Before earth and sea and heaven were created, all things wore one aspect, to which we give the name of Chaos—a confused and shapeless mass, nothing but dead weight, in which, however, slumbered3 the seeds of things. Earth, sea, and air were all mixed up together; so the earth was not solid, the sea was not fluid, and the air was not transparent4. God and Nature at last interposed, and put an end to this discord5, separating earth from sea, and heaven from both. The fiery6 part, being the lightest, sprang up, and formed the skies; the air was next in weight and place. The earth, being heavier, sank below; and the water took the lowest place, and buoyed7 up the earth.
Here some god—it is not known which—gave his good offices in arranging and disposing the earth. He appointed rivers and bays their places, raised mountains, scooped8 out valleys, distributed woods, fountains, fertile fields, and stony9 plains. The air being cleared, the stars began to appear, fishes took possession of the sea, birds of the air, and four-footed beasts of the land.
But a nobler animal was wanted, and Man was made. It is not known whether the creator made him of divine materials, or whether in the earth, so lately separated from heaven, there lurked10 still some heavenly seeds. Prometheus took some of this earth, and kneading it up with water, made man in the image of the gods. He gave him an upright stature11, so that while all other animals turn their faces downward, and look to the earth, he raises his to heaven, and gazes on the stars.
Prometheus was one of the Titans, a gigantic race, who inhabited the earth before the creation of man. To him and his brother Epimetheus was committed the office of making man, and providing him and all other animals with the faculties12 necessary for their preservation13. Epimetheus undertook to do this, and Prometheus was to overlook his work, when it was done. Epimetheus accordingly proceeded to bestow14 upon the different animals the various gifts of courage, strength, swiftness, sagacity; wings to one, claws to another, a shelly covering to a third, etc. But when man came to be provided for, who was to be superior to all other animals, Epimetheus had been so prodigal15 of his resources that he had nothing left to bestow upon him. In his perplexity he resorted to his brother Prometheus, who, with the aid of Minerva, went up to heaven, and lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun, and brought down fire to man. With this gift man was more than a match for all other animals. It enabled him to make weapons wherewith to subdue16 them; tools with which to cultivate the earth; to warm his dwelling17, so as to be comparatively independent of climate; and finally to introduce the arts and to coin money, the means of trade and commerce.
Woman was not yet made. The story (absurd enough!) is that Jupiter made her, and sent her to Prometheus and his brother, to punish them for their presumption18 in stealing fire from heaven; and man, for accepting the gift. The first woman was named Pandora. She was made in heaven, every god contributing something to perfect her. Venus gave her beauty, Mercury persuasion19, Apollo music, etc. Thus equipped, she was conveyed to earth, and presented to Epimetheus, who gladly accepted her, though cautioned by his brother to beware of Jupiter and his gifts. Epimetheus had in his house a jar, in which were kept certain noxious20 articles, for which, in fitting man for his new abode21, he had had no occasion. Pandora was seized with an eager curiosity to know what this jar contained; and one day she slipped off the cover and looked in. Forthwith there escaped a multitude of plagues for hapless man,—such as gout, rheumatism23, and colic for his body, and envy, spite, and revenge for his mind,—and scattered24 themselves far and wide. Pandora hastened to replace the lid! but, alas25! the whole contents of the jar had escaped, one thing only excepted, which lay at the bottom, and that was hope. So we see at this day, whatever evils are abroad, hope never entirely26 leaves us; and while we have that, no amount of other ills can make us completely wretched.
Another story is that Pandora was sent in good faith, by Jupiter, to bless man; that she was furnished with a box, containing her marriage presents, into which every god had put some blessing27. She opened the box incautiously, and the blessings28 all escaped, hope only excepted. This story seems more probable than the former; for how could hope, so precious a jewel as it is, have been kept in a jar full of all manner of evils, as in the former statement?
The world being thus furnished with inhabitants, the first age was an age of innocence29 and happiness, called the Golden Age. Truth and right prevailed, though not enforced by law, nor was there any magistrate30 to threaten or punish. The forest had not yet been robbed of its trees to furnish timbers for vessels31, nor had men built fortifications round their towns. There were no such things as swords, spears, or helmets. The earth brought forth22 all things necessary for man, without his labor32 in ploughing or sowing. Perpetual spring reigned33, flowers sprang up without seed, the rivers flowed with milk and wine, and yellow honey distilled34 from the oaks.
Then succeeded the Silver Age, inferior to the golden, but better than that of brass35. Jupiter shortened the spring, and divided the year into seasons. Then, first, men had to endure the extremes of heat and cold, and houses became necessary. Caves were the first dwellings36, and leafy coverts37 of the woods, and huts woven of twigs38. Crops would no longer grow without planting. The farmer was obliged to sow the seed and the toiling39 ox to draw the plough.
Next came the Brazen40 Age, more savage41 of temper, and readier to the strife42 of arms, yet not altogether wicked. The hardest and worst was the Iron Age. Crime burst in like a flood; modesty43, truth, and honor fled. In their places came fraud and cunning, violence, and the wicked love of gain. Then seamen44 spread sails to the wind, and the trees were torn from the mountains to serve for keels to ships, and vex45 the face of ocean. The earth, which till now had been cultivated in common, began to be divided off into possessions. Men were not satisfied with what the surface produced, but must dig into its bowels46, and draw forth from thence the ores of metals. Mischievous47 iron, and more mischievous gold, were produced. War sprang up, using both as weapons; the guest was not safe in his friend’s house; and sons-in-law and fathers-in-law, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, could not trust one another. Sons wished their fathers dead, that they might come to the inheritance; family love lay prostrate48. The earth was wet with slaughter49, and the gods abandoned it, one by one, till Astr?a[6] alone was left, and finally she also took her departure.
Jupiter, seeing this state of things, burned with anger. He summoned the gods to council. They obeyed the call, and took the road to the palace of heaven. The road, which any one may see in a clear night, stretches across the face of the sky, and is called the Milky50 Way. Along the road stand the palaces of the illustrious gods; the common people of the skies live apart, on either side. Jupiter addressed the assembly. He set forth the frightful51 condition of things on the earth, and closed by announcing his intention to destroy the whole of its inhabitants, and provide a new race, unlike the first, who would be more worthy52 of life, and much better worshippers of the gods. So saying he took a thunderbolt, and was about to launch it at the world, and destroy it by burning; but recollecting53 the danger that such a conflagration54 might set heaven itself on fire, he changed his plan, and resolved to drown it. The north wind, which scatters55 the clouds, was chained up; the south was sent out, and soon covered all the face of heaven with a cloak of pitchy darkness. The clouds, driven together, resound56 with a crash; torrents57 of rain fall; the crops are laid low; the year’s labor of the husbandman perishes in an hour. Jupiter, not satisfied with his own waters, calls on his brother Neptune58 to aid him with his. He lets loose the rivers, and pours them over the land. At the same time, he heaves the land with an earthquake, and brings in the reflux of the ocean over the shores. Flocks, herds59, men, and houses are swept away, and temples, with their sacred enclosures, profaned60. If any edifice62 remained standing63, it was overwhelmed, and its turrets64 lay hid beneath the waves. Now all was sea, sea without shore. Here and there an individual remained on a projecting hill-top, and a few, in boats, pulled the oar65 where they had lately driven the plough. The fishes swim among the tree-tops; the anchor is let down into a garden. Where the graceful66 lambs played but now, unwieldy sea calves67 gambol68. The wolf swims among the sheep, the yellow lions and tigers struggle in the water. The strength of the wild boar serves him not, nor his swiftness the stag. The birds fall with weary wing into the water, having found no land for a resting-place. Those living beings whom the water spared fell a prey69 to hunger.
Parnassus alone, of all the mountains, overtopped the waves; and there Deucalion, and his wife Pyrrha, of the race of Prometheus, found refuge—he a just man, and she a faithful worshipper of the gods. Jupiter, when he saw none left alive but this pair, and remembered their harmless lives and pious70 demeanor71, ordered the north winds to drive away the clouds, and disclose the skies to earth, and earth to the skies. Neptune also directed Triton to blow on his shell, and sound a retreat to the waters. The waters obeyed, and the sea returned to its shores, and the rivers to their channels. Then Deucalion thus addressed Pyrrha: “O wife, only surviving woman, joined to me first by the ties of kindred and marriage, and now by a common danger, would that we possessed72 the power of our ancestor Prometheus, and could renew the race as he at first made it! But as we cannot, let us seek yonder temple, and inquire of the gods what remains73 for us to do.” They entered the temple, deformed74 as it was with slime, and approached the altar, where no fire burned. There they fell prostrate on the earth, and prayed the goddess to inform them how they might retrieve75 their miserable76 affairs. The oracle77 answered, “Depart from the temple with head veiled and garments unbound, and cast behind you the bones of your mother.” They heard the words with astonishment78. Pyrrha first broke silence: “We cannot obey; we dare not profane61 the remains of our parents.” They sought the thickest shades of the wood, and revolved79 the oracle in their minds. At length Deucalion spoke80: “Either my sagacity deceives me, or the command is one we may obey without impiety81. The earth is the great parent of all; the stones are her bones; these we may cast behind us; and I think this is what the oracle means. At least, it will do no harm to try.” They veiled their faces, unbound their garments, and picked up stones, and cast them behind them. The stones (wonderful to relate) began to grow soft, and assume shape. By degrees, they put on a rude resemblance to the human form, like a block half-finished in the hands of the sculptor82. The moisture and slime that were about them became flesh; the stony part became bones; the veins83 remained veins, retaining their name, only changing their use. Those thrown by the hand of the man became men, and those by the woman became women. It was a hard race, and well adapted to labor, as we find ourselves to be at this day, giving plain indications of our origin.
The comparison of Eve to Pandora is too obvious to have escaped Milton, who introduces it in Book IV. of “Paradise-Lost”:
“More lovely than Pandora, whom the gods
Endowed with all their gifts; and O, too like
In sad event, when to the unwiser son
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she insnared
Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged84
On him who had stole Jove’s authentic85 fire.”
Prometheus and Epimetheus were sons of Iapetus, which Milton changes to Japhet.
Prometheus has been a favorite subject with the poets. He is represented as the friend of mankind, who interposed in their behalf when Jove was incensed86 against them, and who taught them civilization and the arts. But as, in so doing, he transgressed87 the will of Jupiter, he drew down on himself the anger of the ruler of gods and men. Jupiter had him chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus, where a vulture preyed88 on his liver, which was renewed as fast as devoured89. This state of torment90 might have been brought to an end at any time by Prometheus, if he had been willing to submit to his oppressor; for he possessed a secret which involved the stability of Jove’s throne, and if he would have revealed it, he might have been at once taken into favor. But that he disdained91 to do. He has therefore become the symbol of magnanimous endurance of unmerited suffering, and strength of will resisting oppression.
Byron and Shelley have both treated this theme. The following are Byron’s lines:
“Titan! to whose immortal92 eyes
The sufferings of mortality,
Seen in their sad reality,
Were not as things that gods despise;
What was thy pity’s recompense?
A silent suffering, and intense;
The rock, the vulture, and the chain;
All that the proud can feel of pain;
The agony they do not show;
The suffocating93 sense of woe94.
“Thy godlike crime was to be kind;
To render with thy precepts95 less
The sum of human wretchedness,
And strengthen man with his own mind.
And, baffled as thou wert from high,
Still, in thy patient energy
In the endurance and repulse96
Of thine impenetrable spirit,
Which earth and heaven could not convulse,
A mighty97 lesson we inherit.”
Byron also employs the same allusion98, in his “Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte”:
“Or, like the thief of fire from heaven,
Wilt99 thou withstand the shock?
And share with him—the unforgiven—
His vulture and his rock?”
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1
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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buoyed
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| v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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prodigal
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| adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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rheumatism
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| n.风湿病 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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29
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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31
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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distilled
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| adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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37
coverts
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| n.隐蔽的，不公开的，秘密的( covert的名词复数 )；复羽 | |
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38
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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39
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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43
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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vex
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| vt.使烦恼，使苦恼 | |
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46
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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50
milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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51
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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52
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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53
recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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54
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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55
scatters
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| v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒 | |
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56
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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58
Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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profaned
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| v.不敬( profane的过去式和过去分词 )；亵渎，玷污 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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62
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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63
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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64
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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65
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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66
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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67
calves
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| n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解 | |
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68
gambol
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| v.欢呼，雀跃 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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70
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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75
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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80
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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81
impiety
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| n.不敬；不孝 | |
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82
sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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83
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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84
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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85
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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86
incensed
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| 盛怒的 | |
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87
transgressed
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| v.超越( transgress的过去式和过去分词 )；越过；违反；违背 | |
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88
preyed
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| v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
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89
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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90
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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91
disdained
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| 鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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96
repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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97
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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98
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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99
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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