The epic of Gilgamesh, the king who tried to conquer death - Soraya Field Fiorio

譯者: Claire Hsu 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

In 1849, in the ancient city of Nineveh in northern Iraq,

1849 年，在伊拉克北部的 尼尼微古城，

archaeologists sifted through dusty remains,

考古學家們仔細挖掘覆滿塵土的遺跡，

hoping to find records to prove that Bible stories were true.

希望能夠找到證據 以證明聖經故事的真實性。

What they found instead was one of the oldest libraries in the world.

他們發現的卻是 世上最古老的圖書館之一。

Inscribed on crumbling clay tablets was a 4,000-year-old story

支離破碎的泥板上雋刻了 一段四千年前的故事，

so riveting the first person to translate it started stripping from excitement.

故事之引人入勝， 讓初見的譯者欣喜至極、脫衣狂奔。

Called the epic of Gilgamesh,

這個故事就是「吉爾迦美什史詩」，

the story starts with Gilgamesh, king of the city of Uruk,

故事始於烏魯克城的君主吉爾迦美什，

crashing every wedding and sleeping with the bride

他是每場婚禮的不速之客，

並搶在新娘和丈夫同床以前 就與她共枕。

before she has a chance to sleep with her husband.

To tame Gilgamesh, the goddess Aruru created a rival called Enkidu.

為了控制吉爾迦美什， 女神阿魯魯創造了對抗他的恩奇都。

Enkidu lived beyond the walls of the city,

恩奇都生活在城外，

where chaos reigned and wild animals, invaders, and evil spirits prowled.

城牆外是一個混亂的世界， 野獸、入侵者和邪靈伺機而動。

After a priestess of the goddess Ishtar seduced Enkidu,

在女神伊絲塔的一位女祭司 勾引恩奇都之後，

the wild animals beyond the wall rejected him and he ventured into the city.

城外的野獸排拒他， 他便冒險進入了城內。

There, he encountered Gilgamesh up to his usual tricks.

那裡，他撞見吉爾迦美什 又在婚禮上搗蛋。

Enkidu stepped in to stop him.

恩奇都上前阻止他。

Almost perfectly matched, the two men wrestled all through the city streets

兩人幾乎勢均力敵， 他們纏鬥打遍城裡的街道，

until Gilgamesh won the fight by a hair.

直到吉爾迦美什以毫釐之差獲勝。

Afterwards, they were inseparable.

從此之後，兩人結義、形影不離。

With his new friend, Gilgamesh turned his attention from the brides of Uruk

有了新朋友之後，吉爾迦美什 將注意力從烏魯克的新娘

to proving his strength in combat.

轉移到證明自己的戰鬥力。

They set out to slay Humbaba,

他們出征討伐胡姆巴巴，

a creature with a thousand faces who guarded the trees of the Forest of Cedar.

這個怪物有千面臉孔， 是雪松之林的守護者。

They tracked Humbaba and ambushed him.

他們跟蹤胡姆巴巴，埋伏突襲牠，

Cornered, he begged for his life,

怪物被逼到角落，求饒乞命，

then cursed them as Gilgamesh dealt the final blow.

然後在吉爾迦美什使出 最後一擊之際詛咒兩人。

Back home in Uruk, the goddess Ishtar took a romantic interest in Gilgamesh.

回到烏魯克，女神伊絲塔 向吉爾迦美什表明愛意。

Knowing she tended to lose interest and curse her former flames,

吉爾迦美什知道她的性情—— 她會變心並詛咒前任情人，

Gilgamesh refused her advances.

他拒絕了她的追求。

So Ishtar unleashed the Bull of Heaven on Uruk to destroy crops and kill people.

所以伊絲塔降天牛於烏魯克， 破壞農作並殘殺人民。

When Gilgamesh and Enkidu slayed the creature defending the city,

當吉爾迦美什與恩奇都 為保護城市殺了天牛時，

the gods killed Enkidu.

眾神取走恩奇都的性命。

He entered the House of Dust,

他進入了「塵土之所」，

the shadowy Mesopotamian underworld where the spirits of the dead

這裡是美索不達米亞陰暗的冥界，

死者的靈魂永遠在地上跪行， 吃土解飢、飲石解渴。

knelt eternally on the ground, eating dirt and drinking stone.

Grieving for Enkidu and terrified of meeting this fate himself,

吉爾迦美什為恩奇都感到悲痛， 害怕自己遭遇同樣的命運。

Gilgamesh set off beyond the cosmic mountains to seek immortality.

吉爾迦美什展開旅程， 跋過聳天的群山，

尋找永生的奧秘。

He passed scorpion people and groves of gemstone trees,

他繞過半蠍人，穿越寶石樹林，

travelled beneath the mountains and outran the rising sun,

穿行群山之下，追過初升之陽，

until he finally came to the end of the world,

直到他終於來到世界的盡頭，

where he found a bar.

他找到一間酒吧。

The bartender was a goddess named Shiduri,

吧檯侍者是女神西杜里，

who urged Gilgamesh to give up his quest.

她勸戒吉爾迦美什放棄追求永生不死。

She told him all mortals must die,

她告訴他所有的凡人必經一死，

but until death comes, he should enjoy his life.

但是在死亡來臨之前， 他應該享受他的人生。

But Gilgamesh refused to give up.

但吉爾迦美什拒絕放棄，

Reluctantly, Shiduri gave him directions to cross the Waters of Death

雖然不願意，西杜里還是 指示他渡過死亡之海，

and meet the immortal man Utanapishti.

去見不死之身的烏特納比什提。

The gods had granted Utanapishti immortality following a great flood,

眾神是在一場大洪水之後 賜永生予烏特納比什提。

during which he built a boat,

洪水期間他建造了一艘船，

loaded two of every animal onto it, and landed on a mountain peak.

每種動物都找了兩隻裝上船， 最終停靠於一座山頂上。

Utanapishti also encouraged Gilgamesh to accept that death comes for everyone.

烏特納比什提也勸吉爾迦美什 接受每人終有一死。

But Gilgamesh still would not budge.

但是吉爾迦美什仍意志堅決。

So Utanapishti told him that if he could conquer sleep,

所以烏特納比什提告訴他， 如果他能通過不眠的試煉，

the gods might grant him immortality.

眾神或許會賜予他永生。

Gilgamesh intended to stay awake for seven days,

吉爾迦美什打算七天都不眠不休，

but fell asleep immediately.

但他立刻就睡著了。

Utanapishti then told him about a magical plant that grew at the bottom of the ocean

接著烏特納比什提告訴他， 海底生長著一種神奇的植物，

and granted eternal youth.

吃了便能獲得永恆青春。

Though Gilgamesh successfully retrieved the plant,

雖然吉爾迦美什成功取得永生之草，

a snake stole it on his way home.

但是在回程上被一條蛇偷走了。

But when Gilgamesh laid eyes on his beautiful city again,

但是當吉爾迦美什 再度見到他美麗的城市時，

he made peace with his mortality and vowed to spend his lifetime doing great deeds.

他接受他有限的生命， 誓言用一生成就偉大事蹟。

He wrote his story on a lapis lazuli tablet

他將他的故事寫在一塊青金石板上，

and buried it under the city walls for future generations to find and learn from.

並埋在城牆之下等待後人 前來尋找並解讀。

The tablets uncovered in Nineveh

尼尼微出土的石板

were part of the library of the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal.

是亞述國王亞述巴尼拔 圖書館的一部份。

Though the story is mythical, Gilgamesh was probably a real king of Uruk.

雖然這是神話故事，吉爾迦美什 很可能是真實的烏魯克國王。

Versions of his tale date to 2000 BCE and perhaps even longer ago,

史詩的各種版本可追朔至 公元前兩千年，甚至更久以前，

and still echo through literature today.

至今在文學上仍產生重大迴響。