Ahmad, former Employee in the Govt. of Pakistan.

作者：艾哈迈德，巴基斯坦政府前雇员。

We begin with the Dancing girl of the Indus.

我们通过印度河流域舞女的变化来观察巴基斯坦历史的演变。

The Rivers of Life - The Indus Valley Civilization and the rise of settled, urban human civilizations (8000/7000 BCE - 1300 BCE)

生命之河——印度河流域文明和定居城市人类文明的崛起（公元前8000/7000年-公元前1300年）
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（图1 舞女雕像）
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Dating back all the way to 2500 BCE, the Dancing Girl figurine has been the apple of every archaeologist's eye who worked with her. A bronze sculpture, she was made in the Indus Valley civilization.

这尊舞女雕像可以追溯到公元前2500年，是每一位与她共事的考古学家的掌上明珠。她是一座青铜雕塑，产于印度河流域文明。

She is from a time so strange it might as well be on another planet. When the Nile, the Euphrates and the Indus were home to the fertility mother goddesses. When we worshiped the ability of the earth to give us life in the form of crops and cattle through the strength of her rivers and the rich bounty of her soil.

她来自一个如此奇怪的时代，像在另一个星球上。当尼罗河、幼发拉底河和印度河成为多产女神的家园时。当我们崇拜地球的能力，通过它强大的河流和肥沃的土地，以农作物和牲畜的形式给予我们生命。

The Dancing Girl’s sense of ease, comfort and belonging in her society is reflected in her indifferent, bored expression. The look of someone who expects no challenge to their authority and existence, so confident they are in their right to belong and to exist. The time has not yet come around when Tiamat would be felled by Marduk and human society would transition from the Maternal, Fertility faiths to the Masculine, Paternal Sky Gods of old.

舞蹈女孩对社会的安逸、舒适和归属感反映在她冷漠、无聊的表情中，像一个不希望自己的权威和存在受到挑战的人的样子，如此自信地认为自己有权归属和存在。人类社会将从母性的生育信仰转变为男性的父系天神的时代还没有到来。

She belongs to the Indus Valley civilization, named after the Indus river that courses through our land all the way from the north till it ends in the Arabian sea. Archaelogical digs in recent times have dated the civilization to nearly 8000 years old with another 1000 year civilization preceeding it. Making it one of the oldest civilizations in existence.

她属于印度河流域文明，印度河从北方一直流经我们的土地，直到它在阿拉伯海结束。近年来的考古发掘将该文明追溯到近8000年前，在此之前还有1000年的文明。使之成为现存最古老的文明之一。

The cruel punchline here is that the Dancing Girl isn’t even in Pakistan anymore but India. She was excavated by British archaeologists in present day Pakistan and they took her to the museum in New Delhi before partition. After Partition, the Pakistani authorities asked the Indian authorities for the return of the Dancing Girl statue and the King Priest statue.

这里残酷的讽刺意味是，这位跳舞的女孩甚至不再在巴基斯坦，而是在印度。她是由英国考古学家在今天的巴基斯坦发掘的，他们在分治前把她带到了新德里的博物馆。分割后，巴基斯坦当局要求印度当局归还舞女雕像和国王牧师雕像。

The popular legend is that the New Delhi authorities refused to hand over both statues and told the Pakistanis to pick one: Either the King Priest or the Dancing Girl.

流行的传说是，新德里当局拒绝交出这两尊雕像，并让巴基斯坦人挑选一尊：要么是国王牧师，要么是跳舞的女孩。

The Pakistani officials, fearing mockery and censure from their bosses back home, if they bought back the Dancing girl, abandoned her in their moral panic and opted for the King Priest instead.

巴基斯坦官员担心，如果他们买回这个跳舞的女孩，他们会遭到家乡老板的嘲笑和指责，于是在道德恐慌中抛弃了她，转而选择了国王牧师。

And so the Dancing Girl remains exiled from the land of her origin, rejected by her own descendants as too vulgar and provocative. Unclaimed by her own people and spending the remainder of her days in a far off city where she cannot hear the roar of the Indus or smell its flood plains. A symbol of our people’s modern day rejection of their past and origins.

因此，这位舞女仍然被流放于她出生的土地之外，被自己的后代认为太粗俗和挑逗而拒绝。她在一个遥远的城市度过余生，在那里她听不到印度河的怒吼，也闻不到它泛滥的平原。象征着我们的人民在现代拒绝他们的过去和起源。

2. The Fires of Spring and the Epoch of a Thousand Heroes (1500 BCE to 1857 AD)

2.春天的火焰和无数英雄的时代（公元前1500年至公元1857年）
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Our Dancing Girl in the Epoch between the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization and the British Colonization more often than not, finds herself within the Harems of the men who battled over this land for a long millennia of exciting adventure, conquest, exploration, art, science, travel and craftsmanship. Its been a man’s world for a long time now. There is a submissiveness and deferment in the art below that was not in the Dancing Girl’s idol from the Indus Valley civilization.

在印度河流域文明崩溃到英国殖民统治之前的这个时代，我们的舞女经常发现自己是男人们的妻妾，她们为这片土地奋斗了数千年，经历了激动人心的冒险、征服、探索、艺术、科学、旅行和手工艺。很长一段时间以来，这是一个男人的世界。下面的艺术中有一种顺从和顺从，这在上面那个印度河流域文明的舞女雕像中是不存在的。

And yet, there is also the vibrancy of music, color and posh opulence. This was always a rich land. And rich lands attract men of heroic stature. And all the armies, courts and saints they bring with them.

然而，这里也有音乐的活力、色彩和奢华。这一直是一片富饶的土地。富饶的土地吸引着英雄人物。以及他们带来的所有军队、法庭和圣徒。



（图2）
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The end of the Indus valley civilization meant the scattering of its people, some to the west where they formed nomadic tribes in Balochistan, whereas the bulk migrated East into India where they contributed to the formation of early Dravidian Identity and some of the first Vedic texts.

印度河流域文明的终结意味着印度人民的分散，一些人向西迁移，在俾路支省形成游牧部落，而大部分人向东迁移到印度，在那里他们促成了早期德拉威人身份的形成和一些最早的吠陀文献。

A series of Hindu empires would rule the territories until the Acheamenid empire of Persia, under the mighty Darius, conquered the land and made it their eastern frontier. The Persians themselves would become incorporated into Alexander’s empire as the great conqueror made his way east, in his quest to conquer the known world. The Greeks believed back then that the world ended near the Indus and the exhausted armies were despondent to discover that the land stretched on wards and even mightier armies stood to the east which they were too weary to fight. In Pakistan, Alexander suffered his wounds and final mutiny from his army which would result in him turning back and returning to his home.

一系列印度教帝国将统治这些领土，直到强大的大流士统治下的波斯阿切曼帝国征服了这片土地，并将其作为其东部边境。当伟大的征服者为了征服已知世界而向东方进军时，波斯人自己也将并入亚历山大帝国。当时希腊人相信世界尽头就在印度河附近，精疲力竭的军队沮丧地发现，陆地被守卫着，甚至更强大的军队也站在东方，他们疲惫不堪，无法战斗。在巴基斯坦，亚历山大受了伤，最终遭到军队的兵变，这导致他返回家乡。

The Classical period would see a range of empires hold the land, including the Guptas and the Kushans until the then expanding Arab caliphate touched the banks of the Indus after defeating the local Hindu rulers.

在古典时期，包括笈多王朝和贵霜王朝在内的一系列帝国都拥有这片土地，直到当时不断扩张的阿拉伯哈里发击败当地印度教统治者，到达印度河沿岸。

They were followed by the Mughals who are somewhat famous historically even though they are ironically rejected by both the modern nation states who emerged from their territories: Too Hindu for Pakistan and too Muslim for India.

紧随其后的是历史上颇有名气的莫卧儿王朝，尽管讽刺的是，他们被从其领土上崛起的两个现代民族国家所排斥：巴基斯坦太过信奉印度教，印度太过信奉穆斯林。

The long Saga of Heroes in Pakistan spanned across such men as Imperial Darius, Alexander the Conqueror, Ashoka the Peacemaker, Gupta the Inventor, Bin Qasim the Explorer, Ghaznavi the Ravager, Akbar the Great, Aurangzeb the Zealot, Raghunath the Warrior and Ranjit Singh the Clever. A colorful, brilliant history of valor, fortitude, learning, art, fury, madness, worship and exuberant joy. All the colors of the rainbow shone off the Indus in this age of mythic magic and moonlight dreams.

在巴基斯坦，英雄们的传奇故事跨越了帝国大流士、征服者亚历山大、和平缔造者阿育王、发明家古普塔、探险家本·卡西姆、掠夺者加兹纳维、伟大的阿克巴、狂热者奥朗泽布、战士拉古纳特和聪明的兰吉特·辛格。这是一部关于英勇、坚韧、学习、艺术、愤怒、疯狂、崇拜和欢乐的多彩辉煌的历史。在这个充满神秘魔力和月光梦的时代，彩虹的所有颜色都在印度河上闪耀。

And the dream would end as the British East India company made their slow crawl across this tapestry of near infinite history, culture and art and impose upon it the grim, unending servitude of colonization and extraction.

随着英国东印度公司在这片几乎无限的历史、文化和艺术的织锦上缓慢爬行，并将残酷、无休止的殖民和榨取奴役强加给它，这个梦想也将结束。

3. Guns, Nationalism and Mujras (Dance) - Pakistan is born, the cold war begins and blood spills on the border (1947–77)

3.枪支、民族主义和穆吉拉斯（舞蹈）——巴基斯坦诞生，冷战开始，边境流血（1947-77）

Like all children, we too are born in our mother’s blood. As United India tears herself apart during the bloodletting of Partition to give birth to two new nations, Pakistan finds itself in a world gone mad.

像所有的孩子一样，我们也是在母亲的血液中出生的。当统一的印度在分裂的流血中撕裂自己，诞生了两个新的国家时，巴基斯坦发现自己陷入了一个疯狂的世界。
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The scars of the second world war are still fresh and a massive armament buildup is taking place as the Cold war heats up and massive nuclear arsenals prepared to annihilate people who differ with each other on the property rights debate.

第二次世界大战的伤疤依然新鲜，随着冷战的升温，大规模军备建设正在进行，而大规模核武将毁灭人类，意见相左的人激烈争论。

Our Dancing Girl is in a Pakistan that is somewhat tolerant and secular compared to our current times. There’s the economic boom of Ayub and the massive economic and military aid from the US. The country struggles with its identity, the role of its faith and division of powers among territories. A state exists over territories not yet gelled into a nation. Disputes over languages emerge and the border flares up into war thrice, the third time leading to the separation of our eastern wing into a separate country.

我们的舞女生活在一个与当今时代相比更宽容和世俗的巴基斯坦。阿尤布的经济繁荣以及美国的大规模经济和军事援助。这个国家在与自己的身份、信仰和领土之间的权力划分作斗争。一个国家存在于尚未凝聚成一个国家的领土之上。语言争端出现，边界曾三次爆发战争，第三次导致我们的东翼分裂成一个独立的国家。

Our dancing girl is the 1960s and 70s era ‘Mujra Girl’ (now known as Item Girl) nicknamed Niggo.

我们的舞女是上世纪六七十年代的“穆吉拉女孩”。



（图3洛利伍德的黑暗面）

Her short, tragic life was a reflection of Pakistani society back then: Liberal and Secular to a degree perhaps. But as paternalistic, violent and misogynist back then as it is today. At least back then we were less hypocritical about it.

她短暂而悲惨的一生反映了当时的巴基斯坦社会：也许在某种程度上是自由和世俗的。但就像今天一样，当时是家长式的、暴力的、厌恶女性的。至少在当时，我们没有那么虚伪。
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Niggo’s story also parallels our own: Where she faces the indecision of picking her family over her husband, we faced the indecision of whether we were an Islamic state or a Modern Republic for Muslims. We were also torn between the two and the duality of that conflict would ultimately lead one to consume us.

舞女尼戈的故事也与我们的故事相似：她面临着选择（父母的）家庭还是丈夫的犹豫不决，我们面临着我们是伊斯兰国还是穆斯林的现代共和国的犹豫不决。我们也在两者之间被撕裂，这种冲突的二元性最终会吞噬我们。

Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poem, The Dawn of Freedom, best represents our nation during that tumultuous time. The Partition horrors and massacres are instructing us on the price we paid for independence. Our shaky, unstable and violent life as an independent country has taken some of the shine off of freedom. We are questioning, in doubt and with unstill hearts. Freedom and Independence has not been the promised utopia we thought it would be. But there is a grim determination in our eyes, an iron persistence to go on and survive. To become a nation where none stood before.

法伊兹·艾哈迈德·法伊兹的诗《自由的黎明》最能代表我们这个动荡时期的国家。分治的恐怖和屠杀告诉我们，我们为独立付出了多少代价。作为一个独立国家，我们摇摇欲坠、不稳定和暴力的生活已经让自由的光芒黯然失色。我们怀着怀疑和坚定的心在质疑。自由和独立并不是我们想象中的乌托邦。但在我们眼里，有一种冷酷的决心，一种继续生存下去的钢铁般的坚持。成为一个前所未有的国家。

4. The Long Night - The Post 71 War crises of identity, dictatorship, Islamization and Jihad (1977 - 99)

4.漫漫长夜——71年后的身份、独裁、伊斯兰化和圣战危机（1977-99）

The country has been shattered. Where once brothers united for the cause of freedom, now a fratricide takes its place. The 71 Civil War results in the separation of the Eastern wing and the birth of Bangladesh.

这个国家已经支离破碎。兄弟们曾经为了自由而团结在一起，现在却自相残杀。71年内战导致东翼分离，孟加拉国诞生。

A despondent and defeated Pakistan becomes awash in Ultra nationalist and Ultra conservative movements but they are successfully evaded for a while by the new Prime Minister Bhutto. He forges a civilian constitution and democratic government and reaches out to the Islamic and Socialist worlds simultaneously. He envisages a Pakistan that can rise from the ashes of 71 and gain a Pan-Islamic and Socialist identity at the same time.

沮丧和失败的巴基斯坦充斥着极端民族主义和极端保守主义运动，但新总理布托成功地避开了这些运动。他制定了一部平民宪法和民主政府，并同时接触伊斯兰和社会主义世界。他设想的巴基斯坦可以从71年的废墟中崛起，同时获得泛伊斯兰和社会主义身份。

But the Ultraconservative movements have the last laugh and when he is at his weakest, they pounce and the military general Zia launches a coup, hangs the Prime Minister and begins a decade of zealotry and oppression. Funded by the US as part of the Afghan war effort and supported by the Gulf ultraconservatives, Zia burnishes his credentials as a pure, man of God by launching a crackdown on all things deemed unIslamic and haraam. The Hadood Ordinance is passed where rape victims must now produce 4 witnesses if they don’t want their rape to be considered adultery and suffer whipping. Alcohol, nightclubs and red light areas had already gone through a round of shuttering before under Bhutto, but now they are purged across the country.

但极端保守派运动笑到了最后，当他最虚弱的时候，他们突然袭击，军方将军齐亚发动政变，绞死总理，开始了长达十年的狂热和压迫。作为阿富汗战争努力的一部分，齐亚得到了美国的资助，并得到了海湾极端保守派的支持。齐亚通过对所有被视为异教和哈拉姆的事物进行镇压，为自己作为一个纯粹的神人的身份增光添彩。《哈杜德条例》通过，强奸受害者现在必须出示4名证人，如果他们不希望自己的强奸被视为通奸并遭受鞭打。在布托执政之前，酒精、夜总会和红灯区已经经历了一轮关闭，但现在它们在全国范围内被清除。

Lahore’s famous Red Light district, Heera Mandee, with its prostitution, music, drinking and dancing is first in line for the faithful’s purge.

拉合尔著名的红灯区赫拉·曼迪（Heera Mandee）以其卖淫、音乐、饮酒和舞蹈成为信徒净化的首选。

And so our Dancing Girl’s state of affairs in this dark time is one best captured by Iqbal Hussain’s painting, “Hadood Ordinance”. Its depiction of one of the working girls in Heera Mandee being dragged by her hair during one of the brothel raids by police under the instructions of our theocratic dictator is telling of the times . We see only the Khaki pants of the policeman, the boots and the implication of sexual violence. And we see only the helpless onlookers from the other windows, wondering when their turn will come.

因此，伊克巴尔·侯赛因（Iqbal Hussain）的画作《哈杜德条例》（Hadood Ordinance）最能捕捉到我们这位舞女在这个黑暗时期的状态。它描绘了在我们的神权独裁者的指示下，警察在一次妓院突袭中拽着海拉·曼迪的一个工作女孩的头发，这是对时代的描述。我们只看到警察的卡其色裤子、靴子和性暴力的含义。我们只能从另一扇窗户看到无助的旁观者，他们不知道什么时候该轮到他们了。



（图4 伊克巴尔·侯赛因的绘画）

5. Boombox Jihad - The booming economy and booming security of the 2000s. Experiments with democracy, liberalism and mass media (1999–2007)

5.繁荣时代——21世纪繁荣的经济和安全。民主、自由主义和大众传媒的实验（1999-2007）

The Long night ends in the fires of the crashed C-130 which was carrying General Zia. The dictatorship ends but we experience the lost decade of the 90s instead. With the Afghan war waning and the Cold War ending, we enter the lost decade of the 90s where a musical chair of constant government changes is coupled with the heavy sanctions of the US for our nuclear program.

时代的长夜在载有齐亚将军的C-130飞机坠毁的大火中结束。独裁统治结束了，但我们却经历了90年代失去的十年。随着阿富汗战争的结束和冷战的结束，我们进入了90年代失去的十年，在这十年里，政府不断变革，还有美国针对我们的核项目的严厉制裁。

The turn of the century brings with it, a turn of fortunes as well. Nuclear weapons are tested, the Kargil War scuttles the Agra peace process, terrorists slam air jets into the Twin Towers and NATO arrives full force into Afghanistan.

世纪之交带来了财富的转变。核武器进行了试验，卡吉尔战争破坏了阿格拉和平进程，恐怖分子向双子塔猛击喷气式飞机，北约全面进入阿富汗。

The Military General-President of the time, President Musharraf, leverages US aid money and assistance in exchange for Pakistan’s supply routes and assistance in the Afghan War 2.0. Seeing himself as Ataturk’s spiritual successor, he launches a liberalization, privatization and ‘enlightened moderation’ campaign. Private Mass media explodes across the country, the economy sky rockets and suddenly there is money and entertainment everywhere.

当时的军事领袖兼总统，穆沙拉夫总统利用美国的援助资金和帮助换取巴基斯坦的补给线和阿富汗战争2.0中的帮助。他将自己视为阿塔图尔克的精神继承人，发起了自由化、私有化和“开明温和”运动。私人大众媒体在全国范围内爆炸式发展，经济飞速发展，突然间，金钱和娱乐无处不在。

Corporations and Businesses throw money at artists who translate them into local versions of the Oscars and Grammies and perform elaborate dances at style awards.

公司和企业向艺术家们扔钱，他们把这些钱转变成当地版本的奥斯卡和格莱美奖，并在时尚奖上表演精心制作的舞蹈。

Perhaps the most symbolic of these was the 2006 Style Awards with Runa Laila’s performing a 60s classic while modern day film actress Meera danced (quite energetically) to it. It was symbolic of the politics of the time with the Musharraf Presidency at the peak of its power. Musharraf trying to recapture the 60s economic boom of fellow military dictator, Ayub, with the assistance of a military backed technocratic government and US aid money. Musharraf’s “enlightened moderation”, a plea to move towards softer, Sufi Islam in the face of rising fanaticism, was reflected in his support for the intersection of corporate money with liberal art. Giving birth to the Corporate funded Style awards and the provocative dance performances streamed into the homes of an emerging middle class consumer populace. One that was discovering the joys of materialism, electronic media and all the base pleasures life had to offer, if you could afford them.

其中最具象征意义的可能是2006年的风格奖，由鲁娜·莱拉表演一部60年代的经典电影，而现代电影女演员米拉与之共舞。这是当时政治的象征，穆沙拉夫总统处于权力的顶峰。穆沙拉夫试图在军方支持的技术官僚政府和美国援助资金的帮助下，重新夺回军事独裁者阿尤布60年代的经济繁荣。面对日益高涨的狂热主义，穆沙拉夫的“开明温和”呼吁转向更温和的苏菲派伊斯兰教，这反映在他支持企业资金与自由艺术的结合上。公司资助的风格奖和挑衅性的舞蹈表演在新兴中产阶级消费群体的家中诞生。一个是发现物质主义的乐趣，电子媒体和所有为生活提供的基本乐趣，如果你能负担得起的话。



（图5，15年15个辉煌的勒克斯风格奖时刻）

But all was not glitz and glamour. Another Long night was approaching. A dark period of mass terrorism, insurgency, suicide bombings and bloodshed. While the crescendo of violence would be reached somewhere in the 2010–2013 period, we could already hear echoes of our future in 2006 with the infrequent but bloody terror bombings that were starting to infect our country.

但一切都不是浮华和魅力。又一个漫长的夜晚即将来临。大规模恐怖主义、叛乱、自杀式爆炸和流血的黑暗时期。虽然暴力活动将在2010-2013年期间的某个时候达到高潮，但2006年我们已经可以听到未来的回声，从不常见但血腥并开始传遍我们国家的恐怖爆炸中。

6. Defiance - Hope and Fear for the future (2007 to present)

6.挑战——对未来的希望和恐惧（2007年至今）

This last piece is about defiance and our uncertain, hopeful, pessimistic future.

最后一篇是关于反抗和我们的不确定、充满希望、悲观的未来。

In 2017, the Sehwan Sufi shrine was bombed by ISIS who dubbed the music, the dancing, the inter mingling of the genders in the shrine as heretical and Kaafir. 90 were killed and 300 injured in the shrine that lies along the banks of the Indus.

2017年，Sehwan Sufi神社遭到ISIS的轰炸，ISIS将神社中的音乐、舞蹈和性别混合称为异端。位于印度河两岸的神殿中有90人死亡，300人受伤。

A few days later, Sheema Kermani performed the ‘Dhamaal’ dance at the shrine, the ecstatic trance like dance sufi’s perform when they enter rapture to the sound of music. Nanga Fakir, a sufi musical group from Badin, performed while Kermaani danced.

几天后，Sheema Kermani在神社表演了“Dhamal”舞蹈，这是苏菲在音乐声中欣喜若狂时的一种恍惚舞蹈。

The defiant act was a challenge to ISIS and a clear message that the people would not be deterred and they would not be silenced. The dance would go on. Even in the face of bombs and bullets. There was a dancing girl on the Indus 10,000 years ago. There was still a dancing girl on the Indus today. Conquerors have come and gone, she has remained.

这一挑衅行为是对ISIS的挑战，也是一个明确的信息，即人民不会受到威慑，也不会沉默。舞会还会继续，即使面对炸弹和子弹。一万年前，印度河上有一个跳舞的女孩。今天印度河上还有一个跳舞的女孩。征服者来了又走，她留下来了。

We began this answer with a dancing girl of the Indus. And we end it with a dancing girl of the Indus as well.

我们从一个印度舞女开始回答这个问题。最后我们还有一位印度舞女。



（图6 Sheema Kirmani在Lal Shahbaz Qalandar的神殿跳舞）

This long night ebbs but it is not yet ended. While violence has receeded, it still exists.

这漫漫长夜虽已退去，但尚未结束。虽然暴力已经消退，但它仍然存在。

And worse yet is the plight of the IDPs, our polite phrase for refugees, which means Internally displaced person. All across the canvas of our country are people who are refugees in their own nation, driven from their homes by insurgents or wars.

更糟糕的是国内流离失所者的困境，这是我们对难民的礼貌用语。在我们国家的画布上，到处都是在自己国家的难民，他们被叛乱分子或战争赶出家园。

There are Pakistanis fleeing abroad as refugees, dying in the Mediterranean to reach refuge. Pakistanis living in slums on the outskirts of our major cities because their villages back home have been reduced to rubble in the fighting.

有巴基斯坦人作为难民逃往国外，死在地中海寻求避难。巴基斯坦人生活在我们主要城市郊区的贫民窟里，因为他们家乡的村庄在战斗中被夷为平地。

We are defiant but we are also exhausted. The democratic transition is shaky and the bright news of Chinese investment is tempered with the fury from Washington and the new Great Game in Asia to control trade, energy, transport and wealth. We wonder what our fragile place will be in this heated environment and whether we will survive the coming wars.

我们不屈不挠，但也筋疲力尽。民主转型不稳定，中国投资的好消息与华盛顿的愤怒以及亚洲控制贸易、能源、运输和财富的新大博弈相调和。我们想知道，在这个炎热的环境中，我们脆弱的地位会是什么，我们能否在即将到来的战争中生存下来。
7.最后一个故事是关于反抗和不确定性的

This last story is about defiance and uncertainty for a reason. We are no great Asian power or developed Western state. We face the dangers of climate change and nuclear war, fanatical Jihads and economic collapse. We are in uncertain waters and strange tides. Our survival is uncertain and our prosperity a chance.

最后一个故事是关于反抗和不确定性的，这是有原因的。我们不是亚洲大国，也不是西方发达国家。我们面临着气候变化、核战争、狂热的圣战和经济崩溃的危险。我们身处不确定的水域和奇怪的潮汐中。我们的生存是不确定的，我们的繁荣是一个机会。

We come from no great empires or mighty power. Airports flag us for extra checking and interviewers turn down our CVs abroad when they see our names, our skin and our country. We are at once Orphans and Childless.

我们不是来自伟大的帝国或强国。机场会为我们做额外的检查，面试官看到我们的名字、皮肤和国家时会拒绝我们在国外的简历。我们既是孤儿又是无子女者。

And yet we carry every Empire and Power in our hearts. Darius, Alexander, Ashoka, Gupta, Bin Qasim, Ghaznavi, Akbar, Aurangzeb, Raghunath and Ranjit are as much a part of us as we are one with them.

然而，我们心中承载着每一个帝国及其力量。大流士、亚历山大、阿育王、笈多、本·卡西姆、加兹纳维、阿克巴、奥朗泽布、拉古纳特和兰吉特既是我们的一部分，也是我们与他们的一部分。

But even they pale in comparison with something far older, far more enduring and far more embedded in our blood.

但与更古老、更持久、更深入我们血液的东西相比，它们也显得苍白。

And that is the Indus. It’s the Dancing Girl. Its the timelessness of when the Earth was young and every leaf, stone and fire held promise. All conquerors thought they had conquered her but in the end she conquered them instead.

那就是印度河，是那个跳舞的女孩。这是永恒的，当地球还年轻的时候，每一片叶子、每一块石头和每一团火都有希望。所有的征服者都以为他们已经征服了她，但最终她反而征服了他们。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Pakistan’s life and the life of this land will forever be tied with her. The River and the Girl. The Indus is the artery to all of our hearts and only when this mighty river dies will the steps of the Dancing girl be silenced too. And all our lives extinguished. Whether the river should perish under the encroaching sands of the warming earth or the nuclear radiation of our collective folly is something that time will tell.

巴基斯坦的生活和这片土地的生活将永远与她联系在一起，河流和女孩。印度河是我们所有人心灵的动脉，只有当这条浩瀚的河流逝去时，舞女的脚步才会被沉默。我们所有的生命都消失了。这条河是应该在变暖的地球侵蚀的沙子下消亡，还是在我们集体愚蠢的核辐射下消亡，时间将告诉我们的。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Until then, the river flows. And the dance continues.

在那之前，河流一直在流动。舞蹈还在继续。