falls the way it leans,"

「樹往哪邊靠，就往哪兒倒。」 （慎選你的方向）

says an old proverb.

則是一句古老諺語

Just as trees mark our landscapes

正如樹木描繪了我們的景觀

and witness our histories,

並見證了我們的歷史

the stories of words landscape our language,

語詞的故事形成了我們語言的風采

capturing the rains and sunshine of generations

捕捉了一代人的雨水和陽光

and sending roots and branches far and wide.

並遙寄、散播其根枝

As there is a whole orchard in a single seed,

如同整個果園中 所有的單一種子

there is a whole story in a single word,

在一個語詞中，坐落著一個完整的故事

and that's the truth.

那故事，便是真理