When you look at the works of Greek artists, and see how fresh and simple and beautiful they are,
看希臘藝術(shù)家的作品時(shí),你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)它們是多么清新、簡(jiǎn)單和美好,
it is as if their creators were seeing the world for the first time.
仿佛它們的創(chuàng)作者初次見(jiàn)過(guò)世間事物。
We spoke1 of the statues of Olympic champions earlier.
我們先前談過(guò)奧林匹克優(yōu)勝者雕像。
They show fine human beings, not posed, but looking as if the position they are shown in is the most natural one in the world.
雕像展現(xiàn)了優(yōu)美的人,沒(méi)有任何做作姿態(tài),仿佛它們表現(xiàn)的是世間最自然的事物。
And it is because they seem so natural that they are so beautiful.
因?yàn)樗鼈兪侨绱说淖匀?,以致它們非常美麗?/p>
The Greeks portrayed2 their gods with the same beauty and humanity.
希臘人用這同樣的美和人性塑造了他們的神。
The most famous sculptor3 of such statues was Phidias.
最著名的神雕塑家叫菲狄亞斯。
He did not create mysterious and supernatural images, like the colossal4 statues in Egyptian temples.
他不創(chuàng)造像埃及巨型神廟雕像那樣地充滿神秘感和超自然的塑像。
Although some of his temple statues were large and splendid and made of precious materials like ivory and gold,
盡管他創(chuàng)作的一些神廟像雖然也大而豪華,用珍貴的象牙和黃金作材料,
their beauty was never insipid5, and they had a noble and natural grace which must have inspired confidence in the gods they represented,
但它們的美從來(lái)不是沒(méi)有吸引力的,它們有一種十分高貴和自然的優(yōu)雅,這種優(yōu)雅致使人們不由得不信仰這些神像。
and the same can be said for Athenian paintings and buildings.
雅典人的油畫(huà)和建筑物也跟他們的雕像一樣。
But nothing remains6 of the pictures they painted on the walls of their halls and assembly rooms.
但是那些他們繪在墻上用來(lái)裝飾他們的大廳和會(huì)議室的畫(huà)卻一幅也沒(méi)有被保存下來(lái)。