The groom was, Orpheus, the greatest of all poets and musicians.

新郎是奧菲斯，最傑出的一位詩人與音樂家

The bride Eurydice, a wood nymph.

新娘是尤麗狄絲，一位木精靈

Anyone could tell the couple was truly and deeply in love.

任何人都能看出這對戀人十分深愛對方

Suddenly, Eurydice stumbled, then fell to the ground.

突然間，尤麗狄絲跌倒在地

By the time Orpheus reached her side, she was dead,

當奧菲斯趕到她身旁時，她已經死去

and the snake that had bitten her was slithering away through the grass.

而那隻咬傷她的毒蛇也早已從草叢裡溜走

Following Eurydice's funeral,

在尤麗狄絲的喪禮過後，

Orpheus was overcome with a grief the human world could not contain,

奧菲斯承受著人世間也無法容納的悲傷

and so he decided he would journey to the land of the dead,

為了拯救他的愛人，他決定踏入亡者的國度─冥界

a place from which no living creature had ever returned, to rescue his beloved.

那是一個沒有任何活人能成功回來的地方

When Orpheus reached the gates of the underworld, he began to strum his lyre.

當奧菲斯抵達冥界的大門時，他彈起他的豎琴

The music was so beautiful that Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the dead,

琴聲如此優美，當奧菲斯通過時，就連看守入口的地獄三頭犬 (刻耳柏洛斯)

lay down as Orpheus passed.

也在音樂中沉沉睡去

Charon, the ferry captain who charged dead souls to cross the River Styx,

既使是在冥河邊為亡靈們收費撐船的船夫─卡戎，

was so moved by the music that he brought Orpheus across free of charge.

也被他的音樂打動，帶他免費渡河

When Orpheus entered the palace of Hades and Persephone,

當奧菲斯走進住著黑帝斯與普西芬妮─

the king and queen of the dead,

兩位冥王與冥后的宮殿時

he began to sing.

他開始唱歌

He sang of his love for Eurydice, and said she had been taken away too soon.

唱他對尤麗狄絲的愛，訴說她走得太過倉促

The day would come when she, like all living creatures,

然而就如所有生靈一樣，各有各的死期

dwelled in the land of the dead for all eternity,

最後都必須永生地長住於亡者的國度

so couldn't Hades grant her just a few more years on Earth?

只求黑帝斯允許她的愛人在人世多待幾年

In the moment after Orpheus finished, all hell stood still.

當奧菲斯唱完時，地獄上下彷彿靜止了

Sisyphus no longer rolled his rock up the hill.

薛西弗斯不再將巨石滾向山頂

Tantalus did not reach for the water he would never be allowed to drink.

坦達羅斯不再渴求他永遠喝不到的水

Even the Furies, the demonic goddesses of vengeance, wept.

即便是復仇三女神─厄里倪厄斯 (Erinyes)，也因此哭泣

Hades and Persephone granted Orpheus's plea, but on one condition.

黑帝斯與普西芬妮同意他的請求，但有一個條件

As he climbed back out of the underworld,

當他離開冥界前往人間時

he must not turn around to see if Eurydice was following behind him.

他絕對不能回頭查看尤麗狄絲是否跟在後面

If he did, she would return to the land of the dead forever.

如果他回頭了，他的愛人將永遠屬於冥界

Orpheus began to climb.

奧菲斯開始他的回程

With each step,

每走一步

he worried more and more about whether Eurydice was behind him.

他都更擔心尤麗狄絲是否真的跟在他後面

He heard nothing— where were her footsteps?

然而他什麼都沒聽到—為什麼沒有她的腳步聲？

Finally, just before he stepped out of the underworld

最終，就在他要離開冥界

and into the bright light of day,

踏入人間溫暖的陽光下時

he gave into temptation.

他屈服於他的慾望

Orpheus tried to return to the underworld, but was refused entry.

奧菲斯嘗試著再次回去冥界，但被拒於門外

Separated from Eurydice,

由於失去了尤麗狄絲

Orpheus swore never to love another woman again.

奧菲斯誓言不再愛任何女人

Instead, he sat in a grove of trees and sang songs of lovers.

他只是在樹林裡唱起那些關於愛情的詩歌

There was Ganymede, the beautiful boy who Zeus made drink-bearer to the gods.

有 Ganymede 的故事，訴說著一位美麗的少年被宙斯帶去為眾神們斟酒的故事

There was Myrrah, who loved her father and was punished for it,

也有 Myrrah 的故事，她因為愛戀她的父親而被懲罰

and Pygmalion, who sculpted his ideal woman out of ivory,

然後是 Pygmalion 用象牙雕刻出他理想中的女人

then prayed to Venus until she came to life.

並祈求愛神維納斯賦予她生命的故事

And there was Venus herself,

最後是維納斯自己

whose beautiful Adonis was killed by a wild boar.

那是關於她美麗的阿多尼斯被野豬殺死的故事

It was as if Orpheus's own love and loss

彷彿因為奧菲斯自身的愛與失去

had allowed him to see into the hearts of gods and people everywhere.

使得他能夠看見天神與人們的內心世界

For some, however, poetry was not enough.

但對某些人來說，詩歌並不足以安慰他們

A group of wild women called the Maenads

一群叫做 Maenads 來自原野的女人們

could not bear the thought that a poet who sang so beautifully of love

無法接受一位能唱出如此優美情歌的詩人

would not love them.

卻無法愛他們

Their jealousy drove them to a frenzy and they destroyed poor Orpheus.

妒忌讓他們失去理智，最終殺了可憐的奧菲斯

The birds, nature's singers, mourned Orpheus,

天生的歌者─小鳥們，用歌聲悼念著奧菲斯

as did the rivers, who made music as they babbled.

河流也唱著不捨，潺潺水聲是他們的輓歌

The world had lost two great souls.

這世界失去了兩個美好的靈魂

Orpheus and Eurydice had loved each other so deeply that when they were separated,

奧菲斯與尤麗狄絲是如此地相愛，以至於當他們分離時

Orpheus had understood the pain and joys of lovers everywhere,

奧菲斯早已了解了這世間裡的戀人們所擁有的一切苦痛與歡愉

and a new art form, the love poem, was born.

一個新的藝術形式 「情詩」便因此而生

While the world wept, Orpheus found peace, and his other half, in the underworld.

當這世界還在為他們的死哀傷時，奧菲斯在冥界裡找到了他的愛人與屬於他們的平靜

There, to this day, he walks with Eurydice along the banks of the River Styx.

在那裡，既便至今，他仍與尤麗狄絲相伴走在冥河河畔

Sometimes, they stroll side by side;

有時，肩並著肩走著

sometimes, she is in front;

有時，她走在前

and sometimes, he takes the lead, turning to look back at her as often as he likes.

而有時他走在前，然後頻頻的回首看她，想看幾次就看幾次，永遠不再分離