我知道耶魯學子充滿了智慧,所以我能說的有哪些是你們認為自己不知道的呢?
I can tell you something of the world as I see it. Three days ago, in my role as Middle East envoy, I stood in the heart of Bethlehem. On one side of me, lay the concrete barrier which now separates Israel and Palestine. On the other, the historic birthplace of Jesus and the land of Palestine beyond.
我可以給你們講講我眼中的世界。三天前,我作為中東特使去了伯利恒市中心。我的一側矗立著混凝土筑成的隔離墻,隔開了以色列和巴勒斯坦。而另一側則是歷史上著名的耶穌降生地,和遠處巴勒斯坦的土地。
A few days before that, I was in Jericho. If you look up from the town centre, to the left is the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus stayed 40 days and nights. To the right, you can see Mount Nebo where Moses looked down on the Promised Land. And right in front of you is the Valley of Jordan.
那之前的幾天,我在杰里科。從那個小鎮(zhèn)中心仰望,在左側你會看到誘惑山,耶穌在那兒整整度過40個日日夜夜。在右側,則會看見尼泊山,摩西就是在那兒俯視著上帝許給猶太人的迦南地。而在正前方則是約旦河谷。
My guide, a Muslim, turned to me and said: "Moses, Jesus, Mohammed - why in God's name did they all have to come here?"
我的向導,以為穆斯林,問我,“摩西、耶穌、穆罕默德——為什么都要以上帝的名義來到這里呢?”
But in God's name they came and for centuries their followers have waged war in the name of prophets whose life's work was in pursuit of peace.
然而,以上帝的名義,他們確實來了,而且數世紀以來,他們的追隨者以先知的名義發(fā)動戰(zhàn)爭,盡管先知用畢生追求和平。
Today, though the land that encompasses Israel and Palestine is small, the conflict symbolizes the wider prospects of the entire vast region of the Middle East and beyond. There, the forces of modernization and moderation battle with those of reaction and extremism. The shadow of Iran looms large.
如今,雖然以色列和巴勒斯坦的國土面積很小,但他們之間的沖突卻象征了更廣泛的、整個中東地區(qū)的局勢。在那里,現代化和中庸派正與反動勢力和極端主義對峙。伊朗的陰影正在擴大。