公元1276年

威尼斯旅行家马可·波罗来到苏州

他震撼于自己眼前所见

这座江南名城

水道如织、小桥流水

人人衣锦着缎

一派繁华气象

马可波罗联想到万里之外的故乡

他亲切地称苏州为

“东方威尼斯”

千百年来

交错纵横的水道使苏州繁荣不衰

富足的苏州人修建

一座座典雅秀丽的园林

     苏州园林    

何为园

Suzhou Gardens: What Are They?

我是苏州园林

I am the Suzhou garden.

你知道我的历史吗？

Do you know my history?

两千五百多年前

Over 2,500 years ago,

人们叫我“苑囿”

people called me “yuan you,”

一个闹市里的花园

a garden within the downtown area.

那个时候

At that time,

我还不像今天这样精致

I wasn’t as exquisite as I am now.

元朝的时候

In the Yuan Dynasty,

天如禅师来苏州讲经

the Chan master Tianru came to give sutra lectures in Suzhou.

他看见我有很多奇奇怪怪的石头

Seeing that I had many strange stones,

有些石头很像狮子

some of which resembled lions,

便想起了佛经中“狮子吼”的典故

he was reminded of “the lion’s roar”， an allusion in Buddhist sutras,

为我取名“狮子林”

and thus named me “Lion Grove Garden.”

宋朝时

In the Song Dynasty,

我遇见了苏舜钦

I met Su Shunqin,

他告诉我

who told me that

他很喜欢一句诗：

he loved a few lines in a poem:

沧浪之水清兮，可以濯吾缨；

“When the river is clear, oh! I’ll wash myheaddress here.

沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯吾足

When water is not neat, oh! I may wash here myfeet.

后来

Later,

他花了四万钱

he bought a deserted garden

为我造了一座亭子

and built a pavilion in it,

取名“沧浪亭”

which he named “Pavilion of Surging Waves.”

清朝时

In the Qing Dynasty,

一个姓“盛”的家族搬到了这里

a family surnamed Sheng moved here,

又在这里种满梧桐和竹子

and planted Chinese parasol trees and bamboos inthe garden.

那时的我

At that time,

竹色清寒

I had a cool color of the bamboos,

波光澄碧

and the glitter of clear water.

他们以“长留天地”的美好寓意为我取名——留园

They named me “Lingering Garden”，hoping I could “linger in the world forever.”

在这两千多年里

During the more than two millennia,

寒来暑往

with countless winters and summers having passed,

人们来去如风

and people coming and going like winds,

我也因此一直变换着容颜

I had always been changing my appearance

直到成为今天的样子

until I became what I am today.

有人说我是多方胜境、咫尺山林

Some people say the scenic spots of various regions and wooded “mountains” are included in me;

有人说我是造园人情思与天地万物的完美融合

some say I’m a perfect combination of the garden builders’ ideas and all things in the world;

还有人说我有思想、有情怀

and some others say profound thoughts and deep feelings can be found in me.

那么

Now,

你想不想知道

do you want to know

他们为什么会这样说呢？

why they give me these compliments?

为何园

Suzhou Gardens: Why Were They Built?

我是苏州园林

I am the Suzhou garden.

你知道为什么人们把我塑造成这样吗?

Do you know why people have built me like this?

这仅仅是

It’s simply

不过是因为人们渴望大自然

because people long for nature

追求美好的生活

and pursue a good life.

园为何

Suzhou Gardens: How Were They Built?

我是苏州园林

I am the Suzhou garden.

你知道我是怎么被造出来的吗?

Do you know how I was built?

当时,

Back then,

人们把我造得井然有序

people built me in order

实现于闹市中享受山水的梦

to realize the dream of “enjoying the company of mountains and water in the city.”