26 Tantalus
特坦洛斯

Tantalus was the rich and mighty king of Lydia． —
特坦洛斯是里底亚强大富有的国王。 —

Son ofZeus by a fairy maiden，he was greatly favored by the gods． —
他是宙斯和一个仙女的儿子，备受众神宠爱。 —

He was invited to share wine and food with them at their banquets，and he was let into their secrets ． —
他受邀与众神共享美酒佳肴，在宴会上得知他们的秘密。 —

But ever the latter end of joy is woe ．Either because he had stolen wine orgave 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 Pelopsto them，he incurred the wrath of Zeus and was hurled down to the everlasting darkness of Tartarus ． —
但快乐的背后总是悲伤。或因为他偷了酒，泄露了宙斯的秘密，或是因为他过于骄傲，竟敢向众神端上他儿子佩洛普斯的肉享用，招致宙斯的怒火，被摔入永恒的冥府。 —

There he was made tostand up to his chin in a little lake，with clusters of luscious fruits hanging over and around his head． —
在那里，他被迫站在一个小湖中，只露出下巴，头顶周围悬挂着各种美味的水果。 —

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． —
他永远奋力想喝那不停躲避的水，去抓取那些被一阵阵风吹得离他遥远的美味水果。 —

Thus he was doomed to endure endless burning thirst and bitter hunger in the world of the shades． —
因此，他注定要在幽灵世界忍受无尽的燥渴和苦涩的饥饿。 —

The whole occurrence has given rise to the expression“tantalizing”，meaning somethng inplain view but unattainable ．
整个事件导致了“逗弄”的表达，意思是某物明摆着在眼前，却无法得到。