The tragic myth of the Sun God's son - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Leigh Yapp 審譯者: 至磊Zi Le 黃Ng

Every morning, Helios harnessed his winged horses,

每天早晨

太陽神赫利歐斯會駕著飛馬

unleashed his golden chariot, and set out across the sky.

乘著黃金戰車，飛越過天空

As the Sun God transformed the rosy dawn into the golden blooms of day,

每當他送走朝霞，迎來旭日時

he thought of those far below.

他的就會想起好久之前的事

Years ago, he fell in love with a water nymph named Clymene.

幾年前，他愛上了一位 叫做克里夢妮的水精靈

Together, they had seven daughters and one son named Phaethon.

他們生下了七名女兒 和一名叫法厄同的兒子

But Helios had a wandering eye.

但是赫利歐斯的個性見異思遷

Clymene eventually left him, taking their children with her

最終，克里夢妮帶著孩子們離開了

and marrying King Merops of Ethiopia.

並嫁給衣索比亞國王梅洛普斯

When Phaethon was little, Clymene told him tales of his divine father.

法厄同小時候，克里夢妮就跟他講了 許多關於他那位天神父親的故事

As he grew into a young man,

在他茁壯成一名青年之後

he took a special pride in knowing he was the Sun God’s child.

他因自己身為太陽神的子嗣 而感到特別自豪

However, one day, Epaphus, Phaethon’s peer who was himself the son of Zeus,

然而有一天，法厄同的同伴 同時也是宙斯兒子的厄帕福斯

sought to temper Phaethon’s arrogance,

試著要挫挫法厄同的銳氣

taunting that Helios wasn’t his father after all.

就嘲弄他說，赫利歐斯 根本不是法厄同的親生父親

With no absolute proof to the contrary, the possibility bore into Phaethon’s mind.

在沒有證據反駁的狀況下 法厄同腦中浮現出這件事情的可能性

He feared that his mother had lied.

他擔心母親對他說謊

And who was he if not Helios’ son?

如果他並非赫利歐斯所生 他到底是誰的兒子？

When Phaethon confronted Clymene,

法厄同跑去找克里夢妮對峙

she insisted that his father was the powerful Sun God.

她堅稱法厄同的父親 就是強大的太陽神

Nevertheless, Phaethon was seized by doubt.

儘管如此，法厄同依然滿腹疑惑

So, Clymene sent him off to ask Helios directly.

於是，克里夢妮就讓他自己 親口去問問赫利歐斯

Walking eastward, Phaethon entered the Sun God’s gleaming palace at last.

法厄同朝東邊走著 最後來到了太陽神那金碧輝煌的宮殿

Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness,

等到他的眼睛適應了光亮

he saw Helios’ radiant smile and open arms.

他看到赫利歐斯燦爛的笑容 並且還展開雙臂歡迎他

When Phaethon expressed his skepticism that Helios was truly his father,

當法厄同表示自己懷疑赫利歐斯 是否真為他的父親時

the Sun God only beamed.

太陽神只是笑而不語

To dispel all doubt, he would grant Phaethon anything he wanted.

為了一舉消弭疑慮 他答應要實現法厄同的任何心願

Basking in Helios’ glow,

法厄同沉浸在赫利歐斯的光輝之中

Phaethon felt there was but one way to prove their connection to the world—

他覺得只有一個辦法 能向全世界證明他倆的父子關係

and himself.

也為了說服自己

He needed to drive Helios’ chariot for a day.

他需要有一整天的時間 都駕駛著赫利歐斯的戰車

The Sun God’s smile dimmed.

太陽神揚起的笑容垂了下來

In his daily journey,

在他每天的例行公事中

he steered his fire-breathing horses through space at top speeds.

他駕著口吐熾焰的飛馬 極速穿梭於各處

The task required masterful control

這項工作必須具備精湛的駕馭能力

to ensure that the chariot raced along its precise celestial trajectory,

才能確保戰車精準地 沿著天外的軌道行駛

with a thin margin separating stability from catastrophe.

否則，穩定行車和災難之間 只有一線之隔

Even Zeus wasn’t confident in driving his chariot.

就連宙斯都沒把握能駕馭他的戰車

Helios begged his son to reconsider,

赫利歐斯央求兒子重新考慮

but Phaethon was steadfast, so the god prepared him for the journey.

但法厄同堅持主意 所以太陽神只好替他準備啟程

With a crack of the reins, he was off.

韁繩一揮，法厄同就起飛了

In flight, Phaethon’s mortal insecurities fell away.

在法厄同奔馳於蒼穹時 心中的不安煙消雲散

But soon, the reins slackened in his hands.

但是，過沒一會兒 他手上的韁繩鬆開了

Unaccustomed to the feathery weight of a mortal,

由於飛馬不習慣凡夫俗子 那輕如羽毛的重量

the radiant horses climbed higher and higher.

這些光彩耀眼的馬兒便越衝越高

The chariot whirled past constellations,

戰車從星座旁呼嘯而過

narrowly missing the pincers of Scorpio and the arrow of Sagittarius.

險些和天蠍座的巨螯 與射手座的箭梢擦身

With the Sun so far away, the Earth darkened,

此時太陽已經遠去 地球也迎來了黑暗

and the seas began to crackle and freeze.

海洋更開始劈里啪啦地凍結了起來

Startled, Phaethon sharply pulled the reins.

法厄同嚇了一跳，猛然拉住韁繩

The horses lurched and the chariot plunged towards the Earth's surface.

馬兒的腳步因此而踉蹌 戰車也朝地球的方向驟然墜下

Lakes boiled and forests burned as Phaethon struggled to pull the chariot up,

法厄同使勁地要拉起戰車 這時湖泊沸騰了，森林燃燒了

leaving deserts in his wake.

在法厄同的身後，是一片荒漠

Back on Mount Olympus, the Gods were panicking.

在奧林帕斯山上，眾神驚慌失措

Zeus saw that Phaethon was destined for a crash that would set the Earth ablaze.

宙斯明白法厄同註定要墜落 而這場撞擊會讓地球陷入火海

So, he hurled one of his mighty thunderbolts at the boy.

因此他降下一道極強的閃電 向法厄同劈了過去

The horses tore away,

馬兒被劈離了戰車

leaving Phaethon suspended in the heavens for just one moment,

使得法厄同有那麼一瞬間 在半空中漂浮著

before he plummeted to the Earth, into the river Eridanus,

旋即直直地往地球墜落 掉進厄里達努斯河中

never to resurface.

始終沒有再浮上水面

Phaethon’s sisters gathered on the riverbank to weep,

法厄同的姊妹們 都悲傷地聚在河岸上哭泣

gradually metamorphosing into poplar trees that leaked precious amber into the water.

漸漸地，她們化身為一株株楊樹 將珍貴的琥珀注入水中

Zeus repaired the Earth and created an everlasting memorial,

宙斯修復了地球 並創造了一個永恆的紀念

strewing Phaethon’s likeness in the stars.

將法厄同的模樣散播在星辰之中

Overcome by grief, Helios had hidden himself from the sky.

由於悲傷過度，赫利歐斯 將自己在天空中藏了起來

But he soon returned, and every day from then on,

但他馬上就又回來了

在往後的每一天裡

as he raced through the heavens, he greeted his son.

當他奔馳於蒼穹時都會問候他兒子

The constellation, known as “Auriga,” or “the charioteer,”

這個星座稱為「御夫座」 亦即「戰車手」

stands as a reminder of a lost young man,

它提醒世人有關於一個年輕人的殞落

and his bid to harness powers far greater than himself.

以及他試圖駕馭一股 遠超過自己能力所及的力量