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.
Udadisi: Baraka au laana? Utata wa hili fumbo iliwekewa kwa Wagiriki kwa umbo la dhana la Pandora. Wahenga wanasema, alikuwa mwanamke wa kwanza mfaji, udadisi wake ulipeleka ugunduzi wa mambo mengi kusogea.
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.
Pandora alipewa pumzi na Hephaestus, mungu wa moto, ambae aliomba msaada wa wenzie ili amfanye kuwa maridadi Kutoka kwa Aphrodite alipewa uwezo wa hisia za kina; kwa Hermes akapata uwezo wa lugha Athena akampa zawadi ya usanii bora na umakini kwa kila kitu, Na Hermes akampa jina lake.
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.
Mwishowe, Zeus akampatia zawadi mbili Pandora. Ya kwanza ilikuwa ni zawadi ya udadisi, iliokaa ndani ya roho yake na kumtuma kwa bidii duniani. Ya pili ilikuwa ni boksi zito, lilitengenezwa vizuri, zito kubeba - na kufungwa kwa nguvu. Ila yaliyomo, Zeus alimwambia, hayakua kwa macho ya mfaji. Hakutakiwa kufungua boksi kwenye hali yeyote ile.
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.
Duniani, Pandora akakutana na kupendana na Epimetheus, mtitani mwenye kipaji ambaye alipewa kazi ya kutengeneza dunia ya kawaida na Zeus. Alifanya kazi hiyo pembeni ya kaka yake Prometheus, aliyeumba binadamu wa kwanza lakini alipewa adhabu ya milele kwa kuwapa moto. Epimetheus alimkumbuka kaka yake mno, lakini alivyokuwa na Pandora alipata nafsi nyingine machachari ya urafiki.
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 alifurahia sana maisha ya duniani. Alipagawa kirahisi pia na kila alichokiona na hakuwa mtulivu kutokana na kiu yake ya maarifa na nia ya kujifunza mazingira yake. Mara nyingi, akili yake iliwaza vilivyomo kwenye boksi lililofungwa. Ni hazina gani kubwa sana mpaka isionekane na macho ya binadamu, na kwanini yeye alipewa alitunze? Vidole vyake viliwasha kutaka kulifungua. Kuna muda aliamini alisikia sauti zikinong'oneza na vilivyomo vikitoa sauti kwa ndani, kama vile vinataka kuwa huru. Fumbo lake likawa linamtatiza.
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...
Muda ulivyozidi kwenda Pandora alizidi kuwa na hamu na boksi. Ilionekana kulikuwa na nguvu nje ya uwezo wake iliyomuita kwenye boksi, Iliyoita jina lake kwa nguvu zaidi. Siku moja alishindwa kuvumilia. Akajificha mbali na Epimetheus, aliangaza lile boksi la mafumbo. Angeangalia mara moja ndani, kisha akili yake itulie na asiliwaze tena...
But at the first crack of the lid, the box burst open.
Ila alivyogusa mfuniko mara moja, boksi likafunguka kwa nguvu.
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.
Majitu ya kutisha na sauti za ajabu iktoka na wingu la moshi na kumzunguka na sauti za mkwaruzo na kelele. Akijawa na uwoga, Pandora alishikilia kwa bidii ile hewa akiwarudisha kwenye gereza lao. Lakini vile viumbe vilifurika nje kwenye wingu la kutisha. Alijisikia hali ya kukataza vilivyokuwa vikiondoka. Zeus alitumia boksi kama chombo cha mabaya yote na mabadhuri aliyotengeneza - na yakiachiwa, hayarudi tena.
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.
Pandora akilia, akasikia sauti ikitoka kwenye boksi, Hii haikua sauti ya minong'ono ya mashetani, ila mwanga uliovuma ulionekana ukipungua hasira yake. Alipofungua mfuniko na kuangalia ndani tena, mwanga wenye joto zuri ukatoka na kuangaza mbali.
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.
Akiutazama ukiwaka kwenye amsho la uovu alioachia, uchungu wa Pandora ukapungua. Alijua kwamba hatoweza kurekebisha kufungua boksi - lakini pamoja na jitihada, aliweka matumaini kubadilisha matokeo.
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?
Leo hii, Boksi la Pandora linatufundisha madhara makubwa ya kuhangaika na tusivyovijua - lakini hamu ya Pandora ya kujua ilidokeza uwili uliopo kwenye kiini cha uchunguzi wa binadamu. Je tunatakiwa kuchunguza kila tusichokijua, kuchimbua dunia kwa zaidi - au kuna baadhi ya maajabu ambayo ni bora yasitatuliwe?