希臘神話：PYGMALION AND GALATEA-皮格馬利翁與加拉提亞

Pygmalion was a sculptor who could think of nothing but his chiselsand the marble and ivory with which he loved to work. Beautiful Greek girls came walking by his window，and peeped in at the door to watch him，but he never raised his head or paid the least attention to them.
One day Pygmalion chose the largest，most perfect piece of ivory in the kingdom. When the laborers had brought it to his home，he took his keenesttools and began to carve the ivory with delicatecare.
"""There is no maiden living，""said Pygmalion，""so beautiful as this statue that I shall make."""
For weeks he worked，stopping only to eat and at night to throw himself on the floor beside the statue to rest.
Day by day the figure grew more lovely. At last it seemed so perfect that nothing could be done to make it more wonderful. Still Pygmalion worked，smoothing and carving the ivory until it was indeed more beautiful than any Greek maiden in the land.
When the statue was finished， Pygmalion clothed it in soft garments and hung jewels around the ivory neck. He spent all his time admiring and adoring the figure he had made. He named it"Galatea，"which means"Sleeping Love".
Just at this time there was in Pygmalion's city a festivalin honor of Venus，the Goddess of Beauty and of Love. Pygmalion went to her temple. He offered gifts at her altar，and prayed that she would give him for his bride a living maiden exactly like his beautiful ivory statue.
Venus had been standing unseen beside her altar. When she heard Pygmalion prayer，she left her temple and went to the sculptor's home to see the figure of which he was so fond.
The goddess was delighted with the loveliness of Pygmalion's statue. She thought it looked much like herself. This pleased her so that she touched the cold ivory and brought it to life.
She laid her fingers on the waving hair and it became soft and lustrous. The cheeks grew pink，the eyes blue，and the lips like coral.
When Pygmalion returned and entered his home，the statue no longer stood in its usual corner. Instead，a beautiful maiden with golden hair，and skin like ivory flushed with the color of sunrise walked toward him.
Pygmalion watched in amazement. When he saw that his statue lived and moved，he threw himself on the floor and clasped her feet. They were warm and rosy.
Galatea looked down at him，smiling and touching his hair with her slender fingers.
Pygmalion did not forget to offer thanks to the goddess. He built an altar to Venus of ivory and gold and carved it with all kinds of blossoms and birds.
Every day as long as Pygmalion and Galatea lived，they offered gifts at the altar，and Venus in return blessed them with happiness and love.

皮格馬利翁是一位雕刻家，他除了用來雕刻的鑿子，以及大理石和象牙之外，什么都不想要！美麗的希臘少女到他的窗前走動，從門邊偷偷地瞧著他，但是他卻從不抬起頭來，或?qū)λ齻兩约幼⒁狻?br /> 有一天，皮格馬利翁在國內(nèi)挑了一塊最大、最完美的象牙作雕刻之用。當(dāng)工人將象牙搬到家里之后，他拿了最銳利的工具，開始精雕細(xì)琢這塊象牙。
皮格馬利翁說："現(xiàn)在，世界上沒有一個少女能比我所要雕塑的塑像美麗。"
他工作了好幾個星期，只有在吃飯的時候才休息，晚上，他就倒在塑像旁邊的地板上睡覺。
日子一天一天地過去了，這塑像也愈發(fā)美麗可愛。最后，它看起來似乎已經(jīng)完美無缺了。但是，皮格馬利翁仍不歇手，繼續(xù)地琢磨著、雕著，直到這尊塑像確實比任何希臘少女都要美麗時，才停下手來。
當(dāng)塑像完成之后，皮格馬利翁給它穿上柔軟的衣裳，將珠寶掛在象牙雕像的頸項上。他無時無刻不在贊賞、愛慕著這尊塑像。將她取名為"加拉提亞"，意思就是："沉睡中的愛人"。
就在這時候，皮格馬利翁所居住的城市，正舉行紀(jì)念美神兼愛神維納斯的慶典。皮格馬利翁來到維納斯的神廟里，在女神的祭壇上奉獻(xiàn)了祭禮，他祈求維納斯賜他一位長得與他的美麗象牙雕像一樣的少女，作為他的新娘。
維納斯曾暗中站在自己的祭壇旁邊。當(dāng)她聽到皮格馬利翁的祈禱之后，便離開她的神廟，來到雕刻師的家里，去看看他所熱愛的雕像的模樣。
這位女神對皮格馬利翁雕刻的塑像的美麗甚為喜愛。她認(rèn)為，它看起來很像她自己。這使她感到高興，因此，她撫摸著冰冷的象牙，并且賦予它生命。
她把手指貼在那波浪似的頭發(fā)上，于是頭發(fā)變軟了，而且富有光澤。雕像的面頰也漸漸呈現(xiàn)出淡紅色，眼睛轉(zhuǎn)為藍(lán)色，嘴唇如珊瑚般光滑紅潤。
當(dāng)皮格馬利翁回到家里時，塑像不再立于平時放置的屋角，而變成了一位美麗的金發(fā)少女，皮膚猶如煥發(fā)著旭日般彩的象牙，緩緩地向他走來。
皮格馬利翁驚訝地愣在原地看著她。當(dāng)他眼見著他的塑像變成了活生生的少女，并且能走動時，他一下俯伏在地上，抓住她的腳，這雙腳既溫?zé)嵊旨t潤。
加拉提亞微笑地俯視著他，用她那修長的手指撫摸著他的頭發(fā)。
皮格馬利翁沒有忘記酬謝維納斯。他用象牙與黃金給這位女神建了一座祭壇，祭壇上雕刻著形形色色的花朵與飛鳥。
在皮格馬利翁與加拉提亞的一生中，他們每天都在祭壇上供奉祭禮，而維納斯也以保佑他們幸福恩愛作為回報。