主題:不要武裝自己
《奧德賽》第 12卷有很多引人入勝情節，第一次讀史詩，被字裡行間的驚滔駭浪吸引；但第二次閱讀，反倒注意到許多內心的波濤洶湧。Odysseus早知道即將面對的險境， 但是，該如何告訴划槳的夥伴們，說太少，怕他們沒有心理準備，說太多，又怕他們心生畏懼，不敢前進。所以，Odysseus選擇性地說一些重點，讓同伴們儘管奮力往前划船。
當面對險境時，Odysseus的本能反應，穿起雄赳赳的鎧甲，雙手緊握長槍。全然忘了Circe當時的警告: 不可武裝自己。
穿過那狹宰的海道，一邊是Charybdis打出的急漩窩，一邊是怪獸Scylla盤據的巨大峭壁，大家驚慌失措，還大聲哭泣，Odysseus要夥伴們奮力划離漩窩，因為一旦掉入漩窩，整船人都沒命。但是，Scylla也奪走六條人命，眼睜睜，血淋淋，向六隻魚被活吞。多麼悲慘的一幕。
如果當時Odysseus能更鎮定，記住Circe的警告，放下刀，不要倚賴自己的武力，這一悲劇是不是就能避開?
只是，面對這樣大的困境，誰能淡定? 誰能全然泰然處之? 我想，當Odysseus回頭說這段經歷時，或多或少有些自責。
ὣς ἐφάμην, οἱ δ᾽ ὦκα ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσι πίθοντο.
Σκύλλην δ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἐμυθεόμην, ἄπρηκτον ἀνίην,
μή πώς μοι δείσαντες ἀπολλήξειαν ἑταῖροι
εἰρεσίης, ἐντὸς δὲ πυκάζοιεν σφέας αὐτούς.
καὶ τότε δὴ Κίρκης μὲν ἐφημοσύνης ἀλεγεινῆς
λανθανόμην, ἐπεὶ οὔ τί μ᾽ ἀνώγει θωρήσσεσθαι:
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καταδὺς κλυτὰ τεύχεα καὶ δύο δοῦρε
μάκρ᾽ ἐν χερσὶν ἑλὼν εἰς ἴκρια νηὸς ἔβαινον
πρῴρης: ἔνθεν γάρ μιν ἐδέγμην πρῶτα φανεῖσθαι
Σκύλλην πετραίην, ἥ μοι φέρε πῆμ᾽ ἑτάροισιν.
οὐδέ πῃ ἀθρῆσαι δυνάμην, ἔκαμον δέ μοι ὄσσε
πάντῃ παπταίνοντι πρὸς ἠεροειδέα πέτρην. (Odyssey 12. 222-233)
“I spoke. They quickly followed what I’d said.
I didn’t speak a word of Scylla—she was
a threat for which there was no remedy—
in case my comrades, overcome with fear,
might stop rowing and huddle together
inside the boat. At that point I forgot
Circe’s hard command, when she’d ordered me
not to arm myself. After I’d put on
my splendid armour, I took two long spears
and moved up to the foredeck of the ship,
where, it seemed to me, I could see Scylla
as soon as she appeared up on the rock
and brought disaster down on my companions.
I couldn’t catch a glimpse of her at all.
My eyes grew weary as I searched for her
all around that misty rock.
下面圖片與資料出處: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scylla
The Rock of Scilla, Calabria
Scylla. Detail from a red-figure bell-crater in
the Louvre, 450–425 BC
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