The Archipelago群岛

In the remote southern seas there is a cluster of islands. The weather is fair， the land is fertile and the ocean is rich with fish. Each island is inhabited by a different race of people. Although physically they look alike， you can tell them apart by their styles of dress， their distinctive dialects and even their most casual gestures. A cursory tour of the archipelago reveals that each island has its own unique form of architecture. If there is any similarity between them， it is that each race builds in a manner that is stubbornly at odds with1 the immediate environment. On rocky hillsides there are wooden huts and in wooded valleys， towns of brick. Arid uplands are irrigated and planted with leafy gardens， whereas， on fertile plains， the parks are paved with stone. On windswept outposts2 people live in tents but in the most sheltered regions they have stout， resilient3 cottages.

在遥远的南部海域，坐落着一群岛屿。那里气候宜人，土地肥沃，海中鱼类资源丰富。每个岛上都居住着一个不同的民族。尽管他们长得很像，但可以从服饰风格、独具特色的方言，甚至最不经意的手势上加以区分。粗略地游览一下这片群岛，就会发现每个岛都有自己独一无二的建筑形态。如果要说有什么相似之处，那就是每个民族的建筑物都和周围的环境格格不入。布满岩石的山坡上矗立着木制的小屋，而树木丛生的山谷里却坐落着砖建的城镇。人们灌溉干旱的高地，种出枝繁叶茂的园林，却在肥沃的平原上用石头铺出公园。在狂风肆虐的偏远村镇，帐篷是人们的居所，而在最避风的地区，却建有结实抗风的小屋。

Despite their differences， the islanders coexist peacefully. There is rivalry over certain fishing waters and sporting prowess but it rarely amounts to more than a few heated exchanges. Distances between the islands are not great and the sea is calm but people prefer to stick with their own kind4 and mixed marriages are rare. For the most part， the only contact between the different races is for trading purposes.

尽管彼此之间存在差异，岛民们仍然相处和睦。他们会争夺特定的捕鱼海域，也会就运动才能一较高低，但所谓的争斗最多不过是几次激烈的口角。岛和岛之间相距不远，海面也风平浪静，但人们更喜欢固守在自己的圈子里，异族通婚很少见。在大多数情况下，不同民族间的接触仅限于贸易。

At the centre of the archipelago， perhaps in the most favoured spot of all， lies an island that has been deserted for many generations. There is no obvious reason for its abandonment; it has good soil， plenty of freshwater， two natural ports and a climate no more or less suitable to the raising of crops than its neighbour’s. But no birds circle overhead and no lights come on in the evenings.

在群岛中心——可能是整片群岛最好的位置——坐落着一个废弃了好几代的岛屿。说不上有什么明显的原因导致人们废弃它——那里土地肥沃、淡水充裕，还有两个天然港口，气候适宜耕种的程度既不比邻岛好，也不比邻岛差。然而，岛上没有鸟儿盘旋，夜晚也不亮起灯光。

It has not always been like this. Long ago， it was inhabited by farmers and fishermen much like everywhere else in the archipelago. They sailed brightly painted boats and were known for being excellent divers. Their beaches were rarely empty and even at night there were often fires in the dunes and people in the water， enjoying a swim. An offshore beacon on the north side， which warned sailors of a treacherous5 ridge of rocks， was tended by the islanders， who never let it go out. Goats were kept on the upland slopes， their bells tinkling as they grazed. The people were fond of seafood and sun-bathing， were enthusiastic winemakers， reluctant housekeepers and notoriously bad at ball games. They married early， died late and generally kept themselves to themselves6. Things could have gone on like this forever， but everything changed when they decided to dynamite the cliffs and began building the first wall.

情况并非一直如此。很早以前，就像群岛的其他地方一样，那个岛上居住着农民和渔民。他们驾驶着色彩鲜艳的船只，以擅长潜水而闻名。他们的海滩上很少空无一人，即使在夜晚，沙丘上也经常燃起火堆，而人们则在海中畅游。岛的北面有一座海上灯塔，用来提醒船员注意危险的礁石。岛民守护着灯塔，从不让它熄灭。高地的斜坡上放牧着山羊，它们吃草时，身上的铃铛叮当作响。人们喜欢吃海鲜、晒日光浴，热衷于酿酒，懒于打理家务，而且出了名地不擅长球类运动。他们结婚早、寿命长，通常不和外人来往。这种生活本来可以永远继续下去，但自从他们决定爆破悬崖，开始建造第一圈城墙后，一切都变了。

Now their island looks very different from the rest; darker， taller， silent. Giant loops of barbed wire lie rusting in the surf7. The cliffs are sheer， blasted smooth and bristling with8 broken glass. Above them a great fortress extends the precipice way beyond its natural height. Slabs of granite， quarried relentlessly from the once volcanic heart of the island， make up the base of the wall. Smoothed flat by generations of wind and rain， they glitter in the sun. Above them the rocks give way to brick， darker in colour than the stone foundations and topped with ramparts， unbroken and lowering9.

现在，他们的岛看上去和其他岛很不一样——更黑、更高，而且寂静无声。一大圈一大圈的带刺铁丝网在海浪的拍打中生锈。悬崖陡峭，崖壁炸得很平，上面插满碎玻璃。悬崖之上伫立着一个巨大的要塞，它沿着悬崖的方向延伸，高得异乎寻常。厚厚的花岗石板被无情地从岛上曾经的火山中心开采出来，构成墙的基石。经过一代又一代的风雨打磨，花岗石平滑得在阳光下闪闪发亮。花岗石之上砌着砖块，颜色要深一些，而砖块上面是完好无损的阴暗的城墙。

It looks as if the wall was meant to end there but as soon as it was finished a second circle of battlements began to rise from the centre. This one was interspersed with10 watchtowers， which， as far as anyone knows， were never used. When it was finished， yet a third ring of defences was built， slightly narrower than the one before， so that from faraway the island resembled an enormous wedding cake. Caged in scaffolding， the beginnings of a fourth wall are just visible at the top but unlike the rest， its edges are jagged and crumbling.

本以为这墙就此竣工，但刚建好，第二圈防卫墙就从中心升起。这圈墙上散布着瞭望塔，但大家都知道，这些塔从未投入使用。第二圈墙建成后，又建起了第三圈，比第二圈墙略窄，所以从远处看，这个岛就好像一个巨大的婚礼蛋糕。第四圈墙刚刚垒起，被脚手架团团围住，只能看到顶部。和另外几圈不同的是，第四圈墙的边缘参差不齐，摇摇欲坠。

The surrounding islanders cannot say for sure why the wall was built. Nobody was planning an assault of any kind， nor was anyone powerful enough to pose a threat with enough strength to justify such a fortress. There were no rumours of an attack from overseas， although the people admit that while the wall was under construction， they had grown nervous. Perhaps the builders had heard of a new， formidable enemy that they had not. They felt uneasy， as if they too should be taking special precautions but against what， they had no idea. As the work intensified， so did their alarm. But they had crops to plant， cattle to feed， children to care for and pleasures to seek. Despite their bewilderment， the people of the archipelago got on with their lives and watched in wonder as year after year the fortress grew， until the low clouds grazed its upper reaches and its blackened walls seemed to swallow the sunshine; a broken crown in the deep blue sea.