The myth of Hades and Persephone - Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Ivana Šimšić Lektor: Milenka Okuka

Every year before the ancient Greeks sowed their seeds of grain,

Svake godine pre setve žita,

they celebrated Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.

stari Grci slavili su Demetru, boginju zemljoradnje.

On Earth, each morsel of food was sweet sustenance,

Na zemlji, svaki komadić hrane bio je sladak zalogaj,

while in the land of the dead, it ensured a permanent stay.

dok je u zemlji mrtvih značio osudu na stalni ostanak.

Demeter tended to Earth’s fields with her beloved daughter, Persephone,

Demetra je brinula o poljima na zemlji sa svojom voljenom ćerkom, Persefonom,

who inherited her mother’s passions and grew into a bright young woman.

koja je od nje nasledila iste strasti i izrasla u pametnu mladu ženu.

But all the while, a shadowy figure watched from below.

Ali za sve to vreme, odozdo ih je posmatrala senovita prilika.

One day, Persephone was frolicking in a meadow

Jednog dana, Persefona se na livadi družila

with a freshwater nymph, Cyane.

sa slatkovodnom nimfom, Kijanom.

As they admired a blooming narcissus flower,

Dok su se divile cvetu narcisa,

they noticed it tremble in the ground.

primetile su da podrhtava u zemlji.

Suddenly, the earth split, and a terrifying figure arose.

Odjednom, zemlja se otvorila i pojavila se zastrašujuća prilika.

It was Hades, god of the dead and the underworld.

Bio je to Had, bog mrtvih i podzemnog sveta.

He wrenched Persephone from Cyane, dragged her into his inky chariot,

Otrgnuo je Persefonu od Kijane, odvukao je u svoje mračne kočije

and blasted back through the earth.

i odjurio nazad pod zemlju.

Cyane wept so hard she dissolved, becoming one with the river.

Kijana je toliko plakala da se rastopila, postavši jedno sa rekom.

By the time Demeter arrived at the scene of the abduction,

Dok je Demetra stigla do mesta otmice,

the crater in the meadow had closed— and Cyane and Persephone had vanished.

rupa na livadi već se zatvorila, a Kijana i Persefona su nestale.

Demeter sped to Mount Olympus for help.

Demetra je pojurila do planine Olimp da potraži pomoć.

Many of the gods had witnessed the scene.

Mnogi bogovi su svedočili otmici.

And they knew about the deal that paved the way for it:

I znali su za dogovor koji je do nje doveo:

Zeus, Persephone’s father, had granted Hades her hand in marriage

Zevs, Persefonin otac, obećao je Hadu njenu ruku,

without her consent— or Demeter’s.

bez njenog ili Demetrinog pristanka.

But when faced with Demeter’s pleas, the other gods stayed silent,

Ostali bogovi nisu se odazvali na Demetrine molbe,

So, she searched alone.

te je sama krenula u potragu.

In her grief and desperation, she neglected her usual tasks.

Ožalošćena i očajna, zanemarila je svoje uobičajene obaveze.

Crops withered, and a great famine plagued the Earth.

Usevi su se osušili i velika glad zavladala je zemljom.

As mortals began to perish, the gods grew wary.

Kako su smrtnici počeli da umiru, bogovima nije bilo svejedno.

Who would worship them and offer tributes if the humans disappeared?

Ko će ih obožavati i prinositi im žrtve ako ljudi nestanu?

So, Zeus ordered Demeter to stop her crusade and returned to her duties.

Stoga je Zevs naredio Demetri da prekine bojkot i vrati se dužnostima.

But she refused.

Međutim, ona je odbila.

Deep below, across the frigid river Styx, and through the halls of the underworld,

Duboko ispod zemlje, preko ledene reke Stiks i kroz prolaze podzemnog sveta,

Persephone was waging her own protest.

Persefona je vodila sopstveni protest.

Hades expected her to serve as his wife and queen.

Had je od nje očekivao da mu služi kao žena i kao kraljica.

But Persephone rebuffed the god’s advances and refused food.

Međutim, Persefona je odbila njegova udvaranja, kao i hranu.

As she longed for her mother’s company,

Dok je čeznula za društvom svoje majke,

her friends’ laughter, and the sun’s warmth,

smehom prijatelja i toplinom sunca,

Persephone grew colder and lonelier.

Persefoni je bilo sve hladnije i bila je sve usamljenija.

And she was starving.

I umirala je od gladi.

She hungered for satisfying grains, crisp vegetables and fresh fruit.

Žudila je da se zasiti žitaricama, svežim povrćem i voćem.

Wandering the ghostly gardens,

Lutajući kroz sablasne vrtove,

she contemplated the pomegranates that hung heavily on their branches...

razmatrala je narove koji su obešeno visili sa grana...

Meanwhile, Demeter continued her hunt.

U međuvremenu, Demetra je nastavila svoju potragu.

She appealed to the all-seeing sun god, Helios,

Obratila se svevidećem bogu sunca, Heliju,

whose rays had long warmed her crops.

čiji su zraci odvajkada grejali njene useve.

Indeed, when Helios drew his golden chariot across the sky that fateful day,

Kada je Helije tog sudbonosnog dana u svojim zlatnim kočijama prošao nebom,

he saw what happened— and he knew of the deal.

video je šta se desilo i znao je za dogovor.

Out of respect and sympathy for Demeter,

Iz poštovanja i saosećanja prema Demetri,

Helios told her of Hades’ demands, Zeus’ betrayal and Persephone’s abduction.

Helije joj je rekao za Hadove zahteve, Zevsovu izdaju i Persefoninu otmicu.

Furious and heartbroken, Demeter sped to Mount Olympus and confronted Zeus,

Slomljenog srca i ispunjena gnevom, Demetra se na Olimpu sukobila sa Zevsom,

demanding their daughter’s return.

zahtevajući da se njena ćerka vrati.

But Zeus declined: in her ravenous hunger,

Međutim, Zevs je odbio. Osetivši strašnu glad,

Persephone had eaten a few seeds from the pomegranate that grew in the underworld.

Persefona je pojela nekoliko semenki nara koji je rastao u podzemnom svetu.

Though a meager amount, it was enough to ensnare her in Hades forever.

Iako mala količina, bila je dovoljna da je zauvek zarobi u Podzemlju.

Demeter wouldn't accept this fate.

Demetra nije prihvatala ovakvu sudbinu.

She swore that if she wasn’t reunited with Persephone,

Zaklela se da, ako ona i Persefona ne budu opet zajedno,

the fields would never be fertile again,

polja nikada više neće biti plodna,

and the distinction between the Earth and the underworld would soon dissolve.

a zemlja i podzemlje uskoro se neće razlikovati.

So, they made a pact.

Stoga su sklopili pakt.

For two thirds of every year, Persephone would return to the land of the living,

Dve trećine svake godine, Persefona će provesti u svetu živih.

But for the remainder, she would stay in the world of the dead.

Međutim, ostatak vremena, biće u svetu mrtvih.

When Persephone ascended to Earth, she and her mother rejoiced.

Kada bi se Persefona uzdigla na zemlju, ona i njena majka bile su radosne.

Together, they showered the fields with rain and nurtured them with sun.

Zajedno su polja osvežavale kišom i obasjavale suncem.

For mortals, Persephone’s arrival came to herald the start of spring.

Za smrtnike, Persefonin dolazak označavao je početak proleća.

But her descent always came too soon.

A njen odlazak uvek je prebrzo stizao.

Each time she returned to Hades, Demeter mourned,

Kad god se vraćala u Had, Demetra je tugovala,

and the earth grew cold, dark, and unyielding,

a zemlja, koja je postajala hladna, mračna i jalova,

ushering in the winter months.

bila je glasnik zimskih meseci.

Knowing Demeter couldn’t be roused from her grief,

Znajući da Demetru ne mogu otrgnuti iz žalosti,

the humans stored their crops, stoked their fires,

ljudi su čuvali plodove, skladištili ogrev

and awaited Persephone’s safe return.

i čekali da se Persefona bezbedno vrati.

And so it was that her transit marked the gradual turning of the seasons

I tako je njen prelazak obeležavao postepenu smenu godišnjih doba

and the bittersweet compromise between life and death.

i gorko-slatki sporazum između života i smrti.