The myth of Pandora’s box - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Tjasa Kosir Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

Curiosity:

Radovednost:

a blessing, or a curse?

blagoslov ali prekletstvo?

The paradoxical nature of this trait

Paradoksalnost te lastnosti

was personified for the ancient Greeks

je bila poosebljena, za stare Grke,

in the mythical figure of Pandora.

v mističnem liku Pandore.

According to legend,

Legenda pravi

she was the first mortal woman,

da je bila prva smrtna ženska,

whose blazing curiosity set a chain of earth-shattering events in motion.

ki je zaradi svoje izrazite radovednosti, pognala v tek pretresljive dogodke.

Pandora was breathed into being by Hephaestus, God of fire,

Pandori je vdahnil življenje Hefajst, bog ognja,

who enlisted the help of his divine companions to make her extraordinary.

ki se je obrnil k svojim božanskim spremljevalcem, da bi jo naredili izjemno.

From Aphrodite she received the capacity for deep emotion;

Od Afrodite je prejela dar globokega čustvovanja,

from Hermes she gained mastery over language.

od Hermesa, je pridobila mojstrstvo nad jezikom.

Athena gave the gift of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail,

Atena jo je obdarila z darom obrtništva in pozornosti na detajle,

and Hermes gave her her name.

in Hermes ji je dal ime.

Finally, Zeus bestowed two gifts on Pandora.

Na koncu ji je Zevs podaril dve darili.

The first was the trait of curiosity,

Prvo je bilo lastnost radovednosti,

which settled in her spirit and sent her eagerly out into the world.

ki se je naselilo v njenem duhu in jo vneto poslalo v svet.

The second was a heavy box, ornately curved, heavy to hold –

Drugo je bilo težka skrinjica, okrasno ukrivljena, težka za držanje -

and screwed tightly shut.

in nepredušno zaprta.

But the contents, Zeus told her, were not for mortal eyes.

Ampak vsebina, ji je požugal Zevs, ni za oči smrtnikov.

She was not to open the box under any circumstance.

Skrinjice ni smela odpreti pod nobenim pogojem.

On earth, Pandora met and fell in love with Epimetheus, a talented titan

Na Zemlji je Pandora srečala in se zaljubila v Epimeteja, nadarjenega titana,

who had been given the task of designing the natural world by Zeus.

ki mu je bila zadana naloga oblikovati naravo po Zevsovih navodilih.

He had worked alongside his brother Prometheus,

Poleg je delal njegov brat Prometej,

who created the first humans

ki je ustvaril prve ljudi,

but was eternally punished for giving them fire.

a bil za vedno kaznovan, ker jim je podaril ogenj.

Epimetheus missed his brother desperately,

Epimetej je obupno pogrešal brata,

but in Pandora he found another fiery-hearted soul for companionship.

toda v Pandori je našel drugo, ognjevito dušo za druženje.

Pandora brimmed with excitement at life on earth.

Pandora je bila navdušena nad življenjem na Zemlji.

She was also easily distracted and could be impatient,

Zlahka je izgubila fokus in postala nepotrpežljiva,

given her thirst for knowledge and desire to question her surroundings.

zaradi želje po znanju in raziskovanju svoje okolice.

Pogosto je pomislila na vsebino zapečatene skrinjice.

Often, her mind wandered to the contents of the sealed box.

What treasure was so great it could never be seen by human eyes,

Kakšen zaklad je bil tako velik, da ga človeške oči nikoli ne bi smele videti,

and why was it in her care?

in zakaj je bil zaupan v njeno skrb?

Her fingers itched to pry it open.

Srbeli so jo prsti. Odprla bi skrinjico.

Sometimes she was convinced she heard voices whispering

Včasih je bila prepričana, da je slišala šepetanje glasov,

and the contents rattling around inside,

in vsebino, ki je ropota notri,

as if straining to be free.

kot da se želi osvoboditi.

Its enigma became maddening.

Njena enigma jo je spravljala v norost.

Over time, Pandora became more and more obsessed with the box.

Sčasoma je Pandora postajala vedno bolj in bolj obsedena s skrinjico.

It seemed there was a force beyond her control that drew her to the contents,

Zdelo se je, da jo sila, močnejša od nje, vedno bolj privablja k skrinjici,

which echoed her name louder and louder.

in v kateri odmeva njeno ime glasneje in glasneje.

One day she could bear it no longer.

Nekega dni ni več zmogla.

Stealing away from Epimetheus,

Stran od Epimeteja,

she stared at the mystifying box.

je strmela v mistično skrinjico.

She’d take one glance inside,

Samo na hitro bo pogledala notri,

then be able to rid her mind of it forever...

in potem se lahko znebi teh misli za vedno....

But at the first crack of the lid, the box burst open.

Toda ob prvi razpoki na pokrovu, se je skrinjica na stežaj odprla.

Monstrous creatures and horrendous sounds

Pošastna bitja in grozljivi zvoki

rushed out in a cloud of smoke and swirled around her, screeching and cackling.

so prihajali iz oblaka dima, ki je zavihral okoli nje, vreščaje in pokajoče.

Filled with terror,

Polna groze,

Pandora clawed desperately at the air to direct them back into their prison.

je Pandora tepla po zraku v upanju, da jih usmeri nazaj v njihov zapor.

But the creatures surged out in a gruesome cloud.

Toda bitja so se izmuznila s strašnim oblakom.

She felt a wave of foreboding as they billowed away.

Ko so se valili stran, so jo obšle zle slutnje.

Zeus had used the box as a vessel

Zevs je uporabil skrinjico kot zapor

for all the forces of evil and suffering he’d created –

za vse zle sile in trpljenja, ki jih je ustvaril -

in enkrat izpuščene,

and once released,

they were uncontainable.

ne morejo biti več zadržane.

Medtem ko je jokala,

As she wept,

Pandora became aware of a sound echoing from within the box.

je Pandora slišala odmev znotraj skrinjice.

This was not the eerie whispering of demons,

To ni bilo grozno šepetanje demonov,

but a light tinkling that seemed to ease her anguish.

ampak lahkotno zvončkljanje, ki se je zdelo da ji lajša tesnobo.

When she once again lifted the lid and peered in,

Ko je ponovno dvignila pokrov in pokukala v skrinjico,

a warm beam of light rose out and fluttered away.

je posijal ven topli žarek svetlobe in odletel stran.

As she watched it flickering in the wake of the evil she’d unleashed,

Ko je opazovala svetlobo utripati, zaradi zla, ki ga je izpustila,

Pandora’s pain was eased.

so bile Pandorine bolečine ublažene.

She knew that opening the box was irreversible –

Vedela je, da je odprtje skrinjice nepovratno -

but alongside the strife, she’d set hope forth to temper its effects.

je ven spustila tudi upanje, da bo kljub težavam lahko omilila njen učinek.

Today, Pandora’s Box suggests the extreme consequences

Danes Pandorina skrinjica predstavlja ekstremne posledice

of tampering with the unknown –

pri igranjem z neznanim -

but Pandora’s burning curiosity also suggests the duality that lies

Pandorina goreča radovednost prav tako ponazarja dvojnost

at the heart of human inquiry.

ki leži v srcu človeške želje po poizvedovanju.

Are we bound to investigate everything we don’t know,

Ali smo zavezani k temu, da raziščemo vse, česar ne vemo,

to mine the earth for more –

da rudarimo zemljo za več,

or are there some mysteries

ali je nekateri skrivnosti

that are better left unsolved?

bolje pustiti nerazrešene?