The myth of Hades and Persephone - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Aubrey Cheng

Every year before the ancient Greeks sowed their seeds of grain,

每年古希臘人喺播種前

they celebrated Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.

都會歌頌農業女神狄蜜特

On Earth, each morsel of food was sweet sustenance,

喺人間， 每一口嘅食物都係豐富嘅營養

while in the land of the dead, it ensured a permanent stay.

而喺冥界，食物就係禁錮亡魂嘅道具

Demeter tended to Earth’s fields with her beloved daughter, Persephone,

狄蜜特一直同愛女泊瑟芬一齊照顧大地

who inherited her mother’s passions and grew into a bright young woman.

泊瑟芬繼承咗媽媽嘅熱誠， 係個長得婷婷玉立、充滿朝氣嘅女仔

But all the while, a shadowy figure watched from below.

但喺呢個時候， 有個陰暗身影正喺地底窺視住佢

One day, Persephone was frolicking in a meadow

有一日，泊瑟芬同水精靈西雅妮

with a freshwater nymph, Cyane.

喺長滿野花嘅叢林嬉戲

As they admired a blooming narcissus flower,

喺欣賞緊一朵盛開嘅水仙花嗰陣

they noticed it tremble in the ground.

佢哋覺得大地有啲微微震動

Suddenly, the earth split, and a terrifying figure arose.

突然，土地裂開， 出現咗一個令人心寒嘅身影

It was Hades, god of the dead and the underworld.

原來係掌管冥界嘅冥王黑帝斯

He wrenched Persephone from Cyane, dragged her into his inky chariot,

佢喺西雅妮身邊挾走泊瑟芬， 強行拉佢上自己架暗黑雙輪馬車

and blasted back through the earth.

穿過大地火速直奔冥界

Cyane wept so hard she dissolved, becoming one with the river.

西雅妮傷心欲絕，喊到化成咗湖水

By the time Demeter arrived at the scene of the abduction,

狄蜜特收到消息後立即趕到綁架現場

the crater in the meadow had closed— and Cyane and Persephone had vanished.

可惜，土地嘅裂痕已經合番埋， 而西雅妮同泊瑟芬亦都失去影蹤

Demeter sped to Mount Olympus for help.

狄蜜特極速跑去奧林匹斯山搵救兵

Many of the gods had witnessed the scene.

好多神祇都目擊到黑帝斯綁架泊瑟芬

And they knew about the deal that paved the way for it:

佢哋亦都知道件事嘅來龍去脈—

Zeus, Persephone’s father, had granted Hades her hand in marriage

原來泊瑟芬嘅爸爸宙斯

without her consent— or Demeter’s.

喺未經泊瑟芬或者狄蜜特嘅同意 將女兒許配咗俾黑帝斯

But when faced with Demeter’s pleas, the other gods stayed silent,

但就算見到狄蜜特苦苦哀求， 眾神都係無動於衷、保持沈默

So, she searched alone.

無奈之下，佢唯有孤身踏上尋女之路

In her grief and desperation, she neglected her usual tasks.

懷住悲痛同絕望， 狄蜜特冇辦法好好照顧大地

Crops withered, and a great famine plagued the Earth.

導致穀物枯乾、大饑荒喺人間蔓延

As mortals began to perish, the gods grew wary.

人類不斷死亡、神祇開始擔心

Who would worship them and offer tributes if the humans disappeared?

如果連人類都消失， 重有邊個會祭祀佢哋呢？

So, Zeus ordered Demeter to stop her crusade and returned to her duties.

因此宙斯命令狄蜜特停止尋女之路， 快啲返去照料番大地，令穀物好好生長

But she refused.

但狄蜜特拒絕咗宙斯嘅命令

Deep below, across the frigid river Styx, and through the halls of the underworld,

地底深處、橫跨冰冷嘅冥河斯梯克斯， 穿過冥界嘅殿堂

Persephone was waging her own protest.

泊瑟芬誓不低頭，發動抗議

Hades expected her to serve as his wife and queen.

黑帝斯想娶佢做老婆，立佢為皇后

But Persephone rebuffed the god’s advances and refused food.

但泊瑟芬唔領情之餘，重絕食抗議

As she longed for her mother’s company,

佢好渴望有媽媽陪伴嘅日子，

her friends’ laughter, and the sun’s warmth,

朋友嘻嘻哈哈嘅笑聲 同埋太陽帶嚟嘅溫暖

Persephone grew colder and lonelier.

泊瑟芬越諗越覺得冷漠、亦更加寂寞

And she was starving.

佢重要覺得好肚餓

She hungered for satisfying grains, crisp vegetables and fresh fruit.

佢好想食飽滿嘅穀物、爽脆嘅蔬菜 同埋新鮮嘅生果

Wandering the ghostly gardens,

漫無目的咁喺鬼影都冇隻嘅花園散步

she contemplated the pomegranates that hung heavily on their branches...

佢望住掛喺枯枝上嘅石榴、沈思咗一陣

Meanwhile, Demeter continued her hunt.

與此同時，狄蜜特繼續展開佢嘅尋女之路

She appealed to the all-seeing sun god, Helios,

佢向無所不知嘅太陽神希路斯求助

whose rays had long warmed her crops.

希路斯一直用陽光溫暖住佢嘅穀物

Indeed, when Helios drew his golden chariot across the sky that fateful day,

原來希路斯當日正正 坐住自己架黃金雙輪馬車劃破長空

he saw what happened— and he knew of the deal.

睇到事發經過之餘， 佢亦都知道呢個計劃

Out of respect and sympathy for Demeter,

但出於對狄蜜特嘅尊敬同同情

Helios told her of Hades’ demands, Zeus’ betrayal and Persephone’s abduction.

希路斯將黑帝斯嘅強求、宙斯嘅背叛 同泊瑟芬嘅綁架事件一一講哂俾佢知

Furious and heartbroken, Demeter sped to Mount Olympus and confronted Zeus,

憤怒兼心碎嘅狄蜜特 飛奔上奧林匹斯山質問宙斯呢件事

demanding their daughter’s return.

並且強烈要求黑帝斯同宙斯俾番個女佢

But Zeus declined: in her ravenous hunger,

但係宙斯拒絕咗，理由係

Persephone had eaten a few seeds from the pomegranate that grew in the underworld.

泊瑟芬因為太肚餓， 已經食咗幾粒喺冥界嘅石榴籽

Though a meager amount, it was enough to ensnare her in Hades forever.

雖然只係少量，都足以令泊瑟芬長留冥界

Demeter wouldn't accept this fate.

狄蜜特拒絕接受呢個命運嘅安排

She swore that if she wasn’t reunited with Persephone,

佢發誓如果唔能夠同泊瑟芬團聚

the fields would never be fertile again,

大地會一直貧瘠落去

and the distinction between the Earth and the underworld would soon dissolve.

無幾耐就會同冥界無乜分別

So, they made a pact.

因此，佢哋達成咗個協議

For two thirds of every year, Persephone would return to the land of the living,

每年有八個月嘅時間， 泊瑟芬會回歸人間大地

But for the remainder, she would stay in the world of the dead.

但剩低嘅四個月佢就要留喺冥界

When Persephone ascended to Earth, she and her mother rejoiced.

當泊瑟芬重返人間與媽媽團聚嗰陣

Together, they showered the fields with rain and nurtured them with sun.

佢哋母女同心， 用雨水灌溉土壤、用陽光照耀大地

For mortals, Persephone’s arrival came to herald the start of spring.

人類認為， 泊瑟芬回歸大地就係宣佈春天開始

But her descent always came too soon.

但佢嘅離去往往嚟得太快

Each time she returned to Hades, Demeter mourned,

每次佢要返去黑帝斯身邊， 狄蜜特又再次陷入悲傷

and the earth grew cold, dark, and unyielding,

人間又再次變得寒冷、陰暗、了無生氣

ushering in the winter months.

預示住寒冬嘅來臨

Knowing Demeter couldn’t be roused from her grief,

凡人明白狄蜜特好難走出悲痛、重新振作

the humans stored their crops, stoked their fires,

佢哋會一一儲起糧食、築起爐火

and awaited Persephone’s safe return.

默默等待泊瑟芬重返人間

And so it was that her transit marked the gradual turning of the seasons

因此，泊瑟芬來回冥界又折返人間 象徵住季節嘅轉變

and the bittersweet compromise between life and death.

同埋喺生與死之間苦中帶甜嘅妥協