VOA常速英语2016--美国展览《古兰经》手稿

US Exhibition Celebrates Beauty of Quran Manuscripts 美国展览《古兰经》手稿

WASHINGTON — 

"The Art of the Qur’an", the first major exhibition of its type in the United States that opened Oct. 22 in Washington, features more than 60 of the most important manuscripts of and about the Quran, created over more than 1,000 years across the Islamic world - from North Africa to Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

The large manuscript created in ink, color and gold on paper, greets visitors at the entrance to the exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution's Sackler Gallery. The exhibit is a collaboration with the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul.

这份最大的《古兰经》手稿的内页由墨水、水彩和金子组成，目前正在美国展览馆的入口处展示，迎接过往的参观者。

"It’s certainly one of the biggest and certainly the heaviest," Massumeh Farhad, the Sackler’s chief curator and curator of Islamic art, said of the piece. "It weighs some 60 kilos and it is quite remarkable in its size and in its sort of power of display. Many of these manuscripts were created primarily for display. They were given as gifts to mosques and mausolea.”

“这份手稿无疑是现存的所有《古兰经》手稿中提及最大、质量最重的一份。不仅质量有120千克，其体积也不容小觑。这些手稿中很多部分的创作初衷是用于展览的。随后它们作为礼物赠予了各个清真寺和陵墓。”

The majority of the 66 manuscripts on view are from Istanbul's Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and some are from the Smithsonian’s permanent collections. The works' origins range from 7th century Damascus, Syria, to 17th century Istanbul.

现在展示于美国展览馆的这66份手稿中，绝大部分来源于伊斯坦布尔的土耳其与伊斯兰艺术博物馆，还有一部分来自华盛顿弗里尔和萨克勒美术馆的永久馆藏。这些在展的《古兰经》手稿最初源自于7世纪叙利亚首都大马士革，后于17世纪传到伊斯坦布尔。

Some were transferred to the museum from the tombs of Ottoman sultans whose power once extended from southeast Europe to northern Africa and the Middle East.

还有一部分手稿由土耳其苏丹王陵墓转移而来。

“They were created for some of the most powerful sultans, rulers in these regions. And eventually, after many years, they were acquired by the Ottoman royal family," Farhad said.

“这部分《古兰经》本是为该地区最有权势的苏丹王统治者所创。于是在很多年之后，她们就由土耳其苏丹王的皇族所有”，法尔哈德如是说道。

She explained that although each manuscript contains an identical text, they are in different formats and styles. The mastery and skill of the artists have transformed each manuscript into a unique work of art.

法尔哈德是弗里尔和萨克勒美术馆馆长，同时也是伊斯兰艺术博物馆馆长，他说，虽然每份手稿都有一致的文本内容，但他们在形式和风格上各有千秋。因为艺术家巧夺天工，已将每一份手稿塑造成了独一无二的艺术品。

“For instance, there is a manuscript by the calligrapher Yaqut, who is probably one of the greatest calligraphers ever to work in the Islamic world, from the late 12th to early 13th century," Farhad said..

“比如，一位名为雅谷特的书法家就有一份手稿作品，雅谷特大概是12世纪末期至13世纪期间，伊斯兰世界不可多得的最伟大的书法家之一”，法尔哈德说。

The exhibition showcases the beauty of the calligraphy and the intricacy of the illuminated decoration by early Quran scribes. It also tells the individual stories of some of the manuscripts, their makers and original owners.

这次展览展示了早期《古兰经》手稿的书法之美与让人顿悟的艺术精妙。同时也讲述着部分手稿、制作者以及它们起初拥有者独一无二的故事。

”We hope that visitors, whatever their interest is, will come and take away some of these stories, said Farhad. "Some may be interested in the calligraphy, some may be interested in particular calligraphers, or in the art of Illumination and the way that the exhibition is organized. We hope that we have something for all of the visitors.”

我们希望不管兴趣点所在何处的参观者，都能来看看这些《古兰经》手稿，并领略它们的故事，法尔哈德如是说道。一些人可能对书法感兴趣，一些可能热衷于独特的书法家，还有人可能痴迷于手稿所带来的顿悟启发或是想了解展览的组织方式。我们希望不让大家空手而归。

The Quran exhibition continues through February 20, 2017, and also offers additional resources on a website available both on-site and online.

本次古兰经展览将持续到2017年2月20日，同时在网站上提供了额外的资源，供线上线下的参观者了解。