Icarus and Daedalus《伊卡洛斯与代达罗斯》

爱艺/译

Standing on a marble ledge， Icarus and his father Daedalus are almost nude， save for some artfully billowing drapery. The son reaches up earnestly to grasp the wings fastened on his back， while the older man offers words of advice or warning. Beyond the plinth and statue in the immediate1 background， the image falls away dramatically， revealing a lush cove， deep blue ocean， and distant mountain range.

伊卡洛斯和其父代达罗斯站在大理石平台上，两人几近裸体，遮体的只有几块轻盈飘动的布幔。儿子热切地向上伸出手，去抓绑在背上的翅膀，老父则在一旁说着什么，可能是建议，也可能在提醒。近处背景中有一座带底座的雕像，再远处的图景陡然下沉，可以看见植被茂盛的海湾、深蓝的海洋，还有遥远的山脉。

In Greek mythology Daedalus is the father of Icarus， who crafts wings for himself and his son to escape their bondage on Knossos2. Despite being warned， Icarus flies too close to the sun， melting his wax wings and falling to his death. Frederic Leighton depicts the moment before the consummation3 of the tragedy， Icaruss hubristic4 confidence evident in his single-minded gaze towards the horizon， whilst Daedaluss concern is suggested in his close grasping of the wing-straps around his sons chest. The fact that Icarus seems to grasp at air rather than his hand-straps may hint at what is about to unfold.

在希腊神话中，代达罗斯是伊卡洛斯的父亲，他不想余生被束缚在克诺索斯，为了逃离，他给自己和儿子制作了羽翼。尽管父亲有过提醒，伊卡洛斯还是不小心飞得离太阳过近，结果羽翼的封蜡融化，他栽落而亡。弗雷德里克·莱顿描绘的是悲剧最终落幕前的时刻：伊卡洛斯专注地凝望天边，显然过于自信，而代达罗斯紧紧抓着儿子胸前的翼带，担忧之情表露无疑。伊卡洛斯的手似乎没有抓到羽翼的拉手，而是抓空了——这或许暗示了即将发生之事。

At the forefront of5 this image， as with so much of Leightons work， is the beauty of the youthful male body. Icaruss supple musculature and strong facial profile are picked out against the almost Rococo swirl of black material， offering a prototype of the male nude commonplace in aesthetic and symbolist art of the late nineteenth century. The fact that the background falls away so drastically from the outcrop induces a sense of vertigo for the viewer， a danger that Icaruss bright beauty initially masks. In this way， just like Icarus， we are invited to focus on the exhilaration of discovery above our awareness of danger.

萊顿有许多作品突出表现年轻男性的体魄之美，此画亦如此。黑色布料形成极具洛可可风格的旋涡，在其映衬下，伊卡洛斯柔韧的肌肉和棱角分明的面部轮廓显得尤为醒目，堪称19世纪末审美及象征主义艺术中常见的男性裸体形象的范本。事实上，背景从突出的平台陡降，落差如此之大，会令观者产生眩晕感，这种险况被乍看时伊卡洛斯耀眼的英俊所掩盖。由此，就像伊卡洛斯一样，观者注意力被引向探索的喜悦，忽略了危险的存在。

1 immediate接近的；附近的。  2克诺索斯，传说中米诺斯王的王宫，位于克里特岛。希腊神话中，雅典著名建筑师代达罗斯因妒杀害自己侄子后逃到克里特寻求米诺斯的庇护，并应国王委托设计建造了米诺斯迷宫；但他思恋故乡，同时对国王心生警惕，于是想方设法逃走；为防止米诺斯从水陆堵截，他收集羽毛精心制作了大小两对羽翼，计划与儿子从空中逃离。  3 consummation完成；使完美。文中指悲剧最终发生。  4 hubristic傲慢的；狂妄的。名词为hubris。

5 at/in/to the forefront （of sth） 处于重要（或主要）地位。