世界小史 第141期:寬闊的公路
He was that rare thing: a man who made war like a chess-player, carefully considering each move before he made it.
他是個(gè)不尋常的人：他是一個(gè)在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中像一個(gè)棋手在下每一步棋前都深思熟慮的人。
But above all he was a good Carthaginian. He already hated the Romans for trying to subdue1 his native city, and their meddling2 in Spain was the last straw.
此外他還是一個(gè)好迦太基人。他憎恨羅馬人征服他的故鄉(xiāng)?，F(xiàn)在羅馬人居然也想插手西班牙，他忍無(wú)可忍了。
He left Spain immediately for Italy, equipped with war elephants and a large army – a truly formidable force.
他就立即率領(lǐng)戰(zhàn)象群和一支龐大的軍隊(duì)離開(kāi)西班牙——這是一件令人可怖的武器。
To reach Italy he had to take his army and all his elephants across the whole of southern France, across rivers and over mountains and right up over the Alps.
為了到達(dá)意大利，他不得不帶著他的全部戰(zhàn)象越過(guò)整個(gè)法國(guó)南部，跋山涉水并終于越過(guò)阿爾卑斯山。
He may have taken the pass that goes over the shoulder of Mount Cenis, as it is known today.
他大概越過(guò)了今天叫塞尼山的隘口，
I've been there myself, following a wide, winding3 road.
我本人曾從那里走過(guò)，今天一條寬闊的公路從那里蜿蜒延伸。
But how they found their way over those wild mountains in those days, with no roads to follow, is impossible to imagine.
但是當(dāng)初人們是怎樣穿越過(guò)這荒蕪的、沒(méi)有道路可走的崇山峻嶺的，這簡(jiǎn)直令人不可思議。
Surrounded by deep ravines, sheer precipices4 and slippery grass ledges5 – I wouldn't want to be up there with one elephant, let alone 40,
那里有險(xiǎn)峻的山谷、陡峭的懸崖和滑溜的草坡——帶著一頭戰(zhàn)象在那里行走我都不敢，更何況帶著40頭戰(zhàn)象，
and by then it was already September and there was snow on the mountain tops.
況且已經(jīng)是9月，山頂上已經(jīng)有積雪。
