The Egyptian myth of the death of Osiris - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Wanting Zhong 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

It was a feast like Egypt had never seen before.

这是埃及一场空前的盛宴。

The warrior god Set and his wife, the goddess Nephtys,

战神赛特（Set）和他的妻子 女神奈芙蒂斯（Nephtys）

decorated an extravagant hall for the occasion,

为这场宴会布置了 一间极尽奢华的大厅，

with a beautiful wooden chest as the centerpiece.

其中最为夺目的是 一个无比华美的木箱。

They invited all the most important gods, dozens of lesser deities,

他们邀请了所有位高权重的神祗、 数十位下级神灵，

and foreign monarchs.

以及外国的君主。

But no one caused as big a stir as Set and Nephtys’s older brother Osiris,

但最引人瞩目的莫过于赛特 和奈芙蒂斯的兄长欧西里斯（Osiris），

the god who ruled all of Egypt and had brought prosperity to everyone.

他是埃及的统治者， 为天下苍生带来繁荣的神祗。

Set announced a game—

赛特宣布了一场游戏——

whoever could fit perfectly in the chest could have it as a gift.

谁能完美地躺进箱子， 这个箱子就归谁所有。

One by one, the guests clambered in, but no one fit.

宾客们一个接一个地爬进箱子里， 但是没有任何人合身。

Finally, it was Osiris’s turn.

最后，轮到了欧西里斯。

As he lay down, everyone could see it was a perfect fit—

当他躺下时，所有人都看到 他刚好合身——

another win for the god who could do no wrong.

这位十全十美的神祗 再次赢得了胜利。

Then Set slammed the lid down with Osiris still inside, sealed it shut,

然后，当欧西里斯还在箱子里时， 赛特猛地关上箱盖，将其封死，

and tossed it into the Nile.

并扔进了尼罗河里。

The chest was a coffin.

原来这个木箱是一口棺材。

Set had constructed it specifically to trap his brother

赛特为了困住兄长， 特地为他量身订造了这口棺材，

and planned the party to lure him into it.

并谋划了这次宴会， 将他骗进了陷阱。

Set had long been jealous of his brother’s successful reign,

赛特对兄长的治理功绩嫉妒已久，

and hoped to replace him as the ruler of all Egypt.

想取而代之统治埃及。

The Nile bore the coffin out to sea and it drifted for many days

尼罗河载着棺材入海， 它在水上漂流了很多天，

before washing ashore near Byblos, where a great cedar grew around it.

才被冲刷到比布鲁斯（Byblos） 附近的海岸上，

一棵茁壮的雪松环绕着棺材生长起来，

The essence of the god within gave the tree a divine aura,

里面神灵的精髓 让这棵树散发出神圣的气息，

and when the king of Byblos noticed it,

当比布鲁斯的国王发现它时，

he ordered the tree cut down and brought to his palace.

他下令砍伐这棵树， 运送到自己的宫殿中。

Unbeknownst to him,

他有所不知的是，

the coffin containing Egypt’s most powerful god was still inside.

埃及最强大神祗的棺柩还藏在树干中。

Set’s victory seemed complete, but he hadn’t counted on his sisters.

塞特似乎大获全胜， 但他没有考虑到自己的姊妹们。

Set’s wife Nephtys was also his sister,

赛特的妻子奈芙蒂斯也是他的姊妹，

while their other sister, the goddess Isis,

而他们的另一位姊妹， 女神伊西斯（Isis），

was married to their brother Osiris.

是他们兄长欧西里斯的妻子。

Isis was determined to find Osiris,

伊西斯决意要找到欧西里斯，

and enlisted Nephtys’s help behind Set’s back.

并瞒着赛特寻求了奈芙蒂斯的帮助。

The two sisters took the shape of falcons and travelled far and wide.

两姐妹化身为鹰隼， 在广袤的土地上搜寻。

Some children who had seen the coffin float by

一些看到棺材漂过的孩子

pointed them to the palace of Byblos.

将她们指向了比布鲁斯的宫殿。

Isis adopted a new disguise and approached the palace.

伊西斯化身成别的模样进入宫殿。

The queen was so charmed by the disguised goddess

女神的化身深得王后的欢心，

that she entrusted her with nursing the baby prince.

王后甚至把自己的小王子 托付给她照顾。

Isis decided to make the child immortal by bathing him in flame.

伊西斯决定让这个孩子浴火得永生。

When the horrified queen came upon this scene,

当惊骇万分的王后赶到现场，

Isis revealed herself and demanded the tree.

伊西斯现出了真身要求得到那棵雪松。

When she cut the coffin from the trunk and opened it,

当她从树干中切出棺材打开之后，

Osiris was dead inside.

才发现欧西里斯早已死在了里面。

Weeping, she carried his body back to Egypt and hid it in a swamp,

痛哭流涕的伊西斯带着他的尸首 回到埃及，将他藏在了沼泽中，

while she set off in search of a means of resurrecting him.

同时开始寻觅让他死而复生的方法。

But while she was gone,

但当她离开的时候，

Set found the body and cut it into many pieces,

赛特发现了尸体，把它分割成许多块，

scattering them throughout Egypt.

抛在了埃及各处。

Isis had lost Osiris for the second time, but she did not give up.

伊西斯再度失去了欧西里斯， 但她没有放弃。

She searched all over the land, traveling in a boat of papyrus.

她乘着纸莎草做的船， 找遍了埃及大陆，

One by one, she tracked down the parts

一块又一块地， 她在埃及每一个省

of her husband’s dismembered body in every province of Egypt,

寻回了丈夫被肢解的碎块，

holding a funeral for each piece.

并为每一块尸身举行了葬礼。

At long last, she had recovered every piece but one—

终于，她找回了所有碎块， 除了一块——

his penis, which a fish in the Nile had eaten.

他的生殖器， 尼罗河里的一条鱼吞了它。

Working with what she had, Isis reconstructed and revived her husband.

伊西斯还是用找到的碎块 重塑并复活了她的丈夫。

But without his penis, Osiris was incomplete.

但失去阳具的欧西里斯并不完整。

He could not remain among the living,

他无法继续留在人间，

could not return to his old position as ruler of Egypt.

无法再度作为统治者君临埃及。

Instead, he would have to rule over Duat, the realm of the dead.

他只能去统治冥界（Duat）， 死者之境。

Before he went, though, he and Isis conceived a son to bear Osiris’s legacy—

在临行前，他和伊西斯怀上了一个儿子，

而他将继承父业——

and one day, avenge him.

并最终，为父亲报仇雪恨。