即使您不学习英语，也该了解一下卢克索和那里的神庙，那片神秘古老的土地令人魂牵梦绕！埃及博物馆的藏品多由此地挖掘而来，那是我们不可不知的人类文明瑰宝。

Luxor is considered to be the world’s greatest open air museum consisting of excellently preserved monuments on both sides of the Nile.

卢克索被认为是世界最大的露天博物馆，它在尼罗河两岸有许多保存完好的遗址。

The grand Luxor temple, with its gigantic structures and wall carved with drawings detailing the achievements of the pharaoh, first introduced us to the great Ramesis II, who ruled Egypt for more than 50 years.  His towering statue sits majestically at the temple.

卢克索神庙，以其巨大的石雕建筑群和详细雕刻着介绍法老功绩的图案的石墙，第一次向人们披露了统治埃及达50年之久的拉姆西斯大帝二世的情况。他的雕像在神庙中雄伟庄严地屹立着。

From here we took a horse drawn carriage to visit Karnak which isn’t just a temple; it’s a unique collection of sanctuaries, pylons and obelisks, spread out beside the sacred lake, dwarfing mere mortals.  Being the most important place of worship of the gods, the complex contains a magnificent hypostyle hall (from the Greek word meaning “pillared room”) with two rows of massive, 69 feet high columns.

从这里我们乘上一辆马车，去参观卡纳克神庙。其实那不仅是一座神庙，那是由神殿、塔门和方尖碑等等组成的一个独特的建筑群，散落在圣湖边，俯视着芸芸众生。作为最重要的祭神场所，这里有一个宏伟的大殿（根据希腊语，是一个圆柱厅），里面有两大排高达69英尺的柱子（约合21米——译者注）。

There is also the one and only remaining obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut: 97 feet high! Presumably for a woman who dared to challenge the tradition of male kingship in the mists of antiquity.

这里还保留着唯一的海西珀休特女王的方尖碑，高达97英尺！（将近30米——译者注） 据推测可能是为了纪念古代这位敢于向皇家传统的男权主义挑战的女性吧。

The river Nile is the lifeline of Egypt.  The Egyptians believe that as the sun sets in the west and darkens the sky, the west bank of Nile is meant to come alive for the dead.  Therefore all tombs, pyramids and mortuary temples of Egypt are situated on the west bank of the Nile.

尼罗河是埃及的生命线。埃及人民相信，太阳是从西边下去的，之后天空就变暗了，所以尼罗河的西岸具有令死者复生的意义。为此，所有的陵墓、金字塔以及一切的丧葬庙宇，埃及人民都把它们建在尼罗河西岸。

The temple of Queen Hatshepsut was one such unique mortuary temple in the west bank of the Nile in Luxor.

海西珀休特女王的庙宇正是一座建筑在尼罗河西岸的非常独特的陵园。  （待续）

                 ——英文资料摘录自《Shanghai Star》 March 15-21, 2007

                                         笔者1993年摄于卢克索女王庙

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