| The Taj Mahal is
regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and
some western historians have noted that its architectural
beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj Mahal was built
by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 in the
memory of his dear wife-- Queen Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim
Persian princess. It is an "legy1 in marble2"
or some say an expression of a "dream".
Shah Jahan wanted his wife's tomb to be
perfect. He did not care about time or money. He brought
together workmen from all Asia. Altogether, over 20,000
men worked on the building, and it was constructed over
a period of 22 years, and was completed in 1648 C.E. at
a cost of 32 million Rupees. According to a popular legend,
Shah Jahan decided to construct another Taj Mahal in black
marble on the other side of the river Yamuna and to connect
the two by a bridge. This structure was intended to be
his own tomb.
The Taj rises on a high red sandstone
base topped by a huge white marble terrace3 on which rests
the famous dome4 flanked5 by four minarets6. A large dome
rises from the center of the building. Around this large
dome there are four smaller domes.
The Taj is made of fine white marble with
inlays of colored marble. It has eight sides and many
open arches7. There is an open corridor just inside the
outer wall. From this corridor, the visitor looks through
carved marble screens to a central room. The bodies of
Shah Jahan and his wife in a tomb below this room.
An elaborate garden surrounds the Taj
Mahal. The green trees make the marble look even whiter.
In front of the main entrance to the building, there is
a long, narrow pool. If you look in this pool, you can
see all the beauty of the Taj Mahal in the reflection
from the water.
Some people think the Taj Mahal is most
beautiful at sunset. Then the marble picks up the color
of the sunset, and the building and its reflection in
the pool gleam8 like pink jewels. Others like it best
at noon when the bright sun makes it a pure, cold white.
Still others think it should be seen by
moonlight. On nights when the moon is full, hundreds of
people visit the Taj Mahal to see its soft silver radiance9.
Many wrap themselves in blankets and spend the night beside
the pool. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience
the Taj as if suspended10 when viewed from across the
Yamuna river.
Different people have different views
of the Taj but it would be enough to say that the Taj
has a life of its own that leaps out of marble, provided
you understand that it is a monument of love. As an architectural
masterpiece, nothing could be added or subtracted11 from
it.
1. elegy n. 悲歌，挽歌
2. marble n. 大理石
3. terrace n. 露台，阳台
4. dome n. 圆屋顶
5. flank v. 侧面与……相接
6. minaret n. 尖塔
7. arch n. 拱门
8. gleam v. 闪烁，隐约地闪现
9. radiance n. 光辉
10. suspend v. 悬挂，悬浮
11. subtract v. 减去
背景知识
凡是见过泰姬陵的人，都被它那洁白晶莹、玲珑剔透的身影所倾倒。这是一座全部用白色大理石建成的宫殿式陵园，是一件集伊斯兰和印度建筑艺术于一体的古代经典作品。人们誉它为印度的骄傲，称它为世界八大奇迹之一。古往今来，多少文人墨客、风流名士为它歌颂，为它赞美。
然而，泰姬陵的命运并非都像赞赏者所希望的那样美好和圆满。从它被建成起至今，就像它所埋葬的泰姬那样，一直充满着哀怨和愤恨。难怪连印度诗翁泰戈尔都说，泰姬陵像“一滴爱的泪珠”。
泰姬陵是莫卧儿王朝帝王沙·贾汉为爱妃蒙泰姬·马哈尔所造。据传当年沙·贾汉听闻爱妃先他而去的消息后，竟一夜白头。为纪念泰姬，不爱江山爱美人的国王倾举国之力，耗无数钱财，用了22年时间修建了这座晶莹剔透的泰姬陵。国王本想在河对面再为自己造一个一模一样的黑色陵墓，中间用半边白色、半边黑色的大理石桥连接，与爱妃相对而眠。谁知泰姬陵刚完工不久，其子就弑兄杀弟篡位，他也被囚禁在离泰姬陵不远的阿格拉堡。此后整整八年的时间，沙·贾汉每天只能透过小窗，凄然地遥望着远处河里浮动的泰姬陵的倒影，直至病死。
泰姬陵因爱情而生，这段爱情的生命又因它的光彩被后世人续写。当地总有人说，尽管300多年来泰姬陵的两侧一直威严地矗立着两座暗红色清真寺为它保驾，尽管现在每天总有来自世界各地成千上万的游人相伴，但泰姬陵是孤独、寂寞的，就像一位形单影只的绝代佳人在潺潺的亚穆纳河畔痴痴企盼着爱侣归来。
对于许多心仪这段爱情故事的旅游者来说，看泰姬陵可不能去一趟就回，而要把它当作一位佳人、一件稀世杰作来仔细欣赏。由于泰姬陵通体用雪白的大理石砌成，墙壁、门扉、窗棂雕满了精美的花纹，因此早中晚不同时间去看泰姬陵，总能有一番别样的感受。
朝霞升起时去，初升的一轮红日伴着亚穆纳河袅袅的晨雾，仿佛要将泰姬陵从睡梦中唤醒，此时的它显得静静的。历经了几百年风雨沧桑，它早已处变不惊，泰然自若地梳洗打扮，准备笑迎八方来宾。中午时分前往，泰姬陵头顶蓝天白云，脚踏碧水绿树，在南亚一向耀眼的阳光映衬下，更出落得玲珑剔透，光彩夺目。等到傍晚时分，泰姬陵迎来了它一天中最妩媚的时候。斜阳夕照下，白色的泰姬陵开始从灰黄、金黄，逐渐变成粉红、暗红、淡青色，随着月亮的冉冉升起，最终回归成银白色，向啧啧称奇的游人谢幕。在月光的轻拂下，即将安寝的泰姬陵显得格外高雅别致和皎洁迷人。
正因为景色的差别，泰姬陵恐怕也是世界上惟一一个早中晚游览票价不一样的景点，对于印度本国游人而言，白天仅20卢比(1美元等于42印度卢比)，而早上7时前或下午17时后却都升至110卢比。另外，您千万要记住，不要在星期五前往，因为那天只为当地穆斯林开放。
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