Chapter Two - Egyptians Lived on the Nile River
第二章 - 埃及人生活在尼罗河沿岸

Two Kingdoms Become One / 两个王国统一

Tarak could go swimming almost any day she wanted to, because the Tigris River was full of water all year round. But the farmers who lived along the banks of the Nile River had a very different kind of river to deal with.

塔拉克几乎可以在任何想要的日子里去游泳，因为底格里斯河一年四季都有充足的水。但是生活在尼罗河沿岸的农民们面对的是一条截然不同的河流。

Sometimes the river was very low—so low that you could almost see the bottom. Other times, it was so full that it flooded all over their farmland.

有时候河水非常低，低到几乎能看见河底。有时候河水又非常充沛，以至于会淹没他们所有的农田。

The Nile River is a long river in Africa. At the top, it splits into several different little rivers and runs into the Mediterranean Sea. This area is shaped like an upside-down triangle. The Greek letter for D, delta, is shaped like a triangle too. So this part of the river is called the Nile Delta, after the Greek letter of the alphabet.

尼罗河是非洲的一条长河。在河流的上端，它分裂成几条不同的小河，流入地中海。这个区域的形状像一个倒置的三角形。希腊字母D叫做德尔塔，也是三角形的形状。所以河流的这部分被称为尼罗河三角洲，以希腊字母命名。

Every year, the Nile flooded. During rainy seasons, water would fall on the mountains in the south, where the Nile River begins. The water would pour down the mountains, into the river, and run down towards the delta. So much water poured into the Nile at once that it overflowed its banks and spread all over the farmland on either side.

每年，尼罗河都会泛滥。在雨季期间，雨水会降落在南方的山脉上，那里是尼罗河的源头。雨水会从山上倾泻而下，流入河中，然后向北流向三角洲。大量的水一下子涌入尼罗河，使得河水溢出河岸，扩散到两侧的所有农田上。

If a farmer had a river flood all over his crops today, he'd think it was a disaster. But the farmers who lived along the Nile liked to see the river flood. The river flooded at the same time every year, so they were ready for it. When the water came up out of the river, rich dirt from the bottom of the river came with it. This dirt was called silt, and it was full of good vitamins and minerals for plants.

如果今天有农民的河水淹没了他的庄稼，他会认为这是一场灾难。但是生活在尼罗河沿岸的农民们喜欢看到河水泛滥。河水每年都在同一时间泛滥，所以他们已经做好了准备。当河水涌出来时，河底肥沃的泥土也一起被带出来。这种泥土叫做淤泥，富含对植物有益的维生素和矿物质。

The floodwater would spread the silt all along the edge of the river, and then the water would recede—go back into the river until the next year. Then the farmers, who lived a little ways away from the riverbank so that their houses wouldn't flood, would come out and plant their crops in the rich silt.

洪水会把淤泥铺撒在河流边缘，然后水会退去——回到河道中直到第二年。然后那些住在离河岸稍远一些地方的农民（这样他们的房屋就不会被淹没），会出来在肥沃的淤泥中种植他们的庄稼。

They learned to dig canals leading away from the river, so that floodwater would run into their canals. Then they would block the ends of the canals so that the water couldn't run back into the river. They could use the water in the canals during dry seasons.

他们学会了挖掘从河流引出的运河，这样洪水就会流入他们的运河中。然后他们会堵住运河的末端，这样水就不能回流到河中。他们可以在旱季使用运河中的水。

The people who lived along the Nile were called Egyptians. Early in Egypt's history, there were two Egyptian tribes who lived along the Nile. The Egyptians who lived in the north, in the Nile Delta, were called the "Lower Egyptians." The Egyptians who lived along the straight part of the river, further south, were called the "Upper Egyptians."

生活在尼罗河沿岸的人们被称为埃及人。在埃及历史的早期，有两个埃及部落生活在尼罗河沿岸。生活在北方尼罗河三角洲的埃及人被称为"下埃及人"。生活在河流直流部分、更靠南方的埃及人被称为"上埃及人"。

[原书插图：尼罗河三角洲地图，显示上埃及和下埃及的位置，以及地中海和红海]

But the ancient Egyptians didn't think about the world in that way. The Nile River flowed from the mountains in the south, down to the delta in the north. So the ancient Egyptians thought about the southern part of their country, Upper Egypt, as "up the river," and the northern part, Lower Egypt, as "down the river."

但是古代埃及人不会那样考虑世界。尼罗河从南方的山脉流向北方的三角洲。所以古代埃及人认为他们国家的南部，即上埃及，是"河流上游"，而北部，即下埃及，是"河流下游"。

The Lower Egyptians were ruled by a king who wore a red crown, and the Upper Egyptians were ruled by a king who wore a white crown. Both kings wanted to rule over all of Egypt. So for years, the White Crown King and the Red Crown King fought with each other.

下埃及人由一位戴着红色王冠的国王统治，上埃及人由一位戴着白色王冠的国王统治。两位国王都想统治整个埃及。所以多年来，白冠国王和红冠国王互相战斗。

Finally, the two kings fought one great battle to settle, once and for all, who would rule Egypt. The Upper Egyptian king, the White Crown King, was named King Narmer. Around five thousand years ago, King Narmer defeated the Red Crown King and took his crown away. Then he put the red crown overtop of his own white crown and announced that he was the king of all Egypt.

最终，两位国王进行了一场伟大的战役，要一劳永逸地解决谁来统治埃及的问题。上埃及国王，即白冠国王，名叫纳尔迈王。大约五千年前，纳尔迈王击败了红冠国王并夺走了他的王冠。然后他把红色王冠戴在自己的白色王冠上面，宣布自己是全埃及的国王。

From now on, the king of Egypt would wear the Double Crown of Egypt, which had a white spike at the center and a red band around the outside. This showed that he was the ruler of the entire country.

从此以后，埃及国王会戴着埃及的双重王冠，中间有一个白色尖顶，外围有一个红色带子。这表明他是整个国家的统治者。

Gods of Ancient Egypt / 古埃及的神灵

Now that the Egyptians were all part of one country, the king of Egypt became known as the pharaoh. He carried a shepherd's crook to show that he was supposed to lead and take care of all the Egyptian people, just like a shepherd takes care of and feeds his sheep.

现在埃及人都成为了一个国家的一部分，埃及国王被称为法老。他携带着牧羊人的钩杖来表明他应该领导和照顾所有埃及人民，就像牧羊人照顾和喂养他的羊一样。

Soon, the Egyptians began to think that the pharaoh was actually a god. They believed that he was able to make the Nile overflow its banks every year so that their crops could grow. The pharaoh got more and more powerful—no one wanted to make a god angry!

很快，埃及人开始认为法老实际上是一位神。他们相信他能够让尼罗河每年溢出河岸，这样他们的庄稼就能生长。法老变得越来越强大——没有人想让神愤怒！

The pharaoh wasn't the only god the Egyptians worshipped. Ra was the god of the sun. He was the chief god; other gods were part of his family. Osiris was the god who judged the dead and decided whether they had been good or bad.

法老不是埃及人崇拜的唯一神灵。拉神是太阳之神。他是主神；其他神都是他家族的一部分。奥西里斯是审判死者并决定他们生前是好是坏的神。

Isis was Osiris's wife, and the mother of Horus, who was the god of the sky. Egyptian stories about the gods often tried to explain why the Nile overflowed every year. One Egyptian story, or myth, tells about Osiris and his brother, Set.

伊西斯是奥西里斯的妻子，也是荷鲁斯的母亲，荷鲁斯是天空之神。关于神灵的埃及故事经常试图解释为什么尼罗河每年都会泛滥。一个埃及故事，或者说神话，讲述了奥西里斯和他的兄弟塞特的故事。

The Myth of Osiris / 奥西里斯神话

Once upon a time, the great god Osiris and his wife Isis were ruling over the whole land of Egypt. Osiris went on a trip around the world and left Isis in charge of the kingdom. But while he was gone, Osiris's evil brother Set decided that he wanted to be king.

从前，伟大的神奥西里斯和他的妻子伊西斯统治着整个埃及土地。奥西里斯去世界各地旅行，让伊西斯负责王国。但是在他离开的时候，奥西里斯邪恶的兄弟塞特决定他想要当国王。

When Osiris came back from his trip, Set invited him to a great feast with all the other gods. Set brought out a beautiful coffin, all carved and decorated with gold and pictures. Set said, "I will give this beautiful coffin to whichever god fits into it the best."

当奥西里斯从旅行回来时，塞特邀请他和所有其他神灵参加一场盛大的宴会。塞特拿出了一个美丽的棺材，上面雕刻着金子和图案装饰。塞特说："我会把这个美丽的棺材给最适合它的神。"

The gods didn't know that Set had ordered the coffin made so that it would only fit Osiris. One by one, they lay down in the coffin. But all of the gods were too large or too small—until Osiris got in, and found that the coffin fit him perfectly. But as soon as he lay down, Set slammed the coffin closed and threw it into the Nile, where it floated away.

神灵们不知道塞特订制这个棺材是专门为奥西里斯设计的。他们一个接一个地躺进棺材。但是所有的神都太大或太小——直到奥西里斯躺进去，发现棺材完全适合他。但是他一躺下，塞特就猛力关上棺材，把它扔进了尼罗河，棺材就漂走了。

But Isis went on a long journey down the Nile to find the coffin. Finally she discovered it, caught in the reeds beside the Nile's bank. She opened it, but Osiris had drowned. Isis sat down and wept for grief. Even the Nile cried over the death of Osiris, so that the river ran dry.

但是伊西斯沿着尼罗河进行了一次长途旅程来寻找棺材。最终她发现了它，卡在尼罗河岸边的芦苇中。她打开棺材，但奥西里斯已经淹死了。伊西斯坐下来因为悲伤而哭泣。连尼罗河也为奥西里斯的死亡而哭泣，河水因此干涸了。

Finally Isis wrapped Osiris's body in linen—so that he became the first mummy. But as soon as she wrapped him in linen, he came back to life again. The whole earth was glad to see Osiris alive again! The Nile filled back up and overflowed its banks, so that all the Egyptians had water to drink, and their crops began to grow again.

最后伊西斯用亚麻布包裹奥西里斯的身体——这样他就成了第一个木乃伊。但是她一用亚麻布包裹他，他就又活过来了。整个大地都为奥西里斯的复活而高兴！尼罗河重新充满水并溢出河岸，这样所有埃及人都有水喝，他们的庄稼又开始生长了。

And that's why the Nile overflows every year—because it remembers that Osiris came back to life.

这就是为什么尼罗河每年都会泛滥——因为它记得奥西里斯复活了。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

water

/ˈwɔːtər/

中文：水
定义：生命必需的无色透明液体
例句：The farmers needed water for their crops.

house

/ˈhaʊzɪz/

中文：房屋
定义：人们居住的建筑物
例句：They built their houses away from the riverbank.

family

/ˈfæməli/

中文：家族
定义：有血缘关系的亲属群体
例句：Ra was the chief god and other gods were part of his family.

wife

/waɪf/

中文：妻子
定义：已婚女性配偶
例句：Isis was Osiris's wife.

journey

/ˈdʒɜːrni/

中文：旅程
定义：从一地到另一地的行程
例句：Isis went on a long journey to find the coffin.

sheep

/ʃiːp/

中文：羊
定义：提供羊毛和肉的农场动物
例句：A shepherd takes care of his sheep.

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

pharaoh

/ˈferoʊ/

中文：法老
定义：古埃及的君主和统治者
例句：The king of Egypt became known as the pharaoh.

ancient

/ˈeɪnʃənt/

中文：古代的
定义：属于很久以前的时代
例句：The ancient Egyptians lived along the Nile River.

Double Crown

/ˈdʌbəl kraʊn/

中文：双重王冠
定义：象征统一埃及的王冠
例句：King Narmer wore the Double Crown of Egypt.

mummy

/ˈmʌmi/

中文：木乃伊
定义：用布包裹保存的尸体
例句：Osiris became the first mummy when wrapped in linen.

myth

/mɪθ/

中文：神话
定义：关于神灵和英雄的传统故事
例句：The myth of Osiris explained why the Nile flooded.

tribes

/traɪbz/

中文：部落
定义：有共同祖先和文化的群体
例句：There were two Egyptian tribes along the Nile.

地理相关词汇 / Geography Vocabulary

Nile River

/naɪl ˈrɪvər/

中文：尼罗河
定义：世界上最长的河流，流经非洲
例句：The Nile River flooded every year.

delta

/ˈdeltə/

中文：三角洲
定义：河流入海口的三角形区域
例句：The Nile Delta was shaped like a triangle.

Mediterranean Sea

/ˌmedɪtəˈreɪniən siː/

中文：地中海
定义：位于欧洲、非洲和亚洲之间的海域
例句：The Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

mountains

/ˈmaʊntənz/

中文：山脉
定义：高大的山峰群
例句：Water fell on the mountains in the south.

canals

/kəˈnælz/

中文：运河
定义：人工挖掘的水道
例句：Farmers dug canals to store floodwater.

banks

/bæŋks/

中文：河岸
定义：河流两侧的陆地
例句：Farmers lived along the banks of the Nile.

文化社会词汇 / Culture & Society

worshipped

/ˈwɜːrʃɪpt/

中文：崇拜
定义：敬仰和祈祷神灵
例句：Egyptians worshipped many gods.

believed

/bɪˈliːvd/

中文：相信
定义：认为某事是真实的
例句：They believed the pharaoh was a god.

shepherd

/ˈʃepərd/

中文：牧羊人
定义：照看羊群的人
例句：The pharaoh was like a shepherd to his people.

feast

/fiːst/

中文：宴会
定义：庆祝性的大餐聚会
例句：Set invited Osiris to a great feast.

grief

/ɡriːf/

中文：悲伤
定义：失去亲人时的痛苦情感
例句：Isis wept for grief when Osiris died.

linen

/ˈlɪnən/

中文：亚麻布
定义：用亚麻制成的布料
例句：Isis wrapped Osiris's body in linen.

动作行为词汇 / Actions & Activities

swimming

/ˈswɪmɪŋ/

中文：游泳
定义：在水中移动的活动
例句：Tarak could go swimming in the Tigris River.

flooded

/ˈflʌdɪd/

中文：淹没
定义：水漫过正常水位
例句：The Nile flooded the farmland every year.

defeated

/dɪˈfiːtɪd/

中文：击败
定义：在战斗或竞争中获胜
例句：King Narmer defeated the Red Crown King.

explain

/ɪkˈspleɪn/

中文：解释
定义：说明事情的原因或方式
例句：Egyptian myths tried to explain natural events.

drowned

/draʊnd/

中文：淹死
定义：在水中失去生命
例句：Osiris drowned in the coffin in the Nile.

wept

/wept/

中文：哭泣
定义：因悲伤而流眼泪
例句：Isis wept when she found Osiris was dead.

📊 Processing Statistics / 处理统计