Haunting sound of the bagpipes 哀伤又悠扬的苏格兰风笛

Haunting sound of the bagpipes
哀伤又悠扬的苏格兰风笛
原文
译文
THE sound of the bagpipes is as familiar to the Scottish as wearing a kilt and climbing mountains. But the sad sound of the Scottish bagpipes will send a shiver down your body, whether you love the sound, or hate it.
对于苏格兰人来说，风笛的声音就如同穿苏格兰方格呢短裙或爬越高山一样亲切而熟悉。当苏格兰风笛那忧伤的声音响起，不管你喜欢还是讨厌，你的身体都会掠过一丝震颤。
Most modern Scottish bagpipes are made up of three wooden pipes, which come out of the top of a bag made of sheep or elk skin. When the piper blows into the pipes, a long sound is heard, rather like that of a Chinese erhu. Tunes are created when the piper puts his fingers over the nine holes on the pipes.
现代苏格兰风笛大多有三根木质音管，从一个羊皮或鹿皮风袋的上方伸出来。风笛手吹奏吹管，发出悠长的声音，听上去就象中国的二胡。风笛手用手指堵在音管的9个小孔上以变化音调。
If the piper wants to take a breath, he can press on the bag with his arm, and the bagpipe music does not stop.
如果风笛手想休息一下，就用胳膊夹住风袋，风笛会一直响下去。
Bagpipes have been played for thousands of years. They don't originally come from Scotland, although many people think they do. A piper is always needed at Burns-suppers. Burns-night started 200 years ago as a tribute to the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns. A Burns-Supper starts when a haggis is brought in to dinner to the sound of the bagpipes. A haggis consists of sheep meat, oatmeal, onions and spices, and is cooked by boiling it inside a bag.
风笛已有千百年的演奏历史。很多人以为它起源于苏格兰，但事实并非如此。风笛手最早经常在“彭斯之夜”上演奏。“彭斯之夜”始于200年前，是向苏格兰的著名诗人罗伯特·彭斯致敬的节日。在风笛的乐声中，随着羊杂碎布丁被端上桌，彭斯之夜就拉开了序幕。羊杂碎布丁是将羊肉、燕麦、洋葱和各种调料包在袋子里烹制而成。
The British royal family employ a bagpiper to play for them. When the Queen stays at her Scottish castle, Balmoral, the royal piper plays every morning after breakfast, as well as at special dinners and balls.
英国皇室也邀请风笛手去为他们演奏。在女王下榻苏格兰城堡巴尔莫勒尔堡时，皇家风笛手在每天早饭后、特别的餐宴或者舞会上为她演奏。
So whether the sharp sound of the bagpipes thrills you or not, there is no sign that the popularity of this strange and ancient instrument is fading.
所以，不管风笛清脆嘹亮的乐音是否撩你心弦，这种奇特又古老的乐器没有任何衰落的迹象。