【简译】贝叶挂毯（巴约挂毯、玛蒂尔德女王挂毯）

2022-12-29 13:29 作者:神尾智代 0人读过 | 我要投稿

The Bayeux Tapestry shows in pictures the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, and his 1066 defeat of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. It was produced between 1067 and 1079, most likely by embroiderers working in Canterbury, England, and probably for Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux.

贝叶挂毯以图画的形式展示了诺曼底公爵“征服者”威廉对英格兰的征服，以及他在1066年黑斯廷斯战役中击败哈罗德·戈德温森国王的事件。这件挂毯是在1067年至1079年间由在英格兰坎特伯雷工作的刺绣师完成的，而且很可能是为天主教巴约教区的主教奥多制作。

The tapestry is really an embroidery as the scenes are stitched not woven into the linen. It is the largest and best-preserved such work from the Middle Ages and is invaluable not only for its contribution to the story of the Norman invasion but also for its depiction of many aspects of medieval warfare and daily life. The tapestry is now on permanent public display in the William the Conqueror Centre of Bayeux in Normandy, France.

这幅挂毯实际上是一种刺绣，因为场景是缝制的，而不是织在亚麻布上。它是中世纪同类作品中规模最大、保存最完好的作品，其价值不仅在于它对诺曼人入侵故事的贡献，还在于它对中世纪战争和日常生活许多方面的描述。这幅挂毯现在在法国诺曼底的征服者威廉中心永久公开展出。

材料和尺寸

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered piece of multiple-banded linen fastened onto a backing cloth. It measures 68.38 metres (224 ft) in length and is 50 cm (20 inches) wide. The thread used to stitch the designs is mostly two-ply wool yarn with some use of linen thread. Using at least ten different colours, the threads were dyed using plant material. As the scenes on the cloth are stitched and not woven, the cloth is not technically a tapestry but the name has stuck from medieval times when such decorative hanging cloths or covers, however they were made, were known as a tapis or tapisserie.

贝叶挂毯绣有多块亚麻布，并固定在织物衬里上。它的长度为68.38米（224英尺），宽度为50厘米（20英寸）。用来缝制图案的线大多是两层毛线，也有一些使用了亚麻线。这些线至少使用了十种不同的颜色，是用植物材料染色的。由于布上的场景是缝制的，而不是编织的，所以从技术上讲，这种布不是挂毯，但这个名字自中世纪以来一直沿用至今，当时这种装饰性的挂布或覆盖物，不管它们是如何制作的，都被称为Tapis或Tapisserie。

The tapestry has 58 scenes of the Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon England and the events which led up to it explaining (one might say justifying) William's claim to the throne of England. The scenes involve 626 characters as well as horses, dogs, ships, trees and buildings. They were probably stitched following an outline first drawn on the cloth by a single artist. The main scenes are bordered at the top and bottom by a strip showing fantastic animals like dragons and griffins, strange human figures, corpses and body parts. Some of these border scenes may represent fables or allude to certain moral behaviours and so offer a commentary on the main scene which appears directly above them. Stitched Latin words and phrases explain who or what is in the scene below. Very well-preserved and its colours still bright, only the last section of the tapestry is missing.

这幅挂毯有58个场景，描述了诺曼人对盎格鲁-撒克逊英格兰的征服，并解释了导致（或试图证明）威廉继承英格兰王位的事件。这些场景涉及626个人物以及马、狗、船只、树木和建筑物。它们可能是按照一位艺术家在布上首次绘制的轮廓线缝制的。主要场景的顶部和底部都有一条边框，显示龙和狮鹫等神奇的动物、奇怪的人形、尸体和身体部位。这些边框场景中的一些可能代表了寓言故事或暗示了某些道德行为，因此为直接出现在它们上面的主要场景提供了评论。缝制的拉丁语单词和短语解释了下面场景中的人或事物。这幅挂毯保存得非常好，颜色依然鲜艳，只有最后一段挂毯丢失。

贝叶挂毯的第39板块描绘了诺曼舰队的马匹和士兵在公元1066年离开船只前往黑斯廷斯与撒克逊人作战

历史概述

The most likely place of the tapestry's production is Canterbury, England, but other possibilities include Normandy or the Loire Valley. The English connection is suggested by the style of the stitched scenes which resemble those seen in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and by the fact that Canterbury did have a celebrated school of embroidery at the time. In addition, the Latin text often contains words spelt in the English manner. It was most likely made for Odo, the Earl of Kent (another Canterbury connection), Bishop of Bayeux and the half-brother of William the Conqueror. It is perhaps significant that Odo appears prominently in the tapestry itself. However, the tapestry was traditionally known as 'Queen Matilda's Tapestry' after William the Conqueror's wife, Matilda of Flanders, although there is no specific evidence of a connection.

挂毯最可能的制作地点是英格兰的坎特伯雷，但也有可能是在诺曼底或卢瓦尔河谷。缝制场景的风格与盎格鲁-撒克逊手稿中的场景相似，而且坎特伯雷当时确实有一所著名的刺绣学校。此外，拉丁文本中经常包含以英语方式拼写的单词。它很可能是为肯特伯爵（另一个与坎特伯雷有关的人）、巴约主教和征服者威廉的同父异母的兄弟奥多制作。奥多出现在挂毯本身的显著位置，这也许很重要。然而，该挂毯在传统上被称为 “玛蒂尔达女王挂毯”，是以征服者威廉的妻子、佛兰德斯的玛蒂尔达的名字命名的，尽管没有具体的证据证明两者之间的联系。

Around 1077 the rebuilding of the cathedral of Bayeux was completed and consecrated by Bishop Odo. It is possible that the tapestry was then displayed to the public inside the cathedral, although the first reference to the tapestry in any text does not appear until 1476 when it is listed on the cathedral's inventory. Another possibility is that the tapestry was first hung in the great hall of Odo's private residence. For most of its existence, the tapestry was probably locked up in a chest, out of view in the cathedral's vaults. The French state took ownership of the tapestry following the French Revolution of 1792 and Napoleon Bonaparte briefly displayed it in Paris as a timely anti-British propaganda tool. In 1842 the public of Bayeux could once again see their tapestry when it was put on display in the town's public library. Kept safe in Sourches and then the Louvre in Paris during the Second World War, the tapestry was returned to Bayeux after the war. There have been several minor repairs to the tapestry over the years and, since 1983, a dedicated space has been given to the tapestry in Bayeux's William the Conqueror Centre (Centre Guillaume le Conquérant).

大约在1077年，巴约圣母主教座堂的重建工作已经完成，并由奥多主教主持。挂毯有可能是在大教堂内向公众展示的，尽管在任何文本中第一次提到挂毯是在1476年，当时挂毯被列入大教堂的清单。另一种可能性是，挂毯最初被挂在奥多私人住宅的大殿里。在它存在的大部分时间里，挂毯可能被锁在一个箱子里，在大教堂的地下室里存放。1792年法国大革命后，法国政府取得了挂毯的所有权，拿破仑·波拿巴在巴黎短暂地展示了这幅挂毯，作为一种及时的反英宣传工具。1842年，当挂毯在该镇的公共图书馆展出时，巴约的公众可以再次看到他们的挂毯。在第二次世界大战期间，挂毯被安全地保存在圣桑福里安城堡（Châteaude Sourches），然后又被保存在巴黎的卢浮宫，战后被送回巴约。多年来，人们对挂毯进行了几次小规模的修补，自1983年以来，在巴约的征服者威廉中心（Centre Guillaume le Conquérant）为挂毯提供了专门的展览空间。

诺曼征服的故事

The majority of the scenes which together tell the story of the Norman Conquest match in many instances with medieval written accounts even if there are, as one might expect with a purely visual narrative, some omissions such as the Anglo-Saxons' battle with Norway's Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge three weeks prior to Hastings. Again because it is a visual account, with only a few Latin words as pointers, many scenes are open to several interpretations. The tapestry starts with a scene set in 1064 where the English king Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066) says farewell to Harold Godwinson, his brother-in-law and the Earl of Wessex, who is to travel to Normandy on an unknown mission. Norman writers would record the mission's purpose as a pledge of Saxon loyalty to William, Duke of Normandy, while an English chronicle suggests it was merely a visit to secure the release of Saxon prisoners.

大多数场景共同讲述了诺曼征服的故事，在许多情况下都与中世纪的文字记载相吻合，即使如人们所预期的那样，在纯粹的视觉叙述中存在一些遗漏，例如在黑斯廷斯之前三周，盎格鲁-撒克逊人在斯坦福桥与挪威的哈拉尔·哈德拉达的战斗。同样，由于它是一种视觉叙述，只有几个拉丁语单词作为指示，许多场景都可以有多种解释。挂毯从1064年的一个场景开始，英国国王忏悔者爱德华（1042-1066年）向他的妹夫、威塞克斯伯爵哈罗德·戈德温森告别，后者将前往诺曼底执行一项未知的任务。诺曼底作家将这次任务的目的记录为撒克逊人对诺曼底公爵威廉的忠诚保证，而一部英国编年史则认为这只是一次确保释放撒克逊人囚犯的访问。

Next, Harold's ship is blown off course and on reaching landfall he is captured by Count Guy of Ponthieu. William orders Harold's release and enrolls him in a battle with Duke Conan of Brittany. Harold fights well and is depicted favourably as a brave warrior who even manages to save two of the enemy from quicksand. Afterwards, Harold is knighted by William, although the fact he holds a banner and the Latin rubric mentions 'arms' may show that Harold has been given back his banners and is now a vassal of the Norman duke. Harold swears an unknown oath to William with his hands on holy relics, and then returns to England. Some commentators have suggested that because William has a sword in his hand in this scene, the oath was taken under duress and, therefore, whatever the oath actually was could later be honourably broken by Harold.

接下来，哈罗德的船被吹偏了方向，在到达登陆点时，他被蓬蒂厄的居伊伯爵抓住了。威廉下令释放哈罗德，并让他参加与布列塔尼公爵康南的战斗。哈罗德战斗娴熟，被描述为一个勇敢的战士，他甚至设法从流沙中救出了两个敌人。之后，哈罗德被威廉封为骑士，尽管哈罗德手握他的旗帜，挂毯上的拉丁文标题包含“武器”一词，这可能意味着他的旗帜归还给他，并成为诺曼公爵的附庸。哈罗德双手捧着圣物向威廉宣誓，然后回到了英格兰。一些评论家认为，由于威廉在这一场景中手里拿着一把剑，所以这个誓言是在胁迫的情况下作出的，因此，无论这个誓言实际上是什么，后来都可以由哈罗德光荣地违背。

On his death bed, King Edward (his beard a little longer since we last saw him), who was without an heir, nominates Harold as his successor (January 1066). We have the funeral of King Edward at Saint Peter's in Westminster and then the coronation of Harold. The new king is given his crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Stigand who had been excommunicated by the Pope. Again, some commentators suggest this scene indicates the illegitimacy of Harold's claim and support of William's to the English throne, especially considering other sources do not have Stigand perform that role. It is interesting to note the ghostly uncoloured ships in the lower border of this scene – a hint at the invasion to come perhaps?

在临终前，没有继承人的爱德华国王（自从我们上次见到他后，他的胡子又长了一点）指定哈罗德为他的继承人（1066年1月）。它展示了威斯敏斯特的圣彼得教堂举行的爱德华国王的葬礼，然后是哈罗德的加冕仪式。新国王由坎特伯雷大主教、曾被教皇逐出教会的斯蒂甘德大主教授予王冠。同样，一些评论家认为这一幕表明哈罗德的主张是不合法的，并支持威廉登上英国王位，特别是考虑到其他资料来源没有让斯蒂甘德扮演这一角色。有趣的是，在这一场景的下边框中出现了幽灵般的非彩色船只——这也许是对即将到来的入侵的暗示？

The next scenes (now taking place in September) show the Normans preparing to invade Britain by building ships and gathering horses, men and supplies, including one huge wine keg important enough to get its own caption. On landing in southern England, William has his men build fortifications and they are shown looting the countryside and burning homes. Normans are seen cooking meat and Bishop Odo sits at a table which is remarkably like an illustration from a Canterbury manuscript of Christ's Last Supper.

接下来的场景（现在发生在9月）显示，诺曼人正在准备入侵英国，他们建造船只，收集马匹、人员和物资，包括一个巨大的酒桶，其重要性足以得到自己的标题。在英格兰南部登陆后，威廉让他的手下建造防御工事，并展示了他们对农村的掠夺和焚烧房屋。人们看到诺曼人在煮肉，奥多主教坐在一张桌子前，这很像坎特伯雷手稿中关于基督最后的晚餐的插图。

The major subject of the tapestry is now dealt with: the Battle of Hastings in October 1066 which covers one-third of the tapestry. The Norman cavalry, wearing chain mail or padded armour and armed with spears, lances and long swords, takes centre stage. The Anglo-Saxons, many only wearing ordinary tunics, carry spears, axes and single-edged swords. Only Harold amongst the Saxons is shown riding a horse. The Saxon strategy is to create close formations of foot soldiers protecting each other with their shields while the Normans favour cavalry. There are violent details, arrows and spears fly over the battle scenes, and there are the dramatic deaths of Harold and his two brothers Gurth and Leofwine. Victorious, the Norman cavalry chase the remaining Saxons from the battlefield.

挂毯的主要主题现在已经处理完毕：1066年10月的黑斯廷斯之战，占了挂毯的三分之一。诺曼人的骑兵，穿着链式盔甲或软垫盔甲，装备着长矛、长枪和长剑，占据了舞台的中心。盎格鲁-撒克逊人，许多人只穿着普通的外衣，手持长矛、斧头和单刃剑。撒克逊人中只有哈罗德骑着马。撒克逊人的策略是建立紧密的步兵队形，用他们的盾牌互相保护，而诺曼人则喜欢使用骑兵。画面上有一些暴力的细节，箭和长矛在战斗场面上飞来飞去，还有哈罗德和他的两个兄弟Gurth和Leofwine的戏剧性死亡。诺曼骑兵取得了胜利，将剩余的撒克逊人从战场上赶走。

贝叶挂毯上的一个场景，展示了公元1066年黑斯廷斯战役中英格兰国王哈罗德的死亡。

了解中世纪历史的窗口

The tapestry reveals many details, even if they may contain artistic license, of life in the Middle Ages. There are motte and bailey castles, great halls, churches, houses, ships, medieval banquets, hunts with falcons and hounds, a coronation, all manner of clothing, armour and weapons galore, and even an appearance by Halley's Comet. Medieval warfare is one obvious subject which is illuminated by the tapestry. For example, the shields depicted in the tapestry indicate that coats of arms or individualised devices were not yet commonly used, although both William and Harold may have had them. The tapestry shows two types of Norman archers distinguishable by one group wearing armour and the other seemingly in rags which would suggest both professional and conscripted archers were used.

挂毯揭示了中世纪生活的许多细节，即使它们可能包含艺术加工。这里有城寨城堡（motte-and-bailey castle）、大殿、教堂、房屋、船只、中世纪的宴会、猎鹰和猎犬的狩猎、加冕仪式、各种服装、盔甲和武器，甚至还有哈雷彗星的出现。中世纪战争是挂毯上明显的插图主题。例如，挂毯中描绘的盾牌表明，当时还没有普遍使用纹章或个性化的装置，尽管威廉和哈罗德可能都有自己的纹章。挂毯显示了两种类型的诺曼底弓箭手，其中一种身穿盔甲，另一种似乎衣衫褴褛，这表明职业和应征的弓箭手都参与了战斗。

Aspects of daily life depicted include the common wardrobe of tunics and hose for men of all status, with long dresses for the few women depicted. National fashions are shown such as the Normans' preference for very short hair with high-shaved necks and the Saxons' for long hair and moustaches. Agricultural scenes show ploughing, the sowing of seeds and scaring off of birds. There is even one of the earliest depictions of a working horse with a collar-harness and plough.

日常生活方面的描述包括各种级别男性的束腰外衣和紧身裤的常见衣橱，少数妇女则穿长裙。当地时尚表现为诺曼人偏爱剃光颈部的短发，而撒克逊人偏爱长发和胡须。农业场景展示了犁地、播种和驱赶鸟类的场景。甚至还有最早的一匹带有马具项圈和犁的马的描述。

Despite all these fascinating images, there are some details and omissions which may be inaccurate such as archers with spurs (leading some commentators, without any corroborative evidence, to suggest the Normans used mounted archers). There are no depictions of crossbowmen in the tapestry despite the fact they are known to have been employed in France at the time – perhaps the artists simply did not know how to represent them. There are oddities too, such as Edward the Confessor's funeral being shown before the king's death, as if a mistake has been made in the sequencing between outlining and stitching. One major point of discussion is Harold's death. The king is shown with an arrow in his head or eye but there is evidence this was put in the scene during the 19th century restorations. On the other hand, small holes in the linen suggest there was something there in the original – perhaps a lance. Then, of course, even if there was an arrow there originally, we still cannot be sure that was what actually happened. Is it a case of the tapestry recording history or recording the later legends which had grown around the history?

尽管有这些迷人的图像，但有一些细节和遗漏可能是不准确的，如带马刺的弓箭手（导致一些编年史家在没有任何确凿证据的情况下，认为诺曼人使用了骑射手）。挂毯中没有关于弩手的描述，尽管已知他们当时在法国被雇用，也许艺术家们只是不知道如何表现他们。也有一些奇怪的地方，例如，忏悔者爱德华的葬礼被显示在国王去世之前，似乎是在勾勒和缝制的顺序上出现了错误。一个主要的讨论点是哈罗德之死。国王的头部或眼睛里有一支箭，但有证据表明这是在19世纪的修复过程中放进场景的。另一方面，亚麻布上的小孔表明在原作中那里有一些东西，也许是一把长矛。当然，即使那里最初有一支箭，我们也不能确定那就是实际发生的情况。这到底是挂毯记录了历史，还是记录了后来围绕历史产生的传说？

Finally, there are several scenes which have defied centuries of interpretation and remain a mystery such as a tonsured priest seemingly caressing a woman called Aelfgva, a bearded dwarf figure possibly named Turold, or the small naked human figures in a portion of the border, one of whom wields an axe. The biggest mystery is, of course, what the final missing scene was. Theories include a possible coronation scene of William, made King of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066, which would nicely balance the depiction of King Edward on his throne at the beginning and Harold seated on his throne in the centre of the tapestry.

最后，有几个场景已经无法解释并且仍然是一个谜，如一个戴着长袍的牧师似乎在爱抚一个叫Aelfgva的女人，一个可能叫Turold的大胡子矮人形象，或者边界的一部分中的小型裸体人类形象，其中一个挥舞着一把斧头。当然，最大的谜团是最后失踪的场景是什么。理论上包括可能是威廉的加冕场景，他于1066年圣诞节在威斯敏斯特教堂被封为英格兰国王，这将很好地平衡挂毯开头对爱德华国王在其宝座上的描述和挂毯中央哈罗德坐在其宝座上的描述。