泰西50轶事(三十一) 达蒙和皮西亚斯 江铭辉五梦网
泰西50轶事(Fifty Famous Stories Retold)，是永恒的短篇故事，它收集的故事：包括浩瀚历史的著名英雄和他们的罗曼史，故事内容有勇气、毅力和情感。故事人物包括拿破仑、罗宾汉，乔治华盛顿、成吉思汗等人。这些故事都是老少咸宜的故事，我将它逐篇翻译，并配合图画，供大家欣赏。
泰西50轶事(三十)达蒙和皮西亚斯
原文及翻译如下：
Damon and Pythias
达蒙和皮西亚斯(图1)
图1：达蒙和皮西亚斯
A young man whose name was Pythias had done something which the tyrant Dionysius did not like. For this offence he was dragged to prison,
and a day was set when he should be put to death. His home was far away, and he wanted very much to see his fatherand mother and friends before he died.
有一个年轻人名叫皮西亚斯，他曾经做了一些让暴君狄奥尼修斯(图2)讨厌的事情。因为这个罪名他被抓进了监狱，处死的日子也被定下了。他的家离这里很远，他很想在临死之前见一见他的父母和朋友们。
图2：狄奥尼修斯一世
“Only give me leave to go home and say good bye to those whom I love,”he said,“and then I will come back and give up my life.”
“我唯一的希望是让我回去和那些亲爱的人告个别，”他说，“然后我会回来送命的。”
The tyrant laughed at him.
“How can I know that you will keep your promise?”he said.“You only want to cheat me, and save yourself.”
Then a young man whose name was Damon spoke and said,“O king! Put me in prison in place of my friend Pythias, and let him go to his own country to put his affairs in order, and to bid his friends farewell. I know that he will come back as he promised, for he is a man who has never broken his word. But if he is not here on the day which you have set, then I will die in his stead.
暴君对他大笑起来。
“我怎么知道你会遵守诺言呢？”他说，“你只是想欺骗我，来救自己罢了。”
后来有一个叫达蒙的年轻人请求道：
“国王啊！把我关进监狱来代替我的朋友皮西亚斯，让他回家安排后事，向他的朋友们告别吧。我知道他会遵守诺言回来的，因为他是一个从不食言的人。如果到了国王你定下的那个死刑的日子还没有回到这里，那么我就替他去死。”
The tyrant was surprised that anybody should make such an offer. He at last agreed to let Pythias go, and gave orders that the young man Damon should be shut up in prison.
暴君非常惊讶竟然有人会提出这样的请求。他终于同意让皮西亚斯回去，并下令将这个年轻人达蒙关进监狱。
Time passed, and by and by the day drew near which had been set for Pythias to die; and he had not come back.
时光飞逝，皮西亚斯的死期一天天接近了，可他还没有回来。
The tyrant ordered the jailer to keep close watch upon Damon, and not let him escape. But Damon did not try to escape. He still had faith in the truth and honour of his friend. Hesaid, “If Pythias does not come back in time, it will not be his fault. It will be because he is hindered against his will.”
暴君命令狱卒对达蒙严加看守，不要给他逃跑了。但是达蒙并不试图逃走。他仍然信任朋友的诚实和道义。他说：“如果皮西亚斯没有及时赶回来，那不是他的错。一定是他的意愿受到了阻碍。”
At last the day came, and then the very hour. Damon was ready to die.
His trust in his friend was as firm as ever, and he said that he did not grieve at having to suffer for one whom he loved so much.
死刑的那一天终于来到了，那是关键的时刻也到了，达蒙已准备去死了。他仍然像从前那样坚信着他的朋友，说要为一个他深爱的人去送死，他并不感到悲痛。
Then the jailer came to lead him to his death; but at the same moment Pythias stood in the door. He had been delayed by storms and shipwreck, and he had feared that he was too late. He greeted Damon kindly, and then gave himself into the hands of the jailer. He was happy because he thought that he had come in time, even though it was at the last moment.
于是，狱卒押他去受死刑了(图3)。但就在这个时候，皮西亚斯站在了门口。他被暴风雨把船只打破而耽误了，他深怕自己来晚了。他亲切地向达蒙打招呼，然后把自己交到狱卒手里。他很高兴，因为他及时赶到，虽然这是最后的一刻。
图3：狱卒押达蒙去受死刑时，皮西亚斯匆匆赶到。
The tyrant was not so bad but that he could see good in others. He felt that men who loved and trusted each other, as did Damon and Pythias, ought not to suffer unjustly. And so he set them both free.
这个暴君还不至于这样坏，他也能看清，别人的好品德。他觉得像达蒙和皮西亚斯那么互相爱护和信赖的人，不应该遭到这样不公正的处决。于是他把他俩都释放了。
“I would give all my wealth to have one such friend.”he said.
“我宁愿用我所有的财富去换一个这样的朋友。”他说。
达蒙和皮西亚斯的简介
一、希腊传说
关于亚里士多塞诺斯(Aristoxenus)，和在他之后的罗马雄辩家西塞罗（Cicero）、西西里的历史学家狄奥多罗斯(Diodorus Siculus)，和其他大约在公元前5世纪的人的说法，皮西亚斯和他的好朋友达蒙，二人跟随希腊的哲学家毕达哥拉斯(Pythagoras)，前往昔拉库斯(Syracuse)。皮西亚斯被指控密谋反抗昔拉库斯的暴君狄奥尼修斯一世(Dionysius I)，狄奥尼修斯一世将皮西亚斯判死刑。
接受暴君的判决，皮西亚斯要求最后让他回家一次，来处理自己的事务，并和他的家人告别。国王不想被看作是傻瓜，拒绝了，因为他相信一旦释放皮西亚斯，他就会逃跑，不会再回来。
达蒙主动提出要代替皮西亚斯，而他回家。国王同意了，条件是达蒙承诺皮西亚斯如果没有返回，达蒙将代替皮西亚斯被处死。
达蒙同意了，皮西亚斯被释放。
狄奥尼修斯相信，皮西亚斯永远不会回来，当皮西亚斯答应要回来的这一天，狄奥尼修斯准备执行达蒙死刑。但正当刽子手正要杀死达蒙时，皮西亚斯回来了。
皮西亚斯向达蒙道歉他延迟回来的原因，皮西亚斯告诉他：在回来昔拉库斯的途中，海盗如何夺取了他的船和将他扔进海里。
狄奥尼修斯倾听皮西亚斯的叙述，他如何游到岸边，并可能快速寻路回到昔拉库斯，到达的时候，正好救他的朋友。
狄奥尼修斯对他们的友谊是如此的高兴和惊讶，因此赦免了他们两个。也有人说，狄奥尼修斯，后来想加入作为他们的第三个朋友，但被他们拒绝了。
另一个版本说：由狄奥尼修斯和他的臣子所拟订的一个测试计划。毕达哥拉斯学派以道德力量和优势而闻名。昔拉库斯的臣子认为这是假的。这个计划的设计，是利用生死者关头来测试毕达哥拉斯学派的道德力量。
二、根据传说的著作
在1564年，这个传说由英国诗人理查德德·爱德华兹(Richard Edwards)做成一部叫「达蒙和皮西亚斯」的悲喜剧(tragicomic play)。
在日本，短篇小说“跑吧！美乐斯！”根据传说1992年由东映公司，把它改编成动画。
1821年，爱尔兰诗人约翰‧巴尼(John Banim)基于(达蒙和皮西亚斯) 写了一个戏剧。
1962年的米高梅的电影「达蒙和皮西亚斯」仍然保存着古老的故事，它由盖伊·威廉姆斯(Guy William)演达蒙，和唐‧伯内特(Don Burnett)饰演皮西亚斯。
三、成语的使用
“Damon and Pythias(达蒙和皮西亚斯)”是一个成语，意思是“真正的友谊(true friendship)”。因此，狄德罗(Denis Diderot)的短篇小说，“从波旁(Bourbonne)来的两个朋友”（1770），开始是“那二个波旁的人，被称为达蒙和皮西亚斯。”
1895年杰克·伦敦(Jack London)用达蒙和皮西亚斯，作为“谁在鬼相信！(Who Believes in Ghosts!)书中的两位主角的昵称”。
在1940年的电影费城故事，特雷西主人(Tracy Lord)讽刺的说：德克斯特纽海文（C. K. Dexter Haven）和乔治·基特里奇（George Kittredge）就像达蒙和皮西亚斯是生死之交。