埃及艳后-5000词床头灯英语学习读本(51)(英汉对照) 内容简介

克娄巴特拉,亦称“埃及艳后”。是古埃及托勒密王朝的*后一任女王。托勒密王朝由托勒密·索特建立,他原是亚历、山大大帝手下的马其顿将军。克娄巴特拉实际上没有埃及血统,是马其顿人的后裔。这位埃及绝世佳人凭借美貌和智慧暂时保全了托勒密王朝。使强大的罗马帝国的统治耆纷纷拜倒在其石榴裙下,先后令恺撒大帝和马克·安东尼对她如醉如痴,心甘情愿地为她效劳。
克娄巴特拉是托勒密·奥里特斯国王的女儿。奥里特斯在遗嘱中安排她与她的弟弟小托勒密成婚,然后两人共同执政。当时克娄巴特拉18岁,小托勒密10岁,他们只是名义上的君主,国家事务实际上由两个大臣伯狄诺斯和阿基拉斯管理。小托勒密完全受这两位朝廷重臣的掌控,在他们的怂恿下、与克娄巴特拉反目成仇、公开决裂,将她驱逐出境。随后克娄巴特拉在叙利亚组建了一支军队,打算与小托勒密为争夺埃及王位而战,但是战斗并没有打响,因为一个名叫朱利乌斯·恺撒的伟人来到了埃及。
恺撒是著名的罗马军事和政治领袖。他从前的密友庞培为了攫取统治权背叛了他,罗马爆发了内战。恺撒在意大利击溃了庞培,把他赶到了希腊,又在法塞利阿取得了决定性的胜利。在他的追赶下,庞培逃到了埃及,派人请求小托勒密的帮助。托勒密军队的实际领导者伯狄诺斯表面上同意了,但却在庞培弃船登岸之际将他杀死,然后向恺撒献上了庞培的头颅,当时,恺撒也追到了埃及,来到了亚历山大城。面对庞培熟悉的面孔,恺撒感到震惊和愤怒,他为昔日的同盟、今日的敌人举行了正式的葬礼。
克娄巴特拉想借助恺撒击败小托勒密,于是乘船离开了叙利亚,在亚历山大登陆。藏身在一块巨大的毛毯里来到了恺撒、住的宫殿。当时克娄巴特拉才二十一岁,是一个美艳绝伦、才华非凡的女人,以超人的智慧和勇气征服了五十多岁的恺撒。恺撒马上下令根据奥里特斯在遗嘱中的安排。由姐弟俩共同执政。后来经过亚历山大战争等一系列的事件,*终恺撒帮助克娄巴特拉顺利地登上了王位。
之后,恺撒返回罗马,权势越来越大,引起了元老院部分成员的严重不满。布鲁图和卡西乌等人勾结起来,刺杀了恺撒。恺撒遇刺后,马克·安东尼、屋大维和雷必达三人共同执政,形成了著名的“后三头”政治。腓力比战役中,他们三人联合起来为恺撒复仇,击败了布鲁图和卡西乌。这场战争也建立了安东尼的名望。后来,三大巨头变成了屋大维和安东尼两大巨头并立的局面。
克娄巴特拉为了保住女王的宝座,用同样的手段赢得了安东尼。安东尼无可救药地爱上了这位天姿国色的聪慧女子,对她言听计从,甚至把罗马的领土都奉送给她。他整日和她在一起尽情享乐,玩忽职守,置国家大事于不顾。安东尼的种种行为激起了罗马人民的强烈不满。屋大维利用机会控告他,*后罗马元老院宣布剥夺安东尼的权力,并且决定讨伐他和埃及女王。在屋大维与安东尼进行的亚克兴角战役中,双方胜负尚未分出,克娄巴特拉忽然退出了战斗。安东尼见此,随后紧追,丢下了他的舰队和官兵。*后安东尼的部队被彻底击溃。
克娄巴特拉和安东尼逃到了亚历山大城,准备在此反击屋大维。克娄巴特拉则开始琢磨各种自杀的方法,看哪种方法痛苦*小。她发现被角蝰(一种毒蛇)叮咬是*理想的。她还为自己修建坟墓,并往那里搬运大量金银财宝。屋大维害怕失去巨大的财富,派出使者与克娄巴特拉谈判。安东尼以为克娄巴特拉背叛了他,自杀身亡。克娄巴特拉悲痛欲绝、绝望至极。了自己的生命。关于克娄巴特拉的死,至今仍然是个谜。不过人们普遍认为,她是自己让毒蛇咬死的。
举世闻名的埃及女王克娄巴特拉先后让恺撒大帝和马克·安东尼这两位声名显赫、叱咤风云的人物成为她爱情的俘虏并为他们生过孩子。她的恋情影响了埃及甚至当时世界的历史。她用她的武器——美貌、魅力、才智一次又一次地拯救了埃及,也保护了她的王位。法国哲学家帕斯卡在《思想录》中写道:“要是克娄巴特拉的鼻子长得短一些,整个世界的面貌就会改变。

埃及艳后-5000词床头灯英语学习读本(51)(英汉对照) 本书特色

她是一个“无与伦比的女人”;她比大多数女性更具有女人的气质,比大多数男子具有更大的力量和决心;她被称为“埃及艳后”,实际上她没有埃及血统,她是马其顿人的后裔。一个情人、一位母亲、一个战士、一个女王,对她来说缺一不可。她是大地上的凡人,又好像是按照上天的节奏而活跃于人世的。她是古埃及王国*聪明能干的统治者。她不仅美丽,也很有政治头脑。她懂得如何利用自己的美艳和智慧,为远大的政治目标——保全埃及的独立,重现亚历山大大帝的辉煌。

埃及艳后-5000词床头灯英语学习读本(51)(英汉对照) 目录

埃及艳后-5000词床头灯英语学习读本(51)(英汉对照) 节选

这套系列丛书之所以选择了这些内容和主
题，编者的意图在于寻找那些在历史上不仅为
我们带来了乐趣而且给予了我们真知灼见的历
史人物。有些名字是我们耳熟能详的，每一个
追求知识和智慧的人都觉得有必要了解这些大
人物的主要历史概况，当然人们可能或多或少
知道一点使这些大人物声名显赫的性格和作为。
每个人似乎都有义务了解这些知识，了解像汉
尼拔、亚历山大、恺撒、克娄巴特拉、大流士、
薛西斯、阿尔弗烈德、威廉大帝、伊丽莎白女
王、苏格兰玛丽女王等类似的人物。而这些人
物也正是这套丛书中要讨论的主角。作者以一
个公正严谨的视角尽可能有趣地描述这些人物．
并从中选择出*重要的历史人物，致力于展现
他们性格中*突出*具主导因素的特点。以大
胆自由的方式介绍他们生命中的所有重大事件．
而这些都将以平实通俗的语言表达出来。以实
现恒久的实用价值。
The Alexandrine War
The war which ensued as the result of the intrigues and ma-
neuvers described in the last chapter is known in the history of
Rome and Julius Caesar as the Alexandrine war. The events which
occurred during the progress of it, and its termination at last in the
triumph of Caesar and Cleopatra, will form the subject of this chap-
ter.
Achillas had greatly the advantage over Caesar at the outset of
the contest, in respect to the strength of the forces under his com-
mand. Caesar, in fact, had with him only a unit of three or four
thousand men, a small body of troops which he had hastily put on
board a little group of Rhodian ships for pursuing Pompey across
the Mediterranean. When he set sail from the European shores with
this small fleet, it is probable that he had no expectation even of
landing in Egypt at all, and much less of being involved in great
military activities there. Achillas, on the other hand, was at the
head of a force of twenty thousand effective men. His troops were,
it is true, of a somewhat mixed character, but they were all veteran
soldiers, much used to the climate of Egypt, and skilled in all the
modes of warfare which were suited to the character of the country.
Some of them were Roman soldiers, men who had come with the
army of Mark Antony from Syria when Ptolemy Auletes, Cleopatra's
father, was returned to the throne, and had been left in Egypt, in
Ptolemy's service, when Antony returned to Rome. Some were na-
tive Egyptians. There was also in the army of Achillas a large num-
ber of escaped slaves- refugees who had made their escape from
亚历山大战争
接下来发生的由上一章所描述的阴谋活动促成
的战争在罗马史和朱利乌斯·恺撒史中被记载为亚历
山大战争。这章主要讲述的是战争中发生的事件，以
及这场战事*后以恺撒和克娄巴特拉的胜利而告终。
战争初期，阿基拉斯比恺撒具有明显优势，因为
他领导的军队要强大得多。恺撒实际上只有当时暂时
组织起来、穿越地中海追捕庞培的三四千人——这只
是他整个军队的一小部分。当他带着这一小部分人马
从欧洲海岸出发的时候，他根本就没想到会在埃及登
陆，更不用说自己会卷入当地这样一场大规模的军事
战争中了。另一方面，阿基拉斯则是两万精兵的头目。
虽然他的部队人员混杂，但都是些久经沙场的老兵。
非常适应埃及的气候，并且对适合本地特点的作战模
式驾轻就熟。其中有些是罗马士兵，他们跟随马克．安
东尼从叙利亚来到埃及帮助克娄巴特拉的父亲重返
王位，在安东尼回国时他们被留下来听从托勒密的指
挥以巩固政权。有些是埃及本土人。也有很多逃亡的
奴隶，他们来自地中海沿岸的各个地方，并且逐渐融．
入埃及军队之中，都是些不顾～切的亡命之徒。
various poinrs along the shores of the Mediterranean, at different
periods, and had been from time to time incorporated into the E-
gyptian army. These runaways were all men of the most determined
and desperate character.
Achillas had also in his command a force of two thousand
horses. Such a body as this made him, of course, perfect master of
all the open country outside the city walls. At the head of these
troops Achillas gradually advanced to the very gates of Alexandria,
invested the city on every side, and shut Caesar closely in.
The danger of the situation in which Caesar was placed was
extreme; but he had been so accustomed to succeed in freeing him-
self from the most difficult of dangers, that neither he himself nor
his army seem to have experienced any concern in respect to the
result. Caesar personally felt a special pride and pleasure in en-
countering the difficulties and dangers which now fell upon him,
because Cleopatra was with him to witness his manner, to admire
his energy and courage, and to reward by her love the efforts and
sacrifices which he was making in taking up her cause. She became
very close with him, and she watched all the proceedings with the
most eager interest, excited with hope in respect to the result, and
proud of the champion who had thus volunteered to defend her. In
a word, her heart was full of gratitude, admiration, and love.
The immediate effect, too, of the emotions which she felt so
strongly was greatly to heighten her natural charms. The native
force and energy of her character we, re calmed. Her voice, which
always possessed a certain charm, was filled with new sweetness
through the influence of affection.