A day in the life of an Aztec midwife

阿茲特克助產(chǎn)護士生活中的一天

來源視頻

Lord Sun dawns on the day called 7-Monkey,

his fingers slowly spreading a rosy sheen

that mixes softly with smoke rising ?from Tenochtitlan’s many hearth fires.

The midwife, Xoquauhtli, ?has a difficult choice to make.

太陽神在七猴之日出現(xiàn)，

從他指尖慢慢散播出紅潤的光輝，

和特諾齊特蘭的村莊人家 升起的裊裊炊煙慢慢融合。

接生婆胥夸特莉， 要做一個艱難的決定。

A momentous shift from rainy season ?to dry season is underway.

All summer, the gods have kept ?the people fed with corn,

but the fertile summer months ?are disappearing.

This day occurs during the festival ?that marks the shift

between the summer season, when the gods feed the people,

and the winter season, when the people feed the gods in return.

現(xiàn)在正值雨季過渡到 旱季的重大轉(zhuǎn)換時期。

整個夏天，眾神們 都確保人們能吃上玉米，

而豐饒的夏季月份即將過去。

慶典季的今天標(biāo)志著轉(zhuǎn)變，

從眾神讓人們飽餐的夏季轉(zhuǎn)換到

改由人民回饋眾神的冬季。

Xoquauhtli owes a debt ?to her patron, Teteoinnan,

the female warrior goddess ?at the center of this festival.

Teteoinnan wages war both ?on women’s battlefields of birth

and in men’s battles ?with Tenochtilan’s enemies.

She must be kept happy ?or she will bring bad luck.

胥夸特莉虧欠她的守護神，特里歐娜，

她是與這個慶典季 有重要關(guān)系的戰(zhàn)斗女神。

特里歐娜會發(fā)動女性的生育戰(zhàn)爭，

以及男性與特諾齊特蘭敵人的戰(zhàn)爭。

一定要讓她滿心歡喜， 否則會帶來厄運。

The midwife should participate ?in the festival today,

but one of her patients could ?go into labor any minute.

Xoquauhtli decides to check ?on her patient first.

The expecting mother hasn’t ?worked too hard, chewed gum,

or lifted heavy things.

Her family is taking good care of her.

接生婆要參加今天的慶典，

但她有一個病人可能隨時要分娩。

胥夸特莉決定先去看看她的病人。

準(zhǔn)媽媽還沒有進入 最后產(chǎn)程，嚼著口香糖，

或拿重物。

她的家人悉心地照顧著她。

Surely Xoquauhtli can take a little time ?to honor her goddess.

She leaves her apprentice in charge ?and heads to the center of the city.

Along the way, she sees women sweeping the roads and hanging gourds

in preparation for the festival.

當(dāng)然胥夸特莉可以抽出?片刻時間向她的女神祈禱。

她留下助手照料現(xiàn)場，?只身前往市中心。

一路上她看到婦女們 在清掃道路和懸掛水瓢

為慶典做準(zhǔn)備。

Finally, she reaches the Great Pyramid.

On top are two temples: the north,

where rituals honor ?the rain god in the summer,

and the south one is where rituals ?honor the war god in the winter.

On the equinox, the sun rises ?between the two sides.

終于，她到達大金字塔。

頂上有兩座神廟：北神殿，

舉行儀式祈求夏季雨神的地方，

南邊是舉行儀式 祈福冬季戰(zhàn)神的地方。

在晝夜平分點， 太陽會在兩方之間升起。

The ceremony begins with a mock battle ?between the midwives

and the other physicians.

Xoquauhtli’s team battles heartily, ?throwing nochtles, marigolds,

and balls made of reed and moss.

They joke, call their rivals names, ?and laugh.

儀式一開始，是由接生婆 與其他醫(yī)護人員之間

展開一場模擬作戰(zhàn)。

胥夸特莉所在小組全情投入， 扔著果實，金盞花，

以及蘆葦和苔蘚做成的球。

他們說著玩笑， 叫對手的名字，發(fā)出笑聲。

But then, a girl comes running ?with a message for Xoquauhtli.

Her patient is in labor!

She hurries back to the house.

All the old women ?from the extended family

have already gathered for the birth—

their experience is very valuable ?if anything goes wrong.

就在這時，一個女孩跑過來， 給胥夸特莉帶來一個消息。

她的病人要分娩了！

她急忙趕回病人房間。

整個大家族的所有年老女性，

已經(jīng)到來，等待著新生命降臨——

如果哪里不對勁， 她們的經(jīng)驗將非常寶貴。

She readies herself with a prayer praising her most important tools, her fingers.

Then she doses the patient with cihuapatli to help expel the baby,

massages her in the sweathouse, ?and rubs her stomach with tobacco.

Offering Teteoinnan a short prayer,

she urges her patient ?to act like a warrior.

胥夸特莉祈禱并準(zhǔn)備使用 她最重要的工具，她的手指。

然后她讓赤花帕特里 協(xié)助病人用力生出孩子。

在產(chǎn)房中給她按摩， 并用煙草按揉肚子。

給特里歐娜一個很短的祈禱，

她鼓勵病人表現(xiàn)得像戰(zhàn)士一樣。

A strong baby girl slips ?into her waiting hands

and the old women shout triumphant cries.

Xoquauhtli takes a few drops of water ?from a jade bowl, breaths on them,

and places them on the baby’s tiny tongue.

She calls her a precious greenstone, ?a little warrior,

and tells her how the Lord and Lady ?of the Ninth Sky

breathed life into her, sending her ?to this place of burden and torment.

一個強健的女寶寶 滑落到伸著等待的手中

老年的婦女們發(fā)出勝利的呼叫。

胥夸特莉從一個玉制碗中 沾了幾滴水，靠近聞了聞，

然后放到了小寶寶的小舌頭上。

她稱小寶寶是珍貴的 綠寶石，小戰(zhàn)士，

并告訴她，第九天空的 眾神和女神是怎樣

給她帶來生命，送到這個 滿是責(zé)任和磨難的地方。

She then turns to the new mother, ?praising her,

telling her she acted like ?an eagle warrior, a jaguar warrior.

By the time they finish, it’s late, ?and the flames of the fire have died down.

Xoquauhtli piles the remaining hot coals ?in the center of the hearth,

stoking them to keep them going.

She lays the baby in a woven basket, ?head facing the warming fire.

This will warm her tonalli, ?an important “soul” center in the body

central to health and well-being.

她然后轉(zhuǎn)向新媽媽，贊揚她，

告訴她，她表現(xiàn)得就像 一位鷹斗士，或虎斗士。

他們結(jié)束時，天色已晚， 燃起的火苗也已經(jīng)熄滅。

胥夸特莉把剩下的 熱炭堆在在爐子中，

煽動著它們繼續(xù)燃燒。

她把寶寶放入一個編織的籃子中， 面朝著溫暖的爐火。

這會暖和她的托納利， 一個她身體重要的 “靈魂” 中心

對健康和幸福非常重要。

It’s almost midnight— ?if Xoquauhtli hurries,

she can get back to the temple ?for the culmination of the festival.

She makes her way to the city center, ?where a priest carries a woman on his back

to the top of the pyramid.

To begin the new season and feed the gods, she will be beheaded,

symbolizing how corn is cut in the fields.

Afterward, she will be reborn ?as Lady Teteoinnan,

and preside over the induction ?of new warriors.

幾乎到午夜了—— 如果胥夸特莉抓緊時間，

她還能趕回神廟， 加入到慶典高潮中。

她一路走到市中心，在那里， 一位神父背著一位婦女

往金字塔頂走去。

為了回饋眾神、 迎接季節(jié)的開始，她會被砍頭，

象征著田地里玉米被收割。

之后，她會以 特里歐娜女神的模樣重生，

掌管著新斗士的到來。