Dionysus and the Legend of Wine
狄俄尼索斯与酒的传说
The Thracian God of Wine – Zagreus is thought to be the inspiration for the Greek God of Wine Dionysus1 who is more widely known across the world. Dionysus is associated with wine, joy, feasts, the Dionysus’ mysteries2 and has become a synonym for “enjoying oneself”, “having a good time”. So, what is the story of Dionysus?
色雷斯的酒神扎格列欧斯被认为是希腊酒神狄俄尼索斯的前身，而后者在世界上更广为人知。狄俄尼索斯与酒、欢乐、盛宴、酒神秘仪联系在一起，成为了“尽欢”“享乐”的同义词。那么，狄俄尼索斯的故事是什么呢？
The legend goes that Dionysus was born from his father’s Zeus’ thigh. Dionysus was yet another of Zeus’ children that was a result of one of his numerous affairs. This is why Zeus’ wife – Hera did not like the boy. On the contrary, all other Olympus Gods were fond of the young Dionysus because he was beautiful and joyful.
传说狄俄尼索斯是从他父亲宙斯的大腿中出生的。宙斯有许多孩子，都是他风流韵事的产物，狄俄尼索斯是其中之一。这就是为什么宙斯的妻子赫拉不喜欢这个男孩的原因。不过，其他奥林匹斯神都喜欢小狄俄尼索斯，因为他相貌俊美，活泼快乐。
When he entered adolescence Dionysus started surrounding himself and enjoying the company of the maenads. The name “maenad” literally means “the raging one”. The maenads were a group of women who were famous for their lustfulness, feasts and frivolous spirit. All these characteristics of the maenads drew the young Dionysus and he started enjoying their company regularly until the point when the maenads were the constant entourage3 of Dionysus.
狄俄尼索斯步入青春期时，开始享受狂女的簇拥和陪伴。maenad字面意思是“发狂的人”。这些狂女以行为放荡、纵酒宴乐和品性轻浮而出名。年轻的狄俄尼索斯被狂女的这些特点所吸引，开始时时享受她们的陪伴，直到狂女们成为狄俄尼索斯的忠实侍从。
Soon Dionysus left Olympus with his entourage of maenads and set on travelling and experiencing the world. One of the group’s early journeys took them to a beautiful town with splendid gardens. The wife of the town’s ruler was famous for her unsurpassed beauty. Dionysus heard of her beauty and wished that he seduce her. He saw her in one of the gardens and persuaded to follow him in his journeys across the world. She accepted and escaped from her husband to join Dionysus and the maenads. Thus, she became Dionysus supreme wife.
不久，狄俄尼索斯和追随他的狂女们离开了奥林匹斯山，开始游历世界。启程不久，他们来到了一个有着众多绚丽花园的美丽小镇。城主的夫人是一个绝色佳人，远近闻名。狄俄尼索斯对她的美貌有所耳闻，想要引诱她。他在一个花园里见到她，说服她随他环游世界。她答应了，从自己丈夫身边逃走了，加入了狄俄尼索斯和狂女们。于是，她成了狄俄尼索斯至尊的妻子。
She had long, red hair, voluptuous body, passionate temper and frivolous spirit, so she became a perfect match for the merry group of travelers. Thus, Dionysus, his beautiful wife and the maenads traveled across the world, enjoying themselves at every stop, organizing feasts and bringing chaos and frivolity. Somehow their behavior mesmerized the ordinary people and wherever they stopped, people discontinued their chores and engaged in the feasts.
她有一头红色的长发，身段撩人，性情热烈而轻佻，的确是这个欢乐出游队伍的良伴。于是，狄俄尼索斯便与他美丽的妻子和那些狂女们周游世界，在每一个落脚之处尽享快乐，举办盛宴，带来混乱和欢愉。不知何故，他们的行为迷住了普通百姓，但凡他们所到之处，人们就会放下手中的杂务，参与到宴乐之中。
One of their stops happened to be a town that was ruled by the brother of the husband who Dionysus left with no wife. This was a perfect opportunity for Hera, Zeus’ wife who did not like Dionysus, to satisfy her desire to punish Dionysus. She appeared in the dream of the deceived husband and pointed to the location of his wife and urged him to avenge Dionysus by killing her. So, it happened. The husband sneaked into the place where Dionysus and his entourage were feasting and speared the beautiful woman with a dagger.
他们路过一个城镇，城主恰巧是被狄俄尼索斯诱走妻子的那位丈夫的兄弟。对于不喜欢狄俄尼索斯的宙斯妻子赫拉来说，这是满足自己心愿惩罚狄俄尼索斯的绝佳机会。她出现在那位被欺骗的丈夫的梦中，指明他妻子的位置，怂恿他杀死妻子，以此报复狄俄尼索斯。事情就这样发生了。那位丈夫偷偷溜进狄俄尼索斯与侍从们的飨宴之地，用匕首刺死了那位美丽的女人。
Dionysus was outraged. He immediately turned the husband into a rock and took the dying woman in his arms. He could not bring her back to life because he did not have such powers. However, he wanted to perpetuate her in some way. This is why he wished that she turns into a plant that is wild and passionate like her and the juice of which brings happiness and frivolity like their love. And so, as the woman was dying she turned into a vine tree. Soon, grape bunches were hanging from the tree. Dionysus picked them; their color was like the hair color of his beloved, their taste was like the taste of her lips. Dionysus squeezed the juice out of them and left it aside. He declared days of mourning.
狄俄尼索斯愤怒不已。他立刻把那位丈夫变成了一块岩石，把垂死的女人抱在怀里。他不能使她复活，因为他不具此种法力。不过，他想以某种方式使她永世长存。所以，他希望她变成一株植物，像她一样狂野而充满激情，它的汁液会让人快乐而轻狂，就像他们的爱一样。故而当女人的生命走向尽头时，她变成了一棵葡萄树。很快，一串串葡萄从树上垂下来。狄俄尼索斯摘下它们；葡萄的颜色就像他心爱的人的发色，味道尝起来就如她的嘴唇。狄俄尼索斯把汁液挤出来，放在一边。他宣布为亡妻哀悼数日。
Weeks passed before the heartbroken Dionysus put an end to the days of mourning. He ordered to his group that before they leave they should drink the juice. The fermented juice penetrated their bodies and suddenly they felt divine intoxication, immense happiness and they started feasting like when the beautiful woman was still with them. After they sobered, Dionysus took some branches with him and decided to travel the world, plant the vine tree and teach people how to make wine so that his beloved could be forever alive.
几周过后，伤心欲绝的狄俄尼索斯才结束了哀悼。他命令侍从们在离开之前喝下葡萄汁。发酵的汁液浸透了他们的身体，他们突然感到陶醉非凡，幸福无比，并开始欢宴行乐，就像那个美丽的女人还在他们身边时一样。他们清醒之后，狄俄尼索斯带上一些枝蔓，决定周游世界去种葡萄树，并教会人们如何酿造葡萄酒，这样他的心爱之人便能永世长存。
Thus, to this day when we are drinking wine, we are tasting the passionate love of Dionysus and his beloved. The only thing left to relive the memory of the Dionysian feasts is to enjoy wine in a good company, nice setting, and with delicious food. So, come and create your own Dionysian mystery!
因此，直到今天，我们饮酒时，品尝到的是酒神狄俄尼索斯和他心上人热烈的爱。重温酒神的盛宴，我们要做的就是择良地、就佳肴，和伙伴们开怀畅饮。来吧，来创造自己的酒神秘仪吧！
注释：
1. 古希腊神话中的酒神和狂欢之神，奥林匹斯十二主神之一。酒神是宙斯与底比斯凡人塞墨勒（Semele）生下的儿子。
2. Dionysus’ mystery 古希腊的一种仪式，有时会使用迷幻剂和其他催眠技巧（如舞蹈和音乐）来消除压抑和社会约束，使人得到解放，回到自然状态。
3. entourage 伴随者，近侍。