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Today we know that these are the stars that are close to us, and that they turn with the earth around the sun.
今天我們知道，那是和地球一道繞著太陽轉動的星星。
They are called planets.
人們稱它們為行星。
But the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians couldn't know that, and so they thought some strange magic must lie behind it.
可是這個事實，古代巴比倫尼亞人和亞述人不可能知道，所以他們認為，其中必有某種神秘的魔術。
They gave a name to each wandering star and observed them constantly, convinced that they were powerful beings whose positions influenced the destinies of men,
他們給每一個游星取了名字并持續不斷的觀測它們，他們認為，這些星星是威力巨大的生命之物，它們的位置對人類的命運具有一定的意義，
and that by studying them they would be able to predict the future.
通過研究這些星星的位置他們就能夠預測未來。
This belief in the stars has a Greek name: astrology.
這種信仰就叫占星術，或者用一個希臘詞就叫“astrology”。
Some planets were believed to bring good luck, others misfortune: Mars meant war and Venus, love.
人們認為某些行星帶來幸運，某些行星帶來不幸。火星表示戰爭，金星表示愛情。
To each of the five planets known to them they dedicated a day, and with the sun and the moon, that made seven.
人們給他們已知的五個行星奉獻一個日子，算上太陽和月亮恰好是七個行星。
This was the origin of our seven-day week.
這就產生了我們今天的七天星期制度。
In English we still say Satur (Saturn)-day, Sun-day and Mon (moon)-day, but the other days are named after different gods.
在英語中我們仍然說星期六（土星日），星期日（太陽日），星期一（月亮日），而其他日子是按不同的神命名的。
In other languages–such as French or Italian–most of the days of the week still belong to the planets that the Babylonians first named.
在其他語言中——比如法語、意大利語——一個星期中的大多數日子還是按巴比倫人起初那樣以行星命名的。
Would you ever have guessed that our weekdays had such a strange and venerable history, reaching back all those thousands of years?
你可曾猜到我們普通的日子有著一段如此可敬可嘆的、歷時數千年之久的歷史嗎？
