1.tantalus：致命的诱惑，生存本能的诱惑
tantalize：逗弄

Tantalus was the rich and mighty king of Lydia．Son of Zeus by a fairy maiden，he was greatly favored by the gods．He was invited to share wine and food with them at their banquets，and he was let into their secrets ．But ever the latter end of joy is woe ．Either because he had stolen wine or gave away the secrets of Zeus，or because he had become so proud as to test the gods by serving up the flesh of his son Pelops to them，he incurred the wrath of Zeus and was hurled down to the everlasting darkness of tartarus ．There he was made to stand up to his chin in a little lake，with clusters of luscious fruits hanging over and around his head．He strove eternally to drink the ever-evading water and to clutch at the delicious fruits which were ever tossed out of his reach by blasts of wind．Thus he was doomed to endure endless burning thirst and bitter hunger in the world of the shades．The whole occurrence has given rise to the expression“tantalizing”，meaning something in plain view but unattainable ．

坦塔罗斯是罗底亚富有而又强大的国王。他是宙斯和一位仙女的儿子，深受众神喜爱。众神请他参加宴会，与他们共享美酒与美食，并且还让他了解他们的秘密。然而乐极生悲。或许是他偷了美酒、或者泄露了宙斯的秘密、或许是他太骄傲以至于献上自己儿子珀罗普斯的肉来检验神的智慧，他招致了宙斯的愤怒，被打入了永远黑暗的地狱中。在那里他被迫站定于一小湖中，水没至下颌，无数甜美的水果悬于头顶和四周。他从不间歇地努力喝水，但水总是从嘴边流走；他试图抓住那些美味的水果，但总是被阵阵来风吹离，使他无法得到。因而他注定要在阴间遭受炙渴和难以忍受的饥饿。“tantalizing”一词即由此而来，意思是在眼前却无法得到的某个东西。

 

2.echo：回声 ；narcissus：水仙

Narcissus was a handsome youth．His lovely face and graceful form were the admiration of all who looked upon him．And he knew it．He was proud that he thought no one but himself was worthy to see his youthful beauty．Thus given up tosweet thoughts of self，narcissus avoided all company．Heroamed the wooded little valleys every day，madly in love withhimself．

When he was delightfully wandering through the woods oneday，a wood fairy maiden，echo by name，caught sight of him．She was excited at once．joyfully coming down towards narcissus，she stretched out her loving arms．To her dismay，however，the young man roughly brushed her aside and went by without so much as a glance at her．The poor fairy maiden''s face turned red and quickly withdrew to a shady spot ，following the object of her love with her longing eyes．

Presently narcissus stopped to drink from a little stream．Kneeling down on the bank，he saw a lovely face in the clear water．his heart gave a beat．He smiled and was smiled back to．Thinking that it must be a maiden in love with him，he bent down to kiss her．And her lips also drew near his．But as soon a she touched the clear surface the lovely face disappeared．The angry youth was now desperate．Never had he been looked downupon like that before．Day and night，he stayed at the stream without drinking and eating．Before long he died，never suspecting that his maiden was just his own image in the stream．the gods took pity on the fair dead body and turned it into a flower bearing his name．

The intoxicated echo saw all this．Slowly she became weak for despised love，until at last nothing remained of her except her voice．

回声和那西塞斯

那西塞斯是一位英俊的青年，面容可爱，体形优美。他深信，他的容貌会使每个见到他的人羡慕不已。他很骄傲，认为除了自己之外，别人都不配欣赏他那充满青春气息的面庞。因而，他沉溺于甜美的自我欣赏之中，远离所有的人，在苍翠蓊郁的小山谷中终日闲逛，他成了一位自恋狂。

一天，那西塞斯在树林中愉快地游荡。一位名叫回声的仙女一看见他就兴奋起来；她伸出爱的双臂，高兴地走向那西塞斯。然而，令她惊愕的是，这位青年粗暴地将她推开，连看都不看她一眼就走开了。这位可怜的仙女羞红了脸，迅速退到遮阴处，含情脉脉地凝望着心上人。

不久，那西塞斯来到一条小溪边饮水。当他跪在岸边时，他发现清澈的溪水中有一张非常可爱的面庞。他非常激动，并对着水中的人微笑，水中人也给了他一个微笑。他认为，一定是一位仙女爱上了他。于是，他就蹲下去吻她，她的嘴唇也向他靠拢。但是，当他的嘴唇一接触清澈的溪水，水中那张可爱的脸就消失了。这位恼怒的青年人此时变得绝望了，他从未被人如此鄙视过。他日夜呆在溪边，不吃不喝，不久就死了。他从未怀疑过水中的女子只是自己的影子罢了。众神非常怜悯他那优美的躯体，把他变成了一朵同名的花。

那位陶醉于爱河的回声亲眼目睹了这一切变化。慢慢地，她由于单相思而日渐憔悴；最后，除了声音之外，她已经一无所有。