7 Pygmalion and Galatea

CHAPTER 7 Pygmalion and Galatea There once lived a young sculptor named Pygmalion. He lived on the island of Cyprus. There was no sculptor more talented than he. Pygmalion spent his days hard at work at his art. He had no time for friends or a wife. "I suppose I shall never find anyone to marry," he said, sadly. Then one day, Pygmalion came up with a plan. He would create a wife out of marble. She would be the perfect woman. This way, he could sculpt all day and have a companion.

皮格马利翁和加拉提亚从前有一个年轻的雕刻家，名叫皮格马利翁。 他住在塞浦路斯岛上。 没有一个雕刻家比他更有才华。 皮格马利翁每天都在努力创作他的作品。 他没有时间和朋友或妻子相处。 “我想我永远找不到人结婚了，”他悲伤地说。 有一天，皮格马利翁想出了一个计划。 他会用大理石做一个妻子。 她会是个完美的女人。 这样，他可以整天雕刻，还有一个同伴。

Pygmalion set to work at once. He searched for the most perfect block of marble. He sharpened his sculpting tools to the finest points. Then he began to sculpt. Pygmalion worked hard. He sculpted with great care. He carved the statue with love. When he was done, it was a fine work of art. Art lovers from all over Cyprus came to view Pygmalion's sculpture. "Magnificent," said one. "Amazing," said another. "Almost life-like," said a third. But this was not enough for Pygmalion. He wanted his statue to be the loveliest creation on Earth. Pygmalion continued to work day and night. The statue grew more and more beautiful. No woman ever born and no statue ever made could even come close to its beauty. When nothing more could be done,

皮格马利翁立即开始工作。 他寻找最完美的一块大理石。 他把雕刻工具磨得最锋利。 然后他开始雕刻。皮格马利翁工作很努力。 他非常小心地雕刻。 他用爱雕刻了这座雕像。 当他完成时，这是一件精美的艺术品。 塞浦路斯各地的艺术爱好者都来参观皮格马利翁的雕塑。 “太棒了，”一个说。“太神奇了，”另一个人说。 “几乎和真人一样。”第三个人说。 但这对皮格马利翁来说还不够。 他希望他的雕像是地球上最可爱的创造物。 皮格马利翁日夜不停地工作。 雕像变得越来越漂亮了。 没有任何一个出生的女人，也没有任何一座雕像能比得上它的美。 当无能为力时，

Pygmalion stepped back. He gazed into the statue's eyes. At that moment, a strange thing happened. Pygmalion was struck with a feeling he'd never had before. It was love. He had fallen deeply in love with this thing he had made. Looking at the statue, no one would have thought she was made of stone. Her skin looked warm with life. Her eyes gazed into Pygmalion's soul. Pygmalion was so talented that his own creation looked completely alive, even to him! "I shall call you Galatea," Pygmalion declared. Although Pygmalion should have been proud and joyful, he was unhappy instead. No one ever loved as much as Pygmalion loved his statue. He kissed her, as if that could wake her. But her stone lips could not kiss him back. He stroked her long, flowing

皮格马利翁后退了几步。他凝视着雕像的眼睛。 在那一刻，一件奇怪的事情发生了。 皮格马利翁有了一种从未有过的感觉。 这就是爱。他深深地爱上了自己做的这件东西。 看着这座雕像，没有人会想到她是用石头做的。 她的皮肤因生命而温暖。 她的眼睛凝视着皮格马利翁的灵魂。 皮格马利翁才华横溢，连他自己都觉得他创作的作品完全是活的！“我就叫你加拉蒂亚吧，”皮格马利翁宣布。 尽管皮格马利翁本应感到骄傲和快乐，但他却不快乐。 没有人像皮格马利翁那样爱他的雕像。 他吻了吻她，仿佛这样可以唤醒她似的。 但她的石唇无法回吻他。 他抚摸着她长长的，飘逸的

hair. But the hair did not move beneath his fingers. He held her close in his arms, but she was stiff and unmoving. Yet Pygmalion would not be troubled. And he could not be taken away from his love. One day, Pygmalion dressed the statue in rich, expensive clothes. "Tell me, my love. Do you like the red dress or the blue?" he would ask her. But the statue did not answer. So Pygmalion pretended that she had. He brought her special gifts: little birds that sang sweetly, wildflowers with heavenly scents, and sparkling gems in all the colors of the rainbow. Every evening he tucked her into bed, beneath the softest and warmest blankets. "Thank you, my dearest," Pygmalion imagined she whispered to him. Pygmalion did this day after day, and night

的头发。但他手指下的头发却纹丝不动。 他把她紧紧地抱在怀里，但她却僵硬地一动不动。 然而皮格马利翁不会为此烦恼。 他不能从他的爱人身边被带走。 一天，皮格马利翁给雕像穿上了华丽昂贵的衣服。 “告诉我，亲爱的。你喜欢那条红裙子还是那条蓝裙子？”他会问她。 但是雕像没有回答。 所以皮格马利翁假装她有。 他给她带来了一些特别的礼物：唱歌的小鸟，散发着天堂香味的野花，以及彩虹中各种颜色的闪闪发光的宝石。 每天晚上，他都把她塞到床上，盖上最柔软、最温暖的毯子。 “谢谢你，我最亲爱的。”皮格马利翁想象着她对他低声说。 皮格马利翁日复一日，夜以继日地这样做

after night. Until, at last, he could pretend no more. He had to admit that he loved a lifeless thing. Pygmalion was miserable. That night, Pygmalion found himself in the deepest despair. He cried out to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to help him. "Please help me find a woman as lovely as my sculpture," he asked. Aphrodite heard Pygmalion's plea. She felt bad for the sad artist who loved his statue. Pygmalion awoke the next morning. He went to look at his statue on her pedestal. Only this morning, the statue's eyes seemed to follow him wherever he moved. Pygmalion went closer. He reached out to take her beautiful hand. It was warm! Pygmalion stepped back in surprise. He put his hands upon her shoulders. They became soft under his fingertips. He leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips.

在晚上。最后，他再也装不下去了。 他不得不承认他爱一个没有生命的东西。 皮格马利翁很痛苦。那天晚上，皮格马利翁发现自己陷入了最深的绝望。 他向爱神阿芙罗狄蒂呼救。 “请帮我找一个和我的雕塑一样可爱的女人，”他问道。 阿芙罗狄蒂听到了皮格马利翁的请求。 她为这位热爱自己雕像的悲伤艺术家感到难过。 皮格马利翁第二天早上醒来。 他去看他的雕像在她的基座上。 只是今天早上，无论他走到哪里，雕像的眼睛似乎都在跟着他。 皮格马利翁走近了。他伸出手握住她美丽的手。 天气很暖和！皮格马利翁吃惊地退了回去。 他把手放在她的肩膀上。 它们在他的指尖下变得柔软。 他俯下身来，轻轻地吻了她的嘴唇。

She kissed him back. The statue's entire form softened like wax in the sun. Pygmalion clasped her wrist and felt a pulse. He took the statue in his arms. Miraculously, she hugged him back! "Are you real?" Pygmalion asked. "Or am I dreaming?" "I'm as real as you, my love," the beautiful woman in his arms answered. "Will you marry me, Galatea?" Pygmalion asked as he took her hand. "Yes," she answered simply. From that day forward, Pygmalion was the happiest man on Earth. He thanked Aphrodite every single day. Aphrodite smiled down on them from Mount Olympus. Another happy ending, thanks to the goddess of love.

她回吻了他一下。雕像的整个形状在阳光下像蜡一样变软了。 皮格马利翁抓住她的手腕，摸了摸脉搏。 他把雕像抱在怀里。 奇迹般地，她也拥抱了他！“你是真的吗？”皮格马利翁问道。 “还是我在做梦？”“我和你一样真实，亲爱的，”他怀里的美女回答。 “你愿意嫁给我吗，加拉提亚？”皮格马利翁拉着她的手问道。 “是的，”她简单地回答。 从那天起，皮格马利翁成了世界上最幸福的人。 他每天都感谢阿芙罗狄蒂。 阿佛洛狄忒从奥林匹斯山上向他们微笑。 又一个幸福的结局，多亏了爱神。