《魔法師的外甥》第70期:栽樹(4)

"Son of Adam," said Aslan, "you have sown well. And you, Narnians, let it be your first care to guard this Tree, for it is your Shield. The Witch of whom I told you has fled far away into the North of the world; she will live on there, growing stronger in dark Magic. But while that Tree flourishes she will never come down into Narnia. She dare not come within a hundred miles of the Tree, for its smell, which is joy and life and health to you, is death and horror and despair to her."

Everyone was staring solemnly at the Tree when Aslan suddenly swung round his head (scattering golden gleams of light from his mane as he did so) and fixed his large eyes on the children. "What is it, children?" he said, for he caught them in the very act of whispering and nudging one another.

"Oh - Aslan, sir," said Digory, turning red, "I forgot to tell you. The Witch has already eaten one of those apples, one of the same kind that Tree grew from." He hadn't really said all he was thinking, but Polly at once said it for him (Digory was always much more afraid than she of looking a fool.)

"So we thought, Aslan," she said, "that there must be some mistake, and she can't really mind the smell of those apples."

"Why do you think that, Daughter of Eve?" asked the Lion. '

"Well, she ate one."

"Child," he replied, "that is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after."

"Oh I see," said Polly. "And I suppose because she took it in the wrong way it won't work for her. I mean it won't make her always young and all that?"

"Alas," said Aslan, shaking his head. "It will. Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart's desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it."

“亞當的兒子，”阿斯蘭說，“你栽得很好。你們，納尼亞的公民，保衛這棵樹是你們的首要任務，因爲它就是你們的盾。我跟你們說的那個女巫已經逃到北邊的山裏去了；她會在那兒住下來，靠邪惡的魔法越長越強壯。但只要這棵樹枝繁葉茂，她就決不敢進入納尼亞。她不敢走到離這棵樹一百里以內，因爲這棵樹的氣味能給你們帶來歡樂、生命和健康，對她來說，卻是死亡、恐懼和絕望。”

每個人和動物都莊嚴地凝視着那棵樹，突然，阿斯蘭頭一甩(毛髮上金光閃爍)，緊緊地盯着孩子們。“什麼事，孩子們?”它說。因爲它看見他們正低聲耳語並互相用肘輕輕推擠。

“啊——阿斯蘭，閣下，”迪格雷紅着臉說，“我忘了告訴你，女巫已經吃了一個蘋果，跟這樹上結的一模一樣。”他沒有完全說出真實的想法，但波莉馬上替他說了。(和她相比，他更害怕被人看成傻瓜。

“所以，我們認爲，阿斯蘭，”她說，“一定出了問題，她不會真正在乎那些蘋果的味道的。”

“你爲什麼這麼想，夏娃的女兒?”獅子問。

“唔，她吃了一個。”

“孩子，”它回答說，“這樣一來，所有剩下的蘋果對她來說都很可怕。對那些在錯誤的時間、用錯誤的方法摘蘋果、吃蘋果的人，就會產生這樣的結果。果子很好，但他們以後會永遠厭惡它。”

“哦，我明白了，”波莉說，“我想，因爲她摘得不對，蘋果對她就不起作用，我是說，就不會使她永遠年輕等等。”

“啊，不，”阿斯蘭搖着頭說，“會的，事物本身的規律不會變。她如願以償了，她像女神一樣有永不枯竭的力量和無盡的天年。但如果一個人有一顆邪惡的心，活多久就會煩惱多久，她已經開始懂得這一點了。他們這些人要什麼有什麼，但他們不見得總喜歡這樣。”