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新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > 《英语学习》系列子刊 > 历史纪元伟人们的爱情故事

历史纪元伟人们的爱情故事
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/02/20 12:27  《英语学习》

  

Famous Love Stories in History

  Antony and Cleopatra

  The last Pharaoh of Egypt and the dashing Roman general

  One of the most famous women in history, Cleopatra VII was the brilliant and beautiful last Pharaoh of Egypt. Although she is often portrayed as a femme fatale, Cleopatra was deeply religious and studied to be a nun. An accomplished mathematician and gifted linguist fluent in nine languages, Cleopatra was also skilled politician popular with her people.

  She married her younger brother, Ptolemy, and she became the mistress of the Roman general Julius Caesar. Following Caesar's death, Roman general Marc Antony went to Egypt to advance the growing power of Rome. Cleopatra captivated Antony. Their affair scandalized Roman society and bothered Roman politicians, who were suspicious of Egypt's power.

  Yet despite the risks, Antony and Cleopatra married in 36 B.C. The couple planned to conquer Rome. But in 31 B.C. the Roman general Octavian destroyed the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium. Hearing a false report that Cleopatra was dead, Antony fell on his sword. With no hope left, Cleopatra induced a poisonous asp to bite her.

  Four thousand years of glorious Pharaonic rule was finally finished. Egypt became a Roman province. Octavian (later Augustus*) became the first Roman Emperor, launching a new era in history.

  Abelard and Heloie

  A monk and a nun whose love letters became world famous

  The tragic story of Abelard and Heloise has resonated through the ages. Around 1,100, Peter Abelard went to Paris to study at the school of Notre Dame. He gained a reputation as an outstanding philosopher.

  Fulbert, the canon of Notre Dame, hired Abelard to tutor his niece, Heloise. Abelard and the scholarly Heloise fell deeply in love, conceived a child, and were secretly married. But Fulbert was furious, so Abelard sent Heloise to safety in a convent.

  Thinking that he intended to abandon Heloise, Fulbert had his servants castrate Abelard while he slept. Abelard became a monk and devoted his life to learning. The heartbroken Heloise became a nun. Despite their separations and tribulations, Abelard and Heloise remained in love.

  Their poignant love letters were later published.

  John Alden and Priscilla Mullins

  One of the earliest romances in the American colonies

  Immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1858 poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish, John Alden's marriage to Priscilla Mullins was one of the earliest romances in the American colonies. While the story is not verifiable, many experts do believe it in fact happened.

  Alden and Mullins arrived on the Mayflower in 1630. Shortly thereafter, Standish, "a blunt old captain, a man not of words but of actions," according to Longfellow, took a liking to Mullins, "the loveliest maiden of Plymouth."

  However, although Standish was fearless in battle, he was too shy to confront Mullins directly, so he sent his young friend, Alden. The soft-spoken Alden was "Fair-haired, azure-eyed, with delicate Saxon complexion/Having the dew of his youth, and the beauty thereof..."

  After Alden had pleaded Standish's case, Mullins said, "Why don't you speak for yourself, John?" It was clear that Alden and Mullins were in love, but the couple was afraid of offending Standish. When they received word that the captain had been killed fighting Indians, Alden and Mullins agreed to marry. At the end of the wedding, Standish, who had not been killed after all, appeared, and seeing what had transpired, gave the newlyweds his blessing and asked their forgiveness for his previous behavior.

  Alden and Mullins had 11 children and were among the founders of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts.

  Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

  English royalty who mourned her husband's death for 40 years

  Victoria was a lively, cheerful girl, fond of drawing and painting. She ascended the throne of England in 1837 after the death of her uncle, King William IV. In 1840, she married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

  While at first Prince Albert was unpopular in some circles because he was German, he came to be admired for his honesty, diligence, and his devotion to his family. The couple had nine children. Victoria loved her husband deeply. She relied on his advice in matters of state, especially in diplomacy.

  When Albert died in 1861, Victoria was devastated. She did not appear in public for three years. Her extended seclusion generated considerable public criticism. Several attempts were made on Victoria's life. However, under the influence of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Victoria resumed public life, opening Parliament in 1866.

  But Victoria never stopped mourning her beloved prince, wearing black until her death in 1901. During her reign, the longest in English history, Britain became a world power on which "the sun never set".

  Robert and Elizabeth Browning

  A secret courtship between two legendary poets

  Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her husband, Robert Browning, led lives suited for leading Romantic poets. Their story contains all the elements-secret courtship, elopement, love poems, and the beautiful Italian landscape.

  Writing poetry as a child, Elizabeth published a book, Poems, in 1844. The work impressed Browning, a poet himself, and he began a correspondence. The two later met and fell in love.

  Opposition from Elizabeth's father forced them to elope in 1846. They later fled to Italy, where they lived and worked for 15 years. Much of their work was inspired by their own long romance, including Elizabeth's Sonnets from the Portuguese. After Elizabeth's death in 1861, Browning returned to England, where he continued to write until his own death in 1889.

  Marie and Pierre Curie

  Partners in love and science

  Unable to continue her studies in Poland because universities did not admit women, Maria Sklodowska Curie traveled to Paris in 1891 to attend the Sorbonne.

  Known by the French "Marie," she spent every spare hour reading in the library or in the laboratory. The industrious student caught the eye of Pierre Curie, director of the laboratories where Marie worked.

  Curie ardently wooed Marie and made several marriage proposals. They were finally married in 1895 and began their famous partnership. In 1898 they discovered polonium and radium. The Curies and scientist Henri Becquerel won a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 for discovering radioactivity.

  When Curie died in 1904, Marie pledged to carry on their work. She took his place at the Sorbonne, becoming the school's first female teacher. In 1911 she became the first person to win a second Nobel Prize, this time for chemistry. She continued to experiment and lecture until her death of leukemia in 1934, driven by the memory of the man she loved. -

历史纪元伟人们的爱情故事

  安东尼和克娄巴特拉

  --埃及最后的法老和风流倜傥的罗马统帅

  克娄巴特拉七世是历史上最著名的女性之一,这个聪明、美丽的女人也是埃及最后一个法老。克娄巴特拉常常被描绘成一个妖媚荡妇,其实她笃信宗教,曾经为成为一个修女而潜心修行。克娄巴特拉是一位卓越的数学家和天生的语言学家,能流利地讲九种语言,同时她也是个精通权术的政治家,颇受国人爱戴。

  她嫁给了她的弟弟托勒密,后来又成了罗马统帅尤利乌斯·恺撒的情妇。恺撒死后,(新的)罗马统帅马克·安东尼到达埃及,意图扩张罗马帝国不断壮大的势力。克娄巴特拉迷住了安东尼。他们的恋情激怒了罗马朝野,也使原本就对埃及政权持怀疑态度的罗马政治家们反感不已。

  然而,安东尼和克娄巴特拉仍然不顾种种危险,于公元前36年举行了婚礼。这对新人意欲征服罗马,但是他们的联合舰队却在公元前31年的阿克提姆岬战役中被罗马的另一位统帅屋大维击败。得到克娄巴特拉已死的错误报告后,安东尼拔剑自刎。而克娄巴特拉(得知安东尼自杀的噩耗后)陷入绝望,让一条毒蛇咬了自己(而结束了生命)。

  长达4,000年的辉煌的法老统治时代最终结束了。埃及变成了罗马帝国所辖的一个省。屋大维(即后来的奥古斯都)成了罗马第一个皇帝,开辟了历史的新纪元。

  阿伯拉尔和埃洛伊丝

  --一个修道士和修女,他们的情书举世闻名

  阿伯拉尔和埃洛伊丝的悲剧故事世世代代回荡在人们心里。约在公元1,100年,彼得·阿伯拉尔到巴黎圣母院的学校学习,并成了一位声誉斐然的杰出哲学家。

  巴黎圣母院的牧师福尔伯特聘请阿伯拉尔担任侄女埃洛伊丝的家庭教师。阿伯拉尔和勤奋好学的埃洛伊丝深陷情网并有了孩子,两人秘密结婚了。但是福尔伯特勃然大怒,为了埃洛伊丝的安全着想,阿伯拉尔把她送进了一间女修道院。

  而福尔伯特以为阿伯拉尔想抛弃埃洛伊丝,就让仆人乘他睡觉的时候把他阉割了。阿伯拉尔后来当了修道士,终生修行。心碎的埃洛伊丝则成了一名修女。虽然分隔两地、历尽磨难,但两人始终真情不渝。

  两个人之间心碎的情书后来得以出版面世。

  约翰·奥尔登和普丽西拉·莫林斯

  --美洲殖民地最早的罗曼史之一

  约翰·奥尔登同普丽西拉·莫林斯的结合是美洲殖民地最早的爱情故事之一,并因亨利·华兹华斯·朗费罗写于1858年的诗《迈尔斯·斯坦狄什求婚记》而流传后世。尽管这个故事的真实性无从考证,但很多专家都认为确有其事。

  奥尔登和莫林斯于1630年乘"五月花"号到达北美大陆。其后不久,斯坦狄什--根据朗费罗的描述--"一位耿直的老上校、一个行重于言的男人"喜欢上了莫林斯这个"普利茅斯最可爱的少女"。

  尽管斯坦狄什在战斗中勇敢无畏,但他却害羞得不敢面对莫林斯,于是就请出了他年轻的朋友奥尔登(去帮他求爱)。嗓音温和的奥尔登有着"金黄的头发,湛蓝的眼睛,柔和的撒克逊人肤色/以及青春的朝气和俊美……"

  在奥尔登说明了斯坦狄什的心意后,莫林斯说,"你为什么不为自己表白呢,约翰?"显而易见,奥尔登和莫林斯两人彼此相爱,但他们又害怕惹恼斯坦狄什。得知斯坦狄什上校在与印第安人交火时身亡的消息后,两人决定结婚。在婚礼结束之时,根本就没有死的斯坦狄什出现了。目睹了所发生的一切之后,斯坦狄什祝福了这对新人,并为自己先前的行为请求他们的原谅。

  奥尔登和莫林斯总共生了11个孩子,他们二人都在马萨诸塞州达克斯伯利城的创始人之列。

  维多利亚女王和阿尔伯特亲王

  --一位英国王族深深缅怀死去的丈夫40年

  维多利亚是个活泼可爱的女孩子,热爱素描和绘画。1837年,在叔父威廉四世死后,维多利亚登上了王位。1840年,她嫁给了自己的表兄,萨克森-科堡-哥达公国的阿尔伯特亲王。

  最初亲王因身为德国人而在某些圈子里不受欢迎,但他的正直、勤勉和对家庭的热爱逐渐博得了大家的敬重。这对夫妇生了九个孩子。维多利亚深爱自己的丈夫,在国家大事尤其是外交问题上也很倚重他的意见。

  1861年,阿尔伯特逝世。维多利亚悲痛欲绝,连续三年都没有在公众场合露面。她长时间的"与世隔绝"引起了相当多的公众非议。大家为改变女王的生活做了好几次努力(都失败了)。不过,在首相本杰明·迪斯累里的影响下,维多利亚女王恢复了公众生活,并在1866年召开了国会。

  但女王从来没有停止悼念她的爱人。她一直身着黑衣,直到1901年逝世。她是英国历史上在位时间最久的一位国王,英国在她统治期间变成了"日不落帝国"。

  罗伯特·勃朗宁和伊丽莎白·勃朗宁

  --两个传奇诗人之间的秘密爱恋

  伊丽莎白·巴雷特·勃朗宁和她的丈夫罗伯特·勃朗宁的生活符合一流浪漫诗人的身份。他们的故事包括所有要素--秘密求爱,

  私奔,爱情诗,以及美丽的意大利风光。

  伊丽莎白从孩提时代就开始写诗,1844年她出了一本书,名为《诗集》。同样身为诗人的罗伯特被这部作品深深打动了,于是给她写了一封信。后来两个人见了面,并坠入爱河。

  来自伊丽莎白父亲的反对迫使他们于1846年私奔。他们后来逃到意大利,在那里一起生活和创作了15年。他们大部分作品--包括伊丽莎白所作的《葡萄牙十四行诗集》--的创作灵感都来自他们自己的长久爱情。1861年伊丽莎白死后,勃朗宁返回英格兰继续创作,一直到1889年去世。

  玛丽·居里和皮埃尔·居里

  --情感和科学上的伴侣

  由于波兰的大学不接收女生,玛丽·斯卡洛多斯卡·居里无法在波兰继续学业,于是她于1891年来到巴黎,进了巴黎大学。

  以法语名字"玛丽"为人熟知的她将全部的课余时间都用在了图书馆或是实验室里。这个勤奋好学的女生引起了皮埃尔·居里的注意,他是玛丽工作的实验室的主管。

  居里对玛丽展开了热烈追求并好几次向她求婚,两人最终于1895年结了婚,他们举世闻名的伙伴关系就此开始。1898年,他们发现了钋和镭。居里夫妇和科学家亨利·贝克勒尔因发现了放射能而获得了1903年的诺贝尔物理学奖。

  1904年皮埃尔·居里去世时,玛丽承诺继续进行他们的事业。她接替了他在巴黎大学的职位,成了该校第一位女教师。1911年,她又成了两次获得诺贝尔奖的第一人,不过这次是诺贝尔化学奖。怀着对爱人深深的思念,她继续从事实验和教学,直到1934年因白血病离开人世为止。-




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