{Prometheus and Man} {Pandora's Box} {Apple of Discord} {Achilles' Heel} {The Trojan Horse}
{Echo} {Golden Touch} {Sisyphus's Stone} {Labors of Hercules} {The Man Who Loves a Statue}
The Man Who Loves a Statue
愛上雕像的男人
Pygmalion saw so much to blame in women that he came at last to abhor the sex, and resolved to live unmarried. He was a sculptor, and had made with wonderful skill a statue of ivory, so beautiful that no living woman came anywhere near it. It was indeed the perfect semblance of a maiden that seemed to be alive, and only prevented from moving by modesty. Pygmalion admired his own work and at last fell in love with the counterfeit creation. Oftentimes he laid his hand upon it as if to assure himself whether it were living or not, and could not even then believe that it was only ivory. He caressed it and gave it presents such as young girls love--bright shells and polished stones, little birds and flowers of various hues, beads and amber. He put raiment on its limbs, and jewels on its fingers, and a necklace about its neck. To the ears he hung earrings, and strings of pearls upon the breast. Her dress became her, and she looked not less charming than when unattired. He laid her on a couch spread with cloths of Tyrian dye, and called her his wife.
The festival of Venus was at hand--a festival celebrated with great pomp at
Cyprus. Victims were offered, the altars smoked, and the odor of incense
filled the air. When Pygmalion had performed his part in the solemnities,
he stood before the altar and timidly said, "Ye gods, who can do all
things, give me, I pray you, for my wife"--he dared not say "my ivory
virgin," but said instead--"one like my ivory virgin."
Venus, who was present at the festival, heard him and knew the thought he would
have uttered; and as an omen of her favor, caused the flame on the altar to
shoot up thrice in a fiery point into the air. When he returned home, he
went to see his statue, and leaning over the couch, gave a kiss to the
mouth. It seemed to be warm. He pressed its lips again, he laid his
hand upon the limbs; the ivory felt soft to his touch and yielded to his fingers
like the wax of Hymettus. While he stands astonished and glad, though
doubting, and fears he may be mistaken, again and again with a lover's ardor, he
touches the object of his hopes. It was indeed alive! The veins when
pressed yielded to the finger and again resumed their roundness.
Then at last the votary of Venus found words to thank the goddess, and pressed
his lips upon lips as real as his own. The virgin felt the kisses and
blushed, and opening her timid eyes to the light, fixed them at the same moment
on her lover. Venus blessed the nuptials she had formed, and from this
union Paphos was born, from whom the city, sacred to Venus, received its name.
皮格馬利翁認為女人一無是處，對她們產生了反感，決心終生不娶。他是個雕刻家，曾經用象牙精心雕刻了一尊女人像。人像婀娜多姿，世上所有女人都望塵莫及。她儼然是個活生生的少女，只是出於禮貌才屏息佇立。皮格馬利翁對自己作品珍愛不已，久而久之竟對這個仿人雕像產生了愛情。他不時摸摸雕像，仿佛要弄明白它究竟是活人還是沒有生命的物件，他總是不肯相信這只不過是座象牙人像。他撫愛它，送給它各種少女喜愛的禮物：色彩鮮艷的貝殼，光滑的卵石，小鳥和各式各樣鮮花，珠子和琥珀。他給它穿上衣服，戴上寶石戒指，掛上頸鏈。還在耳上垂了墜子，胸前佩上珍珠頸串。她的裙衫合身得體，更加襯托出原有的姿色。他把它安置在舖了泰爾紫色床單的臥榻上，稱她為妻子。
維納斯節臨近了，這在塞浦路斯是要隆重地慶祝一番的。人們祭獻供品，在聖壇前焚香供奉，空氣中香煙繚繞。皮格馬利翁參加慶典儀式以後，來到聖壇前吞吞吐吐地祝禱說：「萬能的神啊！我祈求你們將一個類似我那象牙貞女的姑娘賜我為妻吧！」他不敢說：「將我那象牙女貞」。維納斯神蒞臨慶典，聽到了這番話，也猜到他想說沒敢說出的意思；她使聖壇上的香火聚成火苗向空中竄了三次，算是她的恩准的表示。皮格馬利翁回到家後，就去看望雕像，他俯身吻了一下臥在榻上的人像。那嘴像是暖烘烘的。他又吻了一下，並伸手去摸雕像的胳臂，發現它軟綿綿的，手指一觸，就有彈性，像是許墨圖斯山脈的蜜臘。他站在那裡又驚又喜，難以相信。他唯恐是自己產生了錯覺，就一次次地滿懷著戀人的激情用手去碰碰寄托自己一生希望的人像。那雕像真的活起來了！當他觸到有血管的地方時，皮膚凹了下去；他把手挪開後，皮膚又回復圓鼓鼓的。這個時候，維納斯的信徒才想起來向維納斯女神感謝一番。他又吻了吻那張嘴，那張已是像他一樣的活人的嘴。少女感到有人親她，羞得兩頰緋紅，怯生生地睜開眼睛，注視著她的情郎。維納斯祝福了這段由她促成的姻緣，婚後他們生了帕福斯，而專門供奉維納斯的這座城也隨著取了這個名字。