The myth of the Sampo— an infinite source of fortune and greed - Hanna-Ilona Härmävaara

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Carol Wang

After a savage seafaring skirmish

在經歷了一場殘酷的海上小規模戰鬥

and eight long days of being battered by waves,

以及被海浪猛擊了 漫長的八天之後，

Väinämöinen— a powerful bard and sage as old as the world itself—

維納莫寧——一位和世界同齡的 強大吟遊詩人及聖人——

washed up on the shores of distant Pohjola.

被衝到了遠方波赫約拉的岸上。

Unlike his home Kalevala, Pohjola was a dark and frozen land,

和他的家鄉卡勒瓦拉不同， 波赫約拉是塊黑暗冰冷的大地，

ruled by Louhi, “the gap-tooth hag of the North."

由「門牙間有縫的北方女巫」

婁希所統治。

The cunning witch nursed Väinämöinen back to health

狡猾的女巫照料 維納莫寧恢復了健康，

but demanded a reward for returning him home.

但要求要幫他返家的獎賞。

Not content with mere gold or silver,

光是金銀無法讓她滿足，

Louhi wanted what did not yet exist— the Sampo.

婁希想要還不存在的東西——

三寶磨。

To be forged from “the tips of white-swan feathers," “the milk of greatest virtue,"

鍛造三寶磨要用到 「白天鵝羽毛的尖端」、

「最偉大美德的牛奶」、 「單一粒大麥」，

“a single grain of barley," and “the finest wool of lambskins,"

及「最上等的小羊皮羊毛」，

this artifact was said to be an endless font of wealth.

據說這項工藝品可以 帶來無盡的財富。

But Väinämöinen knew that only Seppo Ilmarinen,

但維納莫寧知道， 只有伊爾瑪利寧，

the Eternal Hammerer who forged the sky-dome itself,

曾經鍛造出天穹的永生不死鍛工，

could craft such an object.

才可能製作出這件物品。

So he convinced Louhi to send him home and fetch the smith.

所以他說服了婁希 送他回家去找這名鍛工。

Though the journey was far from easy, the bard finally made it back to Kalevala.

雖然旅程並不輕鬆，

這位吟遊詩人終於 返回了卡勒瓦拉。

But Ilmarinen refused to go to the gloomy North— a land of witches and man-eaters.

但伊爾瑪利寧拒絕 前往陰暗的北方——

女巫和食人者的地盤。

But keeping true to his word,

但維納莫寧信守諾言，

Väinämöinen tricked Ilmarinen into climbing a giant tree,

欺騙伊爾瑪利寧爬上一棵巨樹，

before summoning a mighty storm to carry the smith all the way to Pohjola.

接著召喚來威猛的風暴， 將這位鍛工一路帶到波赫約拉。

Ilmarinen was well received in the North.

在北方，伊爾瑪利寧 受到很好的接待。

Louhi lavished her guest with extravagant hospitality

婁希慷慨奢侈地招待她的賓客，

and promised him the hand of her beautiful daughter—

並承諾要將她美麗女兒嫁給他 ——

if he could craft what she wished.

如果他能夠製作出她想要的東西。

When she finally asked if Ilmarinen was capable of forging the Sampo,

她終於詢問伊爾瑪利寧 能否鍛造出三寶磨，

the powerful smith declared he could indeed accomplish the task.

這位強大的鍛工宣稱 他的確可以完成這項任務。

But try as he might to bend the forge to his will,

他嘗試著想讓熔鐵爐 照他的意思來鍛造，

its fires only produced other artifacts—

但熔鐵爐的爐火 只製造出其他工藝品——

beautiful in appearance but ill-mannered in nature.

外表很漂亮，但本質上卻很惡劣。

An elegant crossbow that thirsted for blood

一把嗜血的高雅十字弓、

and a gleaming plow that ruined cultivated fields among others.

一把閃亮的犁，

只會破壞耕地和其他東西。

Finally, Ilmarinen summoned the winds themselves to work the bellows,

最後，伊爾瑪利寧 召喚了風來吹起風箱，

and in three days time he pulled the Sampo,

花了三天時間，他做出了三寶磨，

with its lid of many colors from the forge’s flames.

它的蓋子有許多顏色， 來自熔鐵爐的火焰。

On its sides the smith carefully crafted a grain mill, a salt mill,

這位鍛工還另外仔細地 搭配製作了一台磨穀機、

and a money mill.

一台磨鹽機，和一台磨錢機。

Louhi was so delighted with the object’s limitless productive power

對於這個物品的無限產能， 婁希感到非常高興，

that she ran off to lock her treasure inside a mountain.

她跑去把她的寶藏鎖在山中。

But when Ilmarinen tried to claim his prize,

但當伊爾瑪利寧索求獎賞時，

the promised maiden refused to marry him, and the smith had to return home alone.

這位被應許的少女拒絕嫁給他，

這鍛工只好隻身返家。

Years passed, and while Pohjola prospered,

數年後，當波赫約拉繁榮起來，

Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen were without wives or great wealth.

伊爾瑪利寧和維納莫寧 卻既沒有妻子也無財富。

Bitter about this injustice, the bard proposed a quest to retrieve the Sampo,

這名吟遊詩人對這種不公平 感到不滿，提議要去取回三寶磨，

and the two sailed north with the help of Lemminkäinen—

在勒明蓋寧的協助下， 這兩人航向北方 ——

a beautiful young man with a history of starting trouble.

勒明蓋寧是位漂亮的年輕男子， 有著製造麻煩的記錄。

Upon arrival, Väinämöinen requested half the Sampo’s profits as compensation—

抵達時，維納莫寧要求索取 三寶磨的一半利益作為補嘗 ——

or they’d take the artifact by force.

不然他們就會用武力奪取三寶磨。

Outraged at this request, Louhi summoned her forces to fight the heroes.

婁希被這項要求惹火了， 召喚她的軍隊來對抗這些英雄。

But as her army readied for war, the bard played his magic harp, Kantele,

但，當她的大軍準備開戰時，

吟遊詩人彈奏起他的 魔法豎琴，康特勒琴，

entrancing all who heard it and sending Pohjola into a deep slumber.

聽見琴聲的人都會陶醉， 波赫約拉因而陷入沉睡。

Unimpeded, the three men took the Sampo and quietly made their escape.

在沒有阻礙的情況下， 這三個人拿走三寶磨，

安靜地逃離。

Lemminkäinen was ecstatic at their success,

他們的成功，讓勒明蓋寧狂喜，

and demanded that Väinämöinen sing of their triumph.

他要求維納莫寧 為他們的勝利唱歌。

The bard refused, knowing the dangers of celebrating too early.

吟遊詩人拒絕了， 他知道太早慶祝是很危險的。

But after three days of traveling, Lemminkäinen’s excitement overwhelmed him,

但，在三天的旅程之後， 勒明蓋寧的興奮讓他無法招架，

and he recklessly broke out in song.

他突然就不顧一切地唱起來。

His awful singing voice woke a nearby crane,

他那糟糕的歌聲吵醒了鄰近的鶴，

whose screeching cries roused the Pohjolan horde.

鶴的尖銳叫聲吵醒了 波赫約拉的人馬。

The army made chase.

大軍開始追擊。

As their warship closed in, Väinämöinen raised a rock to breach their hull.

他們的軍艦靠近時，維納莫寧 用一塊岩石破壞他們的船身。

Undeterred, Louhi transformed into a giant eagle,

婁希不受影響， 變身成了一隻巨型老鷹，

carrying her army on her back as they attacked the heroes’ vessel.

把她的軍隊載在背上， 讓他們攻擊這些英雄們的船。

She managed to grab the Sampo in her claw,

她用她的爪子抓住了三寶磨，

but just as quickly, it dropped into the sea, shattering into pieces

但它馬上就掉落到海中，

破成碎片，

and sinking deep beyond her talon’s reach.

向下沉到她的爪子 無法觸及的地方。

Buried on the ocean floor,

這個強大裝置的殘駭被埋在海底，

the remnants of this powerful device remain in the realm of Ahti, god of water—

一直留在水神阿提的王國領土中——

where they grind salt for the seas to this very day.

至今，他們都一直在那裡 用三寶磨來為大海磨鹽。