Spirit ofRaven

云南曲靖市第一中学 庄季明

背景介绍

乌鸦被北美印第安人视为聪明和富有创造力的象征，主要源于印第安神话故事《乌鸦偷日》。传说一只乌鸦从一个居住于高山之巅的储藏光明的老人那里偷来太阳和月亮，送给了长期在黑暗中生活的人类。许多部落都将乌鸦作为自己的图腾，图腾柱上乌鸦口中所含的球就是太阳的象征。

情景对话

Marcie:Chayton，you're native American，right?Do you know anything about the Spirit of the Raven?I heard somewhere that ravens are really important to indigenous（土生土长的）people in the America，but I don't know why...Can you tell me something about it?

Chayton:Well，I am native American，but our family comes from the Sioux tribe.The raven is a very important animal for native peoples of the Pacific Northwest，which includes the coast of California，Oregon，Washington，and Alaska in the United States，and parts of Canada as well.From what I know about it，the ravenplays an outstanding role inmany native mythologies（神话） including the Tsimshian，Haida，Heiltsuk，Tlingit，Kwakwaka'wakw，Koyukons，and Inuit tribes.

Marcie:I've seen the raven represented in many art and functional pieces in museums...

Chayton:Yes，those pieces would be from these tribes.The raven in these indigenous peo-ples'stories is the one who created the world.Sometimes the raven is seen as the Creator，but also，he is often seen as a trickster（诡计多端的人）.

Marcie:Of all the animals tochoose from，what's so special about the raven?I have always thought the raven was kind of a symbol of bad luck in Western cultural traditions...probablybecause ofthe black color.

Chayton:The raven not onlyshows upin native American traditions，but it is also popular in many mythologies，including Greek and Norse.It means many things to many people，but in native American tradition，the raven is special because it is seen as a bridge between life and death.Ravens eat carrion （腐肉），so theyarecloselyassociated withdeath.For Western cultures，a raven might be a bad omen（征兆）.For the native peoples of the Pacific northwest，the stories tell of the raven bringing the sun，moon，and stars into the world.One story explains the black color of the raven is because it was burned from carrying the fire of the sun in its mouth.

Marcie:That's really interesting！Those of us coming from a Western perspective might think the raven brings bad luck because it is black and is associated with death.But to native peoples，the raven touches the pathway between this life and the next and the color is a reminder of the light in the world.But it's just two different ways of looking at the same bird.

译文助读

玛西：查顿，你是土生土长的美国人吧？你知道乌鸦精灵吗？我听说乌鸦对于美国本土人非常重要，但我不知道这是为什么……你能和我说说吗？

查顿：哦，我虽然是土生土长的美国人，但是我的家族来自苏族部落。乌鸦对于太平洋西北地区的本土人是非常重要的，包括美国的加利福尼亚州沿海地区、俄勒冈州、华盛顿州、阿拉斯加州，以及加拿大的部分地区。据我所知，乌鸦在当地的许多神话故事中扮演着重要的角色，包括钦西安族、海德族、海尔楚克族、特林吉特族、夸夸嘉夸族、科育康族和因纽特部落。

玛西：我在博物馆看到了许多艺术品和功能性展品里面都有乌鸦的形象……

查顿：嗯，那些展品应该是源自这些部落的。在这些土著人的故事中，乌鸦是世界的创造者。有时，乌鸦被视为上帝；但有时，乌鸦也被视为诡计多端的人。

玛西：有那么多动物可以选择，为什么要选乌鸦呢？我一直以为，在西方文化传统中，乌鸦象征着霉运……或许因为它是黑色的吧。

查顿：乌鸦不仅出现在美国土著人的传统中，在希腊和挪威等国的神话中也很常见。它对于不同的人有着不同的含义，但在美国的土著传统中，乌鸦的特别之处在于它代表生与死之间的桥梁。乌鸦吃腐肉，因此人们将它与死亡紧紧地联系在一起。在西方文化中，乌鸦可能是一个不好的征兆。但在太平洋西北地区的土著人的故事中，乌鸦将太阳、月亮和群星带到了这个世界上。有一个故事讲的是，乌鸦之所以是黑色的，是因为它将太阳衔在嘴里而被太阳之火烧伤了。

玛西：那个故事很有意思呀。我们这些持西方观点的人可能会认为乌鸦会带来厄运，因为它是黑色的，让人联想到死亡。不过对于土著人而言，乌鸦是连接此生和来生的桥梁，它的黑色提醒人们记住世界的光明。然而这只是看待同一种鸟的两种不同的看法。

Language study

1.play an outstanding role in在……中扮演突出的角色

2.choose from从……中选择

3.because of因为

4.show up出现；露面

5.be associated with与……有关；与……有关系