The twins who tricked the Maya gods of death - Ilan Stavans

翻译人员: psjmz mz 校对人员: Helen Chang

Day after day, the twin brothers, Jun and Wuqub,

一天又一天，双胞胎兄弟， Jun（昏）和Wuqub（乌库夫），

ran back and forth playing ball.

跑来跑去玩球。

One day, their vigorous game disturbed the lords of the underworld,

有一天，他们激烈的游戏 惊扰了地府的主人，

who challenged the twins to a match.

他向双胞胎发起了比赛的挑战。

But when the brothers arrived, the lords trapped and killed them,

但当双胞胎到达时， 冥王设陷杀害了他们，

hanging Jun’s head from a tree as a trophy.

把昏的头挂在树上作为战利品。

The tree soon sprouted massive fruit,

这棵树很快结出了大量的果实，

which caught the attention of one of the lords’ daughters.

这吸引了冥王一个女儿的注意。

When she reached for it, the skull of Jun spat on her hand

当她去摘果实时，昏的头骨 向她手上吐了口水

and impregnated her.

让她怀了孕。

Fleeing of her father’s wrath,

为了躲避父亲的愤怒，

she sought refuge with her mother-in-law and gave birth to twin sons:

她逃到婆婆家，生下了双胞胎儿子：

Junajpu and Ixb’alanke.

Junajpu和Ixb’alanke。 (胡那普和艾克斯巴兰克)

The second generation of twins discovered their father’s ballgame equipment,

第二代双胞胎发现了 被他们的奶奶藏着的

which their grandmother had hidden, and began to play.

父亲的球具，开始玩了起来。

Soon enough, the messengers from the underworld

很快，来自地府的信使

arrived to issue another challenge.

发起了另一场挑战。

Knowing what had happened to their fathers,

尽管知道他们父亲的遭遇，

the twins nevertheless answered the call,

这对双胞胎还是接受了挑战，

trekking through deep caverns

他们长途跋涉穿过深深的洞穴，

and across rivers filled with scorpions, blood, and pus,

穿越满是蝎子、血和脓的河流，

until they reached the great city

到达了这座伟大的城市，

from which the lords of the underworld controlled every aspect of nature

在那里，地府的领主们控制着 大自然的方方面面，

and caused suffering for humans.

给人类带来了痛苦。

The twins pressed on, searching for the lords who had challenged them.

双胞胎继续赶路， 寻找向他们发起挑战的地府领主。

The lords had hidden among statues of themselves to confuse their guests,

领主们藏匿于自身的雕像之中， 以迷惑他们的客人，

but the brothers sent a mosquito ahead of them.

但兄弟俩在他们面前 放飞了一只蚊子。

When it stung the figures, the lords cried out, revealing themselves.

当它扎入时，地府领主叫出了声， 露出了真面目。

They forced the twins to spend the night in the House of Darkness.

他们迫使双胞胎整晚呆在黑暗之屋。

They gave them a torch, but warned they must return it unburnt or face death.

他们给兄弟一把火把，但警告说 回来时不能燃尽它否则将面临死亡。

As the darkness closed in,

夜幕降临，

the quick-thinking brothers adorned the torch

这对思维敏捷的兄弟

用红色金刚鹦鹉羽毛 和萤火虫装饰了火炬。

with red macaw feathers and fireflies.

Come morning, the lords were shocked to see the torch lit, but unburnt.

到了早上，地府领主震惊地看到火把 被点燃，但没被燃尽。

They insisted on playing the game with their own ball.

他们坚持用自己的球比赛。

The twins agreed, only to find that the lords had hidden a weapon

双胞胎兄弟同意了， 却发现地府领主在球中

inside the ball,

藏了一件武器，

which chased them around the court, trying to kill them.

武器在球场追着他们， 试图杀死他们。

The twins survived that first round,

双胞胎在第一回合中幸存了下来，

but by now they were sure this would be no ordinary match.

但此时他们知道这不是寻常的比赛。

They played many more rounds,

他们比了更多的回合，

and each time the twins scored no better than a tie,

每一次双胞胎的得分都不超过平局，

leaving them to face whatever supernatural trial

让他们在重新开始游戏前，

the lords set for them before picking up the game again.

不得不面对地府领主 为他们设置的超自然审判。

They survived the House of Cold by lighting a fire,

他们在寒冷之屋生火，

and the House of Jaguars by feeding bones to the beasts.

在猛兽之屋喂给它们骨头而脱难。

But in the House of Bats, a bat bit off Junajpu’s head.

但在蝙蝠之屋，一只蝙蝠 咬下了胡那普的头。

Certain they now had the advantage,

确定现在有了优势，

the lords called for another round of the ballgame,

地府领主要求另一回合的球赛，

hanging Junajpu’s head over the court.

他们在球场上挂着胡那普的头。

The quick-thinking Ixb’alanke called the animals to him.

思维敏捷的艾克斯巴兰克 召唤来动物。

A turtle brought him a chilacayote squash,

一只乌龟给他带来chilacayote南瓜，

and he carved it into the likeness of a head.

他把它刻成头的样子。

While the lords chased the ball, he swapped it with the head.

当领主们追着球时， 他用它替换了头。

With Junajpu’s head back on his body, the twins played harder than ever.

胡那普的头回到了他的身体上， 兄弟两比任何时候都要更努力。

Finally, they won the game,

最终，他们赢得了比赛，

hitting the hanging squash so it shattered on the ground.

击打到挂着的南瓜， 把它摔碎在地上。

The twins knew their treacherous hosts would not take the loss well.

双胞胎知道他们背信弃义的主人 不会接受失败。

To protect themselves, they enlisted a pair of seers.

为了保护自己， 他们谋求先知的帮忙。

Sure enough, the lords burned the brothers in an oven,

很快，地府领主把兄弟两烧死，

but the seers made sure their remains were thrown in the river,

但先知确保他们的骨灰被倒入河流，

which restored them to life.

这让他们恢复了生命。

The brothers then came before the lords disguised as two disheveled children

然后兄弟两化装成衣冠不整的 两个孩子，来到地府领主面前，

and began to dance and perform miracles.

开始跳舞和表演奇迹。

For their final trick, Ixb’alanke pretended to kill Junajpu,

他们最后的戏法是， 艾克斯巴兰克假装杀死胡那普，

then resurrect him.

然后复活他。

The lords were so delighted that they demanded the same trick

地府领主很高兴地要求

be performed on them.

在他们身上施用同样的把戏。

Still in disguise, the brothers were only too happy to oblige,

仍在伪装的兄弟非常高兴地服从了，

and began killing the lords one by one.

开始一个接一个地杀死地府领主。

As the surviving lords realized who stood before them

当幸存的领主意识到 站在他们面前的是谁，

and that no resurrection was forthcoming,

并且复活不会到来时，

they begged for mercy, and the twins spoke their curse.

他们祈求宽恕，双胞胎 说出了他们的诅咒。

Henceforth, the lords would have no sacrifices

从今以后，地府领主 将不再有任何献祭，

and no power over the surface world.

也不再拥有地面世界的权力。

Their days of terrorizing humans were over.

他们恐怖统治人类的日子终结了。