French customs officers have found an impressionist painting by Edgar Degas stowed on a bus, more than eight years after it was reported stolen.

近日，法国海关官员发现埃德加·德加的一幅印象派画作被放在一辆公交车上，距这幅画被报失窃已逾八年之久。

The French Culture Ministry¹ said that customs agents in Marne-la-Vallee were surprised to find a work of art bearing the signature "Degas" inside a suitcase in the bus' luggage compartment².

法国文化部表示，马恩拉瓦莱的海关代理惊异地在公交车行李厢的一个手提箱里发现了一幅署名“德加”的艺术品。

The ministry says none of the passengers claimed the suitcase during the Feb 16 search.

文化部称，在2月16日的搜寻期间，没有任何一位乘客认领这个手提箱。

Experts verified the artwork as Degas' "Les Choristes" ("The Chorus Singers"), which depicts³ a scene from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni."

专家们证实这件艺术品为德加的《合唱团团员》，作品描绘的是莫扎特歌剧“唐·乔瓦尼”的一个场景。

The painting was stolen from a Marseille museum in 2009.

2009年，这幅画在马赛博物馆被盗。

French Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen said she was delighted by the recovery of a work "whose disappearance⁴ represented a heavy loss for the French impressionist heritage."

法国文化部长弗朗索瓦丝·尼森表示，她为这幅“失踪对法国印象派遗产而言是巨大损失”的画作的失而复得感到高兴。