2015职称英语新增文章与部分翻译.docVIP

第二十四篇 The Romance of Arthur 　　Most cultures have some sort of hero whorepresents the best values of what its people believe in. The unusual thingabout King Arthur is that legends of his heroism have persisted for severalcenturies and spread far beyond England, the place where they began. 　　The earliest stories of King Arthur represent himas a warrior who fought and subdued the invading Norsemen in the years aroundA. D. 700. This much of the Arthurian tale is probably based on fact. Whethercalled Arthur or not, there is a body of evidence supporting the existence ofsuch a warrior. It is the later embellishments of the tale whose authenticityis questionable. According to these, Arthur was born in a castle in Tintagel onthe stormy western coast of England and because he was the illegitimate son ofKing Uther Pendragon, he was spirited away by the magician Merlin and his trueidentity kept from him. He became king after freeing the sword Excalibur fromthe stone into which it was thrust. He married the beautiful Guinevere andassembled in his court all the noblest knights of the land, including Lancelot,with whom Guinevere would later be unfaithful to him. He was finally defeatedin battle by his illegitimate son Mordred, and his body was spirited away tothe isle of A Valon. 　　This romantic tale greatly appealed to the Englishand the French in the Middle Ages, when the code of chivalry-ideal qualities ofknighthood-constituted an important part of many stories. Tales of the heroismof Galahad, Percival, Gawain, and many other of Arthurs knights werecirculated as well. 　　In England today, there are many sites claiming apiece of the Arthurian an legend. There is a mined castle at Tintagel. NearGlastonbury are the remains of an ancient abbey where Arthur’s and Guineveresbodies were supposedly exhumed in the 12th century. Neither of these provesthat the legend is true, but they do keep its mystique alive. 　　词汇： 　　Arthurn.亚瑟(中世纪传奇故事中的不列颠国王，圆桌骑士团的首领) 　　authenticityn.可靠性，真实性 　　spiri