2015-12-28
【Aiden in English】
Maryland houses the one thing the nation prides itself on. Technically speaking, it isn't in Maryland, but I'm not that technical. No, it's not the winner of the NFC East (screw you Eagles!) or a decent basketball team (screw you 76ers!), but the nation's capital. No one passes through Maryland without thinking about the stately White House and a politician's and Donald Trump's craftiness. Mom and I were not out of the ordinary in that particular category. Okay, maybe we are different in one category, instead of visiting the National Air and Space Museum. At the Museum of Natural History, we went to the Library of Congress (LOC). Yeah! Well, I'm excited about this one. Visitors don't even get to view books! Yet this library was more on the history side, and right off the bat, I could infer that it was more of a museum than a knowledge/boredom center. Magnificent mosaics decorated Italian Renaissance-style architecture. As we boarded a public, free tour, we learned that the building was not always planned like this. In the early 1800s, a library for Congress was designed and built in the Capitol, but the British soon destroyed it in the War of 1812. Then, the second time it was built, a hyper chimney on Christmas Eve burned nearly every book in the library in 1851. So, a new building was to be built, which was supposed to be significant but straightforward. It turned out to be quite fancy. As the French Opera House was opening soon, and well, knowing the United States of America, the LOC had to be the best of the best, number one in the world, wipe out all competition, and look like today's Golden State Warriors, etcetera. And boom, here we have it, the splendid Jefferson Building. He got the name because of the number of books sold to the library in 1815 to make the collection. But a few decades later, the Madison and Adam Buildings were built for, you guessed it, or maybe didn't need more books! As well as patents, motion pictures, regular pictures, journals, letters, artworks, diaries, and anything you can think of that would be on a nerd's desk. Around the building were many paintings and mosaics, each with a different meaning. To start, in the main reading room, where you could fit Albert Einstein's brain into the books and shelves, there was a painting of a woman at the top of the ceiling, which was domed. The woman was taking a hood off, and it symbolized the unveiling of ignorance. On the entrance to the room was a mosaic of Minerva, which symbolized wisdom to all those Percy Jackson fans. She had dropped her shield and pointed her spear into the ground, which meant she was surrendering. She was reading from a scroll showing wisdom, and under her was a small statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, and the Golden State Warriors, at least looking at their season right now. It wished the people who used the wisdom within the room success in whatever it was doing. And no, it's not the sports company Nike; they have had some success as well. Yes, we thought about the Capitol of our country, and I also thought about how the Philadelphia Eagles should've won the last game against the Washington Redskins. Donald Trump was left out of the conversation and didn't need to be in my holiday discussion. However, since I'm mentioning him now, some things can't be avoided. I hope his attitude to life doesn't burn down the Library of Congress. 【红霞译】
马里兰“心爱之地”州因是首都所在地而引人骄傲，严格地说，首都根本没有坐落在马里兰州，可我本身没那么专业，且慢，咱不提国家橄榄球联合会东区赛事（去你的吧，费城“兄弟情谊”老鹰队！）或者像样的篮球队（滚蛋吧，费城七六人队！）而只谈国家首都。每逢路过马里兰州，人们免不了想起权力象征的白宫、纵横捭阖的政治家、有钱任性的唐纳德·特朗普“世界领主·喇叭商”，况且我和妈妈都不是那种脱俗之人。
没错，如果硬要分门别类，我们有点与众不同。这回道访华府，我们既不是冲美国国家航空航天博物馆而来，也不是奔美国国立自然历史博物馆而去，相反却为浏览国会图书馆而至，千真万确！对喽，此行令我极度兴奋，来访者亲临藏书之地反倒无需读书！国会图书馆比较偏重历史，而非知识性博物馆／让人疲乏中心，沿袭了意大利文艺复兴建筑风格的马赛克“镶嵌”装饰可谓富丽堂皇。正因为加入国会图书馆为公众免费提供的参观小组，我们才搞清楚大楼原始设计根本不是现在我们看到的这个样子。追溯到19世纪早期，国会图书馆首次破土动工，当时设在国会大厦内，但不久即毁于1812年美英战争之中。重建的国会图书馆命运多舛，1851年平安夜烟囱起火，几乎烧掉所有藏书。于是，兴建一个又新又大简单易行的国会图书馆迫在眉睫，但最终却造出这么一个出奇华美的建筑。当时法国歌剧院即将落成，明白了吧，美国国会图书馆必须好上加好，而且一定举世无双，并以排山倒海之势力压群雄，如同时下金州勇士队所向无敌，等等。只听“轰”的一声，世界上最大的图书馆托马斯·杰斐逊“双·上帝的和平”大厦与世人见面。何故以他的名字命名，就是因为1815年他把自己收藏的图书转手卖给国会图书馆“收藏”，几十年过后，麦迪逊“神赐”和亚当“男人”大厦先后完工，无论你想到没有，书越来越多！另外还有专利、电影、普通胶片、报刊、信件、艺术品以及其它你放飞想象书呆子热衷摆放在桌上的任何玩意。
绘画作品及镶嵌艺术无处不在，而且各自都有不同的寓意。先从主阅览室说起，那可真是集艾尔伯特·爱因斯坦“高贵·石匠”之大成，将其聪睿才智全部复制成书并整理上架；圆拱形屋顶画有妇女肖像，她正要摘下帽子，借此引申除去无知的面纱；正门挂着一件密涅瓦“智慧女神”马赛克，对于所有珀西·杰克逊“山谷穿越者·神慈”书迷而言，她是智慧的象征。密涅瓦放下手中盾牌，把战矛插入地面，意味着她鼓足勇气热爱智慧，其下方是耐克“胜利女神”塑像，恰巧反映出金州勇士队目前的战绩。这幅画的用意在于，智慧是成功的前提，希望所有到此研习的学者都能从智慧中吸取力量，争取在各行各业获得成功。上面所提到的耐克不是生产运动品牌的公司，但不管怎样，两者各有成功的一面。 是的，人人都会惦记一国之家的国会大厦，这不能不叫我联想起上一场美式橄榄球比赛费城老鹰队怎么会赢不了华盛顿“睿智农场”红皮队，唐纳德·特朗普已被排除在原因之外，过节期间我不想拿他说事，不过既然提及他，我就直白点吧，但愿他的处世态度不会毁掉国会图书馆。
Today in History(历史上的今天): 2014: Dickens Village @ Philly Macy's(费城美西狄更斯村) 2014: Salute to Vienna @ Kimmel Center(费城金梅尔“向维也纳致敬”) 2013: Safari in Selous Game Reserve, TZ(坦桑尼亚塞卢斯禁猎区) 2012: Glacier Alley & Ushuaia(冰川通道和乌斯怀亚) 2010: 节日串连(Holiday Connection) 2009: 骑在羊背上的国家(Riding on Sheep's Back)  Union Square Station in the Early 20th-Century Classical, Beaux-Arts, among Others
(联合广场车站·20世纪早期古典主义、美术学院等 12-28-2015)  Union Metro Station (联合地铁车站 12-28-2015)
 Washington Monument (华盛顿纪念碑 12-28-2015)
Vietnam Veterans Memorial & Capitol Reflection Pool (越战纪念碑与国会倒影池 06-18-1994) 
Capitol Hill & Washington Monument (国会山和华盛顿纪念碑 12-28-2015)
Measurement of Lincoln @ Ford's Theatre (福特“浅滩”剧院·与林肯“池塘边”比个头 06-19-1994)
Saint Peter's or the House Church on the House Side of Capitol Hill (圣彼得“磐石”教区教堂众议院教会·位于国会山众议院一侧 12-28-2015) 
St. Joseph's or the Senate Church on the Senate Side of Capitol Hill
(圣约瑟夫“神助”教区教堂即参议院教会·位于国会山参议院一侧)
 Capitol in Renovation
(正在翻修的国会大厦 12-28-2015)
 Supreme Court of the United States
(美国最高法院 12-28-2015)  Library of Congress (国会图书馆 12-28-2015)
James Madison Memorial Bldg (麦迪逊第四任总统纪念馆 12-28-2015)  Lintel @ James Madison Memorial Bldg
(麦迪逊第四任总统纪念馆门楣)  Thomas Jefferson Bldg, the Oldest of the Congress Library Bldgs in the Late 19th-Century Beaux-Arts
(第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊大厦——19世纪晚期美院派国会图书馆最古老的建筑 12-28-2015)  Lintel @ Thomas Jefferson Bldg
(托马斯·杰斐逊大厦门楣) 
Ceiling & Cove (天花板与拱顶内凹)  Coffered ceiling (格子天花板)
Main Reading Rm Dome (主阅览室圆顶)
 NATURE IS THE ART OF GOD (自然是神的艺术)
Decorated Vaulted Ceiling (装饰性拱形天花板) 
Great Hall w/ Christmas Tree (大厅·圣诞树 12-28-2015)  2nd Floor of Great Hall (大厅·二楼)
Mosaic Panorama of Elihu Vedder's Minerva of Peace @ Great Hall (大厅——伊莱休·韦德《和平密涅瓦》马赛克全景) 
Minerva of Peace @ Great Hall (大厅绘画《和平密涅瓦》)
 2 of 8 Panels Representing Literature @ Great Hall
(八个代表文学镶板中的两个)  Great Hall, an Example of Beaux-Arts Architecture
(大厅·美院派建筑的典范 12-28-2015)  Mural Paintings @ the Corridor of the Great Hall
(大厅·走廊壁画)  DREAMS, BOOKS, ARE EACH A WORLD
(梦与书属于不同的世界 12-28-2015)  LEARNING IS BUT AN ADJUNCT TO OURSELVES
(学问是我们随身的财产 12-28-2015)
 BEAUTY IS TRUTH, TRUTH BEAUTY (美即是真,真即是美)
THERE IS BUT ONE TEMPLE IN THE UNIVERSE (宇宙中只有一座圣殿) 
THE WEB OF LIFE IS OF A MINGLED YARN, GOOD AND ILL TOGETHER (我们生活在吉凶交织而成的网脉之中)  Main Reading Rm (主阅览室)
 Thomas Jefferson Library
(托马斯·杰斐逊图书馆 12-28-2015)  US Capitol @ United States Botanic Garden
(美国植物园·美国国会大厦)
 珊瑚仙人掌、女士手指仙人掌、印度桑葚、岩石流苏蕨
 洋兰、圣诞兰、孤挺花、喇叭花
 兜兰、缅栀花
 巨柱仙人掌、水鬼蕉
 Hot Pot @ Qiuping's House
(秋萍家吃火锅 12-28-2015)
Crosslinks(相关文章): USA(出游美国) 7th Grade(初中二年级) |
