Volga River：The“Mother River”of the Russian 伏尔加...
27.Volga River：The“Mother River”of the Russian 伏尔加河——俄罗斯人的“母亲河”
Volga River is located in the southwestern Russia. It is Europe's longest river and the world's longest inland river.Volga River plays a very important role in Russia's national economy and people's life, and thus called the"Mother River".
伏尔加河位于俄罗斯西南部，是欧洲最长的河流，也是世界最长的内流河。伏尔加河在俄罗斯的国民经济和民生活中起着非常重要的作用，因而称为“母亲河”。
●The Humanity History and Significance of the Volga-mother 母亲河的人文历史与意义
The Russian hydronym Volga derives from Proto-Slavic volga"wetness, moisture". The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed.It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia.Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage basin.Some of the largest reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga.The river has a symbolic meaning in Russian culture and is often referred to as Volga-mother in Russian literature and folklore.
The downstream of the Volga, widely believed to have been a cradle of the Proto-Indo-European civilization, was settled by Huns and other Turkic peoples in the first millennium AD, replacing Scythians. The ancient scholar Ptolemy of Alexandria mentions the lower Volga in his Geography.Ptolemy believed the Don and the Volga shared the same upper branch, which flowed from the Hyperborean Mountains.
Subsequently, the river basin played an important role in the movements of peoples from Asia to Europe. A powerful polity of Volga Bulgaria once flourished where the Kama river joins the Volga, while Khazaria controlled the lower stretches of the river.Such Volga cities as Saqsin, or Sarai were among the largest in the medieval world.The river served as an important trade route connecting Scandinavia and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria and Persia.
Khazars were replaced by Kipchaks, Kimeks and Mongols, who founded the Golden Horde in the lower reaches of the Volga. Later their empire divided into the Khanate of Kazan and Khanate of Astrakhan, both of which were conquered by the Russians in the course of the 16th century Russo-Kazan Wars.The Russian people's deep feeling for the Volga echoes in national culture and literature.The Volga Boatmen's Song is one of many songs devoted to the national river of Russia.
俄语中的水文名称“伏尔加”源自原始斯拉夫语伏尔加，是“湿度，水分”的意思。从长度、排量和流经流域来看，伏尔加河都算是欧洲最大的河流。它流经俄罗斯中部，被公认为俄罗斯的国内河流。俄罗斯的20个大城市中有11个城市，包括首都莫斯科，都位于伏尔加河流域。伏尔加河还有一些世界最大的水库。此河在俄罗斯文化中有一种象征意义，在俄罗斯文学和民间传说中通常称为“母亲河——伏尔加”。
伏尔加河下游普遍被认为是原始印欧语的文明摇篮，匈奴和其他突厥人在公元第一个千年就取代西塞亚人居住在此。古代学者亚历山大的托勒密在他的地理书中提到了伏尔加河下游。托勒密认为顿河和伏尔加河共享一支上游，那是来自北极寒山上的支流。
随后，伏尔加河流域在从亚洲移民到欧洲的人民运动中起着重要的作用。在卡马河汇入伏尔加河的地方，出现了一个盛极一时的强大的伏尔加保加利亚政权，同时，哈札尔人统治了河流的下游地区。萨克辛、萨莱等伏尔加河流域城市都是中世纪世界的最大城市之一。该河流是连接斯堪的纳维亚和伏尔加保加利亚，与哈扎尔特克地区和波斯的重要的贸易路线。
取代哈扎尔人的是钦察人，基马克人和蒙古人，他们在伏尔加河下游创立了金帐汗国。后来他们的帝国分裂为喀山汗国和阿斯特拉罕汗国，这两个国家都在16世纪俄罗斯对战哈扎尔的大战中被俄罗斯征服。俄国人民对伏尔加河的深情体现在民族文化和文学中。《伏尔加船夫曲》就是众多歌颂俄罗斯的国家河流的歌曲之一。
●The Scenery along the Volga River 伏尔加河的沿途风景
The Visitors can boat on the picturesque Volga River, enjoy coastal cities and countries, and appreciate the combined landscape of nature and humanity.
游客可以泛舟在风景如画的伏尔加河上，欣赏沿岸的城市和乡村，体味其中的自然景观和人文景观相结合的景观。
The Small Town of Uglich 乌格利奇小城
Uglich is quiet old Russian town 274 km away from Moscow. It is located on the right bank of the picturesque Volga River.Uglich means"corner"in Russian, as the Volga River makes a sharp turn here.The small town of Uglich is famous for its watches of"Seagull"brand and its mineral water of"Uglich"brand.There are large pieces of pine forests around the town which produce rich berries and mushrooms.
乌格利奇是距莫斯科274公里的一座幽静古老的俄罗斯小城，坐落在伏尔加河风景如画的右岸。乌格利奇的俄文意思是“拐角”，因为伏尔加河在此作了一个急转弯。乌格利奇小城以出产“海鸥”牌手表及“乌格利奇”矿泉水闻名，周边有大片的松树林，盛产浆果和蘑菇。
The Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood 德米特里滴血教堂
The Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood is a group of small but very beautiful church buildings, with the white and red churches and the wooden buildings of unique style.Ivan sent Uglich to Queen Maria and his youngest son Dmitry as a fief.The most dramatic event in the history of the town was Prince Dmitry's suspicious death.
The most famous event in the town's history took place on May 15，1591 when the 10-year old boy was found dead with his throat cut in the palace courtyard. Suspicion immediately fell on the tsar's chief advisor, Boris Godunov.Official investigators concluded however that Dimitriy's death wasan accident.The event led to the Russian chaos era.The Church of St.Dmitry on the Blood built in the 17th century is in honor of Prince Dmitry.
德米特里滴血教堂是一个规模虽不大、却非常精美的教堂建筑群，红白相间的教堂和造型别致的木楼。当年伊凡雷帝把乌格里奇作为皇后玛利娅和幼子德米特里的封邑。小城历史上最戏剧性的事件是德米特里王子在这里离奇死去。
这次著名的小镇历史事件发生在1591年5月15日。那天，有人在王宫的庭院里发现了这个10岁小男孩的尸体，他的喉咙被切断了。嫌疑人马上落到国王的首席顾问鲍里斯·戈东诺夫的身上。然而，官方调查的结论是德米特里王子死于意外。该事件导致了俄罗斯混乱时代的开始。这座17世纪建成的德米特里滴血教堂，就是为了纪念德米特里王子的。
Kizhi 基日岛
Kizhi is an island near the geometrical center of the Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It is elongated from north to south and is about 6 km long，1 km wide.The island is well-known for a group of folk wooden buildings and the famous Kizhi Pogost.Kizhi is known as the symbol of northern Russia.It is one of the the protection of cultural relics.Its unique ancient wooden structure buildings are listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
基日岛是位于俄罗斯卡累利阿共和国奥涅加湖的中心的岛屿。这座南北走向的狭长小岛，长约6公里，宽约1公里。小岛因拥有民间木制建筑群和著名的基日乡村教堂而闻名，基日岛被誉为俄罗斯北方的象征，不仅是俄罗斯的文物保护区之一，而且它独特的古代木质结构建筑还被联合国列为世界文化遗产。