The myth of the Sampo— an infinite source of fortune and greed - Hanna-Ilona Härmävaara

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

After a savage seafaring skirmish

在经历了一次惨烈的航海冲突、

and eight long days of being battered by waves,

在海上漂流了八天后，

Väinämöinen— a powerful bard and sage as old as the world itself—

维纳莫宁，这位与世界 同样古老的强大诗人和智者，

washed up on the shores of distant Pohjola.

被海浪冲上了遥远的波希拉海岸。

Unlike his home Kalevala, Pohjola was a dark and frozen land,

与他的家乡卡勒瓦拉不同， 波希拉是漆黑的冻土之地，

ruled by Louhi, “the gap-tooth hag of the North."

统治者是北部领土的 宽牙缝女巫娄希。

The cunning witch nursed Väinämöinen back to health

狡猾的女巫照料他康复，

but demanded a reward for returning him home.

但送他回家的话，需要付报酬。

Not content with mere gold or silver,

娄希不要黄金或白银，

Louhi wanted what did not yet exist— the Sampo.

她想要不存在的三宝磨。

To be forged from “the tips of white-swan feathers," “the milk of greatest virtue,"

要用白天鹅的羽毛梢、 最美德的牛奶、

“a single grain of barley," and “the finest wool of lambskins,"

一粒大麦和上好羊羔皮的毛 才能锻造出三宝磨，

this artifact was said to be an endless font of wealth.

据说它是无尽财富的源泉 。

But Väinämöinen knew that only Seppo Ilmarinen,

但维纳默宁知道，

只有打造天穹的铁匠、 号称“永恒之锤”的伊尔玛利宁

the Eternal Hammerer who forged the sky-dome itself,

could craft such an object.

才能造出这样的神器。

So he convinced Louhi to send him home and fetch the smith.

因此，他说服娄希送他回家， 然后他把铁匠带回来。

Though the journey was far from easy, the bard finally made it back to Kalevala.

尽管旅途并不顺利， 但诗人最终回到了卡莱瓦拉，

But Ilmarinen refused to go to the gloomy North— a land of witches and man-eaters.

但是，伊尔玛利宁拒绝去北部——

那女巫和食人族统治的阴暗之地。

But keeping true to his word,

但是，为遵守诺言，

Väinämöinen tricked Ilmarinen into climbing a giant tree,

维纳莫宁骗伊尔玛利宁 爬上了一棵大树，

before summoning a mighty storm to carry the smith all the way to Pohjola.

然后召来狂风， 将铁匠吹到了波希拉。

Ilmarinen was well received in the North.

伊尔玛利宁在北部大受欢迎，

Louhi lavished her guest with extravagant hospitality

娄希殷勤地款待了他，

and promised him the hand of her beautiful daughter—

并承诺，如果能按她的意愿去做，

if he could craft what she wished.

她就把自己的美丽女儿嫁给他。

When she finally asked if Ilmarinen was capable of forging the Sampo,

最后，她问伊尔玛利宁 能否造出三宝磨，

the powerful smith declared he could indeed accomplish the task.

这位强大的铁匠宣称， 他确实可以完成任务。

But try as he might to bend the forge to his will,

但是，他尽其所能 按照意愿打造的铸铁，

its fires only produced other artifacts—

煅烧后的产物却面目全非——

beautiful in appearance but ill-mannered in nature.

外观漂亮，却毫无用处——

An elegant crossbow that thirsted for blood

如造型优雅但嗜血的弩、

and a gleaming plow that ruined cultivated fields among others.

闪闪发光但毁坏耕地的犁，等等。

Finally, Ilmarinen summoned the winds themselves to work the bellows,

最后，伊尔玛利宁唤风吹起风箱，

and in three days time he pulled the Sampo,

三天后，三宝磨制成，

with its lid of many colors from the forge’s flames.

盖子的多彩彩色 就是火焰的颜色。

On its sides the smith carefully crafted a grain mill, a salt mill,

铁匠在三宝磨的侧面，

精心制作了谷磨、盐磨和钱磨。

and a money mill.

Louhi was so delighted with the object’s limitless productive power

娄希对神器的无限生产力非常满意，

that she ran off to lock her treasure inside a mountain.

当场带着宝贝逃走， 把宝贝锁进一座山里。

But when Ilmarinen tried to claim his prize,

当伊尔玛利宁要领取奖赏时， 许诺的少女却拒绝嫁给他，

the promised maiden refused to marry him, and the smith had to return home alone.

铁匠只好独自返回家园。

Years passed, and while Pohjola prospered,

多年之后，波希拉越来越繁荣，

Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen were without wives or great wealth.

而维纳莫宁和伊尔玛利宁 却既无钱又无妻。

Bitter about this injustice, the bard proposed a quest to retrieve the Sampo,

维纳莫宁深感命运不公， 发誓要夺回三宝磨，

and the two sailed north with the help of Lemminkäinen—

因此，在勒明盖宁的帮助下， 他俩航海北上——

a beautiful young man with a history of starting trouble.

帅气年轻的勒明盖宁素来好事。

Upon arrival, Väinämöinen requested half the Sampo’s profits as compensation—

抵达后，维纳莫宁索要 三宝磨的一半利润作为赔偿，

or they’d take the artifact by force.

否则，就强行带走神器。

Outraged at this request, Louhi summoned her forces to fight the heroes.

这项要求激怒了娄希， 她召集军队与英雄们对诀。

But as her army readied for war, the bard played his magic harp, Kantele,

但她的军队准备应战时， 维纳莫宁弹起魔法竖琴康特勒，

entrancing all who heard it and sending Pohjola into a deep slumber.

迷住了所有听到琴声的人， 并将波希拉送入沉睡中。

Unimpeded, the three men took the Sampo and quietly made their escape.

三人畅通无阻地 带着三宝磨悄悄逃脱。

Lemminkäinen was ecstatic at their success,

勒明盖宁对成功欣喜若狂，

and demanded that Väinämöinen sing of their triumph.

遂让维纳莫宁歌唱他们的胜利。

The bard refused, knowing the dangers of celebrating too early.

诗人知道过早庆祝太危险， 就拒绝了他的提议。

But after three days of traveling, Lemminkäinen’s excitement overwhelmed him,

但是经过三天的航行后， 受勒明盖宁的兴奋感染，

and he recklessly broke out in song.

他鲁莽地打开歌喉。

His awful singing voice woke a nearby crane,

他可怕的歌声惊醒了附近的一只鹤，

whose screeching cries roused the Pohjolan horde.

鹤嘶哑的叫声唤醒了波希拉部落，

The army made chase.

军队追赶而至。

As their warship closed in, Väinämöinen raised a rock to breach their hull.

当他们的战舰逼近时， 维纳莫宁举起岩石砸破了船体，

Undeterred, Louhi transformed into a giant eagle,

娄希毫不畏惧地化身为巨鹰，

carrying her army on her back as they attacked the heroes’ vessel.

背起军队去袭击英雄的船，

She managed to grab the Sampo in her claw,

她则设法用爪子抓起了三宝磨，

but just as quickly, it dropped into the sea, shattering into pieces

但它即刻就掉入海中，摔成碎片，

and sinking deep beyond her talon’s reach.

沉入她爪子够不到的海底。

Buried on the ocean floor,

三宝磨葬身海底，

the remnants of this powerful device remain in the realm of Ahti, god of water—

这个强大设备的残骸

留在水神阿赫第的领地——

where they grind salt for the seas to this very day.

时至今日还一直为这片海域磨盐。