Chapter Twenty-Six: Catherine the Great / 第二十六章：叶卡捷琳娜大帝

Princess Catherine Comes to Russia / 凯瑟琳公主来到俄国

Over in Russia, the empress Catherine the Great watched in horror as king and aristocrats died by the guillotine.

在俄国，女皇叶卡捷琳娜大帝恐惧地观看着国王和贵族们死在断头台下。

Catherine the Great had come to the throne of Russia thirty years before. Like Peter the Great, who ruled before her, Catherine admired Western ideas. But she was still firmly convinced that kings ruled because God gave them power.

叶卡捷琳娜大帝在三十年前登上了俄国的王位。像在她之前统治的彼得大帝一样，叶卡捷琳娜钦佩西方的思想。但她仍然坚信国王统治是因为上帝赋予了他们权力。

France, she told one of her ministers, was "going to ruin." Catherine may have believed that God gave kings—and empresses—their power. But the empress herself had come to the throne by very human means!

法国，她对她的一位大臣说，正在"走向毁灭"。叶卡捷琳娜可能相信上帝赋予了国王——和女皇——权力。但女皇本人却是通过非常人性的手段登上王位的！

Catherine wasn't even a Russian. Her father had been the prince of a little German state, and her mother was Swedish. But her mother's cousin had married the daughter of the great Russian emperor Peter the Great.

叶卡捷琳娜甚至不是俄国人。她的父亲曾是一个小德国邦国的王子，她的母亲是瑞典人。但她母亲的表亲嫁给了伟大的俄国皇帝彼得大帝的女儿。

When Catherine was fifteen, the empress sent a message to Germany, inviting the young princess to come and visit Russia. Catherine's mother Johanna was thrilled. If her daughter married the future czar, she would be the mother of a queen!

当叶卡捷琳娜十五岁时，女皇给德国发了一条信息，邀请这位年轻的公主来拜访俄国。叶卡捷琳娜的母亲约翰娜非常兴奋。如果她的女儿嫁给未来的沙皇，她就会成为女王的母亲！

But Catherine's father shook his head in worry. "You will have to become a member of the Russian Orthodox Church!" he warned Catherine. "We have always been followers of Martin Luther's teachings."

但叶卡捷琳娜的父亲担忧地摇了摇头。"你必须成为俄国东正教教会的成员！"他警告叶卡捷琳娜。"我们一直是马丁·路德教导的追随者。"

Catherine promised. She wasn't sure she wanted to marry Peter Ulrich anyway. She had met him once before, when he was ten, and she remembered an odd, small, white-faced boy, bad-tempered and full of strange twitches.

叶卡捷琳娜承诺了。反正她也不确定自己想嫁给彼得·乌尔里希。她以前见过他一次，当时他十岁，她记得那是个奇怪的、瘦小的、苍白脸的男孩，脾气暴躁，满身奇异的抽搐。

But the thought of a crown fascinated Catherine. And what was Peter like now that he was older? Catherine was willing to go and see. So she packed her clothes and, with her mother, set off for Russia's capital city, St. Petersburg.

但王冠的想法深深吸引着叶卡捷琳娜。现在彼得长大了会是什么样子呢？叶卡捷琳娜愿意去看看。于是她打包了她的衣服，和母亲一起出发前往俄国的首都圣彼得堡。

They traveled for six weeks. The roads disappeared under snow and ice and mud. They had to sleep at country inns where the guests piled together for warmth while dogs and chickens nosed around the straw-strewn floors.

她们旅行了六个星期。道路消失在雪、冰和泥中。她们不得不在乡村客栈睡觉，客人们挤在一起取暖，而狗和鸡在铺满稻草的地板上到处嗅闻。

But when they finally arrived in St. Petersburg, they were welcomed with warm cloaks and celebration. Finally, Catherine arrived at the enormous, candle-lit mansion where Peter stood in the front hall to welcome her.

但当她们终于到达圣彼得堡时，她们受到了温暖斗篷和庆祝的欢迎。最后，叶卡捷琳娜到达了那座巨大的、烛光点亮的豪宅，彼得站在前大厅欢迎她。

He was much taller and more handsome than when she had seen him last. But the more time Catherine spent with Peter, the less she liked him. He was rude to the servants and courtiers. When he went to church, he made unpleasant noises and told loud jokes during the service.

他比她上次见到他时高大英俊得多。但叶卡捷琳娜与彼得相处的时间越长，就越不喜欢他。他对仆人和朝臣很粗鲁。当他去教堂时，他在仪式期间发出令人不快的声音并大声讲笑话。

Too afraid to refuse, Catherine agreed to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church and to be betrothed to Peter. The two went through a long, elaborate engagement ceremony. Catherine was given the title of a Russian Grand Duchess.

因为太害怕拒绝，叶卡捷琳娜同意改信俄国东正教并与彼得订婚。两人举行了一场漫长而复杂的订婚仪式。叶卡捷琳娜被授予俄国大公爵夫人的头衔。

Four months after the engagement ceremony, Peter Ulrich came down with smallpox. When Catherine saw him again, she gasped in horror. His face was swollen. His skin was a mass of scars. "He had become hideous," Catherine wrote in her diary.

订婚仪式四个月后，彼得·乌尔里希患上了天花。当叶卡捷琳娜再次见到他时，她恐惧地倒吸一口气。他的脸肿胀了。他的皮肤满是疤痕。"他变得丑陋，"叶卡捷琳娜在她的日记中写道。

Catherine dreaded the day of the ceremony, but she was afraid to break off her engagement. So the two were married, in an enormous celebration that the empress had planned for months. Catherine was the wife of the future czar—and she was miserable.

叶卡捷琳娜害怕仪式的那一天，但她不敢解除订婚。于是两人结婚了，在女皇筹划了几个月的盛大庆祝中。叶卡捷琳娜成了未来沙皇的妻子——她很痛苦。

Catherine had no friends, and her mother Johanna had returned home after the wedding. She spent nine lonely years reading books of history and philosophy, books about military tactics, books about the emperors of Rome and their strategies for ruling their empire.

叶卡捷琳娜没有朋友，她的母亲约翰娜在婚礼后回了家。她度过了九年孤独的时光，阅读历史和哲学的书籍，关于军事战术的书籍，关于罗马皇帝及其统治帝国的策略的书籍。

Catherine the Great / 叶卡捷琳娜大帝

December of 1761, sixteen years after Catherine's wedding, the old empress took to her bed. Soon she was unable to move. Finally, on Christmas Day, the empress died. Peter Ulrich had become Czar Peter III of Russia.

1761年12月，叶卡捷琳娜结婚十六年后，老女皇卧床不起。很快她就无法动弹。最后，在圣诞节那天，女皇去世了。彼得·乌尔里希成为了俄国沙皇彼得三世。

Now that Peter was in charge of the army, he announced that the soldiers would have to become more like Prussian soldiers. But the Russian soldiers had fought against the Prussian army for years, and hated Prussians! He declared that the Russians would have to get rid of their uniforms and dress more like Prussian soldiers.

现在彼得负责军队，他宣布士兵们必须变得更像普鲁士士兵。但俄国士兵与普鲁士军队战斗了多年，憎恨普鲁士人！他宣布俄国人必须脱掉他们的制服，穿得更像普鲁士士兵。

He needed money for the royal treasury—so he sent the army out to seize land owned by the Russian Orthodox Church. He planned to sell this land and keep the money! Church leaders protested. The Church had owned this land for hundreds of years!

他需要钱充实皇家国库——所以他派军队去夺取俄国东正教会拥有的土地。他计划卖掉这些土地并保留钱财！教会领袖们抗议了。教会拥有这些土地已经几百年了！

On the morning of June 28th, 1762, Catherine got up early and dressed like an empress. Peter was away from St. Petersburg. The soldiers planned to surround the town so that the czar could not send for help, and then proclaim Catherine empress. When Catherine was dressed, she went to the barracks of the soldiers.

在1762年6月28日的早晨，叶卡捷琳娜早早起床，穿得像个女皇。彼得不在圣彼得堡。士兵们计划包围那个城镇，这样沙皇就无法求援，然后宣布叶卡捷琳娜为女皇。当叶卡捷琳娜穿好衣服后，她前往士兵们的军营。

Most of them knelt to kiss her hands. Catherine went to the cathedral of St. Petersburg and asked the head priest to bless her. All over St. Petersburg, church bells rang. The people of St. Petersburg poured out of their houses to find out what was happening.

他们大多数跪下亲吻她的手。叶卡捷琳娜前往圣彼得堡的大教堂，请求主牧师祝福她。整个圣彼得堡，教堂的钟声响起。圣彼得堡的人民涌出他们的房屋想知道发生了什么。

In the meantime, the czar found himself surrounded! He tried to rally the army to his side, but Peter saw that the soldiers were no longer loyal to him. He spent the whole night drinking. By morning, he had realized that his throne was lost. He signed a paper, agreeing to give up his throne.

与此同时，沙皇发现自己被包围了！他试图重新聚集军队到他身边，但彼得看到士兵们不再对他忠诚。他整夜都在喝酒。到了早晨，他意识到他的王位失去了。他签了一份文件，同意放弃他的王位。

Just a week after Catherine became empress of Russia, she received a scribbled note from one of the officers who was watching over Peter. "He is no longer in the world!" the letter began. The ex-czar had been murdered. Catherine issued a proclamation announcing that the emperor had died suddenly of a stomach upset.

就在叶卡捷琳娜成为俄国女皇一周后，她收到了一张看守彼得的军官潦草写的便条。"他不再在这个世界上了！"信的开头写道。前沙皇被谋杀了。叶卡捷琳娜发布了一份公告，宣布皇帝突然死于胃部不适。

Now Catherine was empress of all Russia. For the next thirty years, she would rule over her adopted country with as much energy as Peter the Great himself. She worked fifteen hours every day to make Russia stronger and bigger. Under her reign, Russia's borders expanded.

现在叶卡捷琳娜是全俄国的女皇。在接下来的三十年里，她将以与彼得大帝同样的精力统治她收养的国家。她每天工作十五小时，使俄国更强大更庞大。在她的统治下，俄国的边界扩张了。

Like Peter the Great, Catherine liked many of the ideas of the West. She admired the French philosopher Voltaire, who wrote about equality and liberty. She rewrote Russia's confusing, ancient laws so that her people would have more rights.

像彼得大帝一样，叶卡捷琳娜喜欢西方的许多思想。她钦佩法国哲学家伏尔泰，他写了关于平等和自由的文章。她重写了俄国令人困惑的古老法律，使她的人民能够拥有更多权利。

But although Catherine liked to think of herself as a modern, "Enlightened" empress, she didn't want the people of Russia to have the same rights as citizens of the United States or France. For Catherine, "equality" meant that all Russians had to obey the same laws. But the empress still got to make those laws, and she didn't have to ask anyone's permission!

但尽管叶卡捷琳娜喜欢把自己看作是一个现代的、"开明的"女皇，她并不希望俄国人民拥有与美国或法国公民同样的权利。对叶卡捷琳娜来说，"平等"意味着所有俄国人都必须遵守同样的法律。但女皇仍然可以制定那些法律，而且她不必征求任何人的许可！

By the end of Catherine's reign, Russia was a strong and wealthy empire. But Catherine had given her noblemen even more power over the peasants and serfs who lived on their land—and these poor Russians had grown hungrier and more ragged than ever before.

到叶卡捷琳娜统治结束时，俄国是一个强大而富有的帝国。但叶卡捷琳娜给了她的贵族们对生活在他们土地上的农民和农奴更大的权力——这些贫穷的俄国人变得比以前更饥饿、更破烂。

[原书插图：欧洲和美洲在十八世纪的地图]

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

皇室政治词汇 / Royal & Political Vocabulary

empress

/ˈemprəs/

中文：女皇，女帝
定义：女性统治者，拥有最高权力
例句：Catherine the Great was a powerful empress of Russia.

throne

/θroʊn/

中文：王位，宝座
定义：君主的座位，象征统治权力
例句：Catherine came to the throne thirty years before the French Revolution.

czar

/zɑːr/

中文：沙皇
定义：俄国皇帝的称号
例句：Peter Ulrich became Czar Peter III of Russia.

aristocrats

/əˈrɪstəkræts/

中文：贵族
定义：拥有特权的上层社会成员
例句：During the French Revolution, many aristocrats were executed.

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

travel

/ˈtrævəl/

中文：旅行，出行
定义：从一个地方到另一个地方
例句：Catherine traveled for six weeks to reach Russia.

marriage

/ˈmærɪdʒ/

中文：婚姻
定义：两人结为夫妻的关系
例句：Catherine's marriage to Peter was unhappy.

friends

/frends/

中文：朋友
定义：互相喜欢和支持的人
例句：Catherine had no friends at the Russian court.

books

/bʊks/

中文：书籍
定义：用于阅读的印刷品
例句：Catherine spent years reading books of history and philosophy.

军事历史词汇 / Military & Historical Terms

army

/ˈɑːrmi/

中文：军队
定义：国家的武装力量
例句：The Russian army supported Catherine against Peter.

soldiers

/ˈsoʊldʒərz/

中文：士兵
定义：军队中的战斗人员
例句：The soldiers hated their new Prussian uniforms.

revolution

/ˌrevəˈluːʃn/

中文：革命
定义：推翻政府的政治变革
例句：Catherine feared the French Revolution would spread to Russia.

empire

/ˈempaɪər/

中文：帝国
定义：由皇帝统治的大国
例句：Under Catherine's rule, Russia became a strong empire.

情感描述词汇 / Emotion & Description Words

horror

/ˈhɔːrər/

中文：恐惧，惊骇
定义：极度的害怕和厌恶
例句：Catherine watched in horror as aristocrats died by the guillotine.

miserable

/ˈmɪzərəbl/

中文：痛苦的，不幸的
定义：极度不快乐的状态
例句：Catherine was miserable in her marriage to Peter.

fascinated

/ˈfæsəneɪtɪd/

中文：着迷的，被吸引的
定义：被某事物深深吸引
例句：The thought of a crown fascinated young Catherine.

loyal

/ˈlɔɪəl/

中文：忠诚的
定义：对某人或某事忠实
例句：The soldiers were no longer loyal to Czar Peter.

📊 处理统计信息 / Processing Statistics

章节：第26章 - 叶卡捷琳娜大帝 / Chapter 26 - Catherine the Great
段落总数：24个双语段落 / 24 bilingual paragraphs
标注词汇数：136个重点词汇 / 136 highlighted vocabulary words
词汇卡片数：16张分类词汇卡 / 16 categorized vocabulary cards
历史时期：18世纪俄国 / 18th Century Russia
关键人物：叶卡捷琳娜大帝，彼得三世 / Catherine the Great, Peter III
主要事件：叶卡捷琳娜的崛起和统治 / Catherine's rise to power and reign
发音功能：已启用英文单词点击发音 / Click pronunciation enabled for English words