The myth of Arachne - Iseult Gillespie

翻译人员: Chien Yet Chong 校对人员: Sylvia He

“艺术家是个容器，容纳来自四面八方 的感情：来自天空，土地，一张纸，

来自短暂的影子，甚至蜘蛛的丝。” ——巴勃罗·毕加索

From sailors who were turned into pigs,

从变成猪的海员、 到变成树木的宁芙仙女、

nymphs that sprouted into trees,

and a gaze that converted the beholder to stone,

以及可以把目睹者 变成石头的凝视，

Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters.

希腊神话充满 有变形能力的人物。

The powerful gods usually changed their own forms at will,

强大的诸神通常可以 随意地变形，

but for mortals, the mutations were often unwanted.

但凡人的变形 通常是情非得已的。

One such unnerving transformation befell the spinner Arachne.

其中一个令人不安的变形发生 在纺纱女郎，阿剌克涅身上。

Arachne was the daughter of a tradesman

阿剌克涅是个商人的女儿，

who spent his days dying cloth the deepest shades of purple.

她的父亲以染深湛的紫色布料为生。

She had a flair for spinning the finest threads,

阿剌克涅拥有纺最细的线， 把细线编织成布，

weaving them into flowing fabric,

and creating magnificent tapestries.

然后制造出精美绝伦的挂毯的天赋。

People flocked to watch her hands flying across her loom,

人们簇拥围观她的双手 在织布机上飞梭，

as if thread sprung directly from her fingertips.

细线如同从她手指中吐出。

But as praise for her work grew, so did her pride.

但当人们越发称赞她的作品， 她也越发变得骄傲。

Arachne could often be heard boasting about her skills,

阿剌克涅常常夸耀自己的本领，

declaring that her talent surpassed anyone else’s—mortal or divine.

断言自己的天赋超越 所有的凡人或神灵。

She refused to see weaving as a gift from the gods.

她拒绝把编织视为来自 神灵的福赐。

Rather, she flaunted it as her own personal genius.

反之，她炫耀地说那是 她与生俱来的才华。

Unfortunately, the goddess of wisdom and crafts, Athena,

不幸的是，智慧和手工艺 之女神雅典娜

overheard Arachne making these claims.

听到了阿剌克涅这些 大胆的言论。

Planning to teach the ungrateful girl a lesson,

为了教训这位忘恩负义的少女，

Athena disguised herself as an old woman and stole amongst the mortals.

雅典娜乔装成一位老女人， 悄悄地混入凡众。

She berated Arachne in public—

她在众人前严厉地指责阿剌克涅——

how dare the weaver claim herself greater than the gods?

这位纺织女怎么竟然 大胆地声称自己比诸神伟大？

But Arachne only laughed, barely looking up from her loom.

但是阿剌克涅只是大笑， 头也不抬地埋头织布。

Provoked, the old woman threw off her cloak to reveal her true form.

老妇人被激怒了，于是 抛开斗篷显示了她的真实身份。

If Arachne insisted on defaming the gods,

如果阿剌克涅坚持诋毁诸神，

Athena would challenge her to a contest directly.

雅典娜就会亲自通过 比赛来挑战她。

Masking her shock at the appearance of the grey-eyed goddess,

为了掩饰她对这位灰眼睛 女神的出现的震惊，

Arachne accepted the challenge.

阿剌克涅接受了挑战。

Athena drew up her own glittering loom as a great crowd gathered to watch.

群众蜂拥围观时，雅典娜 变出了她那闪闪发亮的织布机。

The weavers began, eyes fixed and shuttles blurring.

两位纺织者开始编织，她们 眼睛不眨，梭子嗖嗖地织布。

Athena conjured wisps of cloud from above

雅典娜收集天上一缕缕的云彩

and slender threads of grass from below in a spectacle of strength.

以及地上纤细的绿草， 显示出她令人惊叹的能力。

She wove tremendous scenes that showed the power of the gods:

她编织出了显示诸神力量的画面：

Poseidon riding the waves,

波塞冬驾驭海浪、

Zeus firing thunderbolts,

宙斯发射雷电，

and Apollo hurtling across the sky.

以及阿波罗疾速穿越天空。

In Athena’s splendid tapestry, the glory of the gods dwarfed mortal life.

在雅典娜壮丽的挂毯上， 诸神的荣耀使凡人自惭形秽。

But Arachne had no interest in boosting godly egos.

但是阿剌克涅并没兴趣 吹嘘众神的自负心。

Her tapestry showed the gods abusing their power:

她的挂毯曝露了诸神 如何滥用权力：

squabbling amongst themselves,

神灵内讧连连、

drinking and bragging,

酗酒和自夸、

and meddling in the lives of mortals.

以及干涉凡人的生活。

She represented Zeus as a philanderer, transfiguring himself to ensnare women:

她把宙斯描绘成好色的， 为了诱捕女人而不断变形的神:

a swan for Leda,

为勒达化身为一只天鹅、

a bull for Europa,

为欧罗巴化身为一头公牛、

a shower of gold for Danae.

为达那厄化身为一阵金雨。

Arachne then turned to the misdemeanors of other gods,

然后，她把矛头转向 其他神灵的不正当行为，

from Pluto’s abduction of Persephone

从冥王普路托拐带珀耳塞福涅

to Bacchus’s wild pursuit of Erigone.

到巴克斯痴情地追求厄里戈涅。

虽然阿剌克涅 把诸神的丑态暴露无遗，

Even though she cast the gods in the most unflattering light,

Arachne’s work shone with her dazzling skill.

她的作品的确彰显了 她精湛的手艺。

Her tapestry was almost alive,

她的挂毯栩栩如生、

filled with movement and lustrous colors

龙飞凤舞、色彩斑斓，

that winked triumphantly.

如同一面胜利的旗帜。

When Athena saw Arachne's undeniably better and flagrantly subversive work,

当雅典娜看见阿剌克涅那 优秀无疑但公开亵渎众神的作品时，

she flew into a rage and turned on the human weaver.

她怒火中烧， 并迁怒于那位凡人纺织女。

Arachne’s glee dimmed as she felt her body shrinking and contorting.

得意的阿剌克涅突然黯然失色， 她感到身体始收缩和扭曲。

Her fingers waved wildly as her arms stuck to her sides,

她的手指猛烈地摇摆， 双臂开始紧贴着身体两侧，

and black hair sprouted all over her body.

而全身则长出了黑毛。

The goddess left Arachne with a single spool of thread unfurling from her belly,

那位女神给阿剌克涅留下了 一团从腹部延展开的线，

a slim reminder of her human talent.

暗示着她以前的天赋。

For challenging the assumption that the gods were untouchable,

因为阿剌克涅挑战了 “诸神至高无上”的这种说法，

Athena had shrunk her adversary into the first spider.

雅典娜把她的挑战者 变成了世界上第一只蜘蛛。

To this day, Arachne and her children spin out her penance—

如今，阿剌克涅和她的后代 还在继续进行苦修，

or is it undaunted persistence?—

吐的丝不知道是代表忏悔——

in the shadows of giants.

还是代表无畏的毅力。