6 Orpheus and Eurydice

CHAPTER 6 Orpheus and Eurydice The gods on Mount Olympus made heavenly and beautiful music. All who heard it were enchanted. There was one mortal who could make music as beautiful as the gods. His name was Orpheus. Orpheus was the son of one of the Muses. She gave him the gift of music. She hoped it would keep him safe when she could not be with him. When Orpheus played his harp and sang, there was no limit to his power. No one and nothing could resist him. If mortals argued in

俄耳甫斯和欧律狄刻奥林匹斯山上的众神演奏出天籁般的美妙音乐。 所有听到的人都被迷住了。 有一个凡人，他的音乐能像诸神一样美妙。 他的名字叫俄耳甫斯。俄耳甫斯是一位缪斯女神的儿子。 她给了他音乐的天赋。 她希望当她不能和他在一起时，它能让他安全。 当俄耳甫斯弹着竖琴歌唱时，他的力量是无限的。 没有人也没有东西能抵挡他。 如果凡人在

front of him, Orpheus would play his harp tenderly and soothingly. The fiercest fighters would grow calm and forget their anger. The power of his song was so great that he could move rocks on a hillside. He could even change the direction in which a river flowed. One day, Orpheus met Eurydice. She was one of the loveliest maidens in the land. He fell in love with her instantly. In order to make her fall in love with him, he played his music for her. His song was so sweet that she did fall in love with him. They were married the very next day. Right after the wedding, Eurydice and Orpheus crossed the meadow to their new home. On the way, she was bitten by a snake in the grass. Eurydice died that night. Orpheus was overcome with sadness. He decided he could not live without his wife. So Orpheus journeyed into the underworld.

在他面前，俄耳甫斯会温柔而抚慰地弹着竖琴。 最凶猛的战士会变得平静，忘记他们的愤怒。 他的歌声是如此之大，以至于他可以移动山坡上的岩石。 他甚至可以改变河流的流向。 一天，俄耳甫斯遇见了欧律狄刻。 她是这片土地上最可爱的少女之一。 他立刻爱上了她。 为了让她爱上他，他为她演奏了他的音乐。 他的歌太好听了，她真的爱上了他。 第二天他们就结婚了。 婚礼一结束，欧律狄刻和俄耳甫斯就穿过草地来到他们的新家。 在路上，她被草丛中的蛇咬了。 欧律狄刻当晚就死了。俄耳甫斯伤心欲绝。 他决定没有妻子他就活不下去。 于是俄耳甫斯进入了冥界。

He went to bring his Eurydice back. As Orpheus went deeper and deeper into the underworld, he played his harp and sang his sweet song. His music charmed all below into stillness. Cerberus, the mean three- headed dog, whimpered like a puppy. The Furies, the bitter goddesses of the underworld, wept at the sad and sweet song. Even Hades's heart melted at the sound of Orpheus's voice. Each of them stood as still as a statue when they heard Orpheus's song. They could not make a move to harm him. Orpheus saw Eurydice walking down into the darkest depths of the underworld. He called out to her, but she could not answer. She was already half ghost and unable to speak. Orpheus begged Hades to allow him to return above the ground with Eurydice. Hades gave in.

他去把他的欧律狄刻带回来。 当俄耳甫斯越陷越深时，他弹着竖琴，唱着甜美的歌。 他的音乐把下面的人都迷住了，使他们安静下来。 那只三头狗塞伯勒斯像小狗一样呜咽着。 冥界的愤怒女神听到这首悲伤而甜美的歌，不禁潸然落泪。 听到俄耳甫斯的声音，连哈迪斯的心都融化了。 当他们听到俄耳甫斯的歌声时，每个人都像雕像一样一动不动地站着。 他们不可能采取任何行动来伤害他。 俄耳甫斯看见欧律狄刻走进了最黑暗的地下世界。 他喊她，但她不能回答。 她已经是半鬼了，不能说话了。 俄耳甫斯恳求哈迪斯允许他和欧律狄刻一起回到地面上。 哈迪斯让步了。

"I will allow her to return with you—on one condition," Hades told him. "Anything," Orpheus agreed. "She will follow you up to Earth. I promise. But you may not turn your head to look back at her until you have completely left the underworld," Hades warned. Orpheus agreed. So Orpheus and Eurydice passed through the great doors of Hades. They took the path that would bring them out of the underworld. They climbed up. Orpheus knew that Eurydice had to be right behind him. He longed to glance over his shoulder just once to make sure. But he remembered Hades's words and did not. They were almost out of the underworld. The blackness was turning gray. They were able to see the light of the sun. Finally, they were back on Earth. Orpheus stepped out

“我允许她和你一起回去，但有一个条件，”哈迪斯告诉他。 “什么都可以。”俄耳甫斯同意了。 “她会跟着你去地球的。 我保证。但在你完全离开冥界之前，你不能回头看她。”哈迪斯警告说。 俄耳甫斯同意了。于是俄耳甫斯和欧律狄刻穿过了哈迪斯的大门。 他们选择了能让他们脱离地狱的道路。 他们爬了上去。俄耳甫斯知道欧律狄刻一定在他身后。 他真想回头瞥一眼，哪怕只是一次，以确定一下。 但他想起哈迪斯的话却没有。 他们几乎脱离了地狱。 黑暗渐渐变成灰色。 他们能看见太阳光。 最后，他们回到了地球。 俄耳甫斯走了出来

joyfully into the sunlight. Then he turned to Eurydice. But he turned too soon! Eurydice was still in the cavern below. She had not yet stepped back onto Earth. He saw her in the dim gray light. He held out his hand to grab her. But in that instant she was gone! Orpheus tried to rush after her back into the darkness. But this time he could not. The gods would not allow him to enter the underworld again. A mortal could only enter once while he was still alive. Orpheus had to stay on Earth alone, in despair. The heartbroken young man spent the rest of his life playing sad songs. They broke the hearts of all who heard them. When Orpheus died, he was laid to rest at the foot of Mount Olympus. To this day, the nightingales sing the sweetest at Mount Olympus—in memory of the song of Orpheus.

快乐地迎向阳光。 然后他转向欧律狄刻。 但是他转得太快了！欧律狄刻还在下面的洞穴里。 她还没有回到地球上。 他在暗淡的灰光中看见了她。 他伸出手去抓住她。 但就在那一瞬间，她不见了！俄耳甫斯试图追着她跑回黑暗中。 但这一次他做不到。 诸神不允许他再进入阴间。 凡人在活着的时候只能进入一次。 俄耳甫斯不得不绝望地独自留在地球上。 这个伤心欲绝的年轻人余生都在演奏悲伤的歌曲。 他们伤透了所有听者的心。 俄耳甫斯死后，被安葬在奥林匹斯山脚下。 直到今天，夜莺在奥林匹斯山上唱着最甜美的歌，以纪念俄耳甫斯之歌。