二单元：高山流水

• High Mountain and Flowing Stream

  高山流水

• Composed over 2,000 years ago, High Mountain and Flowing Stream is one of the earliest Chinese airs.

  《High Mountain and Flowing Stream》创作于2000多年前，是中国最早的歌曲之一。

• It describes lofty mountains, and pine forests blowing in the wind as white clouds swirl in a valley below, while streams join in a thundering waterfall and flow down to the sea.

  它描述了巍峨的高山，松树在风中飞舞，白云在山谷中盘旋，小溪汇合成雷鸣般的瀑布，流向大海。

• In intimating a beautiful natural landscape, the music gives free rein  to the player's expressiveness.

  在暗示一个美丽的自然景观时，音乐给予了演奏者充分发挥表现力的自由。

• 2 The tune is based on a story.

  这首歌是根据一个故事改编的。

• On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival about 2,000 years ago, Yu Boya, a high official of Jin during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), was on his way back from the State of Chu.

  大约2000年前的一个中秋之夜，战国时期晋国的大臣于伯牙从楚国回来。

• Deciding to stop for a while, he moored his boat and began to play his guqin.

  他决定停一会儿，就把船泊好，开始弹奏古琴。

• Suddenly a string broke.

  突然，一根弦断了。

• This alarmed Boya, as he thought it might signal the arrival of an unwelcome guest, but on stepping onto the bank he found that a woodcutter had been listening to him play.

  这使伯牙很吃惊，因为他以为这可能是一个不受欢迎的客人到来的信号，但当他踏上河岸时，他发现一个樵夫一直在听他弹琴。

• To Boya's surprise, the woodman knew a great deal about music and the guqin.

  令伯牙吃惊的是，樵夫精通音乐和古琴。

• He thereupon played another tune-High Mountain and Flowing Stream, to see how much the woodman understood, and was astonished by the full explanation of the air's musical conceit that followed.

  于是，他又吹了一支曲子——《高山与流水》，想看看樵夫听得懂多少，他对随之而来的空气对音乐的自负的充分解释感到惊讶

• The man introduced himself as Zhong Ziqi.

  这个人自称钟子奇。

• Boya was happy to meet such a soul mate, and the two became sworn  brothers.

  伯牙很高兴遇到这样的知音，二人结拜为兄弟。

• Boya urged Ziqi to leave his home and seek a government post, but Ziqi refused, insisting that he could not leave his parents.

  伯牙劝子奇离家去找官职，子奇拒绝了，坚持自己不能离开父母。

• Boya gave Ziqi some gold in the hope that it might improve the quality of his friend's life.

  伯牙给了子奇一些金子，希望能改善他朋友的生活质量。

• On parting, the two promised to meet at the same place the following Mid-Autumn Festival.

  离别时，两人约定来年中秋节在同一地点相会。

• Ziqi used the gold Boya had given him to buy books, and read them each night after spending the whole day cutting wood.

  子奇用博雅给他的金买了书，每天花一整天的时间砍柴，晚上看。

• He thus did his best to live up to Boya's expectations.

  于是，他尽了自己最大的努力，不辜负伯牙的期望。

• he tragedy of the story is that Ziqi soon spent all his energy and died of exhaustion at just 27 years of age.

  这个故事的悲剧在于，子齐很快就耗尽了所有的精力，在27岁的时候因疲惫而死。

•  A year later, Yu Boya fulfilled his promise, but Zhong Ziqi was not at their appointed place.

  一年后，俞伯牙履行了他的诺言，钟子期却不见了。

• Concerned, he went to Ziqi's home, and was told that his friend had died 100 days previously.

  他忧心忡忡地去了子齐的家，被告知他的朋友已经在100天前去世了。

• Boya was filled with such sadness that he fainted . 

  伯牙悲痛欲绝，昏了过去。

• On coming round, he went to Ziqi's tomb, and played a short tune to his friend.

  一回来，他就走到子齐的墓前，给他的朋友吹了一支短短的曲子。

• He then broke his guqin into pieces, making up his mind never to play the instrument again.

  然后他把他的古琴敲成碎片，下定决心再也不演奏这乐器了。

• Soon after, he resigned his post and took Ziqi's parents to his home, where he supported them until their death.

  不久，他辞了职，把子奇的父母接回家，一直抚养到他们去世。

•  The story of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi has always been associated with the haunting High Mountain and Flowing Stream air.

• 余伯牙和钟子期的故事，总是与那令人难忘的高山流水空气联系在一起。

• Composer Yu Boya made every effort to perfect his skills.

  作曲家余伯牙竭尽全力完善他的技巧。

• It is little wonder this tune is still known and loved by so many people, over 2,000 years later.

  2000多年后，这首曲子仍然为许多人所熟知和喜爱，也就不足为奇了。