哀歌覆国的诗人 Poet of Mourning Collapse

诗人的莳萝花冠 Poet's Dill Wreath

春日黄昏神庙前，最出色的吟游诗人将得到墨涅塔赐福的莳萝花冠。

Before the Temple of Dusk in spring, the most outstanding of bards will receive a dill wreath bequeathed by Mnestia.

「墨涅塔，我们向你祈福。若世上没有歌声，没了歌声的春天，没有树林会开出花朵……」

"Mnestia, we pray to you. For if the world had no song, there shall be no song-filled spring, and no forest will sprout blooms..."

用溪流濯洗双手，再用双手捧出清冽的供神佳酿，吟游诗人们聚集在神庙前，为谁能获得墨涅塔赐福的花冠彼此争论。以恋爱诗闻名的帕提亚三姐妹率先展露歌喉，紧接着是有一千个奇妙比喻的老诗人鲁珀。绮音妙语并未打动女神，面前的酒杯纹丝不动。

After cleansing both hands by the stream, then scooping out chilled wine as an offering to the god, the bards gather before the temple, bickering over who would receive Mnestia's blessed wreath. The three sisters of Parthia, renowned for their poems of love, demonstrate their song first. They are followed by an old man, Lupes, the poet with myriad mesmerizing metaphors. Lyrics of honeyed elegance do not move the goddess, the wine cup before them unmoving.

直到一位流浪的诗人，拨弄手中七弦的竖琴，弹奏起古老莎草纸上记载的故事。千年前的风沙席卷而来，故事这样开头：在世上还有众多城邦存在的时候，曾有一座城邦遭遇了恶龙的侵袭。

Until a wandering poet plucks the seven-stringed lyre in her hands, playing a tale written on ancient papyrus. Sand and winds from a millennia ago sweep across, and the story starts thus — In an age when many cities still existed in the world, a city was attacked by an evil dragon.

「哀歌我的故国——

"Lament for my homeland...

「怪物高踞殿堂，贵嗣沦为恶种，

A monster dwells in its palatial hall, noble heirs becoming vile scoundrels,

「只怪那闯入高塔的巨龙，

All because of that giant dragon that breached the high tower,

「蛊惑了我的王，吞吃了我国的公主……」

Corrupting my ruler, devouring my kingdom's princess..."

佳酿被女神斟饮而尽，流浪的诗人成了花冠的所有者。

The wine is imbibed fully by the goddess, and the wandering poet becomes the owner of their wreath.

诗人的贵金手镯 Poet's Gilded Bracelet

被人喜爱的金属打造的手镯，故事中的恶龙，也曾背负这样金属打造的枷锁。

A bracelet crafted from favored metal. The evil dragon in the story was once fettered in shackles made from this metal.

「人们从吉奥里亚的身躯里掘出黄金，这是第一样凶狠的金属，从此便有了阴谋和战争。」

"People dug up gold from Georios' body, the first fearsome metal of its kind. And thus deceit and war were born."

战争的起源已不可考，众多历史化作传说。可即便是传说——分明傲慢、诡计、贪婪才是人们争斗不休的起因，却让黄金无辜承担了罪名。好比烂漫不知纷争的年岁里，白铁和青铜原本是祭神的礼器，尔后才被从祭台上推下，熔铸为刀枪，成了比黄金更凶狠的金属。

The origin of warfare has long since faded from time, and much of history has turned into legend. Yet, even as a legend, it is clear that arrogance, deceit, and avarice are the reasons for endless conflict among people, though gold takes the wrongful blame as its source. Just like those resplendent years untouched by strife, white iron and bronze were originally ritual offerings to gods. It was only later that they were cast off from altars and melted into armaments, becoming even more fearsome metals than gold.

故事中的巨龙已经被讨伐了吧…诸邦国间的战争也接近平息，流浪的诗人跋涉来到圣城，为人们弹唱后来的故事：在恶龙占领了城邦之后，人们征集猎龙的勇士救出公主。

The dragon in the story has been subjugated, right...? The wars among the cities are also near waning. The wandering poet's travels bring her to the holy city, where she plays the tale of the aftermath — After the evil dragon occupies the city, people rally dragon-hunting braves to rescue the princess.

「哀歌我的故国——

"Lament for my homeland...

「勇猛的百夫长，以沉金打造的枷锁，终将恶龙制服。

The courageous centurion, with shackles forged in heavy gold, finally subjugates the evil dragon.

「塔顶传来老国王的悲哭…

The old ruler's cries can be heard from the tower-top...

「龙腹中只堪堪拼凑出被吞吃的公主，遗下的骸骨。」

From the dragon's belly, only scant parts of the devoured princess are found, where only bones remain."

贵金手镯的流苏碰过琴弦，发出一声清脆的叹息。

The metal bracelet's tassels run across the lyre, emitting a crisp sigh.

诗人的缀星裙摆 Poet's Star-Studded Skirt

黎明是最温柔的时辰，她的裙摆也恰如黎明前的最后一缕晚星，那般颜色。

Dawn is the gentlest time of the day, her skirt is coincidentally also the colors of the last string of stars before dawn.

「艾格勒睁开眼皮的时候，所有的星星全部入眠，唯余一颗偷眼的晚星，数它最为好奇。」

"When Aquila opens their eyes, all the stars are asleep. Only one squinting night star remains, being the most curious."

叙事诗一直唱到了第二个昼夜更替的伦次，诗人的身边聚集了越来越多的听众，他们当中有箭矢琅琅作响的悬锋人，投掷占卜棒叩问神旨的雅努萨波利斯人。自黑潮侵蚀诸邦以来，散佚的文献不尽其数，树庭的学者们来不及收集所有的资料，许多零星的小城邦甚至未能留下名字。

The narrative poem continues till the second cycle of day and night. More listeners gather around the poet, among them Kremnoans with quivers clinking with arrows, and those from Janusopolis who cast divining rods for godly advice. Since the black tide's encroachment across cities, countless historical records have been scattered, and the Grove's scholars have had little time to collect all the documents — many lesser cities did not even get the chance to leave their names behind.

只有流浪的诗人知道，被恶龙侵袭的旧城邦，曾经流传着深秘的炼金术：以血肉为根基，依此可造万物，依此可达奇迹，炼金术士对痛失爱女的国王如是说。

Only the wandering poet knows that the old city occupied by the evil dragon once possessed the esoteric method of alchemy: With flesh as the foundation, everything could be created, and miracles could be performed. The alchemists spoke as such to the king, heartbroken from the tragic loss of his beloved daughter.

「哀歌我的故国——

"Lament for my homeland...

「巧言的炼金术士，自言能从龙的血肉中复活公主。

The silver-tongued alchemist was confident he could resurrect the princess from the dragon's flesh.

「已死之物，死而未死，又过了十个昼夜，

What is dead, yet undead. Another ten days pass.

「仪式最终炼成。然而……」

The ritual is finally complete, alas..."

最后一缕晚星恋恋不舍地阖上眼睛，贪念着未听完的人子们的故事。

The final nighttime star reluctantly closes its eyes, hankering to listen to the incomplete story of the children of humankind.

诗人的钉银之履 Poet's Silver-Studded Shoes

织履镶着银钉，行在沙地上印出字样的纹路，为了采撷旧日的诗篇她始终步履不停。

Woven shoes inlaid with silver studs, pressing worded patterns across the sand she treads. On her mission to gather all the poems of the past, she has never once ceased her footsteps.

「世人无处寻得塞纳托斯的踪迹，还有传说中没有生者能趟过的冥河，那河流通往何方？」

"The people know not where to seek Thanatos' trail, and there are legends that say no living can cross the River of Souls. Where, then, does the river flow?"

我们从未听过那样的巨龙，更不曾在任何古书中见过复活血肉仪式的存在，听众中有人发出质疑。诗人答道，她并非旧城邦的末嗣，亦不知晓是否真正有过作恶的巨龙，这只是她从更早的吟游诗人那里听来的、一代代口耳相传的诗歌。

"We have never heard of such a dragon, nor come across the existence of resurrection rituals in ancient tomes" — Some doubtful among the listeners voice out. The poet replies — She is not an offspring of the old cities, therefore not certain whether there was truly an evil dragon. This is merely what she heard from earlier bards, a poetic song imparted along generations only through words.

若无人传唱，旧城邦的历史才是真正被尘封，一切都会随着时间褪色：昔日繁荣的邦国，遭到冥河冲刷吞没，成为野狗和盘旋的秃鹫都会憎恶的地方，这是被恶龙吞食的魂灵遗下的诅咒。

If no one passed down the songs, the history of the old cities would be truly buried in dust, and all would fade with time — The flourishing city-state of the past, deluged and devoured by the River of Souls, becoming a place disdained by even wild hounds and circling vultures. This is the curse left behind by the souls eaten by the evil dragon.

「哀歌我的故国——

"Lament for my homeland...

「公主啊！竟被炼成恶龙的模样。

O Princess! Who would have imagined she was alchemied into the evil dragon's visage.

「将炼金的术士、勇猛的百夫长、昏聩的国王全部吞吃。

She devoured them all... the alchemist, the brave centurion, and the foolish king.

「一场血腥飨宴，召来了死亡的影子，旧城邦由此湮没……」

A feast fueled by bloodlust invited the shadows of death, the old city therefore annihilated..."

记住湮没邦国的名字吧！这是有关「斯缇科西亚」的故事，由穿着钉银之履的诗人弹唱，她采集故事只为了故事本身，正如织履上的银钉留下的字样，「记住故事，忘记我。」

Remember the name of the decimated city! This is a story about Styxia, played by the poet wearing silver-studded soles. She collects stories for the stories themselves, just like the words left behind by the silver studs on her woven shoes — "Remember the story. Forget me."