布農族洪水神話傳說｜Bunun Flood Myths
五年級的Biung Taopas，以及Puni在營火旁和正在讀大學的Tuqas Pain（Tuqas 是布農語哥哥姐姐的稱呼）聊天。
Biung, Taopas, and Pubi are fifth-grade students. They are chatting with Tuqas Aping (in Bunun language, Tuqus is someone who is older than you), a college student.
Biung：「Tuqas Aping，妳說妳在英美系讀了很多神話故事，跟我們分享有趣的故事嘛。」
Biung: “Tuqas Aping, you told us that you’ve read a lot of mythical tales in English Department; could you share with us some interesting myths you have read?”
Aping：「好啊！那我來講講希臘神話的洪水故事。」
Aping: “Sure! Then let me start with the Great Flood from Greek mythology.”
這時候Qudas Ibi（Qudas是布農語對長輩的尊稱）路過，加入對話：「洪水傳說，布農族也有洪水傳說的故事啊 ！」
At this moment, Qudas Ibi (in Bunun language, Qudas is an honorable title for elder people) stops by and joins the conversation: “A flood story? Our Bunun tribe also has myths about the Great Flood.”
Aping：「Qudas Ibi，真的嗎？」
Aping: “Qudas Ibi, really?”
Puni：「有甚麼不同嗎？」
Puni: “Is there any difference?”
Qudas Ibi：「Aping，妳先講妳的版本，我看看有甚麼不一樣。」
Qudas Ibi: “Aping, you may tell your version first, and I would like to know the differences.”
Aping：「好，Qudas Ibi！」
Aping: “Sure! Qudas Ibi.”
Aping：「在很久很久以前，人類變得越來越壞，做了很多邪惡的事情。宙斯，也就是希臘神話中的天神，聽到了很多有關於人類的惡行，於是親自下來世界看看。宙斯神看到了世人的罪惡後，決定降下暴雨，用洪水消滅人類。」
Aping: “Once upon a time, people became more and more evil. When hearing the wrongdoings of mankind, Zeus, the sky god, went down in person to see what really happened on Earth. After seeing all the horrible things humans had done, Zeus decided to use a flood to wipe out human beings.”
Taopas：「喔～所以宙斯降下洪水的原因是因為人類做了許多壞事啊！Qudas Ibi，那我們布農族的洪水故事也是因為做壞事被處罰嗎？」
Taopas: “Oh, I see. So Zeus poured down the rain because humans had done many evils! Qudas Ibi, how about our Bunun myths? Were our ancestors also punished by gods for their wrongdoings?”
Qudas Ibi：「沒有餒！在我們的傳說裡，造成洪水的原因是因為有一條很大很大的蛇把溪的出口擋住了。但是在鄒族的傳說裡是一隻很大很大的鰻魚堵住了溪口，導致洪水淹沒了很高很高的山。」
Qudas Ibi: “No. In Bunun’s myths, the Great Flood resulted from the blocking of the estuary by a snake. In Tsou’s myths, it was an eel who blocked the estuary, and the very high mountains flooded.”
Biung：「Toqus Aping，後來呢？宙斯降下雨水時，大家都跑去哪裡了？」
Biung: “Toqus Aping, what happened after Zeus poured down the rain? Where did all the people run for their lives?”
Aping：「後來，河水暴漲，比颱風過後的水流還大。大水水湧上田野，猶如生氣的山豬，沖倒廟宇和房屋。不久過後，整個大地被洪水覆蓋。一群群的人類被大水沖走。有的人爬向高處，有的人駕船航行在水面上。」
Aping: “After the river surged up suddenly, it became bigger than a storm current after a typhoon. The water ran into the field like an enraged wild boar and toppled temples and houses. In no time, the whole land was flooded, and many people were washed away. Some people climbed to the high areas, while others sailed on the water.”
Taopas：「好恐怖喔！Qudas Ibi，那我們布農族人怎麼活下來的？」
Taopas: “How terrible! Qudas Ibi, how did our ancestors survive?”
Qudas Ibi：「當河水因為被堵住而越漲越高時，布農族人趕緊往山上爬，布農族人大多分布在高雄、花蓮、台東和南投。」
Qudas Ibi: “When the river rose higher and higher because the snake had blocked the estuary, Bunun people climbed up to mountains as fast as they could. At that time, most of Bunun people lived in Kaohsiung, Hualien, Taitung, and Nantou.”
Qudas Ibi：「所以洪水來臨時，有些人跑去玉山，有些人則跑到卓社大山，還有些跑到東巒大山，這些山都位於台灣的中央山脈。在逃跑的過程中，族人因為忙著逃命而忘記了帶火種。」
Qudas Ibi: “When the flood came, some people ran to Yushan Mountain, others ran to Zhuoshe Mountain, and still others ran to Dongluan Mountain. These mountains are all located in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. People forgot to bring tinder with them because they were busy running for their lives.”
Puni：「火種？甚麼是火種啊？Aping姐姐，希臘神話也有火種嗎？」
Puni: “Tinder? What is tinder? Toqus Aping, is there also tinder in Greek mythology?”
Aping：「火種是人類世界很重要的必需物品呢！妳看看我們面前的火，它給我們溫暖，讓我們不會冷。它也能給我們熟食，不讓我們餓肚子。火種是延續生命不可或缺的一部份呢！」
Aping: “Tinder is a necessary item in the human world. Look at the fire in front of us. It keeps us warm and keeps us from getting cold. We can use fire to cook food and to prevent us from starving. Fire is vital to us for the continuation of life.”
Aping：「在希臘神話中的火種，是一位叫做普羅米修斯的神從眾神之中偷回來給人類的。」
Aping: “In Greek mythology, fire was stolen from heaven by Prometheus, a Titan, and it was he who gave it to mankind.”
Qudas Ibi：「原來希臘神話的火種是神幫人類偷回來的啊，我們布農族的火種是靠著動物們的幫忙得到的喔！」
Qudas Ibi: “Oh! In Greek mythology, it was a god who stole fire to save humans. In our Bunun myths, it was our animal friends who helped Bunun people to get fire.”
Aping：「喔？動物們？他們幫了什麼忙啊？」
Aping: “What? Animals? What did they do for us?”
Qudas Ibi：「正當布農族人著急沒有火種時，他們發現對面遠處的高山上有還沒熄滅的火。蟾蜍自告奮勇說要游到對面帶回來。」
Qudas Ibi: “When Bunun people were worried about having no tinder, they found out that a fire had not been extinguished on the high mountain far away. A toad stood out and volunteered to swim across the river to get it.”
Qudas Ibi：「游到對面時，牠把火種背在背上，儘管背很燙並且被燒出了水泡，蟾蜍還是忍著痛背負，可惜，蟾蜍跳下水後，火種卻也跟著熄滅了，所以蟾蜍的背上才有一粒一粒的。」
Qudas Ibi: “The toad jumped into the river and swam to the place. He carried the tinder on his back. Although it was burning hot and blistered his back, the toad bore the pain and never gave up. Unfortunately, when he jumped into the river again, the tinder was put off. From then on, toads have bumps on their backs.”
Qudas Ibi：「族人見狀後便派出kaipis鳥（紅嘴黑鵯）。kaipis鳥本來是全身黑色的鳥，但由於牠用嘴巴跟爪子叼著火種，從此之後牠的嘴跟爪都變成紅色的了。族人們為了紀念牠們的功勞，便約定從此以後不能獵殺蟾蜍跟kaipis鳥。」
Qudas Ibi: “When seeing this situation, Bunun people sent a kaipis (black bulbul) to get tinder. The kaipis was originally a black bird. Because he held the tinder with his mouth and feet, his mouth and feet became red. In memory of what they had done for humans, our ancestors had an agreement that killing toads or kaipis was forbidden.”
Biung：「原來如此！Aping姐姐，那後來的洪水是怎麼消失的呢？」
Biung: “Ah! I got it now. Then how did the flood recede in Greek myths? ”
Aping：「在宙斯降下洪水之前，有一對夫婦分別叫做丟卡利翁和皮拉，他們事先得到了警告，所以他們很早就造了一座很大的船。他們是世界上最善良的人。」
Aping: “Before the flood, a couple, Deucalion and Pyrrha, had been warned in advance because they were kind and virtuous. They had built a large boat and survived.”
Aping：「當宙斯看到這善良的夫妻時，他決定用大風驅散濃濃的烏雲。終於，天空出現了藍藍的天空，大地也再一次被太陽照射。因著這對夫妻，人類得以繁衍下去。」
Aping: “Seeing this couple, Zeus decided to scatter the thick dark clouds with strong winds. The sky finally became clear, and the sun shone upon the Earth. Humanity continued to thrive because of this couple.”
Qudas Ibi：「哇！那一定是很大的luvluv（風）。」
Qudas Ibi: “Wow! That must be a mighty luvluv (wind).”
Qudas Ibi：「在我們布農族的傳說裡面，洪水的消退是一隻大螃蟹的幫忙。當大螃蟹看到蛇擋住了出海口時，他向蛇提出了挑戰，要各自咬對方一下。」
Qudas Ibi: “In our Bunun legend, the flood receded because of a large crab. When the crab saw a snake blocking the outlet to the sea, it challenged the snake to give each other a bite.”
Qudas Ibi：「蛇先咬了螃蟹一口，但是螃蟹擁有堅硬的外殼所以沒有受傷。接著螃蟹用螯夾住蛇的身體，蛇因著疼痛而捲起身體逃跑。」
Qudas Ibi: “The snake gave the crab a bite, and then the crab used its pincers to clamp hard on the snake’s body. The crab’s hard shell protected him from being hurt, but the snake curled up in pain and fled.”
Qudas Ibi：「蛇所跑的路徑也成為了彎彎曲曲的山谷。洪水退去，布農族人於是下山重新建立家園。」
Qudas Ibi: “The path the snake took became the winding valleys. As the flood receded, the Bunun people came down from the mountains and rebuilt their homes.”
Aping：「真有趣！原來布農族也有洪水故事喔！Qudas Ibi下次再講多一點故事嘛！」
Aping: “This story is fascinating! I didn’t know the Bunun tribe had their own flood myths. Qudas Ibi, I’d love to hear more stories from you next time!”
Qudas Ibi：「好啊！Biung，Taopas，Puni，你們下次可以帶朋友一起來聽啊。」
Qudas Ibi: “Sure! Biung, Taopas, Puni, feel free to invite your friends to join us for more storytelling.”
Biung，Taopas，以及Puni異口同聲地說：「Uu（好）！」
Biung, Taopas, and Puni all agreed. “Uu (good)!” they said together.
文／圖：英美語文學系 高潔柔、高聖潔｜Text/ Picture: Abus and Uli, Department of English
指導老師：英美語文學系 蔡淑芬 教授｜Advisor: Professor Shu-Fen Tsai, Department of English