英译汉
The Origin of Valentine's Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. 1 But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day - and its patron saint - is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. 2 St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? One legend contends 3 that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men - his crop of potential soldiers.
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. 4 According to another legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself.
While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl - who may have been his jailor's daughter - who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial - which probably occurred around A. D. 270 - others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival 5. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus 6. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests/, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. 8 The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goat hide strips. Far from being fearful 9, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman.
These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around A. D. 498. The Roman "lottery" system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea 10 that the middle of February - Valentine's Day - should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. 11 In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology.
Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.
词汇
1.patron saint圣徒，守护弄申
2.shroud裹蔽，遮蔽
3.vestige痕迹，残留
4.Emperor ClaudiusⅡ罗马皇帝克劳迪亚斯二世
5.confinement囚禁
6.murky朦胧，模糊
7.the Middle Ages欧洲历史上的中世纪
8.feast day宗教节日
9.christianize使基督教化
10.purification(宗教)净化仪式
11.Faunus(罗马神话)牧林之神福纳斯
12.hide兽皮
13.sacrificial blood祭品(如羊犬等)的血
14.mating season交配季节
15.ready-made card现成的贺卡
16.postage rates邮资
注释
1.本句为被动句，语法主语是candy，flowers和gifts，逻辑主语是exchange的施动者，按照汉语倾向用表示人的主语(即有灵主语)的表达习惯，最好用主动语态，补出逻辑主语。
可选“恋人”或“人们”，但后文提及“friends”之间也会互赠礼物。因此，此处宜译成“每年二月，全国各地的人们都以圣-瓦伦丁的名义互赠糖果、鲜花和礼物。”
2.句中谓语动词know前用do表示强调，与前句相对。翻译时可考虑将强调的语气前移到know的主语，表示“无人不知，无人不晓”，全句和前句结合起来翻译，译为“虽然情人节的历史——以及这位情人节的守护圣徒瓦伦丁——已笼罩在神秘的帷幕之中，但是谁都知道，二月是个浪漫之月。”
3.contend在这里表示“声称或主张”，相当于argue，意为“坚称”，暗含着还有其他不同的说法之意。
4.本句中主句和从句信息量不小，按原句顺序直译，会造成严重的翻译腔。where引导的定语从句的信息，可尝试调到前面修饰Christians。
5.pagan Lupercalia festival: pagan指除基督教、犹太教或伊斯兰教徒以外的人们;Lupercalia是牧神节，古罗马每年2月15日祭祀畜牧神卢比克斯以求兴旺的节日。
6.根据罗马神话，Romulus(罗穆卢斯)和Remus(瑞摩斯)是战神玛尔斯和女祭司雷亚·西尔维亚( Rhea SiMa)的双胞胎儿子，因此罗马人有时也自称是“玛尔斯之子”。
国王阿穆利乌斯怕他们长大成人后推翻自己，令人把刚出生的兄弟俩抛弃在台伯河畔，所幸被一头母狼用奶喂养才免于一死。兄弟俩后来被牧羊人法斯土路思从帕拉蒂尼山带回家抚养，长大成人后推翻并处死了阿穆利乌斯，还建造了一座新城。后来，哥哥罗穆卢斯杀死了弟弟瑞摩斯，以自己的名字命名这座城市为“罗马”，并成为第一任国王。
7.Luperci，牧神，年轻的罗马贵族被称为Luperci，这一称谓来自于“母狼育婴”的母狼Lupa。牧神节，Lupercalia。此短语中order指神职的等级或阶层。
8.长句翻译，首先理清整句的含义。“牧神团成员为了开始这个节庆，要聚集到一个神圣的山洞前，这个山洞是罗马的缔造者罗穆卢斯和瑞摩斯呆过的，他们小时候就是在这个洞里被一个母狼哺育过，人们是这么认为的。”后采取分译，再润色。
9.far from可翻译成“远非，非但不，并不”，语气轻重取自上下文的连贯。汉语中近义词很多，语气的衔接便成为选择的标准之一。此处译成“远非害怕”，口气上便有些夸大，不如“并不害怕，相反……”来得自然。
10.本句中added to the idea后接同位语从句，处理时，应注意避免繁复。办法之一，便是将它化为动词词组，同时把同位语变成宾语，如“更加坚信……”。
11.本句是典型的分译例句。找到最佳的切分点是分译的重点。分析本句，可以发现句中主要信息集中在两部分，其一，最早出现瓦伦丁字样的信息;其二，关于写这个字的人的信息。由于两个部分无法整合到一个句子里，所以参考译文将本句分译为两句。
参考译文
情人节的由来
每年二月，全国各地相爱的人们都以圣·瓦伦丁的名义互赠糖果、鲜花和礼物。这位神秘的圣徒到底是谁?而我们又缘何庆祝圣·瓦伦丁节(情人节)?虽然情人节的历史——以及这位情人节的守护圣徒瓦伦丁其人其事——已笼罩在神秘的帷幕之中，但是我们都知道，二月是个浪漫之月。而今天的情人节，同时有着基督教传统和古罗马传统的影子。那么，圣·瓦伦丁究竟是谁?他和这古老的节典有何关联?
有一种说法认为，瓦伦丁是公元3世纪罗马的一位神职牧师。当时，罗马皇帝克劳迪亚斯二世认定未婚的士兵比有妻儿家室的士兵更善战，于是他宣布年轻男子——他未来的兵源——结婚是非法的。瓦伦丁觉得这项法令是非正义的，便违抗皇帝的命令，继续秘密地给年轻恋人主持婚礼。克劳迪亚斯发现后，便下令处死瓦伦丁。
还有些说法认为，瓦伦丁是因为帮在罗马监狱里遭受酷刑的基督教信徒越狱，而被处以极刑的。
还有一种说法是，瓦伦丁就是第一位发送“瓦伦丁”(情人)问候的人。他在牢狱中，和一位探视他、也许是典狱长的女儿的年轻女子坠入了爱河。据说他被处死前，给这位女子写过一封信，署名“你的瓦伦丁”(你的情人)，该署名延用至今。尽管事恃的真相仍然扑朔迷离，但这些传说无不将瓦伦丁塑造成一位悲天悯人、英勇无畏的人物，更重要的是，他充满了浪漫情怀。所以，到了中世纪的时候，瓦伦丁已经成为在英法两国最受爱戴的圣徒。
有些人相信，情人节在2月中旬过是为了纪念瓦伦丁大约在公元270年逝世或入殓之日。还有些人则宣称，基督教把2月中的日子定为瓦伦丁节庆祝，也许是为了将异教徒的牧神节基督教化。在古罗马，2月为春天之始，也被认定是进行“净化仪式”的时间。这时，家家户户都要正式地清扫屋子，并在屋内撒上盐和一种叫斯佩尔特的小麦。牧神节，2月15日开始，是纪念罗马农牧之神福纳斯的节日，同时也是纪念罗马的创立者罗穆卢斯和瑞摩斯的日子。
庆典开始时，罗马牧神团的成员们聚集在圣洞前，人们相信罗马的建立者罗穆卢斯和瑞摩斯，在襁褓中时曾在此洞中受到一头母狼的哺育之恩。牧师们会献祭一头山羊，以求丰收、繁衍，另进献一只狗，以示净化。
然后，孩子们把山羊皮切割成条，蘸上祭血，跑到街上，轻轻地抽打女人们和田里的庄稼。罗马的女人们并不害怕，相反她们很乐意被打，因为据说山羊皮能增强她们来年的生殖能力。据传，那天下午，城里的所有年轻女子都把自己名字写好放进一个钵里，城里的羊身汉们便从钵里抽出一个名字，并在这一年里与此名女子结为伴侣，这些情侣后来多结为夫妻。大约在公元498年教皇格拉修宣布2月14日为圣·瓦伦丁节，罗马的“抽签”配对的风俗被认为不符合基督教义而被定为非法。到了中世纪，法兰西和英格兰人普遍相信鸟儿的交尾期始于2月14日，从而更加坚信2月中的瓦伦丁节应当是浪漫的日子。在现存的资料中，“瓦伦丁”一词最早出现在一首诗里。该诗是在阿金库尔战役中被俘的奥尔良公爵查尔斯被囚禁在伦敦塔中时写给他妻子的。
在英国，情人节大约从17世纪开始流行。到了18世纪中叶，无论贵族还是平民，朋友还是恋人，都在这一天互赠爱意小卡或手写的便笺。到了18世纪末，随着印刷技术的发展，第十三单元节日祝贺Festivals人们开始互送印制的卡片，替代手写的书信。在直抒心意不受鼓励的年代，现成的卡片便成了人们表达情感的便利方式。低廉的邮寄费用，也使互送情人卡愈加普遍。
练习
1.The custom of watching football games on Thanksgiving Day also evolved during the early decades of the 20th century.
2.For a brief time during the 17th century, Puritans banned Christmas in England and in some English colonies in North America because they felt it had become a season best known for gambling, flamboyant public behavior, and overindulgence in food and drink.
3.The custom of wearing new clothes on Easter began around 300 A. D., around the time of Constantine, the first Christian emperor.
4.The people of Greece hail September l as their New Year's Day because it marks the start of the Greek sowing season, a time of hope and promise.
5.The daylight trees of July are signs of common beauty, common freshness, and a mystery familiar and abiding as night and day.
6.It was said that the brightly decorated eggs were left by the Easter rabbit for the country children, who made a game of finding the eggs.
7.The island children carry sea water and pebbles home in a jar, to serve, along with the new wreath, as protective devices.
8.Originally superstitions surrounding the "borrowed days" endured well into the nineteenth century. They were dangerous days, fraught with taboos and the specter of bad weather.
9.Because Canada is north of the Un/ted States, its harvest comes earlier in the year.
Accordingly, the Thanksgiving holiday falls earlier in Canada than in the United Sates.
10.Villagers began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers.
答案
1.从20世纪早期开始，感恩节活动又添新节目，那就是观看足球比赛。
2.在17世纪的一段时期，新教甚至曾严令禁止英国及其北美殖民地人民举行圣诞节庆祝活动。因为他们认为，人们圣诞节假日恣意赌博、招摇过市，还暴饮暴食。
3.在复活节穿新衣服的习俗是在公元后300年左右开始的，大约在第一个基督徒皇帝康斯坦丁的时代。
4.希腊人在9月1日欢庆新年，因为这一天标志着希腊播种季节的开始，这是一个充满希望和期待的季节。
5.七月白昼的葱郁树木，体现出普通的美，常见的清新，是一种如同黑夜白昼般惯常而又永恒的不解之谜。
6.据说，五彩缤纷的彩蛋是复活节兔子为乡村里的那些找蛋玩儿的孩子留下的。
7.他们用罐子装上海水和小鹅卵石带回家，用这些海水、石头连同新花环驱魔避邪。
8.原先种种有关“借日”的迷信说法一直延续到19世纪。这三天里天气阴怖，人们避讳做很多事，怕出点什么茬子。
9.加拿大位于美国以北，每年农作物收割季节较美国早些，所以加拿大总在美国之前庆祝感恩节。
10.家家户户都拿出几盘美食和糖果放在闩口，作为给游魂的礼物，让他们填饱肚子。村民们的安魂风俗由此而始。
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