阳光在我身后，我策马疾驰冲向靶心。马匹处于慢跑状态，我站起身来，双膝夹紧马鞍，脚后跟踩稳马镫，竭力保持平衡，仿佛置身于风洞之中。
The sun was behind me as I approached the target quickly. My horse was in a slow run, and I stood up, knees braced against the saddle and heels down in the stirrups, trying to stay steady even though I felt as if I were in a wind tunnel.
动作行云流水：我从箭袋抽出一支箭，搭在弦上，拉满弓弦，松手射出。此间无敌人，亦无前线。我只是在从事骑射这项消遣。
Moving swiftly, I drew an arrow from my quiver and loaded the bow, pulled my arm back and released. There were no foes nor frontline. Rather, I was engaging in the pastime of horseback archery.
在高科技战争围绕四周的当下，模拟古代战争、重温帝国兴衰系于一箭之际的日子，竟让人感到一种奇异的慰藉。
There’s something oddly comforting about playing at ancient warfare, about reliving the days when empires spread and fell on the tip of an arrow, especially nowadays when high-tech conflict rages around us.
随着真实战争愈发毁灭性且缺乏人情味，改由无人机和人工智能主导，骑射在亚洲、中东甚至欧洲正经历复兴。骑射的魅力总让我联想到内战重演者的浪漫化，只不过骑射追溯的年代更为久远。
Horseback archery is experiencing a renaissance across Asia, the Middle East and even Europe as real war becomes ever more destructive and impersonal, fought with drones and artificial intelligence. The allure of what is also called mounted archery always makes me think of the romanticization of Civil War re-enactors, but for an even more bygone era.
巴萨姆·阿勒姆哈纳、穆罕默德·阿勒哈纳兹雷和阿勒加赖贝先生，约旦队成员，在约旦伊尔比德的萨布拉牧场策马奔腾。位于约旦安曼的萨赫瓦马厩，球队也在此训练。
Bassam Al-Mhana, Mohammad Al-Khanazreh and Mr. Algharaibeh, members of Jordan’s team, riding at Sabra Ranch in Irbid, Jordan. The Sahwa horse stable, where the team also practices, in Amman, Jordan.
阿勒姆哈纳先生从2012年开始练习骑射，2016年起开始培训他人。他参加过20多场国际骑射比赛。
Mr. Al-Mhana has been doing mounted archery since 2012 and began training others in 2016. He has competed in more than 20 international horseback archery competitions.
上个月，在吉尔吉斯斯坦郁郁葱葱的群山之中——蒙古帝国曾凭借骑射手西征至此——仿佛有好几部年代大剧成了现实。参加“世界游牧民族运动会”这一植根于古代战争和民族体育的国际赛事的运动员们，身披战袍，展示着曾能让人赢得声望的战场技艺。
Last month, amid the lush mountains of Kyrgyzstan where the Mongol Empire once marched westward on the strength of its mounted archers, it indeed looked like several period dramas had come to life. Athletes participating in the World Nomad Games an international tournament rooted in ancient warfare and ethnosports, were clad in warrior wear and demonstrating battlefield skills that once could earn someone acclaim.
几个月来，我一直在业余时间为本届竞技大会进行训练。两年前，我开始接触这项运动，此前我没有任何骑马或射箭的经验。当时我正在担任驻外记者，报道以色列对加沙哈马斯的报复性战争，这场战争让巴勒斯坦领土满目疮痍。
For months, I had been training in my spare time for the tournament. I had no previous experience riding or doing archery until I came to the sport about two years ago as I was in the midst of reporting as a foreign correspondent on Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza, leaving the Palestinian territory devastated.
虽然在报道一场残酷的当代冲突的同时，享受一种古老的作战形式似乎有些奇怪，但这项活动有一种冥想的一面，需要全神贯注、优雅的技巧，并让呼吸与动作相配合；它把现代世界隔绝在外，哪怕只有几秒钟。
While it may seem odd to enjoy an archaic form of warfare while covering a brutal present-day conflict, there was a meditative aspect to the activity, requiring complete concentration, graceful technique and matching your breath to your movements; it blocked out the modern world, even if only for a few seconds.
在上马之前，弓箭手必须先在地面上完善自己的射箭技术。这项运动要求精准流畅的动作，弓箭手练习在不看的情况下将箭搭上弓，以便始终专注于目标。
Before getting on a horse, archers must first perfect their archery with their feet on the ground. The sport requires precise and smooth motions, and archers practice loading the arrow onto the bow without looking so as to remain focused on the target.
我曾希望能参赛，并原定加入约旦队，因为我作为驻安曼记者住在那里。但即便是一场颂扬游牧生活方式的竞技大会，也仍然尊重现代民族国家的边界，而由于我不是约旦公民，我没有资格随队参赛。于是，我以教练的身份加入了队伍。
I had hoped to compete and was set to join the team from Jordan, because I live there as a Amman-based correspondent. But even a tournament celebrating the nomadic way of life still respects the borders of modern nation-states, and because I am not a Jordanian citizen, I was ineligible to compete with the team. Instead, I joined it as a coach.
世界游牧民族运动会始于2014年，并稳步发展壮大。今年是第六届，有来自100多个国家的数百名运动员参加各种民族体育项目，例如举骆驼形重物力量举、快速搭建被称为蒙古包的圆形帐篷，以及一直很受欢迎的叼羊——一种用无头山羊尸体代替球来打的马球变体。
The Nomad Games began in 2014 and has grown steadily. This year, its sixth, had hundreds of athletes from more than 100 countries competing in various ethnosports such as powerlifting camel-shaped weights, speed building circular tents known as yurts and the ever popular kok-boru a version of polo played with a headless goat carcass instead of a ball.
在吉尔吉斯斯坦伊塞克湖地区克琴峡谷举行的世界游牧民族运动会上，人们在玩传统的吉尔吉斯秋千。除了体育项目，游牧民族运动会还通过音乐、舞蹈和大量美食来庆祝游牧传统与文化。阿尔加拉伊贝在运动会马背射箭决赛中参赛。一名吉尔吉斯歌手在音乐表演中弹奏库姆孜。
People playing on a traditional Kyrgyz swing at the World Nomad Games in Kyrchyn Gorge in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul region. In addition to featuring sports, the Nomad Games celebrate nomadic traditions and culture with music, dancing and much food. Mr. Algharaibeh competing in the horseback archery final at the games. A Kyrgyz singer playing a komuz during a musical performance.
马上射箭运动本身大约15年前开始复兴，吸引了对历史感兴趣的人，也吸引了单纯喜欢这项运动挑战的人。
Horseback archery itself began its comeback about 15 years ago, drawing in people who are interested in history and others who simply like the athletic challenge of it.
“我们当然会想到祖先过去如何作战，而这其中很大一部分就是马上射箭，”阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·阿尔加赖贝在一次练习中说道。他穿着系带靴子、多口袋长裤、迷彩衬衫和一顶棒球帽，看起来更像一名美国军事承包商，而非约旦贝都因战士。“这一点肯定深植于我们心中。”他回忆起观看一部热门土耳其电视剧《复活：埃尔图鲁尔》，该剧讲述一位13世纪的突厥酋长与十字军、拜占庭人和蒙古人作战，以及剧中主角们发动骑马攻击的一个特定场景。
“For sure we think about how our ancestors used to wage war and this was a big part of it,” Abdulrahman Algharaibeh said one day during practice, dressed in lace-up boots, cargo pants, a camo shirt and a baseball cap that made him look more like a U.S. military contractor than a Jordanian Bedouin warrior. “That stays rooted in our mind for sure.”He recalled watching a popular Turkish drama, Resurrection: Ertugrul— about a 13th-century Turkic chieftain battling the Crusaders, Byzantines and Mongols — and a specific scene in which the protagonists launched an attack on horseback.
“我非常兴奋，”30岁的软件工程师阿尔加赖贝先生说。“我立刻想要一匹马，这样我就能像他们那样做了。”阿尔加赖贝先生和阿尔-哈扎兹雷先生在约旦伊尔比德的萨布拉牧场为训练收集装备。
“I got very excited,” said Mr. Algharaibeh, a 30-year-old software engineer. “I wanted a horse right away so I could do like them.”Mr. Algharaibeh and Mr. Al-Khanazreh gathering equipment for a training session at Sabra Ranch in Irbid, Jordan.
安曼萨瓦马厩里的一匹阿拉伯马。射手在骑马射箭前，马匹需要先接受不怕弓箭的训练。
An Arabian horse at Sahwa horse stable in Amman. Horses need to be trained not to fear bows and arrows before archers can shoot while riding.
阿尔加赖贝先生练习后洗脸。他在一部电影中看到13世纪战斗场景中的马上射箭后，受到启发开始练习这项运动。
Mr. Algharaibeh washing his face after practice. He was inspired to take up horseback archery after seeing it in a 13th-century battle scene in a film.
坐在游牧民族运动会山丘上俯瞰赛道时，阿尔加赖贝先生、约旦队另一名成员穆罕默德·阿尔-哈扎兹雷和我观看了比赛。附近，一名身着古代蒙古战士服饰的人膝上放着一只猎鹰，正坐在那里。
Sitting on a hill at the Nomad Games overlooking the course, Mr. Algharaibeh, Mohammad Al-Khanazreh, another member of the Jordanian team and I watched the competition. Nearby, a man dressed like an ancient Mongolian warrior sat with a falcon in his lap.
在我们下方，来自其他国家的运动员沿着100米长的马上射箭赛道疾驰，用时不到14秒就冲过终点。沉重的马蹄声只被偶尔传来的箭矢射中三个靶子之一的“啪”声所打断。
Below us, athletes from other countries galloped along the 100-meter-long horseback archery course, finishing in under 14 seconds. The heavy drumbeat of hooves was interrupted only by the occasional thwap of an arrow hitting one of three targets.
“人们正在回归他们的历史，”42岁的退休安保人员、现任全职马术与射箭教练阿尔-卡纳兹雷先生说。“很久以前，人们常说，真正的骑手是拥有剑、长矛、弓和盾牌的人，”他引用一句常被归于伊斯兰征服时代的流行语说道。
“People are going back to their histories,” said Mr. Al-Khanazreh, 42, a retired security officer turned full-time equestrian and archery instructor. “A long time ago they would say that the true horseman is the one who has his sword, his lance, his bow and his shield,” he said, citing a common refrain attributed to the eras of Islamic conquest.
但就在男子比赛的第一天，我们又被拉回了现实，想起了现代战争。
But even on the very first day of the men’s competition, we were pulled back to the present and reminded of modern warfare.
当晚，伊朗向约旦的一个美军基地及其他地区目标发射了导弹，称这些打击是对美国对伊朗南部发动袭击的回应，那次袭击击中了一场婚礼，造成五名宾客丧生。阿尔加拉伊贝一直在听约旦的朋友和家人讲述，他们因手机上发出的入侵攻击警报而感到不安。
Overnight, Iran had fired missiles at an American military base in Jordan, among other regional targets, saying the strikes came in response to a U.S. attack on southern Iran, which hit a wedding and killed five guests. Mr. Algharaibeh had been hearing from friends and family in Jordan unsettled by the alerts on their phones warning of incoming attacks.
今年早些时候，我们的比赛备战也受到地区战争的影响，伊朗关闭霍尔木兹海峡，延误了一批箭矢的运输，导致我们的供应告急。即使装备齐全，骑射选手在掌握这项运动时也面临挑战。一名吉尔吉斯射手在比赛前检查他的弓和箭。观众为选手们加油。比赛持续了四天，男子两天，女子两天。阿尔-卡纳兹雷在比赛最后一轮中向后射向靶子。
Earlier this year, our preparation for the tournament had also been impacted by the regional war, with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz delaying a shipment of arrows, leaving our supply running low. Even when properly armed, horseback archers face a challenge mastering the sport. A Kyrgyz archer checking his bow and arrows before the competition. Spectators cheering on the competitors. The competition lasted four days, two for the men and two for the women. Mr. Al-Khanazreh shooting backward toward a target during the final round of the competition.
在练习中，我的教练巴萨姆·阿尔-姆哈纳总是敦促我专注，仿佛我射箭时还能做别的什么似的。
During practices, my coach, Bassam Al-Mhana, always urges me to focus, as if I could possibly do anything else when I shoot an arrow.
几秒钟之内，我必须在奔跑的马背上站起来，双腿紧紧夹住马，脚跟踩在马镫里以保持稳定；从箭袋里顺畅地抽出一支箭，并一次性将其搭上弓；然后将右臂向后拉，在经过靶子之前放箭。与此同时，我必须盯着靶子，并确保马的步速保持快速且一致。
In a matter of seconds, I have to stand up in the saddle atop my running horse, my knees gripping it tight and heels pushed down in the stirrups to remain steady; smoothly draw an arrow from the quiver, and in one motion load it onto my bow ; and pull my right arm back and release the arrow before passing the target. All this while keeping my eyes on the target andensuring my horse’s gait remains fast and consistent.
一天早晨，一位穿着贝都因人服装的约旦人和一位计划在贝鲁特开设自己的马术射箭学校的黎巴嫩人加入了我们的训练。阿尔-马纳先生鼓励我们道：“伙计们，现在你们就像是要去打仗一样！”
One morning, as I was joined at a practice by a Jordanian man dressed like a Bedouin and a Lebanese man who was planning to open his own horseback archery school in Beirut, Mr. Al-Mhana urged us on. “Guys, it’s as if you are heading out to battle,” he shouted.
当我们三人骑着马前往比赛场地时，他笑着补充道：“别忘了把‘战争中的战利品’分享给我们哦……”不过，对于骑射选手来说，所谓的“战利品”其实只是同行的钦佩之情，以及偶尔获得的比赛奖品罢了。
As the three of us trotted our horses to the start of the course, he added with a chuckle, “Don’t forget to share with us the spoils of war.”But any spoils these days for mounted archers only take the form of the admiration of peers and the occasional tournament prize.
36岁的巴拉兹斯·维尔梅斯（Balazs Vermes）穿着10世纪匈牙利战士的服装，他表示自己试图传承祖先的战斗精神。他说道：“现代战争已经大大减少了战场上的不确定性；过去，只要你足够优秀，就有生存的机会；但现在，即使你技艺高超，也可能在一瞬间被无人机杀死。”
One competitor, Balazs Vermes, 36, dressed like a 10th-century Hungarian warrior, said he was trying to embody the warrior spirit of his ancestors. Modern warfare has removed much of the human variable from the battlefield, he said. “Back then if you were good, you had the chance to survive,” he said. “Now you could be very good but in one second a drone can kill you.”
维尔梅斯认为这场比赛就像一场真正的战场：“情况总是在变化，我必须不断调整自己的策略。”比赛开始时下着大雨，除了参赛者外，几乎所有人都躲在帐篷里；雨水使赛道变得湿软不堪，对那些尚未参赛的人来说更加具有挑战性——马蹄踩在泥地上，泥块四处飞溅。
Despite the passage of the centuries, war remains unpredictable, as does the competition. “I look at this as a battlefield,” Mr. Vermes said. “Things change and I need to adjust.”By the time he took to the course, it was raining heavily with nearly everyone except the competitors huddled under tents. The rain had softened the track, making it even more challenging for those yet to compete, and the horses’ hooves sent clumps of mud flying into the air.
这提醒我们：无论是在体育比赛中，还是在战争中，每个人都并非处于公平的竞争环境中。决赛结束后，约旦队成员们一起骑马离开了赛场。
It was a reminder that in sport, as in war, not everyone competes on an even battlefield. Team Jordan riding together after competing in the final.