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The Colossus of Rhodes
罗德岛的太阳神巨像
To you, O Sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this bronze statue reaching to Olympus when they had pacified the waves of war and crowned their city with the spoils taken from the enemy.
罗德岛的多利安人民谨以此高耸入云的铜像献给您，太阳神，以纪念他们平息了战争的狂涛并用从敌人手中夺来的战利品荣耀了他们的城市。
Not only over the seas but also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom.Dedicatory inscription of the Colossus.
他们不仅在海上而且在陆地上，点亮了自由的火炬---太阳神巨像上的提辞。
From its building to its destruction lies a time span of merely 56 years. Yet the colossus earned a place in the famous list of Wonders.
太阳神巨像的建立到毁坏只有短促的56年时间。然而这座巨像却在著名的世界七大奇观的名单里赢得了一席之位。
"But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel", said Pliny the Elder. The Colossus of Rhodes was not only a gigantic statue.
老莆林尼说过:“但是即便在它倒塌在地时，仍不失是为一个奇观。”罗德岛的太阳神巨像不仅仅是一座巨大的雕像，
It was rather a symbol of unity of the people who inhabited that beautiful Mediterranean island -- Rhodes.
更是居住在美丽的地中海岛屿---罗德岛上的人民团结的象征。
Location
位置
At the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.
位于希腊地中海罗德岛港口的入口处。
History
历史
Throughout most of its history, ancient Greece was comprised of city-states which had limited power beyond their boundary.
古希腊在历史上大部分时间中都是由各个城邦制的国家组成的，这些城邦国家在国界之外只拥有很有限的权利。
On the small island of Rhodes were three of these: Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos. In 408 BC, the cities united to form one territory, with a unified capital, Rhodes.
在小小的罗德岛上就有三个城邦:Ialysos、Kamiros和Lindos。在公元前408年，这三个城邦联合成了一个区域，并有统一的首都:罗德。
The city thrived commercially and had strong economic ties with their main ally, Ptolemy I Soter Egypt. In 305 BC, the Antigonids of Macedonia who were also rivals of the Ptolemies, besieged Rhodes in an attempt to break the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance.
座都城商业发达，并和它的重要盟友，埃及的托勒密一世存在着很牢固的经济联系。公元前305年，托勒密一世的对手，马其顿王国安提柯一世，为了打破罗德—埃及联盟包围了罗德岛。
They could never penetrate the city. When a peace agreement was reached in 304 BC, the Antagonids lifted the siege, leaving a wealth of military equipment behind.
但他们从未能攻入这座城市。公元前304年达成和约时，安提柯一世撤除对罗德岛包围，而且舍弃了巨额的军事设备。
To celebrate their unity, the Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect an enormous statue of their sun god, Helios.
罗德斯人为了颂扬他们团结一致(的精神)，把这些军事设备变卖后，用所得的钱建造了他们的太阳神赫利俄斯的巨大雕像。
The construction of the Colossus took 12 years and was finished in 282 BC. For years, the statue stood at the harbor entrance, until a strong earthquake hit Rhodes about 226 BC.
建造这座巨像花了12年的时间，于公元前282年完工。巨像在港口矗立了许多年，直到公元前226年一次强烈的地震突袭了罗德岛。
The city was badly damaged, and the Colossus was broken at its weakest point -- the knee.
城市遭到严重的破坏，巨像也从它最不牢固的地方——膝盖处断裂开了。
The Rhodians received an immediate offer from Ptolemy III of Egypt to cover all restoration costs for the toppled monument.
罗德岛人得到了埃及托勒密三世及时的援助，这笔援款足够应付修缮这座倾倒的纪念碑所需的全部花费。
However, an oracle was consulted and forbade the re-erection. Ptolemy's offer was declined.
但是，一纸神谕却阻止巨像的重建。而托勒密的援助也被谢绝了。
