第一个男人

Zeus wished to fill the earth with animals. He called the titans Prometheus andEpimetheus to him. He ordered Epimetheus to create the animals. The titan did so, and to each animal he gave some power. To some he gave strength, to some swiftness, to some claws and to some thick skin. Every animal had a way to stay alive.

　　Zeus ordered Prometheus to make a wise animal, and this we call man. Prometheus took some earth and mixed it with water. He shaped it in the image of the gods. He blew into it the breath of life. Man was given an upright form. All the other animals must turn their faces downward. Only man can look around him and look up at the stars in the night sky.

　　But man was naked and his skin was soft. He had no fur to protect him, no wings to fly, no fins to swim. Epimetheus had given all the powers to the other animals.

　　Prometheus knew he had to give something good to man. So he went up into heaven to get fire from the sun and give it to man. With this great gift man could warm himself and protect himself from the animals.

　　But he could also use fire to shape metal and make weapons. Zeus was afraid that with fire, man would become as powerful as the gods. He punished Prometheus for giving fire to man by chaining him to a big rock for centuries.

　　宙斯想要把动物布满在大地上。他把两名泰坦人普罗米修斯和伊比米修斯找来。他命令伊比米修斯创造动物。这名泰坦人照做了，并给每一种动物某些能力。有些给牠们力量，有些给牠们敏捷，有些给爪子，有些则给厚皮。每种动物都有生存之道。

　　宙斯命令普罗米修斯创造一种有智慧的动物，我们称之为人类。普罗米修斯用一些土和水混合在一起。他依照众神的形像来塑造人类，再把生命之气吹入。人类被赐与直立的形体。其它所有的动物都必须面朝下。只有人类能够环顾四周以及仰望夜空中的星星。
　　但人类那时是光着屁股的，皮肤也很柔细。他没有毛皮可以保护他，没有用来飞的翅膀，没有用来游泳的鳍。伊比米修斯已经把所有这些能力给了其它的动物。

　　普罗米修斯知道他必须给人类一样好东西。所以他上天去从太阳那儿拿到火，并把它交给人类。有了这个伟大的恩赐，人类可以取暖，并保护自己不受动物侵害。

　　但他还可以用火来铸金属并制作武器。宙斯害怕人类有了火后，会变得和众神一样强大。因此他把普罗米修斯用铁链锁在一块巨石上达好几个世纪，以惩罚他把火交给人类。