เรื่องเล่าของสาวน้อย Pandora

เมื่อวานพูดถึงชื่อ Pandora ที่ปรากฏในภาพยนตร์เรื่องอวตารไป แต่ยังติดค้างกันไว้เรื่องที่มาดั้งเดิมของชื่อนี้ วันนี้เอาเรื่องของสาวน้อยคนนี้มาเล่าให้ตามสัญญาแล้วนะคะ

(พิมพ์ไปก็เห็นหน้าอจ.ลอยไปลอยมา เหอๆๆ)





"...For a long time, certainly throughout the happy Golden Age, only men were upon the earth; there were no women. Zeus created these later, in his anger at Promotheus for caring so much for men.

Prometheus had not only stolen fire for men; he had also arranged that they should get the best part of any animal sacrificed andthe gods the worst. He cut up a great ox and wrapped the good eatable parts in the hide, disguising them further by piling entrails on top. Beside this heap he put an other of all the bones, dressed up with cunning and covered with shining fat, and bade Zeus choose between them.

Zeus took up the white fat and was angry when he saw the bones craftily tricked out. But he had made his choice and he had to abide by it. Thereafter only fat and bones were burned to the gods upon their altars. Men kept the good meat for themselves.

But the Father of Men and of Gods was not one to put up with this sort of treatment. He swore to be revenged, on mankind first and then on mankind's friend.

He made a great evil for men, a sweet and lovely thing to look upon, in the likeness of a shy maiden, and all the gods gave her gifts, silvery raiment and a broidered veil, a wonder to behold, and bright garlands of blooming flowers and a crown of gold - great beauty shone out of it. Because of what they gave her they called her "Pandora", which means "the gift of all."

When this beautiful disaster had been made, Zeus brought her out and wonder took hold of gods and men when they beheld her. From her, the first woman, comes the race of women, who are an evil to men, with a nature to do evil.

Another story about Pandora is that the source of all misfortune was not her wicked nature, but only her curiosity. The gods presented her with a box into which each had put something harmful, and forbade her ever to open it. Then they sent her to Epimetheus, who took her gladly although Prometheus had warned him never to accept anything from Zeus. He took her, and afterward when that dangerous thing, a woman, was his, he understood how good his brother's advice had been.

For Pandora, like all women, was possessed of a lively curiosity. She had to know what was in the box. One day she lifted the lid - and out flew plagues innumerable, sorrow and mischief for mankind. In terror Pandora clapped the lid down, but too late.

One good thing, however, was there - Hope.



It was the only good the casket had held among the many evils, and it remains to this day mankind's sole comfort in misfortune..."



"Mythology" by Edith Hamilton
How the World and Mankind were created: Pg. 72-74



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ส่วนที่เราได้ยินกันบ่อยๆ ในหนังหรือหนังสืออีกอย่างหนึ่งก็คือ Pandora's Box ซึ่งตามเนื้อเรื่องข้างบนนี้ก็คือสิ่งที่เทพซูสมอบให้แพนดอร่าไว้ดูแลโดยสั่งห้ามเปิดอย่างเด็ดขาด เพื่อทดสอบความอยากรู้อยากเห็นของน้องแพนนั่นเอง

Pandora's box is the large jar (πιθος pithos เหมือนภาชนะใส่น้ำที่มีหูสองข้างน่ะค่ะ) carried by Pandora (Πανδώρα) that, when opened by her, unleashed many terrible things on mankind – ills, toils and sickness, – and hope.

ในบรรดาสารพัดสิ่งที่อยู่ในกล่องนั้น (ขอเรียกกล่องไปก่อนละกัน) ฉบับของคุณลุง Hesiod พูดถึงไว้ว่าไม่ได้ระบุไว้อย่างเจาะจงว่าอะไรเป็นอะไร บอกแค่เป็นสิ่งชั่วร้าย แต่มีแค่ Hope เพียงตัวเดียวที่มีชื่อตัวชัดเจน

Although, in Hesiod's "Works and Days", these evils are not specified by name, except for Hope. Cf. lines 80 and on. "But the woman took off the great lid of the jar with her hands [95] and scattered, all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only Hope remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar, and did not fly out at the door; for ere that, the lid of the jar stopped her, by the will of Aegis-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds. [100] But the rest, countless plagues, wander amongst men; for earth is full of evils, and the sea is full. Of themselves diseases come upon men continually by day and by night, bringing mischief to mortals silently; for wise Zeus took away speech from them."


ส่วนเจ้า 'Box' ที่พูดถึงกันเนี่ย เดิมทีว่ากันว่ามันไม่ใช่กล่อง มันเป็นเหมือน Pithos หรือเหยือกใส่น้ำแบบมีหูจับสองข้าง ตามที่บอกข้างล่างนี้

Contrary to popular belief, in the original story, Pandora's "box" was not actually a box at all, but rather a jar. Hence, the historically correct term would be "Pandora's jar".

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คงจะพอทราบที่มาที่ไปกันมากขึ้นเกี่ยวกับคำว่า Pandora และ Pandora's Box นะคะ ต้องขออภัยอย่างแรงที่ไม่ได้ลงฉบับแปลไว้ให้ เดี๋ยวจะตามมาลงเพิ่มให้อีกทีนะคะ


ขอบคุณที่ตามอ่านกันนะคะ

Create Date : 24 มีนาคม 2553 Last Update : 24 มีนาคม 2553 19:48:15 น. Counter : 958 Pageviews.		2 comments
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