1 Who Was Genghis Khan

Who Was Genghis Khan? By Nico Medina

成吉思汗是谁？尼科·梅迪纳著

Who Was Genghis Khan? The year was 1179. A teenager named Temujin slept soundly in his felt-walled tent alongside his wife, Borte. The round tent, called a ger, stood alone at the edge of the steppe—a region of vast, flat grasslands in Mongolia. Temujin and Borte shared this ger with family and friends. Together, they formed a small clan of thirteen people. Most clans lived close together, forming communities of thousands called tribes. But Temujin's clan lived alone and isolated. An old woman was awakened by vibrations in the ground. Hoofbeats. Coming closer.

成吉思汗是谁？那一年是1179年。 一个名叫铁木真（Temujin）的少年在他的毡墙帐篷里睡得很香，旁边是他的妻子波特（Borte）。 这个被称为蒙古包的圆形帐篷孤零零地矗立在大草原的边缘，大草原是蒙古广阔而平坦的草原。 铁木真和波特与家人和朋友分享了这个故事。 他们一起组成了一个13人的小部落。 大多数氏族生活在一起，形成了数千人的社区，称为部落。 但是铁木真的氏族是孤立的。 一位老妇人被地面的震动惊醒了。 蹄声。来接近。

She screamed for everyone to wake up. Someone was coming! Three hundred men on horseback from the Merkid tribe raced toward Temujin's ger. Eighteen years earlier, Temujin's father—a man named Yesugei—had kidnapped his mother from her Merkid husband. Now Temujin was grown, with a wife of his own. The Merkid wanted revenge. Temujin's clan jumped into action. But there were not enough horses for everyone to escape.

她尖叫着要大家醒来。 有人来了！三百人骑着马从默奇德部落奔向铁木真的蒙古包。 18年前，铁木真的父亲——一个名叫yesugei的男人——从Merkid丈夫那里绑架了他的母亲。 现在铁木真长大了，有了自己的妻子。 美人鱼想要复仇。 铁木真的家族立即行动起来。 但是没有足够的马让所有人逃跑。

In the confusion, Borte was kidnapped. Temujin and his clan rode hard through the night. They tried to reach the safety of the forested mountains to the north. There was nowhere to hide on the treeless steppe. For days, the Merkid searched for Temujin. Finally, they gave up and returned home with Borte as their prisoner. Temujin climbed to the top of Burkhan Khaldun—"God mountain" in Mongolian. The Mongols worshipped the spirits of the earth, sun, and sky. Burkhan Khaldun, the tallest peak in the area, was the closest earthly place to the Eternal Blue Sky. To thank the gods for protecting him, Temujin flicked milk into the air then sprinkled some on the ground. He prayed for guidance for three days. Three rivers flowed from this sacred mountain, presenting Temujin with three choices. He could follow one river southeast, back toward his ger. But alone on the steppe, he would never be safe from future attacks. The Onon River flowed northeast back to the forests,

在混乱中，波特被绑架了。 铁木真和他的氏族骑了整整一夜。 他们试图到达北边森林覆盖的山区的安全地带。 在没有树木的大草原上没有地方可躲。 一连几天，美人鱼都在寻找铁木真。 最后，他们放弃了，带着伯特回家了。 铁木真爬上了布尔汗·赫勒敦——蒙古语“神山”的山顶。 蒙古人崇拜大地、太阳和天空的神灵。 Burkhan Khaldun是该地区最高的山峰，是地球上离永恒蓝天最近的地方。 为了感谢神灵对他的保护，铁木真将牛奶弹向空中，然后洒在地上。 他向上帝祈祷了三天。 三条河流从这座圣山流出，给了铁木真三个选择。 他可以沿着东南方向的一条河，回到他的蒙古包。 但独自在大草原上，他将永远无法避免未来的袭击。 俄嫩河向东北流回森林，

where Temujin had grown up, barely surviving by hunting birds and mice. He did not wish to live like that again. So Temujin chose the third river. He followed it southwest, to the Kereyid people. The Kereyid joined forces with Temujin and his clan. They attacked the Merkid and rescued Borte. But that was only the beginning. Over the next twenty-seven years, Temujin would unite all the steppe tribes. He would become Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongols, and conqueror of the largest land empire the world had ever known.

铁木真就是在那里长大的，靠捕鸟捕鼠勉强度日。 他不希望再过那样的生活。 于是铁木真选择了第三条河。 他沿着它向西南，找到了克里伊德人。 凯里伊德与铁木真及其氏族联合起来。 他们袭击了默克奇，救出了波特。 但这仅仅是个开始。 在接下来的27年里，铁木真团结了所有的草原部落。 他将成为成吉思汗，蒙古的统治者，世界上最大的陆地帝国的征服者。