81 A Bird That Never Really Dies

The phoenix was one of the most magnificent birds that ever lived. Unfortunately for bird watchers, the grand phoenix actually lived only in the imaginations of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.

According to Greek mythology, only one phoenix at a time lived on earth. The phoenix, a male, was brightly colored, with gold and red feathers. Legend has it that the single bird lived for exactly five hundred years. Just before it was to die, it would build a nest. The mythical bird's last task was to sit patiently on the nest, waiting for the sun to ignite the dry twigs and set the nest ablaze. But as the proud phoenix sacrificed itself in flame, a tiny worm would crawl from beneath the ashes. This worm grew into a new phoenix. Its first task was to gather up its father’s ashes and bury them in the temple of the Egyptian sun god in Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. Each reborn phoenix lived out the remainder of its life in Arabia.

Today, the phoenix symbolizes immortality. Someone who succeeds where he or she had previously failed is often referred to as a phoenix.

81 一种永不真正死亡的鸟

凤凰是有史以来最壮丽的鸟类之一。可惜对观鸟者来说，这种宏伟的凤凰实际上只存在于古希腊人和埃及人的想象中。

根据希腊神话，地球上同一时间只会有一只凤凰。凤凰是雄性，色彩鲜艳，长着金色和红色的羽毛。传说这只独有的鸟能活整整五百年。在即将死亡之际，它会筑一个巢。这只神鸟的最后一项任务是耐心地坐在巢上，等待太阳点燃干枯的细枝，让巢燃烧起来。但当这只骄傲的凤凰在火焰中牺牲自己时，一条小蠕虫会从灰烬下爬出来。这条蠕虫会成长为一只新的凤凰。它的第一项任务是收集父亲的骨灰，将其埋葬在“太阳之城”赫利奥波利斯的埃及太阳神神庙中。每一只重生的凤凰都会在阿拉伯度过余生。

如今，凤凰象征着永生。那些在之前失败过的地方取得成功的人，常常被称为“凤凰”。