The First Circus1 第一个马戏团

张宁

小丑们在玩保龄球，大象们盛装游行，骑手们站在飞驰的马匹上，杂技演员们在高空上表演。有什么比马戏团更好玩的吗？

How did the first circus come about， and why did it lead to the modern three-ring circus weve come to know and love？

第一个马戏团是如何诞生的，为什么它会发展成为我们所熟悉和喜爱的现代三个场地可同时表演的大马戏场的呢？

Much of the credit goes to Philip Astley. When Astley returned from the French and Indian War to London in 1768 and discovered few job prospects2 at hand， he began offering riding lessons and spending his free time performing tricks atop horses. Word of his great tricks grew， and so did his audiences. So much so， that he began charging3， building viewing areas and offering regular performances.

这主要归功于菲利普·阿斯特利。他在法印战争后于1768年回到伦敦，发现近期几乎没有工作机会，于是他开了马术课，并利用空闲时间表演马背上的技巧。关于他马术高超的传言越来越多，他的观众也越来越多，于是他开始收费，建造观赏区，并定期演出。

During his performances， Astley rode—and often stood—on the backs of horses walking or cantering4 in a circular5 ring that Astley referred to as a “circus”. The purpose for this circular pattern was two-fold： Audiences could view the performance from all angles， which was something a straight line couldnt offer; and the circular movement allowed Astley to take advantage of the centrifugal6 force that allowed him to better keep his balance7 while doing tricks on horseback.

在表演中，阿斯特利騎马——而且经常站在马背上，在被他称之为“circus”的圆形场地里散步或慢跑。这种圆形场地的目的有两个：观众可以从各个角度观看表演，这是直线场地所无法提供的;这种圆周运动使阿斯特利能够利用离心力，使他在马背上表演把戏时更好地保持平衡。

Two years after his trick riding shows began， Astley decided to mix it up by hiring performers and adding their acts to his show. The idea became so popular that in 1782， Astley first showed this new form of entertainment， known as a circus， in Paris.

在他的马术技巧表演开始两年后，阿斯特利决定通过雇佣表演者将他们的表演加入到他的表演中来。这种想法非常受欢迎，因此，在1782年，阿斯特利在巴黎首次展示了这种新的娱乐形式，称之为马戏团。

Even though it gets the lions share8 of the credit， Astleys circus probably wasnt the first-ever circus. He found similar performances in France when arrived， but Astleys promotional9 prowess10 set him apart， and eventually， created a new kind of entertainment—the traveling circus—that by the late 1800s had appeared in a developing country known as the United States.

尽管阿斯特利的马戏团对马戏团的形成最为重要，但它可能不是有史以来第一个马戏团。在到达法国时，阿斯特利也发现过类似的表演，但他的宣传能力使他与众不同，并最终创造了一种新的娱乐形式——巡回马戏团，到了19世纪末，这种娱乐形式已出现在一个发展中的国家，即美国。

As the circus moves into the future， it continues to change. Whatever the philosophy11 of a particular circus company is， one thing is certain： Inventive， daring and artistic acts will continue to excite audiences.

随着马戏团走向未来，它在继续变化。无论一个马戏团的理念是什么，有一点是肯定的：创造性的、大胆的和艺术性的表演将继续让观众激动不已。

（英语原文选自：entertainment.howstuffworks.com）

【Notes】

1. circus [■] n. 马戏;马戏团

2. prospect [■] n. 前途;预期

3. charge [■] v. 对……索费

4. canter [■] v. 慢跑

5. circular [■] adj. 圆形的

6. centrifugal [■] adj. 离心的;远中的

7. balance [■] n. 平衡

8. the lions share 最大的那一份

9. promotional [■] adj. 促销的

10. prowess [■] n. 英勇;超凡技术

11. philosophy [■] n. 哲学;人生观;处事原则