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神的无情vs英雄的有义——对奥林匹斯的控诉

2017-08-13  本文已影响44人  Eric_施昌炎

一切都是神仙的嫉妒在作祟,他们所谓的尊严,无不是自己私欲的暴露,就是以人类的膜拜与臣服维持,稳固自己所未的“至高无上”的神权。

Drained as we are, night falling fast, you’d have us desert

this haven and blunder off, into the mist-bound seas?(said by Eurylochus)

在离开两个大海怪后,Odysseus一行人一直在海上,并未向太阳神的岛屿靠岸,向他的众位船员说了盲人预言者Tiresias和女巫Circe的忠告。因为Odysseus极力遵守着这两位的谏言,不希望自己的船员失去生命,所以迟迟没有靠岸。虽然Odysseus处于对船员安全的考虑,Eurylochus则是第一个起来带头抱怨,这并不是一个解决之道,因为众船员并不是像Odysseus一样,铁打的男人(You must be made of iron head to foot.)

Out of the night come winds that shatter vessels—

how can a man escape his headlong death

if suddenly, out of nowhere, a cyclone hits,

bred by the South or stormy West Wind? They’re the gales

that tear a ship to splinters—the gods, our masters,

willing or not, it seems. No, let’s give way

to the dark night, set out our supper here.( said by Eurylochus)

Eurylochus的话并不无道理,如果不靠岸,那等到飓风来袭是,船只只能被撕扯成碎片。还不如早早靠岸登上小岛,在那里去尽情享受晚餐。这句话一出,躁动了众船员。即便如此,Odysseus还是要求他们立誓不得食用岛上的牛羊,这才安歇了一会儿。

But then,

at the night’s third watch, the stars just wheeling down,

Zeus who marshals the stormclouds loosed a ripping wind,

a howling, demonic gale, shrouding over in thunderheads

the earth and sea at once—and night swept down from the sky.

但是宙斯怎么会让Odysseus一行人如愿呢。就在第三个夜晚,狂风来袭,这就不得不逼着Odysseus一行人将船靠岸,确保船员和船只的安全。我们的英雄Odysseus召集自己的船员,千叮咛万嘱咐,让他们不得食用岛上的牛羊,船员们此刻还是遵守着Odysseus的要求。虽然如此,但是天公依旧不作美,宙斯的目的并未达到,又怎肯善罢甘休呢?

But for one whole month the South Wind blew nonstop,

no other wind came up, none but the South, Southeast.

As long as our food and ruddy wine held out, the crew,

eager to save their lives, kept hands off the herds.

一个月下来,无情的南风使劲的鼓吹着,船员们终于是“弹尽粮绝”,而一群鲜活的牛羊呈现在眼前怎能不为所动呢?所以就在Odysseus离开向众神祷告,乞求指引回家之路时,Eurylochus便开始实施他的计划——屠宰太阳神的牛群食之。

If we ever make it home to Ithaca, native ground,

erect at once a glorious temple to the Sungod,

line the walls with hoards of dazzling gifts!

But if the Sun, inflamed for his longhorn cattle,

means to wreck our ship and the other gods pitch in—

I’d rather die at sea, with one deep gulp of death,

than die by inches on this desolate island here!’ ( said by Eurylochus)

Eurylochus为自己和大伙想了两种结果,其一是众人得以生还,成功返航,那么他们就会为太阳神建造一座辉煌的宫殿;其二便是因为太阳神的愤怒,葬生大海。无论结果如何,他们都不想被这荒凉的岛屿所折磨,看着这些牛群,却不能够拿来食用,如此地煎熬。然而,就是因为这样的举动,最终导致船毁人亡。

有人说,这是船员们活该,明明Odysseus叮嘱万分却不能恪守自己的誓言。但在这里,我不免想为他们辩驳,如果不是宙斯的一步步“设局”,他们又怎么会进入这样“两难”的境地,他们这么做也是“情非得已”,并没有蔑视太阳神。不妨我们来看下众船员是怎么做的?

Surrounding them in a ring, they lifted prayers to the gods,

plucking fresh green leaves from a tall oak for the rite,

since white strewing-barley was long gone in the ship.

他们在屠宰牛羊前,依然向终身祷告,所以足以见得他们对众神的虔诚。

Father Zeus! the rest of you blissful gods who never die—

you with your fatal sleep, you lulled me in to disaster.

Left on their own, look what a monstrous thing

my crew concocted! ( said by Odysseus)

Odysseus见状亦是极度痛苦,恨得是船员们不遵守他们的承诺,也控诉众神们诱导他们去屠宰牛群。

也许,有人会说这是众神对你的磨练,锻炼你的意志品质。可我不禁要问,这所谓的磨练就是要你付出生命的代价吗?

而我对于此情此景,所能想到的是宙斯等人私欲的泄愤。

当太阳神Helios来寻求宙斯的帮助时,宙斯的私欲便得到了满足。其实不止宙斯,太阳神亦是。他们设法去惩治这些所谓的“罪人”,而这“罪人”恰恰是宙斯所诱骗冠名的。对于太阳神Helios来说,这一行人的生命远不如他的牛群重要,更是凌驾于普通平民之上。仅仅是因为他的“爱牛”,就要讲这些生命掠夺,可见神的私欲之恶劣。

‘Sun, you keep on shining among the deathless gods

and mortal men across the good green earth.

And as for the guilty ones, why, soon enough

on the wine-dark sea I’ll hit their racing ship

with a white-hot bolt, I’ll tear it into splinters.’(said by Zeus)

也许,有人会说这是人性的弱点。但这更是众神弱点所在。他们的种种行为,无不体现着他们的胸襟狭窄,尽一切所能,将罪名加以冠之。不妨看看宙斯对太阳神的回答,足以提现他早已布局要展开所谓的“惩罚”。

回首特洛伊战争开始的缘由,我们更加会控诉众神们私欲的恶劣。由婚宴上金苹果“给最美丽的女神”而引发后面的故事。由于赫拉(Hera)、雅典娜(Athena)及阿芙罗狄忒(Aphrodite)三个女神各认为自己是理所当然应得的,而其他众神均不愿做裁判,于是三人带着苹果到伊达山(Ida)上,找特洛伊(Troy)国王普里阿摩斯的英俊儿子帕里斯(Paris)作裁决。而当三个女神来到帕里斯的面前要他作裁决,三个女神都提出给他奖品,赫拉答应给他至高无上的权力,雅典娜要给他最聪明的头脑,而阿芙罗狄忒则要给他世上最漂亮的女子海伦作妻,帕里斯把金苹果交了给阿芙罗狄忒,于是阿芙罗狄忒答应帮帕里斯诱惑斯巴达王后海伦。

因为神为一己私欲的满足,竟做出如此煞费苦心“诱骗”而得金苹果。我的内心不免触动,仅仅因为众神的一己私欲,触发了一场战争,另无数人饱受战争的摧残,另不少英雄丧失了性命,更令Odysseus, Agamemnon等英雄饱受折磨。

How terrible!

Zeus from the very start, the thunder king

has hated the race of Atreus with a vengeance—

his trustiest weapon women’s twisted wiles.

What armies of us died for the sake of Helen …

Clytemnestra schemed your death while you were worlds away!(said by Agamemnon)

然而,一切都已为时已晚。有人说如果Agamemnon没有称霸的野心,也就不会落得这样的命运。但是,我想说如果没有前面一系列的铺垫,Agamemnon又怎么会打征战特洛伊呢?当然,Agamemnon作为一个英雄,有其野心。但一场众神的战争,则是这场特洛伊战争的导火线。

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