Ani was a real person, a scribe from the Egyptian city of Thebes who lived in the 13th century BCE.

Ani 是真有其人，他是一位西元前 13 世紀，住在埃及泰貝城的抄寫員。

And depicted here is a scene from his Book of the Dead, a 78-foot papyrus scroll designed to help him attain immortality.

這裡所描繪的就是他的死亡之書中的情景，為了使他得到不朽之身所設計的一張 78 英尺莎草紙卷。

Such funerary texts were originally written only for Pharaohs, but with time, the Egyptians came to believe regular people could also reach the afterlife if they succeeded in the passage.

那些敘述埋葬程序的文章原本是只為了法老而寫的，但隨著時間演變，埃及人逐漸相信，如果他們成功通過考驗的話，一般人也可以有來世之生。

Ani's epic journey begins with his death.

Ani史詩般的旅程就從他的死亡開始。

His body is mummified by a team of priests who remove every organ except the heart, the seat of emotion, memory, and intelligence.

他的身體被祭司團作成木乃伊，除了心臟，其他器官都會移除，也就是被視為情感、回憶和智能的所在。

It's then stuffed with a salt called natron and wrapped in resin-soaked linen.

接著用天然碳酸鈉填入其身體，並用浸泡過樹脂的亞麻布包裹。

In addition, the wrappings are woven with charms for protection and topped with a heart scarab amulet that will prove important later on.

此外，裹布為了達到保護的效果，會在織造過程下咒，並在大體的心臟位置上放一個聖甲蟲護身符。

The goal of the two-month process is to preserve Ani's body as an ideal form with which his spirit can eventually reunite.

之後長達兩個月的程序就是為了保存 Ani 的身體，維持最好的狀態，最終靈魂會回來重新結合。

But first, that spirit must pass through the duat, or underworld.

但首先，靈魂必須通過陰間，或是所謂的地下世界。

This is a realm of vast caverns, lakes of fire, and magical gates.

這是一個廣闊的洞穴世界，有火焰湖、還有有魔力的通道。

All guarded by fearsome beasts - snakes, crocodiles, and half-human monstrosities with names like "he who dances in blood."

都被可怕的怪獸——蛇、鱷魚和半人半獸守衛著，他們的名字就像在說「在血泊上跳著舞」。

To make things worse, Apep, the serpent god of destruction, lurks in the shadows waiting to swallow Ani's soul.

更可怕的是，還有毀滅的化身蛇神阿佩普，潛伏在黑暗當中等著吞噬 Ani 的靈魂。

Fortunately, Ani is prepared with the magic contained within his book of the dead.

幸運的是，Ani 準備了他富有法力的死亡之書。

Like other Egyptians who could afford it, Ani customized his scroll to include the particular spells, prayers, and codes he thought his spirit might need.

就如同其他負擔得起的埃及人，Ani 將他認為靈魂所需要的特殊咒語、禱文和密碼記錄在卷軸裡。

Equipped with this arsenal, our hero traverses the obstacles, repels the monsters' attacks, and stealthily avoids Apep to reach the Hall of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice.

因為備有這個武器，我們的英雄得以穿越障礙、擊退怪物、悄悄地避開阿佩普，抵達了真理和正義女神瑪亞特的大廳。

Here, Ani faces his final challenge.

Ani 在這接受最後一個考驗。

He is judged by 42 assessor gods who must be convinced that he has lived a righteous life.

他會被 42 位神明審判，祂們必須確認他一生都是正直的。

Ani approaches each one, addressing them by name, and declaring a sin he has not committed.

Ani 走近每一位神，向他們報上姓名，並說明他在人世間沒有犯罪。

Among these negative confessions, or declarations of innocence, he proclaims that he has not made anyone cry, is not an eavesdropper, and has not polluted the water.

在這些無罪的自白中，他宣示他不曾使人傷心、不是偷聽者，而且沒有汙染水源。

But did Ani really live such a perfect life?

但 Ani 的一生真的這麼完美無瑕嗎？

Not quite, but that's where the heart scarab amulet comes in.

不盡然，但那就是為何放聖甲蟲護身符在心臟位置上的原因。

It's inscribed with the words, "Do not stand as a witness against me,"

它記錄了一句話:「不要成為與我對立的證人」。

precisely so Ani's heart doesn't betray him by recalling the time he listened to his neighbors fight or washed his feet in the Nile.

所以 Ani 的心的確沒有因為回想到他聽到鄰居吵架，或是在尼羅河洗腳而背叛他。

Now, it's Ani's moment of truth, the weighing of the heart.

現在，是考驗 Ani 真理的時刻了，為心臟秤重。

If his heart is heavier than the feather, weighed down by Ani's wrongdoings, it'll be devoured by the monstrous Ammit, part crocodile, part leopard, part hippopotamus, and Ani will cease to exist forever.

如果 Ani 做的壞事使他的心臟比羽毛還要重，心臟就會被可怕的阿米特怪獸 (鱷魚、豹和河馬的混種) 吞掉，Ani 便會永遠消逝，沒有來生。

But Ani is in luck.

但 Ani 很幸運。

His heart is judged pure.

他的心是純潔的。

Ra, the sun god, takes him to Osiris, god of the underworld, who gives him final approval to enter the afterlife.

Ra 太陽神帶他到 Osiris 地獄之神面前，他會給 Ani 最後通往來生的許可。

In the endless and lush field of reeds, Ani meets his deceased parents.

在無盡繁茂的蘆葦草地上，Ani 見到了已故的父母。

Here, there is no sadness, pain, or anger, but there is work to be done.

這裡沒有悲傷、痛苦或是憤怒，但有工作必須完成。

Like everyone else, Ani must cultivate a plot of land, which he does with the help of a Shabti doll that had been placed in his tomb.

就如每個人一樣，Ani 必須為土地耕作，並有置放在墓中的 Shabti 俑的幫忙。

Today, the Papyrus of Ani resides in the British Museum, where it has been since 1888.

Ani 的莎草紙置放於大英博物館中，從 1888 年開始至今。

Only Ani, if anyone, knows what really happened after his death.

只有 Ani 自己知道他死後到底發生了什麼事。

But thanks to his Book of the Dead, we can imagine him happily tending his crops for all eternity.

但也因為他的死亡之書，我們可以想像他為了永恆與不朽幸福地種植作物。