主題: 海神能治好眼睛嗎?
在逃離之際，Odysseus不再甘心當Nobody，大聲報出名號。獨眼巨人聽到這名字，想起一個老預言，說他將會在一個名叫Odysseus的手中失去視力，只是他沒想到原來Odysseus 是這一位小人。
獨眼巨人Polyphemos就送給Odysseus一份大禮，他會請他的父親海神Poseidon護送Odysseus一程。這一程，其實就是十年，大風大浪，失去所有同伴，十年後即使回到家也還會遭到不幸。
這一段有一個細節值得深思，Polyphemos說他會請海神Poseidon醫治他的眼睛，而Odysseus反諷，Poseidon不可能醫好他的眼睛，就像Odysseus不可能送Polyphemos到Hades的家，就是不可能讓他死。我猜Poseidon是沒有醫好Polyphemos的眼睛，第一醫療不是他的強項，第二如果能醫好兒子的眼睛，他的怒火就不會那麼大了。
兩個更重要的問題: 第一，古代應該有類似的眼傷與治療，不過，醫療技術與成果可能有限。第二，「盲眼」或瞎子等問題，在遠古時代已有，發生率可能不低。
古埃及的醫學文獻(Papyrus Ebers)提到的治療眼睛秘方:
Remedies in the 'Papyrus Ebers'
For a diseased eye
To clear up the pus: honey, balm
from Mecca and gum ammoniac. To treat its discharge: frankincense, myrrh,
yellow ochre.
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Remedy for blindness
A pig's eye, antimony, red ochre
and a little honey are finely ground and mixed together and poured into the
ear of the man so that he may be cured at once. Then recite this spell twice:
"I have brought this ointment and applied it to the trouble spot and it
will remove the horrible suffering." ... A really excellent remedy.
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字彙
ὀπωπή: sight
ἰάομαι: heal, cure
ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ οἰμώξας ἠμείβετο μύθῳ:
‘ὢ πόποι, ἦ μάλα δή με παλαίφατα θέσφαθ᾽ ἱκάνει.
ἔσκε τις ἐνθάδε μάντις ἀνὴρ ἠύς τε μέγας τε,
Τήλεμος Εὐρυμίδης, ὃς μαντοσύνῃ ἐκέκαστο
καὶ μαντευόμενος κατεγήρα Κυκλώπεσσιν:
ὅς μοι ἔφη τάδε πάντα τελευτήσεσθαι ὀπίσσω,
χειρῶν ἐξ Ὀδυσῆος ἁμαρτήσεσθαι ὀπωπῆς.
ἀλλ᾽ αἰεί τινα φῶτα μέγαν καὶ καλὸν ἐδέγμην
ἐνθάδ᾽ ἐλεύσεσθαι, μεγάλην ἐπιειμένον ἀλκήν:
νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἄκικυς
ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀλάωσεν, ἐπεί μ᾽ ἐδαμάσσατο οἴνῳ.
ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε δεῦρ᾽, Ὀδυσεῦ, ἵνα τοι πὰρ ξείνια θείω
πομπήν τ᾽ ὀτρύνω δόμεναι κλυτὸν ἐννοσίγαιον:
τοῦ γὰρ ἐγὼ πάϊς εἰμί, πατὴρ δ᾽ ἐμὸς εὔχεται εἶναι.
αὐτὸς δ᾽, αἴ κ᾽ ἐθέλῃσ᾽, ἰήσεται, οὐδέ τις ἄλλος
οὔτε θεῶν μακάρων οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων.
’ ὣς ἔφατ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον:
‘αἲ γὰρ δὴ ψυχῆς τε καὶ αἰῶνός σε δυναίμην
εὖνιν ποιήσας πέμψαι δόμον Ἄϊδος εἴσω,
ὡς οὐκ ὀφθαλμόν γ᾽ ἰήσεται οὐδ᾽ ἐνοσίχθων.’(Odyssey 9.506- 525)
“When I said this, he groaned and spoke out in
reply:
‘Alas! Now
an ancient prophecy about me
has truly been fulfilled! Telemus,
fine, tall son of Eurymus, a seer
who surpassed all men in prophecy,
reached old age among the Cyclopes
as a soothsayer. He said all these things
would come to pass someday—I’d lose my sight
at the hand of someone called Odysseus.
But I always expected he’d be large,
a noble man, with enormous power.
But now a puny, good-for-nothing weakling,
after overpowering me with wine,
has destroyed my eye. Come here, Odysseus,
so I can give you your gift as my guest,
and urge the famous Shaker of the Earth
to escort you home—I am his son,
and he boasts he’s my father. If he wishes,
he himself will cure me. No other blessed god,
nor any mortal man, can do that.’
“He finished speaking. I answered him and said:
‘I wish I were as certain I could end your life,
rob you of your living spirit, and send you
off to Hades’ home, as I am confident
not even the great Shaker of the Earth
will fix your eye.’
下面資料與圖片出處: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0420.1997.tb00792.x/pdf
古埃及眼科
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