[希臘神話]恩底彌翁

Endymion

End ymion was a handsome young shepherd who kept his flocks of sheep on Mt Latmos，Asia
Minor ．Living in aquiet，lovely valley，he lived a perfectly peaceful life．Sometimes when his sheep grazed happily on some rich grass around，he would lie down on the meadow and sleep soundly，completely free from worldly griefs and cares．

One clear，bright night，as Artemis drove her carriageacross the heavens，her eyes chanced upon a beautiful
youth sleeping in the peaceful valley below．Her heart beat with love and admiration．She came down from her moon carriage and gave a quick but passionate kiss on his face．Even the sleepy End ymion was fascinated at the sight of the fair maiden as heopened his eyes．But the vision disappeared so soon that he regarded the whole scene as a dream．Every night Artemis floated down to steal a kiss from the lips of the sleeping shepherd untilher occasional carelessness of
duty
caused the suspicion of Zeus．The father of gods and men decided to remove the earthlytemptation to the goddess forever．He called for Endymion on to him and ordered him to choose between death in any form and everlasting youth in perpetual dreamy
sleep ．The shepherdchose the latter，and he still slept on Mt Latmos，with the moon goddess sadly visiting and kissing him every night．

恩底彌翁是位風度翩翩的青年牧羊人，他在小亞細亞的拉塔莫斯山牧羊。他住在一幽靜明媚的山谷中，過着無憂無慮的日子。有時，當羊羣在四周茂盛的草地上逍遙自在地吃草時，他就在草地上沉睡，絲毫不受人世間悲傷與憂慮的侵擾。

一個皓月當空的夜晚，當阿爾特彌斯駕着馬車穿越天空時，無意中看到一位漂亮青年正在下面靜謐的山谷中睡覺。她芳心蕩漾，對他充滿愛慕之情。她從月亮馬車中滑翔而下，匆忙而深情地偷吻了一下他的臉，甚至當熟睡中的恩底彌翁睜開雙眼看到仙女時，也有點神魂顛倒。但眼前的一切很快消失，以致他誤認爲這是一場夢幻。每天夜間，阿爾特彌斯都從空中飄下偷吻熟睡中的牧羊人。然而女神偶爾一次的失職引起了主神宙斯的注意。衆神與人類之父決定永遠清除人間對女神的誘惑。他將恩底彌翁召到身邊令他作出選擇：任何形式的死亡；或者在永遠的夢幻中青春永在。牧羊人選擇了後者。他仍睡在拉塔莫斯山上。每晚月亮女神懷着悲哀的心情看望他，吻他。