海倫

導讀：海倫是古希臘神話中第三代眾神之王宙斯跟勒達所生的女兒，在她的繼父斯巴達國王廷達瑞俄斯的宮里長大。她是世界上最漂亮的女人。

Helen was the most beautiful woman of the world. She was an infamous lady. She lighted the flames of the Trojan war and brought extreme destruction on the city of Troy. Helen was the daughter of Zeus. Helens matchless beauty and charms drew towards her many heroes from all parts of Greece. When still small she was carried off by Theseus， who wished to have a divine wife. But she was rescued later by her brother Castor， and brought back to her native land. Her stepfather married her to Menelaus， king of Sparta.

Nothing of importance had happened to her married life until Paris came to visit Sparta. Helen was attracted by Paris lovely face. They stole one anothers love in the absence of Menelausand then eloped on board a ship to Troy. Helen left her young daughter behind. To get Helen back， the Greek army sailed across and laid a long siege to the city of Troy.

Helen was quietly weaving her story into a web of golden carpet one day when she was called up the city walls of Troy to look at the fighting between Menelaus and Paris. Menelaus was determined to kill Paris in the battle. Sitting by the side of King Priam， she told the chiefs of the Greek side to him. Tears of love filled up her eyes when she saw her first husband down below. After Paris fled the field she had the feelings of love and scorn. She encouraged Hector and Paris to take the field again and sincerely mourned the death of the true hero Hector. But when Odysseus and Diomedes came in disguise to steal the Palladium， she helped them to do so as much as she could. After Paris died in battle she became the wife of another son of Priam.

In the meantime Menelaus was anxiously searching for Helen in the ruined palaces of Troy. Aphrodite had made Helen more beautiful， so that， when he finally found her trembling in a corner， Menelaus was most unwilling to bring his sword down on her charming face. Menelaus felt secretly overjoyed to have his wife back again. Following Menelaus through the ruins of the city， Helen felt ashamed of her impure behaviour. And she was truly scared at the terrible fate she was to have in the Greek Camp.

Once more her beauty saved her. No one could bring himself to thrust his sword into such a charming and graceful lady. In the tent of Menelaus she threw herself at the feet of the Spartan king， asking for forgiveness. Moved by the scene， Menelaus helped her up and let her forget the past. He held her in his arms while she had tears of grief and happiness. The pair loved each other like before and vanished in the far west.

海倫是世上最美麗的女人。她也是一個臭名昭著的女人。她點燃了特洛伊的戰火，并給特洛伊城造成了巨大的破壞。海倫是宙斯的女兒。她無可匹敵的美麗和魅力使希臘各地的英雄們都迷戀于她。她小的時候被提修斯擄走，提修斯想有一個神性的妻子。但后來海倫被其兄卡斯特救出，帶回了故土。海倫的繼父將她嫁給了斯巴達的國王墨涅拉俄斯。

在帕里斯來訪斯巴達之前，海倫的婚姻生活比較平靜。海倫被帕里斯可愛的面容迷住。當墨涅拉俄斯國王不在時， 他們就偷情，之后一起乘船私奔到了特洛伊城。海倫將幼小的女兒留在了斯巴達。為了奪回海倫，希臘軍隊越過海峽，將特洛伊城緊緊包圍。

一天，正當海倫靜靜地將自己的經歷編織成一塊金色地毯時，有人叫她在特洛伊城上觀看墨涅拉俄斯和帕里斯的決斗。墨涅拉俄斯決心殺死帕里斯。她坐在普里亞姆國王旁邊，將希臘一方的首領情況告訴了國王。當她看到城墻下前夫的身影時，愛的熱淚涌出了眼簾。帕里斯戰敗逃離戰場后， 她的感覺是既愛又鄙視。她鼓勵赫克托爾和帕里斯再次走上戰場，并真誠地為真正的英雄赫克托爾的死而哀痛。但當奧德修斯和狄俄墨德斯化裝后來偷竊雅典娜神像時，她竭盡全力幫助了她們。帕里斯戰死后，她成了普里亞姆國王另一個兒子的妻子。

與此同時墨涅拉俄斯焦急地在毀壞的特洛伊宮中尋找海倫。愛神阿芙羅狄蒂使海倫變得更美麗了。結果當墨涅拉俄斯終于發現躲在角落中發抖的海倫時，他極不情愿地將利劍刺向她那迷人的面孔。而他內心正為奪回自己的妻子暗自高興，海倫跟隨墨涅拉俄斯穿過特洛伊城的廢墟，她深為自己的不潔行為感到恥辱。一想到自己將在希臘軍營中遭受的命運，她就心驚膽戰。

她的美麗再次拯救了她。沒有人能忍心將劍刺向這個令人銷魂而嫵媚動人的女士。在墨涅拉俄斯的帳篷中，海倫跪在斯巴達國王的腳下，乞求饒恕。看到眼前的情形，墨涅拉俄斯深受感動， 他扶起海倫，讓她忘掉過去的一切。墨涅拉俄斯將她抱起來時，海倫的兩眼流出幸福與悲傷的淚水。他們倆像以前那樣相愛，一同消失在遙遠的西方。

Word Study

destruction / d?'str?k?n/ n. 破壞，毀滅

siege /si?d?/ n. 圍攻，圍城（期間）

scorn /sk??n/ n. 鄙視；輕蔑

He looked at me with scorn.

tremble /'trembl/ v. （因緊張、激動、驚慌等）顫抖，發抖；焦慮

graceful /'ɡre?sfl/ adj. 優美的，優雅的

He gave a graceful bow to the audience.