希臘神話：HOW TROUBLES CAME INTO THE WORLD-世間災難的緣由

　　A very long time ago，in the Golden Age，every one was good and happy. It was always spring；the earth was covered with flowers， and only gentlewinds blew to set the flowers dancing.
　　No one had any work to do. People lived on mountain strawberries，which were always to be had for the gathering，and on wild grapes，blackberries，and sweet acorns，which grew plentifully in the oakforests. Rivers flowed with milk and nectar. Even the bees did not need to lay up honey，for it fell in tiny drops from the trees. There was abundanceeverywhere.
　　In all the whole world，there was not a sword，nor any weapon by means of which men might fight with one another. No one had ever heard of any such thing. All the iron and the gold were buried deep underground.
　　Besides，people were never ill；they had no troubles of any kind；and never grew old.
　　The two brothers，Prometheus and Epimetheus，lived in those wonderful days. After stealing the fire for man，Prometheus，knowing that Jupiter would be angry，decided to go away for a time on a distant journey；but before he went，he warned Epimetheus not to receive any gifts from the gods.
　　One day，after Prometheus had been gone for some time，Mercury came to the cottage of Epimetheus，leading by the hand a beautiful young woman，whose name was Pandora. She had a wreath of partly opened rosebuds  on her head，a number of delicate gold chains twisted lightly around her neck，and wore a filmy veil which fell nearly to the hem of her tunic.
　　Mercury presented her to Epimetheus，saying the gods had sent this gift that he might not be lonesome.
　　Pandora had such a lovely face that Epimetheus could not help believing that the gods had sent her to him in good faith. So he paid no heed  to the warning of Prometheus，but took Pandora into his cottage， and found that the days passed much more quickly and pleasantly when she was with him.
　　Soon，the gods sent Epimetheus another gift. This was a heavy box，which the satyrs brought to the cottage，with directions that it was not to be opened. Epimetheus let it stand in a corner of his cottage；for by this time he had begun to think that the caution of Prometheus about receiving gifts from the gods was altogether unnecessary.
　　Often， Epimetheus was away all day， hunting or fishing or gathering grapesfrom the wild vinesthat grew along the river banks. On such days，Pandora had nothing to do but to wonder what was in the mysterious box. One day her curiosity  was so great that she lifted the lid a very little way and peeped in. The result was similar to what would have happened had she lifted the cover of a beehive. Out rushed a great swarm of little winged creatures，and before Pandora knew what had happened，she was stung. She dropped the lid and ran out of the cottage，screaming. Epimetheus，who was just coming in at the door，was well stung，too.
　　The little winged creatures that Pandora had let out of the box were Troubles，the first that had ever been seen in the world. They soon flew about and spread themselves everywhere，pinching and stinging whenever they got the chance.
　　After this，people began to have headaches，rheumatism，and other illnesses；and instead of being always kind and pleasant to one another，as they had been before the Troubles were let out of the box， they became unfriendly and quarrelsome. They began to grow old，too.
　　Nor was it always spring any longer. The fresh young grasses that had clothed all the hillsides，and the gay-coloured flowers that had given Epimetheus and Pandora so much pleasure were scorched by hot summer suns and bittenby the frosts of autumn. Oh，it was a sad thing for the world，when all those wicked little Troubles were let loose!
　　All the Troubles escaped from the box，but when Pandora let the lid fall so hastily，she shut in one little winged creature，a kind of good fairy whose name was Hope. This little Hope persuaded Pandora to let her out. As soon as she was free，she flew about in the world，undoingall the evil that the Troubles had done，that is，as fast as one good fairy could undo the evil work of such a swarm. No matter what evil thing had happened to poor mortals，she always found some way to comfort them. She fanned aching heads with her gossamerwings；she brought back the colour to pale cheeks；and，best of all，she whispered to those who were growing old that they should one day be young again.
　　So this is the way that Troubles came into the world，but we must not forget that Hope came with them.

　　在很久以前的黃金時代，每個人都很善良、很快樂。季節(jié)永遠是春天，大地上開滿了花朵，只有微風吹拂著花兒婆娑起舞。
　　每個人都不用工作。人們靠吃隨時都可以采集到的山草莓為生；人們還吃野葡萄、黑莓果，以及橡樹林里大量生長著的甜橡實。河里流淌著牛奶和甘露。蜜蜂也不需要貯藏花蜜，因為蜜就從樹上往下滴?？傊?，到處都是一片富裕的景象。
　　整個世界上沒有刀槍，也沒有可以用來互相打斗的武器。誰也不曾聽說過爭斗的事情。鐵和金全都埋藏在深深的地下。
　　此外，人們也從不生?。凰麄儫o憂無慮，而且長生不老。
　　普羅米修斯和埃庇米修斯兩兄弟就生長在這樣美好的時代。在為人類盜取火花之后，普羅米修斯明白會觸怒朱庇特，因此便決定暫時到遠處去旅行。不過，在出發(fā)之前，他警告埃庇米修斯不要接受眾神饋贈的任何禮物。
　　在普羅米修斯離家遠行之后的某一天，墨丘利領著一位名叫潘多拉的漂亮姑娘來到埃庇米修斯的家。她的頭上戴著一頂用半開的玫瑰花蕾串成的花冠；幾條精致的金項鏈輕巧地纏繞在她的脖子上，臉上罩的薄面紗幾乎垂到衣服的下擺。
　　墨丘利將她送給埃庇米修斯，還說眾神送上這份禮物是為了不讓他感到寂寞。
　　由于潘多拉長得相當漂亮，埃庇米修斯不得不相信眾神是出于好意才把她送給自己的。于是竟不把普羅米修斯的警告放在心上，將潘多拉帶進了自己的家，還覺得和她生活在一起時，日子過得特別快也很快樂。
　　不久，眾神又送給埃庇米修斯一份禮物，那是一個沉重的盒子。森林之神把這個盒子拿到他家里來，并警告說不能打開。埃庇米修斯把它放在自家的角落里。因為此時他認為，普羅米修斯有關接受眾神禮物的警告如今已完全是多余的了。
　　埃庇米修斯經(jīng)常整天在外頭，不是狩獵就是捕魚；或是從生長在河堤沿岸的野生葡萄藤上采摘葡萄。在這樣的日子里，潘多拉沒事可干，只想知道那個不可思議的盒子里究竟裝著什么東西。有一天，她在好奇心的驅使下，便把蓋子稍微打開想偷看里面的東西，但結果卻如同打開了一個蜜蜂窩：一大群長著小翅膀的生物一窩蜂地飛出來。潘多拉還未搞清楚發(fā)生什么事就被螫了一下。她丟下盒蓋，大聲嚎哭著跑出門。此時剛進門的埃庇米修斯也被螫到了。
　　潘多拉從盒子里放出來那些有翅膀的生物，就是各種災難，它們第一次出現(xiàn)在世界上。它們四處飛舞，擴散到各個角落，一逮到機會就不停地螫、不停地叮。
　　從此以后，許多人開始患頭痛、風濕以及其他的病痛，并且不再像災難尚未從盒子飛出來之前那樣彼此親切友好地相處了；他們變得不友善，愛爭吵起來。他們也逐漸開始變得衰老了。
　　而且，不再有永恒的春天！那些覆蓋在山腰上的新鮮嫩草以及能帶給埃庇米修斯和潘多拉無比樂趣的五顏六色的花朵，全都被酷熱的夏日曬得枯黃，因秋天的霜寒而凋零。??！當這些邪惡的災難被放出來時，對世界而言是多么悲慘的事?。?br /> 　　當潘多拉匆忙地關上蓋子時，所有的災難全部從盒子里飛了出來，只有叫做"希望"的善良仙女被關在里面。"希望"說服潘多拉放她出去。她一獲得自由就馬上飛往全世界，消除災難所做的一切壞事；也就是說，以一個善良仙女的能力盡快消除那些邪惡之事。無論什么不祥之事降臨在可憐的凡人身上，她總是會找到安慰他們的方法。她用自己薄薄的翅膀為疼痛的頭扇風；使蒼白的臉頰恢復紅潤；而最感人的是：她在漸漸衰老的人們的耳邊悄悄地說："你們遲早會年輕起來的啊！"
　　這就是世間各種災難的緣由，但是我們不要忘記，"希望"總是和它們一起到來的。