葡萄的英文单词英文版经典古希腊神话

2021年1月11日发(作者：孟俊修)
《英文版经典古希腊神话》

1 The Olympian Gods
Between Macedon（马其顿王国） and Thessaly of eastern Greece there stood a high mountain．Its
cloudy top rushed into the very heavens．On the top of the mountain， the home of the gods was
bathed in brightness． At Olympus Zeus ruled as the father of gods and men． Zeus was not a
crude ruler by any standards．All the gods listened to his final words，it was true．But Zeus made
them all sit on a committee of twelve members，including six gods and six goddesses． The first in
the Olympian crowd sat Zeus himself． He was the overlord of gods and men and the operator of
the thunderbolt ．Next to him was Hera，his proud and green-eyed queen．Poseidon was ruler of
the sea，And Hades，king of the lower world，had no seat in the committee．Apollo was the god
of the sun，music and poetry，while his twinsister Artemis was the goddess of the moon and the
chase． Athena was the goddess of wisdom and patroness of house holdarts．Hestia，the goddess
of the family，represented home life and family happiness．The frightening Ares was the god of
war，and the charming Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty．The god of fire，Hephaestus，
was the forger(铁匠) of the thunderbolts of Zeus．The wing footed messenger Hermes was the god
of invention and commerce；and the goddess of grains and harvests，Demeter，looked after
agriculture and stood for mother of civilization．
All the chief gods mentioned above took human forms of incomparable beauty and grace． Often
moved by human feelings and desires，they frequently gave way to anger and jealousy．They
became involved in ceaseless battles with the world of man． Among themselves at Olympus they
plotted and struggled for power．In the human world they experienced competitions and
difficulties．They enjoyed earthly friendships and loves．A crowd of everlasting gods looked and
acted in a perfectly human fashion that is what all gods at Olympus actually were．

n: [史]马其顿王国(古代巴尔干半岛中部一奴隶制国家)
ly: A region of east-central Greece between the Pindus Mountains and the Aegean Sea.
Settled before 1000 b.c., it reached the height of its power in the sixth century b.c. but soon
declined because of internal conflicts.塞萨利希腊中东部一地区，位于屏达思山和爱琴海之间。
建于 公元前1000年之前，于 公元前6世纪势力达到鼎盛但很快就因内乱而衰败
rd: A lord having power or supremacy over other lords.
: 铁匠

2 Pandora
After the stealing of fire，Zeus became increasingly unkind to men．One day he ordered his son
Hephaestus to build an image of a beautiful maiden out of clay．He then asked the gods and
goddesses to award her with different kinds of gifts．Among others，Athena clothed her in an
attractive coat and Hermes gave her the power of telling lies．A charming young lady，she was the
first woman that ever lived．Zeus called her Pandora．Because she had received from each of the
gods and goddesses a gift．The gift was harmful to men．
Zeus decided to send her down to men as a present．So Hermes the messenger brought her to
Epimetheus，brother of Prometheus．The greatness of her beauty touched the hearts of all who
looked upon her，and Epimetheus happily received her into his house．He had quite forgotten
Prometheus' warning：never to accept anything from Zeus．The couple lived a happy life for some
time．Then trouble came on to the human world．
When he was busy with teaching men the art of living，Prometheus had left a big cask(木桶) in the
care of Epimetheus．He had warned his brother not to open the lid．Pandora was a curious
woman．She had been feeling very disappointed that her husband did not allow her to take a look
at the contents of the cask．One day，when Epimetheus was out，she lifted the lid and out it came
unrest and war，Plague and sickness，theft and violence， grief sorrow，and all the other evils．The
human world was hence to experience these evils．Only hope stayed within the mouth of the jar
and never flew out．So men always have hope within their hearts．

3 Apollo
Among the crowd of Olympian gods the one most widely admired was Apollo．He was the son of
Zeus and Leto．According to Greek mythology，Leto was driven by Hera from land to land at last
Poseidon took pity on her and brought the island of Delos out of water for her to live on．There
she gave birth to the twins ，Apollo and Artemis．
Apollo was me sun-god．He wore a purple robe(长袍)．He usually sat in his bright eastern palace
early in the morning and made ready to start his daily journey across the sky．During the day he
roved his carriage of gold and ivory ， and brought light， life and love to the great world
below． late in the afternoon he came to the end of his journey in the far western sea and got on
his golden boat to return to his eastern home．
Apollo was the god of music and poetry．He could stir up all feelings．These feelings are
expressed in lofty songs．With his lyre(七弦琴) of gold and the sweet accents of his godlike voice
heled the choir of the Muses at Olympus．The pleasant music from his lyre was so exciting that
stones marched into their places in rhythmic time and of their own will when he helped Poseidon
build up the walls of Troy．On one occasion，invited to a contest by the human musician Marsyas，
he won and then flayed him to death for his pride．On another occasion，he lost out to Pan at a
musical contest and turned the ears of the judge，King Midas，into those of an ass．
: Affecting grandness; pompous. 壮丽的给人以深刻印象的宏大气势；壮丽的
: vt. （与in连用）把…栽入土中
: To strip off the skin or outer covering of. 剥皮剥去皮或表部表层
His son，Orpheus，took over such skill from the father that his lyre moved man and animals alike．
Apollo stood for youthful and manly beauty．His golden hair，stately manner and air all combined
to make him the admiration of the world．A beautiful girl，by the name of Clytle，was so fond of
his beauty and glory that from dawn to dusk she knelt on the ground，her hands outstretched
towards the sungod，and her eyes looked at his golden wheeled carriage racing across the blue
sky．Though her love was not returned，she had never changed her mind about Apollo．The gods
were moved at the sad sight，and changed her into a sunflower．
: Dignified and impressive, as in size or proportions.庄严的在规模或比例方面庄严尊贵
的

4 Prometheus
Prometheus was a Titan ．In the war between Zeus the giants he had stood on the side of the new
Olympian gods．Out of the clay he made the first man，to whom Athena gave soul and holy
breath．Prometheus spent a lot of time and energy in creating the gift of fire．And fire raised man
above all animals ．Later，there held a joint meeting of gods and men．The meeting was to decide
what part of burnt animals should be given to gods and what to men．Prometheus cut up an ox and
divided it into two parts：under the skin he placed the fresh，and under the fat he put the bones，
for he knew the selfish Zeus loved fat． Zeus saw through the trick and felt displeased at the
Prometheus' favor towards men．So in a masterful way he took away the gift of fire from
mankind．However，Prometheus managed to steal fire from heaven and secretly brought it down to
men．Flying into an anger at this unjustified act of rebellion，Zeus let the other gods chain
Prometheus to a rock on Mountain Caucasus，where a hungry eagle ever tore at his liver which
ever grew again．His period of pain was to be thirty-thousand years．Prometheus faced his bitter
fate firmly and never lost courage before Zeus．At last Heracles made Prometheus and Zeus
restore to friendship，when Heracles came over in search of the golden apple and killed the eagle
and set the friend of mankind free．

5 Nereus and Proteus
Of all the small sea divinities Nereus and Proteus stood out as Peculiar sea-gods．Nereus，known
as“the Old Man of the sea”，represented the pleasant aspect of ocean waters．He lived beneath the
sea with his fifty lovely daughters，of whom the most famous were Amphritrite，Thetis，Galate a
and Panope．It was Nereus who advised Heracles to seek Prometheus in the hero's search of the
golden apples．
Proteus was Poseidon's herdsman. He was well known for two qualities：the gift of prophecy and
the power to take various forms．At one time he was a lion with a curly wavy hairs；at another he
appeared in the shape of a wild boar；and still another he stood a stately tree covered with rich
leaves．When，after all these and many other changes，he failed to get rid of his questioner， the
god offered detailed answers．

6 Eros（Cupid）
Eros was the god of love，better known by his Latin name Cupid．Son of Aphrodite by Ares ，he
took his place among the small gods of Olympus．He was represented as a little naked boy，with
sparkling wings，and he carried his bow and arrows wherever he wandered．Shooting his thrilling
arrows in evils，he inspired the passion of love and provided all nature with life and power of
reproduction．The lovely，naughty god had two kinds of arrows：the gold tipped arrows used to
quicken the pulse of love and the lead tipped ones to palsy it． Besides，he had a torch to light
hearts with．
Though sometimes he was blindfolded ，no man nor god，Zeus himself included，was safe from
his evils．At one time the little naughty god was wounded by his own arrows and such burning
love was awakened in him for the human maiden Psyche that he disregarded the constant
interference of his mother and plucked up his courage to beg Zeus for justice．Another famous
story where Eros played an important part was the Argonautic expedition．Medea，daughter of
King Aeetes，was wounded by Eros' arrows，took Jason's part in recovering the golden fleece and
eventually became the hero's wife．
old: To cover the eyes of with or as if with a bandage.（如用或似用绷带等）蒙住眼睛
ut【希神】亚尔古英雄(随同贾森乘亚尔古舟, 去海外寻找金羊毛的英雄)

7 Ares
Son of Zeus and Hera，Ares was appointed god of war．He was terrible and majestic ，and his
march shook the world．Of all the major gods at Olympus，he was the most hateful，loving struggle
and war and ever thirsty for blood ．On the other hand he signified courage and victory in battle，
and was devoutly worshipped by soldiers going to war．Prayers were addressed to him before the
war and spoils presented at his altar after it．
ic: adj. Having or showing lofty dignity or nobility; stately. 具有或显示出庄重的或高贵
气质的；威严
He was the one god who ever had to submit to the power of his inferiors ．At one time lack of tact
and good judgment led to his shame．He was fighting with two giants，and finding himself no
match for the two monstrous creatures，laid down his arms and was imprisoned in chains． He was
set free in the end by the artful Hermes，but not before he had suffered all the humiliations .
He was as thoughtless as he was unkind ．A son of Poseidon's，attempting to kidnap his daughter，
made the war-god unhappy，so that he killed the youth without he hesitation. In retaliation ，
Poseidon dragged him before a group of Athenian judges for trial．The court was held on a hill
outside Athens．Ares presented his case and was declared innocent. The hill was ever after called
Areopagus，“the hill of Ares”，and the judges received the names of Areopagitae．

8 Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of wine．He was the son of Zeus by Semele． When his mother was burnt to
death in the glory of Zeus ．He was still a helpless infant．His father trusted his upbringing to
some mountain fairy maidens ．They took the greatest care of him． Under the tutorship of
Silennus，the Satyr， he was introduced to all the secrets of nature and the culture of the wine． He
travelled far and wide in his carriage drawn by wild beasts． He was said to have been to India and
Ethiopia ．Wherever he went， there was music and song and revelling．His attendants，known
as the Bacchantes， were noted for their noise and disorder．A most wild，noisy crow，they drank，
danced and sang in a careless way．The women Bacchantes were infamous for their excessive
immodesty and disgraceful excitement ．In their madness and intoxication they committed cruel
violence. They tore Orpheus，the gifted musician，limb from limb．King Pentheus of Thebes，for
frowning on the worship of Bacchus in his kingdom， suffered the same treatment at the hands of
a band of these fanatical women，of whom his own mother was the leader．
: To engage in uproarious festivities; make merry.参加喧嚣的庆典；作乐


9 Philomela
King Pandion of Athens had two daughters，Procne and Philomela．When Athens was threatened
by the wild men，King Tereus of Thrace came to its help．Out of gratitude King Pandion offered
Tereus either of his daughters in marriage and the Thracian king chose Procne as wife． For years
they lived in Thrace and had one son，Itylus by name．Then Procne became homesick and longed
to see her dear sister Philomela．At her repeated requests Tereus sailed to Athens to fetch
Philomela．On the way back his evil heart took flame at the sight of Philomela who was then in
her beauty of maidenhood．He seized and carried her away by force，cut out her tongue and
imprisoned her in a lonely hut in the woods．To Procne he lied，saying that Philomela was
dead．Philomela stayed in prison for a year，where she had woven her painful story into the web of
a robe ．Then she managed to send the robe to her sister． As soon as she received the web Procne
came over to the woods and to rescue her sister away from the keepers．
Back at the palace, the two women，hot for paying back ，killed little Itylus and served him up to
his father ． When Tereus learned of the terrible truth he grasped his sword and chased the sisters
into the woods． There the gods turned Procne into a swallow，Philomela a nightingale and Tereus
a hoopoe(戴胜鸟) ．

10 Palladium
When Ilus had first built his new seat，the city of Troy， he prayed Zeus to show some sign of
blessing for it． His prayer was heard，and a wooden image of Pallas- Athena fell from heaven to
within the walls of the city． Known as the Palladium， the statue afforded the city safety and
protection． At religious meetings of the goddess it was carried through the city streets amid joys
and songs of praise．
After the flames of war had spread for ten years before the walls of Troy， a prophet foretold that
Troy could never be expected to fall as long as the Palladium was treasured by its people ．In
order to steal it out，Odysseus and Diomedes slipped into the capital one night in disguise ，known
to none but Hellen．The bad woman took out them to He Cuba， the queen of Troy， at whose feet
Odysseus immediately bowed down and asked for mercy．The queen granted their request，and
with the help of Helen，they successfully brought the image back to the Greek camp at dawn．
Later it was said that Aeneas got hold of it and carried it with him to his new land，where it was
Preserved together with the goddess' fire．

11 The Flood
Towards the end of the Age of Bronze the human world became very cruel．
Men grew hungry，impolite and ungodly．Neither right or law was respected any longer，and the
rule of hospitality was forgotten．Dressed up in human form，Zeus visited Arcadia and Thessaly，
and disliked the deadly wrongs of men ．He decided to clear the earth of them all．Without
hesitation he released the rainy south wind and called upon the heartless Poseidon to help．Soon
the whole world sank in a vast ocean， and the entire human race disappeared in the unheard of
flood，all but two poor Thessalonians((古希腊)帖撒罗尼迦人) ．
These were an old childless couple，kind and faithful and contented with life．The man was called
Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha．Son of Prometheus，Deucalion had been warned beforehand by his
father of the coming flood and made himself a huge chest．When the roaring flood came the
couple hid themselves init and floated for nine days until it touched land again on Mt Parnassus．
The once active world presented a frightening sight．It was all death and ruin．Feeling lonely and
unsafe，the old couple prayed to the gods for help．A sage instructed them to cast the bones of their
mother about ．The son of the wise Titan， having guessed the true meaning of the mysterious
command， started throwing stones behind him． A miracle occurred． The stones that the man
cast became men；the stones that the woman threw turned into women．Since then，people
appeared on the land again．The Heroic Age had begun．

12 Ajax（the Great）
Ajax was a man of giant stature，daring but slow．When the Trojan War was about to break out he
led his forces from Salamis to join the Greek army at Aulis．As one of the trustiest champions of
the Greek cause，he was given the job of guarding one end of the Greek camp near Troy．He was
noted in the battlefield for his bravery and courage．After Achilles' death he became one of the two
hot contestants for the dead hero's shield and armour，the other being Odysseus．When the
weapons were finally judged to his rival，Ajax went mad for grief．Unable to get over the
hardships，he took his own life．When，in order to seek the advice of，Odysseus came to visit the
lower world，the shade of Ajax frowned upon him．In the lower world Ajax chose to be a lion，
guided clearly by the bitter recollection of his former life．

13 Jason
Among the pupils of the wise and just Centaur，there was a boy named Jason．He was by birth a
prince．His father Aeson was once king of Iolcus，but was overthrown by his own half brother
Pelias．So he sent his baby son Jason to the Centaur for safekeeping．As a boy Jason took part in
the boar(野猪) hunt．When he grew up into a strong youth he was told of the secret of his birth．So
he went to avenge his father's wrongs ．
On his way back to his native city he met a weak old woman waiting to be helped across a
mountain stream．Kind and polite，Jason carried the old lady on his back and walked across the
stream．Little had he thought that the old woman was just Hera herself ．Thus he got the help and
protection of a powerful friend at the beginning of his life．As he lost one shoe in the stream he
had to enter Pelias' palace in only one shoe． Pelias was quite scared to see such a stranger
because he had been warned by a prophet to be careful of a man wearing only one shoe．He was
not surprised when Jason told him who he was and what his business was about．The artful（狡猾
的） Pelias welcomed his nephew with false pride and joy ；he promised to give up the kingdom
to one who had proved himself worthy of it．And he urged the youth to bring the golden fleece（羊
毛） back from Colchis．He felt quite certain that his nephew would never come back alive from
the hopeless task．Pelias' prediction was quite right．Jason died a poor death in the kingdom of
Colchis．


14 Io
Io was the daughter of a river god．She was loved，run after and won by Zeus．Hera became so
green-eyed that she flew down from Olympus one day to pay her rival （竞争对手） back ．Zeus，
however，had foreseen her arrival and changed Io into a beautiful white little cow．Seeing through
the trick，Hera asked for the cow as a present and Zeus had to give in to her wish ．Then she left
the cow to the care of a hundred-eyed monster，Argus．Argus' eyes were ever open and no escape
was possible．Unable to bear to see her so unhappy，Zeus sent Hermes down to destroy the
monster．Dressed up as a shepherd，Hermes lulled Argus to sleep with his sweet songs and long
stories，then killed him and set Io free．But Hera's anger was not to be calmed down yet．She sent
a gadfly(牛虻) to attack the cow and drive her from land to land．In her misery the cow passed
over the strait which divides Europe and Asia．In this way the strip of water got its name
Bosporus ，the way of the cow．She wandered over the sea，which by chance got from her its
name the Ionian Sea ．In the end she arrived in Egypt where she was turned back into her natural
form ．She settled down and gave birth to a son，Some of her children remained in Egypt and
ruled as kings for a longtime．
: To cause to sleep or rest; soothe or calm.

15 The Sirens
Far out in the sea there was an island，on the rocky edge of which lived three Sirens，the three
sisters of magic song．Half human and half bird，the Siren sisters sat in a field of flowers，singing
in voices that excited the hearts of men．The attractive songs were so sweet that ships were
attracted to the island and struck to pieces on the rocks．No sailor nor ship had ever been known to
pass the Island of the Sirens without being attracted to disaster ．
Acting on the advice of Circe，Odysseus took careful preparation against the Sirens．Before their
ships came to where they could hear the song，Odysseus had himself tied to the mast ，stopped the
ears of his men with wax and ordered them to ignore his orders and gestures when they were
passing the fatal is land ．
Soon they came in sight of the rocky is land，and the attractive song reached the ears of
Odysseus．It moved him so much that he struggled in despair to free himself and shouted for his
men to turn towards the rich and flowery grass land of the singing sisters．But no one paid any
attention to him．The sailors kept straight on until they were completely out of hearing．Then his
friends freed him and took the wax out of their ears．For once the Sirens had sung with no
effects．The eldest of the sisters，Partherope，loved Odysseus so much that she threw herself into
the sea after his ships had passed．


16 Hecuba
Hecuba's life was one of grief and sorrow．She saw with her own eyes her eldest born Hector
killed and insulted by Achilles．She saw her son Polites slain in front of her by Pyrrhus．And she
saw her husband，the aged Priam，dragged towards the household altar and ruthlessly butchered
there．After the fall of Troy she was carried into slavery ．She had the misfortune to witness her
daughter Polyxena，her sole consolation in bondage ，sacrificed at the tomb of Achilles．She had
the sad fate to see washed ashore the corpse of her youngest son Polydorus，who had been
entrusted to the Thracian king for safekeeping．With her fifty children all dead she became the
queen of sorrows from whom no other woman could obtain the crown ．Yet in her distress and
despair，she plucked up her courage to avenge herself upon the Thracian king，who had murdered
her son in order to get her son's gold．Later，as Dionysus had prophesied ，she was transformed
into a dog with blood-shot eyes and，unable to endure the new misery，she leapt into the sea and
thus ended her unfortunate life．
: To kill violently.
r：To kill brutally or indiscriminately.
: 尸体
sy: 预告；预示

17 The Four Ages
There had been four ages since the human world first came into being ．They are the Golden Age，
the Silver Age，the Age of Bronze and the Age of Iron．The Golden Age was the best of all．It was
an age when Kronus sat on the throne．Generous nature met all the needs of men ．There were no
extremes of cold and heat．And the evils of the human world were still kept in the
cask．Epimetheus guarded the cask and Pandora was not yet made to open．Men lived a happy
life．They were forever young．They were always eating richly and knew neither hard labour nor
sorrow．When death came it came like a peaceful sleep．And they became good spirits in heaven ．
The Silver Age was one in which the human race was somewhat less valuable in body and
mind．The period was of helpless be ginning．It lasted a hundred years．And it was the time of
manhood，short and troubled．Men spent in ignorance and evil．They no longer admired the gods
and offered no sacrifices．However，as the race of the Silver Age was not entirely lack of
goodness，they had some honour and lived on as spirits under the earth．
During the age of Bronze men became further degenerated ．Dressed in bronze and armed with
weapons of bronze，they live din the houses of bronze．Cruel and heartless，they delighted in war
and died in endless struggle．When they passed away，they came into the darkness of the lower
world．
The last age，that of Iron，was one of continual care and grief．There was no family love，no sense
of respectful duty，no friend ship and hospitality．Nor was there any faith，truth and justice．Evil
was widespread，might was right，and the flames of war burnt the surface of the earth．It was a
race of men given up by gods ．

18 The Golden Fleece
King Athamus of northern Greece had two children， Phrixus and Helle．After he left his first wife
and married Ino，a wicked woman，the two children received all the cruel treatment that a
stepmother could devise ，At one time the kingdom was ruined by a famine．Ino persuaded her
credulous husband into believing that his son，Phrixus，was the actual cause of the disaster，and
should be sacrificed to Zeus to end it．The poor boy was then placed on the altar and was about to
be knifed when a ram with golden fleece was sent down by the gods and carried off the two
children on its back．As they flew over the strait that divides Asia from Europe，Helle，faint at the
vast expanse of water below ，fell into the sea and was drowned．Thus the sea of Helle，
Hellespont，became the ancient name of the strip of water．Her brother kept on and arrived in
Colchis on the eastern shore of the Black Sea．There he sacrificed the ram to Zeus and gave its
golden fleece to King Aeetes，who nailed it on a sacred tree and put a sleepless dragon in charge ．
credulous: Disposed to believe too readily; gullible.
：羊；
： 羊毛


19 Pygmalion
Pygmalion，King of Cyprus，was a famous sculptor．He made an ivory image of a woman so
lovely that he fell in love with it．Every day he tried to make Galatea up in gold and purple，for
that was the name he had given to this mistress of his heart．He embraced and kissed it，but it
remained a statue．In despair he went to Aphrodite's shrine for help．Offering rich sacrifice and
sending up a passionate prayer，he begged the goddess to give him a wife as graceful as
Galatea．Back home，he went straight up to the statue．Even as he gazed at it a change came over
it．A faint colour appeared on its cheeks，a gleam shone from its eyes and its lips opened into a
sweet smile．Pygmalion stood speechless when Ualatea began to move towards him．She was
simple and sweet and alive！Soon the room was ringing with her sliver voice．The work of his own
hands became his wife．


20 Endymion
Endymion was a handsome young shepherd who kept his flocks of sheep on Mt Latmos，Asia
Minor ．Living in a quiet，lovely valley，he lived a perfectly peaceful life．Sometimes when his
sheep grazed happily on some rich grass around，he would lie down on the meadow and sleep
soundly，completely free from worldly grieves and cares．
One clear，bright night，as Artemis drove her carriage across the heavens，her eyes chanced upon
a beautiful youth sleeping in the peaceful valley below．Her heart beat with love and
admiration．She came down from her moon carriage and gave a quick but passionate kiss on his
face．Even the sleepy Endymion was fascinated at the sight of the fair maiden as he opened his
eyes．But the vision disappeared so soon that he regarded the whole scene as a dream．Every night
Artemis floated down to steal a kiss from the lips of the sleeping shepherd until her occasional
carelessness of duty caused the suspicion of Zeus．The father of gods and men decided to remove
the earthly temptation to the goddess forever．He called for Endymion on to him and ordered him
to choose between death in any form and everlasting youth in perpetual dreamy sleep ．The
shepherd chose the latter，and he still slept on Mt Latmos，with the moon goddess sadly visiting
and kissing him every night．


21 Lotus Eaters
On the tenth day after leaving Troy，Odysseus and his men came to an island，where the people
only took lotus fruit and flowers as their food．This plant had such a magic effect on its eaters that
it could make them forget their past and produce a dreamy laziness over them．When Odysseus'
men arrived，they were kindly invited by the people on the is land to eat the sweet food．Its magic
power began to work on the immediately．They fell into a deep daydream．They lost all wishes for
future，To them the sea and ship appeared dull and hateful．And they were not eager to see wife，
child and kingdom．When he saw no trace of his men coming back，Odysseus became
suspicious．He set out with some well armed men to find out the truth．It did not take him long to
find out the magic effect of the food．Not allowing his followers to touch the plant，he ordered
them to drag their lazy friends back to their ship．There he had them tied to the benches until they
slept off the harmful effect of the lotus ．Without hesitation they set sail，leaving the dreamy lotus
eaters behind．
: 莲，荷花; 希神〉忘忧果

22 Daphne
Daphne was a lovely blooming fairy maiden．As she was playing merrily in the woods one day she
saw Apollo the sun-god staring at her with more than amazement and ad miration in his eyes．The
beaming face of the sun put her to flight．The eager Apollo followed her closely behind，calling
out to her to stop．His passion had been lighted by her beauty and grace．He was afraid that this
might be the last time he saw her．The quick footed maiden made the best of her legs ，but the
passionate Apollo pressed hard upon her ．Through rough fields and pathless woods she ran，but
the sound of his pursuing feet ever grew nearer．As he ran he begged his beloved maiden to slow
down，for he feared that she might fall and hurt her sparkling skin on the rocky roads．But the
escaping maiden never cared so much about that．She even threw one glance back wards ．At last
she was quite breathless and cried to her father，a river god，for help．No sooner had her prayer
been uttered than answered ，for she had instantly found herself glued to the ground and a layer of
soft bark growing over her fair skin ．She had been turned into a laurel tree．Sighing，Apollo put
his arms around the tree trunk．The trunk responded by turning thinner．To show his undying love
for the maiden，he decided that the laurel would be his favorite tree and should be the prize of
honour and fame for deathless poets and poetry ．Thus the most outstanding poet always desires
to be made a poet laureate ．
ion：<美方>赞赏,惊讶,大惊小怪
: 月桂树;
laureate: 桂冠诗人

23 Narcissus
Narcissus had a twin sister whom he loved better than anyone else in the world．This sister died
when she was young and very beautiful．Narcissus missed her so very much that he wished he
might die too．
One day，as he sat on the ground by a spring，looking absently into the water and thinking of his
lost sister，he saw a face like hers，looking up at him．It seemed as if his sister had become a water
nymph and were actually there in the spring，but she would not speak to him．
Of course the face Narcissus saw was really the reflection of his own face in the water，but he did
not know that．In those days there were no clear mirrors like ours；and the idea of one's appearance
that could be got from a polished brass shield，for instance，was a very dim one．So Narcissus
leaned over the water and looked at the beautiful face so like his sister's，and wondered what it
was and whether he should ever see his sister again．
After this，he came back to the spring day after day and looked at the face he saw there，and
mourned for his sister until，at last，the gods felt sorry for him and changed him into a flower．
This flower was the first narcissus ．All the flowers of this family，when they grow by the side of
a pond or a stream，still bend their beautiful heads and look at the reflection of their own faces in
the water．

24 Ixion
In Thessaly there once lived a king by the name of Ixion．He was both handsome and mighty．He
went to woo the beautiful maiden Dia and won her love，but her old father was most reluctant to
part with his child．only when Ixion swore to let him have his royal treasure house did the father
agree to give the king the hand of Dia in marriage ．Ixion took Dia home with him．But he was in
no mood to keep his promise，for a long time passed and no treasure ever came to the old
man．Impatient to have his promised wealth，the old father went to see Ixion and gave him no
peace，until at last Ixion decided to get rid of him once and for all ．Opening the door of his
treasure house，he pushed the old man in and there burnt him to death．
woo: To seek the affection of with intent to romance.
Zeus was furious over the terrible deed．The frightened Ixion went up to heaven and asked the
father of gods and men to rid him of his dishonesty ．His prayers were granted，and he stayed
happily for a while in the glorious home of the gods，There his lecherous eyes fell on Hera，whose
radiant beauty fascinated his heart．Forgetting Dia at home，he planned for Hera to elope with
him．Seeing all this，Zeus sent a cloud in the form of Hera to Ixion．The impious king made love
to the shade and made it the mother of the centaurs ．The infuriated Zeus cast Ixion down to
Hades and had him bound to a wheel of fire，which，forever revolving，racked and tore his body
in its unbroken swift revolutions．
：to run away with a lover, especially with the intention of getting married.
s: Lacking reverence; not pious.


25 Orion
Orion was a giant hunter．He was the beautiful son of Poseidon．One day，when hunting in the
forest，he caught sight of Artemis' fair maidens，the seven Pleiades ．He was so attracted by their
beauty that he started chasing them．In despair the charming maidens prayed to Artemis for help
and were sent up by the goddess to the heavens as a constellation ．Later he fell in love with
another maiden，Merope by name，but rash and impatient，he took the maiden by force and
enraged her father，King Oenopion of Chios．The king made him drunk and put out his
eyes ．Following the sound of the Cyclopes' hammer，he went to Hephaestus，who sent a guide to
travel with him to the east，where the sun rose．Exposing his eyeballs to the rays of the sun，he was
restored to his eyesight．He became a constant companion of Artemis and followed the goddess in
the chase with his dog Sirius(天狼星)．Apollo did not approve of this love，however．One day he
dared his sister to shoot at a dark spot moving in the sea．Little did she suspect that she was aiming
her arrow at Orion，for the dark spot turned out to be the head of Orion swimming in the
ocean．Artemis was extremely sad．As she could not pull him back from the grasp of Death she
sent him up to the sky as a constellation，with his hunting dog Sirius be side him．

26 Tantalus
Tantalus was the rich and mighty king of Lydia．Son of Zeus by a fairy maiden，he was greatly
favored by the gods．He was invited to share wine and food with them at their banquets，and he
was let into their secrets ．But ever the latter end of joy is woe ．Either because he had stolen
wine or gave away the secrets of Zeus，or because he had become so proud as to test the gods by
serving up the flesh of his son Pelops to them，he incurred the wrath of Zeus and was hurled down
to the everlasting darkness of Tartarus ．There he was made to stand up to his chin in a little lake，
with clusters of luscious fruits hanging over and around his head．He strove eternally to drink the
ever-evading water and to clutch at the delicious fruits which were ever tossed out of his reach by
blasts of wind．Thus he was doomed to endure endless burning thirst and bitter hunger in the
world of the shades．The whole occurrence has given rise to the expression“tantalizing”，meaning
something in plain view but unattainable ．
us: : adj. Sweet and pleasant to taste or smell:
: To struggle or fight forcefully; contend:
ize: To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach.

27 Actaeon
When she was tired with hunting Artemis used to take a bath in a little mountain spring．One hot
summer afternoon she was playing in the cool，quiet water with her maidens when she heard a
rustle behind the bushes ．She felt quite angry to find that a young hunter was peeping admiringly
at her naked body ．Her maidens gave a sharp cry and crowded around the goddess．But young
Actaeon had seen the huntress．
Actaeon loved the hunting．He had been searching the woods every day．On this particular
afternoon he felt so tired with running about that he，by accident，came over to the spring in search
of water．He was thus surprised to find Artemis bathing．The angry goddess was not to be
calmed．She splashed water in the hunter's face．As soon as the water drops fell on Actaeon，he
was changed into a stag ．Just at that moment he heard the barking of his team of fifty hunting
dogs．They were coming up to him．He was suddenly seized with fear ，and presently ran
away．The dogs，all driven mad by the goddess，ran after him closely．Running as fast as his legs
could carry him，Actaeon was soon out of breath ．Feeling certain that he was to die，he dropped
to the ground and made no further attempt to get up．The dogs came nearer to their former master
and tore him to pieces．
: The adult male of various deer, especially the red deer.
s： the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon and twin sister of Apollo.

28 Atlas and Perseus
After the killing of Medusa，Perseus，carrying her head with him，flew far and wide，over land
and sea．As night came on，he reached the western limit of the earth ，where the sun goes
down．Here he would gladly have rested till morning．It was the kingdom of King Atlas，who was
bigger than all other men．He was rich in flocks and herds and had no neighbor or rival to invade
his country．But his chief pride was in his gardens，whose fruit was of gold，hanging from golden
branches，half hid with golden leaves．Perseus said to him，“I come as a guest．I claim Zeus for
my father and I killed Medusa．I seek rest and food．”But Atlas remembered that an ancient
prophecy had warned him that a son of Zeus should one day rob him of his golden apples ．So he
answered，“Go away！Or neither your false claims of glory or parentage shall protect you” ；and
he attempted to drive him out．Perseus，finding the giant too strong for him，said，“Since you value
my friendship so little，please accept a gift”；and turning his face away，he held up Medusa's
head．Atlas was changed into stone．His beard and hair became forests，his arms and shoulders
cliffs，his head a summit，and his bones rocks．Each part increased till he became a mountain，
and（such was the pleasure of the gods）heaven with all its stars rests upon his shoulders．
：The Gorgon who was killed by Perseus.
cy: An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation of divine will.
age: Descent from parents; lineage:

29 The Golden Touch
Midas，son of the Great Goddess of Ida，by a hero whose name is not remembered ，was a
pleasure loving King of Macedonian Bromium，where he ruled over the Brigians and planted his
famous rose gardens．
One day，the old hero Silenus，Dionysus' former teacher，happened to straggle from the main body
of the Dionysian army as it marched out of Thrace into Boeotia，and was found sleeping and
drunken in the rose gardens．The gardeners tied him and led him before Midas，to whom he told
wonderful tales of a big continent lying beyond the Ocean's stream ——altogether separate from
the united mass of Europe，Asia，or Africa——where gigantic，happy，and long lived people lived
in splendid cities，enjoying a wonderful law system．Midas，delighted with Silenus' fictions，
entertained him for five days and nights，and then ordered a guide to lead him to Dionysus'
headquarters．