The myth of Sisyphus - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Yifan L 校对人员: Liu Qi

Whether it’s being chained to a burning wheel, turned into a spider,

不论是将凡人捆到燃烧的车轮上、 或是将其变成蜘蛛、

or having an eagle eat one’s liver,

还是让老鹰啄食肝脏，

Greek mythology is filled with stories of the gods

希腊神话里总是充斥着各种故事，

inflicting gruesome horrors on mortals who angered them.

讲述着天神用残酷的手段 折磨激怒他们的凡人。

Yet one of their most famous punishments is not remembered

其中最出名的惩罚故事 之所以被铭记，

for its outrageous cruelty, but for its disturbing familiarity.

并非因为其残忍骇人听闻， 而是因为故事本身令人不安的熟悉感。

Sisyphus was the first king of Ephyra, now known as Corinth.

西西弗斯是艾菲拉的第一任国王， 现在也被称作科林斯。

Although a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, he was also a devious tyrant

虽然他是位善于治理国家的明君， 但也以残暴著称。

who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power.

他曾勾引侄女，屠杀宾客， 来展示自己的权力。

This violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods.

这种违反待客之道的行为， 使众神震怒。

But Sisyphus may still have avoided punishment

如果西西弗斯没有盲目自信的话，

if it hadn’t been for his reckless confidence.

他也许可以逃脱惩罚。

The trouble began when Zeus kidnapped the nymph Aegina,

故事的起因是这样的， 当宙斯绑架了仙女伊琴娜，

carrying her away in the form of a massive eagle.

变成巨鹰带走了她。

Aegina’s father, the river god Asopus, pursued their trail to Ephyra,

伊琴娜的父亲，河神伊索普斯 循着踪迹追到了艾菲拉，

where he encountered Sisyphus.

在那里他遇到了西西弗斯。

In exchange for the god making a spring inside the city,

西西弗斯以一条四季常流的 河川做为交换条件，

the king told Asopus which way Zeus had taken the girl.

告诉了伊索普斯 宙斯和女孩的去向。

When Zeus found out, he was so furious that he ordered Thanatos, or Death,

宙斯知道后大发雷霆，

他命令死神桑纳托斯将西西弗斯 绑到地狱，让他无法再惹是生非。

to chain Sisyphus in the underworld so he couldn’t cause any more problems.

But Sisyphus lived up to his crafty reputation.

但西西弗斯的足智多谋名不虚传，

As he was about to be imprisoned,

当他快被监禁时，

the king asked Thanatos to show him how the chains worked

他要求死神桑纳托斯 展示怎样使用锁链，

– and quickly bound him instead, before escaping back among the living.

然后趁机捆住了死神， 并逃回了人间。

With Thanatos trapped, no one could die, and the world was thrown into chaos.

桑纳托斯被捆住后，再没有死亡， 世界也因此陷入了混乱。

Things only returned to normal when the god of war Ares,

直到战神阿瑞斯 厌倦了没有死亡的战争，

upset that battles were no longer fun, freed Thanatos from his chains.

把桑纳托斯从铁链中解救出来， 一切才恢复了正常。

Sisyphus knew his reckoning was at hand.

西西弗斯知道他的报应就在眼前了，

But he had another trick up his sleeve.

但他还留了一手。

Before dying, he asked his wife Merope to throw his body in the public square,

临死前，他嘱咐妻子墨洛珀 把他的尸体扔在公共广场

from where it eventually washed up on the shores of the river Styx.

尸体最后被冲到了冥河岸上。

Now back among the dead, Sisyphus approached Persephone,

西西弗斯回到冥界后， 找到了冥后珀尔塞福涅，

queen of the Underworld, and complained

并向冥后诉苦，

that his wife had disrespected him by not giving him a proper burial.

抱怨妻子对他不敬， 没有好好安葬他。

Persephone granted him permission to go back to the land of living

冥后帕尔塞福涅 准许他回到人间

and punish Merope, on the condition that he would return when he was done.

惩罚他的妻子墨洛珀， 条件是完事之后必须回到冥界。

Of course, Sisyphus refused to keep his promise,

当然，西西弗斯 并没有信守承诺。

now having twice escaped death by tricking the gods.

他通过糊弄天神 两次逃脱了死亡，

There wouldn’t be a third time,

但不会有第三次了。

as the messenger Hermes dragged Sisyphus back to Hades.

神使赫耳墨斯将西西弗斯 带给了冥王哈迪斯，

The king had thought he was more clever than the gods,

西西弗斯自认为比诸神都聪明，

but Zeus would have the last laugh.

但宙斯才是笑到最后的赢家。

Sisyphus’s punishment was a straightforward task

西西弗斯的惩罚很简单：

– rolling a massive boulder up a hill.

就是把一块巨石推到山顶。

But just as he approached the top, the rock would roll all the way back down,

但每当他快到山顶时， 石头都会滚回山脚，

forcing him to start over

迫使他不得不重新开始，

…and over, and over, for all eternity.

一次又一次，直到永远。

Historians have suggested that the tale of Sisyphus may stem from ancient myths

历史学家指出西西弗斯的故事 可能来源于古代神话，

about the rising and setting sun, or other natural cycles.

讲述的是日月交替或自然循环。

But the vivid image of someone condemned to endlessly repeat a futile task

但受罚之人永无止境地 做无用功的生动画面，

has resonated as an allegory about the human condition.

如同是对人类生活状况的隐喻。

In his classic essay The Myth of Sisyphus,

在存在主义哲学家阿尔贝·加缪所写的

existentialist philosopher Albert Camus compared the punishment

经典论文《西西弗斯神话》中，

他将这个惩罚比作是人类在这个 无意义且冷酷的世界里

to humanity’s futile search for meaning and truth

in a meaningless and indifferent universe.

对意义和真理的徒劳追求。

Instead of despairing, Camus imagined Sisyphus defiantly meeting his fate

加缪认为西西弗斯在一次次 下山去重新推石头的时候，

as he walks down the hill to begin rolling the rock again.

并没有绝望，而是在与命运对抗。

And even if the daily struggles of our lives

我们的日常生活 也会经历一些困难，

sometimes seem equally repetitive and absurd,

即使他们看起来同样的 重复且荒谬，

we still give them significance and value by embracing them as our own.

我们还是会赋予它们意义， 承认这也是我们人生的一部分。