Odyssey: Book 17
日期: 2014年5月
5日
Odyssey 17. 1-83
打開第十七卷，又是新的開始，第一行:
As soon as rose-fingered early Dawn appeared, ἦμος δ᾽ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος
Ἠώς, 同一句話，出現在《奧德賽》二十次，這是吟唱詩人的基本公式，也標誌每一日故事的開始。然而，這一天是那麼不同，因為父子要開始展開行動。不過，此刻Telemachus口中稱的老爹(father，ἄττα)，還是老管家Eumaeus， 一方面說明他要親自去見母親，一方面請他帶老乞丐Odysseus進城。Odysseus還解釋他要進城，因為已年老，無法作田裡粗活，而他也需要一件厚一點的衣物。
Telemachus稱呼眼前的Odysseus為不幸的異鄉客(unfortunate
stranger，τὸν ξεῖνον δύστηνον) (Odyssey
17. 10)，而Odysseus直接了當用「乞丐」(beggar，πτωχός)一詞描述自己的現況，兩個人的說法都暗示，城裡的乞討比較有效，也可以推論，古希臘城市存在類似的乞丐，依據Hesiod寫的《工作與時日》，遠古希臘的乞丐也算是一種職業，身分和吟唱詩人類似。《新約》中也有乞丐的描述，中古世紀還有乞缽憎，但不知道古希臘或西方明中有沒有向中國武俠小說中「丐幫」組織? 這是一個有趣的文化研究題目!
A beggar, or ptóchos (πτωχός), was both a welcomed and a loathed sight at
the gates of ancient Greek cities. According to some sources, most notable
Hesiod's Works and Days, being a
beggar is a profession, equated with potters and minstrels. They performed a
public function simply by being who they were and doing what they did. But what
did they do?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging 西方世界乞丐的文化
Ancient Greeks distinguished between the ptochos (Greek: πτωχός,
"passive poor" or "beggars") and the penes (Greek: ποινής,
"active poor"), with the latter being accorded a higher social
status. The New Testament contains several references to Jesus' status as the
savior of the ptochos, usually translated as "the poor", considered
the most wretched portion of society
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第22-44行紀錄Telemachus走到門口，第一個出來迎接他的是奶媽Eurycleia，這也是史詩中最傳神的女性人物之一，之後也是她在幫Odysseus洗腳時，認出這位主人。緊接著出場的是Penelope，這兒史詩形容這位奇女子既像純潔女神Artemis，又是愛神Aphrodite的化身(Odyssey 17. 36-40)。
Telemachus勸母親不要憂傷，快潔身，換清潔的衣服，準備百牲祭，祈求宙斯處罰那些追求者的惡行。之後，Telemachus走進大廳，手持武器，兩隻狗跟著，雅典娜相助，所以Telemachus看起來風度翩翩，那些追求者群聚，表面上對他畢恭畢敬，心裡卻圖謀不軌。和 《伊里亞特》的直來直往不一樣，《奧德賽》很多處強調人的心口不一。
ἔγχος ἔχων: ἅμα τῷ γε δύω κύνες ἀργοὶ
ἕποντο.
θεσπεσίην δ᾽ ἄρα τῷ γε χάριν
κατέχευεν Ἀθήνη:
τὸν δ᾽ ἄρα πάντες λαοὶ ἐπερχόμενον
θηεῦντο.
ἀμφὶ δέ μιν μνηστῆρες ἀγήνορες ἠγερέθοντο
ἔσθλ᾽ ἀγορεύοντες, κακὰ δὲ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον.
(Odyssey 17.61-66)
Telemachus walked through the hall, gripping his spear.
Two swift dogs went with him. Athena poured on him
such marvelous grace that, as he
moved along,
all people gazed at him. The
arrogant suitors
thronged around him, making gentle
conversation,
but deep in their hearts they were planning trouble. (Odyssey 17.61-66)
今天閱讀這一段，特別學習一個英文字: throng
noun
1. a multitude of people crowded or
assembled together; crowd.
2. a great number of things crowded
or considered together: a throng of memories.
verb (used without
object)
1. to assemble, collect, or go in
large numbers; crowd.
verb (used with object)
2. to fill or occupy with or as with
a crowd: He thronged the
picture with stars.
3. to fill by crowding or pressing
into: They thronged the small room.
4. Tourists thronged the bars and restaurants.
5. The streets were thronged with Christmas shoppers.
6. Fans thronged the
field to celebrate the win
__________________________________________________________________________
日期:
2014年5月 6日
Odyssey 17. 84-165
這趟旅遊Telemachus結識不少朋友，還帶回一位長期流亡的旅人(ξεῖνον
ταλαπείριον) Theoclemeus回家，安排吃住，這裡還特別描述洗澡、抹油、更衣，飯前洗手，然後招待麵包與餐飲，這一些都是古希臘大城邦的待客之道。這裡特別提到澡盆 (ἀσάμινθος bathing-tub)，S. Reece寫一專書討論史詩時代的澡盆: The Homeric And Mycenaean Bath Ἀσάμινθοσ /
Νασάμινθοσ (E-ISBN: 9789047427872)。另外，身上抹的是橄欖油: ἔλαιον olive-oil。古希臘人認為洗澡抹橄欖油，可以去除疲勞，放鬆，清潔等功效。
因為家裡被一群追求者包圍，母子的關係其實有點緊張，Penelope原先想先回臥室，因為猜測Telemachus不會再眾人面前說Odysseus的消息。但是，Telemachus故意大聲說這次旅行紀實，在Nestor和Menelaus的宮中，都得到很好的招待，但是都查不出Odysseus的最新消息。然後，報導 Menelaus的一段話， 顯然嘲笑這群追求者不自量力，像是在兇猛獅子居住的叢林中的兩隻初生的小鹿。在引用Menelaus的話中，還提到Odysseus當年勇，在繁榮Lesbos島上，和當時的國王Philomeleides摔交，大勝，全希臘人都為Odysseus歡呼。Menelaus期待Odysseus再出現，和當年一樣英勇，擊敗這些追求者。另外，傳說中Odysseus現在被仙女Calypso 藏著。 關於Odysseus和Philomeleides比摔交，荷馬史詩也再次出現兩次。只是Lesbos，就是今日女同志lesbian一詞的字源，女詩人Sappho 的故鄉。
Sappho listens as the poet Alcaeus plays a "kithara". The
Walters Art Museum.
出處: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbos
Theoclemeus重複與強調他所見，預言Odysseus必定回來，必定戰勝這群惡劣的追求者。
ὣς εἰπὼν ξεῖνον
ταλαπείριον ἦγεν ἐς οἶκον.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥ᾽ ἵκοντο δόμους εὖ ναιετάοντας,
χλαίνας μὲν κατέθεντο κατὰ κλισμούς τε θρόνους τε,
ἐς δ᾽ ἀσαμίνθους
βάντες ἐϋξέστας λούσαντο.
τοὺς δ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν δμῳαὶ λοῦσαν καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ,
ἀμφὶ δ᾽ ἄρα χλαίνας οὔλας βάλον ἠδὲ χιτῶνας,
ἔκ ῥ᾽ ἀσαμίνθων βάντες ἐπὶ κλισμοῖσι καθῖζον.
(Odyssey
17.84-90)
As he said this, he led the long-suffering stranger
towards the house. When they reached the stately
palace,
they put their cloaks down on the seats and
armchairs,
then went into the polished tubs to have a bath.
After the attending women had washed both men,
rubbed them down with oil, and wrapped around them
woolen cloaks and tunics, they came out from the
bath
and sat down on the chairs.
(Odyssey
17.84-90)
日期:
2014年5月 9日
Odyssey 17. 166-246
史詩一在提醒我們: 驕必敗。這一些段中，看見那群無知狂妄的追求者，自以為是，沾沾自喜，每天狂歡，大吃但喝，而且日復一日，想來如此，因為內心傲慢，死期已近，渾然不知。(Odyssey 17.
166-191)
Odysseus的宮廷被霸佔良久，家裡的奴僕也有不少人靠攏追求者，巴結奉承他們，而且態度傲慢，對忠貞的豬倌，更是刁難與嘲諷。這時，拿著簡單的木棍，穿著破舊衣服，拿破包的老乞丐Odysseus正在走進成，在Ithaca的聖泉，遇見兩位叛徒Melanthius和Dolius，正在幫那群飽食終日，無所事事的追求者籌備上等的晚餐，狹路相逢，開始冷嘲熱諷，用盡尖酸刻薄的話語，
ὣς φάτο, καὶ παριὼν λὰξ ἔνθορεν ἀφραδίῃσιν
ἰσχίῳ: οὐδέ μιν ἐκτὸς ἀταρπιτοῦ ἐστυφέλιξεν,
ἀλλ᾽ ἔμεν᾽ ἀσφαλέως: ὁ δὲ μερμήριξεν Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἠὲ μεταΐξας ῥοπάλῳ ἐκ θυμὸν ἕλοιτο,
ἦ πρὸς γῆν ἐλάσειε κάρη ἀμφουδὶς ἀείρας.
ἀλλ᾽ ἐπετόλμησε, φρεσὶ δ᾽ ἔσχετο:
(Odyssey 17.
233-238)
Melanthius finished, and as he moved on past them,
in his stupidity he kicked Odysseus on the hip.
But that didn’t push Odysseus off the pathway.
He stood there without budging. He was wondering
whether he should charge and kill him with his staff,
or grab him by the waist, lift him up, and smash his head
down on the ground. But he hung on, controlling
what was in his heart.
日期:
2014年5月 10日
Odyssey 17. 247-335
聽完Eumaeus禱告，這位牧羊大哥好像還是不知自省，還破口大罵，把這忠貞的老官家比喻成狗，他誠心的禱告也被比喻成狗叫。還不知廉恥，直接把心裡的歪主意說出，打算販賣人口，把老管家賣了，從中牟取暴利。(Odyssey
17.247-253)
終於走到Odysseus的府邸，房屋鱗次櫛比，庭園有衛牆和遮簷，還有雙扇院門。這裡我學了兩個古希臘建築的詞彙:
τοῖχος wall of a house
θριγκός topmost course of stones in a wall, cornice, coping
Coping (architecture): 遮簷；牆頂
Coping (from cope, Latin capa), consists of the
capping or covering of a wall. A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single
direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point. A
coping may consist of stone (capstone), brick, tile, slate, metal, wood or
thatch. In all cases it should be weathered to throw off the water. Various
types of copings exist.
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屋內則是歌聲繞樑，酒肉穿梭，吟唱詩人是Phemius，他的名字意思是fame-giver，或許意味歌功頌德的人，第一卷就有提到這問吟唱詩人。
http://www.maicar.com/GML/000PhotoArchive/ScenesOdyssey/slides/od023flax.html
前面提提到忠狗，是個比喻，接下來出現的是真正的忠狗， Argus (或Argos，希臘文Ἄργος)，這二十年，主人 Odysseus不在家，他無人照顧，遍體生滿蟲蝨，躺在穢土之中，一看到老乞丐，就認出這是牠的主人Odysseus，擺動尾巴，垂下耳朵，Odysseus看了好心寒，傳身拭去眼淚，當著Eumaeus面前誇讚這狗，應該是很罕見的狗。老管家也提到Argus 當年的英武。只是，Argus看見主人回來，最後一聲嘆息，似乎完成守護家園的職守，就被死神帶走。
這狗，應該是戰爭前，Odysseus眷養的獵犬，是當時有錢人當成財富的一部分。狗的情境，正反映出這二十年一家土地肥有領主，一個家沒有主人的慘淡景況。
ὣς οἱ μὲν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγόρευον:
ἂν δὲ κύων κεφαλήν τε καὶ οὔατα κείμενος ἔσχεν,
Ἄργος, Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος, ὅν ῥά ποτ᾽ αὐτὸς
θρέψε μέν, οὐδ᾽ ἀπόνητο, πάρος δ᾽ εἰς Ἴλιον ἱρὴν
ᾤχετο. τὸν δὲ πάροιθεν ἀγίνεσκον νέοι ἄνδρες
αἶγας ἐπ᾽ ἀγροτέρας ἠδὲ πρόκας ἠδὲ λαγωούς:
δὴ τότε κεῖτ᾽ ἀπόθεστος ἀποιχομένοιο ἄνακτος,
ἐν πολλῇ κόπρῳ, ἥ οἱ προπάροιθε θυράων
ἡμιόνων τε βοῶν τε ἅλις κέχυτ᾽, ὄφρ᾽ ἂν ἄγοιεν
δμῶες Ὀδυσσῆος τέμενος μέγα κοπρήσοντες:
ἔνθα κύων κεῖτ᾽ Ἄργος, ἐνίπλειος κυνοραιστέων.
δὴ τότε γ᾽, ὡς ἐνόησεν Ὀδυσσέα ἐγγὺς ἐόντα,
οὐρῇ μέν ῥ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἔσηνε καὶ οὔατα κάββαλεν ἄμφω,
ἆσσον δ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἔπειτα δυνήσατο οἷο ἄνακτος
ἐλθέμεν: αὐτὰρ ὁ νόσφιν ἰδὼν ἀπομόρξατο δάκρυ,
ῥεῖα λαθὼν Εὔμαιον, ἄφαρ δ᾽ ἐρεείνετο μύθῳ:
And so
these two men
talked to each other about these things. Then a
dog
lying there raised its head and pricked up its
ears.
It was Argus, brave Odysseus’ hunting dog,
whom he himself had brought up many years ago.
But before he could enjoy being with his dog,
he left for sacred Troy. In earlier days, young
men
would take the dog to hunt wild goats, deer, and
rabbits,
but now,
with his master gone, he lay neglected
in the piles of dung left there by mules and
cattle,
heaped up before the doors until Odysseus’
servants
took it as manure for some large field. Argus lay
there,
covered in fleas. Then, when he saw Odysseus,
who was coming closer, Argus wagged his tail
and dropped his ears. But he no longer had the
strength
to approach his master. Odysseus looked away
and brushed aside a tear—he did so casually
to hide it from Eumaeus. Then he questioned him:
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Argos.html
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