Who were the Vestal Virgins, and what was their job? - Peta Greenfield

譯者: Crystal Yip 審譯者: Helen Chang

A lone priestess walks towards an underground chamber.

孤單的女祭司行至地下室

People line the streets to watch as she proclaims her innocence.

人們排在街道兩旁 看著她宣稱自己無辜

It doesn't matter.

這無關重要

She's already been judged and found guilty.

她已經被判定有罪

The sentence?

刑罰？

Live burial.

活埋

The underground chamber contains a portion of bread, water, milk, and oil.

地下室內有些麵包、水、牛奶和油

She will have a lamp, a bed, and a blanket,

她會有一盞燈、一張床和一張毯子

but she won't emerge alive.

但她不會再活著出現

At the threshold, the priestess pauses,

臨別之際，女祭司停步

claims her innocence one last time,

最後一次宣稱自己的無辜

then enters the chamber never to be seen again by the Roman people.

然後步進地下室 不再出現在羅馬民眾面前

The priestess is one of Rome's six Vestal Virgins,

這女祭司是 羅馬六位維斯塔貞女之一

each carefully selected as children from Rome's most aristocratic families.

每位都是從羅馬貴族家庭的兒童中 精心挑選出來

But now with her death, there are only five,

但現在隨著她的死亡，只餘下五位

and a new priestess must be chosen.

必須挑選一位新的女祭司

The six-year-old Licinia witnessed the spectacle,

六歲的 Licinia 親眼目睹這場面

never suspecting that a few days later, she'd be chosen as the next Vestal Virgin.

不曾想到數天後 她會被選為下一任的維斯塔貞女

Her age, her patrician family lineage,

她的年齡、她父系家族血統

and her apparent good health

和她的健康容貌

makes her the best candidate to serve the goddess Vesta in the eyes of the Romans.

讓她在羅馬人眼中 成了侍奉女神維斯塔的最佳人選

Her parents are proud that their daughter's been chosen.

她父母為自己女兒被選上而自豪

Licinia is afraid, but she has no choice in the matter.

Licinia 心感害怕 但這由不得她選擇

She must serve the goddess for at least the next 30 years.

她必須至少於往後三十年侍奉女神

For the first ten years of Licinia's service,

Licinia 最初十年的侍奉

she's considered in training, learning how to be a Vestal Virgin.

被視作訓練 學習如何作為一位維斯塔貞女

Her most important duty is keeping vigil over the flame of Vesta,

她最重要的職責是監守維斯塔聖火

the virgin goddess of the hearth.

維斯塔是爐灶處女神

Vesta doesn't have a statue like other Roman gods and goddesses.

不像其他羅馬諸神，維斯塔沒有雕像

Instead, she's represented by the flame which burns day and night in her temple

而是被她神廟內 日夜燃燒的火焰所代表

located next to the Forum in the center of the city.

她的神廟位於城中心 相鄰於古羅馬廣場

Like all Vestal priestesses, Licinia spends part of each day on shift,

正如所有維斯塔女祭司一樣 Licinia 每天輪更

watching and tending to the flame.

看守和照料火焰

The flame represents two things.

這火焰有兩個含意

The first is the continuation of Rome as a power in the world.

第一是羅馬持續作為世界強國

The Romans believed that if the flame goes out, the city's in danger.

羅馬人相信如果火焰熄滅 城市將陷入危險

The flame also symbolizes the continuing virginity of Vesta's priestesses.

火焰也象徵維斯塔女祭司 繼續守持處女之身

For the Romans, a Vestal's virginity signaled not only her castitas,

對於羅馬人來說，維斯塔女祭司的 處女之身不但標誌她的貞潔

or modest spirit and body,

或莊重樸素的精神和身體

but also her ritual purity.

也標誌她操持祭禮的純潔

So Licinia knows she must never let the flame go out.

因此 Licina 知道 她絕不能讓火焰熄滅

Her life,

她的性命

the lives of her fellow Vestals,

其他維斯塔女祭司的性命

and the safety of Rome itself depends upon it.

羅馬的安全皆繫於此

Licinia learns to collect water each day from a nearby fountain

Licina 學習每天從附近噴泉取水

to cleanse the temple.

來潔淨神廟

She learns the Fasti, the calendar of sacred rituals

她學習神聖祭禮的曆法「Fasti」

and she watches while the senior priestesses conduct sacrifices.

她觀看年長的女祭司進行獻祭

By the time Licinia completes her training,

當 Licina 完成訓練

she's 16 years old.

她年屆十六

Licinia understands that the way she must act

Licinia 明白她的行為舉止

is a reflection of the goddess she serves.

必須是她侍奉的女神的映照

When it's her turn to collect the water, she keeps her eyes lowered to the ground.

當輪到她去取水，她一直眼望地下

When she performs sacrifices, she focuses intently on the task.

當她進行獻祭，她專注於工作

Licinia directs her energy towards being the best priestess she can be.

Licinia 專心致志，盡其所能 成為最好的女祭司

She's worried that someday the state will claim her life for its own purposes

她擔心有一天羅馬會為求自保 而奪去她的性命

to protect itself from danger.

Licinia could be accused of incestum, meaning unchastity,

Licinia 可於任何時候 被控告亂倫，意即失去貞操

at any time and be sacrificed whether she's innocent or guilty.

然後無論她是無辜或有罪 都會被犧牲

Licinia fully understands now why her predecessor was buried alive.

Licinia 現在終於明白為甚麼 她的前任者會被活埋

Ten years ago, the flame of Vesta went out.

十年前，維斯塔的火焰曾熄滅了

The priestesses knew that they couldn't keep it a secret.

女祭司知道她們無法隱瞞

The future of Rome depended upon it.

羅馬的未來得靠於此

They went to the chief priest and he opened an investigation

她們報告祭司長，他展開調查

to discover why the flame had failed.

追究火焰熄滅的原因

Someone came forward and claimed that one of the Vestals

某人上前宣稱 其中一位維斯塔女祭司

was no longer a virgin.

已失去處女之身

That was the beginning of the end.

這是結束的開始

The accused protested her innocence, but it wasn't enough.

被控告的貞女申辯自己的清白 但這不足以改變判決

She was tried and found guilty.

她接受審判，被指有罪

That Vestal's death was meant to protect the city,

維斯塔女祭司的死亡 意在保護羅馬

but Licinia weeps for what has been lost and for what she knows now.

但 Licinia 為逝者 為她現在所知而悲傷流淚

Her own path was paved by the death of another,

她的路是由另一人的死亡而鋪墊的

and her life could be taken just as easily

她的性命也能如此輕易地被取去

for something as simple as a flame going out.

只因火焰熄滅這如此簡單的事