The myth of Zeus' test - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Yeyun Deng Reviewer: Aubrey Cheng

It was dark when two mysterious, shrouded figures

天色已晚，呢條依山而建嘅小村莊

appeared in the hillside village.

迎嚟兩位黑袍加身嘅神秘客人

The strangers knocked on every door in town, asking for food and shelter.

陌生訪客敲遍村裏每一戶嘅門， 請求食物同庇護

But, again and again, they were turned away.

但佢哋一次又一次被拒諸門外

Soon, there was just one door left:

好快，剩返最後一扇門

that of a small, thatched shack.

係一間細細哋嘅草屋

An elderly couple, Baucis and Philemon, answered the thunderous knock.

一對年老夫妻Baucis 同Philemon應門

Although there was something off about these visitors,

雖然兩位訪客有啲怪異

it was in the pair’s nature to care for those in need.

但兩夫婦向來慷慨幫助有需要嘅人

Philemon invited them to rest,

Philemon邀請佢哋入屋休息

and the cottage flooded with warmth as Baucis teased the fire back to life.

Baucis重新點起爐火令屋裏暖笠笠

When they were young, Baucis and Philemon had fallen in love,

老夫婦年輕時墜入愛河

married, and settled in the humble cottage.

婚後一直住喺呢間簡陋嘅小屋裏

Decades later, their home was still standing—

幾十年過去，小屋依然屹立

and they were more devoted to each other than ever.

兩夫婦都愈覺深愛對方

The strangers watched intently as Baucis nestled twigs under a battered pot

陌生人聚精會神望住Baucis

filled with vegetables.

喺裝滿蔬菜嘅舊鍋底下擺樹枝

The couple could rarely afford meat, but in honor of their guests,

兩夫婦食唔起肉，但為咗招待客人

Philemon cut strips from an aging shank for the stew.

Philemon將風乾火腿切條， 放入燉菜裏

They made cheerful conversation and offered their visitors hot baths.

佢哋傾得興起，又請客人沖熱水涼

Baucis used a chip of broken clay to balance the wobbly table’s legs

Baucis用一細嚿黏土 癡實唔穩陣嘅櫈腳

and rubbed its surface with mint until it smelled sweet and fresh.

又用薄荷將枱面擦到聞起嚟又香又清新

Weaving around each other with care,

呢對夫婦用心到處打點

the couple transformed what they had into a feast.

將僅有嘅物資變成盛宴

Soon, the tabletop overflowed with food and the last of their sweet wine.

好快，枱面擺滿食物同夫妻僅剩嘅甜酒

Privately, Baucis and Philemon worried that their provisions would run out.

兩夫婦默默擔心佢哋嘅糧食會用完

Yet, as the night wore on,

然而，隨著夜幕降臨

and their strange guests took hearty gulps of wine,

佢哋嘅陌生客人爽朗噉大口飲酒

the clay vessel never ran dry.

飲完又斟滿

The couple, at first relieved, grew terrified.

呢對夫妻起初鬆咗口氣，慢慢驚起上嚟

Their guests weren’t humble peasants traveling the countryside.

佢哋嘅客人唔係喺鄉下旅行嘅卑微農民

They were almost certainly gods in disguise—

佢哋肯定係喬裝而嚟嘅神

but which gods, they didn’t know.

但佢哋唔知道係邊啲神

Panicked that their preparations were inadequate,

佢哋生怕款待唔夠豐盛

Baucis and Philemon searched for another offering.

連忙尋找其他供品

The only precious thing left was the goose that guarded their home.

惟一珍貴嘅，就係看家嘅鵝

The couple repeatedly lunged after the bird,

夫妻多次衝向隻鵝

but they were too worn out for the chase.

但佢哋太攰，一直落空

So, they prepared to receive the wrath of the gods.

於是，佢哋預備接受衆神之怒

Their guests rose up, shedding their rags and mortal masks.

客人企咗起身，除低黑袍同面罩

Looming before them was Zeus, the storm-brewing ruler of the gods,

出現喺佢哋面前嘅， 係醞釀風暴嘅眾神統治者宙斯

and his son, Hermes,

同佢個仔赫密士

the fleet-footed messenger who shepherded mortals to the underworld.

佢係一位腳步敏捷嘅信使， 將凡人引導到冥界

The gods told the old couple that, unlike the other townspeople,

眾神同呢對老夫婦講，比起其他鎮民

they had shown true xenia, or loving hospitality to strangers.

佢哋表現出真正嘅美德， 即對陌生人熱情好客

They alone had passed the test.

只有佢哋通過咗考驗

The gods commanded the couple to follow them,

眾神吩咐呢對夫妻跟著佢哋，

and the group ascended the nearest mountain.

一行人登上最近嘅一座山

Nearing the summit, Baucis and Philemon looked back—

快到山頂時，兩夫婦回頭一望

but were shocked to see a murky swamp where their village stood

震驚地見到，剛剛佢哋身處嘅村莊

just moments before.

已被一片陰暗嘅沼澤包圍

As punishment for refusing to shelter the gods,

作為拒絕為眾神提供庇護嘅懲罰

Zeus and Hermes had cast the townspeople underwater,

宙斯和赫密士將鎮上嘅居民拋入水中

leaving only their hosts’ home intact,

淨係留低咗呢對夫妻嘅家

Recalling their friends and neighbors,

回憶起佢哋嘅鄰居同朋友

Baucis and Philemon couldn’t hide their terror and mournful tears,

兩夫婦無法隱藏 佢哋嘅恐懼同悲傷嘅眼淚，

even as their house transformed below.

即使佢哋間屋正在改變緊

It grew larger and sprouted marble pillars and steps.

佢變得更大、生出咗大理石柱同樓梯

Legends etched themselves onto its grand doors.

傳奇銘刻喺宏偉嘅大門上

Their rickety cottage had metamorphosed into a gleaming temple for the gods.

佢哋搖搖欲墜嘅小屋 變成一座閃閃發光嘅神廟

Hermes commended the couple and gently asked if there was anything they desired.

赫密士稱讚呢對夫婦， 溫柔噉問佢哋有咩想要

After a brief discussion, Philemon requested that he and Baucis

經過簡短討論後， Philemon請求允許佢同夫人

be permitted to care for the new temple.

看管新聖殿

And he asked if, when their time came, they could die together,

佢問，當佢哋嘅時間到， 佢哋可以一齊死嗎

so neither would have to face life without the other.

噉樣任何一方都無需面對冇對方嘅生活

Tending to the temple and one another, they lived many more years.

佢哋互相照料聖殿，又活咗好多年

Until, one day, Baucis noticed leaves fluttering from her husband’s hands

直到有一日， Baucis注意到丈夫手中嘅樹葉飄揚緊

and looked down to find her own skin hardening.

佢低頭發現自己嘅皮膚變硬咗

They embraced, becoming rooted in place.

佢哋擁抱，生根發芽

Vines wound around their legs and canopies flourished overhead.

藤蔓纏繞佢哋對腳，樹冠喺頭頂盛開

They bid each other a loving, last farewell as humans.

最後一次作為人類，佢哋彼此深情告別

And where Baucis and Philemon had just stood, bent with age,

兩夫婦企嘅地方隨住年齡增長而彎曲

there towered a linden and an oak tree,

嗰度聳立一棵菩提樹同一棵橡樹

their branches intertwined for eternity.

佢哋嘅樹枝永遠交織埋一齊