The Irish myth of the Giant's Causeway - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

On the coast of Northern Ireland,

在北愛爾蘭的海岸，

a vast plateau of basalt slabs and columns

有玄武岩板和柱子 形成的一大片高地，

called the Giant’s Causeway

叫做巨人堤道，

stretches into the ocean.

延伸到海洋當中。

The scientific explanation for this

它背後的科學解釋

is that it’s the result of molten lava contracting and fracturing

是在火山噴發時，冷卻的熔岩收縮

as it cooled in the wake of a volcanic eruption.

和斷裂所造成的結果。

But an ancient Irish myth has a different accounting.

但有個古老的愛爾蘭神話說法不同。

According to legend,

根據傳說，

the giant Finn MacCool lived happily on the North Antrim coast

巨人芬麥克庫爾在北安特里姆郡 海岸過著快樂的生活，

with his wife Oonagh.

和妻子烏娜同住。

Their only disturbance came from the taunts and threats

唯一會打擾他們的，

就是巨人班納唐諾的奚落和威脅，

of the giant Benandonner,

or the red man, who lived across the sea in Scotland.

該巨人也被稱為紅人， 住在海洋另一端的蘇格蘭。

The two roared insults and hurled rocks at each other

他們兩人會大吼辱罵對方， 向對方投擲石頭，

in dramatic shows of strength.

非常戲劇性地展示力量。

Once, Finn tore up a great clump of land and heaved it at his rival,

有一次，芬把一大塊土地 拉扯起來，扔向他的對手，

but it fell short of reaching land.

但沒有丟到對岸就落下了。

Instead, the clump became the Isle of Man,

那片地反而變成了曼島，

and the crater left from the disturbed earth filled with water

而地上留下的那個坑洞被水填滿，

to become Lough Neagh.

變成了內湖。

The giants’ tough talk continued,

兩個巨人的粗暴對談持續著，

until one day Benandonner challenged Finn to a fight, face to face.

直到有一天，班納唐諾 向芬提出面對面的挑戰。

And so the Irish giant tossed enough boulders into the sea

於是，愛爾蘭巨人丟了 很多巨石到海洋中，

to create a bridge of stepping stones to the Scottish coast.

用墊腳石連成一座橋， 連到蘇格蘭海岸。

Finn marched across in a fit of rage.

芬帶著一陣怒火，走到對岸。

When Scotland loomed before him,

蘇格蘭就在眼前了，

he made out the figure of Benandonner from afar.

他遠遠看出了班納唐諾的身影。

Finn was a substantial size,

芬的體型相當大，

but at the sight of his colossal enemy thundering towards him,

但在看到巨大敵人怒吼衝向他時，

his courage faltered.

他的勇氣動搖了。

With one look at Benandonner’s thick neck and crushing fists, Finn turned and ran.

看了一眼班納唐諾的粗脖子 和具破壞力的拳頭，芬轉身就跑。

Back home, with Benandonner fast approaching,

回到家時，班納唐諾正在快速追來，

Finn trembled as he described his enemy’s bulk to Oonagh.

芬邊發抖邊向烏娜描述 他的敵人有多巨大。

They knew that if he faced Benandonner head on,

他們知道，如果和班納唐諾硬碰硬，

he’d be crushed.

他會被碾碎。

And so Oonagh hatched a cunning plan -

所以烏娜想出一個狡猾的計畫。

they needed to create an illusion of size,

他們需要創造出體型的幻覺，

to suggest Finn was a mountain of a man whilst keeping him out of sight.

顯示芬的體型像山一樣大， 但又不能讓芬被看見。

As Benandonner neared the end of the bridge,

當班納唐諾到達橋的末端時，

Oonagh stuffed her husband in a huge cradle.

烏娜把她的丈夫 塞到一個大型搖籃中，

Disguised as an enormous baby,

偽裝成一個巨大的寶寶，

Finn lay quiet as Benandonnner pounded on the door.

當班納唐諾重重地敲門時， 芬安靜地躺著。

The house shook as he stepped inside.

他進入時，整間房子都在晃動。

Oonagh told the enraged visitor that her husband wasn’t home,

烏娜告訴這位巨大的訪客， 說她丈夫不在家，

but welcomed him to sit and eat while he waited.

但歡迎他進來坐坐， 等待的時候可以吃點東西。

When Benandonner tore into the cakes placed before him,

當班納唐諾狼吞虎嚥面前的蛋糕時，

he cried out in pain

他痛苦地大叫，

for he’d shattered his teeth on the metal Oonagh had concealed inside.

因為他的牙齒咬到烏娜 藏在蛋糕中的金屬而碎了。

She told him that this was Finn’s favorite bread,

她告訴他，那是芬最喜歡的麵包，

sowing a seed of doubt in Benandonner’s mind

在班納唐諾的腦中播下懷疑的種子，

that he was any match for his rival.

讓他懷疑自己是否打得過這個對手。

When Finn let out a squawk,

當芬發出了粗厲的叫聲，

Benandonner’s attention was drawn to the gigantic baby in the corner.

班納唐諾的注意力被 角落的巨大寶寶吸引過去。

So hefty was the infant swaddled under piles of blankets,

在一堆毯子下的這個嬰兒 肌肉是如此發達，

Benandonner shuddered at the thought of what the father would look like.

班納唐諾發抖地想著嬰兒的爸爸 不知道會是什麼樣子。

He decided he’d rather not find out.

他決定他不想知道答案。

As he fled, Benandonner tore up the rocks connecting the shores,

當班納唐諾逃離時， 他把連結海岸的石頭都拔起，

breaking up the causeway.

讓堤道斷開。

What remains are two identical rock formations:

只留下了兩個還能辨視的石頭結構：

one on the North Antrim coast of Ireland

一個在愛爾蘭的北安特里姆郡，

and one at Fingal’s Cave in Scotland, right across the sea.

另一個就在對岸， 蘇格蘭的芬格爾洞。