The myth of Cupid and Psyche - Brendan Pelsue

翻译人员: xiao gu 校对人员: Jingjing ZOU

"Beauty is a curse," Psyche thought

赛克从悬崖边缘眺望，

as she looked over the cliff's edge where she'd been abandoned by her father.

心想着，“美貌是一种诅咒”， 这正是她被父亲遗弃的地方。

She'd been born with the physical perfection so complete

她天生美貌，被当成

that she was worshipped as a new incarnation of Venus, the goddess of love.

爱神维纳斯的化身 受到人们的崇拜。

But real-life human lovers were too intimidated even to approach her.

然而现实是，人类因为 害怕而不敢向她示爱。

When her father asked for guidance from the Oracle of Apollo,

她的父亲请求集光明之神， 真理之神，预言之神

the god of light, reason, and prophecy.

于一身的先知阿波罗指明方向，

He was told to abandon his daughter on a rocky crag

被告知要把女儿遗弃在悬崖边上，

where she would marry a cruel and savage serpent-like winged evil.

赛克将嫁给残忍、野蛮、 长着翅膀的人面蛇身的恶魔。

Alone on the crag, Psyche felt Zephyr the West Wind

独自在悬崖边，西风温柔的

gently lifting her into the air.

将她托起在空中。

It set her down before a palace.

把她带到一座宫殿前。

"You are home," she heard an unseen voice say.

她听到一个声音说： “你回家了，

"Your husband awaits you in the bedroom, if you dare to meet him."

你丈夫正在卧室等你， 如果你有胆量去见他。”

She was brave enough, Psyche told herself.

塞克鼓励自己要坚强。

The bedroom was so dark that she couldn't see her husband.

卧室很黑，她看不清丈夫的模样，

But he didn't feel serpent-like at all.

但是感觉不像蛇妖。

His skin was soft, and his voice and manner were gentle.

他的皮肤是那么光滑， 声音温柔又绅士。

She asked him who he was,

她问到：“你是谁？”

but he told her this was the one question he could never answer.

男人说，“我永远不会回答这个问题。

If she loved him, she would not need to know.

如果你爱我，就不需要知道我是谁。“

His visits continued night after night.

他每晚都来赴约。

不久，塞克怀孕了。

Before long, Psyche was pregnant.

She rejoiced, but was also conflicted.

她兴奋不已，但也很矛盾。

How could she raise her baby with a man she'd never seen?

自己如何能和一个从未见面的男子 一起养育一个孩子？

That night, Psyche approached her sleeping husband holding an oil lamp.

一天晚上，塞克手拿油灯 靠近熟睡的丈夫。

What she found was the god Cupid

发现他竟然是爱神丘比特，

who sent gods and humans lusting after each other

正是他用箭来唤醒

with the pinpricks of his arrows.

人或神的爱意。

Psyche dropped her lamp, burning Cupid with hot oil.

塞克打翻了油灯， 热油烫醒了丘比特。

他回答道，因为他的母亲 维纳斯嫉妒塞克的美貌，

He said he'd been in love with Psyche ever since his jealous mother, Venus,

asked him to embarrass the young woman by pricking her with an arrow.

想让他用箭来捉弄塞克。

But taken with Psyche's beauty, Cupid used the arrow on himself.

但是自己爱上了塞克的美貌， 把剑刺向了自己。

He didn't believe, however, that gods and humans could love as equals.

但他并不相信， 人和神之间会有平等的爱情。

Now that she knew his true form, their hopes for happiness were dashed,

如今塞克已经知道了真相， 幸福的希望从此破灭了，

so he flew away.

于是他飞走了。

Psyche was left in despair until the unseen voice returned

塞克绝望极了，直到 她听到一个声音响起，

and told her that it was indeed possible

告诉她，她和丘比特之间

for her and Cupid to love each other as equals.

平等的爱情是可能的。

Encouraged, she set out to find him.

她受到鼓舞，想要找到丘比特。

But Venus intercepted Psyche and said she and Cupid could only wed

但是维纳斯从中作梗，要求塞克 完成一系列不可能的任务，

if she completed a series of impossible tasks.

他们才可以结婚。

First, Psyche was told to sort a huge, messy pile of seeds in a single night.

首先，塞克要在一个晚上 整理好一大堆杂乱的种子。

Just as she was abandoning hope,

就在她要放弃希望时，

蚂蚁军团可怜她，并帮助了她，

an ant colony took pity on her and helped with the work.

Successfully passing the first trial,

于是她成功完成了第一个任务。

Psyche next had to bring Venus the fleece of the golden sheep,

第二个任务是，得到 金羊的羊毛献给维纳斯，

who had a reputation for disemboweling stray adventurers,

据说金羊以取出流浪者的肠子为乐，

but a river god showed her how to collect

然而一个河神告诉她如何得到

the fleece the sheep had snagged on briars,

被荆棘钩住的金羊毛，

and she succeeded.

她又成功了。

Finally, Psyche had to travel to the Underworld

最后，她需要去到冥地，

and convince Proserpina, queen of the dead,

说服冥后普鲁塞庇娜，

to put a drop of her beauty in a box for Venus.

把她的美貌放一滴在盒子里， 献给维纳斯。

Once again, the unseen voice came to Psyche's aide.

神秘的声音再次来到塞克身边，

It told her to bring barley cakes for Cerberus, the guard dog to the Underworld

交代她带上大麦蛋糕给地狱看门犬，

and coins to pay the boatman, Charon to ferry her across the river Styx.

并付给冥河的船夫夏恩 一些金钱，把她送到对岸。

With her third and final task complete,

她第三个任务也完成了。

Psyche returned to the land of the living.

塞克活着回到了人间。

Just outside Venus's palace, she opened the box of Proserpina's beauty,

在维纳斯的宫殿外，她打开了 普鲁塞庇娜装着美貌的盒子，

hoping to keep some for herself.

希望能给自己留下一些。

But the box was filled with sleep, not beauty,

但是盒子里面装的 不是美貌，而是睡眠，

and Psyche collapsed in the road.

塞克倒地昏睡不醒。

Cupid, now recovered from his wounds, flew to his sleeping bride.

丘比特从伤害中恢复过来， 飞到他的新娘身边，

He told her he'd been wrong and foolish.

告诉她自己多么愚蠢和错误。

Her fearlessness in the face of the unknown

她对未知的无所畏惧

proved that she was more than his equal.

已证明他们是平等的， 甚至她比丘比特更勇敢。

丘比特给塞克喝下仙人饮用 的琼浆，让她长生不老。

Cupid gave Psyche amborsia, the nectar of the gods, making her immortal.

Shortly after, Psyche bore their daughter.

不久，塞克生下了他们的女儿，

They named her Pleasure,

取名叫欢喜，

and she, Cupid, and Psyche, whose name means soul,

于是，欢喜，丘比特和 冠以灵魂之神美誉的塞克

have been complicating people's love lives ever since.

从此也创造了人间复杂的爱。