考古人員可能找到了《堂·吉訶德》作者的遺骨

Remains in Madrid Are Believed to Be Those of Cervantes

考古人員可能找到了《堂·吉訶德》作者的遺骨

In a discovery that could create a new venue for literary pilgrims, Spanish investigators said on Tuesday that they might have located part of the remains of Cervantes, whose novel “Don Quixote” has enthralled readers over centuries with stories of its eponymous knight and his servant, Sancho Panza.

馬德里——星期二，西班牙研究者宣布，他們可能發(fā)現(xiàn)了塞萬(wàn)提斯(Cervantes)的部分遺骨，他的小說(shuō)《堂·吉訶德》(Don Quixote)講述騎士堂·吉訶德與他的仆人桑丘·潘沙(Sancho Panza)的故事，幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來(lái)吸引著無(wú)數(shù)讀者，這項(xiàng)研究亦可能創(chuàng)造出一個(gè)新的文學(xué)朝圣地。

Cervantes, often lauded as having written the first modern novel, died in 1616 after requesting burial in a convent in Madrid where, for almost a year, investigators have been searching the subsoil for bones that they now believe to include some of the author’s.

塞萬(wàn)提斯通常被譽(yù)為現(xiàn)代小說(shuō)的創(chuàng)始人，他于1616年逝世，生前要求將自己埋葬在馬德里的一個(gè)修道院內(nèi)。研究者們?cè)谛薜涝旱南聦油林袑ふ伊藢⒔荒?，現(xiàn)在，他們認(rèn)為自己找到的骨骼中有一部分屬于這位作家。

“Everything coincides to lead us to believe that Cervantes is there,” a forensics expert, Francisco Etxeberria, said at a news conference in Madrid, Reuters reported.

根據(jù)路透社報(bào)道，法醫(yī)學(xué)專家弗朗西斯科·艾特克塞伯利亞(Francisco Etxeberria)在馬德里舉辦的新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上說(shuō)：“所有的一切都能吻合，所以我們相信，塞萬(wàn)提斯就在這兒。”

The investigators cautioned, however, that it may be impossible to guarantee that the bones are those of the writer. Almudena García-Rubio, an archaeologist, said that there was “no confirmed genetic identification,” although DNA tests were being performed.

但研究者們也提醒說(shuō)，沒有辦法百分之百確保這些骨骼一定屬于塞萬(wàn)提斯?？脊艑W(xué)家阿爾蒙德納·加西亞-盧比奧(Almudena García-Rubio)說(shuō)，“沒有確鑿的基因證據(jù)，”盡管他們已經(jīng)做過(guò)DNA檢測(cè)。

The whereabouts of Cervantes’s tomb had been a mystery since the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians was rebuilt in the late 17th century. The remains were finally found below the ground of the crypt of the church, at a depth of about 50 inches in a box that contained bones from 10 adults and five children, according to Fernando de Prato, a historian who led the search for Cervantes.

自從跣足圣三修道院于17世紀(jì)末重修以來(lái)，塞萬(wàn)提斯的墳?zāi)顾诘匾恢辈粸槿酥ｎI(lǐng)導(dǎo)此次尋找塞萬(wàn)提斯遺骨活動(dòng)的歷史學(xué)家費(fèi)爾南多·德·普雷托 (Fernando de Prato)說(shuō)，此次，這些遺骨是在教堂地窖內(nèi)發(fā)現(xiàn)的，埋在大約50英寸之下的一個(gè)箱子里，里面盛放著十具成人的遺骨與五具孩子的遺骨。

Mr. de Prato said that the forensic team still faced “a lot of work” to separate the bones, perhaps try to reconstruct the bodies, and perform DNA testing. “It would of course have been better to find his remains complete,” to establish the identity of Cervantes with certainty, he said, “but I still have the feeling today of having reached the end of a journey.”

德·普雷托說(shuō)，法醫(yī)組仍然有“大量工作”要做，去分開這些骨骼，或許還要試圖重建軀體，進(jìn)行DNA測(cè)試。他說(shuō)，為了確定塞萬(wàn)提斯尸體的身份，“當(dāng)然，最好還是能找到他的整具尸體，但是我今天仍然有走到旅行終點(diǎn)的感覺。”

The team of investigators used infrared cameras, 3D scanners and radar to search the crypt and its alcoves.

調(diào)查組使用了紅外攝像機(jī)、3D掃描儀和雷達(dá)來(lái)搜索這個(gè)地窖及其壁龕。

During the excavations, the investigators found decayed wood from a coffin with the letters M and C marked out in tacks. (Cervantes’s full name was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.) The discovery of the coffin was announced in January, but it turned out to contain the remains of a child rather than those of the writer, Mr. de Prato said.

開掘過(guò)程中，研究者們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一具棺材，朽木上面用釘子打著“M”和“C”字樣——塞萬(wàn)提斯的全名正是“米格爾·德·塞萬(wàn)提斯·薩維德拉” (Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)。發(fā)現(xiàn)棺材的消息是在1月宣布的，但是德·普雷托說(shuō)，開棺后卻發(fā)現(xiàn)里面是一個(gè)孩子的骨骼，而不是這位作家。

Cervantes is most often remembered for “Don Quixote,” which gave the world the word quixotic in acknowledgment of its central character and his adventures, including his joust with windmills. The expression “tilting at windmills” also denotes people who take on imaginary adversaries.

塞萬(wàn)提斯因作品《堂·吉訶德》被世人銘記，書中的同名主人公曾經(jīng)用長(zhǎng)矛大戰(zhàn)風(fēng)車，他和他的冒險(xiǎn)故事為世人帶來(lái)了“吉訶德式的”(quixotic)這個(gè)詞。“沖向風(fēng)車”也用來(lái)形容那種與想像中的對(duì)手搏斗的人。

But such recognition as a writer came too late to bring Cervantes any fortune, after a life spent mostly as a soldier — including a five-year spell in captivity after pirates intercepted his naval ship.

但是這些認(rèn)可來(lái)得太遲，沒有為塞萬(wàn)提斯帶來(lái)任何財(cái)富，他一生幾乎都是在軍旅生涯中度過(guò);有一次，海盜劫持了他所在的海軍船，他因此還度過(guò)了五年的囚禁生涯。

The discovery of the possible remains comes as Spain and the literary world celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the second volume of “Don Quixote” (the first one was published in 1605).

就在遺骨找到之際，西班牙與文學(xué)界迎來(lái)了《堂·吉訶德》第二卷出版400周年的周年紀(jì)念(第一卷于1605年出版)。