玛丽·瑞瑙特（Mary Renault, 1905—1983），英国现当代名作家。
“亚历山大三部曲”是瑞瑙特最著名的作品之一，分为《天堂之火》、《波斯少年》（The Persian Boy）和《葬礼竞技》（Funeral Games）。《天堂之火》讲述的是马其顿王子亚历山大20岁继位以前的人生，以亚历山大和赫菲斯蒂安为主人公，描写了两者从小生根、愈发枝繁叶茂的情谊。瑞瑙特以其娴熟的写作技法与大胆的推断，完成了她对亚历山大大帝的重现与再造。
选文讲述的是少年亚历山大如何驯服其战马布西发拉斯（Boukephalas/Bucephalus）的著名故事。
美式发音 适合精听
“亚历山大三部曲”英文原版下载地址：http://www.joyen.net/soft/endown/read/201111/186.html
Excerpt from Chapter Four
前文提要：亚历山大根据以往经验和现场细心的观察，断定这匹在众人眼中野性未驯、难成大器的马是上佳的良驹，便当众与父王打赌：如果他能骑上去，这匹马就属于他；否则，则要自己付款，买下这匹“天价”的烈马……
Alexander remembered, then, that he had not asked when the horse was first called Thunder, or if it had had another name. It had said plainly enough that Thunder was the word for 1)tyranny and pain. It must have a new name, then. He walked round, keeping his shadow behind, looking at the horned blaze under the blowing 2)forelock.
亚历山大想起来，他还没问这马是一开始就叫做雷鸣的，还是有别的名字。显而易见，雷鸣是个代表着暴虐和痛苦的名字。那么，他得有个新名字。他绕着它走着，小心不让影子投到它身上，看着其额毛下若隐若现的牛角状的白斑。
“Oxhead,” he said, falling into Macedonian, the speech of truth and love. “Boukephalas, Boukephalas.”
“牛头，”他说，然后转为马其顿语这种真挚和爱的语言，“牛头，牛头。”
The horse's ears went up. At the sound of this voice, the hated presence had lost power and been driven away. What now? It had lost all trust in men. It 3)snorted, and pawed the ground in warning.
马的耳朵竖了起来。此言一出，憎恨的神情便有所收敛。现在又怎么了？它已经对人完全失去信任，它喷着鼻息，刨着地面以示警告。
Alexander said to the groom, “I'll take him. You needn't wait.”
亚历山大对马夫说：“让我来牵他，你可以走了。”
“Oh, no, sir! When you're mounted, my lord. My lord, they'll hold me accountable.”
“哦，不，殿下！您上马的话，殿下，殿下，他们会找我算账的。”
“No, he's mine now. Just give me his head without 4)jerking that bit…I said, Give it me. Now.”
“不，他现在是我的了。把他给我，但别用力扯……我说了，立刻给我！”
He took the reins, easing them at first only a little. The horse snorted, then turned and 5)snuffed at him. The off forefoot raked restlessly. He took the reins in one hand, to run the other along the moist neck; then shifted his grip to the 6)headstall, so that the barbed bit no longer pressed at all. The horse only pulled forward a little. He said to the groom, “Go that way. Don't cross the light.”
他接过缰绳，开始只松开一点点。马喷着鼻息，转过头来嗅着他，前蹄不停地刨着地。他一只手拉着缰绳，另一只手抚摸着汗湿的脖子；然后把力量转移到笼头，这样带刺的衔铁就不会勒紧马的口角了。马只向前挪了一点儿，他对马夫说：“走开，别挡着阳光。”
He pushed round the horse's head to face the bright spring sun. Their shadows fell out of sight behind them. The smell of its sweat and breath and leather bathed him in its steam.
他让马的头向着春日的骄阳，他与马的影子却落在了身后。它身上所散发出的汗味、鼻息和皮革味包围着他。
“Boukephalas,” he said softly.
“牛头，”他轻柔地说。
It 7)strained forward, trying to drag him with it; he took in the rein a little. A horse-fly was on its 8)muzzle; he ran his hand down, till his fingers felt the soft lip. Almost pleadingly now, the horse urged them both onward, as if saying, “Come quickly away from here.”
它奋力向前迈步，想拉着他一起走；他稍稍拉紧了缰绳。它鼻子上有只马蝇；他的手下移着，直到手指触到柔软的嘴唇。几乎是祈求状，马急迫地向前挣扎着，好像在说：“快离开这儿吧。”