The myth of Sisyphus - Alex Gendler

Prevoditelj: Ivan Luka Sabolović Recezent: Petra Lauš

Whether it’s being chained to a burning wheel, turned into a spider,

Bilo da se radi o liku zavezanom za gorući kotač, pretvorenom u pauka,

or having an eagle eat one’s liver,

ili o liku čiju jetru jede orao,

Greek mythology is filled with stories of the gods

grčka mitologija puna je priča o bogovima

inflicting gruesome horrors on mortals who angered them.

koji rade jezive strahote smrtnicima koji su ih razljutili.

Yet one of their most famous punishments is not remembered

Ipak, jedna od najpoznatijih kazni ne pamti se

for its outrageous cruelty, but for its disturbing familiarity.

po pretjeranoj okrutnosti, već po tome kako nam je uznemirujuće poznata.

Sisyphus was the first king of Ephyra, now known as Corinth.

Sizif bio je prvi kralj Ephyre, danas znane kao Korint.

Although a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, he was also a devious tyrant

Iako je bio pametan vladar koji je svoj grad učinio uspješnim, bio je i podmukli

who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power.

tiranin koji je zaveo nećakinju i ubio posjetitelje grada kako bi pokazao moć.

Takvo kršenje svete tradicije gostoprimstva naljutilo je bogove.

This violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods.

But Sisyphus may still have avoided punishment

Ali Sizif bi možda izbjegao kaznu

if it hadn’t been for his reckless confidence.

da nije bilo njegova bezobzirnog samopouzdanja.

The trouble began when Zeus kidnapped the nymph Aegina,

Nevolja je počela kada je Zeus oteo nimfu Eginu,

carrying her away in the form of a massive eagle.

i odnio ju je u obliku golemog orla.

Aegina’s father, the river god Asopus, pursued their trail to Ephyra,

Eginin otac, riječni bog Azop, slijedio ih je do Ephyre,

where he encountered Sisyphus.

gdje se susreo sa Sizifom.

In exchange for the god making a spring inside the city,

U zamjenu za izvor u gradu,

the king told Asopus which way Zeus had taken the girl.

kralj je rekao Azopu gdje je Zeus odveo djevojku.

When Zeus found out, he was so furious that he ordered Thanatos, or Death,

Kad je Zeus saznao, bio je toliko bijesan da je poslao Tanatosa, odnosno Smrt,

to chain Sisyphus in the underworld so he couldn’t cause any more problems.

da lancima zaveže Sizifa u podzemni svijet kako ne bi mogao stvarati nove probleme.

But Sisyphus lived up to his crafty reputation.

Ali Sizif je dokazao kako je lukav.

As he was about to be imprisoned,

Baš kad je trebao biti zatvoren,

the king asked Thanatos to show him how the chains worked

kralj je upitao Tanatosa da mu pokaže kako lanci rade

– and quickly bound him instead, before escaping back among the living.

i brzo zavezao njega prije nego je pobjegao nazad u život.

With Thanatos trapped, no one could die, and the world was thrown into chaos.

Sa zarobljenim Tanatosom, nitko nije mogao umrijeti, a svijet se našao u kaosu.

Things only returned to normal when the god of war Ares,

Stvari su se vratile u normalu kad je bog rata Ares

upset that battles were no longer fun, freed Thanatos from his chains.

uzrujan što borbe više nisu zabavne, oslobodio Tanatosa iz lanca.

Sisyphus knew his reckoning was at hand.

Sizif je znao da mu se bliži osveta.

But he had another trick up his sleeve.

Ali imao je još jedan trik u rukavu.

Before dying, he asked his wife Merope to throw his body in the public square,

Prije smrti, upitao je svoju ženu Meropu da baci njegovo tijelo na javni trg,

from where it eventually washed up on the shores of the river Styx.

otkud se na kraju izvukao na obalu rijeke Stiks.

Now back among the dead, Sisyphus approached Persephone,

Sada ponovo među mrtvima, Sizif prilazi Perzefoni,

queen of the Underworld, and complained

kraljici Podzemlja i žali se

that his wife had disrespected him by not giving him a proper burial.

da ga je žena ponizila ne pružajući mu odgovarajući pokop.

Persephone granted him permission to go back to the land of living

Perzefona mu je dala odobrenje da se vrati u život

and punish Merope, on the condition that he would return when he was done.

i kazni Meropu pod uvjetom da se vrati kad završi.

Of course, Sisyphus refused to keep his promise,

Naravno, Sizif se nije držao obećanja.

now having twice escaped death by tricking the gods.

Dvaput je pobjegao od smrti zavaravajući bogove.

There wouldn’t be a third time,

Neće biti trećeg puta,

as the messenger Hermes dragged Sisyphus back to Hades.

jer je glasnik Hermes odvukao Sizifa nazad u Had.

The king had thought he was more clever than the gods,

Kralj je mislio da je pametniji od bogova,

but Zeus would have the last laugh.

ali Zeus se zadnji smijao.

Sisyphus’s punishment was a straightforward task

Sizifova je kazna bila jednostavan zadatak,

– rolling a massive boulder up a hill.

gurati golemu kuglu uz brdo.

But just as he approached the top, the rock would roll all the way back down,

Ali baš kad bi stigao na vrh, kamen bi se otkotrljao natrag dolje,

forcing him to start over

prisiljavajući ga da započne iznova,

…and over, and over, for all eternity.

iznova i iznova, čitavu vječnost.

Historians have suggested that the tale of Sisyphus may stem from ancient myths

Povjesničari pretpostavljaju da priča o Sizifu možda potječe iz antičkih mitova

about the rising and setting sun, or other natural cycles.

o izlasku i zalasku sunca ili drugih prirodnih ciklusa.

But the vivid image of someone condemned to endlessly repeat a futile task

Ali živa slika nekoga tko je osuđen da vječno ponavlja uzaludni zadatak

has resonated as an allegory about the human condition.

odjeknula je kao alegorija o ljudskome stanju.

In his classic essay The Myth of Sisyphus,

U svom klasičnom eseju Mit o Sizifu,

existentialist philosopher Albert Camus compared the punishment

egzistencijalistički filozof Albert Camus usporedio je tu kaznu

to humanity’s futile search for meaning and truth

s uzaludnom potragom čovječanstva za smislom i istinom

in a meaningless and indifferent universe.

u besmislenom i ravnodušnom svemiru.

Instead of despairing, Camus imagined Sisyphus defiantly meeting his fate

Umjesto očaja, Camus je zamislio Sizifa kako se prkosno sreće sa sudbinom

as he walks down the hill to begin rolling the rock again.

dok silazi s brda i počinje gurati kamen ispočetka.

And even if the daily struggles of our lives

Pa čak i ako se naše svakodnevne borbe

sometimes seem equally repetitive and absurd,

ponekad čine repetitivnima ili apsurdnima,

we still give them significance and value by embracing them as our own.

još uvijek im dajemo značaj i vrijednost prigrljavajući ih kao svoje.