翻譯資格考試英語(yǔ)口譯中級(jí)模擬題：情人節(jié)的由來(lái)

　　漢譯英

　　情人節(jié)的由來(lái)

　　每年二月，全國(guó)各地相愛(ài)的人們都以圣·瓦倫丁的名義互贈(zèng)糖果、鮮花和禮物。這位神秘的圣徒到底是誰(shuí)?而我們又緣何慶祝圣·瓦倫丁節(jié)(情人節(jié))?雖然情人節(jié)的歷史——以及這位情人節(jié)的守護(hù)圣徒瓦倫丁其人其事——已籠罩在神秘的帷幕之中，但是我們都知道，二月是個(gè)浪漫之月。而今天的情人節(jié)，同時(shí)有著基督教傳統(tǒng)和古羅馬傳統(tǒng)的影子。那么，圣·瓦倫丁究竟是誰(shuí)?他和這古老的節(jié)典有何關(guān)聯(lián)?

　　有一種說(shuō)法認(rèn)為，瓦倫丁是公元3世紀(jì)羅馬的一位神職牧師。當(dāng)時(shí)，羅馬皇帝克勞迪亞斯二世認(rèn)定未婚的士兵比有妻兒家室的士兵更善戰(zhàn)，于是他宣布年輕男子——他未來(lái)的兵源——結(jié)婚是非法的。瓦倫丁覺(jué)得這項(xiàng)法令是非正義的，便違抗皇帝的命令，繼續(xù)秘密地給年輕戀人主持婚禮�？藙诘蟻喫拱l(fā)現(xiàn)后，便下令處死瓦倫丁。

　　還有些說(shuō)法認(rèn)為，瓦倫丁是因?yàn)閹驮诹_馬監(jiān)獄里遭受酷刑的基督教信徒越獄，而被處以極刑的。

　　還有一種說(shuō)法是，瓦倫丁就是第一位發(fā)送“瓦倫丁”(情人)問(wèn)候的人。他在牢獄中，和一位探視他、也許是典獄長(zhǎng)的女兒的年輕女子墜入了愛(ài)河。據(jù)說(shuō)他被處死前，給這位女子寫(xiě)過(guò)一封信，署名“你的瓦倫丁”(你的情人)，該署名延用至今。盡管事恃的真相仍然撲朔迷離，但這些傳說(shuō)無(wú)不將瓦倫丁塑造成一位悲天憫人、英勇無(wú)畏的人物，更重要的是，他充滿了浪漫情懷。所以，到了中世紀(jì)的時(shí)候，瓦倫丁已經(jīng)成為在英法兩國(guó)最受愛(ài)戴的圣徒。

　　有些人相信，情人節(jié)在2月中旬過(guò)是為了紀(jì)念瓦倫丁大約在公元270年逝世或入殮之日。還有些人則宣稱，基督教把2月中的日子定為瓦倫丁節(jié)慶祝，也許是為了將異教徒的牧神節(jié)基督教化。在古羅馬，2月為春天之始，也被認(rèn)定是進(jìn)行“凈化儀式”的時(shí)間。這時(shí)，家家戶戶都要正式地清掃屋子，并在屋內(nèi)撒上鹽和一種叫斯佩爾特的小麥。牧神節(jié)，2月15日開(kāi)始，是紀(jì)念羅馬農(nóng)牧之神福納斯的節(jié)日，同時(shí)也是紀(jì)念羅馬的創(chuàng)立者羅穆盧斯和瑞摩斯的日子。

　　慶典開(kāi)始時(shí)，羅馬牧神團(tuán)的成員們聚集在圣洞前，人們相信羅馬的建立者羅穆盧斯和瑞摩斯，在襁褓中時(shí)曾在此洞中受到一頭母狼的哺育之恩。牧師們會(huì)獻(xiàn)祭一頭山羊，以求豐收、繁衍，另進(jìn)獻(xiàn)一只狗，以示凈化。

　　然后，孩子們把山羊皮切割成條，蘸上祭血，跑到街上，輕輕地抽打女人們和田里的莊稼。羅馬的女人們并不害怕，相反她們很樂(lè)意被打，因?yàn)閾?jù)說(shuō)山羊皮能增強(qiáng)她們來(lái)年的生殖能力。據(jù)傳，那天下午，城里的所有年輕女子都把自己名字寫(xiě)好放進(jìn)一個(gè)缽里，城里的羊身漢們便從缽里抽出一個(gè)名字，并在這一年里與此名女子結(jié)為伴侶，這些情侶后來(lái)多結(jié)為夫妻。大約在公元498年教皇格拉修宣布2月14日為圣·瓦倫丁節(jié)，羅馬的“抽簽”配對(duì)的風(fēng)俗被認(rèn)為不符合基督教義而被定為非法。到了中世紀(jì)，法蘭西和英格蘭人普遍相信鳥(niǎo)兒的交尾期始于2月14日，從而更加堅(jiān)信2月中的瓦倫丁節(jié)應(yīng)當(dāng)是浪漫的日子。在現(xiàn)存的資料中，“瓦倫丁”一詞最早出現(xiàn)在一首詩(shī)里。該詩(shī)是在阿金庫(kù)爾戰(zhàn)役中被俘的奧爾良公爵查爾斯被囚禁在倫敦塔中時(shí)寫(xiě)給他妻子的。

　　在英國(guó)，情人節(jié)大約從17世紀(jì)開(kāi)始流行。到了18世紀(jì)中葉，無(wú)論貴族還是平民，朋友還是戀人，都在這一天互贈(zèng)愛(ài)意小卡或手寫(xiě)的便箋。到了18世紀(jì)末，隨著印刷技術(shù)的發(fā)展，第十三單元節(jié)日祝賀Festivals人們開(kāi)始互送印制的卡片，替代手寫(xiě)的書(shū)信。在直抒心意不受鼓勵(lì)的年代，現(xiàn)成的卡片便成了人們表達(dá)情感的便利方式。低廉的郵寄費(fèi)用，也使互送情人卡愈加普遍。

　　參考譯文

　　The Origin of Valentine's Day

　　Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day - and its patron saint - is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men - his crop of potential soldiers.

　　Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

　　Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to another legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself.

　　While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl - who may have been his jailor's daughter - who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

　　While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial - which probably occurred around A. D. 270 - others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival . In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus . To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests/, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

　　The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goat hide strips. Far from being fearful , Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman.

　　These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around A. D. 498. The Roman "lottery" system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February - Valentine's Day - should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology.

　　Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.