艺伎，字面上的含意为“以艺术为生”，她们是日本文化与艺术的缩影。每个艺伎都要经过严格的训练，学习茶道、书法、乐器、舞蹈、礼节等等。男人们用餐时，她们跪在旁边斟酒上菜，微笑着和他们聊天。待到酒过三旬后，艺伎开始表演以活跃气氛，不论是弹奏乐器或是演唱情歌。艺伎一生就是为了服侍日本上流社会中的达官显贵、富商阔佬，人们只能在那些豪华的茶店酒楼和隐密的日本料亭中看到她们的身影。艺伎浓妆的脸上几乎看不出喜怒哀乐，她们的世界始终保持着一种神秘感。BBC出品，The Secret Life of Geisha带领观众走进艺伎的真实生活。
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For 400 years they have existed, timeless in the changing world, once the playthings of Shogun(将军), the favorites of Samurai（武士）. Their sealed lips have kept silent as Japan has changed more than any nation on earth. They cheered their Kamikaze heroes, and then became sweethearts of American GIs. Geisha have endured in a world sheltered behind the walls of secrecy and discretion. But finally the veil hiding the geisha has lifted, and we enter their forbidden world.
Japan is one of the most advanced countries on earth. Technology is an obsession. The nation’s pursuit of efficiency creates rapid change. Yet for centuries the Japanese have sheltered an extraordinary tradition— geisha. The geisha are the delicate guardians of ancient customs and honorable past living in the present. Their world is closed to the public. They lived shrouded in secrecy and steeped in ritual. They move a storable land of perfume, gardens and ornate temples, but make their living in dark backstreets and hidden teahouses.
American writer Arthur Golden fell under the spell of this mysterious tradition. He spent ten years researching his novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, which would become an international best-seller. “It fascinated me, what I’ve learnt. It’s so closed to outsiders. They really don’t like people coming in and poking around and learning their secrets.” Arthur Golden had to break the seal of silence surrounding the geisha world. He faced a near impossible task something like entering a closed religious alter.
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Before I began this research if you asked me what a Geisha was, I’m sure I would have told you what every American word of, except that I knew at least that they are not strictly prostitutes. It wasn’t quite that simple. But I certainly didn’t understand the role they played or why they played it. And I’ve come to see the way that Geisha figure into Japanese society as being something quite unique.
Exotic and alluring, geisha live in a world where refinement and grace are everything, yet love is garment of illusion. A perfect surface is what matters. Locked away from everyday life, geisha are the preserve of a selected elite, the automated expression of prestige and status.
For most, it is rare even to catch a glimpse of a Geisha. They have become revered and celebrated symbols of Japan. In Kyoto, the ancient capital, an annual event celebrates Japan’s most honored traditions including the Geisha. The Cherry Blossom Festival is a rare and much anticipated chance for the public to gaze upon the most private tradition of all.
The Geisha are on display wrapped in all their silk finery, women who are emblems of both history and sensuality. But behind their painted faces and delicate smiles is a difficult and intricate way of life.
New Words and Phrases
timeless adj. 无限的，永恒的
plaything n. 玩具，玩物
Kamikaze n. <日> (第二次世界大战期间日本空军敢死队)神风特攻队
GI n. 美国兵 vt. 为检阅而打扫 adj. 美国军用的，美国军人的 adv. 军纪严格地
veil n. 面纱，掩饰物，修女 vt. 给 … 戴面纱或面罩 vi. 带面纱或面罩
obsession n. 困扰，沉迷，着魔，妄想
shelter n. 庇护所，避难所，庇护 v. 庇护，保护，隐匿
delicate n. 精美的东西 adj. 精美的，微妙的，美味的，纤细的，脆弱的，敏锐的
guardian n. 保护人，监护人
ancient custom 古风
honorable adj. 光荣的，可敬的，尊敬的 = honourable(英)
shroud n. 寿衣，覆盖物，[航海]船之横桅索 v. 包以尸衣，遮蔽，隐藏，笼罩
v. <古>掩盖，保护 n. <古>保护
steep adj. 陡峭的，险峻的，（价格）过高的 n. 陡坡，浸泡，浸泡液 v. 浸泡，沉浸
ritual n. 仪式，典礼，宗教仪式，固定程序 adj. 仪式的，老规矩的，惯常的
storable adj. 可储存的 n. 耐贮藏物品
ornate adj. 装饰的，华丽的