永远的维纳斯（四）-艺术宝库-休闲英语-轻松英语-洪恩在线

维纳斯的诞生局部

Adonis & Venus

　Aphrodite loved Adonis more than she did anybody else, for he was a brisk, lovely young hunter. She gave up her home at Olympus and took to the woods. In the woods she dressed herself up[1] like a huntress and kept the youth company all day long. With him she wandered through grounds and groves and over hills and valleys. She cheered hunting dogs and pursued animals of a harmless sort. They had a great time[2] together. However, she warned him many times not to chase[3] wild beasts like lions and wolves, but the young man just laughed at the idea.

　　One day, after warning him thus, she left for Olympus in her carriage. 维纳斯与阿多尼斯 Quite by chance Adonis' hunting dogs found a boar, which roused Adonis to enthusiasm. He hit the beast with an arrow, but the boar, turning on[4] him, buried its white tusk deep into his tender side and trampled him to death. When Aphrodite came back to find her lover cold in death, she burst into a passion of tears[5]. Unable to take him back from the lower world, she sprinkled wine on Adonis' blood and turnd it into anemone, a delicate purple flower.

　　Aphrodite was not calmed down yet. In grief and despair she flew to Zeus and begged Zeus'sympathy. Hades[6] was by no means[7] prepared to meet her request. After much dispute an agreement was worked out under which Adonis was to spend half the year above ground with Aphrodite, but the remaining six months in the Elysian Fields. Therefore, in spring time Adonis came back to the loving embrace of Aphrodite, but when winter came he had to return most reluctantly to Hades.

注释：

1．dress up：dress 作动词时，表示“给……穿衣服；穿衣”，如：Jim isn't old enough to dress himself. 虽然词组 dress up 也有“穿衣”的意思，但它主要表示：（为演戏、化装舞会等）着特殊服装。本文中阿芙洛狄特穿的不是女神的华丽衣服，而是别出心裁地穿得象个女猎手，所以要用词组dress up，再如：The children dressed themselves up as pirates (海盗).

2．have a great time：表示“渡过了一段美好时光”，time在这里是“一段时间”的意思，所以作可数名词，前面用冠词a来修饰。再来看下面的俗语：have the time of one's life 是“度过一段非常欢乐或愉快的时光”。

3．warn sb. not to do sth.：warn 后面跟不定式的否定式时，表示“告戒某人别做某事”。例如：We warned them not to go skating on such thin ice. Warn 也可以跟动名词，不过句型要变为：warn sb. against doing sth.例如：I warned him against eating indigestible (不易消化的) food(出自《英汉详注词典》) .

　　　　　　　　　　　
阿多尼斯与维纳斯

　　阿芙罗狄特爱阿多尼斯胜过爱别的任何人，因为他是一个精神抖擞、生气勃勃的少年猎手。她离开了奥林匹斯山上的住所，来到林中。她装扮成一个女猎手，让这个年轻人整日陪伴左右，并与他一起游遍了山林、河谷。她跟着猎狗，欢呼雀跃，追赶着无害的动物。他们一起渡过了一段美好时光。虽然她奉劝了他许多次不要捕杀像狮子和狼这样的猛兽，但年轻人只是嘲笑她的想法。

　　有一天，当她如此奉劝他之后，她坐上马车去奥林匹斯山。非常凑巧，阿多尼斯的猎狗发现了一头野猪，它使阿多尼斯感到热血沸腾，跃跃欲试。他一箭射中了这头野猪，但是野猪没死，掉过头向他冲击，长牙深深地扎进阿多尼斯的要害部位，将他抵死。当阿芙罗狄特回来之后，发现她的恋人尸骨已寒，她大哭起来。但无法将他从地府拉回阳间，她便在阿多尼斯的血上洒上葡萄酒，将它变作银莲花，一种紫色的小花。

　　阿芙罗狄特的心并没有因此平静下来，在忧伤和绝望心情的笼罩下，她飞到宙斯处，乞求他的怜悯。哈得斯根本不打算答应她的要求。经过一番口舌之争，他们达成协议：阿多尼斯每年可以到阳间和阿芙罗狄特相聚半年，但剩下的六个月得到天堂渡过。由此每当春天的时候，阿多尼斯就转世回到阿芙罗狄特身边享受她爱的拥抱，但到了冬天他又非常不情愿地，必须回到哈得斯那儿。

阿多尼斯之死

4．turn on：这里的turn on不是我们所熟知的“打开、开启”的意思，turn on sb. 表示“变为与……为敌；攻击”，例如：The dog turned on me and bit me in the leg. 与turn有关的词组很多，并且大都是日常用语，所以我们要注意平时多积累这样的词组。

5．burst into tears/laughter：burst into 是“突然发出，爆发出”，它后面接名词，当后面的名词是可数名词时，一般不加冠词：burst into leaf/flower (爆出叶芽/鲜花怒放)，但是有些说法习惯上用复数：burst into flames/tears（爆出烈焰/ 突然大哭）。

6．Hades (or Pluo)：哈得斯，古希腊神话中的冥王，宙斯和波塞东的兄弟。本词有时也指由冥王与其妻帕耳塞福涅主宰的冥府。有冥河把人世与阴间隔开，冥河有恨河、忘河、火焰河、呜咽河、哀河。

7．by no means：这个词组相当于not at all，即“决不，一点也不”；by all means 则是“当然，必定”的意思；而by any means 表示“无论如何，总而言之”。