Curiosity: a blessing, or a curse? The paradoxical nature of this trait was personified for the ancient Greeks in the mythical figure of Pandora. According to legend, she was the first mortal woman, whose blazing curiosity set a chain of earth-shattering events in motion.
Radovednost: blagoslov ali prekletstvo? Paradoksalnost te lastnosti je bila poosebljena, za stare Grke, v mističnem liku Pandore. Legenda pravi da je bila prva smrtna ženska, ki je zaradi svoje izrazite radovednosti, pognala v tek pretresljive dogodke.
Pandora was breathed into being by Hephaestus, God of fire, who enlisted the help of his divine companions to make her extraordinary. From Aphrodite she received the capacity for deep emotion; from Hermes she gained mastery over language. Athena gave the gift of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, and Hermes gave her her name.
Pandori je vdahnil življenje Hefajst, bog ognja, ki se je obrnil k svojim božanskim spremljevalcem, da bi jo naredili izjemno. Od Afrodite je prejela dar globokega čustvovanja, od Hermesa, je pridobila mojstrstvo nad jezikom. Atena jo je obdarila z darom obrtništva in pozornosti na detajle, in Hermes ji je dal ime.
Finally, Zeus bestowed two gifts on Pandora. The first was the trait of curiosity, which settled in her spirit and sent her eagerly out into the world. The second was a heavy box, ornately curved, heavy to hold – and screwed tightly shut. But the contents, Zeus told her, were not for mortal eyes. She was not to open the box under any circumstance.
Na koncu ji je Zevs podaril dve darili. Prvo je bilo lastnost radovednosti, ki se je naselilo v njenem duhu in jo vneto poslalo v svet. Drugo je bilo težka skrinjica, okrasno ukrivljena, težka za držanje - in nepredušno zaprta. Ampak vsebina, ji je požugal Zevs, ni za oči smrtnikov. Skrinjice ni smela odpreti pod nobenim pogojem.
On earth, Pandora met and fell in love with Epimetheus, a talented titan who had been given the task of designing the natural world by Zeus. He had worked alongside his brother Prometheus, who created the first humans but was eternally punished for giving them fire. Epimetheus missed his brother desperately, but in Pandora he found another fiery-hearted soul for companionship.
Na Zemlji je Pandora srečala in se zaljubila v Epimeteja, nadarjenega titana, ki mu je bila zadana naloga oblikovati naravo po Zevsovih navodilih. Poleg je delal njegov brat Prometej, ki je ustvaril prve ljudi, a bil za vedno kaznovan, ker jim je podaril ogenj. Epimetej je obupno pogrešal brata, toda v Pandori je našel drugo, ognjevito dušo za druženje.
Pandora brimmed with excitement at life on earth. She was also easily distracted and could be impatient, given her thirst for knowledge and desire to question her surroundings. Often, her mind wandered to the contents of the sealed box. What treasure was so great it could never be seen by human eyes, and why was it in her care? Her fingers itched to pry it open. Sometimes she was convinced she heard voices whispering and the contents rattling around inside, as if straining to be free. Its enigma became maddening.
Pandora je bila navdušena nad življenjem na Zemlji. Zlahka je izgubila fokus in postala nepotrpežljiva, zaradi želje po znanju in raziskovanju svoje okolice. Pogosto je pomislila na vsebino zapečatene skrinjice. Kakšen zaklad je bil tako velik, da ga človeške oči nikoli ne bi smele videti, in zakaj je bil zaupan v njeno skrb? Srbeli so jo prsti. Odprla bi skrinjico. Včasih je bila prepričana, da je slišala šepetanje glasov, in vsebino, ki je ropota notri, kot da se želi osvoboditi. Njena enigma jo je spravljala v norost.
Over time, Pandora became more and more obsessed with the box. It seemed there was a force beyond her control that drew her to the contents, which echoed her name louder and louder. One day she could bear it no longer. Stealing away from Epimetheus, she stared at the mystifying box. She’d take one glance inside, then be able to rid her mind of it forever...
Sčasoma je Pandora postajala vedno bolj in bolj obsedena s skrinjico. Zdelo se je, da jo sila, močnejša od nje, vedno bolj privablja k skrinjici, in v kateri odmeva njeno ime glasneje in glasneje. Nekega dni ni več zmogla. Stran od Epimeteja, je strmela v mistično skrinjico. Samo na hitro bo pogledala notri, in potem se lahko znebi teh misli za vedno....
But at the first crack of the lid, the box burst open.
Toda ob prvi razpoki na pokrovu, se je skrinjica na stežaj odprla.
Monstrous creatures and horrendous sounds rushed out in a cloud of smoke and swirled around her, screeching and cackling. Filled with terror, Pandora clawed desperately at the air to direct them back into their prison. But the creatures surged out in a gruesome cloud. She felt a wave of foreboding as they billowed away. Zeus had used the box as a vessel for all the forces of evil and suffering he’d created – and once released, they were uncontainable.
Pošastna bitja in grozljivi zvoki so prihajali iz oblaka dima, ki je zavihral okoli nje, vreščaje in pokajoče. Polna groze, je Pandora tepla po zraku v upanju, da jih usmeri nazaj v njihov zapor. Toda bitja so se izmuznila s strašnim oblakom. Ko so se valili stran, so jo obšle zle slutnje. Zevs je uporabil skrinjico kot zapor za vse zle sile in trpljenja, ki jih je ustvaril - in enkrat izpuščene, ne morejo biti več zadržane.
As she wept, Pandora became aware of a sound echoing from within the box. This was not the eerie whispering of demons, but a light tinkling that seemed to ease her anguish. When she once again lifted the lid and peered in, a warm beam of light rose out and fluttered away.
Medtem ko je jokala, je Pandora slišala odmev znotraj skrinjice. To ni bilo grozno šepetanje demonov, ampak lahkotno zvončkljanje, ki se je zdelo da ji lajša tesnobo. Ko je ponovno dvignila pokrov in pokukala v skrinjico, je posijal ven topli žarek svetlobe in odletel stran.
As she watched it flickering in the wake of the evil she’d unleashed, Pandora’s pain was eased. She knew that opening the box was irreversible – but alongside the strife, she’d set hope forth to temper its effects.
Ko je opazovala svetlobo utripati, zaradi zla, ki ga je izpustila, so bile Pandorine bolečine ublažene. Vedela je, da je odprtje skrinjice nepovratno - je ven spustila tudi upanje, da bo kljub težavam lahko omilila njen učinek.
Today, Pandora’s Box suggests the extreme consequences of tampering with the unknown – but Pandora’s burning curiosity also suggests the duality that lies at the heart of human inquiry. Are we bound to investigate everything we don’t know, to mine the earth for more – or are there some mysteries that are better left unsolved?
Danes Pandorina skrinjica predstavlja ekstremne posledice pri igranjem z neznanim - Pandorina goreča radovednost prav tako ponazarja dvojnost ki leži v srcu človeške želje po poizvedovanju. Ali smo zavezani k temu, da raziščemo vse, česar ne vemo, da rudarimo zemljo za več, ali je nekateri skrivnosti bolje pustiti nerazrešene?