How do you hide a painting that is seven meters tall and ten meters wide? This and other difficult problems troubled Jacques Jaujard, deputy head of the Louvre Museum in Paris, as the shadow of war lengthened across Europe in August 1939. Jaujard made it his responsibility to protect the Louvre's treasures from the approaching threat. He knew that, if Paris came under the control of Nazi Germany, many of the greatest artworks in history could disappear forever.
你會怎麼把一幅七米高十米寬的畫藏起來呢？這個問題與其他難題困擾著巴黎羅浮宮博物館的副館長 Jacques Jaujard，當時是西元 1939 年 8 月，戰火的陰影延伸遍及歐洲之際。Jaujard 將守護羅浮宮的珍藏遠離迫近的威脅視為己任。他知道，倘若巴黎被納粹德國所控制，許多歷史上最偉大的藝術品可能會永遠消失。
With the help of museum staff and volunteers, Jaujard took action. On August 25, the Louvre was closed for three days. Officially, the closure was for repair work, but over the next three days and nights hundreds of staff and art students placed the museum's precious contents into white wooden crates. Items were classified according to their importance. Cases containing major works of art were marked with a green circle, yellow was used for very valuable pieces, and red was for "world treasures." The case containing the Louvre's star attraction, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, was marked with three red circles.
在博物館的職員和志工的協助下，Jaujard 採取行動。8 月 25 日，羅浮宮閉館三天。官方說法是，閉館是為了進行維修工作，不過接下來的三天三夜中，數百名館員和美術系學生將珍貴的館藏裝入白木箱內。品項根據重要性來分類。裝有重要藝術作品的箱盒以綠圈標示，黃色用於極有價值的作品，紅色則是「世界級的珍藏作品」。裝有羅浮宮的鎮宮之寶－－李奧納多．達文西的《蒙娜麗莎》的箱盒，便是以三個紅圈標示。
The logistics of removing such a vast collection of artworks would be challenging even in normal times. The task was made even more difficult by the need for secrecy regarding the whereabouts of the precious treasures, and by the size and shape of many of the works. Around 800 paintings were removed from their frames and carefully placed into crates that had been divided into sections. This was impossible for the larger paintings like Veronese's The Wedding at Cana, the 7x10-meter work mentioned above. It had to be rolled up around a cylinder. But more fragile large paintings, such as The Raft of the Medusa, needed to be moved in their frames and transported vertically.
搬移如此大量藝術收藏品的物流作業非常具有挑戰性，即使是在承平時期。這項任務變得加倍困難，因為這些無價之寶的下落需要保密，而且其中許多作品有著特殊的尺寸和造型。大約有八百幅畫被從框架中取出，小心翼翼地放入先前隔好的木箱中。但這種作法不可能用在較大的畫作上，像是委羅內塞的《迦拿的婚禮》，上文中提到它是一幅七乘十米的作品。這幅巨畫必須捲成圓柱狀。不過更脆弱的大型畫作，像是《梅杜莎之筏》，就必須連同畫框一起移動，而且直立著運送。
For the next step of the operation, Jaujard requisitioned private cars, ambulances, trucks, delivery vans and taxis. More than 200 vehicles carrying over 4,000 works set out from the Louvre, with their drivers acting as though they were doing their everyday jobs. They took the treasures to hundreds of minor castles all over France, where they could lie hidden and safe. On September 1, the day the final piece reached its intended destination, the storm broke as Germany invaded Poland.
接著這項行動的下一步，Jaujard 徵用私家車、救護車、卡車、貨車和計程車。載著四千多幅作品的兩百多台車子從羅浮宮出發，而司機表現地像是在執行他們的日常工作一般。他們將這些寶藏運送到遍布法國的數百座小城堡中，在那裡它們可以隱蔽又安全地存放著。在 9 月 1 日，最後一件作品抵達預定的目的地那天，戰爭的風暴隨著德國入侵波蘭而爆發。
The following May, Paris did come under German control. The leaders of the Nazi Party were eager to get their hands on the valuable works of art that had been spirited away. But throughout the four-year occupation of France, Jaujard and others worked tirelessly to prevent them. They regularly organized the secret removal of pieces, including the Mona Lisa, taking them from castle to castle. They had to stay ahead of the Nazis in a deadly game of cat and mouse, while also avoiding the Vichy authorities, who had been set up as if they were an independent government but were ruling southern France on Germany's behalf.
次年五月，巴黎真的遭受德國的控制。納粹黨的領導人都渴望將被偷偷運走的珍貴藝術品弄到手。但在佔領法國的四年期間，Jaujard 和其他人不辭辛勞地努力阻止他們。他們定期安排這些作品的秘密移動，包括《蒙娜麗莎》，將它們從城堡移到城堡。他們必須在這場致命的貓抓老鼠遊戲中領先納粹分子，同時還要避開維希當局，它的成立讓他們彷彿是一個獨立的政府，但其實是代表德國統治南法。
People still think of these efforts to save the artworks of the Louvre as acts of great bravery against a brutal regime. At that time, no one asked Jaujard and his helpers to do it; they just acted as if it were their duty. But why was it so important to save works of art at a time when millions of people were dying in a long and bloody war, many of them in terrible concentration camps? If Jacques Jaujard were here, he could answer this question. Great art, he might say, is among humanity's highest achievements, but war represents its worst failures. In his own words, "Art is the heritage of humanity." The treasures of the Louvre belong to us all, and we can continue to enjoy them, thanks to the people who risked everything to save them.
人們仍然認為這些拯救羅浮宮藝術品的努力是對抗殘暴政權的英勇行為。當時，沒有人要求 Jaujard 和他的幫手這樣做；他們只是彷彿把這件事當作自己的職責一樣去行動。但為什麼在那個時代保存藝術品如此重要，當數百萬人正死於一場長期又血腥的戰爭中，其中許多人還在可怕的集中營呢？如果 Jacques Jaujard 在這裡，他就可以回答這個問題。偉大的藝術，他可能會說，是人類最高的成就之一，但戰爭卻代表最糟糕的失敗。用他自己的話來說：「藝術是人類的遺產。」羅浮宮的寶藏屬於我們所有人，而我們可以繼續欣賞它們，多虧那些冒著一切拯救它們的人。
- deputy [ˋdɛpjətɪ] n.
副手
The boss recently promoted Clarence to be his new deputy. - lengthen [ˋlɛŋθən] v.
延長，加長
In the Northern Hemisphere, the hours of daylight lengthen as spring turns to summer.
Mom helped me lengthen this skirt by a couple of inches. - classify [ˋklæsə͵faɪ] v.
分類
Sharks can be classified into around 440 different species. - classification [͵klæsəfəˋkeʃən] n.
分類，分級
This article gives a brief introduction to the classification of common bacteria. - valuable [ˋvæljʊəb!] adj.
貴重的
Mr. Smith says this painting is the most valuable item in his collection and is worth thousands of dollars. - regarding [rɪˋgɑrdɪŋ] prep.
關於，至於
I am sending you a document regarding the special features of our new product. - whereabouts [ˋhwɛrəˋbaʊts] n.
行蹤，下落
Andrew left his house this morning, and his family have no idea of his current whereabouts. - frame [frem] n.
框，框架
The painting has been taken out of its frame so that it can be restored. - fragile [ˋfrædʒəl] adj.
易損壞的，易碎的
Be careful with that glass vase because it is very fragile. - transport [ˋtræns͵pɔrt] v.
運輸，運送
In the 19th century, thousands of criminals were transported by ship from England to Australia. - transportation [͵trænspɚˋteʃən] n.
運輸；交通
The busy port handles the transportation of billions of dollars' worth of goods.
The city has excellent public transportation, with wide roads and an MRT system. - vertically [ˋvɝtɪk!ɪ] adv.
垂直地，直立地
These lizards can run vertically up a wall at amazing speeds. - vertical [ˋvɝtɪk!] adj.
垂直的，直立的
A helicopter takes off from the ground in a vertical direction. - requisition [͵rɛkwəˋzɪʃən] v.
徵用
The navy requisitioned hundreds of privately-owned boats to rescue the trapped soldiers. - ambulance [ˋæmbjələns] n.
救護車
Someone called for an ambulance, and the injured boy was quickly taken to the hospital. - van [væn] n.
廂型貨車
We will need a bigger van if we want to carry all our possessions to the new apartment in one trip. - minor [ˋmaɪnɚ] adj.
較小的，不重要的
You just have a minor case of flu, so there's no need to worry about it. - intended [ɪnˋtɛndɪd] adj.
預期的
Unless he starts to work harder, he is unlikely to achieve his intended goal of studying medicine at the university. - intend [ɪnˋtɛnd] v.
打算，計畫
Alex didn't intend to come on the trip at first, but Charlotte persuaded him to join us. - destination [͵dɛstəˋneʃən] n.
目的地，終點
This train's final destination is London, but I'm getting off at the next station. - invade [ɪnˋved] v.
入侵，侵略
The first Gulf War began when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. - invasion [ɪnˋveʒən] n.
入侵，侵略
In the thirteenth century, the Mongols made two unsuccessful invasions of Japan. - deadly [ˋdɛdlɪ] adj.
致命的
These spiders have a poisonous bite that can sometimes be deadly. - authority [əˋθɔrətɪ] n.
當局，當權者；權力，管轄權
After his case failed in a local court, Mr. Dean took it to a higher authority.
Mr. Jenkins has been removed from his position and no longer has any authority in the organization. - brutal [ˋbrut!] adj.
野蠻的，殘忍的
The brutal behavior of the invading soldiers resulted in the deaths of many innocent people. - regime [rɪˋʒim] n.
政權，政體
When the military regime held power, millions of people lost their lives due to famine and civil war. - concentration [͵kɑnsɛnˋtreʃən] n.
集中，聚集；專注
This nature reserve has the largest concentration of deer in the country.
I can give you some tips on how to improve your concentration in class. - concentrate [ˋkɑnsɛn͵tret] v.
集中；專注
Most of the immigrant population is concentrated on the west side of the city.
It was very hard to concentrate on my exam preparation with my little brother making so much noise. - humanity [hjuˋmænətɪ] n.
人，人類
The Nobel prizes are given to people who have performed a great service for humanity. - heritage [ˋhɛrətɪdʒ] n.
（文化）遺產
This museum contains many important items that feature our national heritage. - get one's hands on
把...弄到手
I need these special ingredients to make the dish, but I don't know where I can get my hands on them. - spirit away
迅速地（或偷偷地、神祕地）帶走
Alicia couldn't find the old house again, as if it had been spirited away. - game of cat and mouse
貓捉老鼠的把戲
Cyber security is a constant game of cat and mouse between those who create viruses and those who try to stop them. - on one's behalf
作為...的代表
The movie director was in the hospital, so his wife accepted the award on his behalf.
