人教版英语选修第三册 unit 1 Reading and Writing

THE STARRY NIGHT

星月夜

Perhaps my favourite painting is The Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890).

我最喜欢的画作或许是文森特·梵高（1853–1890）的《星月夜》。

Born in the Netherlands, Van Gogh had always been interested in art, and tried to live as a professional painter starting from 1883.

梵高出生于荷兰，他一直热爱艺术，从1883年起立志成为一名职业画家。

His early work was dark and sad, so in 1886 Van Gogh's brother Theo invited him to come to live in Paris.

他早期的作品色调阴郁悲凉，于是在1886年，梵高的弟弟提奥邀请他前往巴黎居住。

Theo hoped that the bright colours of the Impressionist movement there would influence his work.

提奥希望当地印象派明快的色彩风格能够影响他的创作。

Van Gogh moved to the south of France in 1888.

1888年，梵高搬到了法国南部。

Later that year, he suffered a mental collapse and went to live in a hospital.

同年晚些时候，他精神崩溃，住进了医院。

He made more than twenty paintings of the view from his hospital window, during all times of the day and all kinds of weather.

他以医院窗外的景色为题材，创作了二十余幅画作，涵盖一日不同时段与各式各样的天气。

However, he only made one painting of the scene at night.

但其中，他只画了一幅夜景。

As Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in June, 1889, "This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big."

正如梵高在1889年6月写给弟弟提奥的信中所说：“清晨日出前许久，我透过窗户望向乡野，天地间唯有启明星，显得格外硕大。”

The "morning star" Van Gogh referred to was actually the planet Venus.

梵高所说的“启明星”实际上就是金星。

Van Gogh had longed to paint a night scene, and the sight of Venus inspired him.

梵高一直渴望创作一幅夜景，金星的景象给了他灵感。

On the left side of The Starry Night, there is a large tree which shoots up from the ground like a dark fire.

在《星月夜》画面左侧，一棵大树拔地而起，宛如一团暗色火焰。

It reaches all the way to the top of the painting.

树尖一直延伸到画作顶端。

In the background are rolling hills, with a small village in a valley.

背景是连绵起伏的山丘，山谷间坐落着一座小村庄。

In the centre of the village is a white church.

村庄正中是一座白色教堂。

Its tower points up into the sky like a sharp knife.

教堂的尖塔像一把利刃直刺夜空。

Here and there, you can see houses with windows shining with yellow light.

四处可见房屋，窗内透出暖黄色的灯光。

Above all this is dark blue sky.

这一切的上方是深蓝色的夜空。

A quarter moon fills the top-right corner of the painting with yellow.

一弯半月将画面的右上角染上金黄。

Venus sits low near the tree.

金星低垂在大树旁。

It burns with white light.

散发着明亮的白光。

Here and there in the sky above Venus are yellow, orange, and red stars.

金星上方的夜空中点缀着黄、橙、红色的星辰。

Around these are lines of pure paint in different shades of blue, yellow, and white.

星辰四周是层层叠叠、纯粹的蓝、黄、白色颜料笔触。

They flow out of control, like river rapids.

色彩肆意翻涌，如同湍急的河流。

The Starry Night is not a realistic painting of the scene Van Gogh saw out of his window.

《星月夜》并不是梵高窗外景色的写实描绘。

For example, in real life there is no village in that valley.

举例来说，现实中的山谷里并没有这座村庄。

However, perhaps the painting shows the deeper reality of what Van Gogh could see with his mind's eye.

但这幅画或许展现了梵高内心所窥见的更深层的真实。

Though the scene is dark and quiet, the painting is full of light and life.

尽管画面氛围幽暗静谧，整幅作品却充满光芒与生机。

It gives us a look, perhaps, into the complex mind and genius of Van Gogh.

这幅画作，或许让我们得以窥见梵高复杂的内心与超凡的天赋。

扫码查看听力音频