ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Tracy Chevalier - Author
Novelist Tracy Chevalier is the author of "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Why you should listen

Tracy Chevalier pulls stories from paintings and historical episodes, finding the human thread behind opaque images. Her best-known book is Girl With a Pearl Earring, inspired by a Vermeer painting; other books include The Lady and the Unicorn and Burning Bright, about two children who become neighbours of William Blake. Her upcoming book, The Last Runaway, tells a story from the Underground Railroad.

For the anthology Imagined Lives, she wrote about an unknown portrait sitter whom she calls "Rosy." Hear the podcast of her story. and find more stories from the National Portrait Gallery.

More profile about the speaker
Tracy Chevalier | Speaker | TED.com

TEDSalon London Spring 2012

Tracy Chevalier: Finding the story inside the painting

崔西·雪佛藍：名畫背後的故事

Filmed: 2012-05-10

Readability: 2.9

1,389,986 views

崔西·雪佛藍看畫的時候，總是想像着畫作背後的故事：畫家是如何認識模特兒的？要怎麼解釋這女孩眼中的表情？為什麼這個男模特兒…會臉紅？她藉三幅肖像畫分享了三段故事，其中一幅就是讓她寫出同名暢銷小說的「戴珍珠耳環的少女」。

Tracy Chevalier - Author
Novelist Tracy Chevalier is the author of "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16

I'm going to tell you about an affliction痛苦 I suffer遭受 from.

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讓我告訴各位一件我很苦惱的事

00:20

And I have a funny滑稽 feeling感覺 that quite相當 a few少數 of you

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而且直覺告訴我，這裡不少人

00:23

suffer遭受 from it as well.

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跟我一樣有這種苦惱

00:24

When I'm walking步行 around an art藝術 gallery畫廊,

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當我在畫廊看畫的時候

00:27

rooms客房 and rooms客房 full充分 of paintings繪畫,

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走過一間又一間滿是畫作的房間

00:29

after about 15 or 20 minutes分鐘,

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看了15到20分鐘後

00:33

I realize實現 I'm not thinking思維 about the paintings繪畫.

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我領悟到我其實沒有在看畫

00:35

I'm not connecting連 to them.

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我對這些畫一點感覺也沒有

00:37

Instead代替, I'm thinking思維 about that cup杯子 of coffee咖啡

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我腦袋裡想著的其實是咖啡

00:39

I desperately拼命 need to wake喚醒 me up.

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我亟需讓自己清醒

00:42

I'm suffering痛苦 from gallery畫廊 fatigue疲勞.

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我的苦惱就是畫廊困倦症

00:45

How many許多 of you out there suffer遭受 from --

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這裡有多少人也有這種苦惱？

00:48

yes. Ha哈 ha哈, ha哈 ha哈!

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是吧！哈哈哈哈！

00:50

Now, sometimes有時 you might威力 last longer長

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那麼，有時候大概可以撐

00:52

than 20 minutes分鐘, or even shorter短,

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超過20分鐘，有時甚至撐不了那麼久

00:54

but I think we all suffer遭受 from it. And do you have

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但我想我們都有著這種苦惱

00:56

the accompanying隨同 guilt有罪?

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那你會伴隨著愧疚的感覺嗎？

00:58

For me, I look at the paintings繪畫 on the wall壁

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對我來說，當我看著牆上的畫作

01:01

and I think, somebody誰 has decided決定 to put them there,

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我想，某個人決定要把這些畫掛在牆上

01:04

thinks想 they're good enough足夠 to be on that wall壁,

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想著，這些畫是値得掛出來的

01:07

but I don't always see it.

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但我不見得看得懂好在哪裡

01:08

In fact事實, most最 of the time I don't see it.

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事實上，絕大部分時間我都看不懂

01:11

And I leave離開 feeling感覺 actually其實 unhappy不快樂.

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所以我離開畫廊時很不開心

01:15

I feel guilty有罪 and unhappy不快樂 with myself我,

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我自覺內疚，不快樂

01:18

rather寧 than thinking思維 there's something wrong錯誤 with the painting繪畫,

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我認為我看不懂是因為我有問題

01:20

I think there's something wrong錯誤 with me.

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而不是這些畫有問題

01:22

And that's not a good experience經驗, to leave離開 a gallery畫廊 like that.

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所以像這樣離開畫廊的經驗很差

01:24

(Laughter笑聲)

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（笑聲）

01:26

The thing is, I think we should give ourselves我們自己 a break打破.

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我認為我們應該對自己好一點

01:28

If you think about going into a restaurant餐廳,

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你想，如果你去了一家餐廳

01:31

when you look at the menu菜單, are you expected預期 to order訂購

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當你看菜單的時候，你會想去點

01:34

every一切 single單 thing on the menu菜單?

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菜單上的每一道菜嗎？

01:36

No! You select選擇.

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不會！你會選菜

01:38

If you go into a department部 store商店 to buy購買 a shirt襯衫,

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如果你去百貨公司買襯衫

01:41

are you going to try on every一切 single單 shirt襯衫

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你會試穿店裡的每一件襯衫嗎？

01:44

and want every一切 single單 shirt襯衫?

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而且每一件都買嗎？

01:46

Of course課程 not, you can be selective可選擇的. It's expected預期.

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當然不會！你有所選擇，本應如此

01:50

How come, then, it's not so expected預期

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那爲什麼不行在

01:53

to be selective可選擇的 when we go to an art藝術 gallery畫廊?

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畫廊裡選擇性地看畫呢？

01:55

Why are we supposed應該 to have a connection連接 with every一切 single單 painting繪畫?

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憑什麼我們對每一幅畫都要有感覺？

01:58

Well I'm trying試 to take a different不同 approach途徑.

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所以我試著用不同的方法

02:01

And there's two things I do:

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我做兩件事

02:03

When I go into a gallery畫廊, first of all, I go quite相當 fast快速,

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我去畫廊的時候
我很快地先把畫廊走一遍

02:07

and I look at everything, and I pinpoint查明 the ones那些

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把所有的畫都瀏覽一下
然後我選出幾幅

02:11

that make me slow慢 down for some reason原因 or other.

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因為某些因素讓我想慢慢看的畫

02:14

I don't even know why they make me slow慢 down, but something

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我甚至不知道為什麼這些畫吸引我佇足

02:17

pulls拉 me like a magnet磁鐵

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但是他們像磁鐵般吸住我的目光

02:19

and then I ignore忽視 all the others其他, and I just go to that painting繪畫.

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然後我不再回顧其他的畫
就直接走去那幅我想看的

02:22

So it's the first thing I do is, I do my own擁有 curation策展.

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所以這是我先做的事
自己當博物館館長

02:25

I choose選擇 a painting繪畫. It might威力 just be one painting繪畫 in 50.

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我先選一幅畫，可能是50選一

02:28

And then the second第二 thing I do is I stand站 in front面前 of that painting繪畫,

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然後第二件事是我站在那幅畫前

02:32

and I tell myself我 a story故事 about it.

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自己編一個有關這畫的故事

02:35

Why a story故事? Well, I think that we are wired有線,

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為什麼是一個故事？嗯，我想這是天生的

02:39

our DNA脫氧核糖核酸 tells告訴 us to tell stories故事.

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我們的DNA告訴我們要講故事

02:42

We tell stories故事 all the time about everything,

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我們總是拿各式題材說故事

02:45

and I think we do it because the world世界 is kind類 of a crazy瘋, chaotic混亂的 place地點,

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我認為我們之所以這麼做
是因為這是個瘋狂混亂的世界

02:50

and sometimes有時 stories故事, we're trying試 to make sense感 of the world世界 a little bit位,

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有時候我們用故事來讓這個世界更合理一點

02:54

trying試 to bring帶來 some order訂購 to it.

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試著在混亂中找秩序

02:56

Why not apply應用 that to our looking at paintings繪畫?

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為什麼不在看畫時如法炮製呢？

03:00

So I now have this sort分類 of restaurant餐廳 menu菜單

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所以現在我就像在餐廳裡選菜一般

03:04

visiting訪問 of art藝術 galleries畫廊.

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選畫廊裡的畫

03:07

There are three三 paintings繪畫 I'm going to show顯示 you now

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接下來我要展示三幅畫

03:10

that are paintings繪畫 that made製作 me stop in my tracks軌道

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這些畫讓我駐足良久

03:13

and want to tell stories故事 about them.

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想對人訴說他們的故事

03:16

The first one needs需求 little introduction介紹 --

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第一幅需要解釋一下它的背景

03:19

"Girl女孩 with a Pearl珍珠 Earring耳環" by Johannes約翰內斯 Vermeer維米爾,

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揚‧維梅爾的「戴珍珠耳環的女孩」

03:22

17th-centuryTH-世紀 Dutch荷蘭人 painter畫家.

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他是十七世紀的荷蘭畫家

03:25

This is the most最 glorious輝煌 painting繪畫.

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這是最棒的一幅

03:27

I first saw it when I was 19,

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我第一次看到這幅畫是十九歲

03:29

and I immediately立即 went去 out and got a poster海報 of it,

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後來我馬上就去買了一張它的海報

03:31

and in fact事實 I still have that poster海報. 30 years年份 later後來 it's hanging掛 in my house屋.

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其實我仍保留著那張海報
30年後我還把它掛在家裡

03:36

It's accompanied伴隨著 me everywhere到處 I've gone走了,

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我搬到哪裡都要帶著它

03:39

I never tire胎 of looking at her.

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總是百看不厭

03:41

What made製作 me stop in my tracks軌道 about her to begin開始 with

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一開始讓我在畫廊佇足欣賞這幅畫的理由

03:45

was just the gorgeous華麗 colors顏色 he uses使用

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只是因為他用了好漂亮的顏色

03:47

and the light光 falling落下 on her face面對.

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還有那映照在她臉上的光影

03:49

But I think what's kept不停 me still coming未來 back

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但是我想會讓我年復一年的回來看這幅畫

03:52

year年 after year年 is another另一個 thing, and that is

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一定有另外的原因

03:55

the look on her face面對, the conflicted衝突 look on her face面對.

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那就是她臉上的表情，充滿矛盾的表情

03:59

I can't tell if she's happy快樂 or sad傷心,

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我不知道她是快樂還是悲傷

04:01

and I change更改 my mind心神 all the time.

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我每次看都有不同的結論

04:04

So that keeps保持 me coming未來 back.

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所以這讓我一直回來看這幅畫

04:08

One day, 16 years年份 after I had this poster海報 on my wall壁,

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在我買了那張海報16年後的某一天

04:12

I lay鋪設 in bed床 and looked看著 at her,

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我躺在床上看著她

04:15

and I suddenly突然 thought, I wonder奇蹟 what

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我突然想著，到底

04:17

the painter畫家 did to her to make her look like that.

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畫家對她做了什麼
使她有那樣的表情

04:21

And it was the first time I'd ever thought that

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這是我第一次思考到

04:24

the expression表達 on her face面對 is actually其實 reflecting反映

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她臉上的表情其實反映了

04:27

how she feels感覺 about him.

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她對畫家的感情

04:29

Always before I'd thought of it as a portrait肖像 of a girl女孩.

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在那之前，我僅僅把它視為一幅女孩的肖像

04:32

Now I began開始 to think of it as a portrait肖像 of a relationship關係.

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現在我開始認為它在描繪一段關係

04:37

And I thought, well, what is that relationship關係?

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然後我就想，喔，那這是段什麼樣的關係？

04:40

So I went去 to find out. I did some research研究 and discovered發現,

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所以我就開始找答案，我發現

04:43

we have no idea理念 who she is.

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我們對她一無所知

04:45

In fact事實, we don't know who any of the models楷模

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事實上，我們對維梅爾畫作裡的模特兒

04:48

in any of Vermeer's維米爾的 paintings繪畫 are,

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都一無所知

04:50

and we know very little about Vermeer維米爾 himself他自己.

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我們對維梅爾本身的瞭解也不多

04:52

Which哪一個 made製作 me go, "YippeeYIPPEE!"

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這讓我大呼，「妙極了！」

04:55

I can do whatever隨你 I want, I can come up with whatever隨你 story故事 I want to.

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我可以盡情發揮編造出各式各樣的故事

05:00

So here's這裡的 how I came來了 up with the story故事.

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所以以下就是我編的故事

05:02

First of all, I thought,

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首先我認為

05:04

I've got to get her into the house屋.

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我要想辦法讓她進到房子裡面

05:06

How does Vermeer維米爾 know her?

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維梅爾是如何認識她的呢？

05:09

Well, there've已經有 been suggestions建議 that

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嗯，有人是這麼說的：

05:10

she is his 12-year-old-歲 daughter女兒.

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她是他12歲的女兒

05:15

The daughter女兒 at the time was 12 when he painted繪 the painting繪畫.

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他的女兒在他畫這幅畫時的確是12歲

05:17

And I thought, no, it's a very intimate親密 look,

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然後我想，不對，這個表情的確很親密

05:20

but it's not a look a daughter女兒 gives給 her father父親.

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卻不是女兒看父親的那種親密

05:22

For one thing, in Dutch荷蘭人 painting繪畫 of the time,

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有件事情該提一下，在當時荷蘭的畫風是

05:24

if a woman's女人的 mouth口 was open打開, it was indicating說明 sexual有性 availability可用性.

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如果女模特兒的嘴巴張開，表示性引誘

05:27

It would have been inappropriate不當 for Vermeer維米爾

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對維梅爾而言，把女兒畫成那樣

05:29

to paint塗料 his daughter女兒 like that.

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的確很不妥當

05:31

So it's not his daughter女兒, but it's somebody誰

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所以這不是他的女兒，而是一個

05:33

close關 to him, physically物理 close關 to him.

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與他關係很親近，肉體關係很近的人

05:35

Well, who else其他 would be in the house屋?

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還有誰可能在他的宅邸內呢？

05:37

A servant僕人, a lovely可愛 servant僕人.

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僕人，一個漂亮的僕人

05:41

So, she's in the house屋.

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所以，她在房子裡

05:42

How do we get her into the studio工作室?

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那要如何讓她進到畫室裡呢？

05:45

We don't know very much about Vermeer維米爾,

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我們對維梅爾真的瞭解不多

05:47

but the little bits位 that we do know, one thing we know

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但就我們所知的那一點點，有一件事我們的確知道

05:49

is that he married已婚 a Catholic天主教徒 woman女人, they lived生活 with her mother母親

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就是他與一位天主教女士結婚，他們與岳母同住在

05:52

in a house屋 where he had his own擁有 room房間

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一間有他專屬的房間的屋子裡

05:54

where he -- his studio工作室. He also也 had 11 children孩子.

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有他自己的畫室。他還有11個小孩

05:59

It would have been a chaotic混亂的, noisy嘈雜 household家庭.

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這個房子大概很亂很吵吧

06:02

And if you've seen看到 Vermeer's維米爾的 paintings繪畫 before,

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如果你看過維梅爾的畫

06:05

you know that they're incredibly令人難以置信 calm冷靜 and quiet安靜.

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你會發現這些畫表現出不可思議的恬靜安詳

06:09

How does a painter畫家 paint塗料 such這樣 calm冷靜, quiet安靜 paintings繪畫 with 11 kids孩子 around?

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一個畫家如何在有11個小孩圍繞的情況下
畫出如此恬靜安詳的畫？

06:13

Well, he compartmentalizes間隔化 his life.

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他把他的生活分成好幾部分

06:15

He gets得到 to his studio工作室, and he says說, "Nobody沒有人 comes來 in here.

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他到了畫室，他會說：「沒有人可以進來這裡。」

06:18

Not the wife妻子, not the kids孩子. Okay, the maid女傭 can come in and clean清潔."

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「太太不能，小孩也不能，好吧！女僕可以進來打掃。」

06:23

She's in the studio工作室. He's got her in the studio工作室, they're together一起.

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女僕進到了畫室，他把她引進了畫室，他們在一起

06:30

And he decides決定 to paint塗料 her.

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然後他決定畫一張她的肖樣

06:32

He has her wear穿 very plain川 clothes衣服.

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他讓她穿上非常普通的衣服。

06:35

Now, all of the women婦女, or most最 of the women婦女 in Vermeer's維米爾的 other paintings繪畫

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所有維梅爾畫裡的女人，或者是大部分的女人

06:38

wore穿著 velvet絲絨, silk絲, fur毛皮, very sumptuous豪華 materials物料.

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都穿著以非常昂貴的絨、絲、毛皮材質所做的衣服

06:44

This is very plain川; the only thing that isn't plain川

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而這件衣服非常普通，整張畫裡唯一上得了台面的

06:46

is her pearl珍珠 earring耳環.

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是她的珍珠耳環

06:49

Now, if she's a servant僕人, there is no way she could afford給予

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如果她是女僕，她不可能買得起

06:52

a pair對 of pearl珍珠 earrings耳環.

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這樣一對珍珠耳環

06:54

So those are not her pearl珍珠 earrings耳環. Whose誰的 are they?

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所以這對耳環不是她的，那是誰的？

06:57

We happen發生 to know, there's a list名單 of Catharina凱瑟琳娜, the wife's妻子 clothes衣服.

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剛好我們知道他太太凱薩琳娜的衣服清單中

07:02

Amongst當中 them a yellow黃色 coat塗層 with white白色 fur毛皮,

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有一件帶有白色皮毛的黃大衣

07:06

a yellow黃色 and black黑色 bodice緊身胸衣,

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一件黃黑兩色的緊身馬甲

07:08

and you see these clothes衣服 on lots of other paintings繪畫,

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你在他其他的畫作裡都看得到這些衣服

07:12

different不同 women婦女 in the paintings繪畫, Vermeer's維米爾的 paintings繪畫.

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維梅爾的畫作裡不同的女人穿著這些衣服

07:15

So clearly明確地, her clothes衣服 were lent借給 to various各個 different不同 women婦女.

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所以很顯然，她的衣服借給不同的女人穿

07:19

It's not such這樣 a leap飛躍 of faith信仰 to take

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所以如果說這女孩拿了他太太的耳環來戴

07:22

that that pearl珍珠 earring耳環 actually其實 belongs屬於 to his wife妻子.

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也不是太不可思議的解釋吧

07:25

So we've我們已經 got all the elements分子 for our story故事.

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所以我們把故事的重要元素都湊齊了

07:28

She's in the studio工作室 with him for a long time.

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她與他在畫室裡獨處很長一段時間

07:31

These paintings繪畫 took拿 a long time to make.

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這些畫要花很久時間來完成

07:33

They would have spent花費 the time alone單獨, all that time.

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他們可能經常獨處很長一段時間

07:36

She's wearing穿著 his wife's妻子 pearl珍珠 earring耳環.

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她戴著他太太的珍珠耳環

07:38

She's gorgeous華麗. She obviously明顯 loves愛 him. She's conflicted衝突.

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她很迷人，她顯然愛著他，但她也很矛盾

07:41

And does the wife妻子 know? Maybe not.

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他太太知道嗎？大概不知道吧

07:43

And if she doesn't, well --

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如果她不知道，嗯......

07:47

that's the story故事.

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故事就這麼寫下去了

07:49

(Laughter笑聲)

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（笑聲）

07:51

The next下一個 painting繪畫 I'm going to talk about

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下一幅畫我要談一談

07:53

is called叫 "Boy男孩 Building建造 a House屋 of Cards牌" by Chardin夏爾丹.

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夏丹的「堆卡片的男孩」

07:57

He's an 18th-centuryTH-世紀 French法國 painter畫家 best最好 known已知 for his still lifes靜物,

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他是18世紀法國畫家，以靜物畫出名

08:01

but he did occasionally偶爾 paint塗料 people.

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不過他偶爾也會畫人像

08:04

And in fact事實, he painted繪 four四 versions版本 of this painting繪畫,

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事實上，這幅畫他畫了四個版本

08:08

different不同 boys男孩 building建造 houses房屋 of cards牌, all concentrated集中.

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不同版本裡的男孩都很專心地堆疊著

08:11

I like this version版 the best最好, because some of the boys男孩

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我最喜歡這個版本，因為其他版本的男孩

08:15

are older舊的 and some are younger更年輕, and to me, this one,

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不是太老就是太年輕。對我而言，這個

08:18

like Goldilocks's金發的 porridge稀飯, is just right.

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就像金髮小女孩的麥片粥（英語繪本童話）一樣，剛剛好

08:21

He's not quite相當 a child兒童, and he's not quite相當 a man.

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他不太像是個小孩，卻又還不能算是個大人

08:25

He's absolutely絕對 balanced均衡 between之間 innocence無辜 and experience經驗,

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他的樣子恰好展現出純真與老成間的平衡

08:30

and that made製作 me stop in my tracks軌道 in front面前 of this painting繪畫.

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這讓我佇足在這幅畫前觀賞

08:35

And I looked看著 at his face面對. It's like a Vermeer維米爾 painting繪畫 a bit位.

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我看著他的臉，有點像維梅爾的畫

08:38

The light光 comes來 in from the left, his face面對 is bathed沐浴

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他的臉沈浸在從左邊照過來的光線中

08:41

in this glowing泛著 light光. It's right in the center中央 of the painting繪畫,

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他就在這幅畫的中央

08:43

and you look at it, and I found發現 that when I was looking at it,

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而且你看，我發現當我看著他

08:46

I was standing常設 there going,

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我居然站在那裡說著

08:47

"Look at me. Please look at me."

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看我！請看看我！

08:50

And he didn't look at me. He was still looking at his cards牌,

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但他沒有看我，他還是看著他的卡片

08:53

and that's one of the seductive妖媚 elements分子 of this painting繪畫 is,

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這就是這幅畫的誘人的要素之一

08:56

he's so focused重點 on what he's doing that he doesn't look at us.

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他是如此專心在手上的工作以致於看都不看我們一眼

09:00

And that is, to me, the sign標誌 of a masterpiece傑作,

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這對我而言，是一幅畫的傑作的象徵

09:04

of a painting繪畫 when there's a lack缺乏 of resolution解析度.

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尤其是當我們對這幅畫缺乏解答的時候

09:08

He's never going to look at me.

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他永遠都不會看我一眼

09:10

So I was thinking思維 of a story故事 where,

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所以我構思了一個故事

09:11

if I'm in this position位置, who could be there looking at him?

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如果我是那個小男孩，誰會在那裡看我？

09:15

Not the painter畫家, I don't want to think about the painter畫家.

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不是這位畫家，我不想去想這位畫家

09:17

I'm thinking思維 of an older舊的 version版 of himself他自己.

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我想的是這個男孩的大人版

09:19

He's a man, a servant僕人, an older舊的 servant僕人 looking at this younger更年輕 servant僕人,

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一個成年僕人，一個凝視著年輕一點的僕人的老一點的僕人

09:25

saying話, "Look at me. I want to warn警告 you about

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說著：「看看我。我要警告你

09:28

what you're about to go through通過. Please look at me."

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你將要經歷的人生。請看看我。」

09:30

And he never does.

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但他並沒有因為這樣就看著他

09:32

And that lack缺乏 of resolution解析度, the lack缺乏 of resolution解析度 in "Girl女孩 with a Pearl珍珠 Earring耳環" --

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這種無解的感覺，就像「戴珍珠的女孩」那種無解的感覺

09:35

we don't know if she's happy快樂 or sad傷心.

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我們不知道她是喜還是悲

09:38

I've written書面 an entire整個 novel小說 about her,

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即使我已針對她寫了一整本小說

09:39

and I still don't know if she's happy快樂 or sad傷心.

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我仍然不知道她是喜還是悲

09:41

Again and again, back to the painting繪畫,

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我一次又一次地回去看這幅畫

09:43

looking for the answer回答, looking for the story故事 to fill填 in that gap間隙.

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想找出答案，想找個故事來解釋這個缺口

09:48

And we may可能 make a story故事, and it satisfies滿足 us momentarily瞬間,

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我們當然可以編個故事來暫時滿足自己

09:51

but not really, and we come back again and again.

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但卻沒有達到我們想要的效果，所以我們一次又一次地回來看

09:57

The last painting繪畫 I'm going to talk about

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我要談的最後一幅畫

10:00

is called叫 "Anonymous匿名" by anonymous匿名. (Laughter笑聲)

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叫做「無名氏」，畫家也是「無名氏」（笑聲）

10:05

This is a Tudor都鐸 portrait肖像 bought買 by the National國民 Portrait肖像 Gallery畫廊.

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這幅都鐸時代的畫由英國國家肖像美術館買下

10:08

They thought it was a man named命名 Sir先生 Thomas托馬斯 Overbury被害,

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他們原本以為這是詩人托馬斯·奧弗伯理爵士

10:10

and then they discovered發現 that it wasn't不 him,

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但是後來他們發現原來不是他

10:13

and they have no idea理念 who it is.

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而且他們也不知道這到底是誰

10:15

Now, in the National國民 Portrait肖像 Gallery畫廊,

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所以，在國家肖像美術館裡

10:17

if you don't know the biography傳 of the painting繪畫,

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如果你不知道一幅畫的背景

10:18

it's kind類 of useless無用 to you.

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對你而言這畫沒什麼用處

10:20

They can't hang掛 it on the wall壁, because they don't know who he is.

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這幅畫不能掛出來展覽，因為他們不知道他是誰

10:23

So unfortunately不幸, this orphan孤兒 spends花 most最 of his time in storage存儲,

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所以很不幸地這幅「孤兒」畫
大部分時間都跟其他一樣為數不少的

10:27

along沿 with quite相當 a number數 of other orphans孤兒,

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「孤兒」畫一樣存放在儲藏室裡

10:30

some of them some beautiful美麗 paintings繪畫.

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其中有些畫真的很漂亮

10:32

This painting繪畫 made製作 me stop in my tracks軌道 for three三 reasons原因:

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這幅畫讓我停下來看的原因有三個

10:37

One is the disconnection斷開 between之間 his mouth口

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第一是他嘴與眼的表情不一致

10:40

that's smiling微笑 and his eyes眼睛 that are wistful悵惘.

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他的嘴在微笑，但他的眼卻顯出哀愁

10:43

He's not happy快樂, and why isn't he happy快樂?

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他並不快樂，而他為什麼不快樂？

10:46

The second第二 thing that really attracted吸引 me

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第二個很吸引我的原因

10:49

were his bright亮 red紅 cheeks臉頰.

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是他亮紅色的雙頰

10:51

He is blushing臉紅. He's blushing臉紅 for his portrait肖像 being存在 made製作!

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他臉紅了。他因為被畫而臉紅

10:55

This must必須 be a guy who blushes臉紅 all the time.

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這個傢伙一定常常臉紅

10:58

What is he thinking思維 about that's making製造 him blush臉紅?

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他到底想到什麼使他臉紅呢？

11:00

The third第三 thing that made製作 me stop in my tracks軌道

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第三個讓我停下腳步的原因

11:04

is his absolutely絕對 gorgeous華麗 doublet成對的東西.

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是他那件非常華麗的上衣

11:06

Silk絲, gray灰色, those beautiful美麗 buttons鈕扣.

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絲綢，灰色，還有那些美麗的鈕扣

11:10

And you know what it makes品牌 me think of,

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你知道這些讓我想到什麼嗎？

11:12

is it's sort分類 of snug舒適 and puffy蓬鬆; it's like a duvet羽絨被 spread傳播 over a bed床.

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它看起來又貼又蓬，好像床上鋪的羽絨被

11:16

I kept不停 thinking思維 of beds床 and red紅 cheeks臉頰,

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我老是想到床和紅臉頰

11:19

and of course課程 I kept不停 thinking思維 of sex性別 when I looked看著 at him,

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當然，當我看著他我也總是聯想到性

11:22

and I thought, is that what he's thinking思維 about?

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而且我在想，他是不是也在想這個？

11:24

And I thought, if I'm going to make a story故事,

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然後我想，如果我要根據他寫個故事

11:27

what's the last thing I'm going to put in there?

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我最後要寫的是什麼？

11:29

Well, what would a Tudor都鐸 gentleman紳士 be preoccupied斤斤計較 with?

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喔，都鐸時代的男性都在想什麼？

11:32

And I thought, well, Henry亨利 VIII八, okay.

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我想到亨利八世

11:34

He'd他會 be preoccupied斤斤計較 with his inheritance遺產, with his heir繼承者.

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他也許每天都在想誰能繼承他的位子

11:38

Who is going to inherit繼承 his name名稱 and his fortune幸運?

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誰將繼承他的名號及財富

11:42

You put all those together一起, and you've got your story故事

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你如果把這些都放在一起，你的故事就可以

11:46

to fill填 in that gap間隙 that makes品牌 you keep coming未來 back.

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填補讓你一直反覆回來看畫的那些缺口

11:49

Now, here's這裡的 the story故事.

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那麼這就是我想到的故事

11:54

It's short短.

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很短

11:57

"Rosy紅潤"

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「小紅玫」

12:00

I am still wearing穿著 the white白色 brocade錦緞 doublet成對的東西 Caroline卡羅琳 gave給 me.

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我仍然穿著卡洛琳送我的白色絲綢上衣

12:04

It has a plain川 high高 collar領, detachable可拆開 sleeves袖子

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它是件有著可拆式袖子的普通高領上衣

12:08

and intricate錯綜複雜 buttons鈕扣 of twisted扭曲 silk絲 thread線,

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還有著以絲線纏扭出的精緻鈕扣

12:11

set組 close關 together一起 so that the fit適合 is snug舒適.

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縫得很密，所以很貼身

12:14

The doublet成對的東西 makes品牌 me think of a coverlet床單 on the vast廣大 bed床.

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這件緊身上衣使我想起床上的床罩

12:18

Perhaps也許 that was the intention意向.

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或許這就是她的意圖吧

12:21

I first wore穿著 it at an elaborate闡述 dinner晚餐 her parents父母 held保持 in our honor榮譽.

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我第一次穿它是在她父母為我們舉辦的豪華晚宴上

12:26

I knew知道 even before I stood站在 up to speak說話

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我知道在我站起來發言之前

12:28

that my cheeks臉頰 were inflamed發炎的.

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我的雙頰紅得像火

12:31

I have always flushed酡 easily容易, from physical物理 exertion用力,

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我總是很容易臉紅，不論是因為體力消耗

12:34

from wine紅酒, from high高 emotion情感.

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喝酒，還是情緒激動

12:37

As a boy男孩, I was teased戲弄 by my sisters姐妹 and by schoolboys小學生,

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就因為我是個男孩，所以我的姊妹及男生同學都嘲笑我

12:41

but not by George喬治.

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但是喬治卻沒有

12:44

Only George喬治 could call me Rosy紅潤.

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只有喬治能叫我小紅玫

12:47

I would not allow允許 anyone任何人 else其他.

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我不讓別人這樣叫我

12:49

He managed管理 to make the word字 tender投標.

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他的叫法讓這個字聽起來很柔和

12:53

When I made製作 the announcement公告, George喬治 did not

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當我宣佈訂婚的消息時，喬治並沒有臉紅

12:56

turn轉 rosy紅潤, but went去 pale蒼白 as my doublet成對的東西.

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相反的，卻蒼白的像我的上衣

12:59

He should not have been surprised詫異.

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他不應該驚訝的

13:01

It has been a common共同 assumption假設

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大家都覺得很理所當然

13:03

that I would one day marry結婚 his cousin表姐.

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有一天我會娶他的表妹

13:06

But it is difficult難 to hear聽 the words話 aloud高聲.

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但聽到正式宣佈這消息卻依然很難接受

13:09

I know, I could barely僅僅 utter說出 them.

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我瞭解，我也很難啟齒

13:12

Afterwards之後, I found發現 George喬治 on the terrace陽台 overlooking俯瞰 the kitchen廚房 garden花園.

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之後我在能俯視廚房菜園的陽台上找到了喬治

13:17

Despite儘管 drinking喝 steadily穩步 all afternoon下午, he was still pale蒼白.

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儘管喝了一下午的酒，他看起來仍然蒼白

13:22

We stood站在 together一起 and watched看著 the maids女傭 cut切 lettuces生菜.

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我們站在一起看著女僕切萵苣菜

13:26

"What do you think of my doublet成對的東西?" I asked問.

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我問：「你喜歡我的緊身上衣嗎？」

13:29

He glanced瞥了一眼 at me. "That collar領 looks容貌 to be strangling絞殺 you."

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他瞧了我一眼說：「這個領子會掐死你。」

13:34

"We will still see each每 other," I insisted堅持.

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我很堅定地說：「我們還是可以見面的。」

13:36

"We can still hunt打獵 and play玩 cards牌 and attend出席 court法庭.

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「我們還是可以一起打獵、玩牌、去宮廷。

13:39

Nothing need change更改."

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一切如舊。」

13:41

George喬治 did not speak說話.

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喬治沒有說什麼

13:45

"I am 23 years年份 old舊. It is time for me to marry結婚

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「我已經23歲了，是該結婚了，

13:48

and produce生產 an heir繼承者. It is expected預期 of me."

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也該生個子嗣繼承家業，這是大家的期望。」

13:52

George喬治 drained倒掉 another另一個 glass玻璃 of claret紅葡萄酒 and turned轉身 to me.

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喬治喝乾了另一杯紅酒，轉身面對我

13:56

"Congratulations祝賀 on your upcoming即將到來 nuptials婚禮, James詹姆士.

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「恭喜你要結婚了，詹姆士。

14:00

I'm sure you'll你會 be content內容 together一起."

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我深信你倆會很幸福。」

14:05

He never used my nickname暱稱 again.

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從此他不再叫我的小名

14:08

Thank you.

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謝謝

14:10

(Applause掌聲)

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（掌聲）

14:13

Thank you.

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謝謝大家

14:14

(Applause掌聲)

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（掌聲）

Translated by Regina Chu
Reviewed by Paoli Lee

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Tracy Chevalier - Author
Novelist Tracy Chevalier is the author of "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Why you should listen

Tracy Chevalier pulls stories from paintings and historical episodes, finding the human thread behind opaque images. Her best-known book is Girl With a Pearl Earring, inspired by a Vermeer painting; other books include The Lady and the Unicorn and Burning Bright, about two children who become neighbours of William Blake. Her upcoming book, The Last Runaway, tells a story from the Underground Railroad.

For the anthology Imagined Lives, she wrote about an unknown portrait sitter whom she calls "Rosy." Hear the podcast of her story. and find more stories from the National Portrait Gallery.

More profile about the speaker
Tracy Chevalier | Speaker | TED.com

THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM

崔西·雪佛藍：名畫背後的故事 | TED Talk | TED.com