英语童话故事：Pandora 潘多拉

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英语童话故事：Pandora 潘多拉

　Pandora

　　After the stealing of fire,Zeus became increasingly unkind to men.One day he ordered his son Hephaestus tobuild an image of a beautiful maiden out of clay.He then asked the gods and goddesses to award her with different kinds of gifts.Among others,Athena clothed her in an attractive coat and Hermes gave her the power of telling lies.A charming young lady,she was the first woman that ever lived.Zeus called her Pandora.Because she had received from each of the gods and goddesses a gift.The gift was harmful to men.

　　Zeus decided to send her down to men as a present.So Hermes them essenger brought her to Epimetheus,brother of Prometheus.The greatness of her beauty touched the hearts of all who looked upon her,and Epimetheus happily received her into his house.He had quite forgotten Pometheus’ warning:never to accept anything from Zeus.The couple lived a happy life for some time.Then trouble came on to the human world.

　　When he was busy with teaching men the art of living,Prometheus had left a bigcask in the care of Epimetheus.He had warned his brother not to open the lid.Pandora was a curious woman.She had been feeling very disappointed that her husband did not allow her to take a look at the contents of the cask.One day,when Epimetheus was out,she lifted the lid and out itcame unrest and war,Plague and sickness,theft and violence, grief sorrow,and all the other evils.The human world was hence to experience these evils.Only hope stayed within the mouth of the jar and never flew out.So men always have hope within their hearts.

　潘多拉

　　偷窃天火之后,宙斯对人类的敌意与日俱增.一天,他令儿子赫菲斯托斯用泥塑一美女像,并请众神赠予她不同的礼物.其中,雅典娜饰之以华丽的衣裳,赫耳墨斯赠之以说谎的能力.世上的第一个女人是位迷人女郎,因为她从每位神灵那里得到了一样对男人有害的礼物,因此宙斯称她为潘多拉(pander:意为煽动).

　　宙斯决定把她作为礼物送给世间的男子.于是信使赫耳墨斯将她带给普罗米修斯的弟弟厄庇墨透斯.她姿容绝美,见者无不为之倾心.厄庇墨透斯兴高采烈地把她迎入屋内.普罗米修斯警告过他不得接受宙斯的任何馈赠,而他已将之忘于脑后.这一对夫妻有过一段幸福的生活,但不久灾难却降临人间.

　　当普罗米修斯忙于教授人们生存之道的`时候,他把一个桶托付给厄庇墨透斯.他警告过他的弟弟不要打开桶盖.潘多拉好奇心强.她的丈夫不允许她看桶中之物,这使她感到十分懊恼.一天乘厄庇墨透斯出门在外,她打开桶盖,从桶里跑出的是不和与战争,瘟疫与疾病,偷窃与暴力,悲哀与忧虑,以及其他一些人类从此要遭受的不幸.只有希望被关在桶口,永远飞不出来,因此人们常常把希望藏于心中.

[知识拓展]

　　BEAUTY OF FORM AND BEAUTY OF MIND故事

　　THERE was once a sculptor, named Alfred, who having won the large gold medal and obtained a travelling scholarship, went to Italy, and then came back to his native land. He was young at that time- indeed, he is young still, although he is ten years older than he was then. On his return, he went to visit one of the little towns in the island of Zealand. The whole town knew who the stranger was; and one of the richest men in the place gave a party in his honor, and all who were of any consequence, or who possessed some property, were invited. It was quite an event, and all the town knew of it, so that it was not necessary to announce it by beat of drum.

　　Apprentice-boys, children of the poor, and even the poor people themselves, stood before the house, watching the lighted windows; and the watchman might easily fancy he was giving a party also, there were so many people in the streets.

　　There was quite an air of festivity about it, and the house was full of it; for Mr. Alfred, the sculptor, was there. He talked and told anecdotes, and every one listened to him with pleasure, not unmingled with awe; but none felt so much respect for him as did the elderly widow of a naval officer.

　　She seemed, so far as Mr. Alfred was concerned, to be like a piece of fresh blotting-paper that absorbed all he said and asked for more. She was very appreciative, and incredibly ignorant- a kind of female Gaspar Hauser. "I should like to see Rome," she said; "it must be a lovely city, or so many foreigners would not be constantly arriving there. Now, do give me a description of Rome. How does the city look when you enter in at the gate?"

　　"I cannot very well describe it," said the sculptor; "but you enter on a large open space, in the centre of which stands an obelisk, which is a thousand years old."

　　"An organist!" exclaimed the lady, who had never heard the word ’obelisk.’ Several of the guests could scarcely forbear laughing, and the sculptor would have had some difficulty in keeping his countenance, but the smile on his lips faded away; for he caught sight of a pair of dark-blue eyes close by the side of the inquisitive lady. They belonged to her daughter; and surely no one who had such a daughter could be silly. The mother was like a fountain of questions; and the daughter, who listened but never spoke, might have passed for the beautiful maid of the fountain. How charming she was! She was a study for the sculptor to contemplate, but not to converse with; for she did not speak, or, at least, very seldom.

　　"Has the pope a great family?" inquired the lady. The young man answered considerately, as if the question had been a different one, "No; he does not come from a great family."

　　"That is not what I asked," persisted the widow; "I mean, has he a wife and children?"

　　"The pope is not allowed to marry," replied the gentleman.

　　"I don’t like that," was the lady’s remark. She certainly might have asked more sensible questions; but if she had not been allowed to say just what she liked, would her daughter have been there, leaning so gracefully on her shoulder, and looking straight before her, with a smile that was almost mournful on her face?

　　Mr. Alfred again spoke of Italy, and of the glorious colors in Italian scenery; the purple hills, the deep blue of the Mediterranean, the azure of southern skies, whose brightness and glory could only be surpassed in the north by the deep-blue eyes of a maiden; and he said this with a peculiar intonation; but she who should have understood his meaning looked quite unconscious of it, which also was charming."Beautiful Italy!" sighed some of the guests.