Icarus and Daedalus《伊卡洛斯與代達羅斯》

愛藝/譯

Standing on a marble ledge， Icarus and his father Daedalus are almost nude， save for some artfully billowing drapery. The son reaches up earnestly to grasp the wings fastened on his back， while the older man offers words of advice or warning. Beyond the plinth and statue in the immediate1 background， the image falls away dramatically， revealing a lush cove， deep blue ocean， and distant mountain range.

伊卡洛斯和其父代達羅斯站在大理石平臺上，兩人幾近裸體，遮體的只有幾塊輕盈飄動的布幔。兒子熱切地向上伸出手，去抓綁在背上的翅膀，老父則在一旁說著什么，可能是建議，也可能在提醒。近處背景中有一座帶底座的雕像，再遠處的圖景陡然下沉，可以看見植被茂盛的海灣、深藍的海洋，還有遙遠的山脈。

In Greek mythology Daedalus is the father of Icarus， who crafts wings for himself and his son to escape their bondage on Knossos2. Despite being warned， Icarus flies too close to the sun， melting his wax wings and falling to his death. Frederic Leighton depicts the moment before the consummation3 of the tragedy， Icaruss hubristic4 confidence evident in his single-minded gaze towards the horizon， whilst Daedaluss concern is suggested in his close grasping of the wing-straps around his sons chest. The fact that Icarus seems to grasp at air rather than his hand-straps may hint at what is about to unfold.

在希臘神話中，代達羅斯是伊卡洛斯的父親，他不想余生被束縛在克諾索斯，為了逃離，他給自己和兒子制作了羽翼。盡管父親有過提醒，伊卡洛斯還是不小心飛得離太陽過近，結果羽翼的封蠟融化，他栽落而亡。弗雷德里克·萊頓描繪的是悲劇最終落幕前的時刻：伊卡洛斯專注地凝望天邊，顯然過于自信，而代達羅斯緊緊抓著兒子胸前的翼帶，擔憂之情表露無疑。伊卡洛斯的手似乎沒有抓到羽翼的拉手，而是抓空了——這或許暗示了即將發(fā)生之事。

At the forefront of5 this image， as with so much of Leightons work， is the beauty of the youthful male body. Icaruss supple musculature and strong facial profile are picked out against the almost Rococo swirl of black material， offering a prototype of the male nude commonplace in aesthetic and symbolist art of the late nineteenth century. The fact that the background falls away so drastically from the outcrop induces a sense of vertigo for the viewer， a danger that Icaruss bright beauty initially masks. In this way， just like Icarus， we are invited to focus on the exhilaration of discovery above our awareness of danger.

萊頓有許多作品突出表現(xiàn)年輕男性的體魄之美，此畫亦如此。黑色布料形成極具洛可可風格的旋渦，在其映襯下，伊卡洛斯柔韌的肌肉和棱角分明的面部輪廓顯得尤為醒目，堪稱19世紀末審美及象征主義藝術中常見的男性裸體形象的范本。事實上，背景從突出的平臺陡降，落差如此之大，會令觀者產生眩暈感，這種險況被乍看時伊卡洛斯耀眼的英俊所掩蓋。由此，就像伊卡洛斯一樣，觀者注意力被引向探索的喜悅，忽略了危險的存在。

1 immediate接近的；附近的。? 2克諾索斯，傳說中米諾斯王的王宮，位于克里特島。希臘神話中，雅典著名建筑師代達羅斯因妒殺害自己侄子后逃到克里特尋求米諾斯的庇護，并應國王委托設計建造了米諾斯迷宮；但他思戀故鄉(xiāng)，同時對國王心生警惕，于是想方設法逃走；為防止米諾斯從水陸堵截，他收集羽毛精心制作了大小兩對羽翼，計劃與兒子從空中逃離。? 3 consummation完成；使完美。文中指悲劇最終發(fā)生。? 4 hubristic傲慢的；狂妄的。名詞為hubris。

5 at/in/to the forefront （of sth） 處于重要（或主要）地位。