VOA慢速英语: 滚石不生苔

滚石不生苔

Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。

Today we explain a very old saying that has had a big influence on rock and roll music. That saying is: "a rolling stone gathers no moss." It has several meanings. One meaning is that a person who never settles down in one place will not be successful. Another is that someone who is always moving, with no roots in one place, avoids responsibilities.

今天我们解释一个对摇滚音乐有着很大影响的古老谚语。那就是：“滚石不生苔。”这句谚语有好几种含义。其中有一种含义就是，从没有在一个地方安定下来的人是不会成功的。另一种含义就是说某些人总是移来移去，居无定所，逃避其责任。

This proverb was said to be first used in the 1500s. But in the 1960s, the expression "rolling stone" became famous in the world of rock-and-roll music. It became the name of a rock group, a song and a magazine.

据说，该谚语第一次被使用是在16世纪，但是在20世纪60年代，“滚石”这个词语开始扬名摇滚音乐界，它成为一支摇滚乐队、一首歌和一本杂志的名字。

Experts say it all started with a song by the American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. He was one of the country’s top blues musicians until his death in 1983. His music influenced singers like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. In 1950, Muddy Waters recorded a song called “Rollin’ Stone.”

专家称这一切都始于一首由美国歌手兼吉他手马迪·沃特斯所创的歌曲，直到其1983年去世前，他都一直是美国最大的蓝调音乐家之一。他的音乐对像猫王和鲍勃·迪伦等这样的歌手都有一定的影响。在1950年，他录制了一首名为“Rollin’ Stone”的歌曲。

A British rock group is said to have taken its name from Muddy Waters’ song. The Rolling Stones performed for the first time in 1962. The group’s members called themselves “the world’s greatest rock and roll band.”

据说有一个英国摇滚乐队的名字就取自沃特斯的这首歌，该滚石乐队的第一次演唱是在1962年，该乐队的人称他们自己是“世界上最棒的摇滚乐队”。

In 1965, Bob Dylan released his song “Like a Rolling Stone.” It is one of his best-known and most influential works.

1965年，鲍勃·迪伦发布了他的歌曲“像块滚石”，这是他最著名也是最有影响力的歌曲之一。

It is an angry song about a woman who was once rich and successful. But now she is on her own, “with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.”

这是一首关于一个曾经既富有又成功女人的愤怒之歌。但是她现在独自一个人，“没有回家的方向，完全没有人知道你，像一块滚石。”

In 1967, a young man named Jann Wenner started a magazine he named” Rolling Stone.” The magazine reported on rock music and the popular culture that the music created. By 1971, "Rolling Stone” had become the leading rock music and counterculture publication. It is still popular today.

1967年，一位叫简·温纳的年轻人创办了一本名为“Rolling Stone”的杂志，该杂志报道了摇滚音乐和音乐创作中的流行文化。到1971年，该杂志已经成为摇滚音乐和反主流文化的领头刊物。直到今天仍然流行。

This VOA Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus.

这就是本期的美国之音慢速英语，由谢莉·高卢斯编写。我是费斯·拉皮德斯。