1)Moorish 2)Moorings —— 3)Granada, Spain 徜徉在摩尔人的古都——西班牙格拉纳达城
摩尔人，北非的阿拉伯人，跨海而来的异乡民族，从公元8世纪起统治安达卢西亚近八百年之久。当西班牙北方高原依然“风吹草低见牛羊”时，南部的安达卢西亚已有70座城市，而格拉纳达就是一代风华之都。辉煌过后，鼎盛过后，随着天主教光复运动从摩尔人手中夺回西班牙，穆斯林文明在格拉纳达逐渐褪色，却带不走斗牛、佛拉明戈（西班牙的一种吉他曲）、清真寺等种种摩尔人的文化遗存。
史前的文明大多给人难以捉摸、不可追溯的感觉；而故宫或艾菲尔铁塔的资料唾手可得，又令人很容易被过多的信息所淹没。唯有那些半掩于历史烟云之中而回声至今不绝于缕的地方，使我们的好奇心在“知道太多”或“了解太少”之间取得平衡，使最深处的心弦为之触动——譬如格拉纳达。
I am sitting in a bar in Spain’s 4)Andalusian state, Granada, where I have been drinking glasses of beer for the last two hours in order to get free plates of food.
我坐在西班牙安达卢西亚省格拉纳达的一间酒吧里，为了获得一碟碟的免费小吃，我已经喝了两个小时的啤酒。
I don’t even like beer, and yet I’ve lost count of how many I’ve had—always a bad sign. But it’s been worth the effort. 5)Tapas are mini-snacks, and there are infinite varieties, from 6)calamari rings to 7)spinach with chick peas.
我其实并不喜欢啤酒，却连喝了多少瓶也数不清了——这向来不是个好兆头。然而这样的努力很值得：叫做“塔帕斯”的小吃品种多不胜数，从墨鱼圈到拌着鹰嘴豆的菠菜都有。
There are two stories about the origins of tapas, which means “lid” in Spanish. The first goes, that combining food with alcohol was a way of ensuring people didn’t drink on empty stomachs. The alternative theory is that drinks were traditionally covered by a slice of ham to keep out the flies.
“塔帕斯”在西班牙语中的意思是“盖子”，关于它的起源有两个故事。第一个故事说，用小吃下酒可以保证人们不至于空腹喝酒；另一个版本则是，从前习惯用一片火腿肉盖在饮品上，以免苍蝇飞进去。
Either way it could well be the reason why 8)siestas are so quiet in Granada — everyone is home sleeping it off, or at least the foreign tourists, not used to this style of eating are resting. However, I’ve ceased to 9)mull over the origins of the tradition, and I am wondering how I can get off the stool and stagger outside.
两个版本都能很好地说明，塔帕斯很可能是格拉纳达的午休如此沉寂的原因——人人都回家睡觉消化去了，至少，那些不习惯这种吃法的外国游客正在歇息。然而我不再遐想这种饮食传统的起源了，倒考虑着该如何从凳子上站起来，摇摇摆摆地走出门外。
The bartender has the TV turned into a soccer match, and everyone is engrossed in it. So I am sure I can 10)slink by unnoticed past the mess of napkins and toothpicks on the floor—the most 11)telltale sign of a tapas feast—and take advantage of the afternoon light in this picturesque town.
酒保将电视转到足球赛频道，人人都全神贯注，因此我敢说自己可以不引人注意地穿过地板上乱七八糟的纸巾和牙签——塔帕斯大餐留下的最明显不过的痕迹，去感受感受这个如画之城的午后阳光。
Granada was once the capital of the last Moorish kingdom in Spain, from the 13th through the 15th centuries, and the city is full of reminders of its Arabic past, with baths, Arabic teterías (tea shops) and alcaicerías (markets) are a few.
13至15世纪，格拉纳达是西班牙最后一个摩尔人王国的首都。城市里遍布阿拉伯色彩的遗迹、浴场、阿拉伯茶馆和阿拉伯集市随处可见。
Granada houses are Spain’s best Moorish constructions, the most magnificent of which is the Alhambra. This old fortress with palaces and gardens perches above the hillside town with a snowy 12)vista of the 13)Sierra Nevada mountain range in the background. There are also 14)Baroque churches, 15)Gothic 16)chapels, 17)monasteries, palaces, 18)convents and 19)cathedrals.
格拉纳达拥有西班牙最优美的摩尔式建筑，其中最壮观的是阿兰布拉宫。这个带宫殿和花园的古堡坐落在山城上，从那里可远眺积雪皑皑的内华达山脉。这里还有巴洛克式的教堂、哥特式礼拜堂、修道院、宫殿、女修道院和大教堂。
I spent the morning wandering around the whitewashed houses of the Moorish 20)Sacromonte and 21)Albayzin neighborhoods, noting 22)husky old men peeking from behind the bar doors. While a group of people gathered around a man fixing a water main, offered advice. Later, a dog tried to steal my map.
我已经一上午在萨克罗蒙特区和阿尔拜辛区的白墙摩尔式房屋外流连，注意到魁梧的老人从酒吧的门里往外觑看。一群人围观一个男人修水管，七嘴八舌地提建议，这时候，一条狗尝试把我的地图偷走。
I was 23)hassled by herb sellers, then a gypsy woman with badly applied eyeliner who wanted to read my palm for an incredible a mount of my name, and some 24)hippies who needed soap more than the cigarettes they asked for. In the end, I sat down in the 25)Mirador de San Nicolás Plaza, with other tourists and locals, who were spilling from local restaurants, to enjoy the sun and beauty of this spot overlooking Granada.
草药贩子想揽我的生意，一个拙劣地描了眼线的吉普赛女人要给我看手相，开价高得惊人。脏兮兮的嬉皮士向我讨香烟——其实，他们更需要肥皂。最后我终于摆脱了骚扰，在圣尼古拉广场坐下，身旁有从当地餐馆三三两两走出来的当地人和其他游客，一同享受阳光和俯瞰全城的美景。
Two grandmothers with enough colored hair clips to keep an army of small girls happy, a man playing a guitar, two gypsy girls 26)pestering the tourists, and the hazy 27)panorama of the famous 28)Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains behind. The moment was so 29)surreal, I lost myself for two hours, and have only moved since then to this bar where I am almost unable to leave my chair.
有两位老祖母头上戴着彩色的发夹，数量之多足以让许多小女孩高兴起来；一个男人在弹吉他，两个吉普赛少女死缠游客不放，远处是著名的阿兰布拉宫和内华达雪山全景，苍苍茫茫。超乎现实的瞬间，让我整整两个小时忘乎所以，随后来到这间使我迟迟不能离去的酒吧。
In moments like these that Granada begins to weave its spell. 30)Washington Irving describes this phenomenon in 31)Tales of the Alhambra, wen he speaks of the intertwining of life, religion and architecture, where everything is similar but nothing is the same. However, perhaps Ernest Hemingway’s party-riven account of Spain, in his novel The Sun Also Rises may be closer to your own experience, if you visit too many tapas bars.
就是在这样的瞬间，格拉纳达开始布下它魅惑的罗网。华盛顿·欧文在《阿兰布拉宫传奇》里描述了这种现象，当中提到在生活、宗教和建筑的交叠面上，一切都很相似而又各具特色。然而，或许是厄内斯特·海明威在《太阳照常升起》中记叙的派对喧哗的西班牙更接近游客自己的体验——如果你去了太多塔帕斯酒吧的话。
Much has been written about the beauty of La Alhambra fortress, palace, 32)patios and gardens, and none of it is exaggerated. Its combination of Islamic art, architecture and gardening is visually stunning. La Alhambra is made up of the military fortress of 33)Alcazaba, the Royal Palace (home of the Alhambra Museum) and the gardens of 34)Generalife Palace.
阿兰布拉宫的堡垒、宫殿、天井和花园之美，已有许多人写过，那些赞词丝毫没有夸张。阿兰布拉宫融合了伊斯兰艺术、建筑和园林的特色，撼人眼目，其中包括阿尔卡萨巴碉堡、王宫（现为阿兰布拉博物馆）和赫内拉利费宫的花园。
The Alcazaba dates from the 11th to 13th centuries. The Royal Palace, the centerpiece, was built for Granada’s rulers in the 14th and 15th centuries. The intricate stonework, and rooms and courtyards are breathtaking. The Generalife, summer palace of the 35)sultans, has amazing gardens combining the use of water and 36)foliage. A full day should be dedicated to wandering the grounds and buildings.
阿尔卡萨巴碉堡营建于11至13世纪之间。主体的王宫则是在14至15世纪，为格拉纳达的统治者修筑的。精细的石雕、房间和庭院叫人屏息。赫内拉利费宫是“苏丹们”的避暑宫殿，里面的花园将绿叶与流水融合，极为奇妙，值得用一天徜徉其间。
The 37)hammam Arabic Baths, located below the Alhambra, on Calle Santa Ana, offer bathing, massage and even aroma-therapy. Above the bathhouse, Tetería Baños Árabes features Arabic teas and cakes, belly dancing, and even poetry readings and tales from the Andalusian-Arabic tradition.
位于阿兰布拉宫下方圣·安娜区的赫马姆阿拉伯浴场提供洗浴、按摩和香薰治疗。从浴场往高处走，Baños Árabes茶馆供应阿拉伯茶和点心，有肚皮舞演出，甚至安排了安达卢西亚的阿拉伯传统诗朗诵和说书会。
The teterías, a fixture of Granada, typically have dimly lit interiors, candelabras with candles melting in arty globs and floor seating, perfect for romantic-minded couples.
茶馆是格拉纳达不可或缺的元素，里面往往灯光昏暗，烛台上凝结着一汪汪形态优美的烛泪，宾客们席地而坐，情调非常适合浪漫主义者的伴侣。
Moorish influences can still be observed in Granada today, but they are now more of a touristy kind. Arabic markets with jewelry, incense, tea, clothing and art are open even in the off season, when the rest of Spain seems to have fallen asleep without the madness of bullfights and hordes of summer tourists.
今日的格拉纳达依然可见摩尔人的影响，但说起来，这些影响大多只是旅游业的点缀而已。即使在淡季，贩卖珠宝、熏香、茶叶、衣服和艺术品的阿拉伯集市也照常营业，而此时西班牙的其它地区由于没有疯狂的斗牛活动和夏季观光潮，仿佛已经睡着了。
When I finally leave my tapas bar, it is the view of the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás plaza that I want to see again. In the afternoon, the square fills with Spanish guitarists, singing locals, gypsies and tourists. It’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon if you have overindulged in free tapas or beer.
我终于离开那家塔帕斯酒吧，是为了从圣·尼古拉广场再看一看阿兰布拉宫。午后的广场上满是西班牙吉他手、哼着小调的当地人、吉普赛人和游客。如果你刚从免费塔帕斯或啤酒的沉湎中解脱，在这里消磨一下午就再合适不过了。
As the sun lengthens and shadows fall across the valley, the Alhambra sets the mood.
当太阳拉长光线，漫山遍地都是投影之际，阿兰布拉宫的情味正当其时。
