英文故事:圣杯的故事

The Holy Grail

The Holy Grail is the cup that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea, the man who gave up his own tomb so that Jesus could be buried in it, kept the Grail and collected Jesus’ blood in it when Jesus was put to death on a cross. Joseph was wupposed to have taken it to Britain, where the cup was passed down from generation to generation in his family. Because the Holy Grail had belonged to Jesus, it had magic powers. It could supply food for those without sin, and make people who were not pure enough blind or mute when they came close to it. Later, however, when the Grail fell into the hands of a man who was evil and unworthy of owning it, it disappeared.

One day, when the Round Table Knights gathered in a hall in Arthur’s castle, the Grail appeared for a moment in the air accompanied with lightning, though most of the knights could not see it. Then 150 knights decided to sarch throughout Britain for the Grail. The knights went through many dangerous adventures during their search. Lancelot failed in the search, because of the sin of his love affair with Guenevere; Gawain gave up the search. Only three knights---Bors, Galahad, and Perceval---were pure enough in life to find the Grail in the castle of Corbenic. They took the Grail to the distant city of Sarras. There, after Galahad died, Bors and Perceval saw the Grail rise into heaven. According to the legend, no one has been seen the Holy Grail since that time.

圣杯的故事

传说圣杯是耶稣在最后的晚餐上使用过的杯子。圣经里讲，亚利马太的约瑟领取了耶稣的遗体，将他葬在自己的墓穴里。据说就是这个约瑟保存了耶稣的杯子，并在耶稣被钉上十字架时用杯子承接了耶稣的血液。约瑟把杯子带到了不列颠，当做家中的传世之宝。由于杯子是耶稣的，所以有神力，可以为清白人提供无穷无尽的食粮，但若是无德的人接近它，不是变成瞎子就是变成哑巴。后来，由于圣杯落入恶人之手，便消失得无影无踪了。

有一天，众骑士在亚瑟的宫廷中聚会时，圣杯伴随着雷霆出现在空中，虽然大多数骑士无法看见它。此后150名骑士出发到不列颠各地去寻找圣杯，历尽千辛万苦。朗斯洛未能找到圣杯，因为他与圭内维尔有暧昧关系；高文也中途作罢，只有三个骑士——博斯、珀西瓦尔和加拉哈德由于纯洁无暇在戈比尼克城堡见到了圣杯。他们把圣杯带到萨拉斯城。加拉哈德死后，圣杯升天，以后再没有人见过它。

题外话：有两部影片涉及圣杯，一部是美国片，斯皮尔伯格执导、哈里森•福特主演，名为《印第安纳•琼斯与最后的圣战》，或译《圣战奇兵》，1989年上映。影片讲印第安纳•琼斯寻找圣杯的故事。另一部是英国喜剧片《芒蒂•皮松与圣杯》，1975年上映。