The Nile尼罗河

李星玥

The longest river in the world, the Nile, flows through the north-western area of Africa, and then into the Mediterranean Sea.

世界上最长的河流尼罗河，流经非洲西北部，最终汇入池中海。

Great civilizations have always flourished alongside rivers, bu t the Egyptian civilization, which started on the Nile, is the most fascinating and mysterious in the history of mankind.

伟大的人类文明多发源于河流两岸，但人类历史上最为绚丽、神秘的是始于尼罗河的古埃及文明。

The Nile valley is a fertile one where there is an abundance of water and sun, elements which the ancient Egyptian believed were gods, they called the sun Amon and the Nile Apis.

足，罗河谷拥有充足的淡水与阳光，这二者被古埃及人奉为神灵，他们尊称太阳为 AMON，称尼罗河为 APIS。

Memphis was the first great capital of Egypt, united as a single kingdom in the third millennium B.C.. But the Nile burst its banks a few centuries ago, flooding the ancient capital.

孟菲斯是埃及第一个首都，公元前3000年，它建立为独立王国。而若干世纪以前，尼罗河水泛滥，冲垮了古都。

The river however has given more than it has taken, enough to make Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian say: Egypt is a gift from the Nile.

但毕竟，尼罗河所赋予的远大于它索取的。正如古希腊历史学家希罗多德所言:埃及是尼罗河赐予的礼物。

The population on the Nile has grown at a dizzying rate, giving rise to a great metropolis of the size of Cairo the second most populous city in the world.

现在，尼罗河沿岸人口激增，首都开罗已经是世界人口最多的第 2大城市。

To see the swarming  crowds in the capital it would seem that the lesson of Ramese II, whose colossal stature is located near Cairo' s Central Station, is still alive in Egypt. Ramses II had more than a hundred children and in Egypt today a baby is born every 20 seconds. The population is very young and half of its 54 million inhabitants are under 20 years old.

看着熙来攘往的人群，仿佛又看到了莱比西斯二世的故事重现。他的塑像平已矗立在开罗中央车站。莱比西斯二世有一百多个孩子，而今天的埃及每 20秒就有一个新生命诞生。当地人口年轻化， 5千 4百万人口中，有一半不满 20岁。

These so I solemn slates are almost participants in modem life. You can almost find your ideas about the Nile ref1ected in their eyes.

而肃穆的法老像似乎也在参与着后人的生活。也许，你能从他的眼中读到关于尼罗河的种种证实。