聊到梵蒂冈，想起来还有一个“冷知识”要补充：
梵蒂冈博物馆的很多雕塑上都会盖着一片无花果叶（Fig leaf），这些树叶其实都是之后加上去的，它们的作用就相当于现在的“马赛克”。由于教皇认为暴露的基基会挑起性欲，就下令工匠用凿子和棒槌把宫殿里的几百座男性雕像全都阉割了，并把他们藏在了某个房间里。这场审查运动也被称为：无花果叶运动（Fig Leaf Campaign）。

旅德的老乡邓瑛的一首四行诗，话说回来，要直接按字面翻成英语并不难，但的确是浪费译者和英语读者的时间。原文中中国人觉得很有味道的东西直接调换成洋码子后，在英语读者心目中并无诗意而且乏味。

A Leaf of Autumn
By Ying deng _Klein

From a leaf of autumn can see what comes,
it hasn't a sense of right and wrong in all seasons.
Autumn moon and spring breeze, as well as
summer rain soothes people, contexts through the ages.

translated by Chen Zihong

一叶知秋/Ying deng _Klein
鄧瑛 (德国)

一叶知秋有天地，
满载四季无是非。
春云夏雨秋月夜，
飘来唐诗晋字汉文章。 https://t.cn/RdH7z5F

With a shock of insight he understood that Mari's impassive expression was a calm acceptance and knowledge of life's roils and clawing, an attitude that in a way matched his own belief that he flew in the winds of change like a sere leaf. She had answers to the most untoward questions, for the Mi'kmaq had examined the world with boundless imagination for many generations.
——Barkskins by Anne Proulx