翻译练习13

Castles in England and Wales

英格兰与威尔士的城堡

The castle was a special kind of manor holding. Usually castles could only be built by the approval of the king, who wanted to ensure that any good fortified castle was in the hands of someone he could trust. In times of anarchy there was generally an outbreak of illegal castle building and fortification. The Norman conquerors developed castle building into a fine art. They had to; it was such a turbulent and insecure period that defense was a necessity of life. When most people think of castles they tend to picture a massive stone structure, but before 1100 castles were primarily thatched wooden buildings on the motte and bailey plan.

城堡是一种特殊的庄园财产。通常只有在国王的允许下才能建造，因为国王需要确保是由其亲信来控制这些具有良好防御性的城堡。在战乱朝代，总会涌现出大量非法建造的城堡和碉堡。诺曼的侵略者将城堡建筑发挥到了极致。他们也必须这么做，因为那是一个非常混乱不安的时期，做好防御是安身立命的根本。很多人对城堡的印象就是一堆由石块砌成的建筑，但其实在公元1100年前，城寨上的城堡主要是由茅草木头建成。

The castle was built on top of a large artificial or natural mound (the motte), surrounded by a deep ditch. Around this was an area of land called the bailey. Inside the bailey were various buildings for the people who lived and worked in the castle, including stables, storehouses, palisade and an outer ditch, or fosse. Sometimes the fosse was filled with water diverted from a nearby stream. There are no good examples of these early motte and bailey castles remaining. Most were rebuilt in the early and mid-12th century as stone donjons or keeps.

城堡一般建于一个人工或天然的大山岗顶，四周环绕一条深水护城池。围绕着城堡和內围护城池的区域叫做堡场。堡场内的各种建筑是为在城堡里生活和工作的人而建，有马厩、仓库、栅栏和外围护城池或者护城河。有时候会在城堡附近的河流调水注入护城河。这些早期的城寨城堡并没有保留下来。大多数在12世纪的早期和中叶重新建造成石质的城堡主楼。

Shell keeps, of which few survive, were set on artificial or natural mounds. Stone walls 8-10 feet thick and 20-25 feet high enclosed a circular or polygonal area of 40-100 feet in diameter. Within the walls residential buildings in stone and possibly wood were built. A stronger design was the square or rectangular Norman keep which developed mainly in the middle and late 12th century. These immensely strong keeps were too heavy for artificial mounds and had to be built on natural high points. The keep walls were 20 feet thick at the base, rising to over 100 feet in height. Bedchambers, graderobes (latrines), and passages were built inside the thickness of the walls. Corner turrets provided an unobstructed line of sight along each wall.

贝壳城堡是少数保留下来的，有些建在人工山岗，有些建在天然山岗。城堡的石墙有8-10呎厚，高20-25呎，以40-100呎的直径围成圆形状或多边形状。城墙内的住宅建筑由石块砌成，也有由木头建成的。最具影响力的建筑设计可数主要在12世纪中后期发展起来的方形或矩形的诺曼式城堡。人工山岗无法载重如此坚固厚重的堡垒，因此这些城堡需要建在天然的山岗顶上。诺曼式城堡的基底厚20呎，城墙高度超100呎。卧室、更衣室（洗手间）和走廊均建在浑厚的城墙内。从城堡的塔楼往每一个墙面看可以说是一览无余。

The basement of the keep was used for storage, and possibly dungeons, although the dungeons might be on a separate, deeper level. The ground floor was the domain of soldiers and servants. The first floor contained the great hall, the center of life in the castle. The second floor housed the lord and his family, and often contained a chapel built into the wall. The roof above boasted the kitchens and ovens. In times of war these could be easily converted to heat up oil, water, burning brands, or sand to hurl at enemies. Sand? Yes, sand. When hot sand was poured on enemies attempting to scale the walls it got into their armor and caused severe discomfort and itching.

城堡的地下室一般用作储藏，有时也作地城，不过地城通常会独立开来建在更深的地层。城堡的一层是士兵和家仆活动的区域。二层是大厅，城堡生活的主场地。三层居住着领主及其家人，通常还会附带一个小教堂。屋顶小间摆放着厨具和烤炉。在战争年代，这里可以用作加热油、水、烙铁和沙的场所，然后将这些物品砸向敌人。沙？没有错，正是沙。拿热沙泼向尝试爬上城墙的敌人，沙子会溜进敌人的盔甲，让敌人疼痛痕痒。

An outer defensive wall surrounded the keep. The main doorway was protected by a second tower or set of towers. This gatehouse or barbican was pierced by a portcullis of iron and wood which could be raised or lowered on heavy chains. A ditch might surround the whole keep.

城堡的外围有一道防御城墙。城墙的主入口都会有一座双子门楼或几座碉楼做掩护。这些门楼或者碉楼都会有一道生铁和木头制成的吊闸门，拉动沉重的锁链可以控制其上升或者下降。在此之外可能还会有一条护城池包围着整座城堡。

The keeps were ideal for the time in which they were built, but by the middle of the 13th century needs had changed. A base that could be used for offensive operations rather than as a purely defensive stronghold was needed. So the keep was discarded in favor of a concentric design. These castles are often called “Edwardian” after Edward I, who perfected the style in the castles he built in Scotland and Wales.

这些城堡适时应运而生，但到了13世纪中叶，情况发生了转变。当时的战争主导思想是进攻比纯粹防御更加重要。所以城堡逐渐抛弃了同心圆的建筑设计风格。这些城堡通常被称作“爱德华城堡”，因为爱德华一世完善了这种建筑设计风格，他建造在苏格兰和威尔士的城堡处处如是。

Concentric castles have no central strong point like a keep. Instead they rely on rings of walls, one inside the other, with towers along the length of the walls. Most Edwardian castles have three concentric rings of walls and towers. The central space was kept as an open courtyard around which were clustered separate domestic buildings. The outer wall was ringed by a moat with access over a draw bridge through a separate gatehouse or barbican. Several Norman keeps were converted into concentric castles. The central keep was retained for accommodation.

同心圆城堡并没有进攻优势。相反，它们依赖一圈圈的城墙和沿着城墙而建的塔楼防御。而大多数爱德华城堡是三个同心圆城墙和塔楼并存。中间是一个开放的院落，里面聚集着独立的城内日常生活的建筑。护城河环绕着外围城墙，放下独立门楼或者碉楼的吊桥可以出入城堡。一些诺曼式城堡转变成同心圆城堡。中央城楼用作住宿。