Chapter 41 - The Attacking Barbarians / 第四十一章 - 攻击的蛮族

Attila the Hun / 匈奴王阿提拉

The barbarians called Huns swept down on the Roman Empire on strong, fast warhorses, wearing strong armor and shooting deadly arrows from horseback. They came from the north, from Central Asia.

被称为匈奴人的蛮族，骑着强壮、快速的战马，身穿坚固的盔甲，在马背上射出致命的弓箭，向罗马帝国发起攻击。他们来自北方，来自中亚。

They drove all their enemies into retreat. All along the borders of the Roman Empire, people told terrible stories about the savage Huns.

他们迫使所有敌人都撤退。在罗马帝国的所有边界沿线，人们都在讲述关于野蛮匈奴人的可怕故事。

One Roman historian wrote, "They are uglier than any other men on earth. They eat roots that they find in the fields. And they don't even cook their meat."

一位罗马历史学家写道："他们比世界上任何其他人都丑陋。他们吃在田野中找到的根茎。他们甚至不烹饪肉类。"

Instead, they put the raw meat between their saddles and the backs of their horses, and ride on it all day. Then they eat it! The Huns taught their babies to ride horseback even before they could walk.

相反，他们把生肉放在马鞍和马背之间，整天骑着它。然后他们就吃掉它！匈奴人甚至在他们的婴儿会走路之前就教他们骑马。

And Hun children didn't go to school; instead, they learned how to shoot arrows at a full gallop.

匈奴的孩子们不去学校；相反，他们学习如何在马匹疾驰时射箭。

The most terrifying barbarian of all was Attila, the greatest Hun war leader. Attila led his Hun army in attacks against both Roman Empires—the East and the West.

所有蛮族中最可怕的是阿提拉，最伟大的匈奴战争领袖。阿提拉率领他的匈奴军队攻击东西两个罗马帝国。

He was so powerful that the Romans began calling him "The Scourge of God." They thought that God was punishing them by sending Attila the Hun to attack their borders!

他如此强大，以至于罗马人开始称他为"上帝的鞭子"。他们认为上帝派遣匈奴王阿提拉来攻击他们的边界是在惩罚他们！

Honoria's Letter / 霍诺丽亚的信

The Western Roman emperor and his advisors tried to think of a way to keep Attila away. But the emperor's sister, Honoria, had different ideas.

西罗马帝国的皇帝和他的顾问们试图想办法让阿提拉远离。但是皇帝的姐妹霍诺丽亚有不同的想法。

Honoria was bored with life at the Roman court. She was tired of being a great lady. And her brother, the emperor, wanted her to marry a weak, ugly man whom she didn't love.

霍诺丽亚对罗马宫廷的生活感到无聊。她厌倦了做一个伟大的贵妇。她的兄弟皇帝想让她嫁给一个她不爱的虚弱、丑陋的男人。

"If you don't marry him," he told her, "I'll throw you in jail!" So Honoria wrote a letter to Attila the Hun. "Come and rescue me!" she wrote. "If you do, I will marry you!"

"如果你不嫁给他，"他告诉她，"我就把你关进监狱！"于是霍诺丽亚给匈奴王阿提拉写了一封信。"来拯救我！"她写道。"如果你来，我就嫁给你！"

She paid a servant to take this letter and her favorite ring to Attila. The servant rode for days and days to reach Attila's army, which was camped at the borders of the Western Roman Empire.

她付钱给一个仆人，让他带着这封信和她最喜欢的戒指去找阿提拉。这个仆人骑马走了好多天才到达阿提拉的军队，他们在西罗马帝国边界扎营。

When Attila read Honoria's letter, he thought, "This is my chance to invade the Empire and take it for myself!" So he sent a message back to the emperor.

当阿提拉读到霍诺丽亚的信时，他想，"这是我入侵帝国并将其据为己有的机会！"于是他给皇帝送回了一条消息。

The message was: "I am engaged to be married to your sister Honoria. I want half of your empire as a wedding present. And I'm coming to claim it—now!"

消息是："我与你的姐妹霍诺丽亚订婚了。我要你帝国的一半作为结婚礼物。我现在就来夺取它！"

[原书插图：阿提拉匈奴统治区域地图，显示攻击罗马前的疆域]

Attila's Invasion / 阿提拉的入侵

Attila and his men fought their way through Gaul and finally marched down into Italy. They conquered and burned the cities in their path.

阿提拉和他的手下一路杀到高卢，最后进军到意大利。他们征服并烧毁了沿途的城市。

Finally, the emperor offered to pay Attila a huge amount of money to leave Italy. And he promised to send Attila money every year, if only Attila would leave Italy alone.

最后，皇帝提出付给阿提拉一大笔钱让他离开意大利。他还承诺每年都给阿提拉送钱，只要阿提拉不再打扰意大利。

Attila agreed to leave Italy, but he warned, "I want Honoria sent to me as my wife, or I will return." He marched the Huns back out of Italy, planning to come back and claim his wife and his new empire.

阿提拉同意离开意大利，但他警告说："我要霍诺丽亚被送来做我的妻子，否则我会回来。"他带着匈奴人撤出了意大利，计划回来夺取他的妻子和新帝国。

But before Attila could return to Italy, he died of a nosebleed. And he never did marry Honoria, the sister of the emperor.

但是在阿提拉能够返回意大利之前，他死于鼻出血。他始终没有娶到皇帝的姐妹霍诺丽亚。

Attila's followers put his body into a golden coffin. They put the golden coffin into a silver coffin, and the silver coffin into an iron coffin. They buried the iron coffin in the dead of night, and then killed all of the slaves who had helped to dig the grave, so that no one would know where Attila was buried.

阿提拉的追随者把他的尸体放进一个金棺材。他们把金棺材放进银棺材，把银棺材放进铁棺材。他们在深夜埋葬了铁棺材，然后杀死了所有帮助挖掘坟墓的奴隶，这样就没有人知道阿提拉被埋在哪里。

To this day, the grave of Attila the Hun has not been found.

直到今天，匈奴王阿提拉的坟墓仍然没有被发现。

Stilicho, Roman and Barbarian / 斯提里科，罗马人和蛮族人

The Huns were a powerful barbarian tribe. But so were the Visigoths, barbarians who lived around the Danube River. The armies of the Western Roman Empire fought with the Visigoths, the Huns, and other barbarian tribes for years and years.

匈奴人是一个强大的蛮族部落。但西哥特人也是如此，他们是生活在多瑙河附近的蛮族。西罗马帝国的军队与西哥特人、匈奴人和其他蛮族部落战斗了很多年。

Some barbarians grew to like the Roman way of life. They stopped fighting and settled down in Roman villages. Sometimes, the barbarians even switched sides and fought for Rome.

一些蛮族人开始喜欢罗马的生活方式。他们停止战斗，在罗马村庄中定居下来。有时，蛮族人甚至倒戈为罗马而战。

One barbarian chief who switched sides married a Roman girl and settled down with her. We don't know his name, but we do know the name of his son: Stilicho.

一个倒戈的蛮族首领娶了一个罗马女孩并与她定居。我们不知道他的名字，但我们知道他儿子的名字：斯提里科。

Stilicho grew up with a barbarian father and a Roman mother. But Stilicho thought of himself as all Roman. He was a patriotic man who wanted to fight for Rome and protect Rome's lands from the barbarian invaders.

斯提里科在蛮族父亲和罗马母亲的抚养下长大。但斯提里科认为自己完全是罗马人。他是一个爱国的人，想要为罗马而战，保护罗马的土地免受蛮族入侵者的侵犯。

When he was old enough, he traveled to the city of Rome itself and joined the Roman army. He was a brave fighter and a loyal servant of the emperor.

当他足够大时，他旅行到罗马城本身，加入了罗马军队。他是一个勇敢的战士和皇帝的忠诚仆人。

Soon the emperor himself took notice of Stilicho. He sent Stilicho on important errands to other countries. And Stilicho fell in love with the emperor's daughter, Serena. Finally, they were married. The half-barbarian boy had become part of the emperor's family.

很快皇帝本人就注意到了斯提里科。他派斯提里科到其他国家执行重要的任务。斯提里科爱上了皇帝的女儿塞雷娜。最后，他们结婚了。这个半蛮族男孩成了皇帝家庭的一部分。

Stilicho's Mission / 斯提里科的使命

The emperor put Stilicho in charge of the whole Roman army. "Stilicho," he said, "the Visigoths have decided to try and invade Rome. I give you the job of keeping them away. Go and destroy the Visigoths! Keep Rome safe."

皇帝让斯提里科负责整个罗马军队。"斯提里科，"他说，"西哥特人决定尝试入侵罗马。我给你的任务是让他们远离。去摧毁西哥特人！保持罗马的安全。"

Stilicho accepted the job. He marched his army out to meet the invading Visigoths. Time after time, the Visigoths and the Romans clashed in battle. Each time, the Visigoths backed away. But the Roman soldiers were never able to destroy the Visigoths completely.

斯提里科接受了这个任务。他带领他的军队去迎战入侵的西哥特人。一次又一次，西哥特人和罗马人在战斗中交锋。每次，西哥特人都后退了。但罗马士兵从来无法完全摧毁西哥特人。

After each battle, the barbarians went away, rested, found fresh horses and men, and returned to fight again. Soon the Roman army was exhausted.

每次战斗后，蛮族人都会离开，休息，找到新的马匹和人员，然后回来再战。很快罗马军队就精疲力竭了。

Stilicho returned to Rome. "We can never beat the Visigoths," he told the people of Rome. "But if we send them four thousand pounds of gold, they will leave us in peace."

斯提里科回到罗马。"我们永远无法打败西哥特人，"他告诉罗马人民。"但如果我们送给他们四千磅黄金，他们就会让我们和平相处。"

"Four thousand pounds!" the people protested. "We will become even poorer." "But if we don't send the money," Stilicho said, "the Visigoths will continue to fight us—and soon they will win."

"四千磅！"人民抗议道。"我们会变得更穷。""但如果我们不送钱，"斯提里科说，"西哥特人会继续与我们战斗——很快他们就会获胜。"

Finally the Roman people agreed. The Visigoths took their gold and retreated from Roman land. But now the Romans were poorer and hungrier than ever. They were angry with Stilicho, because he had not defeated the Visigoths.

最后罗马人民同意了。西哥特人拿走了他们的黄金，从罗马土地撤退了。但现在罗马人比以前更穷更饥饿。他们对斯提里科很愤怒，因为他没有打败西哥特人。

Stilicho's Downfall / 斯提里科的倒台

Soon people began to whisper about Stilicho. "He didn't try hard enough to conquer the barbarians!" they murmured. "He allowed them to escape on purpose! If he really wanted to, he could wipe them out. But he spared them, because he's part barbarian himself! Stilicho is a traitor to Rome!"

很快人们开始窃窃私语议论斯提里科。"他没有尽全力征服蛮族！"他们嘀咕道。"他故意让他们逃脱！如果他真想的话，他可以消灭他们。但他饶了他们，因为他自己也是蛮族血统！斯提里科是罗马的叛徒！"

Stilicho tried to defend himself. "I did my best," he said. "I am a faithful, loyal servant of Rome. But our armies are weaker than they were in ancient times. No general could defeat the Visigoths. Paying them gold was our only hope!"

斯提里科试图为自己辩护。"我尽了最大努力，"他说。"我是罗马忠实、忠诚的仆人。但我们的军队比古代时期更弱。没有将军能够打败西哥特人。付给他们黄金是我们唯一的希望！"

But the people of Rome paid no attention. They turned against Stilicho and demanded his execution. Even Stilicho's own army mutinied. Stilicho was afraid for his life. He ran to a nearby church to hide.

但罗马人民不予理睬。他们转而反对斯提里科，要求处决他。甚至斯提里科自己的军队也哗变了。斯提里科为自己的生命担心。他跑到附近的教堂躲藏。

"Come out!" his army told him. "We promise that you will be safe." So Stilicho came out of the church. But as soon as he appeared, his own soldiers grabbed him and said, "The emperor has ordered you to be executed."

"出来！"他的军队告诉他。"我们承诺你会安全的。"于是斯提里科走出了教堂。但他一出现，他自己的士兵就抓住了他，说："皇帝已经下令处决你。"

Stilicho's servants were still loyal to him. "We will fight for you!" they cried. But Stilicho refused to allow this. "Let us have no more bloodshed," he said. "I will abide by the emperor's command."

斯提里科的仆人们仍然忠于他。"我们会为你而战！"他们喊道。但斯提里科拒绝允许这样做。"让我们不要再有流血，"他说。"我会遵守皇帝的命令。"

So Stilicho was beheaded. After his death, many Romans regretted his execution. "He was a faithful Roman," they said, "and he was our best defense against the barbarians."

于是斯提里科被斩首了。他死后，许多罗马人后悔处决了他。"他是一个忠实的罗马人，"他们说，"他是我们抵御蛮族的最佳防线。"

The Coming of the Visigoths / 西哥特人的来临

They shouldn't have! Stilicho was the only general who could keep the Visigoths away from Rome. Only two years after Stilicho's execution, the Visigoths finally marched all the way down through Italy to the city of Rome itself.

他们不应该这样做！斯提里科是唯一能让西哥特人远离罗马的将军。在斯提里科被处决仅仅两年后，西哥特人终于一路南下穿过意大利，到达了罗马城本身。

When the emperor and his court heard that the Visigoths were coming, they packed up all their belongings and left the city of Rome. They traveled to a much smaller city that sat in the middle of a swamp. The Visigoths couldn't get through the soft, muddy ground of the swamp with their horses, so the emperor was safe.

当皇帝和他的宫廷听说西哥特人要来时，他们收拾好所有财物，离开了罗马城。他们前往一个坐落在沼泽中央的小得多的城市。西哥特人无法带着他们的马匹穿过沼泽的软泥地，所以皇帝是安全的。

From now on, this tiny, dirty, damp city would serve as the capital of the Western Roman Empire.

从现在起，这个微小、肮脏、潮湿的城市将作为西罗马帝国的首都。

The people who stayed in Rome were terrified. For eight hundred years, the city of Rome had been safe from attack. Its thick walls and world-famous army had protected it from invasion. But now, the army was weak and frightened, and the walls were unprotected.

留在罗马的人们感到恐惧。八百年来，罗马城一直没有遭受攻击。它的厚墙和世界闻名的军队保护它免受入侵。但现在，军队虚弱且恐惧，城墙没有保护。

The people of Rome sent desperate messages to the Eastern Roman Empire. "The Visigoths are coming!" they wrote. "Please, come and help us!" But the army of the Eastern Roman Empire was afraid to fight the Visigoths.

罗马人民向东罗马帝国发出了绝望的信息。"西哥特人要来了！"他们写道。"请来帮助我们！"但东罗马帝国的军队也害怕与西哥特人作战。

So no one came to help Rome. The Visigoths poured over the walls and overwhelmed the soldiers who had remained on duty. The Visigoth commander, Alaric, ordered, "Gather up all the gold you can find! Take Rome's treasures! Now they belong to us!"

所以没有人来帮助罗马。西哥特人涌过城墙，压倒了仍在值班的士兵。西哥特指挥官阿拉里克命令道："收集所有能找到的黄金！拿走罗马的财宝！现在它们属于我们了！"

[原书插图：西哥特人入侵罗马的场景]

The Visigoths were happy to obey! They ripped down Rome's beautiful golden statues and melted them. They stole coins and jewelry.

西哥特人很乐意服从！他们拆毁了罗马美丽的黄金雕像并融化了它们。他们偷走了硬币和珠宝。

But the Visigoths didn't kill the unarmed people of Rome. And because many of the Visigoths had converted to Christianity, they didn't destroy Rome's churches. They took everything valuable that they could put their hands on, and then marched away.

但西哥特人没有杀死罗马手无寸铁的人民。因为许多西哥特人已经皈依了基督教，他们没有摧毁罗马的教堂。他们拿走了所有能够得到的贵重物品，然后离开了。

When they heard the news, people all over the old Empire mourned. Over in the Eastern Roman Empire, a monk named Jerome wrote, "Terrifying news has come to us from the West. Rome has been taken by assault. The city has been conquered which had once ruled the whole world."

当他们听到这个消息时，整个旧帝国的人们都在哀悼。在东罗马帝国，一个名叫杰罗姆的修道士写道："可怕的消息从西方传来。罗马被攻占了。这个曾经统治整个世界的城市被征服了。"

The Vandals / 汪达尔人

Rome would never again be a great world power. Some Romans still lived in the city. But forty-five years after the Visigoth attack, another barbarian tribe invaded the city again. This tribe, called the Vandals, took everything valuable that the Visigoths had left behind.

罗马再也不会成为伟大的世界强国了。一些罗马人仍然住在这个城市里。但在西哥特人攻击后的四十五年，另一个蛮族部落再次入侵了这座城市。这个被称为汪达尔人的部落，拿走了西哥特人留下的所有贵重物品。

They were even worse than the Visigoths. They captured the frightened people of Rome and led them off to be slaves and hostages. They burned buildings made from wood, and tore bricks and stones out of walls that wouldn't burn.

他们比西哥特人更糟糕。他们俘虏了恐惧的罗马人民，带他们去做奴隶和人质。他们烧毁了木制建筑，从不能燃烧的墙壁中撕下砖块和石头。

They even peeled the gold decorations off the roofs of Rome's temples! Today, we call someone who destroys things for fun a "vandal," after the Vandals who destroyed what was left of the city of Rome.

他们甚至剥掉了罗马神庙屋顶上的金色装饰品！今天，我们把为了乐趣而破坏东西的人称为"破坏者"，这个词就来自于摧毁了罗马城剩余部分的汪达尔人。

The Western Roman Empire still survived, but just barely. Its capital city was gone, and its emperor was ruling in the middle of a swamp. Soon, the Western Roman Empire would be gone forever.

西罗马帝国仍然存在，但仅仅是勉强维持。它的首都没有了，它的皇帝在沼泽中统治。很快，西罗马帝国就会永远消失。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

历史人物词汇 / Historical Figures

Attila

/əˈtɪlə/

中文：阿提拉
定义：匈奴王，被称为"上帝的鞭子"
例句：Attila the Hun was the most feared barbarian leader.

Honoria

/həˈnɔːriə/

中文：霍诺丽亚
定义：西罗马皇帝的姐妹
例句：Honoria wrote to Attila asking for rescue.

Stilicho

/ˈstɪlɪkoʊ/

中文：斯提里科
定义：半蛮族半罗马的将军
例句：Stilicho defended Rome against barbarian attacks.

Alaric

/ˈælərik/

中文：阿拉里克
定义：西哥特王，占领了罗马
例句：Alaric led the Visigoths into Rome.

部落民族词汇 / Tribal Vocabulary

barbarians

/bɑːrˈberiənz/

中文：蛮族，野蛮人
定义：罗马人对非罗马文明部落的称呼
例句：The barbarians attacked the Roman borders.

Huns

/hʌnz/

中文：匈奴人
定义：来自中亚的游牧民族
例句：The Huns were excellent horsemen and warriors.

Visigoths

/ˈvɪzɪɡɔːθs/

中文：西哥特人
定义：日耳曼族的一支，占领了罗马
例句：The Visigoths eventually sacked Rome.

Vandals

/ˈvændəlz/

中文：汪达尔人
定义：日耳曼部落，以破坏著称
例句：The Vandals destroyed what the Visigoths left behind.

军事战争词汇 / Military Vocabulary

warhorses

/wɔːr.hɔːrsiz/

中文：战马
定义：用于战斗的马匹
例句：The Huns rode on fast warhorses.

armor

/ɑːrmər/

中文：盔甲
定义：保护身体的装备
例句：Warriors wore strong armor for protection.

arrows

/ˈæroʊz/

中文：箭
定义：射击武器
例句：Hun children learned to shoot arrows while riding.

army

/ˈɑːrmi/

中文：军队
定义：武装力量
例句：Stilicho led the Roman army against enemies.

battle

/ˈbætəl/

中文：战斗
定义：军事冲突
例句：Many battles were fought between Romans and barbarians.

siege

/siːdʒ/

中文：围攻
定义：包围城市进行攻击
例句：The barbarians laid siege to Roman cities.

政治权力词汇 / Political Power Vocabulary

emperor

/ˈempərər/

中文：皇帝
定义：帝国的统治者
例句：The Roman emperor ruled a vast empire.

empire

/ˈempaɪər/

中文：帝国
定义：大的政治实体
例句：The Roman Empire was divided into East and West.

capital

/ˈkæpɪtəl/

中文：首都
定义：政府所在地
例句：Rome was the capital of the Western Empire.

court

/kɔːrt/

中文：宫廷
定义：皇帝居住的地方
例句：Honoria was bored with life at the Roman court.

基础动作词汇 / Basic Action Vocabulary

invade

/ɪnˈveɪd/

中文：入侵
定义：武力攻占
例句：Attila decided to invade the Roman Empire.

retreat

/rɪˈtrit/

中文：撤退
定义：后退，逃跑
例句：The enemies were forced to retreat.

conquered

/ˈkɑːŋkərd/

中文：征服
定义：占领控制
例句：The barbarians conquered many Roman cities.

rescue

/ˈreskjuː/

中文：拯救
定义：从危险中救出
例句：Honoria asked Attila to rescue her.

📊 Chapter Processing Summary / 本章处理统计

总段落数 / Total Paragraphs: 48
标注词汇数 / Vocabulary Terms: 78
历史时期 / Historical Period: 5世纪 CE (400-500 AD)
主要人物 / Key Figures: 阿提拉 (Attila), 斯提里科 (Stilicho), 霍诺丽亚 (Honoria), 阿拉里克 (Alaric)
重要事件 / Major Events: 匈奴入侵 (Hun Invasion), 罗马陷落 (Fall of Rome), 西哥特洗劫 (Visigoth Sack)
词汇难度 / Vocabulary Level: 中级 (Intermediate)
学习目标 / Learning Goals: 了解罗马帝国衰落和蛮族入侵历史