想死？在一些地方可没那么容易

　　When something as natural and inevitable as death is banned, it does seem a tad illogical. You would be surprised to know that there actually are quite a few places on Earth where death has been forbidden, and deemed illegal. In fact, it seems that this is actually an age-old practice; the earliest known instance of the prohibition of death was in the 5th century BC, when dying wasn’t allowed on religious grounds at the Greek island of Delos. Each place has a reason of its own, varying from religious beliefs to environmental factors。

　　像死亡这种自然的、无法避免的事情都被禁止，貌似有些不合情理。不过，世界上还真有那么几个地方，居然将死亡列为违法行为。其实，这种规矩也可说是古老习俗。早在公元前5世纪受宗教影响，希腊的得洛斯岛就禁止过死亡。无论是受宗教影响还是环境制约，各个地方总有禁止死亡的个中缘由。

　　We’ll take a look at four places where death is forbidden in today’s world:

　　下面四个是地球上至今仍还禁止死亡的地方，一起看看吧：

　　Itsukushima - Japan

　　日本严岛

日本严岛是神道教眼中的圣地

　　According to the Shinto belief, the Japanese island of Itsukushima is a sacred place, and the maintenance of its purity is of utmost concern. So in an attempt to keep up the sanctity of the island, the shrine’s priests have worked pretty hard to make sure no deaths occur there. Since the year 1878, no deaths or births have been permitted near the shrine. Pregnant women nearing the date of delivery aren’t allowed there, nor are the elderly or the terminally ill。

　　日本严岛是神道教眼中的圣地，保持纯洁至关重要。为了维护严岛的圣洁，信徒们恪尽职守，确保岛上没有死亡。1878年以来，此处就禁止了任何生老病死。临产的孕妇或老弱病残者都不允许留着岛上。

　　The only battle that ever occurred on Itsukushima was the Battle of Miyajima in 1555, after which the victorious commander ordered the bodies to be removed to the mainland immediately. The entire island was cleansed of the blood that was spilled, blood-soaked soil was thrown away from the island, and even the buildings were scrubbed new. Well, isn’t that cheating? Because no matter how much they cleaned it, the deaths clearly did happen. Still, nowadays dying is not allowed on Itsukushima。

　　1555年，严岛爆发了史上唯一的战争“宫岛战役”，战役一结束，获胜方就立即清理尸体，冲洗溅到的血迹，抛弃污秽的泥土，甚至连房屋都洗涮一新。不过，这是不是有点儿掩耳盗铃？毕竟不管怎么清洗，死亡已经发生了嘛！话虽如此，今天的严岛对死亡还是严加禁止的。

　　Longyearbyen - Norway

　　挪威的朗伊尔城

北极圈内的朗伊尔城也有死亡禁令

　　The Arctic town of Longyearbyen in the Svalbard Islands of Norway has a similar rule. Death is forbidden, and the town has only a small graveyard that stopped accepting new burials over 70 years ago. The reason – the bodies never decompose. It was discovered that the bodies buried in Longyearbyen were actually perfectly preserved by permafrost. Scientists even removed tissue from a man who died there and found intact traces of the influenza virus that he died from during the epidemic in 1917.

　　在挪威斯瓦尔巴特群岛上，北极圈内的朗伊尔城也有类似禁令。小城只有一块很小的墓地，70多年都没埋过死人了。原因是尸体在这里不能腐烂。人们发现，埋于冻土带的尸体保存得相当完好。1917年，科学家甚至从一具尸体上的细胞里发现了完好无损的流感病毒。

　　People who are gravely ill or expected to die soon are dispatched by air or ship to a different part of Norway, where they would spend the last days of their lives。

　　病入膏肓的人会被飞机或轮船送到挪威其他地方了度残生。

　　Falciano del Massico - Italy

　　意大利Falciano del Massico小镇

意大利南部的Falciano del Massico小镇禁止死亡

　　At Falciano del Massico, a small town in southern Italy, the story is kind of different. People aren’t allowed to die, not because of the environment or religious beliefs, but simply because there isn’t any space left for the dead to be buried. The mayor issued an order earlier this month that stated, “It is forbidden for residents to go beyond the boundaries of earthly life, to go into the afterlife。”

　　意大利南部坎帕尼亚卡塞塔省的Falciano del Massico小镇禁止死亡，不是受环境制约或宗教影响，而只是因为墓地不足。镇长在月初不得不下令：“居民不得脱离尘世，超度永生。”

　　Ever since local boundaries were redrawn in 1964, Falciano del Massico has been in dispute with a neighboring town over rights to the old cemetery. The mayor has decided to now build a new cemetery, but until then, people have been ordered to hold off their deaths. Perhaps they could learn a thing or two from the Indonesian Toraja villagers, and have their dead walking about town。

　　自1964年领土减少以来，Falciano del Massico和邻镇一直因一座老墓地有所纠纷。尽管已计划再建一座墓地，但镇长表示，新墓地竣工之前，居民不准死亡。好吧，或许他们可以向印尼的塔拉加村民讨教讨教赶尸术，让尸体自个儿走出小镇吧！

　　Sarpourenx - France

　　法国的萨布宏村

法国南部萨布宏村村长下达了禁止死亡的命令

　　A decree prohibiting people from dying was again issued by the Mayor of Sarpourenx, a picturesque village in the southwest of France. The decision came after a French court refused planning permission to extend the town’s existing graveyard. But Mayor Gerard Lalanne has actually taken it a bit further, he’s not only banned death, but those who dare to die will be severely sanctioned. Although, it’s not yet clear what the sanctions will be。

　　在法国南部风景如画的萨布宏村，村长也下达了禁止死亡的命令。由于法院驳回了小村扩大墓地的申请，村长杰勒德·拉兰内不得不采取这一措施。他还说，那些违令去世的人将受到严厉处罚。但到底怎么处罚，目前还不太清楚。

　　After all, how could you punish the dead? A coffin with no lining? Or perhaps, one that’s lined with nails. The mayor’s decision has gotten the residents of Sarpourenx worried. “What will happen to me if I die,” they ask. Well, don’t we all want to know that now?

　　问题是，你要怎么惩罚死人呢？棺材不配棺椁，还是在棺材里钉满钉子？村长的勒令搅得人心惶惶，村民很担心自己死后会受到怎样的处罚。嘿嘿，大家现在是不是很好奇呢？