介绍:
中英文台词：
It is the start of the Black Death!
黑死病由此拉开序幕！
The chef becomes the first victim. Pretty soon his wife and maid die with the same symptoms. Similar cases are also found in other parts of the city. The government acts quickly, trying to take control of the disease. It also steps up efforts to reduce the risk of spread into other cities. However, there is no solution of curing the disease because no one knows its cause or how it spreads.
厨师首当其冲。很快，他的妻子及女仆也死于相同病症。该市其他地区类似病例也层出不穷。政府迅速行动起来，增强防范措施，竭力抑制病情，并降低疾病扩散到其他城市的风险。然而，因为无从知晓病因及其传播方式，一直也无法找到治疗方案。
Within a month the disease spreads throughout the country, and crowded cities are hardest hit. The survival rate is so low. Left untreated, 80 percent die within seven days. Sometimes it wipes out a whole village, which creates huge psychological effects and leads to widespread panic. The historical significance of the disaster is apparent.
一个月内，疫情便在全国范围内扩散开来，熙熙攘攘的城市更是重灾区。该疾病的生存率很低，如果不加以治疗，80%的人会在七天内死亡。有时，它会夺走全村人的性命，给人留下极大的心理阴影，并诱发大规模恐慌。这场灾难的历史意义显而易见.
According to official statistics, the Black Death has killed 30-60 percent of the country's total population. It has made permanent changes to the human society.
据官方数据记载，黑死病致使全国30%到60%的民众死亡，对人类社会造成了永久性影响。
As for the origin of the Black Death, no one really knows the truth at this time. Judging from the symptoms, even doctors have only assumed opinions, not facts, to explain what is happening. The debate about its cause has been going on for a while.
至于黑死病的起源，当时无人知晓真相。仅从症状来看，就连医生也只能依据猜测——而非事实——来做出解释。就黑死病病因展开的争论也持续了很长一段时间。
One contemporary account of the Black Death blames the heavens. It firmly insists that a change in the positions of Mars and two other planets earlier this year results in bad air, and it is the bad air that causes the disease.
当时某种描述将黑死病归咎于天体因素。其坚定的认为，年初火星及其他两个星体位置发生了改变，使空气变得恶劣，继而导致了黑死病。
There is also another kind of thinking about the cause of the Black Death. As a volcano erupts, the flood of mud, hot lava and dark ashes destroys everything in its path. Many people consider it a signal from God.
关于黑死病的病因，还有另外一种观点：火山喷发时，泥浆、热熔岩以及深色的火山灰倾泻而下，将所至之处通通毁灭。很多人认为这是上帝发出的讯息。
In like manner, they believe the disease is another punishment from the Lord. People are punished for not being able to live in harmony with God. They have lost their faith and haven't defended the moral and spiritual values in their daily lives. This thought leads to the idea that the cure to the disease is to win God's blessing.
同样，他们认为黑死病也是上帝对人类的惩罚。人类未与上帝和谐相处，因此受到了惩罚。人类丢失了信仰，平时也未维护他们的道德及精神价值。在这一观点影响下，人们认为：要想治愈该疾病，就要得到上帝的庇佑。
As one of those believers, the Bishop of a city church is thus convinced that God is speaking through the Black Death.
该市教堂主教也对以上观点深信不疑，他相信上帝通过黑死病在向人类传达讯息。
After making a statement of his own thoughts about the disease, the bishop informs people that a sacred assembly will be held on the city square. He asks people to join him as they are going to pray God to forgive them and give them another chance. However, this won't be helpful in improving the situation. On the contrary, the bishop ought to discourage people from gathering since it will increase the chances of a disease spreading.
主教陈述了自己对黑死病的看法，并告诉人们，一场神圣集会将在该市广场举行。他邀请人们加入他的行列，在集会上向上帝祈祷，祈求上帝原谅他们，再给他们一次机会。然而，集会对改善现状不会有所帮助。恰恰相反，集会会增大疾病传播的风险，主教应阻止人们聚众集会。
As a matter of fact, a certain bacterium is associated with the Black Death. The bacterium is passed to humans from fleas, which are common pests carried by mice. So that black mouse is the initial carrier of the disease.
其实黑死病和某种细菌有关。老鼠身上携带着一些常见的跳蚤害虫，正是这些跳蚤将细菌传播给了人类。可以说，黑鼠才是黑死病的罪魁祸首。
The spread of the disease also causes social unrest. Angry crowds attack travellers, foreigners, certain racial groups, and people with other skin diseases, thinking that they are to blame for the horror. Some of the foolish people draw mistaken conclusions that the Black Death is spread by a certain group of people, who are accused of poisoning drinking water. It is a ridiculous racial attack, and thousands of people are murdered as a result.
黑死病的扩散也引发了社会动荡。人们怒气冲冲，袭击起游客、外国人、特定种族群体以及患有其他类型皮肤病的人，认为此次恐怖瘟疫这些人难辞其咎。一些愚蠢的人还得出错误结论，认为黑死病是由某一群体传播的，指控他们在饮用水里下了毒。这是一场荒诞的种族攻击，数千人因此而丧命。
The Black Death drags on year after year…
黑死病肆虐了一年又一年……
