纽约时报精读 | 曾经的万圣节,无关鬼怪,关乎爱情-安徽艾约塔硅油

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纽约时报精读 | 曾经的万圣节,无关鬼怪,关乎爱情

阅读量：3879625 2019-10-28

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原文译文
Boo? Halloween Used to Be About Finding True Love
曾经的万圣节，无关鬼怪，关乎爱情
1. Halloween wasn’t always so scary. It was once less about fright and more about flirtation. A century ago, the rituals surrounding the celebration at the end of October emphasized love. Newspapers recommended parlor games that promised to reveal romantic fortune. Even the cast of characters was more oriented toward matters of the heart.
万圣节并非一向如此可怕，它一度并非吓唬人的节日，更多的是围绕调情展开。一个世纪以前，每逢10月底的这个节日，各种相关庆祝活动都是强调“爱情”的。报纸会推荐那些承诺能预测恋爱运势的室内游戏（parlor games）。而且与节日相关的角色更多的是涉及恋情的。
2. “Halloween in the early 20th century had far less emphasis on blood, gore and scary monsters, and much more emphasis on courtship, romance and the opportunity for love,” Daniel Gifford, the former manager of museum advisory committees for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History explained in a museum blog post last year. “In fact, the image of Cupid was often interspersed among the more familiar black cats, witches and jack-o’-lanterns.”
“在20世纪初，万圣节不太关注鲜血，杀戮，以及可怕的怪物，而是更注重调情、浪漫和寻爱的良机，”史密森尼美国历史国家博物馆（Smithsonian National Museum of American History）顾问委员会前主席丹尼尔·吉福德（Daniel Gifford）在去年的一则博物馆博客文章中解释说。“事实上，那个时候，小爱神丘比特（Cupid）的形象经常散布在如今人们更熟悉的黑猫、巫婆和南瓜灯的形象当中。”
3. Halloween games and traditions reflected that attention to themes of love, with many offering a peek at what the future holds. For women in a restrictive society, they offered a semblance of control. “Given the importance of finding a desirable marriageable man in an era when prim, proper, ladylike behavior was the norm, young women often reveled in chances to participate in well-established and -regarded traditions that might guide them to the spouses of their dreams,” Diane Arkins, the author of the book “Halloween: Romantic Art and Customs of Yesteryear,” from Pelican Publishing, said in an email. Here’s a look at some of those largely forgotten customs.
当时的万圣节游戏和习俗表现出对爱情主题的重视，很多活动都声称能预测未来。在一个充满限制的社会里，这样的预测能为女性们带来一些掌控自己生活的感觉。“在那个时代，寻觅一个适婚的好男人太重要了，而女人们通常又要一本正经、规规矩矩，表现出淑女风范，于是年轻女性们通常会踊跃参加那些历史悠久、口碑良好，并可能帮她们找到梦中另一半的传统活动，”《万圣节：浪漫艺术与昔年习俗》（Halloween: Romantic Art and Customs of Yesteryear）一书的作者黛安·阿金斯（Diane Arkins）在电子邮件中说，该书由鹈鹕出版社（Pelican Publishing）出版。下面来看看这些如今几乎已被世人遗忘的习俗吧！
Snap Apple and Other Games of Love
预测恋爱运势的游戏
4. Apples played a starring role in many of Halloween’s romantic traditions. One game, Snap Apple, challenged participants to use only their teeth to bite an apple suspended from the ceiling by a string or ribbon, Ms. Arkins writes in her book. The first to succeed would be the first to marry. （In a more dangerous version of the game, the apple is speared by a stick with a lit candle on the opposite end.）
苹果在许多万圣节的浪漫习俗中扮演着重要角色。一个名叫“咬苹果”（Snap Apple）的游戏把一个苹果用线绳或丝带从天花板悬下来，参赛者们只能用牙齿来咬，阿金斯在她的书中写道。游戏中先咬到苹果的人就能先结婚。（这个游戏还有一个危险一点的版本，苹果被一个杆子刺穿，另一端则用蜡油黏上一支燃烧的蜡烛。）
5. In its heyday, the game was so popular that Halloween was sometimes called Snap Apple Night, according to various reports. But modern Americans may be more familiar with another, similar activity: bobbing for apples. According to tradition, a successful first attempt at that game — retrieving an apple with one’s mouth from a container filled with water — foretold true love reciprocated, Ms. Arkins writes. Repeated failure suggested that a less-than-ideal match awaited, or perhaps it was a warning to move on.
根据各种报道，这个游戏曾一度很受欢迎，因此，在其全盛时期，万圣节有时候被称为咬苹果夜（Snap Apple Night）。但现代美国人更熟悉的可能是另一种类似的活动：叼苹果（bobbing for apples）。这个游戏就是用嘴从装满水的容器里叼出苹果，根据传统风俗，第一个成功叼出苹果的人会赢得真爱，阿金斯写道。游戏中不断失败表明会遇到不怎么理想的对象，也可能是在告诫你，需要重新启程了。
6. Other traditions were simpler. One old custom called for cutting a long strip of apple skin and tossing it over one’s shoulder. The landed peel was said to resemble the first initial of a suitor. Another tradition involved eating an apple in front of a mirror to conjure the image of one’s soul mate, just in time for him or her to ask for the last bite. The seeds within offered insight, too, with poems serving as guides to what they predicted. Here is one such poem, reproduced by Ms. Arkins and published in the “Kiddies’ Hallowe’en Book” in 1931.
还有些更简单的传统活动。一个古老的风俗让人把苹果皮削成细长的一条，从肩膀向后扔出去，据说，苹果皮落地后的形状就是求婚者名字的第一个字母。还有一个习俗是对着镜子吃苹果，以召唤灵魂伴侣的形象，让他或她在结束前请求吃那最后一口。苹果核也能提供启示，有一些诗歌专门用来指示苹果核的涵义。阿金斯在书中就引用了这么一首，来自1931年出版的《孩子们的万圣书》（Kiddies’ Hallowe’en Book）。
The Nut Crack Night
开坚果之夜
7. Nuts featured prominently enough in Halloween traditions that the day was also sometimes referred to as “Nut Crack Night.” According to one popular tradition, placing two chestnuts on a stove or fire, each representing a partner in a romantic pairing, would yield insight into the stability of a match.
坚果在万圣节也有重要作用，因此这一天有时也被称为“开坚果之夜”。有一种非常流行的传统风俗是把两个栗子放在炉子里或火里，它们分别代表着恋爱中的双方，最后的结果可以看出这段感情是否稳定。
8. A pair that cozied up to each other and burned brightly foretold a happy relationship, Utah’s Ogden Standard explained in 1915. But if one nut cracked or popped, that partner’s love could prove fickle. By adding a third nut, one could compare multiple partners: “The nut which burns longer and more quietly betokens the more constant lover,” the Ogden Standard reported.
根据1915年犹他州《奥格登旗帜报》（Ogden Standard）的解释，如果这对栗子彼此靠近，燃烧出明亮的火花，表明这段关系会很幸福。但是如果一个栗子爆出裂纹或者爆开了，这个伴侣的爱意可能无常易变。再加一个栗子，就可以在多个伴侣之间进行对比。“烧得更长久，更安静的栗子象征着更能持之以恒的恋人，”《奥格登旗帜报》写道。
9. In her book, Ms. Arkins describes a different kind of ritual, involving “boats” made of walnut shells filled with wax. Colored candles affixed to each represented potential partners. They were then set in motion in a tub of water, with the candles lit. The boats that sailed together symbolized a match meant to be. The person whose boat first reached the opposite side would be first to wed. An extinguished candle indicated a lonely future.
在书中，阿金斯描述了另一种仪式，用核桃壳当“小船”，里面灌上蜡。然后把彩色的蜡烛固定在核桃壳里，每支蜡烛象征一个潜在的伴侣。然后点燃蜡烛，把它们放进一大盆水中。行驶在一起的“小船”象征着命中注定的一对。哪条小船先到达另一头，它所代表的那个人就会第一个结婚。如果蜡烛熄灭就象征着孤单的未来。
10. Yet another superstition featured a walnut tree. The rules, according to a 1914 article in The Evening Public Ledger in Philadelphia, were straightforward: On a moonlit Halloween night, circle the tree three times while chanting, “Let him that is to be my true love bring me some walnuts.” Once complete, the participant would see his or her future spouse picking walnuts in the tree.
还有一种迷信是同核桃树有关的。根据1914年费城《公共分类晚报》（Evening Public Ledger）的一篇文章，规则很简单：在万圣节之夜的月光下，绕着栗子树走三圈，口中唱道，“未来的真爱啊，给我点栗子吧。”三圈走完，他或她就会看见自己未来的恋人在树上摘栗子。
Mirror, Mirror
镜子，镜子
11. While apples and nuts featured prominently — harking back to Halloween’s roots as a harvest celebration — other romantic traditions took hold as well. One game, described by The Evening Public Ledger in 1914, called for a participant to walk backward in bright moonlight while staring into a hand mirror and reciting an incantation. If done properly, the face of his or her future spouse would materialize in the mirror. （In her book, Ms. Arkins describes a similar version of the game involving a mouthful of salt and a backward walk down cellar stairs.）
苹果和坚果的重要性可以追溯到万圣节的源头——它原本是庆祝丰收的节日。此外还有一些浪漫的传统影响也很广。根据1914年的《公共分类晚报》，有个游戏是让参加者在明亮的月光下倒着走，手里拿着一面小镜子照着自己，并且念诵一段咒语。如果做得对，他或她未来伴侣的脸就会出现在镜子里。（阿金斯在她的书中描写了一个类似的游戏，需要在嘴里含一口盐，倒着走下地窖的楼梯。）
12. Another game described in The Ledger involved burying three items — a dime, a ring and a thimble — in mashed potatoes. The food was then served to guests at a party. The guest who received the ring would marry soon; the one with the thimble would spend most of his or her life alone; while the guest who got the dime could expect fame or fortune.
《公共分类晚报》上还有一个游戏：把一枚一角钱硬币、一个戒指和一个顶针藏进捣烂的土豆泥里。吃到戒指的客人会很快结婚，吃到顶针的客人会孤独一生；吃到硬币的客人有望出名或者发财。
Fading Superstition
逐渐淡化的浪漫习俗
13. As varied and popular as the romantic Halloween customs were, they began to lose their hold on the American public in the early 20th century. Women, the traditional party hosts and targets of such games, were gaining greater agency over their lives, eroding the appeal of rituals that underscored their lack of power.
虽然万圣节的浪漫习俗多种多样，流传甚广，到了20世纪初，它们开始在美国公众中失去了魅力。传统上，女人是派对的主人，也是这类游戏的目标群体，随着她们对自己的生活获得了更多掌控，这种暗示她们缺乏力量的仪式也就渐渐丧失了吸引力。
14. At the same time, a figure re-emerged in popular culture: the powerful witch. And unlike some modern depictions, she was alluring. “The beautiful witch had both power and attractiveness, and could use both to make her own decisions about romance, suitors and the future of her love life,” Mr. Gifford explained. The witch had no need for fortunetelling games: She could create her own destiny.
与此同时，另一个形象重新走进了流行文化之中，那就是强大的女巫。和某些现代描写不同，她其实是很有魅力的。“美丽的女巫既有力量又有魅力，可以运用二者，在恋爱、追求者与未来的爱情生活方面做出自己的决定，”吉福德解释说。这样的女巫不需要什么算命游戏，她可以创造自己的命运。
精读解析

篇章结构
P1：曾经的万圣节更多是和爱情有关，而不是鬼怪。P2—P3：20世纪初，万圣节上会有很多以爱情为主要的游戏。P4—P6：万圣节预测恋爱运势的游戏。P7—P10：万圣节“开坚果之夜”的游戏。P11—P12：万圣节关于镜子的游戏。P13—P14：万圣节的浪漫习俗已经逐渐消失。

重点单词
scary /'ske?r?/ adj. 使人惊恐的;吓人的;可怕的【例句】Voyeurs are scary, but they are usually harmless.偷窥狂很可怕,但是他们通常不会伤害人。
flirtation /fl??'te??n/ n. 调情,调戏,挑逗【例句】He had only a few flimsy and only by mail flirtations with women.他稍有轻浮，但仅限于用信件与女人调情。 gore /g??/vt. (动物)用角撞伤, 用牙刺破；瘀血，流血；血腥【例句】the film omitted the blood and gore in order to avoid controversy.为避免引起争议，这部影片剪去了血腥场面。
intersperse /?nt?'sp??s/ vt. 散布,散置；点缀【例句】The field is interspersed with wild flowers.田野里有星星点点的野花。 revel /'rev(?)l/ vi. 狂欢；陶醉n. 狂欢；闹饮；喜庆狂欢活动【例句】Thousands of mask-wearing revelers fill the Venetian streets and attend special masked balls.上千名戴着面具的狂欢者涌进了威尼斯大街，参加特殊的假面舞会。
restrictive /r?'str?kt?v/ adj. 限制(性)的,约束(性)的【例句】Nevertheless, he finds television too restrictive, and prefers to make full-length animated movies.然而，他发现电视创作太受限制，因而更喜欢创作整片长度的动画电影。
semblance /'sembl?ns/ n. 外表;外观【例句】There is no semblance of truth to the story.这个故事里没有丝毫真实的成分。 play a starring role in… 在…中扮演重要角色【例句】It's home to centuries of history, 12,000 people year around, 50,000 or more in the summertime and an untold number of mice and ticks who play a starring role in our next story.该岛历史悠久，约有12000名常住居民，而夏季岛上人口可达5万人，岛上有数不清的老鼠和壁虱，这就是我们下一个故事的主角。
suspend /s?'spend/ vt. 延缓，推迟；使暂停；使悬浮【例句】Two radar units suspended from huge balloons.两套雷达装备悬挂在巨大的气球下面。 reciprocate /r?'s?pr?ke?t/ vt. & vi. 报答;酬答【例句】He reciprocated my good wishes.他答谢了我的祝福。
heyday /'he?de?/ n. 最成功,最繁荣,最强盛等的时期【例句】She seems to be reliving the heyday of her residency a lot these days.她最近几天似乎在重新体验她做住院医的那段时光。 conjure /'k?nd??/ vt. 用魔术变出；祈求, 恳求vi. 变戏法, 变魔术；使魔术般地消失；(变魔术般地) 使…出现【短语】conjure up用魔法召唤；想起，使在脑海中显现【例句】A flask, conjured from thin air, was thrust into his shaking hand by Hermione.一个凭空变出的长颈瓶被赫敏塞到了他颤抖的手里。 betoken /b?'t??k(?)n/ vt. 预示；表示【例句】He was interrupted by Merry, who rushed from the forward part of the vessel, his whole face betokening the eagerness of his spirit and the importance of his intelligence.领航员思绪突然被打断，原来，水手梅里从船的前舷飞跑过来，满脸焦急万分，像有重大事情要报。
cozy up to 巴结【例句】You thought you could move your way up the ladder, and you used my friendship to cozy up to her.你觉得你可以靠色相往上爬，所以你就利用我的友谊去拍她的马屁。 walnut /'w??ln?t/ n. 胡桃木；胡桃【例句】He is an outstanding walnut fondler, collector, and appraiser.他是把玩、收藏、鉴定山核桃行当中的佼佼者。
affix to v. 贴上；签署【例句】He affixed his signature to the contract promising to pay five pounds per person for berths aboard ship. The clerk returned the receipt to John indicating that the sum of money had been paid.他在合同上签了字，按要求为乘坐那艘船的每个人付5英镑。办事员为约翰开了收据，表示钱已付清。
extinguish /?k'st??gw??/ vt. 使熄灭, 扑灭；使…不复存在【例句】Our hopes have been extinguished by the failure.我们的希望因这次失败而破灭。
indicate /'?nd?ke?t/ vt. 标示, 指示, 指出；象征; 表明或暗示…的可能性【短语】indicate to提到；说明【例句】The tone fo apology indicated her sincerity.她道歉的口气表明了她的诚心。 straightforward /stre?t'f??w?d/ adj. (人或其态度)正直的, 坦率的; 老实的【例句】We took a straightforward route to the beach.我们取直道到海滩去。 underscore /?nd?'sk??/ vt. 划线于…下,强调【例句】Grisham underscored that message in a tweet with the hashtags SheCares and ItsJustAJacket.格里斯汉姆在推特中以她在乎”和“那只是件外套”的标签再次强调了这一说法。
erode /?'r??d/ vt. & vi. 侵蚀, 腐蚀【例句】The sea has eroded the cliff face over the years.海水长年侵蚀着悬崖表面。
alluring /?'l(j)??r??/ adj. 诱惑的, 迷人的【例句】The new malls, ringed by car parks, are handy, even alluring.新型购物中心被停车位环绕，非常方便，甚至非常有吸引力。