Nile water-lily, Egyptian lotus
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尼羅河水仙，埃及蓮花，齒葉睡蓮
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Nymphaea Lotus
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睡蓮科
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Nymphaeaceae
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λωτός
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下面圖片出處: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaea_lotus
柯蒂斯植物學雜誌所描繪的齒葉睡蓮
希臘文的λωτός有很多可能，參考Herodotus的說法，可能指馬的飼料，當然也可能指蓮花或睡蓮，如 Nymphaea lotus, Nymphaea caerulea, 或 Nymphaea stellata。這裡我們就已埃及蓮花(Nymphaea lotus)為主軸。
古埃及崇拜埃及蓮花，他是創造的象徵。而古希臘，蓮花是純潔與樸實的象徵。克普特國旗(Coptic flag)中也以蓮花當成重要元素。
主題: 奇幻之旅--食蓮島
Odysseus的回家之路，也是一連串的奇幻之旅。《奧德賽》第九卷第39-104行最先提到兩個景點: Cicones和The Libyan Lotophagi (我的翻譯: 食蓮族)。到了Cicones，他們本攻破城市，擄獲許多財物，Odysseus要大家見好就收，快點離開，但是大家不肯，一直逗留開懷暢飲，Cicones召集更多族人攻打Odysseus手下的人，Odysseus一行人落荒而逃，每一艘船都死了六個同伴。
在海上漂流多日，第九天還在對抗頑強的風，在大海中載乘載浮，這裡用一個形容詞修飾地中海: 有滿滿魚的(ἰχθυόεις:
full of fish, fishy)。第十天接觸到陸地，就是食蓮島，這裡的人都吃花，這花是Lotus，一般翻譯成蓮花，不過希臘文的λωτός有很多可能。Odysseus一行人登島取淨水，在船隻旁吃飽。這次他們比較謹慎，Odysseus派兩名人員，加上一名傳令官到島上打聽消息，食蓮族的人不會想要殺害他們，只是請他們吃蓮花，這花吃了，就會想留在食蓮島，完全忘記回家鄉。Odysseus怕其他人也吃這花，忘了家鄉，命令大家迅速離開。這個典故也說明古希臘的λωτός和遺忘(λανθάνω，escape notice)總是連結一起。
傳說中，食蓮族住在北非附近的島，可能是Djerba，島上的蓮花和其它花朵具有麻醉藥效(narcotic)，吃了會安眠與鎮靜。再一次強調，很多學者認為這裡的λωτός絕對不是埃及睡蓮(Egyptian Lotus)，食蓮族應該是吃下不少種不同具有鎮靜與安眠的植物，鎮日昏昏沉沉。所以Odysseus是對的，要他的船員快離開這裡，染上這些「毒癮」就沒救了。
化學成分說明: 資料來源 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaea_lotus
The
chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts of the leaf shows the presence
of phenolic compounds (flavonoids, coumarins and tannins), sterols and
alkaloids. Other compounds include myricitrin, myricetin
3-(6''-p-coumaroylglucoside), myricetin-3'-O-(6"-p-coumaroyl) glucoside
and two epimeric macrocyclic derivatives, nympholide A and B,
myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside and penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose.
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字彙:
ἐννῆμαρ:
for nine days
ὀλοός:
destructive, deadly
ἄνεμος:
wind
ἰχθυόεις:
full of fish, fishy
δέκατος:
tenth
Λωτοφάγοι:
Lotus-eaters
ἀνθινός:
like flowers, blooming
εἶδαρ:
food
ὄλεθρος:
ruin, destruction, death
λωτός: Nile water-lily, Egyptian lotus, Nymphaea Lotus
ἔνθεν δ᾽ ἐννῆμαρ φερόμην ὀλοοῖς ἀνέμοισιν
πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἰχθυόεντα: ἀτὰρ δεκάτῃ
ἐπέβημεν
γαίης Λωτοφάγων, οἵ τ᾽ ἄνθινον εἶδαρ ἔδουσιν.
ἔνθα δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἠπείρου βῆμεν καὶ ἀφυσσάμεθ᾽
ὕδωρ,
αἶψα δὲ δεῖπνον ἕλοντο θοῇς παρὰ
νηυσὶν ἑταῖροι.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ σίτοιό τ᾽ ἐπασσάμεθ᾽ ἠδὲ
ποτῆτος,
δὴ τοτ᾽ ἐγὼν ἑτάρους προΐειν πεύθεσθαι
ἰόντας,
οἵ τινες ἀνέρες εἶεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ σῖτον
ἔδοντες
ἄνδρε δύω κρίνας, τρίτατον κήρυχ᾽
ἅμ᾽ ὀπάσσας.
οἱ δ᾽ αἶψ᾽ οἰχόμενοι μίγεν ἀνδράσι
Λωτοφάγοισιν:
οὐδ᾽ ἄρα Λωτοφάγοι μήδονθ᾽ ἑτάροισιν
ὄλεθρον
ἡμετέροις, ἀλλά σφι δόσαν λωτοῖο πάσασθαι.
τῶν δ᾽ ὅς τις λωτοῖο
φάγοι μελιηδέα καρπόν,
οὐκέτ᾽ ἀπαγγεῖλαι πάλιν ἤθελεν οὐδὲ
νέεσθαι,
ἀλλ᾽ αὐτοῦ βούλοντο μετ᾽ ἀνδράσι
Λωτοφάγοισι
λωτὸν ἐρεπτόμενοι μενέμεν νόστου
τε λαθέσθαι.
τοὺς μὲν ἐγὼν ἐπὶ νῆας ἄγον
κλαίοντας ἀνάγκῃ,
νηυσὶ δ᾽ ἐνὶ γλαφυρῇσιν ὑπὸ ζυγὰ
δῆσα ἐρύσσας.
αὐτὰρ τοὺς ἄλλους κελόμην ἐρίηρας
ἑταίρους
σπερχομένους νηῶν ἐπιβαινέμεν ὠκειάων,
μή πώς τις λωτοῖο φαγὼν νόστοιο
λάθηται.
οἱ δ᾽ αἶψ᾽ εἴσβαινον καὶ ἐπὶ κληῖσι
καθῖζον,
ἑξῆς δ᾽ ἑζόμενοι πολιὴν ἅλα
τύπτον ἐρετμοῖς.
Nine days fierce winds drove me away from there,
across the fish-filled seas, and on the tenth
we landed where the Lotus-eaters live,
across the fish-filled seas, and on the tenth
we landed where the Lotus-eaters live,
people who feed upon its flowering fruit.
We went ashore and carried water back.
Then my companions quickly had a meal
by our swift ships. We had our food and drink,
and then I sent some of my comrades out
to learn about the men who ate the food
the land grew there. I chose two of my men
and with them sent a third as messenger.
They left at once and met the Lotus-eaters,
who had no thought of killing my companions,
but gave them lotus plants to eat, whose fruit,
sweet as honey, made any man who tried it
lose his desire ever to journey home
or bring back word to us—they wished to stay,
to remain among the Lotus-eaters,
feeding on the plant, eager to forget
about their homeward voyage. I forced them,
eyes full of tears, into our hollow ships,
dragged them underneath the rowing benches,
and tied them up. Then I issued orders
for my other trusty comrades to embark
and sail away with speed in our fast ships,
in case another man might eat a lotus
and lose all thoughts about his journey back.
They raced on board, went to their places,
and, sitting in good order in their rows,
struck the grey sea with their oar blades.
We went ashore and carried water back.
Then my companions quickly had a meal
by our swift ships. We had our food and drink,
and then I sent some of my comrades out
to learn about the men who ate the food
the land grew there. I chose two of my men
and with them sent a third as messenger.
They left at once and met the Lotus-eaters,
who had no thought of killing my companions,
but gave them lotus plants to eat, whose fruit,
sweet as honey, made any man who tried it
lose his desire ever to journey home
or bring back word to us—they wished to stay,
to remain among the Lotus-eaters,
feeding on the plant, eager to forget
about their homeward voyage. I forced them,
eyes full of tears, into our hollow ships,
dragged them underneath the rowing benches,
and tied them up. Then I issued orders
for my other trusty comrades to embark
and sail away with speed in our fast ships,
in case another man might eat a lotus
and lose all thoughts about his journey back.
They raced on board, went to their places,
and, sitting in good order in their rows,
struck the grey sea with their oar blades.
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台北植物園的睡蓮
(拍攝日期2014.06.02)
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