Cú Chulainn, hero of Ulster, stood at the ford at Cooley, ready to face an entire army singlehandedly— all for the sake of a single bull.
阿尔斯特(Ulster)的英雄, 库哈拉(Cú Chulainn), 站在库雷(Cooley)的渡口, 准备单枪匹马面对整支军队——
The army in question belonged to Queen Meadhbh of Connaught. Enraged at her husband’s possession of a white bull of awesome strength, she had set out to capture the fabled brown bull of Ulster at any cost.
这一切都是为了一头公牛。 这支军队隶属康诺特(Connaught) 女王米德布(Queen Meadhbh)。 她因丈夫拥有一头 力大无穷的白牛而愤愤不平, 所以不惜一切代价 也要抓住传说中的
Unfortunately, the King of Ulster had chosen this moment to force the goddess Macha to race her chariot while pregnant. In retaliation, she struck down him and his entire army with stomach cramps that eerily resembled childbirth— all except Cú Chulainn.
阿尔斯特棕牛。 可惜阿尔斯特国王选择了这个时刻, 强迫女神玛卡(Macha)在 怀孕的情况下驾驶战车比赛。 作为报复,她用类似分娩的胃痉挛 将他击倒并让他全军覆没——
Though he was the best warrior in Ulster, Cú Chulainn knew he could not take on Queen Meadhbh’s whole army at once. He invoked the sacred rite of single combat in order to fight the intruders one by one. But as Queen Meadhbh’s army approached, one thing worried him more than the grueling ordeal ahead.
除了库哈拉幸免于难。 虽然他是阿尔斯特最优秀的战士, 但库哈拉知道他不可能一下子 能对付米德布女王的全部军队。 他引用了单兵作战的神圣仪式, 以便将入侵者逐个击破。 但随着米德布女王的军队逼近,
Years before, Cú Chulainn had travelled to Scotland to train with the renowned warrior Scáthach. There, he met a young warrior from Connaught named Ferdiad. They lived and trained side-by-side, and soon became close friends.
有一件事比先前的艰苦考验更让他担心。 几年前,库哈拉曾前往苏格兰, 与著名的战士思格哈一起训练。 在那里,他遇到了一位自康诺特 名叫费迪亚德的年轻战士。
When they returned to their respective homes, Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad found themselves on opposite sides of a war. Cú Chulainn knew Ferdiad was marching in Meadhbh’s army, and that if he succeeded in fending off her troops, they would eventually meet.
他们并肩生活和训练, 很快就成了好朋友。 当他们回到各自的家园时, 库哈拉和费迪亚德发现 彼此在战场上竟成了敌人。 库哈拉知道费迪亚德 在米德布的军队中行进, 如果他成功抵御住她的军队,
Day after day, Cú Chulainn defended Ulster alone. He sent the heads of some of his adversaries back to Meadhbh’s camp, while the rushing waters of the ford carried others away. At times, he slipped into a trance and slayed hundreds of soldiers in a row. Whenever he saw the queen in the distance, he hurled stones at her— never quite hitting her, but once coming close enough to knock a squirrel off her shoulder.
他们最终会相遇。 日复一日,库哈拉独自捍卫着阿尔斯特。 他把一些对手的头颅 送回了米德布的营地, 而湍急的河水则把其他人带走了。 有时,他精神恍惚, 一连杀了数百名士兵。 每当他看到远处的女王, 他就向她投掷石块—— 从来没有完全击中她,
Back at the Connaught camp, Ferdiad was laying low, doing everything he could to avoid the moment when he’d have to face his best friend in combat. But the Queen was impatient to get her hands on the prize bull, and she knew Ferdiad was her best chance to defeat Cú Chulainn. So she goaded him and questioned his honor until he had no choice but to fight.
但有一次很接近, 把一只松鼠从她的肩膀上打下来。 回到康诺特营地,费迪亚德低调行事, 竭力避免自己不得不 面对好友作战的那一刻。 但女王迫不及待地 想要得到那头战利品公牛, 她知道费尔迪亚德是 她击败库哈拉的最好机会。 于是,她怂恿他,质疑他的荣誉,
The two faced off at the ford, matching each other exactly in strength and skill no matter what weapons they used. Then, on the third day of their fight, Ferdiad began to gain the upper hand over the exhausted Cu Chulainn.
直到他别无选择,只能战斗。 两人在岔路口对峙,无论使用什么武器, 在力量和技巧上都旗鼓相当。 然后,在他们战斗的第三天, 面对精疲力竭的库哈拉,
But Cú Chulainn had one last trick up his sleeve: their teacher had shared a secret with him alone. She told him how to summon the Gáe Bulg, a magical spear fashioned from the bones of sea monsters that lay at the bottom of the ocean. Cu Chulainn called the spear, stabbed Ferdiad to death, and collapsed.
费迪亚德开始占据上风。 但库哈拉还有最后一招: 他们的老师单独和他分享了一个秘密。 她告诉他如何召唤盖布洛克(Gáe Bulg), 一支置身海底用海怪骨头 制成的魔法矛。
Meadhbh seized her chance and swooped in with the rest of her army to capture the brown bull. At last, the men of Ulster were recovering from their magical illness, and they surged out in pursuit. But they were too late: Queen Meadhbh crossed the border unscathed, dragging the brown bull with her.
库哈拉调用长矛, 刺死了费迪亚德,然后倒下了。 米德布抓住机会,带着剩下的军队 突击去抓棕牛。 终于,阿尔斯特的人从魔病中恢复过来, 他们猛然追了出去。 但他们太迟了:米德布女王拖着棕牛
Once home, Meadhbh demanded another battle, this time between the brown bull and her husband’s white bull. The bulls were well matched, and struggled into the night, dragging each other all over Ireland.
安然无恙地越过了边界。 一回到家,米德布要求再战一场, 这次是棕牛和她丈夫的白牛之间的战斗。 公牛们配合得很好,一直斗争到晚上,
At long last, the brown bull killed the white bull, and Queen Meadhbh was finally satisfied. But the brown bull’s victory meant nothing to him. He was tired, injured, and devastated. Soon after, he died of a broken heart, leaving behind a land that would remain ravaged by Meadhbh’s war for years to come.
把对方拖到了爱尔兰各地。 最后,棕牛终于杀死了白牛, 米德布女王终于满意了。 但胜利对棕牛自己而言毫无意义。 他累了,受了伤,也被摧毁了。 不久,他就因伤心欲绝而死, 留下了一片因米德布多年征战 而满目疮痍的土地。