英文來源：Wikipedia

中文翻譯：宋蘋芳、談玉儀

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absalom_and_Achitophel 

Achitophel is a landmark poetic political satire by John Dryden. The poem exists in two parts. The first part, of 1681, is undoubtedly by Dryden. The second part, of 1682, was written by another hand, most likely Nahum Tate, except for a few passages---including attacks on Thomas Shadwell and Elkanah Settle as Og and Doeg---that Dryden wrote himself.

《押沙龍和亞希多弗》是一首德萊敦所寫劃時代的政治諷刺詩。此首詩分為兩個部分：第一部分是德萊敦於1681年所寫，第二部分則是他人於1682年所補寫，大多數人都認為可能是泰得所寫，第二部分有關抨擊薛德為及賽德的部分為德萊敦所寫，其餘應為泰得所作。

The poem is an that uses the story of the rebellion of Absalom against King David as the basis for discussion of the background to the Monmouth Rebellion (1685), the Popish Plot (1678) and the Exclusion Crisis. Dryden's skill at walking a fine line between praise and condemnation of his king is extraordinary, and the poem is not only the finest satire Dryden wrote, but is probably the finest political satire ever written in English verse, even if the topicality of the satire is so intense as to obscure its value to modern readers.

這首寓言詩以聖經中押沙龍反叛大衛國王的故事為基礎來討論1685年的「蒙莫茨叛亂」、 1678年的「天主教陰謀」、及「廢黜危機」的歷史事件之社會背景。德萊敦的立場遊走於稱讚及譴責國王。然而，這首詩並非德萊敦最好的諷刺詩，雖然它的時事性強烈到模糊現代讀者對於它價值的評估，但此詩卻可能是英國最優秀的政治諷刺詩。

The story of Absalom's revolt is told in the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Bible (chapters 14 and 15). David fought his beautiful, rebelling son, who died after fleeing battle and getting caught by his hair in bramble bushes. Absalom's advisor, Ahitophel (Achitophel in the Vulgate) committed suicide. This rebellion caused David enormous personal grief.

押沙龍反叛的故事在舊約聖經(第十四、十五章)裡的第二部「撒母耳記」中被提到：大衛與他英俊、叛逆的兒子對戰，大衛的兒子在逃離戰爭後便死亡，並且在有刺灌木叢中因為頭髮而被捕捉，押沙龍的顧問亞希多弗〈拉丁文聖經裡的亞希多弗〉因而自殺。這場叛亂帶來大衛無止盡的悲傷。

In 1681 in England, Charles II was in advanced years. He had had a number of mistresses and produced a number of illegitimate children. One of these was James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth, who was very popular, both for his personal charisma and his fervor for the Protestant cause. Charles had no legitimate heirs, and his brother, the future James II of England was suspected of being a Roman Catholic. When Charles's health suffered, there was a panic in the House of Commons over the potential for the nation being ruled by a Roman Catholic king. The Earl of Shaftesbury had sponsored and advocated the Exclusion Bill, but this bill was blocked by the House of Lords on two occasions. In the Spring of 1681, at the Oxford Parliament, Shaftesbury appealed to Charles II to legitimate Monmouth. Monmouth was caught preparing to rebel and seek the throne, and Shaftesbury was suspected of fostering this rebellion. The poem was written, possibly at Charles's behest, and published in early November of 1681. On November 24, 1681, Shaftesbury was seized and charged with high treason. A trial before a jury picked by Whig sheriffs acquitted him.

在1681年的英國，查理士二士正值輝煌時期，他擁有無數後宮佳麗，也生了一大群私生子。其中一個是蒙莫茨公爵史考特‧詹姆士，因為他非凡的領導能力及身為新教徒的熱情而非常有名氣。查理士沒有正統的子嗣，而且他的弟弟，也就是未來英國的詹姆士二士也被懷疑是羅馬天主教徒。當查理士病危時，大英下議院針對國家未來是否應由羅馬天主教教皇執政，而掀起一波動亂。沙夫茨伯里伯爵提議並擁護「廢黜法案」，然而，這項法案卻兩次被大英下議院阻擋。1681年的春天，在牛津議會沙夫茨伯里伯爵訴求查理士二士使蒙莫茨成為正統繼承人，不料蒙莫茨卻以準備反叛、奪取王位的罪名被捕，因此沙夫茨伯里伯爵也被懷疑是策劃這場叛亂的相關人員。這首詩有可能是依查理士的指令而寫，並刊登於一六八一年十一月初。一六八一年十一月二十四日，沙夫茨伯里伯伯爵以叛國罪被捕，最後卻在維新黨的審判中，無罪釋放。

Later, after the death of his father and unwilling to see his uncle James II become King, the Duke of Monmouth executed his plans and went into full revolt. The Monmouth Rebellion was put down, and in 1685 the Duke was executed.

之後，蒙莫茨在他父親死後不願再看到他叔叔詹姆士二世繼位，因此便叛亂，然而，叛亂隨即弭平，在一六八五年被處以死刑。

Dryden's poem tells the story of the first foment by making Monmouth into Absalom, the beloved boy, Charles into David (who also had some philandering), and Shaftesbury into Achitophel. It paints Buckingham, an old enemy of Dryden's (see The Rehearsal for one example), into Zimri, the unfaithful servant. The poem places most of the blame for the rebellion on Shaftesbury and makes Charles a very reluctant and loving man who has to be king before father. The poem also refers to some of the Popish Plot furor.

德萊敦的詩藉由押沙龍隱喻蒙莫茨，查理士則是聖經中的大衛〈他也有對女性調情〉，沙夫茨伯里伯為亞希多弗。此首詩中那不忠誠的僕人利姆力是以德萊敦的舊敵白金漢伯爵為範本〈範例請看”The Rehearsal”〉。這首詩大多在指責沙夫茨伯里伯伯爵的叛亂並且將查理士塑造成一個視社稷重於家庭的慈祥長者。同時這首詩也提及到「天主教陰謀」所帶來的民怨。