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He was a handsome young man killed by a wild boar. He had enamored Aphrodite, and Persephone had also become enamored of him. Aphrodite begged Zeus to restore him to life, but Persephone wished to keep him in Hades. To appease both goddesses, Zeus decreed that he should spend half of each year in the upper world and the other half in the underworld.
[解說]
1. “He was a handsome young man killed by a wild boar”：「他是被野豬咬死的英俊年輕人」。注意：“boar”(野豬) 與“bore”(鑽、鑿；使厭煩) 同音。
2. “He had enamored Aphrodite, and Persephone had also become enamored of him”：「他已迷住了 Aphrodite，而 Persephone 也已迷戀他」。“enamor”是「使迷戀、使喜愛」。
注意：“be (或 become) enamored of …”(迷戀上) 是慣用語，用“of”不用“by”。同樣的，我們說“She is beloved of all”(她為眾人所愛)，“It is known to everybody”(那事為每人所知)，也用“of”或“to”而不用“by”來接「被動」的動作者。
另注意：“enamor”是美式拼字法，英式拼字法為“enamour”。
3. “Aphrodite begged Zeus to restore him to life”：「Aphrodite 請求 Zeus 要恢復他的生命」。“restore … to …”是「恢復 … 到 …」之狀態，“restore him to life”原是「恢復他到活命」的狀態，也就是“restore his life”之意。
4. “but Persephone wished to keep him in Hades”：「但 Persephone 希望留他在地府」。“Hades”= “Hell”。
5. “To appease both goddesses”：「為了安撫兩位女神」。“appease”是「使平靜、使緩和、安撫」之意，其名詞為“appeasement”。
6. “Zeus decreed that he should spend half of each year in the upper world”：「Zeus 命令說他每年要在上界渡過半年」。“decree”= “order”(命令)，可當名詞或動詞。“half of each year”是「每年之一半」。“in the upper world”(在上界) 即「在陽間」= “on earth”。
注意：“… decree (order, demand, suggest) that … should …”是個慣用的語型，表示「命令、要求 、建議」的動詞所接的「that 子句」，不是陳述事實，而是認定「應該」要做的事，所以接 “should”。他例：“I demand that you should give back the money”(我要求你還銭)，“He suggested that we should leave at once”(他建議我們要立刻離開)。
7. “and the other half in the underworld”：「而另一半 (年) 在下界」。 “underworld” = “Hades”。
8. 全段說出美男的不幸，也點到天王兩面討好的個性。據說 Aphrodite (愛神) 常陪Adonis 狩獵，而只那麼一天沒陪他，他就被野豬咬死。Persephone (冥后) 本是代替愛神照顧 Adonis 的人，自己卻愛上他，而要爭奪他。Adonis 被野豬大牙咬傷所流的血在地上化成深紅的「秋牡丹」(anemone)。
[複習填充]
Adonis was a h young
man killed by a wild b . He had e
Aphrodite, and Persephone had also become enamored him.
Aphrodite begged Zeus to r him to
life, but Persephone wished to him in
Hades. To a both goddesses,
Zeus d that he spend
half of each year in the u world and the half
in the underworld. |
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