The Maya myth of the morning star

譯者: Clement Fu 審譯者: Bruce Sung

Chak Ek’ rose from the underworld to the surface of the eastern sea

恰克爾 (Chak Ek’) 從陰間昇起東海水平線

and on into the heavens.

越過人間，直上天堂

His brother K’in Ahaw followed.

兄弟金阿浩 (K’in Ahaw) 緊隨其後

Though Chak Ek’ had risen first, K’in Ahaw outshone him,

恰克爾光芒被金阿浩後來居上

and the resentful Chak Ek’ descended back to the underworld

惱羞成怒下又降回陰間

to plot against his brother.

盤算對付兄弟的陰謀

In Mayan mythology, Chak Ek’ represents Venus and K’in Ahaw represents the sun.

瑪雅神話中，恰克爾代表金星

金阿浩則代表太陽

Known as both the morning and the evening star,

金星既是晨星，也是晚星

Venus moves through the sky, sometimes visible before sunrise,

星移天際時，有時日出前看見

sometimes after sunset, and occasionally not at all.

有時日落後看見，偶爾終日不出現

The ancient Maya identified this roughly 584 day cycle

早在一千多年前，古瑪雅人已參透

這時長約 584 天的週期

more than a thousand years ago

and it still accurately predicts when and where Venus will appear in the sky

至今仍能準確預測金星何時何地

出現在世界哪個角落的天空

around the world.

Five of these cycles make up almost exactly eight years,

五個週期合共近整整八年

and the Maya also recognized this larger cycle.

瑪雅人也熟諳這個大循環

They assigned Chak Ek’ five different forms,

為恰克爾定下五種不同形態

one for each cycle of Venus, that were repeated every eight years.

對應金星每八年循環的五個週期

Within the 584 day cycle, Venus is visible in the evening sky for 250 days,

金星 584 天週期有 250 天黃昏出現

then disappears for 8 days before reappearing as the Morning Star.

然後消失 8 天，再以晨星重現

The ancient Maya ascribed particular significance to this point in this cycle:

古瑪雅人尤其在意週期的這一刻：

the first time Venus appears before sunrise after being invisible.

金星自消失後在日出前重現的瞬間

On this day, Chak Ek’ rose again from the underworld,

在這一天，恰克爾再次從陰間昇起

wielding a spearthrower and darts.

握著投矛器和飛鏢蠢蠢欲動

To bring discord to the world,

惟恐世界不亂的他

he decided to attack his brother and his brother’s allies.

決定攻擊兄弟以及兄弟的盟友

His first target was K’awiil, god of sustenance and lightning.

第一個目標是豐饒與閃電之神 卡維爾 (K'awiil)

Rising in the late rainy season, Chak Ek’ aimed his spear and struck K’awiil,

雨季末昇起，恰克爾瞄準投矛到卡維爾

causing damage to the food and a period of chaos in the social order

導致糧食遭殃、公共秩序一陣動盪

until K’awiil was reborn.

直至卡維爾重生

584 days after attacking K’awiil,

卡維爾遇襲後 584 天

Chak Ek’ turned his attention back to his brother, the Sun.

恰克爾把矛頭回歸其兄弟，太陽

Each night, the Sun took the form of jaguar

每逢夜晚，太陽化身成美洲豹

and journeyed through the underworld.

在陰間馳騁

Chak Ek’ speared the jaguar sun as it rose at dawn towards the end of the dry season.

旱季末的黎明，恰克爾以矛刺向 正在昇起的美洲豹化身

The Sun was wounded, plunging the world into a period of chaos and warfare.

太陽受傷，世界陷進一陣騷亂戰爭

Chak Ek’s third victim was the god of maize,

恰克爾第三個蒙難對象是玉米之神

who provided sustenance for all humankind.

玉米之神眷顧人間食糧

Chak Ek’ speared him at the time of the harvest.

收成時節，恰克爾以矛將其刺殺

He was buried in the underworld, and maize—the staple of life—

並埋葬陰間

地上住民不再得享玉米這生命之源

was no longer available to Earth’s inhabitants.

But the maize god emerged after three months in the place of new beginnings–

三個月後玉米神重生於一處新生地：

the eastern cave known as Seven Water Place– bringing food once again to earth.

東洞穴「七水地」，再為地上帶來糧食

When the turtle Ak Na'ak rose in the sky to mark the summer solstice,

當海龜 Ak Na'ak 昇上天空標誌夏至

Chak Ek’ claimed his fourth victim.

恰克爾奪去第四個蒙難者

With the death of this good omen, the Sun, the food supply, and the people

隨這吉兆逝去，太陽、糧食、人民

were buried within the earth, and the forces of chaos reigned.

同葬地上，亂世群魔亂舞

But out of the chaos rose a new order established by Hun Ajaw,

動盪中卻冒起新秩序，是確立自

one of the hero twins known to all

擊敗陰間閻王的英雄雙胞胎之一

for having vanquished the lords of the underworld.

無人不曉的胡恩阿賈 (Hun Ajaw)

A new race of humans was created, made from maize.

玉米製成的新種族人類亦應運而生

This state of balance was not to last, however.

天地交泰卻只維持一時

Chak Ek’s fifth and final victim was a mysterious stranger from the west,

恰克爾箭下第五也是最後的蒙難者

來自西方神秘異客死於旱季至烈之時

and his death in the heart of the dry season

shook the order established by Hun Ajaw.

撼動了胡恩阿賈確立的秩序

The gods, the lords, and the maize were buried in the underworld.

神 (gods)、王 (lords)、玉米同葬陰間

But this victory for Chak Ek’ would also prove temporary.

恰克爾一朝得志卻也是過眼雲煙

The two brothers, Venus and the Sun, were caught in an endless cycle

金星、太陽這對難兄難弟墮進輪迴

as they battled for supremacy, re-enacting the same five struggles,

短兵接戰爭鋒，五大角力反覆上演

while the world alternated between order and chaos

世界秩序又一再與紛亂交錯

with the rising of the Morning Star.

每當晨星昇起時