Odyssey 23. 181-204 奧德修斯的橄欖樹床

Penelope想出一個證明眼前這位美男子是不是自己的丈夫的方式，考題就是，如何移動主臥室的那張床？知道答案的人，應該只有當初親手打造這個家，這張床的Odysseus。

  這個問題是陷阱題，因為者張床是橄欖樹打造，並精心設計過，根本無法移動。所以Odysseus果真是本尊，他的回答如下：

θάμνος ἔφυ τανύφυλλος ἐλαίης ἕρκεος ἐντός,

ἀκμηνὸς θαλέθων: πάχετος δ᾽ ἦν ἠΰτε κίων.

τῷ δ᾽ ἐγὼ ἀμφιβαλὼν θάλαμον δέμον, ὄφρ᾽ ἐτέλεσσα,

πυκνῇσιν λιθάδεσσι, καὶ εὖ καθύπερθεν ἔρεψα,

κολλητὰς δ᾽ ἐπέθηκα θύρας, πυκινῶς ἀραρυίας.

καὶ τότ᾽ ἔπειτ᾽ ἀπέκοψα κόμην τανυφύλλου ἐλαίης,

κορμὸν δ᾽ ἐκ ῥίζης προταμὼν ἀμφέξεσα χαλκῷ

εὖ καὶ ἐπισταμένως, καὶ ἐπὶ στάθμην ἴθυνα,

ἑρμῖν᾽ ἀσκήσας, τέτρηνα δὲ πάντα τερέτρῳ.

ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἀρχόμενος λέχος ἔξεον, ὄφρ᾽ ἐτέλεσσα,

δαιδάλλων χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἠδ᾽ ἐλέφαντι:

ἐκ δ᾽ ἐτάνυσσα ἱμάντα βοὸς φοίνικι φαεινόν.

οὕτω τοι τόδε σῆμα πιφαύσκομαι: οὐδέ τι οἶδα,

ἤ μοι ἔτ᾽ ἔμπεδόν ἐστι, γύναι, λέχος, ἦέ τις ἤδη

ἀνδρῶν ἄλλοσε θῆκε, ταμὼν ὕπο πυθμέν᾽ ἐλαίης.

(Odyssey 23.190-204)

For built into the well-constructed bedstead

is a great symbol which  I made myself

with no one else. A long-leaved olive bush

was growing in the yard. It was in bloom

and flourishing—it looked like a pillar.

I built my bedroom round this olive bush,

till I had finished it with well-set stones.

I put a good roof over it, then added 

closely fitted jointed doors. After that,

I cut back the foliage, by removing

branches from the long-leaved olive bush.

I trimmed the trunk off, upward from the root,

cutting it skillfully and well with bronze,

so it followed a straight line. Once I’d made

the bedpost, I used an augur to bore out

the entire piece. That was how I started.

Then I carved out my bed, till I was done.

In it I set an inlay made of gold, 

silver, and ivory, and then across it

I stretched a bright purple thong of ox-hide.

And that’s the symbol I describe for you. 

But, lady, I don’t know if that bed of mine

is still in place or if some other man

has cut that olive tree down at its base

and set the bed up in a different spot.

這張床是無法移動的，當然也富有以多象徵意義，從種樹到用這棵橄欖樹打造一張永恆不移動的床，Odysseus原來是如此用心經營自己的婚姻，自己的家。

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