The myth of Sisyphus - Alex Gendler

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Whether it’s being chained to a burning wheel, turned into a spider,

不論是被鎖鏈綁在燃燒的 車輪上，或是被變成蜘蛛，

or having an eagle eat one’s liver,

或是被老鷹吃掉肝臟，

Greek mythology is filled with stories of the gods

希臘神話有非常多故事都是在講神

inflicting gruesome horrors on mortals who angered them.

對於激怒祂們的凡人 施加令人毛骨悚然的恐怖。

Yet one of their most famous punishments is not remembered

但，祂們這些最著名的 懲罰中，有一個懲罰

並不是因為它極度殘酷才被記得，

for its outrageous cruelty, but for its disturbing familiarity.

而是因為它讓人感到 不舒服的熟悉感。

Sisyphus was the first king of Ephyra, now known as Corinth.

西西弗斯是艾菲拉（現在的 科林斯）的第一任國王，

Although a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, he was also a devious tyrant

雖然他是個聰明的統治者， 讓這個城市很繁榮，

他也是個狡詐的暴君，

who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power.

他誘惑他的姪女，殺害他的訪客，

只為了炫耀他的權力。

This violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods.

他違反了神聖的好客傳統，

讓眾神相當憤怒。

But Sisyphus may still have avoided punishment

但西西弗斯本來可以躲避懲罰的，

if it hadn’t been for his reckless confidence.

偏偏他太過自信的魯莽讓他失策。

The trouble began when Zeus kidnapped the nymph Aegina,

麻煩始於宙斯綁架女神埃癸娜，

carrying her away in the form of a massive eagle.

化為大型老鷹的身形將她帶走。

Aegina’s father, the river god Asopus, pursued their trail to Ephyra,

埃癸娜的父親，河神阿索波斯，

追蹤他們到了艾菲拉，

where he encountered Sisyphus.

在那裡，他遇見了西西弗斯。

In exchange for the god making a spring inside the city,

這位國王告訴阿索波斯 宙斯把他的女兒帶到哪裡，

the king told Asopus which way Zeus had taken the girl.

交換條件是阿索波斯 要在城市內建造一座泉。

When Zeus found out, he was so furious that he ordered Thanatos, or Death,

當宙斯得知此事後十分震怒，

他命令死神塔纳托斯

to chain Sisyphus in the underworld so he couldn’t cause any more problems.

將西西弗斯用鎖鏈綁在陰間， 不讓他再製造任何麻煩。

But Sisyphus lived up to his crafty reputation.

但西西弗斯的狡猾不是浪得虛名。

As he was about to be imprisoned,

當他就要被監禁時，

the king asked Thanatos to show him how the chains worked

這位國王要求塔纳托斯 示範鎖鏈怎麼使用——

– and quickly bound him instead, before escaping back among the living.

然後反而很快地將他鎖住， 再逃回到活人的世界。

With Thanatos trapped, no one could die, and the world was thrown into chaos.

當塔纳托斯被困住時， 沒有人能夠死亡，

世界陷入混亂。

一切最後能恢復正常， 是因為戰神阿瑞斯

Things only returned to normal when the god of war Ares,

upset that battles were no longer fun, freed Thanatos from his chains.

覺得戰爭已經不好玩了，

因而協助塔纳托斯脫離鎖鏈。

Sisyphus knew his reckoning was at hand.

西西弗斯知道這筆帳 馬上就會被清算。

But he had another trick up his sleeve.

但他還有一招密技。

Before dying, he asked his wife Merope to throw his body in the public square,

死前，他要求他的妻子墨洛珀 將他的屍體丟到公共廣場上，

from where it eventually washed up on the shores of the river Styx.

最終，屍體從廣場 被沖到冥河的岸邊。

西西弗斯回到了死者世界之後， 便去找陰間的皇后

Now back among the dead, Sisyphus approached Persephone,

queen of the Underworld, and complained

珀耳塞福涅，向她抱怨 他的妻子不尊敬他，

that his wife had disrespected him by not giving him a proper burial.

沒有給他妥善的埋葬。

珀耳塞福涅允許他 回到活人的世界，

Persephone granted him permission to go back to the land of living

and punish Merope, on the condition that he would return when he was done.

並懲罰墨洛珀，條件是西西弗斯 把事情辦完之後就要回來。

Of course, Sisyphus refused to keep his promise,

當然，西西弗斯沒有信守承諾，

靠著欺騙神，他二度逃離了死亡。

now having twice escaped death by tricking the gods.

There wouldn’t be a third time,

不會有第三次，

as the messenger Hermes dragged Sisyphus back to Hades.

因為使者赫爾墨斯 將西西弗斯拖回去見黑帝斯。

The king had thought he was more clever than the gods,

這位國王認為他比神還要聰明，

but Zeus would have the last laugh.

但最後笑的人是宙斯。

Sisyphus’s punishment was a straightforward task

西西弗斯的懲罰， 是一項直截了當的工作——

– rolling a massive boulder up a hill.

將一個大圓石滾上山丘。

But just as he approached the top, the rock would roll all the way back down,

但當他快要到山頂時，

巨石會再一路滾下來，

forcing him to start over

迫使他重新來過一遍……

…and over, and over, for all eternity.

再一遍，又一遍，

直到永遠。

Historians have suggested that the tale of Sisyphus may stem from ancient myths

歷史學家認為，西西弗斯的故事

起源可能是關於 日出日落的古老神話，

about the rising and setting sun, or other natural cycles.

或是其他大自然的循環。

But the vivid image of someone condemned to endlessly repeat a futile task

但有人被判要永無止盡重覆徒勞的 工作，這個栩栩如生的影像，

has resonated as an allegory about the human condition.

和一種人類狀況的寓言有所共鳴。

In his classic essay The Myth of Sisyphus,

在他的經典短文 《西西弗斯的神話》中，

existentialist philosopher Albert Camus compared the punishment

存在主義哲學家阿爾貝卡繆

將這項懲罰比喻成人類徒勞地

to humanity’s futile search for meaning and truth

在一個沒有意義和冷漠的 宇宙中尋找意義和真相。

in a meaningless and indifferent universe.

Instead of despairing, Camus imagined Sisyphus defiantly meeting his fate

卡繆並沒有感到絕望， 在他的想像中，

西西弗斯大膽地面對他的命運，

as he walks down the hill to begin rolling the rock again.

走下山丘，重新再次將巨石推上山。

即使有時候我們日常生活中的困難

And even if the daily struggles of our lives

sometimes seem equally repetitive and absurd,

似乎就像這樣不斷重覆且很荒謬，

we still give them significance and value by embracing them as our own.

我們仍然張開雙手迎接它們， 給予它們重要性和價值。