Midas,kingofPhrygia,oncedidBacchus,thegodofwine,agoodturn.Thegodwassopleasedthathegrantedhimasinglewish.Midaswishedthatwhateverhetouchedwouldturnintogold,anddidnotrealisehismistaketillthefoodheliftedtohislipsbecamealumpofmetal.Eventually,whenhewasonthevergeofstarvation,Bacchusmercifullybrokethespellhewasunder.
佛里幾亞國王麥得斯曾對酒神巴克士有功,巴克士很高興,答應許他一個願望。麥得斯的願望,是自己手摸到的東西都變成黃金。結果他拿到嘴邊的食物都化為金塊,這時他才悔悟。最後,巴克士見他快要餓死,動了慈悲,為他解除身上咒語。
【解說】Bacchus是古羅馬的酒神,等於希臘神話的Dionysus,在西方很有名。他賜與麥得斯觸物成金的本領,幾乎要了麥得斯性命,但英文成語theMidastouch卻是指「高明的賺錢手段」,有稱許含義,例如:BillGatescertainlyhastheMidastouch:allhiscommercialventuresprosper(蓋茨真能點鐵成金,經營甚麼生意都很順遂)。
留意dosomebodyagood/badturn這說法。Turn這裏是指對某人有利或有害的行為,例如:Heappearstobeafriend,butIamconvincedthat,giventhechance,hewillnothesitatetodomeabadturn(他表面上是朋友,但我深信,假如有機會,他會毫不猶豫對我不利)。