海神波塞冬与智慧女神女战神雅典娜竞争上岗雅典保护神。波塞冬送给雅典象征胜利的白马,雅典娜则给象征和平的橄榄枝。于是雅典人选择了和平。这是个广为流传的故事,但我现在想不起来最初出处。海神波塞冬与雅典娜争当雅典保护神时,克罗普斯 ( Cecrops ) 是见证人。 公元 1 世纪罗马帝国时代奥维德的《变形记》第六卷中提到这个故事 ( TheMetamorphoses translated by Horace Gregory) ,但没有白马,只有海水。 The God of Ocean stuck the rock-grown cliff With his long trident where salt water gushed Toname the place his own; Pallas herself Headcased in helmet, and aegis at her breast These to defend her while her spear pierced earth Downwhere a silver-glancing olive free Shotup heavy with olives on its boughs; Athena’s victory while the high gods marveled! 公元 2 或 3 世纪的 The Library of GreekMythology 也有类似的故事,我手里的英译本是第 3 卷第 11 章。但多些细节,而且与传统故事有一点儿差异,虽然更早的传统故事我也没有读过。 So Poseidon was the first to come to Attica, and striking a blow with his trident on the middle of the Acropolis, he caused a sea to appear, which is now known as the Erechtheid Sea. After Poseidon, Athena arrived; and taking Cecrops as her witness, she claimed possession by planting an olive tree, which is still shown to visitors in the Pandroseion. When the two of them entered into conflict for Posscssion of the land, Zeus separated them, and appointed as judges, not Cecrops and Cranaos as some have claimed, not Erysichthon, but the twelve goods. In accordance with their decision, the country was awarded to Athena, because Cecrops had testified that it was she who had first planted the olive tree. So Athene named the city Athens after herself while Poscidon, in a rage, flooded the Thriasian plain and submerged Attica under the sea. 这个说法仍有点小问题。那 12 神是不是包括雅典娜和波塞冬?如果不包括,数目就不对了。如果包括,他们本来是争讼的两造。
在南京入住的某宾馆,卫生间里有幅高尔夫球杆、球和洞的照片。有趣的是下面的文字 For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses the last hole? 该句子是套用《圣经·马可福音》 ( 英译用钦定本 ) 的话 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) 除了把 his own soul 改为 the last hole 外,按照现代英语的惯用法,条件状语从句中用现在时表示将来。 我对原文那句话颇为熟悉。年轻的时候,一无所有,因此看到这种话,很高兴还不曾失掉自己的灵魂,当然不是在宗教意义上。现在似乎比年轻时多些见识,觉得那是个故作惊人之语的伪问题。在足够大的时间尺度上,没有灵魂的人不会赢得世界。 回到宾馆墙上那句话,虽然我没有打过高尔夫球,但也觉得这种有意识地误读很有意思。堪与一句我不知道确切出处的英语俏皮话媲美 Love thy neighbor, but don’t get caught. 这句话改自《马太福音》中耶稣基督《登山宝训》的话 ( 仍用钦定英文本 ) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy; (Matthew 5:43) 显然也是完全曲解了愿意。