The Greek myth of Talos, the first robot - Adrienne Mayor

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

Hephaestus, god of technology, was hard at work on his most ingenious invention yet.

匠神赫淮斯托斯一直在努力完成 他迄今为止最巧妙的发明。

He was creating a new defense system for King Minos,

他正在为国王米诺斯 打造一个新的防御系统，

who wanted fewer intruders on his island kingdom of Crete.

国王不希望入侵者 踏上他的克里特岛国。

But mortal guards and ordinary weapons wouldn’t suffice,

但是凡人哨兵和普通武器 根本做不到这一点，

so the visionary god devised an indomitable new defender.

因此，这位有远见的神 设计了一个无敌的新捍卫者。

In the fires of his forge,

在锻造之火中，

Hephaestus cast his invention in the shape of a giant man.

赫菲斯托斯将他的发明 铸造成一个巨人模样。

Made of gleaming bronze; endowed with superhuman strength,

巨人由闪闪发光的青铜制成， 并拥有超人的力量，

and powered by ichor, the life fluid of the gods,

并由众神的生命流体“灵液” 提供动力，

this automaton was unlike anything Hephaestus had forged before.

他是与赫菲斯托斯以前锻造的 任何东西都不一样的自动机器。

The god named his creation Talos: the first robot.

匠神将他的作品命名为塔罗斯， 史上的第一个机器人。

Three times a day, the bronze guardian marched around the island's perimeter

青铜守护者一日之内巡岛三圈，

searching for interlopers.

寻找闯入者。

When he identified ships approaching the coast,

当他看到船只驶向海岸时，

he hurled massive boulders into their path.

就向他们的船扔巨石。

If any survivors made it ashore,

如果有幸存者上岸，

he would heat his metal body red-hot and crush victims to his chest.

他就加热金属身体，然后， 把受害者放到炽热胸前压死。

Talos was intended to fulfill his duties day after day, with no variation.

塔罗斯本打算日复一日地、 雷打不动地履行职责，

But despite his robotic behavior,

但是，尽管他的动作像机器，

he possessed an internal life his victims could scarcely imagine.

但那些受害者无法想象 他也拥有内心活动。

And soon,

不久之后，

the behemoth would encounter a ship of invaders that would test his mettle.

这个庞然大物就遇到 考验他勇气的一艘入侵船，

The bedraggled crew of Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts

船上是衣衫褴褛的伊阿宋、 美狄亚和阿尔戈船英雄们，

were returning from their hard-won quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

他们险胜夺取金羊毛， 正在返航途中。

Their adventure had taken many dark turns,

他们航程中经历了许多险情，

and the weary sailors were desperate to rest in a safe harbor.

疲倦的船员们迫切希望 在安全的港口休息。

They’d heard tales of Crete’s invulnerable bronze colossus,

他们听说过克里特岛的 无敌青铜巨人，

and made for a sheltered cove.

就驶向一个庇护海湾。

But before they could even drop anchor, Talos spotted them.

但还没等他们抛锚， 塔洛斯就发现了他们。

While the Argonauts cowered at the approach of the awesome automaton,

看到青铜机器人来了， 阿尔戈船英雄们吓作一团，

the sorceress Medea spotted a glinting bolt on the robot’s ankle—

女巫美狄亚发现机器人的脚踝上 有一个闪闪发光的螺栓——

and devised a clever gambit.

就想出来一个聪明的主意。

Medea offered Talos a bargain:

美狄亚向塔罗斯提出做一笔交易：

she claimed that she could make Talos immortal

她声称可以使他不朽，

in exchange for removing the bolt.

条件是把他脚上的螺栓拧下来。

Medea's promise resonated deep within his core.

塔罗斯不知道自己的机械天性，

Unaware of his own mechanical nature,

内心的人性化让他渴望永生不死，

and human enough to long for eternal life, Talos agreed.

因此，美狄亚的承诺 在他内心深处引起了共鸣，

所以，他同意了这笔交易。

While Medea muttered incantations, Jason removed the bolt.

当美狄亚喃喃地念咒语时， 伊阿宋拧下了塔罗斯的螺栓。

As Medea suspected, the bolt was a weak point in Hephaestus’ design.

正如美狄亚所怀疑的那样， 螺栓是赫菲斯托斯设计的弱点。

The ichor flowed out like molten lead, draining Talos of his power source.

灵液像熔化的铅一样流出来， 塔罗斯的动力来源消耗殆尽，

The robot collapsed with a thunderous crash,

机器人轰然倒塌，

and the Argonauts were free to travel home.

阿尔戈船的英雄们可以回家了。

This story, first recorded in roughly 700 BCE,

这个故事最早记录于 公元前 700 年左右，

raises some familiar anxieties about artificial intelligence—

引起了人们对人工智能的 一些类似的忧虑——

and even provides an ancient blueprint for science fiction.

甚至为科幻小说 提供了一个古老的蓝图。

But according to historians, ancient robots were more than just myths.

但是根据历史学家的考察， 古代机器人不仅仅是神话。

By the 4th century BCE,

到公元前四世纪，

Greek engineers began making actual automatons

希腊工程师已开始制造 真正的的自动机器，

including robotic servants and flying models of birds.

包括机器仆人和鸟类飞行模型。

None of these creations were as famous as Talos,

这些作品中不像塔罗斯那样著名，

who appeared on Greek coins, vase paintings, public frescoes,

塔罗斯出现在希腊硬币上、

花瓶画、公共壁画和戏剧表演中。

and in theatrical performances.

Even 2,500 years ago,

甚至在 2500 年前，

Greeks had already begun to investigate the uncertain line

希腊人就已经开始研究

人机之间的不确定界限。

between human and machine.

And like many modern myths about artificial intelligence,

就像许多关于人工智能的 现代神话一样，

Talos’ tale is as much about his robotic heart as it is about his robotic brain.

塔罗斯的故事既涉及他的机器人心脏， 也涉及他的机器人大脑。

Illustrating the demise of Talos on a vase of the fifth century BCE,

在公元前五世纪的一个花瓶上，

one painter captured the dying automaton’s despair

一位画家用青铜颊上滚落的一滴泪，

with a tear rolling down his bronze cheek.

描绘了濒死机器人的绝望。