The myth of Jason, Medea, and the Golden Fleece - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In the center of Colchis in an enchanted garden,

在科爾基斯中心 一座迷人的花園裡，

the hide of a mystical flying ram hung from the tallest oak,

花園中最高的橡樹上掛著羊皮， 來自一隻會飛的神秘公羊，

guarded by a dragon who never slept.

由一隻永遠不睡覺的龍看守。

Jason would have to tread carefully to pry it from King Aeetes’ clutches

傑森必須要小心翼翼

將其從埃伊特國王的掌握中取出，

and win back his promised throne.

贏回許諾給他的王位。

But diplomacy was hardly one of the Argonauts’ strengths.

但這位阿爾戈英雄 實在不擅長外交。

Jason would have to navigate this difficult task alone.

傑森必須「獨自」 解決這個困難的任務。

Or so he thought.

至少他是這麼想的。

Leaving most of his bedraggled crew to rest,

傑森讓那些全身 泥汙的夥伴留下休息，

Jason made for the palace with some of his more even-tempered men.

帶了一些沉著平和的手下前往宮殿。

His first instinct was to simply ask the king for his prized possession.

他的第一個直覺就是 直接向國王索求他珍視的羊毛。

But Aeetes was enraged at the hero’s presumption.

但埃厄忒斯卻被這位 英雄的冒昧給觸怒了。

If this outsider wanted his treasure,

如果這個外來者想要他的寶藏，

he would have to prove his worth by facing three perilous tasks.

就必須要證明他的價值， 完成三個危險任務。

The trials would begin the following day, and Jason was dismissed to prepare.

試煉將於隔天開始，

國王讓傑森回去做準備。

But another member of the royal family was also plotting something.

但另一位皇室成員也在密謀。

Thanks to the encouragement of Jason’s guardians on Mount Olympus,

在傑森的奧林帕斯山 守護神鼓勵之下，

Medea, princess of Colchis and priestess of the witch goddess Hecate,

科爾基斯的公主美狄亞

兼任女巫守護神黑卡蒂的女祭師，

had fallen in love with the challenger.

她愛上了這位挑戰者。

She intended to protect her beloved from her father’s tricks — at any cost.

她打算要保護她的愛人， 對抗她父親的技倆——

不計代價。

After a sleepless night, Jason somberly marched to the castle—

輾轉難眠了一夜之後， 傑森鬱悶地朝城堡前進——

but was intercepted.

卻被攔住了。

The princess armed him with strange vials and trinkets,

公主提供他奇特的小藥瓶和小玩意兒，

in exchange for a promise of eternal devotion.

交換條件是他要許諾永遠獻身給她。

As they whispered and planned their victory,

英雄和公主低聲計畫如何取勝，

both hero and princess fell deeply under each other’s spell.

深陷在彼此的魅力下，不能自拔。

Unaware of his daughter’s scheming,

國王不知道他女兒的詭計，

the king confidently led Jason to face his first task.

自信滿滿地引導傑森 去面對他的第一個任務。

The hero was brought to a huge field of oxen

這位英雄被帶到一片 滿是公牛的田野，

that lay between him and the fleece,

田野剛好夾在他和羊毛之間，

and told that he had to plough the land around the crowds of oxen.

他的任務是要閃過牛群 穿越這片土地。

A simple task— or so Jason thought.

這個任務很簡單—— 至少傑森這麼認為。

But Medea had concocted a fire-proof ointment,

但美狄亞調製了防火的軟膏，

and so he plowed the flickering fields unscathed.

因此在穿越這片火光閃爍的田野時 他沒有受到傷害。

For the second task,

第二個任務，

he was given a box of serpent’s teeth to plant into the scorched earth.

傑森拿到一盒蛇牙， 要種到燒焦的土壤中。

As soon as Jason scattered them, each seed sprouted into a bloodthirsty warrior.

傑森撒播的蛇牙 全都發芽成為嗜血的戰士。

They burst up around him, barricading his way forward,

他們衝向傑森，阻擋他向前行，

but Medea had prepared him for this task as well.

但美狄亞也替他 為這個任務做了準備。

Hurling a heavy stone she had given him into their midst,

把她交給他的一塊沉重石頭 丟到這群戰士中間之後，

the fighters turned on themselves as they scrabbled for it,

戰士們爭著要去搶石頭時， 開始把矛頭轉向彼此，

letting him slip by the fray.

讓他有機會從旁溜過去。

For the third task,

第三個任務，

Jason was finally face to face with the guardian of the Fleece.

傑森終於和金羊毛的 守護者面對面了。

Dodging sharp claws and singeing breath,

傑森躲過龍的銳利爪和噴出的火，

Jason scrambled up the tree and sprinkled a sweet-smelling concoction

接著爬上樹，對著龍灑下

聞起來很香甜的調製物。

over the dragon.

As the strains of Medea’s incantations reached its ears

當美狄亞咒語的進入龍的耳朵，

and the potion settled in its eyes, the dragon sank into a deep sleep.

魔藥落入龍的眼睛， 龍便陷入沉睡中。

Elated, Jason climbed to the top of the tallest oak,

得意的傑森爬到最高的橡樹樹頂，

where he slipped the gleaming fleece off its branch.

從樹枝上快速取走金光閃閃的羊毛。

When the king saw the hero sprinting away—

當國王看到這位英雄全速離開——

not only with the fleece, but his daughter in tow—

不僅帶著金羊毛， 還帶著他的女兒——

he realized he had been betrayed.

他才知道他被背叛了。

Furious, he sent an army led by his son Absyrtus

盛怒之下，他讓他的兒子 阿布緒爾托斯領軍，

to bring the ill-gotten prize and his conniving daughter home.

要將被用不法手段帶走的珍寶 及他縱容的女兒帶回來。

But all the players in this tale had underestimated the viciousness

但在這則故事中的 每位角色都低估了

這對不名譽的情人有多惡毒。

of these disgraced lovers.

To the horror of the Gods, Jason ran his sword through Absyrtus in cold blood.

傑森冷血地用他的劍刺穿了

阿布緒爾托斯，震驚眾神。

Medea then helped him scatter pieces of the body along the shore,

美狄亞協助他把屍體 碎片撒在海岸邊，

distracting her grieving father while the Argonauts escaped.

讓她悲慟中的父親分心， 給阿爾戈英雄逃走的機會。

As Colchis and their pursuers grew smaller on the horizon,

科爾基斯及追兵在水平線上 顯得越來越渺小，

a solemn silence fell aboard the Argo.

阿爾戈之外的區域 陷入嚴肅的沉寂。

Jason could now return to Thessaly victorious—

傑森現在可以凱旋返回塞薩利——

but his terrible act had tarnished his crew’s honor,

但他糟糕的舉動讓他的夥伴蒙羞，

and turned the Gods against them.

導致眾神轉而與他為敵。

Buffeted by hostile winds,

受到一陣敵意之風的攻擊，

the wretched crew washed up on the island of Circe the sorceress.

這群悲慘的人被沖到 女巫瑟茜的島嶼上。

Medea begged her aunt to absolve them of wrongdoing—

美狄亞請求她的姑姑 原諒他們的惡行——

but bloody deeds are not so easily forgotten,

但殺戮的作為不是那麼容易忘卻，

and fallen heroes not so rapidly redeemed.

墮落的英雄也不會那麼快恢復名聲。