The Cambodian myth of lightning, thunder, and rain - Prumsodun Ok

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Once, a long time ago,

很久很久以前，

there was a powerful hermit named Lok Ta Moni Eysei.

有一位強大的隱士， 叫做羅塔莫尼艾賽。

He had three promising students:

他有三位很有前途的學生：

Moni Mekhala, the brilliant goddess of the seas,

莫妮梅卡拉，聰明的海之女神，

Vorachhun, the princely manifestation of the earth,

佛拉強，地球的王子化身，

and Ream Eyso, a demon whose heart burned with passionate fire.

還有瑞安艾索， 內心燃燒著烈火的惡魔。

Lok Ta wished to bestow a gift upon his most deserving student.

羅塔想要把一個禮物 贈予最值得的學生。

To determine which of the three that was, he announced a contest:

為了決定三個學生誰最值得， 他宣佈了一項競賽：

whoever first brought back a glass full of morning dew

誰先帶回來一瓶裝滿的晨露，

would be master of this mysterious gift.

就能得到這神秘的禮物。

When dusk came, Vorachhun and Ream Eyso ventured into the forest.

黃昏時，佛拉強和 瑞安艾索冒險進入森林。

They left not one leaf or blade of grass untouched,

他們沒有漏掉任何一片樹葉或草葉，

impatiently shaking the precious fluid into their glasses.

很不耐煩地把寶貴的液體 搖入他們的瓶子裡。

When they returned to the hermit’s hut,

當他們回到隱士的小屋，

they found Moni Mekhala sitting patiently with a full glass of morning dew.

他們發現莫妮梅卡拉耐心地 坐在那裡，帶著一整瓶晨露。

She had left her shawl out overnight

她把她的披巾留在外頭，放了一晚，

and won the contest by simply wringing out the fabric over her glass.

只把布上的露水擰絞到 她的瓶子裡，就贏了競賽。

Proud of all his students, and loving them like his own children,

羅塔以他所有的學生為榮， 愛他們如同自己的孩子，

Lok Ta surprised all three with gifts.

出乎意料，三名學生 都得到他的禮物。

He turned the dew Ream Eyso collected into a diamond axe,

他把瑞安艾索收集到的露水 變成一把鑽石斧頭，

Vorachhun’s into a magic dagger,

佛拉強的露水變成魔法匕首，

and Moni Mekhala’s into a crystal ball unlike anything ever seen.

莫妮梅卡拉的露水變為 前所未見的水晶球。

Soon Ream Eyso grew covetous and decided he must have Mekhala’s prize.

很快，瑞安艾索起了貪念， 決定要奪取莫妮梅卡拉的獎品。

He and Vorachhun tried to woo the goddess so they could get the precious gem.

他和佛拉強試圖追求 這位女神，以取得珍寶。

But after she rejected their advances and flew off,

但，她拒絕了他們的殷勤並飛走了，

Ream Eyso resolved to take the crystal ball by force.

瑞安艾索決心要強行奪取水晶球。

Ream Eyso flew through the air in search of Moni Mekhala,

瑞安艾索飛上天，尋找莫妮梅卡拉，

propelled on by a jealous rage.

被嫉妒的怒火所驅使。

On his way, he encountered Vorachhun and attacked him,

他在路上遇到佛拉強，並攻擊他，

knowing that the righteous prince would never allow him to steal the crystal.

因為知道這正直的王子 不會讓他去偷水晶。

The demon gained the upper hand in the heat of battle,

在激烈的戰鬥中，惡魔佔了上風，

and hurled Vorachhun against the side of a mountain.

把佛卡強狠狠丟到一座山邊。

Sure of Vorachhun’s death,

確信佛卡強死了，

Ream Eyso continued his search until he finally found Moni Mekhala.

瑞安艾索繼續尋找， 他終於找到了莫妮梅卡拉。

He demanded that she and her friends either submit to him,

他要求她和她的朋友臣服於他，

the most brilliant of Lok Ta’s students and rightful master of the crystal ball,

要羅塔最聰明的學生 和水晶球的正當持有人臣服於他，

or die like Vorachhun.

不然就會像佛卡強一樣送命。

Mekhala, without fear, refused and flew off into the clouds,

梅卡拉並不害怕， 拒絕了他，飛入雲中，

hoping to draw the demon away from her friends.

希望把惡魔引走，遠離她的朋友。

Ream Eyso took the bait, ripping through nimbus after nimbus in his crazed pursuit.

瑞安艾索上當了， 瘋狂追逐，衝過層層雨雲。

Once far enough away, Mekhala confronted her pursuer.

夠遠了之後，梅卡拉 正面面對她的追擊者。

Ream Eyso made one last demand but the goddess remained unfazed.

瑞安艾索下了最後通牒， 但女神仍然不為所動。

Enraged, he began to swing his diamond axe.

他被激怒了，揮舞著他的鑽石斧頭。

Before he could hurl the weapon, Mekhala threw her crystal into the air.

在他能把武器投擲去出之前， 梅卡拉把她的水晶丟到空中。

As it climbed the height of the sky,

它向上攀升到高空，

it emitted powerful flashes of lightning that blinded the demon.

它散發出強大的閃電， 讓惡魔瞎了眼。

Ream Eyso let his axe loose in wild desperation.

瑞安艾索狂暴絕望地鬆開他的斧頭。

As the weapon flew through the air it cut through clouds,

這武器劃過天際，穿過雲層，

creating deep, rolling peals of thunder.

產生了深沉的轟隆雷聲震響。

And when the lightning and thunder mixed,

當閃電和雷聲混合，

precious seeds of water fell from heaven: rain.

天上落下了珍貴的水種子：雨。

Mekhala drew close to Ream Eyso, now blind and impotent without his axe.

梅卡拉靠近瑞安艾索， 他現已失明，沒有斧頭可抵抗。

She pondered what she should do to the murderer.

她在思考要如何處置這個殺人兇手。

Remembering the kindness and love of her teacher,

因為想起了老師的仁慈和關愛，

Moni Mekhala chose compassion and flew into the sky.

莫妮梅卡拉選擇同理心，飛回天上。

Shortly later, Ream Eyso regained his strength, found his axe, and followed her.

沒多久，瑞安艾索重新取得力量， 找到斧頭，追隨她。

Thunder, lightning, and rain continued to dance across the earth.

雷、閃電、雨就持續在地球上共舞。

Some drops fell on Vorachhun and revived him,

有些雨滴落到佛拉強身上，讓他復活，

his skin golden like a rice field ready for harvest.

他的皮膚變成金黃色， 就像已可收割的稻米田。

Grabbing his magic dagger,

他抓起他的魔法匕首，

he flew into the sky in search of Ream Eyso and Moni Mekhala.

他飛上天，去尋找 瑞安艾索和莫妮梅卡拉。