The Egyptian myth of the death of Osiris - Alex Gendler

譯者: Melanie Xiaowen Zhang 審譯者: Helen Chang

It was a feast like Egypt had never seen before.

這是一場埃及前所未有的盛宴

The warrior god Set and his wife, the goddess Nephtys,

戰神賽特和他的妻子女神奈芙蒂斯

decorated an extravagant hall for the occasion,

為此大肆鋪張

with a beautiful wooden chest as the centerpiece.

其中一個華麗的木箱最為奪目

They invited all the most important gods, dozens of lesser deities,

他們邀請了所有最重要的神 和一些較小的神

and foreign monarchs.

還有外國君主

But no one caused as big a stir as Set and Nephtys’s older brother Osiris,

但最引起轟動的是 賽特和奈芙蒂斯的長兄俄西里斯

the god who ruled all of Egypt and had brought prosperity to everyone.

埃及的統治神 他給所有人帶來了富足

Set announced a game—

賽特宣布了一個遊戲

whoever could fit perfectly in the chest could have it as a gift.

只要有人能完美地契合箱子 就能贏得箱子作為獎勵

One by one, the guests clambered in, but no one fit.

客人一個個擠進箱子，卻都無法契合

Finally, it was Osiris’s turn.

最後，輪到俄西里斯了

As he lay down, everyone could see it was a perfect fit—

當他躺下時，顯而易見完美契合

another win for the god who could do no wrong.

全能神的又一次勝利

Then Set slammed the lid down with Osiris still inside, sealed it shut,

然後賽特不等俄西里斯出來 蓋上箱蓋，釘牢鎖死

and tossed it into the Nile.

扔進了尼羅河

The chest was a coffin.

那個箱子其實是個棺材

Set had constructed it specifically to trap his brother

賽特為其長兄量身訂做

and planned the party to lure him into it.

並設下鴻門宴引君入甕

Set had long been jealous of his brother’s successful reign,

賽特一直妒忌長兄的治理功績

and hoped to replace him as the ruler of all Egypt.

想要取而代之統治埃及

The Nile bore the coffin out to sea and it drifted for many days

棺材順著尼羅河漂進大海

before washing ashore near Byblos, where a great cedar grew around it.

很多天後被沖上比布魯斯岸邊 一棵大雪松樹圍繞棺材長了起來

The essence of the god within gave the tree a divine aura,

樹中的神祇精華使樹周身散發神聖靈光

and when the king of Byblos noticed it,

當比布魯斯王發現這一現象

he ordered the tree cut down and brought to his palace.

他下令把樹砍下並運到他的王宮

Unbeknownst to him,

他不知道的是

the coffin containing Egypt’s most powerful god was still inside.

裝有埃及最強神的棺材還在其中

Set’s victory seemed complete, but he hadn’t counted on his sisters.

賽特奪權看似成功 但他沒考慮到他的姊妹們

Set’s wife Nephtys was also his sister,

塞特的妻子奈芙蒂斯也是他的姊妹

while their other sister, the goddess Isis,

他們的另一個姊妹，女神伊西斯

was married to their brother Osiris.

嫁給了他們的兄長俄西里斯

Isis was determined to find Osiris,

伊西斯決心找回俄西里斯

and enlisted Nephtys’s help behind Set’s back.

並背著賽特尋求奈芙蒂斯的幫助

The two sisters took the shape of falcons and travelled far and wide.

姐妹倆變身成隼，開啟長遠的旅程

Some children who had seen the coffin float by

一些目擊了漂流棺材的小孩

pointed them to the palace of Byblos.

給她們指向了比布魯斯王宮

Isis adopted a new disguise and approached the palace.

伊西斯變裝進入王宮

The queen was so charmed by the disguised goddess

王后被變裝的女神所吸引

that she entrusted her with nursing the baby prince.

將小王子託賴她照顧

Isis decided to make the child immortal by bathing him in flame.

伊西斯決定讓這孩子浴火得永生

When the horrified queen came upon this scene,

當驚恐的王后趕到現場

Isis revealed herself and demanded the tree.

伊西斯表明身分並要求得到那棵樹

When she cut the coffin from the trunk and opened it,

當她切開樹幹打開棺材

Osiris was dead inside.

俄西里斯已經死在裡面了

Weeping, she carried his body back to Egypt and hid it in a swamp,

她哭著把他的屍身帶回埃及 藏在一個樹沼裡

while she set off in search of a means of resurrecting him.

同時開始尋找復活之法

But while she was gone,

但趁她不備

Set found the body and cut it into many pieces,

賽特找到並肢解了屍身

scattering them throughout Egypt.

分別拋棄在埃及各地

Isis had lost Osiris for the second time, but she did not give up.

伊西斯再一次弄丟了俄西里斯 但她沒有放棄

She searched all over the land, traveling in a boat of papyrus.

她駕著莎草紙船尋遍全境

One by one, she tracked down the parts

她在埃及的每一個省

of her husband’s dismembered body in every province of Egypt,

一一收回丈夫的殘肢碎塊

holding a funeral for each piece.

為每一塊辦喪禮

At long last, she had recovered every piece but one—

終於，她集起了所有殘片 除了一塊

his penis, which a fish in the Nile had eaten.

他的陰莖 被尼羅河裡的一條魚吃了

Working with what she had, Isis reconstructed and revived her husband.

伊西斯盡其所能拼回丈夫並使其復活

But without his penis, Osiris was incomplete.

但沒有陰莖，俄西里斯不完整

He could not remain among the living,

他不容於陽間

could not return to his old position as ruler of Egypt.

不能回歸埃及王位

Instead, he would have to rule over Duat, the realm of the dead.

他不得不治理冥界，死亡之境

Before he went, though, he and Isis conceived a son to bear Osiris’s legacy—

臨行前，俄西里斯和伊西斯 生下一個兒子繼承父業

and one day, avenge him.

並最終為父報仇