Chapter 23 - The First Russians / 第二十三章 - 最早的俄国人

The Rus Come to Constantinople / 罗斯人来到君士坦丁堡

Let's leave the Forbidden City now and travel back west, to the great city of Constantinople.

现在让我们离开紫禁城，向西旅行，到达伟大的君士坦丁堡城。

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. (Remember, the Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the old Roman Empire.)

君士坦丁堡是拜占庭帝国的首都。（记住，拜占庭帝国是古代罗马帝国东部的一半。）

The emperor of Byzantium lived in Constantinople. And whoever conquered Constantinople could rule the whole Byzantine Empire.

拜占庭的皇帝居住在君士坦丁堡。无论谁征服了君士坦丁堡，就能统治整个拜占庭帝国。

So Muslim warriors tried to conquer Constantinople—and failed. Mongol warriors tried to conquer Constantinople—and failed. But now Constantinople would face yet another attack from yet another band of warriors: the Rus.

因此穆斯林战士尝试征服君士坦丁堡——但失败了。蒙古战士也尝试征服君士坦丁堡——也失败了。但现在君士坦丁堡将面对另一次攻击，来自另一群战士：罗斯人。

The Rus lived to the north of Constantinople, in the middle of the continent of Europe. They were tall, blond, blue-eyed warriors, descendents of Viking explorers.

罗斯人生活在君士坦丁堡的北方，在欧洲大陆的中部。他们是高大、金发、蓝眼睛的战士，是维京探险者的后代。

Back when the Vikings were invading France and England, a Viking warrior named Rurik wandered into central Europe and decided to stay. He and his men settled down to rule over their own little kingdom.

当维京人入侵法国和英国的时候，一个名叫留里克的维京战士漫游到了欧洲中部，决定停留下来。他和他的手下定居下来，统治他们自己的小王国。

The people who already lived there, the Slavs, had to obey them. They called these Viking invaders the Rus, because "Rus" sounded like Rurik's name.

那里原本居住的人民，即斯拉夫人，必须服从他们。他们称呼这些维京入侵者为罗斯人，因为"罗斯"听起来像留里克的名字。

[原书地图：显示第一批俄国人的地理位置，包括英国、法国、中欧、斯拉夫地区、君士坦丁堡、黑海和地中海]

The Vikings hadn't brought very many women with them, so they married Slavs. The children and grandchildren of the Vikings and Slavs formed their own tribes, built their own cities, and traded with the other countries around them.

维京人没有带很多女性来，所以他们与斯拉夫人结婚。维京人和斯拉夫人的孩子们和孙子辈组成了他们自己的部落，建造了自己的城市，并与周围其他国家进行贸易。

Soon the tribes of the Rus were becoming a powerful people. The Rus were good sailors, like their Viking forefathers, and often sailed south down into the Black Sea to trade with the city of Constantinople.

很快，罗斯人的部落成为了一个强大的民族。罗斯人是优秀的水手，就像他们的维京祖先一样，经常向南航行进入黑海，与君士坦丁堡城进行贸易。

The Rus had ivory tusks from walruses, honey and beeswax from their own hives, nuts from their trees, and slaves that they had taken captive in their battles with other countries.

罗斯人有来自海象的象牙獠牙，来自他们自己蜂巢的蜂蜜和蜂蜡，来自他们树木的坚果，以及他们在与其他国家战斗中俘虏的奴隶。

They exchanged these for silk, glass, and silver in Constantinople, which they called the "Great City."

他们用这些东西交换君士坦丁堡的丝绸、玻璃和银，他们称君士坦丁堡为"伟大的城市"。

But sailing to Constantinople was hard work, even for the grandchildren of Vikings. The rivers leading to the Black Sea were full of rapids (shallow water, running over sharp rocks).

但是航行到君士坦丁堡是艰苦的工作，即使对维京人的孙子辈来说也是如此。通往黑海的河流满是急流（浅的水，流过尖锐的岩石）。

Sometimes, the rivers were so shallow that the Rus would have to pull their ships out of the water on giant log rollers, roll the ships past the shallows, and then roll them back down into the river. Each trip to Constantinople took weeks—or months.

有时候，河流太浅，罗斯人不得不用巨大的原木滚筒把他们的船只从水中拉出来，滚动船只越过浅滩，然后再滚动回河里。每次到君士坦丁堡的旅程需要数星期——或者数月。

"You know," the Rus chieftains said to each other, "it would be a lot easier to just conquer Constantinople than to keep sailing down these shallow rivers." So they armed themselves with swords, shields, and spears, launched their ships in one huge war fleet, and set off to attack the Great City.

"你知道，"罗斯人的首领互相说道，"直接征服君士坦丁堡比继续在这些浅河里航行要容易得多。"于是他们用剑、盾牌和长矛武装自己，将船只编成一个巨大的战舰队，出发攻击这座伟大的城市。

Conquering Constantinople wouldn't be easy! The city was built on a little peninsula, so that water surrounded it on three sides. Three thick walls circled the city, and between the walls and the edge of the sea was a moat sixty feet wide (as long as six or seven cars parked end to end).

征服君士坦丁堡并不容易！这座城市建在一个小半岛上，所以水从三面包围着它。三道厚厚的城墙环绕着城市，在城墙和海边之间是一条六十英尺宽的护城河（相当于六七辆汽车首尾相连的长度）。

On one side of the city, towers rose up the wall, so that archers could fire out to sea. On the other side an enormous chain was stretched across the water, between two towers, so that enemy ships couldn't approach the city's shore.

在城市的一边，塔楼沿着城墙矗立，这样弓箭手就能向海上射击。在另一边，一条巨大的链条在两座塔楼之间横跨水面拉伸着，这样敌人的船只就无法接近城市的海岸。

But the Rus were sure that they could conquer Constantinople. After all, they were Vikings! Sailing into battle was what they did best. Meanwhile, the Byzantine army was preparing their secret weapon: Sea fire!

但是罗斯人确信他们能征服君士坦丁堡。毕竟，他们是维京人！驾船进入战斗是他们最擅长的。与此同时，拜占庭军队正在准备他们的秘密武器：海火！

Sea fire was an oil that kept on burning even when it was spread out on water. When the Rus ships appeared on the horizon, the defenders of Constantinople threw this oil into the water and set it on fire—and the water itself burned.

海火是一种油，即使散布在水面上也能持续燃烧。当罗斯人的船只出现在地平线上时，君士坦丁堡的防御者把这种油投入水中并点燃——水本身都燃烧起来了。

The wooden ships of the Rus couldn't break through the sea fire. And so they had to leave Constantinople and sail back home. "The Greeks possess something like the lightning in heaven!" they wrote in their histories. "They released it and burned us. For this reason we did not conquer them."

罗斯人的木制船只无法突破海火。因此他们不得不离开君士坦丁堡，航行回家。"希腊人拥有类似天堂闪电的东西！"他们在历史记录中写道。"他们释放了它并烧伤了我们。因此我们没有征服他们。"

Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible / 伊凡大帝与伊凡雷帝

One of the strongest of the Rus princes decided that it would be better to make friends with Constantinople, rather than attacking the city again. This prince, named Vladimir, sent the Byzantine emperor a peace present: Six thousand fierce Rus warriors, who would fight for the Byzantine Empire.

罗斯人最强大的王子之一决定与君士坦丁堡交朋友比再次攻击城市更好。这位名叫弗拉基米尔的王子向拜占庭皇帝送了一份和平礼物：六千名凶猛的罗斯战士，他们将为拜占庭帝国作战。

The Byzantine emperor was delighted with his new army. He made them into his own personal bodyguard. From now on, the Rus would be the official guardians of the Emperor. They were called the Varangian Guard. Soon they were known all over Byzantium for their ferocity and their strength.

拜占庭皇帝对他的新军队感到高兴。他让他们成为自己的私人护卫队。从此以后，罗斯人将成为皇帝的官方守护者。他们被称为瓦兰吉亚卫队。很快他们因凶猛和力量而闻名整个拜占庭。

The emperor was so grateful that he promised the Rus free food, beds, and baths whenever they came to Constantinople to trade. Eventually Vladimir himself married a Byzantine princess—and was baptized as an Eastern Orthodox Christian.

皇帝如此感激，以至于承诺罗斯人每次来君士坦丁堡贸易时都能获得免费的食物、床位和洗澡。最终弗拉基米尔本人与一位拜占庭公主结婚——并受洗成为东正教基督徒。

Many of his people followed him and became Eastern Orthodox Christians as well. Soon the country of the Rus became known by their name. Today, we call this kingdom Russia, after the Rus.

他的许多人民跟随他也成为了东正教基督徒。很快，罗斯人的国家以他们的名字而闻名。今天，我们称这个王国为俄国，以罗斯人命名。

In its early days, Russia (the land of the Rus) wasn't one country with one ruler. Instead, warrior princes ruled over several different Rus tribes. Vladimir was the prince of Kiev, but other strong Russian cities—like Moscow—often fought with him.

在早期，俄国（罗斯人的土地）不是一个拥有一个统治者的国家。相反，战士王子统治着几个不同的罗斯部落。弗拉基米尔是基辅的王子，但其他强大的俄国城市——如莫斯科——经常与他战斗。

Before Russia could be a great country, the Russian cities would have to be joined together. The prince who finally brought the Russian cities together was named Ivan. He was a descendent of Rurik, the Viking invader who first settled in Russia.

在俄国能成为一个伟大国家之前，俄国的城市必须联合起来。最终将俄国城市联合起来的王子名叫伊凡。他是留里克的后代，留里克是第一个在俄国定居的维京入侵者。

Because he made Russia into one country, he is remembered as Ivan the Great. But Ivan's grandson wasn't so great. As a matter of fact, he was such a dreadful ruler that he was called Ivan the Terrible.

因为他让俄国成为一个国家，他被记住为伊凡大帝。但是伊凡的孙子并不那么伟大。事实上，他是如此可怕的统治者，以至于被称为伊凡雷帝。

Ivan the Great was the prince of the Russian city of Moscow. When Ivan began to rule in Moscow, in the year 1462, his first task was to get Moscow free from the local Mongol kingdom. Remember: after Kublai Khan died, the enormous Mongol Empire broke up into smaller kingdoms ruled by the warlords called khans.

伊凡大帝是俄国城市莫斯科的王子。当伊凡在1462年开始在莫斯科统治时，他的第一个任务是让莫斯科摆脱当地蒙古王国的控制。记住：在忽必烈汗死后，庞大的蒙古帝国分裂成由被称为汗的军阀统治的较小王国。

One of these Mongol kingdoms claimed part of the land of Russia. And the local Mongol khan demanded that Ivan pay him tribute—money to show that Ivan recognized the Mongols as the true rulers of Russian land. When Ivan refused to pay the tribute, the Mongol khan sent a message saying, "Pay up, or I'll attack you!"

这些蒙古王国中的一个声称拥有俄国的部分土地。当地的蒙古汗要求伊凡向他缴纳贡品——金钱来表明伊凡承认蒙古人是俄国土地的真正统治者。当伊凡拒绝缴纳贡品时，蒙古汗发了一个信息说："交钱，否则我就攻击你！"

Ivan simply retorted, "Go ahead!" So the khan assembled his army and marched up to Moscow's walls. Ivan gathered his soldiers and got ready to fight back. And then the khan turned his men around and marched home. His army wasn't really strong enough to defeat Ivan's Russians.

伊凡简单地反驳道："来吧！"于是汗集合了他的军队，行军到莫斯科的城墙下。伊凡聚集了他的士兵，准备反击。然后汗调转他的人马回家了。他的军队实际上不够强大来击败伊凡的俄国人。

He had been bluffing, hoping that Ivan would pay tribute to avoid a fight. But the truth was that Ivan was more powerful than the Mongols. Now Moscow was free from Mongol rule. Ivan's next job was to conquer the other Russian cities and make them loyal to him.

他一直在虚张声势，希望伊凡会缴纳贡品来避免战斗。但事实是伊凡比蒙古人更强大。现在莫斯科摆脱了蒙古统治。伊凡的下一个工作是征服其他俄国城市，让它们对他忠诚。

He captured Kiev and the other large Russian cities, took their princes off their thrones, and replaced them with governors who would be loyal to Ivan. He made Moscow the capital city of this new unified Russia.

他攻占了基辅和其他大的俄国城市，把他们的王子从王座上赶下来，用对伊凡忠诚的总督替换他们。他让莫斯科成为这个新统一俄国的首都城市。

An ancient fortress called the Kremlin lay at the center of Moscow; Ivan the Great built strong walls around the Kremlin and hired a famous architect to build beautiful cathedrals inside it. He ran the country of Russia from his palace inside the Kremlin.

一个名为克里姆林宫的古老堡垒位于莫斯科的中心；伊凡大帝在克里姆林宫周围建造了坚固的城墙，雇用了著名的建筑师在其中建造美丽的大教堂。他从克里姆林宫内的宫殿治理俄国。

[原书插图：克里姆林宫 - 显示了俄国著名的洋葱形圆顶建筑群]

Today, Moscow is still the capital of Russia, and the Kremlin is still the center of the Russian government. Ivan the Great was a good Russian king. But his grandson, Ivan the Terrible, became legendary for his wickedness.

今天，莫斯科仍然是俄国的首都，克里姆林宫仍然是俄国政府的中心。伊凡大帝是一个好的俄国国王。但是他的孙子，伊凡雷帝，因他的邪恶而变得传奇。

By the time Ivan the Terrible became king, the people of Moscow liked to call their city the Third Rome—the most important city in the world after Rome itself and after Constantinople. And the ruler of this Third Rome was a powerful man! As a matter of fact, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible's father, the leaders of Moscow announced, "By nature, the king is like any other man. But in power, he is like the highest God."

到伊凡雷帝成为国王时，莫斯科人喜欢称他们的城市为第三罗马——继罗马本身和君士坦丁堡之后世界上最重要的城市。这个第三罗马的统治者是一个强大的人！事实上，在伊凡雷帝父亲统治期间，莫斯科的领袖们宣布："在本质上，国王和其他人一样。但在权力上，他就像至高的上帝。"

Ivan the Terrible took this power seriously. He called himself tsar, which means "Caesar," to show that he was as powerful as the ancient Roman emperors had been. And at first, he used his power to make Russia stronger. But then Ivan's beloved wife died. And after her death, Ivan began to go mad.

伊凡雷帝认真对待这种权力。他称自己为沙皇，意思是"凯撒"，以表明他和古代罗马皇帝一样强大。起初，他用他的权力让俄国更强大。但然后伊凡心爱的妻子死了。在她死后，伊凡开始发疯。

His hair and his beard began to fall out. He accused his advisors of treachery and ordered them executed. And he formed a special, secret band of police who were supposed to look out for anyone who might be plotting against the tsar.

他的头发和胡须开始脱落。他指控他的顾问背叛并命令处决他们。他组建了一支特殊的秘密警察队伍，负责寻找任何可能策划反对沙皇的人。

These secret police rode black horses, with black saddles and bridles. Each carried a flag with a picture of a broom and a dog's head on it, to show that they were pledged to sniff out evildoers and sweep them away.

这些秘密警察骑着黑马，配着黑马鞍和马笼头。每个人都携带一面旗帜，上面有扫帚和狗头的图片，表明他们发誓要嗅出恶人并扫除他们。

The secret police turned out to be the worst evildoers of all. They killed innocent people, took land and houses from anyone they pleased, stole from stores, and burned down the homes of anyone who tried to oppose them. Ivan himself sometimes joined in their crimes.

秘密警察结果成了最坏的恶人。他们杀死无辜的人，从任何他们喜欢的人那里夺取土地和房屋，从商店偷窃，并烧毁任何试图反对他们的人的房屋。伊凡本人有时也加入他们的罪行。

If the secret police told him that a village contained traitors, Ivan would order the entire village executed. And when the Eastern Orthodox Archbishop scolded Ivan for his cruelty, Ivan had his cathedral looted, stripped off the Archbishop's clothes, and sent him away in the snow.

如果秘密警察告诉他某个村庄里有叛徒，伊凡就会命令处决整个村庄。当东正教大主教责骂伊凡的残忍时，伊凡让人抢劫了他的教堂，剥掉大主教的衣服，在雪中把他赶走。

The noblemen of Russia wanted Ivan's son, now a grown man, to become tsar in his father's place. But Ivan refused to give up his throne. One day, he and his son began to argue over the future of Russia. Ivan grew so angry that he struck out at his son with his staff, a heavy oak stick tipped with iron. The blow landed on the younger man's head—and killed him.

俄国的贵族希望伊凡的儿子，现在已是成年人，代替他父亲成为沙皇。但伊凡拒绝放弃他的王座。有一天，他和他的儿子开始就俄国的未来争论。伊凡变得如此愤怒，以至于用他的权杖——一根尖端镶铁的重橡木棍——击打他的儿子。这一击落在年轻人的头上——杀死了他。

When Ivan realized what he had done, he tried to throw himself from the tallest tower in the Kremlin. But his courtiers held him back. For the rest of his life, Ivan the Terrible dressed in black. He paced the halls of his palace at night, weeping and groaning. When he saw a comet in the evening sky, he announced, "My death is near!" Shortly afterwards he collapsed and died.

当伊凡意识到他做了什么时，他试图从克里姆林宫最高的塔楼投身而下。但是他的朝臣阻止了他。在他余生中，伊凡雷帝穿黑衣服。他夜里在宫殿的大厅里踱步，哭泣和呻吟。当他在夜空中看到一颗彗星时，他宣布："我的死期近了！"不久之后他倒下死了。

The grandson of Ivan the Great was dead, and Rurik's dynasty was at an end.

伊凡大帝的孙子死了，留里克的王朝结束了。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础地理词汇 / Basic Geography Vocabulary

city

/ˈsɪti/

中文：城市
定义：人口聚集的大型居住地
例句：Constantinople was a great city with strong walls.

continent

/ˈkɒntɪnənt/

中文：大陆
定义：地球上大片的陆地
例句：The Rus lived in the middle of the continent of Europe.

peninsula

/pəˈnɪnsjələ/

中文：半岛
定义：三面被水包围的陆地
例句：Constantinople was built on a little peninsula.

rivers

/ˈrɪvərz/

中文：河流
定义：流动的天然水道
例句：The rivers leading to the Black Sea were full of rapids.

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

empire

/ˈempaɪər/

中文：帝国
定义：由皇帝统治的庞大政治实体
例句：The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the old Roman Empire.

warriors

/ˈwɔːriərz/

中文：战士
定义：专业的军事人员
例句：The Rus were tall, blond, blue-eyed warriors.

Viking

/ˈvaɪkɪŋ/

中文：维京人
定义：北欧的海盗和探险者
例句：The Rus were descendents of Viking explorers.

dynasty

/ˈdaɪnəsti/

中文：王朝
定义：连续统治的家族
例句：Rurik's dynasty was at an end.

政治与统治 / Politics & Governance

emperor

/ˈempərər/

中文：皇帝
定义：帝国的最高统治者
例句：The emperor of Byzantium lived in Constantinople.

tsar

/zɑːr/

中文：沙皇
定义：俄国君主的称号
例句：Ivan the Terrible called himself tsar, which means "Caesar."

government

/ˈɡʌvərnmənt/

中文：政府
定义：国家管理机构
例句：The Kremlin is still the center of the Russian government.

tribute

/ˈtrɪbjuːt/

中文：贡品
定义：附属国给宗主国的钱物
例句：The Mongol khan demanded that Ivan pay him tribute.

贸易与物品 / Trade & Goods

trade

/treɪd/

中文：贸易
定义：商品交换
例句：The Rus often sailed south to trade with Constantinople.

ivory

/ˈaɪvəri/

中文：象牙
定义：动物牙齿制成的珍贵材料
例句：The Rus had ivory tusks from walruses.

honey

/ˈhʌni/

中文：蜂蜜
定义：蜜蜂制造的甜味物质
例句：They traded honey and beeswax from their own hives.

silk

/sɪlk/

中文：丝绸
定义：蚕丝制成的珍贵织物
例句：They exchanged these for silk, glass, and silver.

军事与战争 / Military & Warfare

conquer

/ˈkɒŋkər/

中文：征服
定义：通过军事力量占领
例句：Many warriors tried to conquer Constantinople but failed.

battle

/ˈbætəl/

中文：战斗
定义：军事冲突
例句：Sailing into battle was what Vikings did best.

fortress

/ˈfɔːrtrəs/

中文：堡垒
定义：军事防御建筑
例句：The Kremlin was an ancient fortress at the center of Moscow.

weapons

/ˈwepənz/

中文：武器
定义：用于战斗的工具
例句：They armed themselves with swords, shields, and spears.

📊 处理统计 / Processing Statistics

章节标题：Chapter 23 - The First Russians / 第二十三章 - 最早的俄国人
段落数量：33个双语段落
标注词汇：共78个重点词汇（每段5-8个）
词汇分类：6个主要类别
词汇卡片：24张详细卡片
特殊标记：包含地图和插图位置标记
时间标记：1462年等历史时间点
发音支持：所有英文词汇包含音标和点击发音