As she was prepared for her maiden voyage on August 10th, 1628, Stockholm was in a ferment.

ferment ^{n.[U, sing.] a situation of great excitement or trouble in a country, especially caused by political change 激动不宁，动荡不安}

• The whole country has been in a state of political ferment for some months.
• The country was in political ferment for months. ^{这个国家数月来处于政治动荡中。}
• Protests caused a ferment in the capital. ^{抗议活动在首都引发了动荡。}

From the Skeppsbron and surrounding islands the people watched this thing of beauty begin to spread her sails and catch the wind.

watch sb. do ^{观看某人做某事(不加to)}

• One bad winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows.
• Couldn't I watch you do it? ^{我不可以看着你做这件事吗？}
• At mealtimes he would watch her eat. ^{到了进餐时间，他就会看着她吃饭。}

thing of beauty = beautiful thing ^美丽之物

• The Vasa was a thing of beauty. ^{瓦萨号是一件美丽之物。}
• The painting was a beautiful thing. ^{这幅画是一件美丽的事物。}
• Her dress was a thing of beauty. ^{她的礼服美不胜收。}

spread sails ^扬帆

• The Vasa began to spread her sails. ^{瓦萨号开始扬帆。}
• They spread sails at dawn. ^{他们在黎明时分扬帆。}
• A ship with all of its sails spread is a gallant sight. ^独立主格
• My heart has spread its sails to the idle winds for the shadowy island of Anywhere.

catch the wind ^兜住风

• The sails are torn; they won't catch the wind.
• You cannot catch the wind in a net.
• The kite caught the wind and soared. ^{风筝兜住风，翱翔天空。}

They had laboured for three years to produce this floating work of art; she was more richly carved and ornamented than any previous ship.

labour / labor ^{v. to work hard 辛勤工作}

• They laboured for three years on the Vasa. ^{他们在瓦萨号上辛勤工作了三年。}
• Five generations of his family have labored as fishermen.
• Three hours after the explosion, rescue teams were still laboring to free those trapped.
• Rescue teams labored to free the trapped. ^{救援队努力解救被困人员。}

work of art ^{n.a painting, statue, etc. 艺术品；（绘画、雕塑等）艺术作品}

• The Vasa was a floating work of art. ^{瓦萨号是一件漂浮的艺术品。}
• The gallery lost priceless works of art. ^{画廊丢失了无价的艺术品。}
• A number of priceless works of art were stolen from the gallery. 

richly ^{adv.if something is richly decorated, it is decorated a lot, in a way that is beautiful 富丽堂皇地}

• The Vasa was richly carved and ornamented. ^{瓦萨号雕刻和装饰得富丽堂皇。}
• A richly embroidered cloak was displayed. ^{一件金线刺绣的斗篷被展示。}
• The ceiling was richly carved with patterns. ^{天花板上雕刻着华丽的图案。}

The high stern castle was a riot of carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs; and zoomorphic animal shapes ablaze with red and gold and blue, symbols of courage, power, and cruelty, were portrayed to stir the imaginations of the superstitious sailors of the day.

be a riot of  ^{(fml.) be full of a collection of a lot of different types of the same thing 充满了，充斥着}

• The garden was a riot of colour. ^{花园里色彩缤纷。}
• The market was a riot of sounds and smells. ^{市场上充满了陌生的声音和气味。}
• With Indian cuisine, you expect a riot of tastes and spices. ^{印度菜肴口味丰富，并添加各种香料。}

ablaze ^{adj. burning strongly with a lot of flames 熊熊燃烧的}

• Within minutes the whole house was ablaze.
• Animal shapes ablaze with red and gold. ^{动物形状的雕刻闪耀着红金蓝的光彩。}
• The house was ablaze with flames. ^{房子熊熊燃烧。}

symbol of ^{…的象征、标志}

• The dove is a symbol of peace. ^{鸽子是和平的象征。}
• The lion is a symbol of courage. ^{狮子是勇气的象征。}
• The cross is the symbol of Christianity.

portray ^{v.to show sb./sth. in a picture; to describe sb./sth. in a piece of writing（以绘画或文字）描绘}

• The painting portrays the duke’s wife. ^{这幅画描绘了公爵的第三任妻子。}
• His poetry portrays trench life vividly. ^{他的战争诗生动描绘了战壕生活。}