2013年9月5日 星期四

6 moon trefoil

Achilles的馬到底吃甚麼草?
(答案五)
Medicago arborea
moon trefoil, shrub medick, and tree medick
木本苜蓿 / 月光三葉草
1.也是豆科植物,地中海盆地常見植物。常和細菌(Sinorhizobium meliloti)共生。






2. 是苜蓿屬(Medicago)植物,這類植物俗稱「三葉草」(三葉草亦可稱其他車軸草族或幸運草植物)。是一種多年生開花植物。其中最著名的是作為牧草的紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa)。是牲畜飼料。這也是認為古代馬吃苜蓿的原因。


Medicago granadensis
 

Iliad 2. 768-779


英文翻譯: Of horses best by far were the mares of the son of Pheres, those that Eumelas drave, swift as birds, [765] like of coat, like of age, their backs as even as a levelling line could make. These had Apollo of the silver bow reared in Pereia, both of them mares, bearing with them the panic of war. And of warriors far best was Telamonian Aias, while yet Achilles cherished his wrath; for Achilles was far the mightiest, [770] he and the horses that bare the peerless son of Peleus. Howbeit he abode amid his beaked, seafaring ships in utter wrath against Agamemnon, Atreus' son, shepherd of the host; and his people along the sea-shore took their joy in casting the discus and the javelin, and in archery; [775] and their horses each beside his own car, eating lotus and parsley of the marsh, stood idle, while the chariots were set, well covered up, in the huts of their masters. But the men, longing for their captain, dear to Ares, roared hither and thither through the camp, and fought not.



苜蓿Medicago sativa
以下介紹引用潘富俊。《中國文學植物學》。台北:貓頭鷹出版, 2011年。
1.(p. 74)
苜蓿原是牛馬飼料,小官生活清苦,只能以苜蓿嫩芽或幼苗佐餐。典出唐代薛令的自傷詩:「朝日上團團,照見先生盤。盤中何所有?苜蓿長闌干。」引申為「苜蓿生涯」、「苜蓿盤空」「苜蓿堆盤」的成語,意思是官小家貧。《儒林外史》第四十八回,余大先生說道:「我們老弟兄要時常屈你來談談,料不嫌我苜蓿風味怠慢你。」也是自謙之詞。

2.(p. 137)
l  江離、江蘺、江籬:按古代通典《博雅》的說法:「苗曰江離,根曰芎藭。」江離指的是芎藭地上部的幼苗,也是古老的名稱。《楚辭》一共有九篇出現芎藭植物,其中有六篇用的是「江離」。唐詩、宋詩及後世詩詞也喜用,如李商隱〈九日〉:「不學漢臣栽苜蓿,空教楚客詠江蘺。」及王禹偁〈幕次閒吟〉:「江籬吟盡鬢成霜,謫宦歸來夢一場。」
3. (p.165)
漢武帝從大宛取得汗血寶馬,同時引進飼料草
苜蓿。苜蓿除供餵食牛馬之外,嫩芽幼葉也能煮食供作菜蔬;也大量使用在農業上當綠肥植物。因此栽植普遍,到處均可採集,且「年年自生,刈苗作蔬,一年可三刈」,常作為菜蔬不足時的應急食物。詩文中多用於表示粗食淡菜,如宋.汪藻〈次韻向君受感秋〉:「且欲相隨苜蓿盤,不須多問沐猴冠。」及劉克莊〈次韻實之〉: 「向來歲月半投閒,莫嘆朝朝苜蓿盤。」

4.(p.185)
《全唐詩》鮑防〈雜感〉則提到「天馬常銜苜蓿花,胡人歲獻葡萄酒」天馬和葡萄酒是唐朝盛世的象徵。


5.(p.214)
從《詩經》到歷代的詩詞及章回小說,可以看出古人常採集的陸生野菜有蔞蒿、蕨、野碗豆、苦菜、薺菜、冬葵、藜、苜蓿、落葵等。這些野菜目前在鄉間仍有採食者。

6.(p.218)
l  苜蓿:原產西域,漢武帝由西域大量引進軍馬,張騫通西域時將苜蓿引進中國,最初當作馬飼料,後來亦充作蔬菜。蘇東坡〈元修菜〉:「張騫移苜蓿,適用如葵菘。」說的就是此事,葵是冬葵,菘是白菜。但苜蓿不是常蔬,只有蔬菜供應不及或貧窮人家才會採食。譬如宋人陳造〈謝兩知縣送鵝酒羊麵〉詩句:「不因同里兼同姓,肯念先生苜蓿盤。」及王炎〈用前韻答黃一翁〉:「細看苜蓿盤,豈減檳榔斛。」兩者都說明「苜蓿」為窮困時的食物或窮人的粗菜。

7.(p.318)

漢代開始,可以徵信的植物引進文獻逐漸增多。《史記》記載張騫通西域,帶回葡萄、胡桃、石榴、苜蓿等植物種子。這是植物引種最直接也最詳實的文獻紀錄。當代的文學作品也適切地反映出來,如東漢蔡邕的〈翠鳥詩〉、張衡的〈南都賦〉等,均已出現石榴記載;葡萄、苜蓿亦在多首漢賦、漢詩出現。

2013年9月1日 星期日

5-fenugreek

Achilles的馬到底吃甚麼草?
(答案三)
fenugreek
Trigonella Foenum-graecum
葫蘆巴


1. 葫蘆巴,又稱雲香草、香草、苦草、苦豆、苦朵菜、香苜蓿或香豆子等,為一年生豆科蝶形花亞科葫蘆巴屬的一種植物,其種子是調味料和中藥;不僅是一種蔬菜,也是一種藥材。 原產地中海地區,中國在四川、河南、甘肅、安徽等省也有栽培。 葫蘆巴為一年生草本植物,株高2080厘米,全株有香氣。莖直立多叢生 (維基百科) 其中之一的翻譯是香苜蓿,是羅念生翻譯時採用「苜蓿」的原因吧!





2. 目前考古在伊拉克(Tell Halal)發現碳化的胡蘆巴種子,約莫是西元前4000年留下;在Tutankhamen墳墓也有發現,屬於銅器時代的遺物。
3.  Cato the Elder [Marcus Porcius Cato (234 BC, Tusculum – 149 BC) ]認為古代人種幸運草、葫蘆巴、和紫雲英(vetch)等三種草,作為牛馬等牲畜的糧草。這也說明這裡的λωτός可能是葫蘆巴。
4. 另兩則古籍出處: Dsc.2.102; Gal.12.65 [待查證]
 

5. 西方飲食中香料之一,請參考BBC食譜: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/fenugreek
This is an aromatic Mediterranean plant that produces long pods containing oblong, brownish seeds. The seeds have a slightly bitter taste and are roasted and ground and used as a flavouring in curries. The leaves from the plant (often sold as methi) can be used in salads, and both fresh and dried leaves are used in Indian cookery. The seeds and the leaves have a strong aroma.

6.華人世界常拿來作為藥材:
葫蘆巴含有一些非常重要的化合物,含Diosgenin-β-D-glucosideDioscin25D-Spirosta-3, 5-dieneTigogeninGitogeninGitogeninYamogenin等皂苷成分,且含有VitexinsaponaretinIsoorientin、槲皮素(Quercetin)、木犀草素(Luteolin)等黃酮的成分、纖維、蛋白質、胺基酸與脂肪酸等重要化合物,這些活性化學物質構成了葫蘆巴主要的保健功效1,2。更多藥效請參考http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%83%A1%E8%8A%A6%E5%B7%B4


Iliad 2. 768-779


英文翻譯: Of horses best by far were the mares of the son of Pheres, those that Eumelas drave, swift as birds, [765] like of coat, like of age, their backs as even as a levelling line could make. These had Apollo of the silver bow reared in Pereia, both of them mares, bearing with them the panic of war. And of warriors far best was Telamonian Aias, while yet Achilles cherished his wrath; for Achilles was far the mightiest, [770] he and the horses that bare the peerless son of Peleus. Howbeit he abode amid his beaked, seafaring ships in utter wrath against Agamemnon, Atreus' son, shepherd of the host; and his people along the sea-shore took their joy in casting the discus and the javelin, and in archery; [775] and their horses each beside his own car, eating lotus and parsley of the marsh, stood idle, while the chariots were set, well covered up, in the huts of their masters. But the men, longing for their captain, dear to Ares, roared hither and thither through the camp, and fought not.


這裡的Lotus (λωτός),確定是馬吃的糧,還是有非常多的可能:
name applied to various plants and trees (Thphr.HP7.15.3, Plin.HN14.101, cf. Hsch.) providing fodder or fruit:
I. fodder plants,
1. clover, trefoil, Trifolium fragiferum, Od.4.603, Thphr.HP7.8.3, 7.13.5, Dsc. 4.111.
2. fellbloom, Lotus corniculatus, Il.14.348, Plin.HN22.55.
3. = τῆλις, fenugreek, Trigonella Foenum-graecum, Dsc.2.102; λ. ἄγριος wild fenugreek, T. gladiata, Id.4.111, Gal.12.65.
4. melilot, T. graeca, Thphr.HP9.7.3.
b. Italian melilot, Melilotus messanensis, Dsc.4.110, Gal. l.c.
5. = κύτισος, Medicago arborea, Ps.-Dsc.4.112.

II. Nile water-lily, Egyptian lotus, Nymphaea Lotus, Hdt.2.92, Thphr.HP4.8.9, PHib.1.152 (iii B.C.), Dsc.4.113, Plin.HN13.107; the blue species (Nymphaea stellata), Thphr.HP 4.8.11; also, Nymphaea Nelumbo, Ath.3.73a.

III. of trees found in Libya,
1. nettle-tree, Celtis australis, Thphr.HP1.5.3, 4.3.1, Dsc. 1.117, etc.; used for making flutes, Thphr.HP4.3.4: hence
b. in E. (lyr.) and later poets, flute, “λ. . . Μουσᾶν θεράπων” El.716, cf. Pae.Delph.12, AP7.182 (pl., Mel.); “Λίβυς λ.” E.Tr.544, Hel.170, IA 1036, prob. in Limen.13.
c. pipe inserted in the νάβλα, Sopat. 10.
d. tube or stalk of vaginal speculum, Aët. 16.89, Paul.Aeg. 6.73.
2. tree growing among the Lotophagi, Zizyphus Lotus, “λωτοῖο . . μελιηδέα καρπόν” Od.9.94, cf. Hdt.2.96, 4.177, Thphr.HP4.3.1-4, Plb.12.2.2.