普罗米修斯(古希腊语:Προμηθεύς、英语:Prometheus,名字的含义是“先见之明”),是古希腊神话中泰坦一族的神明之一,他是地母盖亚与乌拉诺斯的儿子伊阿珀托斯与克吕墨涅所生,和厄庇墨透斯是兄弟。普罗米修斯曾与智慧女神雅典娜共同创造了人类,普罗米修斯负责用泥土雕塑出人的形状,雅典娜则为泥人灌注灵魂,并教会了人类很多知识。普罗米修斯还反抗宙斯,将火种带到人间。
Prometheus was a Titan .In the war between Zeus the giants he had stood on the side of the new Olympiangods.Out of the clay he made the first man,to whom Athena gave soul and holy breath.
Prometheus spent a lot of time and energy in creating the gift of fire.And fire raised man above all animals .Later,there held a joint meeting of gods and men.
The meeting was to decide what part of burnt animals should begiven to gods and what to men.Prometheus cut up an ox and pided it into two parts:under the skin he placed the fresh,and under the fat he put the bones,for he knew the selfish Zeus loved fat.
Zeus saw through the trick and felt displeased at the Prometheus' favor towards men.So in a masterful wayhe took away the gift of fire from mankind.However,Prometheus managed to steal fire from heaven and secretly brought it down tomen.
Flying into an anger atthis unjustified act of rebellion,Zeus let the other gods chain Prometheus to a rockon Mountain Caucasus,where a hungry eagle ever tore at his liver which ever grew again.His period of pain was to be thirty-thousand years.
Prometheus faced his bitter fate firmly and never lost courage before Zeus.At last Heracles made Prometheus and Zeus restore to friend ship,when Heracles came over in search of the golden apple and killed the eagle and set the friend of mankind free.
重点词汇
a Titan 巨人 ; 泰坦神
on the side of 在的一侧 ; 站在…一边,赞助
Out of 离开;从…里面 ; 从…的状态中
a lot of 很多 ; 许多
the gift 礼物 ; 的礼物 ; 天赋
above all 首先 ; 尤其是
joint meeting 联席会议 ; 联合会议
part of 部分
cut up 烦恼的,心烦意乱的 ; 不高兴的 ; 伤心的 ; 切开某物,把某物切成小块,切碎 ; 超某人的车抢道 ; 行为吵闹,举止粗鲁 ; 数落某人/某事,批评某人/某事
under the skin 皮下 ; 皮肤之下 ; 皮囊之下 ; 酷到骨子里