Neil MacGregor: 2600 years of history in one object

Translator: Raymond Ou Reviewer: Nova Upinel Altesse

The things we make

我哋人類創造嘅事物有一個特點

have one supreme quality --

they live longer than us.

就係佢哋壽命好長，甚至超越人類

We perish, they survive;

就算人類滅亡，佢哋依然存在

we have one life, they have many lives,

我哋只有一條命 但佢哋卻能夠保存好多代

and in each life they can mean different things.

喺唔同嘅時代 佢哋代表嘅意義都唔一樣

Which means that, while we all have one biography,

就好似當一個人一世只會有一份傳記

they have many.

但一件文物因為經歷好多世紀 都唔會只得一份傳記

I want this morning to talk

我想今日主題係

about the story, the biography -- or rather the biographies --

一件物件嘅一份傳記

of one particular object,

正確嚟講係一件物件嘅好幾份傳記

one remarkable thing.

我所講嘅物件非常之奇特

It doesn't, I agree,

我同意佢睇起嚟冇咩特別

look very much.

It's about the size of a rugby ball.

大概就同一個橄欖球差唔多大

It's made of clay,

由陶土做成

and it's been fashioned

倒模成為圓柱體

into a cylinder shape,

covered with close writing

有人先喺上面刻滿密密麻麻嘅文字

and then baked dry in the sun.

之後放喺太陽底下曬乾

And as you can see,

唔難發現佢有一部分受損

it's been knocked about a bit,

which is not surprising

受損其實好正常

because it was made two and a half thousand years ago

因為佢有 2,500 歲嘞

and was dug up

直到 1879 年先至被挖出來

in 1879.

But today,

我相信呢件嘢喺中東政局上

this thing is, I believe,

a major player

in the politics of the Middle East.

扮演咗好重要嘅角色

And it's an object

呢件文物承載咗好多膾炙人口嘅故事

with fascinating stories

and stories that are by no means over yet.

而呢啲故事到而家仲未結束

The story begins

故事係從兩伊戰爭嗰時開始嘅

in the Iran-Iraq war

and that series of events

亦係伊拉克被攻打、獨裁政權垮臺

that culminated

in the invasion of Iraq

by foreign forces,

the removal of a despotic ruler

and instant regime change.

政權改變嗰段時間開始嘅

And I want to begin

我會從上述一連串嘅事件當中 揀一段講起

with one episode from that sequence of events

that most of you would be very familiar with,

我諗大部分嘅人應該都好熟呢個故事

Belshazzar's feast --

就係伯沙撒嘅盛宴

because we're talking about the Iran-Iraq war

因為我哋要講嘅

of 539 BC.

係公元前 539 年嘅兩伊戰爭

And the parallels

公元前 539 年嘅兩伊戰爭 同公元 2003 年嘅兩伊戰爭

between the events

of 539 BC and 2003 and in between

兩個戰爭嘅相似程度真係好令人意外

are startling.

What you're looking at is Rembrandt's painting,

宜家你哋睇到嘅係

now in the National Gallery in London,

現存於倫敦國家美術館嘅林布藍作品

illustrating the text from the prophet Daniel

呢幅畫描述希伯來經文中 先知但以理嘅預言

in the Hebrew scriptures.

And you all know roughly the story.

呢個故事你哋或多或少都知道少少

Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar,

伯沙撒係尼布甲尼撒嘅仔

Nebuchadnezzar who'd conquered Israel, sacked Jerusalem

尼布甲尼撒征服咗以色列

再劫掠耶路撒冷

and captured the people

俘虜當地人民

and taken the Jews back to Babylon.

將猶太人仲有神殿嘅神器帶返巴比倫

Not only the Jews, he'd taken the temple vessels.

佢褻瀆神殿再搜刮神殿嘅寶物

He'd ransacked, desecrated the temple.

And the great gold vessels of the temple in Jerusalem

耶路撒冷神殿嘅大型金屬容器 都被帶返巴比倫

had been taken to Babylon.

Belshazzar, his son,

尼布甲尼撒嘅仔伯沙撒 決定辦一場宴會

decides to have a feast.

And in order to make it even more exciting,

為咗要炒熱氣氛

he added a bit of sacrilege to the rest of the fun,

佢將褻瀆神嘅行為加入餘興節目當中

and he brings out the temple vessels.

佢攞出神器……

He's already at war with the Iranians,

當時佢正喺度同伊朗人打仗

with the king of Persia.

同波斯王打仗

And that night, Daniel tells us,

嗰晚，但以理話畀我哋聽

at the height of the festivities

喺宴會嘅關鍵時刻出現咗一隻手

a hand appeared and wrote on the wall,

嗰隻手喺牆上寫︰

"You are weighed in the balance and found wanting,

「你被秤喺天秤上，秤出你虧欠人，

and your kingdom is handed over

你嘅國要交畀瑪代人同波斯人。」

to the Medes and the Persians."

And that very night

就喺嗰晚

Cyrus, king of the Persians, entered Babylon

波斯王居魯士出征巴比倫

and the whole regime of Belshazzar fell.

就咁，伯沙撒嘅王國滅亡

It is, of course, a great moment

當然對於希伯來人嚟講

in the history

of the Jewish people.

呢段係非常重要嘅歷史

It's a great story. It's story we all know.

呢個故事唔單止犀利，仲家傳戶曉

"The writing on the wall"

is part of our everyday language.

英文「牆上嘅字」就係咁嚟

What happened next

接落嚟發生嘅事十分精彩

was remarkable,

and it's where our cylinder

就係同我哋剛才講嘅圓柱有關

enters the story.

Cyrus, king of the Persians,

波斯王居魯士不費一兵一卒 就得到巴比倫

has entered Babylon without a fight --

the great empire of Babylon,

巴比倫王國 一路從伊拉克中南部到地中海

which ran from central southern Iraq

to the Mediterranean,

falls to Cyrus.

最後都落喺居魯士度

And Cyrus makes a declaration.

後來居魯士發表一項宣言

And that is what this cylinder is,

於是個宣言就刻喺個圓柱體上

the declaration made by the ruler guided by God

所以圓柱嘅意義在︰

上帝帶領統治者頒布宣言

who had toppled the Iraqi despot

叫佢推翻伊拉克暴君

and was going to bring freedom to the people.

令人民得享自由

In ringing Babylonian --

為咗低訊息畀巴比倫人

it was written in Babylonian --

居魯士喺圓柱上用巴比倫文寫

he says, "I am Cyrus, king of all the universe,

「朕乃居魯士、宇宙之王、

the great king, the powerful king,

偉大之王、強盛之王、

king of Babylon, king of the four quarters of the world."

巴比倫之王、世界之王。」

They're not shy of hyperbole as you can see.

由此可見波斯人鐘意誇張講嘢

This is probably

亦係歷史上第一份 由戰勝國發佈嘅新聞稿

the first real press release

by a victorious army

that we've got.

And it's written, as we'll see in due course,

稍後我哋就會知道

by very skilled P.R. consultants.

呢段內容係由技巧高超嘅公關寫出嚟嘅

So the hyperbole is not actually surprising.

所以誇張成咁都冇咩大不了

And what is the great king, the powerful king,

咁接落嚟

the king of the four quarters of the world going to do?

嗰個偉大之王、強盛之王、世界之王 要做咩呢？

He goes on to say that, having conquered Babylon,

佢接著又講，既然已經征服巴比倫

he will at once let all the peoples

佢馬上要畀嗰啲

that the Babylonians -- Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar --

被巴比倫人俘嘅 尼布甲尼撒人同伯沙撒人

have captured and enslaved

go free.

重獲自由同返返家鄉

He'll let them return to their countries.

And more important,

但更重要嘅係

he will let them all recover

佢仲歸還咗曾被沒收嘅 神像、塑像以及神器

the gods, the statues,

the temple vessels

that had been confiscated.

All the peoples that the Babylonians had repressed and removed

於是

所有被巴比倫人鎮壓、被趕走嘅人 都可以回家

will go home,

and they'll take with them their gods.

都能夠帶埋佢哋嘅神返去

And they'll be able to restore their altars

佢哋亦都可以重修祭壇

and to worship their gods

以佢哋嘅方式、喺屬於佢哋嘅地方 崇拜佢哋嘅神

in their own way, in their own place.

This is the decree,

所以呢件文物就係最好嘅證物

this object is the evidence

for the fact that the Jews,

證明猶太人流亡到巴比倫之後

after the exile in Babylon,

the years they'd spent sitting by the waters of Babylon,

坐喺巴比倫水邊為耶路撒冷而啜泣

weeping when they remembered Jerusalem,

those Jews were allowed to go home.

到最後重獲自由嘅嗰段歲月

They were allowed to return to Jerusalem

佢哋得以返回耶路撒冷重建神殿

and to rebuild the temple.

It's a central document

呢段係猶太歷史中嘅核心文獻

in Jewish history.

And the Book of Chronicles, the Book of Ezra in the Hebrew scriptures

喺希伯來經文中嘅《歷代志》 同《以斯拉記》之中

reported in ringing terms.

都有記載到同一件事

This is the Jewish version

猶太版本裏面

of the same story.

"Thus said Cyrus, king of Persia,

波斯王居魯士話︰

'All the kingdoms of the earth have the Lord God of heaven given thee,

「耶和華天上嘅神 已將天下萬國賜畀我，

and he has charged me

又囑咐我

to build him a house in Jerusalem.

喺猶大嘅耶路撒冷為佢建造殿宇。

Who is there among you of his people?

你哋凡做佢子民嘅，

The Lord God be with him,

可以上去。

and let him go up.'"

願你與耶和華同在。」

"Go up" -- aaleh.

至於「上去」

The central element, still,

即重返耶路撒冷，呢個想法

依然係猶太教文化嘅核心

of the notion of return,

a central part

of the life of Judaism.

As you all know, that return from exile,

相信大家都知

the second temple,

耶路撒冷嘅回歸，以至日後嘅第二神殿

reshaped Judaism.

都重塑咗猶太教

And that change,

呢個改變係歷史上嘅重要一刻

that great historic moment,

was made possible by Cyrus, the king of Persia,

亦係全靠波斯王居魯士實現

reported for us in Hebrew in scripture

佢仲將件事寫喺希伯來文經文裏邊

and in Babylonian in clay.

同用巴比倫文寫喺陶器上

Two great texts,

所以兩份都係好優秀嘅文獻

what about the politics?

咁政治方面又係點呢？

What was going on

接落嚟發生嘅事

對中東歷史產生咗重大嘅轉變

was the fundamental shift in Middle Eastern history.

The empire of Iran, the Medes and the Persians,

居魯士統治伊朗帝國、瑪代人同波斯人

united under Cyrus,

became the first great world empire.

建立世上第一個大帝國

Cyrus begins in the 530s BC.

居魯士嘅霸業從西元前 530 年開始

And by the time of his son Darius,

及至佢個仔大流士時

the whole of the eastern Mediterranean

整個地中海東部都納入咗波斯帝國版圖

is under Persian control.

This empire is, in fact,

事實上，呢個帝國 即係我哋宜家所知嘅中東

the Middle East as we now know it,

and it's what shapes the Middle East as we now know it.

因為有呢個帝國，先至有宜家嘅中東

It was the largest empire the world had known until then.

波斯帝國係當時世界上最大嘅帝國

Much more important,

更重要嘅係

it was the first

佢係第一個大規模出現多元文化 同多元信仰嘅國家

multicultural, multifaith state

on a huge scale.

And it had to be run in a quite new way.

所以佢必須以新嘅方式治理

It had to be run in different languages.

必須以各種語言運作

The fact that this decree is in Babylonian says one thing.

巴比倫語版本嘅政令就證明真有此事

And it had to recognize their different habits,

波斯帝國必須包容國內 唔同嘅習俗、種族、宗教、信仰

different peoples, different religions, different faiths.

All of those are respected by Cyrus.

居魯士不單尊重呢啲差異

Cyrus sets up a model

居魯士仲樹立咗典範

of how you run

教我哋點樣治理

a great multinational, multifaith, multicultural society.

一個蘊含多元種族、信仰同文化嘅社會

And the result of that

結果就係

was an empire that included the areas you see on the screen,

佢建立咗一個橫跨好多地方嘅大帝國

就好似螢幕見到一樣

and which survived for 200 years of stability

呢個帝國維持咗 200 年咁耐

until it was shattered by Alexander.

直到亞歷山大出現為止

It left a dream of the Middle East as a unit,

波斯帝國為統一中東埋下伏筆

and a unit where people of different faiths

雖則統一，但唔同信仰嘅人都可以共融

could live together.

The Greek invasions ended that.

但係希臘人入侵令統一夢落空

And of course, Alexander couldn't sustain a government

因為亞歷山大無力維持政權

and it fragmented.

令呢個帝國隨後四分五裂

But what Cyrus represented

但居魯士所代表嘅仍然係文化核心

remained absolutely central.

The Greek historian Xenophon

喺希臘史學家色諾芬所寫嘅書 《居魯士嘅教育》

wrote his book "Cyropaedia"

promoting Cyrus as the great ruler.

佢推崇居魯士係偉大嘅統治者

And throughout European culture afterward,

及至喺日後歐洲文化裏面

Cyrus remained the model.

居魯士仍然係一個不朽嘅典範

This is a 16th century image

呢幅係 16 世紀時嘅圖畫

to show you how widespread

用嚟證明啲人推崇居魯士到有幾交關

his veneration actually was.

And Xenophon's book on Cyrus

色諾芬喺書中描述

on how you ran a diverse society

居魯士點樣治理一個多元嘅社會

was one of the great textbooks

而呢本書非常之偉大

that inspired the Founding Fathers

因為佢啟發咗發起美國獨立戰爭嘅人

of the American Revolution.

Jefferson was a great admirer --

傑佛遜就係其中一位仰慕居魯士嘅人

the ideals of Cyrus

居魯士示範咗

obviously speaking to those 18th century ideals

要點樣喺 18 世紀嘅新國家當中

of how you create religious tolerance

創造寬容嘅宗教氛圍

in a new state.

Meanwhile, back in Babylon,

宜家我哋返到巴比倫

things had not been going well.

但嗰度嘅情況似乎唔太樂觀

After Alexander, the other empires,

喺亞歷山大之後

巴比倫日漸衰落

Babylon declines, falls into ruins,

and all the traces of the great Babylonian empire are lost --

所有證明巴比倫曾經強盛嘅證據 都消失匿跡

until 1879

直到 1879 年

when the cylinder is discovered

大英博物館嘅人員 喺巴比倫挖出嘅呢個圓柱

by a British Museum exhibition digging in Babylon.

And it enters now another story.

宜家又喺另一個故事嘞

It enters that great debate

19 世紀中葉時

曾經有一場大規模嘅辯論

in the middle of the 19th century:

Are the scriptures reliable? Can we trust them?

就係「經文真係可信嗎？ 我哋應該信經文嗎？」

We only knew

喺希伯來經文裏邊

about the return of the Jews and the decree of Cyrus

我哋只能瞭解到 猶太人嘅回歸同居魯士嘅法令

from the Hebrew scriptures.

No other evidence.

當我哋搵唔到其他證據時

Suddenly, this appeared.

進化論同地質學卻開始冒起

And great excitement

震驚當時相信經文同創世紀嘅人

to a world where those who believed in the scriptures

had had their faith in creation shaken

by evolution, by geology,

here was evidence

但有證據指經文內容係真嘅

that the scriptures were historically true.

It's a great 19th century moment.

所以呢個係 19 世紀嘅偉大時刻

But -- and this, of course, is where it becomes complicated --

但從此以後，事情越嚟越複雜

the facts were true,

要點樣去詮釋經文，係更加困難嘅課題

hurrah for archeology,

but the interpretation was rather more complicated.

Because the cylinder account and the Hebrew Bible account

因為圓柱所陳述嘅 同希伯來經文中陳述嘅

differ in one key respect.

有一個主要嘅差異

The Babylonian cylinder

圓柱體上嘅巴比倫語

is written by the priests

係由信奉巴比倫之神 馬爾杜克嘅祭司所寫嘅

of the great god of Bablyon, Marduk.

And, not surprisingly,

可想而知

they tell you that all this was done by Marduk.

佢哋會講︰ 「呢一切都係馬爾杜克嘅神蹟，

"Marduk, we hold, called Cyrus by his name."

我哋所信奉嘅神馬爾杜克召喚居魯士。

Marduk takes Cyrus by the hand,

馬爾杜克拉著居魯士嘅手，

calls him to shepherd his people

命佢帶領佢嘅子民，

and gives him the rule of Babylon.

並授予佢統治巴比倫嘅權力。

Marduk tells Cyrus

馬爾杜克同居魯士講，

that he will do these great, generous things

佢會釋放異族人民。

of setting the people free.

And this is why we should all be grateful to

咁偉大而慷慨嘅壯舉

就係我哋要感激同崇拜 馬爾杜克嘅原因。」

and worship Marduk.

The Hebrew writers

而喺希伯來嘅舊約聖經

in the Old Testament,

you will not be surprised to learn,

作者對呢件事有截然不同嘅睇法

take a rather different view of this.

但其實又冇咩好驚奇嘅

For them, of course, it can't possibly by Marduk

當然對佢哋嚟講

that made all this happen.

呢一切絕唔可能係馬爾杜克嘅功勞

It can only be Jehovah.

因為只有係耶和華先做得到

And so in Isaiah,

以賽亞書寫話︰

we have the wonderful texts

「功勞皆屬以色列嘅主，

giving all the credit of this,

not to Marduk

而唔係馬爾杜克。

but to the Lord God of Israel --

the Lord God of Israel

以色列嘅主同樣召喚咗居魯士，

who also called Cyrus by name,

also takes Cyrus by the hand

同樣拉住居魯士嘅手，

and talks of him shepherding his people.

同樣命佢管好佢嘅子民。」

It's a remarkable example

呢個例子講明

of two different priestly appropriations of the same event,

同一件事可以有不同嘅宗教詮釋

two different religious takeovers

或者同一件政治事件 可以有不同嘅宗教取態

of a political fact.

God, we know,

我哋都知道神多數站喺強大嘅一方

is usually on the side of the big battalions.

The question is, which god was it?

問題係，到底邊個嘅神做嘅？

And the debate unsettles

呢場辯論，令 19 世紀嘅人睇到

everybody in the 19th century

to realize that the Hebrew scriptures

希伯來經文 只係偌大嘅宗教世界嘅一小部分

are part of a much wider world of religion.

And it's quite clear

可以肯定嘅係 圓柱比以賽亞書更早出現

the cylinder is older than the text of Isaiah,

and yet, Jehovah is speaking

而耶和華所講嘅語言 同馬爾杜克所講嘅十分類似

in words very similar

to those used by Marduk.

And there's a slight sense that Isaiah knows this,

以賽亞知道呢件事，應該唔合理

because he says,

因為佢話——當然係神嘅話語︰

this is God speaking, of course,

"I have called thee by thy name

「你哋雖然唔識我，

though thou hast not known me."

但我叫你哋個名。」

I think it's recognized

我諗大家都同意

that Cyrus doesn't realize

居魯士並唔知自己 依照緊耶和華嘅指令行事

that he's acting under orders from Jehovah.

And equally, he'd have been surprised that he was acting under orders from Marduk.

同樣，如果佢知道 佢係聽咗馬爾杜克嘅話先做呢件事

Because interestingly, of course,

佢會嚇一大跳

因為有趣嘅係，居魯士係伊朗人

Cyrus is a good Iranian

with a totally different set of gods

而伊朗人會拜神

who are not mentioned in any of these texts.

喺呢兩份經文中 根本就冇提過伊朗人嗰班嘅神

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

That's 1879.

呢年係 1879 年

40 years on

再過 40 年

and we're in 1917,

我哋嚟到 1917 年

and the cylinder enters a different world.

亦係呢個圓柱體進入另一個世界嘅一年

This time, the real politics

1917 年可以話係現代政治嘅一年

of the contemporary world --

the year of the Balfour Declaration,

因為呢年發表咗貝爾福宣言

the year when the new imperial power in the Middle East, Britain,

而且中東嘅新王國同英國

decides that it will declare

決定建立一個猶太人國家

a Jewish national home,

it will allow

畀猶太人返去建國

the Jews to return.

And the response to this

東歐嘅嘅猶太人一聽到就反應熱烈

by the Jewish population in Eastern Europe is rhapsodic.

幾乎到咗瘋狂嘅地步

And across Eastern Europe,

因為整個東歐嘅猶太人

Jews display pictures of Cyrus

會將居魯士同喬治五世嘅畫像平排展示

and of George V

side by side --

the two great rulers

因為呢兩位偉大君王都曾經 應允猶太人回歸耶路撒冷

who have allowed the return to Jerusalem.

And the Cyrus cylinder comes back into public view

呢一刻居魯士圓柱 又再一次吸引大眾嘅目光

and the text of this

圓柱上嘅文字描繪咗 1918 年戰事完結之後發生嘅事

as a demonstration of why what is going to happen

after the war is over in 1918

is part of a divine plan.

亦視為係神嘅旨意嘅一部份

You all know what happened.

我諗大家都清楚接住落嚟嘅事

The state of Israel is setup,

以色列復國

and 50 years later, in the late 60s,

然後再多 50年

到 1960 年代尾，英國失去咗帝國地位

it's clear that Britain's role as the imperial power is over.

And another story of the cylinder begins.

但同時圓柱體嘅另一段故事就開始咗

The region, the U.K. and the U.S. decide,

英國同美國決定

has to be kept safe from communism,

為咗唔令以色列受到共產主義嘅荼毒

and the superpower that will be created to do this

英美於是建立咗伊朗、推舉咗伊朗王

would be Iran, the Shah.

And so the Shah invents an Iranian history,

於是伊朗王建立伊朗歷史

or a return to Iranian history,

或者可以話帶領伊朗重回歷史正軌

that puts him in the center of a great tradition

令伊朗王自己成為伊朗傳統嘅核心

and produces coins

伊朗王下令發行

showing himself

刻有自己肖像以及居魯士圓柱嘅硬幣

with the Cyrus cylinder.

When he has his great celebrations in Persepolis,

伊朗王喺波斯波利斯舉行慶典時

he summons the cylinder

希望居魯士圓柱能回歸伊朗

and the cylinder is lent by the British Museum, goes to Tehran,

於是大英博物館借出圓柱

運往德黑蘭

and is part of those great celebrations

用嚟做巴列為王朝慶典

of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Cyrus cylinder: guarantor of the Shah.

居魯士圓柱就係伊朗王權力嘅保證

10 years later, another story:

十年過後

喺1979 年嘅伊朗革命裏面 發生咗另一段故事

Iranian Revolution, 1979.

Islamic revolution, no more Cyrus;

we're not interested in that history,

今次唔再講居魯士圓柱

因為伊斯蘭革命先係主角

we're interested in Islamic Iran --

我哋有興趣嘅係

俾伊拉克打之前嘅伊斯蘭時期嘅伊朗

until Iraq,

the new superpower that we've all decided should be in the region,

當時伊拉克被公認為區內大國

attacks.

Then another Iran-Iraq war.

而呢場又係另一場兩伊戰爭

And it becomes critical for the Iranians

伊朗喺呢場仗裏面致勝關鍵在於

to remember their great past,

伊朗人記得佢哋輝煌嘅過去

their great past

when they fought Iraq and won.

It becomes critical to find a symbol

同時揾到一個團結嘅象徵

that will pull together all Iranians --

令所有伊朗人團結一致

Muslims and non-Muslims,

唔理係伊斯蘭教徒、非伊斯蘭教徒

Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews living in Iran,

定係基督教徒、祆教徒、伊朗嘅猶太人

people who are devout, not devout.

虔誠嘅人、唔虔誠嘅人

And the obvious emblem is Cyrus.

都因為居魯士圓柱而團結

So when the British Museum and Tehran National Musuem

所以當大英博物館 同德黑蘭國家博物館合作時

cooperate and work together, as we've been doing,

就好似我哋一直以嚟做緊一樣

the Iranians ask for one thing only

伊朗人只係同我哋借一樣嘢

as a loan.

It's the only object they want.

佢哋只想要呢樣嘢

They want to borrow the Cyrus cylinder.

佢哋想借嘅就係居魯士圓柱

And last year,

嚿年

the Cyrus cylinder went to Tehran

居魯士圓柱第二次運往德黑蘭

for the second time.

It's shown being presented here, put into its case

正如你哋見到嘅

by the director of the National Museum of Tehran,

佢由德黑蘭國家博物館館長 艾達卡妮女士親手放入盒裡邊

one of the many women in Iran in very senior positions,

艾達卡妮女士同好多伊朗婦女一樣 坐到好高職位

Mrs. Ardakani.

It was a huge event.

嗰次圓柱入盒係大事

This is the other side of that same picture.

呢張係另一張相，但拍攝角度相反

It's seen in Tehran

幾個月之後

by between one and two million people

已經有一二百萬人嚟過呢度

in the space of a few months.

一睹居魯士圓柱嘅風采

This is beyond any blockbuster exhibition

咁嘅人次超過西方國家 最高嘅展覽入場人次

in the West.

And it's the subject of a huge debate

今次展覧引發啲人辯論圓柱嘅意義

about what this cylinder means, what Cyrus means,

同居魯士想表達嘅係乜

but above all, Cyrus as articulated through this cylinder --

但最終，居魯士就好似圓柱描述咁

Cyrus as the defender of the homeland,

係守衛家園嘅勇士

the champion, of course, of Iranian identity

係伊朗人心目中嘅英雄

and of the Iranian peoples,

tolerant of all faiths.

同埋各信仰裏面嘅精神人物

And in the current Iran,

喺現代伊朗議會

Zoroastrians and Christians have guaranteed places

有一啲席位係留畀祆教徒同基督教徒

in the Iranian parliament, something to be very, very proud of.

呢個係值得引以為傲嘅事

To see this object in Tehran,

thousands of Jews living in Iran

數以千計嘅猶太人從伊朗趕到德黑蘭

came to Tehran to see it.

就為咗睇居魯士圓柱嘅廬山真面目

It became a great emblem,

圓柱係偉大嘅象徵

a great subject of debate

亦係用嚟辯論伊朗對內與對外嘅意義

about what Iran is at home and abroad.

Is Iran still to be the defender of the oppressed?

伊朗仲會唔會 為被欺壓嘅人民挺身而出？

Will Iran set free the people

伊朗會唔會 畀被暴君奴役、剝削嘅人重獲自由？

that the tyrants have enslaved and expropriated?

This is heady national rhetoric,

呢個係好多人討論嘅全國議題

and it was all put together

呢個議題仲喺一次 慶祝文物回歸嘅盛會之中討論

in a great pageant

launching the return.

Here you see this out-sized Cyrus cylinder on the stage

相裏邊係放大版嘅居魯士圓柱 同好多伊朗歷史偉人

with great figures from Iranian history

gathering to take their place

in the heritage of Iran.

It was a narrative presented

by the president himself.

伊朗總統喺展覽開幕當日親自發表演講

And for me,

對我嚟講，能夠將居魯士圓柱帶返伊朗

to take this object to Iran,

to be allowed to take this object to Iran

was to be allowed to be part

代表圓柱能夠成為

of an extraordinary debate

一場高層次、偉大辯論嘅材料

led at the highest levels

about what Iran is,

去探討伊朗嘅定位

what different Irans there are

探討世界上存在著幾多個伊朗

and how the different histories of Iran

探討伊朗唔同嘅歷史 點樣塑造今日嘅世界

might shape the world today.

It's a debate that's still continuing,

呢場辯論仲未結束

and it will continue to rumble,

正反論述會繼續出現

because this object

居魯士圓柱係人類其中一個 申明己志嘅物件

is one of the great declarations

of a human aspiration.

It stands with the American constitution.

佢嘅地位有如美國憲法咁高

It certainly says far more about real freedoms

佢肯定比大憲章 更能論述咩叫真正嘅自由

than Magna Carta.

It is a document that can mean so many things,

佢亦係一份文獻

對伊朗同成個地區有好多嘅意義

for Iran and for the region.

A replica of this

居魯士圓柱嘅複製品存放喺聯合國

is at the United Nations.

In New York this autumn, it will be present

今年秋天喺紐約辯論中東未來嘅會上

when the great debates

about the future of the Middle East take place.

你會見到佢嘅蹤影

And I want to finish by asking you

我希望以一個問題完結我今日嘅演講

what the next story will be

居魯士圓柱接住會咩新故事呢？

in which this object figures.

It will appear, certainly,

可以肯定嘅係

in many more Middle Eastern stories.

居魯士圓柱會出現喺更多中東故事裏邊

And what story of the Middle East,

而你哋想

what story of the world,

中東，以至全世界會有點樣嘅故事

do you want to see

reflecting what is said,

去應驗圓柱所講嘅嘢呢？

what is expressed in this cylinder?

The right of peoples

意思係，不同種族、不同信仰嘅人民

to live together in the same state,

能夠喺同一個國家自由生活 做唔同嘅事

worshiping differently, freely --

a Middle East, a world,

意思係，無論係中東 抑或係世界嘅任何一角落

in which religion is not the subject of division

宗教唔分化人或者引起紛爭

or of debate.

In the world of the Middle East at the moment,

但喺宜家嘅中東世界

the debates are, as you know, shrill.

紛爭，依然激烈

But I think it's possible

但我相信

that the most powerful and the wisest voice of all of them

喺紛爭當中，最明智、最強大嘅聲音

may well be the voice

好可能係靜默嘅居魯士圓柱

of this mute thing,

the Cyrus cylinder.

Thank you.

多謝

（掌聲）

(Applause)