The Egyptian Book of the Dead: A guidebook for the underworld - Tejal Gala

翻译人员: Cissy Yun 校对人员: Jiawei Ni

Ani stands before a large golden scale

阿尼站在巨大的金色审判之秤前，

where the jackal-headed god Anubis is weighing his heart

豺头人身神阿努比斯在秤

against a pure ostrich feather.

是阿尼的心脏重还是真理之羽重。

Ani was a real person,

阿尼确有其人，

a scribe from the Egyptian city of Thebes

他是一名来自古埃及底比斯市的抄写员，

who lived in the 13th century BCE.

生活在公元前13世纪。

And depicted here is a scene from his Book of the Dead,

这是他的《亡灵书》中的一幅场景，

a 78-foot papyrus scroll designed to help him attain immortality.

《亡灵书》是一幅将近24米长的莎草纸 ，旨在帮他获得永生。

Such funerary texts were originally written only for Pharaohs,

最开始，这种葬礼卷轴只为法老而作，

but with time, the Egyptians came to believe

不过渐渐的，埃及人开始相信，

regular people could also reach the afterlife

如果成功地走过那条过道，

if they succeeded in the passage.

凡人也能拥有后世。

Ani's epic journey begins with his death.

阿尼那漫长而艰难地旅途从他的死亡开始：

His body is mummified by a team of priests

一群祭祀取出了他除了心脏以外的所有器官，

who remove every organ except the heart,

把他制成了木乃伊，

the seat of emotion, memory, and intelligence.

心脏是安放情感，记忆和智力的地方。

It's then stuffed with a salt called natron

接着他的身体被填满了泡碱，

and wrapped in resin-soaked linen.

并被树脂泡过的亚麻布包了起来。

In addition, the wrappings are woven with charms for protection

除此之外，这些布还被施了保护的咒语，

and topped with a heart scarab amulet that will prove important later on.

并且还放置了圣甲虫护身符。这个护身符在稍后起了大作用。

The goal of the two-month process is to preserve Ani's body as an ideal form

两个月的制作过程是为了让阿尼的身体处在理想状态，

with which his spirit can eventually reunite.

这样他的灵魂可以最终与肉身团聚。

But first, that spirit must pass through the duat, or underworld.

不过一开始，灵魂必须要通过死亡之域，或者称为“阴间”，

This is a realm of vast caverns,

这是一个充满着巨大的洞穴，

lakes of fire,

火海，

and magical gates,

以及魔力之门的领域，

all guarded by fearsome beasts -

由骇人的野兽把守。

snakes, crocodiles, and half-human monstrosities

有蛇，鳄鱼

with names like "he who dances in blood."

和被称为“血海狂舞者”的半兽人等等

To make things worse, Apep, the serpent god of destruction,

雪上加霜的是，那条蛇，阿佩普，“毁灭之神”，

lurks in the shadows waiting to swallow Ani's soul.

会潜伏在阴影之中，随时准备着吞噬阿尼的灵魂

Fortunately, Ani is prepared

所幸，阿尼有备而来

with the magic contained within his book of the dead.

他带着有魔法的《亡灵书》

Like other Egyptians who could afford it,

就像当时能买得起亡灵书的其他埃及人

Ani customized his scroll to include the particular spells, prayers, and codes

阿尼定制了他的私人《亡灵书》， 里面写有他觉得有用的

he thought his spirit might need.

咒语，祷词和法典

Equipped with this arsenal,

有了这样的“武器库”，

our hero traverses the obstacles,

我们的英雄穿过重重障碍，

repels the monsters' acts,

击退了怪物的袭击，

and stealthily avoids Apep

小心翼翼的躲过了阿佩普，

to reach the Hall of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice.

终于来到了正义与真理女神玛亚特的大厅

Here, Ani faces his final challenge.

在这里，阿尼迎来了他最终的挑战

He is judged by 42 assessor gods

他要让42名评估神信服，

who must be convinced that he has lived a righteous life.

他有着光明磊落的一生

Ani approaches each one,

阿尼走近每一位神，

addressing them by name,

说出自己的名字，

and declaring a sin he has not committed.

和自己从没犯过的一项罪名。

Among these negative confessions, or declarations of innocence,

在这些忏悔，或是澄清中，

he proclaims that he has not made anyone cry,

他宣称自己从没把人弄哭过，

is not an eavesdropper,

不是个会偷听别人讲话的人，

and has not polluted the water.

也从来没有污染过水。

But did Ani really live such a perfect life?

可是，阿尼真的有着这样完美的一生吗？

Not quite, but that's where the heart scarab amulet comes in.

并不是。不过这是圣甲虫护身符起作用的时候。

It's inscribed with the words, "Do not stand as a witness against me,"

护身符里写着：“别与我这个见证者为敌。”

precisely so Ani's heart doesn't betray him

这会让阿尼的心脏不背叛他

by recalling the time he listened to his neighbors fight

让阿尼想起他偷听邻居吵架

or washed his feet in the Nile.

或在尼罗河中洗脚的往事

Now, it's Ani's moment of truth, the weighing of the heart.

现在是对阿尼之语的审判时刻了 心脏之秤

If his heart is heavier than the feather, weighed down by Ani's wrongdoings,

如果他的心脏比真理之羽要重 因为阿尼做的坏事

it'll be devoured by the monstrous Ammit,

它会被阿米特

part crocodile, part leopard, part hippopotamus,

一只鳄鱼头豹身河马尾的怪物吞噬

and Ani will cease to exist forever.

而阿尼则会永远消失

But Ani is in luck.

但阿尼是幸运的

His heart is judged pure.

他的心脏，经过审判，是纯净的

Ra, the sun god, takes him to Osiris, god of the underworld,

太阳神，拉，将他带往奥西里斯，冥界之王

who gives him final approval to enter the afterlife.

将会给他最后的批准进入永生世界

In the endless and lush field of reeds,

在无尽的，繁茂的芦苇田里，

Ani meets his deceased parents.

阿尼见到了他已逝的父母

Here, there is no sadness, pain, or anger, but there is work to be done.

这里没有伤心，痛苦或是愤怒 但是，这并不是阿尼旅程的终点

Like everyone else, Ani must cultivate a plot of land,

像别人一样，阿尼必须培育一块土地

which he does with the help of a Shabti doll that had been placed in his tomb.

被放在他墓中舍波提娃娃会帮他一起培育土地

Today, the Papyrus of Ani resides in the British Museum,

今天，《阿尼的莎草纸》在大英博物馆展览

where it has been since 1888.

从1888年起就一直在那

Only Ani, if anyone, knows what really happened after his death.

只有阿尼真正知道 他死后经历的一切

But thanks to his Book of the Dead,

但是，多亏了他的《亡灵书》

we can imagine him happily tending his crops for all eternity.

我们可以想象他开心地在 永生世界中照料他的庄稼了