The myth of Jason and the Argonauts - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: Bruce Sung

Hercules, the strongest man alive

匹配有強大之心的大力士海克力斯

with a mighty heart to match.

Orpheus, charmer of nature and master of music.

自然界的魅力和音樂大師奧菲斯

Castor and Pollux, the twin tricksters hatched from an egg.

同卵孵出的雙胞胎騙子 卡斯托耳和波魯克斯

The Boreads, sons of the North Wind

能在空中作戰的 北風之子玻瑞阿代兄弟

who could hurtle through the air.

For untold times these heroes had roamed ancient Greece,

這些英雄無數次漫遊古希臘

creating new legends wherever they went.

無論走到哪裡都創出新的傳說

But none of their adventures was so great as when they joined forces

但是無一冒險經歷

像他們聯手為年輕人傑森的這一樁

for the sake of a young man named Jason.

Years before,

多年前，傑森的叔叔珀利阿斯

Jason’s uncle Pelias had ruthlessly usurped

無情地​​從傑森的祖父那裡 篡奪了塞薩利的寶座

the throne of Thessaly from Jason’s grandfather.

When Jason returned to his father’s stolen court,

當傑森回到他父親被偷的王宮時

the cowardly king set him a seemingly impossible task:

這個懦弱的國王給他一樁 看似不可能的任務：

cross the teeming seas to Colchis,

穿過熙熙攘攘的大海到科奇斯島

and steal the golden fleece of a flying ram

從艾厄特斯國王的鼻息下 偷走一隻飛行公羊的金色羊毛

under King Aeetes’ nose.

If Jason retrieved the Fleece,

珀利阿斯答應，如果 傑森找回羊毛就放棄王位

Pelias promised to relinquish the throne.

Touched by his heroic mission,

受到他英勇使命的感召

the Gods spread Jason’s call for help,

眾神散播傑森的求助呼籲

and soon he had assembled a not-so-motley crew.

很快就組成一隊不太雜亂的人馬

These heroes,

這些英雄與無數水手、 占卜者、叛逆的半神人

alongside countless sailors, soothsayers, and rebel demigods,

named themselves the Argonauts after their sturdy ship.

在他們堅固的船「亞哥號」上 自稱為亞哥英雄

But the path ahead was marked with untold terrors–

但前方道路佈滿無盡的恐怖險阻

enough to test even the fiercest heroes.

足以試煉最無畏的英雄

Their first stop was Lemnos,

他們的第一站是利姆諾斯

an isle of women who had killed all the island’s men.

島上的女人殺死所有男人

As punishment,

阿芙羅狄蒂用令人作嘔的惡臭 詛咒和懲罰她們

Aphrodite had cursed them with a sickening stench–

but that didn’t stop Jason fathering twins with the queen.

但這並沒有阻止傑森 與女王生了一對雙胞胎

The rest of the crew also found themselves embroiled in new romances;

其餘的人也捲入了新的浪漫情事

until Hercules chastised them for not behaving like heroes.

直到海克力斯責備他們沒英雄的樣子

Eventually, they sailed on to the Mount of Bears,

他們最終乘船前往熊山

an island where a group of ancient, six-armed monsters

這島有一群古老的六臂怪物

lived alongside the peaceful Doliones.

與安靜的杜利奧納人比鄰而居

While the clan welcomed the Argonauts with open arms,

杜利奧納人張開雙臂迎接亞哥英雄

the monsters surged down from the mountains

而怪物自山上蜂擁而下

and hurled rocks at the docked ship.

向停靠的船上投擲石塊

Hercules held them off single-handedly,

海克力斯比隊友還快

before his comrades joined the fray.

一個人就制服怪物們

Bolstered by their victory, the triumphant heroes sailed onward–

挾著勝利的餘威，英雄們向前航行

only to be blown back to the island several stormy nights later.

卻在幾晚後被狂風暴雨吹回島上

In the tempest,

在暴風雨中，杜利奧納人 以為新來的人是入侵者

the Doliones thought these new arrivals invaders.

The Argonauts were similarly unaware of their surroundings,

亞哥英雄同樣也沒意識到周圍的環境

and fought blunderingly in the dark, slaying wave after wave of foe.

在黑暗中一波又一波地殺敵

But the morning light revealed a horrible truth:

但晨光揭露可怕的事實：

their victims were none other than their previous hosts.

他們殺害的是他們先前的主人

Yet again,

傑森再次使得組員心煩意亂

Jason had allowed the crew to be distracted,

this time at a terrible cost.

這次付出高昂的代價

Ashamed at his conduct,

他為自己的行為感到羞愧 決定只專注於羊毛

he resolved to focus only on the Fleece,

but even this haste proved ruinous.

但即便如此，結果也是毀滅性的

When Hercules’ squire was abducted by a water nymph,

海克力斯的侍衛被一個水女神綁架了

Jason sailed on–

傑森持續航行，渾然不覺 他最強大的同伴不在身旁

oblivious to the absence of his most powerful crewmate.

The remaining Argonauts continued their quest,

剩餘的亞哥英雄繼續向前行

until stopping at the sight

直到遇到一個被黑色鷹身女妖漩渦 包圍的老人才停了下來

of an old man surrounded by a swirl of harpies.

This was Phineas, a seer cursed by Zeus

他是被宙斯詛咒的先知菲紐斯

to endure old age, blindness, and endless torture

因他的預言而被老邁、失明 無止境折磨的老人

for giving away his prophecies.

Moved by his plight, the wind brothers set upon the flock,

同情他的遭遇，風兄弟趕走 （不讓他吃東西的）鷹身女妖群

providing Phineas with a brief respite from his punishment.

暫時中止對菲紐斯的懲罰

In return,

作為回報

the seer told them how to overcome the terrifying trial that lay ahead:

先知教他們如何克服 接下來的可怕挑戰：

the Symplegades,

撞岩（Symplegades） 一對會擊碎船隻的岩石

a pair clashing rocks that reduced ships to splinters.

But first,

但亞哥英雄得先在

the Argonauts would have to maneuver past the mouth of hell,

嗜血的亞馬遜島周圍

around the island of the bloodthirsty Amazons,

和迷幻天空下穿越地獄之口

and under psychedelic skies.

These adventures cost the crew both in men and morale–

這些冒險造成船員死傷 重擊船員的士氣

and some feared they might be losing their minds.

有些甚至害怕精神失常

Upon reaching the clashing rocks, the exhausted crew quaked with fear.

鄰近撞岩時

精疲力竭的船員驚恐地顫抖著

But Phineas’ advice rang in their heads.

但腦海中響起菲紐斯的建議

The Argonauts released a single dove

亞哥英雄放出一隻鴿子

and sped through in its wake to emerge unscathed.

鴿子迅速穿過，毫髮無傷

With this narrow escape,

亞哥英雄驚險逃過後 科奇斯終於不遠了

the Argonauts finally had Colchis in their sights.

Yet while Jason rested and celebrated with his crew,

然而傑森雖與船員休息​​和慶祝

he could feel his time among them was drawing to a close.

他能感覺到與他們 相聚的時光所剩無幾

As the fleece gleamed in his mind,

羊毛在他腦海中閃閃發光 他知道自己必須獨自找回它

he knew he would have to retrieve it alone.

But he could not guess that this final task

但他遠遠猜不到

他將為這任務付出的可怖終極代價

would have the most horrible price of all.