在我修習古希臘文之前,我藉由上課或看書已或多或少學習過其他外國語言,培養起對語言的興趣。就我對語言學淺薄的了解,大體而言語言分成兩大類—綜合語、分析語。而在這個分類的架構下,現代漢語(分析語)與古希臘語(綜合語)幾乎正好是站在兩個極端。這是我剛開始學習古希臘語時最初的感想,而我覺得這點非常有趣。哥德說過:「不懂外語的人,對自己也一無所知。(Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner
eigenen.)」不同的語言,包含著不同的邏輯、不同的文化、不同的故事,語言間的差異並非只是詞彙的轉換那麼單純。因為有這些的差異,才會有這麼多無法翻譯的情況存在。因此,在學習與母語差異極大的古希臘語時,去體會這些不同便是學習的一大樂趣。同時,這也是一個機會—一個反思維根斯坦所說的「語言的界線(die
Grenzen der Sprache)」的機會。在這個新語言中,到底存在著多少新的、我從來沒想過的表達方式?這個問題使得我的整個學習過程生動了起來。
And whenever he [sc. or one] (may refer to Odysseus or anyone else)
drank the sweet, red wine, Moran filled one cup [sc. of wine] and poured twenty
measures of water in [sc. the mixing bowl], and the sweet, divine smell began
to spread from the crater. At that time, you know, it would not be a lovely
thing to refrain [sc. oneself from the wine]. I was carrying a large bag, having
filled [sc. it] with this [sc. wine], and also filled provisions in the sack.
Immediately, for my manly [sc. or courageous] spirit suspected that a wild man
clothed with great strength would come upon us, who does not know neither
customs nor laws.
And we arrived at the cave quickly, we did not find him inside, but he
was tending a flock at the rich pasture. And having come to the cave, we gazed
at everything. The baskets were weighted down with loads of cheese and the folds
were filled with a throng of lambs and kids. And all the vessels were brimming
with whey.
And at that time my companions at the very beginning were begging me
with words that they, selecting some of the cheese, would go back [sc. to the
ship], but then they would sail to the salty water after driving the kids and
lambs from the folds onto the swift ship quickly. But I for my part did not
follow, you know, it would have been much better, in order that I would see him
and see if he would give me the gifts of hospitality. But he was about to be
not delightful to my companions once he had appeared.
And at that time we, having kindled the fire, sacrificed and we ourselves also, selecting some of the cheese, ate the cheese, and we sat and waited inside for him, until he, driving the flock, came back. And he was carrying a heavy load of dry wood, in order that it would be useful for the meal for him. And he, having stricken it [sc. the heavy load of dry wood] inside of the cave, made noise. And we, for our part, having feared, began to rush away into the innermost part of the cave.
by R. Schoder and V. Horrigan. Focus Publishing, 2005.
朗讀範圍:Lessons 76-80 (Odyssey 9.184-207)
古希臘文引文: περὶ δ᾽ αὐλὴ
ὑψηλὴ δέδμητο κατωρυχέεσσι λίθοισι
μακρῇσίν τε πίτυσσιν ἰδὲ δρυσὶν ὑψικόμοισιν.
ἔνθα δ᾽ ἀνὴρ ἐνίαυε πελώριος, ὅς ῥα τὰ μῆλα
οἶος ποιμαίνεσκεν ἀπόπροθεν· οὐδὲ μετ᾽ ἄλλους
πωλεῖτ᾽, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπάνευθεν ἐὼν ἀθεμίστια ᾔδη.
καὶ γὰρ θαῦμ᾽ ἐτέτυκτο πελώριον, οὐδὲ ἐῴκει
ἀνδρί γε σιτοφάγῳ, ἀλλὰ ῥίῳ ὑλήεντι
ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων, ὅ τε φαίνεται οἶον ἀπ᾽ ἄλλων.
δὴ τότε τοὺς ἄλλους κελόμην ἐρίηρας ἑταίρους
αὐτοῦ πὰρ νηί τε μένειν καὶ νῆα
ἔρυσθαι·
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ κρίνας ἑτάρων
δυοκαίδεκ᾽ ἀρίστους
βῆν·ἀτὰρ αἴγεον ἀσκὸν
ἔχον μέλανος οἴνοιο,
ἡδέος, ὅν μοι ἔδωκε Μάρων, Εὐάνθεος υἱός,
ἱρεὺς Ἀπόλλωνος, ὃς Ἴσμαρον ἀμφιβεβήκει,
οὕνεκά μιν σὺν παιδὶ
περισχόμεθ᾽ ἠδὲ γυναικὶ
ἁζόμενοι·ᾤκει γὰρ ἐν ἄλσεϊ
δενδρήεντι
Φοίβου Ἀπόλλωνος. ὁ δέ μοι
πόρεν ἀγλαὰ δῶρα·
χρυσοῦ μέν μοι ἔδωκ᾽ ἐυεργέος ἑπτὰ τάλαντα,
δῶκε δέ μοι κρητῆρα
πανάργυρον, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
οἶνον ἐν ἀμφιφορεῦσι δυώδεκα πᾶσιν
ἀφύσσας,
ἡδὺν ἀκηράσιον, θεῖον ποτόν· οὐδέ τις αὐτὸν
ἠείδη δμώων οὐδ᾽ ἀμφιπόλων ἐνὶ οἴκῳ,
ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς ἄλοχός τε φίλη ταμίη τε μί᾽ οἴη.
古希臘文英譯: And round about was a high court built with stones embedded in the
ground, and big pine-trees, and lofty-leafed oaks. And there a gigantic man was
accustomed to pass the night, who, however, was tending the flocks alone far
away; he was not accustomed to go into the middle of others, but being far away
he knew no lawful things.
For indeed he was produced as a gigantic wonder, and he does not
resemble any bread-eating man, but a wooded peak of high mountains, who appears
alone from others. So then I began to command the other faithful companions to
remain nearby the ship there and to drag the ship.
But I for my part selected out twelve best [sc. of my] men and began to
go; but I kept a goat-skin bag of the dark, sweet wine, which Maron, the son of
Euanthes, the priest of Apollo, gave me, who was protecting Ismarus, the town
of the Cicones, for the sake of which we protected him, along with his child and
his wife, because we are reverent of Apollo; for he dwelt in a densely wooded
sacred grove of Phoebus Apollo. And he gave me splendid gifts,
and gave me seven talents of well-made gold, and gave me an all-silvered
mixing-bowl, but then having drawn the sweet, pure wine in all twelve amphoras,
a divine drink. None of his man-servants and female servants in the house knew
it, but he and his wife, and one only dear housekeeper knew.