什麼是"中古中國"？春下作品英譯者賣弄 it betook of stillness

【六月新書：山屋憶往：一個歷史學家的臨終自述】

《戰後歐洲六十年》當代歷史學巨擘東尼賈德非常熱愛旅行，罹患神經元疾病後，在助手的協助下，闡述他的回憶與思想歷程：

「在發病後幾個月的一天裡，整個晚上我都在腦裡一個接著一個地寫著完整的故事。我本來是想睡著的，只是不靠數羊，而是用複雜的敘事來達成類似的效果。隨著意識的流竄，我會從一台蒸氣機想到我的德文課，也會從倫敦的鄉下公車精心設置的路線圖想到兩次大戰之間城鄉計劃的歷史。」

「懷舊的回憶開始扮演了更實用的角色，特別是追憶在舒適的中歐小村裡度過的那些快樂時光。我一直很著迷近現代早期的思想家與旅行者用各種記憶術來貯存、召喚細節與敘述。文藝復興史家法蘭西絲．葉慈曾對這些記憶術進行有趣的探討；更近一點的例子是史景遷的《利瑪竇的記憶宮殿》，講的是一名義大利旅人前往中古中國的紀錄。」

「然而，我並不想在我的腦袋裡建造宮殿。從沃爾西的漢普頓宮到路易十四的凡爾賽宮，這類豪奢的建築總是想要造成震懾的效果，而不是為了有用。我無法在寂靜無言的夜裡想像這樣的記憶宮殿。不過，不要記憶宮殿的話，何妨蓋一間記憶小屋呢？」

• The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci (1984) Jonathan Spence 史景遷《利瑪竇的記憶宮殿》《利瑪竇「記憶之宮」（台北：輔仁大學出版社））》（ Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci, 1984)

利瑪竇（Matteo Ricci, 1552/10/06～1610/05/11）他明末來東方，不知道 稱其時代為"中古中國"是什麼意思？




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betake 是否用得太賣弄，因為我查Shorter O. E. D.，還是搞不清楚它用在這兒的確切意思。

Haruki Murakami

“It was a narrow world, a world that was standing still. But the narrower it became, the more it betook of stillness, the more this world that enveloped me seemed to overflow with things and people that could only be called strange. They had been there all the while, it seemed, waiting in the shadows for me to stop moving. And every time the wind-up bird came to my yard to wind its spring, the world descended more deeply into chaos.”
― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Definition of betake in English:

verb (past betook /bɪˈtʊk/; past participle betaken /bɪˈteɪk(ə)n/)

[WITH OBJECT] (betake oneself to) literary

Go to:I shall betake myself to my lodgings

MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES

• Bayes is shown debating whether he shall betake himself to the church, or gaming, or party-writing, but is carried off by the goddess and anointed king in the place of Eusden, the poet laureate, who has died.
• Members betook themselves to the Lakeside Sport and Fitness Club, Station Road, Ballinrobe, last week, and participated in a number of exercises under the ‘Go for Life programme’.
• Members of Ballinrobe Active Retirement Association betook themselves to the Lakeside Sport and Fitness Club for last weeks meeting on Monday morning.

betake=beteach

beteach

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English betechen, from Old English betǣċan (“to make over, give up to impart, deliver, entrust, commend to, betroth, appoint (for), set apart as, dedicate, show, point out, give orders, pursue, hunt”), corresponding to be- +‎ teach.

Verb[edit]

beteach (third-person singular simple present beteaches, present participle beteaching, simple past and past participle betaught)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To show; point out.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To give; hand over; deliver up; yield.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To hand over as a trust; intrust; commend, commit (someone), usually as a wish expressed on departing; recommend to the care of; give charge to.  [quotations ▼]
4. (transitive, obsolete) To commit or commend (one), by the expression of a wish, to (God, the devil, etc.).

   to beteach one good day

5. (transitive, obsolete) To allot; assign.
6. (transitive, obsolete) To teach; instruct.