The epic of Gilgamesh, the king who tried to conquer death - Soraya Field Fiorio

翻译人员: Wanting Zhong 校对人员: Helen Chang

In 1849, in the ancient city of Nineveh in northern Iraq,

1849 年，在北伊拉克的尼尼微古城，

archaeologists sifted through dusty remains,

考古学家们在沙尘弥漫的遗迹中筛土，

hoping to find records to prove that Bible stories were true.

希望能找到可以证实圣经故事的记录。

What they found instead was one of the oldest libraries in the world.

而他们发现的却是 世界上最古老的图书馆之一。

Inscribed on crumbling clay tablets was a 4,000-year-old story

在碎裂的泥板上刻着 一个四千年前的故事，

so riveting the first person to translate it started stripping from excitement.

如此引人入胜，第一位翻译的人 甚至激动得脱起了衣服。

Called the epic of Gilgamesh,

这个故事叫做《吉尔伽美什史诗》，

the story starts with Gilgamesh, king of the city of Uruk,

开篇讲述了乌鲁克国王吉尔伽美什

crashing every wedding and sleeping with the bride

擅闯每一个婚礼，

强行霸占每位新娘的初夜。

before she has a chance to sleep with her husband.

To tame Gilgamesh, the goddess Aruru created a rival called Enkidu.

为了降服吉尔伽美什，女神阿鲁鲁 为他创造了一位对手，名叫恩奇都。

Enkidu lived beyond the walls of the city,

恩奇都生活在城墙之外，

where chaos reigned and wild animals, invaders, and evil spirits prowled.

以蛮荒为伴，野兽、侵略者 和恶灵在周围徘徊。

After a priestess of the goddess Ishtar seduced Enkidu,

女神伊什塔尔的女祭司 引诱了恩奇都之后，

the wild animals beyond the wall rejected him and he ventured into the city.

城外的野兽们开始排斥他， 于是他便向城里进发。

There, he encountered Gilgamesh up to his usual tricks.

在那里，他遇到了 恣意妄为的吉尔伽美什，

Enkidu stepped in to stop him.

恩奇都便上前制止。

Almost perfectly matched, the two men wrestled all through the city streets

两人势均力敌、不分伯仲， 在乌鲁克街上扭打得难解难分，

until Gilgamesh won the fight by a hair.

直到吉尔伽美什险胜毫厘。

Afterwards, they were inseparable.

两人从此形影不离。

With his new friend, Gilgamesh turned his attention from the brides of Uruk

结识新朋友后， 吉尔伽美什不再滥抢民女，

to proving his strength in combat.

而是决意在战斗中证明力量。

They set out to slay Humbaba,

他们出发去讨伐芬巴巴，

a creature with a thousand faces who guarded the trees of the Forest of Cedar.

一只守卫雪松之林的千面怪物。

They tracked Humbaba and ambushed him.

他们追踪芬巴巴，发起伏击。

Cornered, he begged for his life,

芬巴巴进退维谷，乞求饶命，

then cursed them as Gilgamesh dealt the final blow.

在吉尔伽美什砍下最后一击时 诅咒他们。

Back home in Uruk, the goddess Ishtar took a romantic interest in Gilgamesh.

回到乌鲁克后，女神伊什塔尔 对吉尔伽美什动了芳心。

Knowing she tended to lose interest and curse her former flames,

吉尔伽美什知道她常常 对旧爱始乱终弃、降下诅咒，

Gilgamesh refused her advances.

因此拒绝了她的求爱。

So Ishtar unleashed the Bull of Heaven on Uruk to destroy crops and kill people.

于是伊什塔尔在乌鲁克降下天之公牛， 践踏庄稼、屠戮人民。

When Gilgamesh and Enkidu slayed the creature defending the city,

在吉尔伽美什和恩奇都 杀死公牛、守护城市之后，

the gods killed Enkidu.

众神杀死了恩奇都。

He entered the House of Dust,

他来到了尘土之家，

the shadowy Mesopotamian underworld where the spirits of the dead

美索不达米亚阴暗的冥界，

在那里的亡魂永世跪地， 以泥土为食、以石砾为饮。

knelt eternally on the ground, eating dirt and drinking stone.

Grieving for Enkidu and terrified of meeting this fate himself,

吉尔伽美什为恩奇都悲痛不已， 也对命定的死亡感到惶恐，

Gilgamesh set off beyond the cosmic mountains to seek immortality.

于是便翻越宇宙之山， 踏上了寻求永生的旅程。

He passed scorpion people and groves of gemstone trees,

他经过蝎子人守卫，穿过宝石树林，

travelled beneath the mountains and outran the rising sun,

在山底之路跋涉，与初升旭日赛跑，

until he finally came to the end of the world,

终于抵达了世界的尽头，

where he found a bar.

在那里发现了一家酒馆。

The bartender was a goddess named Shiduri,

老板娘是一位名叫西杜丽的女神，

who urged Gilgamesh to give up his quest.

她试图劝阻吉尔伽美什对永生的追求。

She told him all mortals must die,

她告诉他，所有凡人必将死亡，

but until death comes, he should enjoy his life.

但在死亡来临之前， 应当学会享受人生。

But Gilgamesh refused to give up.

但吉尔伽美什不愿放弃。

Reluctantly, Shiduri gave him directions to cross the Waters of Death

西杜丽只能勉为其难地指点他 渡过死亡之海，

and meet the immortal man Utanapishti.

去见永生者乌特纳庇什提。

The gods had granted Utanapishti immortality following a great flood,

众神在大洪水之后 赐予了乌特纳庇什提永生；

during which he built a boat,

在大洪水前，他造了一艘船，

loaded two of every animal onto it, and landed on a mountain peak.

载上每种动物中的一对， 最后停靠在了山顶。

Utanapishti also encouraged Gilgamesh to accept that death comes for everyone.

乌特纳庇什提同样告诫吉尔伽美什， 接受人人必将死亡的命运。

But Gilgamesh still would not budge.

但吉尔伽美什依然不依不饶。

So Utanapishti told him that if he could conquer sleep,

于是乌特纳庇什提告诉他， 如果他能战胜睡眠，

the gods might grant him immortality.

众神或许就会赐予他永生。

Gilgamesh intended to stay awake for seven days,

吉尔伽美什本想六天七夜保持清醒，

but fell asleep immediately.

但他立刻睡着了。

Utanapishti then told him about a magical plant that grew at the bottom of the ocean

乌特纳庇什提又告诉他， 在海底生长着一种仙草，

and granted eternal youth.

能够让人长生不老。

Though Gilgamesh successfully retrieved the plant,

虽然吉尔伽美什成功摘得了仙草，

a snake stole it on his way home.

但在回家路上却不幸被蛇偷吃。

But when Gilgamesh laid eyes on his beautiful city again,

但当吉尔伽美什 再度看见自己美丽的城市，

he made peace with his mortality and vowed to spend his lifetime doing great deeds.

他便接受了人固有一死的宿命， 并发誓要用余生建功立业。

He wrote his story on a lapis lazuli tablet

他把自己的故事写在青金石板上，

and buried it under the city walls for future generations to find and learn from.

埋在城墙下，供后人发现学习。

The tablets uncovered in Nineveh

在尼尼微出土的泥板

were part of the library of the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal.

是亚述国王亚述巴尼拔 图书馆的藏品。

Though the story is mythical, Gilgamesh was probably a real king of Uruk.

尽管史诗是神话传说，乌鲁克国王 吉尔伽美什可能确有其人。

Versions of his tale date to 2000 BCE and perhaps even longer ago,

他的故事有诸多版本，可以追溯到 公元前 2000 年，甚至更早，

and still echo through literature today.

时至今日仍在文学之中回响。