[漂泊的荷兰人] 漂泊的荷兰人的泉水
时间：2019-01-08 03:25:30 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
翻译：洪馥芝 1)Superstitious sailors once believed that on stormy nights, a 2)phantom ship with its phantom captain and crew could be seen fighting against the wind?以前，迷信的水手相信每当暴风雨来临之夜，就会看到一艘鬼船。鬼船上有个幽灵船长，他带着手下的一帮水手，与风雨搏斗…… Vanderdecken’s Mistake In the year 1729 (different 3)versions have different years), a Dutch ship called the Flying Dutchman, captained by Vanderdecken, set sail towards the Cape of Good Hope ― Africa’s southernmost tip. The Cape of Good Hope was known for difficult sailing conditions and 4)shipwrecks. Vanderdecken was a 5)violent and disturbed captain who feared nothing and refused to back away from any situation. As the ship got close to the Cape, a violent storm broke out. The 6)fierce winds, huge waves and terrible lightening threatened to sink the Flying Dutchman, but the fearless captain had a plan of his own. There and then, Vanderdecken swore an 7)oath to the 8)Devil that he would round the Cape even if it took him until 9)Doomsday (the day that the world will come to an end). This act brought a terrible 10)curse down upon the captain, his crew and his ship. From that moment forth, they were forced to sail forever near the Cape as a ghost ship without rounding it. There were other versions of the legend. One of them goes like this: Angered by the difficulty he met in trying to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, the captain swore that he would succeed in rounding the Cape 11)at all costs. Satan was 12)offended by his act. He 13)condemned the captain to sail the 14)seven seas. Satan left him just one small hope ― that he could be 15)released from his curse only through the love of a woman. So the unfortunate captain returns to land every seven years in a hopeless search for release, because he can only find peace in the arms of a faithful woman. 16)Wagner’s opera, The Flying Dutchman, is mainly based on this version of the legend. 17)Omen of Disaster And so, for centuries from then on, the captain was seen piloting his phantom ship, its 18)canvas spread, its 19)masts 20)creaking in a fearful wind. Sometimes it was said that he led other ships 21)astray onto rocky 22)shoals and hidden 23)reefs. Also he was said to have turned sailors’ food supplies sour. His ship would sometimes draw alongside another ship and send letters aboard. But if the letters were opened and read, the ship would sink. Those who saw the captain himself claimed that he was bareheaded and full of regret, begging the heavens for mercy at last. In the 24)rigging of his ship, some said, they could see a crew of 25)skeletons, 26)grinning as they put on ever more sail. One method used by sailors to stay away from the curse of the Flying Dutchman was to nail 27)horseshoes to the masts of their ships, as this 28)was supposed to bring good luck. More Than Fiction Many people would doubt the existence of a “ghost ship” and quite rightly so. No 36)conclusive evidence of any type of ghost has ever been gathered, and most scientists refuse to believe that they exist at all. To this end, they have come up with an explanation for the supposed sightings, and even those people who do believe in ghosts would have to 37)admit that it is quite a good one. The 38)theory goes that the ghost ship is nothing more than an 39)optical illusion. Apparently modern day sailors are used to the sight of 40)hazy-looking ships appearing over the 41)horizon; they are simply 42)mirages caused by the 43)refraction of light rays. Although the existence of the Flying Dutchman and Captain Vanderdecken is known, it is likely that the stories of a phantom ship were started by superstitious sailors who saw this kind of mirage. Nevertheless, no definitive proof exists either way, so it would be better for anyone traveling on a ship to 44)steer clear of shining ships with 45)billowing sails, floating several feet above the water. 范德狄根之过 1729年（不同版本的故事所记录的年代不尽相同），一艘名为“漂泊的荷兰人”的荷兰船由船长范德狄根掌舵，启航驶向位于非洲最南端的好望角。好望角一带向来以航行条件恶劣和船只失事频繁著称。而这位范德狄根船长是一位性情暴烈又有点神经质的人，他无所畏惧，无论遇到什么艰难险阻都不会退缩。当船接近好望角时，那里突然刮起了暴风雨。风猛烈地刮着，海面上巨浪滔天，骇人的闪电仿佛要将“漂泊的荷兰人”击沉。然而，这位无畏的船长另有一番打算。当时，范德狄根对魔鬼许下诺言，发誓他一定会驶过好望角，哪怕世界末日来临他也在所不惜（在圣经记载中，“Doomsday”就是世界末日）。这种做法使他以及他的水手和整艘船都受到了可怕的诅咒。从那一刻开始，他们被迫如同鬼船一样在好望角附近一直航行，但永远也绕不过去。 关于这个传说还有其它的版本。其中之一是这么说的：范德狄根在绕过好望角的航程中遭遇到巨大的困难，他感到忿怒不已，于是发誓不惜一切代价，一定要成功绕过好望角。他的做法触怒了魔鬼撒旦，于是撒旦诅咒他，要他在七大洋中航行。撒旦只留给他一个希望―他只有在获得一个女人的爱之后才能从这个诅咒中解脱出来。因此，这位不幸的船长每隔七年才能上岸，无望地追寻着他的解脱―只有偎依在一个忠诚于他的女人的怀抱里时，他才能得到安宁。瓦格纳的歌剧《漂泊的荷兰人》就是根据这一版本的传说创作的。 不祥之兆 因此，从那以后的数个世纪以来，总是有人看见范德狄根船长驾驶着他的鬼船―船上的帆展开着，桅杆在强风中发出刺耳的吱咯声。据说，有时候这艘鬼船会将其它船只引向歧途，把它们引到有浅滩和暗礁的地方。又有传闻说范德狄根船长会让水手的食物变馊、腐坏。他的船有时候会和其它船只并排而行，并把信件扔到其它船只上面去。但如果有人把信拆开来看，那么那艘船就会沉没。那些声称亲眼见过范德狄根船长的人说他头上没有戴帽子，并且充满忏悔之意，乞求上天最终可以宽恕他。还有人说，在鬼船的绳索架上有一群骷髅水手，每次张帆启航的时候，他们都咧着一口森森白牙狰狞地笑着。 水手们用来避开“漂泊的荷兰人”诅咒的一个办法，就是在船的桅杆上钉马蹄铁，因为据说这样做可以带来好运气。 远非虚构小说 “漂泊的荷兰人”号曾在许多作家笔下都出现过，但这个故事远非只是虚构小说那么简单。人们曾多次看见这艘鬼船，甚至到了20世纪还有关于它的报导，其中包括二战期间一艘德国潜艇的水手所作的报告。 历史上最早的关于鬼船影像的记载之一，来自1835年一艘英国船的船长及其船员。据记载，他们看见那艘鬼船向他们驶过来，整艘船笼罩在一团暴风雨之中。它驶得很近，英国船员甚至害怕两艘船会相撞，但之后那艘鬼船就突然消失了。 1881年7月11日，英国皇家海军巴坎堤号正要绕过非洲好望角时，人们突然看到“漂泊的荷兰人”号。根据当时一名海军准少尉（一位王子，后来成为英王乔治五世）的记载，�望员和监察官亲眼看见了“漂泊的荷兰人”号： “突然出现了一团幽灵般的红光，看起来就像一艘奇怪的、幽灵似的船。更加奇异的是，船身的各种特征从200码以外都可以一目了然。” 不幸的是，在该次航程中，这位�望员在目睹鬼船后不久就从桅杆上跌下来摔死了。但对于英国皇室而言，幸运的是那位年轻的王子逃过了那个诅咒，幸存下来。 有关鬼船出现的最后一次记载是1942年开普敦的海面：4个人看见“漂泊的荷兰人”号驶入桌湾……却突然消失了。 “漂泊的荷兰人”――解释何在？ 许多人都会怀疑这样一艘“鬼船”是否真的存在。对这个问题心存疑问是十分自然的。至今尚无任何确证可以证明鬼魂的存在，而大多数科学家完全拒绝相信它们的存在。为了证实他们的观点，这些科学家们对目睹所谓的鬼船作出了一个解释，就连那些相信鬼魂存在的人也不得不承认这个解释是比较合理的。 根据这个理论，鬼船只不过是一种视错觉。显然，现在的船员们已经对海平面尽头出现的朦胧的船只影像见怪不怪了，这些都只是光线折射所造成的海市蜃楼而已。虽然“漂泊的荷兰人”号以及范德狄根船长都已广为人知，但鬼船的故事最初可能只是由一些看到过这种海市蜃楼现象的迷信水手传开的。 然而，因为两种结论都没有确切证据，所以如果在航行中看到闪闪发光、帆张得鼓鼓的、浮在水面上数尺高的船只时，大家最好还是避之则吉吧。
