纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 055唐代墓葬俑(2)

（单词翻译）

I'm in the Asia Gallery at the back of the British Museum. Behind me stand two statues of the judges of the Chinese underworld, recording¹ the good and the bad deeds of those who had died.

大英博物馆北区的亚洲厅摆放宥两尊中国阴间的判官雕像，他们是负责记录人生前的蒋举与恶行的，

And these judges were exactly the people that the Tang elite² wanted to impress.

因此是庙朝的权资想要讨好的对象。

In front of me, I'm looking at a gloriously lively troupe³ of ceramic⁴ figures.

在他们前而摆放若一组十二只栩栩如牛的陶俑，

They're all between two and three feet (60 to 90 cm) high, and there are 12 of them-human, animal and somewhere in between.

高度在六十厢米至一百一十五厘米之间，形象包括人、舀以及人面兽身。

They're from the tomb of one of the great figures of Tang China, Liu Tingxun, general of the Zhongwu army, lieutenant⁵ of Henan and Huinan district and Imperial privy⁶ councillor, who died at the advanced age of 72 in 728.

它们都来自庙朝名将刘廷荀之墓。他曾任忠武将军、河南道与淮南道校尉以及中央枢密使， 在公元七二八年以七十二岁高龄去世。

Liu Tingxun tells us this, and a great deal more besides, in a glowing obituary⁷ that he had commissioned himself and which was buried along with his ceramic entourage.

这些倌息来自他命人撰写的墓志铭。这份铭文通篇溢美之词，与他的陶瓷随从们一同被下葬。

Together, figures and text give us a marvellous glimpse of China 1,300 years ago, but above all, they're a shamelessly barefaced⁸ bid for everlasting⁹ admiration¹⁰ and applause.

墓中的文字与物品让我们得以一窥一千三百年前的中国。但它们首先都是些寡廉鲜耻的自我吹捧，目的则是为了能名垂千古。

Wanting to control your own reputation after death isn't unknown today, as Anthony Howard, for years obituaries¹¹ editor at The Times, recalls.

想要控制自己死后名声的人在如今也屡见不鲜。曾任《泰晤士报》讣闻版编辑的安东尼笛华德回忆。