The Borders of Your Language Define the Borders of Your World
When I was 13 years old I saw a movie that impressed me deeply。It had all characteristics I thought a movie should have，a love story，high drama，and good looking actors。In this movie，the main part was played by who I thought was the most beautiful woman in the world，Elizabeth Taylor。And she personated the woman who is said to have been the most beautiful woman in her world：Cleopatra VII，who ruled Egypt for 22 years。
After seeing that movie，for more than four decades，whenever I read or heard something about Cleopatra，the picture of flawless beauty came to my mind。Until I recently read Stacy Schiff's biography Cleopatra：A Life。Reading this book changed the picture I had of the ancient queen of Egypt。Above all，I read，Cleopatra was“a shrewd strategist and ingenious negotiator who shaped the contours of the ancient world”。But hardly any of the Romans who preserved her story raved about her beauty。The most remarkable thing about her was not outstanding beauty，but her outstanding eloquence。It was words that made her become the most influential woman of her age。Shrewdness and eloquence combined with charm disarmed the most prominent Romans of the time，Caesar and Mark Antony。
What was the world in which she grew up like？Cleopatra's Egypt was“a speechifying culture”，appreciative of the sharp argument，of the fine arts of persuasion and refutation。Her teachers included mathematicians，philosophers，rhetoricians，intellectual companions and trusted advisors。Cleopatra's education began with vocabulary lists of the Greek language，poetry and stories。She could write verses，and was familiar with the tangled genealogies of the gods；she would know the stories backwards and forward。The border between the human and the divine was fluid for Cleopatra as she herself was seen as a goddess。
Cleopatra's lessons were not easy，nor were they meant to be，says this new story of the queen of the Nile。Learning was a serious business，involving endless drills，infinitive rules，long hours。To develop artful speaking took much effort，continuous studies and various exercises。Only experience and wisdom would lead to an unfailing strategic sense。There was a codified vocabulary and an arsenal of gestures following the laws of verse with particular and exact choreography。Cleopatra learned how to marshal her thoughts precisely，express them artistically，and deliver them gracefully while holding her head high and her voice carefully modulated。“She mastered the eulogy，the reproach，the comparison。”It was almost like the choreography of a play，or lessons at an acting school。There were rules of when to breathe，pause，gesticulate，raise or lower the voice。When Cleopatra graduated from the studies of rhetoric and public speaking at 13 or 14 in Alexandria，she truly knew how to talk。