"Curiosity killed the cat" is an old English saying. It is a warning not to be too curious. According to Greek mythology, too much curiosity can lead to more serious results than a dead cat.
「好奇心殺死貓」是一句英國俗諺。這是不要太過好奇的警語。根據希臘神話，過度好奇的結果可能比貓沒命還嚴重。
Epimetheus and Prometheus were brothers. They angered Zeus, the king of the gods, and Zeus decided to punish them. He created a beautiful woman, called her Pandora, and sent her to Epimetheus as a gift. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept gifts from the gods, but Epimetheus fell in love with Pandora and married her.
伊皮米修斯和普羅米修斯是兄弟。他們惹怒了眾神之王宙斯，而宙斯決定懲罰他們。祂創造了一名美女，取名為潘朵拉，並將她當作禮物送給伊皮米修斯。普羅米修斯警告他弟弟不要接受神的禮物，但是伊皮米修斯愛上了潘朵拉並娶了她。
Zeus gave Pandora a beautiful box as a wedding gift. However, she had to promise one thing: never to open the box. Pandora was so curious that she couldn't stop thinking about what was inside it. Why would someone give her a box if she was not allowed to open it? Her curiosity grew stronger every day. She badly wanted to know the secrets of the box. Zeus's plan was working.
宙斯給潘朵拉一個漂亮的盒子作為結婚禮物。然而她必須答應一件事：絕不打開那個盒子。潘朵拉好奇得不得了，忍不住一直想著盒子裡是裝著什麼東西。如果不准她打開，為什麼要給她一個盒子呢？她的好奇心日益增加。急切想知道盒子的祕密。宙斯的計畫奏效了。
Finally, Pandora couldn't stand it anymore. One day, when Epimetheus was out, she found the key and unlocked the box. At the last moment, she almost changed her mind because she knew how angry her husband would be. In fact, she unlocked and relocked the box three times before she finally opened the lid.
最後，潘朵拉再也無法忍耐。有一天，趁伊皮米修斯不在，她找到鑰匙，打開盒子的鎖。就在最後一刻，她幾乎要改變心意，因為她知道丈夫會有多生氣。事實上，在最後打開蓋子前，她開開關關了三次。
Right away, lots of buzzing creatures came flying out. These were the terrible evils that Zeus had put in the box—disease, poverty, famine, and so on. The creatures stung Pandora over and over before they flew out to attack the world. She quickly closed the lid.
當下許多嗡嗡作響的生物飛了出來。這些是宙斯放在盒子裡的禍害－－疾病、貧窮、飢荒等等。這些生物飛出去攻擊世界前，反覆叮咬潘朵拉。她迅速地闔上蓋子。
Then Pandora heard a tiny voice calling out from inside the box. She opened it again, and saw the last creature left inside. It was Hope, and it flew out of the box to help heal the wounds that the evil creatures caused. Even though Pandora had released pain and suffering upon the world, she had also allowed hope to follow these troubles.
然後潘朵拉聽到盒子裡傳來微弱的喊叫聲。她再次打開盒子，看見留在裡面的最後一個生物。那是「希望」，它飛出盒子來治癒禍害所造成的傷害。即使潘朵拉放出了痛苦和苦難到這個世界，她也讓希望跟隨著這些禍害而去。
The story of Pandora's box was originally a warning—people should not let their curiosity go too far. These days, "to open a Pandora's box" means to begin something that might lead to many problems. Before you make any decision, it is a good idea to consider the possible results, and not just do things out of curiosity.
「潘朵拉的盒子」這個故事原本是個警告－－人們不應該放任好奇心過盛。現今，「打開潘朵拉的盒子」意味開啟一段可能導致問題排山倒海而來的過程。做決定前，最好思量可能的後果，而且不要只憑好奇心行事。
