It was dark when two mysterious, shrouded figures appeared in the hillside village. The strangers knocked on every door in town, asking for food and shelter. But, again and again, they were turned away. Soon, there was just one door left: that of a small, thatched shack.
天色已晚, 两个身影模糊的神秘人 出现在了山坡上的村庄。 两个陌生人挨家挨户地敲门, 想寻求借宿与食物。 但是,他们被一次又一次地拒绝。 不久以后,就剩一户人家了: 一个非常小的简陋农舍。
An elderly couple, Baucis and Philemon, answered the thunderous knock.
敲门声如雷鸣一般,
Although there was something off about these visitors, it was in the pair’s nature to care for those in need. Philemon invited them to rest, and the cottage flooded with warmth as Baucis teased the fire back to life.
一对老夫妻,鲍西丝(Baucis)和 费莱蒙(Philemon)来应门。 尽管陌生人看起来有点不对劲, 但是这对夫妻一向乐善好施。 费莱蒙邀请他们进屋休息, 鲍西丝重新生起了火, 小屋里变得非常暖和。
When they were young, Baucis and Philemon had fallen in love, married, and settled in the humble cottage. Decades later, their home was still standing— and they were more devoted to each other than ever.
年轻的时候,鲍西丝和费莱蒙相恋, 结婚,在这简陋的农舍里安了家。 几十年过去了,他们的家还在—— 他们对彼此的爱也变得无以复加。
The strangers watched intently as Baucis nestled twigs under a battered pot filled with vegetables. The couple could rarely afford meat, but in honor of their guests, Philemon cut strips from an aging shank for the stew. They made cheerful conversation and offered their visitors hot baths. Baucis used a chip of broken clay to balance the wobbly table’s legs and rubbed its surface with mint until it smelled sweet and fresh. Weaving around each other with care, the couple transformed what they had into a feast. Soon, the tabletop overflowed with food and the last of their sweet wine.
鲍西丝将蔬菜放进破破烂烂的锅里, 把树枝放在锅的下面。 陌生人专注地看着。 因为贫穷,这对夫妇很少买肉, 但是为了好好地招待客人, 费莱蒙将一块放了很久的腱子肉 一条一条切下来,放进炖着的菜里。 他们与客人相谈甚欢, 还为客人准备热水用以洗浴。 鲍西丝用一块破碎的黏土垫在桌脚下, 使摇摇晃晃的桌子保持稳定, 然后用薄荷摩擦桌面, 直到气味变得香甜清新。 夫妻俩一通忙活,精心准备, 将他们有的食材 变成了一顿美味大餐。 不久,桌上便满是食物以及 最后端上来的甜酒。
Privately, Baucis and Philemon worried that their provisions would run out. Yet, as the night wore on, and their strange guests took hearty gulps of wine, the clay vessel never ran dry. The couple, at first relieved, grew terrified. Their guests weren’t humble peasants traveling the countryside. They were almost certainly gods in disguise— but which gods, they didn’t know.
私下里,鲍西丝和费莱蒙 担心他们所剩的食物不够生活了。 夜幕降临, 两位陌生的客人 一杯接着一杯开怀地喝着, 可是他们杯中的酒一直不会被喝完。 这对夫妇最开始的时候松了一口气, 而后逐渐慌张起来。 这两位客人并不是 路过村庄的普通的农夫。 夫妻俩几乎可以确定 他们是两位伪装成农夫的神明—— 只是他们不知道,是哪两位神。
Panicked that their preparations were inadequate, Baucis and Philemon searched for another offering. The only precious thing left was the goose that guarded their home. The couple repeatedly lunged after the bird, but they were too worn out for the chase. So, they prepared to receive the wrath of the gods.
鲍西丝和费莱蒙 担心他们准备的不够, 开始寻找更多来招待客人。 他们只剩下一件宝贵的东西, 就是为他们看家的鹅。 鹅在前面逃, 夫妻俩在后面一直追着, 可是他们太累了,没能追得上。 他们觉得神明会因招待不周而愤怒, 准备接受惩罚。
Their guests rose up, shedding their rags and mortal masks. Looming before them was Zeus, the storm-brewing ruler of the gods, and his son, Hermes, the fleet-footed messenger who shepherded mortals to the underworld. The gods told the old couple that, unlike the other townspeople, they had shown true xenia, or loving hospitality to strangers. They alone had passed the test.
客人们站了起来,脱下破烂的衣衫, 摘下伪装成人类的面具。 现身在他们眼前的是宙斯(Zeus), 众神之王、天空与雷电、乌云之神, 以及宙斯之子,赫耳墨斯(Hermes), 他动作迅捷, 担当神界与人界之间的信使。 神明告诉夫妻俩, 与镇子上其他的人不同 他们展现出了乐善好施的品质, 热心周到地帮助陌生人。 只有夫妻俩通过了测试。
The gods commanded the couple to follow them, and the group ascended the nearest mountain. Nearing the summit, Baucis and Philemon looked back— but were shocked to see a murky swamp where their village stood just moments before. As punishment for refusing to shelter the gods, Zeus and Hermes had cast the townspeople underwater, leaving only their hosts’ home intact, Recalling their friends and neighbors, Baucis and Philemon couldn’t hide their terror and mournful tears, even as their house transformed below. It grew larger and sprouted marble pillars and steps. Legends etched themselves onto its grand doors. Their rickety cottage had metamorphosed into a gleaming temple for the gods.
神明让夫妻俩跟着自己, 一行人爬山了最近的山, 快到山顶时, 鲍西丝和费莱蒙回头看, 他们惊讶地发现,就在不久以前, 村子的所在地 变为了一片阴暗的沼泽, 这是神明对于村民 拒接神明借宿的惩罚, 宙斯与赫耳墨斯 将村民置于洪水之下, 只有招待了他们的夫妻俩的家 完好无损。 想到他们的朋友们与邻居们, 即使看到自己的家变为神庙, 鲍西丝和费莱蒙仍然无法隐藏 他们的惊惧和难过的泪水。 他们的房子变得越来越大, 长出了大理石柱子与台阶。 神明们将自己的形象 刻在壮丽的大门上, 风雨飘摇的农舍变成了 光彩夺目的神庙。
Hermes commended the couple and gently asked if there was anything they desired. After a brief discussion, Philemon requested that he and Baucis be permitted to care for the new temple. And he asked if, when their time came, they could die together, so neither would have to face life without the other.
赫耳墨斯称赞了夫妻俩, 语气温和地询问他们想要什么。 简短的商讨后, 费莱蒙希望自己和鲍西丝 可以被准许留下来照看神庙。 他询问,等到死亡来临的那天, 他与妻子是否可以一同离开世间, 这样他们就不需要面对 世上没有另一个人的日子。
Tending to the temple and one another, they lived many more years. Until, one day, Baucis noticed leaves fluttering from her husband’s hands and looked down to find her own skin hardening. They embraced, becoming rooted in place. Vines wound around their legs and canopies flourished overhead. They bid each other a loving, last farewell as humans. And where Baucis and Philemon had just stood, bent with age, there towered a linden and an oak tree, their branches intertwined for eternity.
就这样,夫妻俩照看着神庙与彼此, 又生活了很多很多年。 直到有一天,鲍西丝注意到 有叶子从她丈夫的手中飘落下来, 她低头看去, 发现自己的皮肤开始硬化。 他们彼此拥抱,原地生根。 他们的腿被藤蔓缠绕, 他们的头顶上长出茂密的树冠。 他们给彼此 一个最后的作为人类的爱的告别。 随着时间流逝, 鲍西丝和费莱蒙站着的地方 矗立着一棵椴树与一棵橡树, 他们的树枝永远地交织在一起。