《最後一戰》第5期:國王的魯莽(2)

"Sire," he said. "You know how long I have lived and studied the stars; for we Centaurs live longer than you Men, and even longer than your kind, Unicorn. Never in all my days have I seen such terrible things written in the skies as there have been nightly since this year began. The stars say nothing of the coming of Aslan, nor of peace, nor of joy. I know by my art that there have not been such disastrous conjunctions of the planets for five hundred years. It was already in my mind to come and warn your Majesty that some great evil hangs over Narnia. But last night the rumour reached me that Aslan is abroad in Narnia. Sire, do not believe this tale. It cannot be. The stars never lie, but Men and Beasts do. If Aslan were really coming to Narnia the sky would have foretold it. If he were really come, all the most gracious stars would be assembled in his honour. It is all a lie."

“陛下，”他說道，“你知道我已經有多大年紀了，研究星相又有多久了；因爲我們人頭馬比你們人類壽長，也比你們獨角獸類壽長。在我以往的日子裏，我從未像今年開始以來那樣，夜夜見到寫在星空裏的那麼可怕的不祥之兆。星相壓根兒沒有說到阿斯蘭光臨，既沒有說到和平，也沒有說到歡樂。我憑我的法術知道，五百年來沒有出現過災難性的’行星會合’現象。我腦子裏已經有這麼個想法，要來向陸下報警：有某種大災大難籠罩着納尼亞王國。但，昨天夜間我聽到謠言，說是阿斯蘭來臨了。陛下，不要相信這種鬼話。這是不可能的。星象從不撒謊，但人和野獸都會撒謊的。如果阿斯蘭已經來到納尼亞王國，天上的星象便會有預兆了。如果獅王真的光臨了，一切有禮貌的星星都會集攏來向獅王致敬的。這可是個徹頭徹尾的謊言。”

"A lie!" said the King fiercely. "What creature in Narnia or all the world would dare to lie on such a matter?" And, without knowing it, he laid his hand on his sword hilt.

“謊言！”國王情緒激烈地說道，在這麼重大的事件上，納尼亞王國或者全世界有什麼人竟敢撒謊？他不知不覺地把自己的手按在劍柄上。

"That I know not, Lord King," said the Centaur. "But I know there are liars on earth; there are none among the stars."

“國王啊，這我不知道，”人頭馬說道，“但我知道世界上有不少撒謊的騙子；天上的星星中可一個撒謊的騙子也沒有。”

"I wonder," said Jewel, "whether Aslan might not come though all the stars foretold otherwise. He is not the slave of the stars but their Maker. Is it not said in all the old stories that He is not a tame lion."

“我心中納罕，”珍寶說道，“儘管一切星相的徵兆不是這麼說，阿斯蘭是否就可能不來了呢？獅王不是衆星的奴隸，而是衆星的創造者。一切古老的故事裏不是都說他並不是馴服的獅子嗎？”

"Well said, well said, Jewel," cried the King. "Those are the very words: not a tame lion. It comes in many tales."

“說得好，說得好，珍寶。”國王大聲說道，“就是這麼一句話。並不是馴服的獅子。有許多故事裏都那麼說的。”

Roonwit had just raised his hand and was leaning forward to say something very earnestly to the King when all three of them turned their heads to listen to a wailing sound that was quickly drawing nearer. The wood was so thick to the West of them that they could not see the newcomer yet. But they could soon hear the words.

龍威特剛擡起頭來，正要向前伸過去跟國王十分認真地說話時，他們三個都轉過頭來諦聽一個正愈傳愈近的、號啕大哭的聲音。他們西邊的樹林很稠密，所以他們還看不見新來的人物。但他們不久就能聽清楚號哭的詞兒了。

"Woe, woe, woe!" called the voice. "Woe for my brothers and sisters! Woe for the holy trees! The woods are laid waste. The axe is loosed against us. We are being felled. Great trees are falling, falling, falling."

“災難，災難，災難！”這聲音號啕道，“我的姐妹兄弟災難臨頭了！神聖的樹木災難臨頭了！森林被損壞了。斧頭砍到我們身上來了。我們正在被砍伐。大樹正在倒下，倒下，倒下。”

With the last "falling" the speaker came in sight. She was like a woman but so tall that her head was on a level with the Centaur's yet she was like a tree too. It is hard to explain if you have never seen a Dryad but quite unmistakable once you have - something different in the colour, the voice, and the hair. King Tirian and the two Beasts knew at once that she was the nymph of a beech tree.

隨着最後一個“倒下”的聲音，說話的人便看得見了。她像一個女人，但是高高大大，頭跟人頭馬的腦袋一般兒高；然而她也很像個女人。如果你從未見過樹精，那就很難給你解釋；如果你見過，那就可以毫無錯誤地從顏色、聲音、頭髮上辨別出來某些不同之處。國王蒂蓮和兩頭野獸立刻就認出她是山毛櫸的精靈。

"Justice, Lord King!" she cried. "Come to our aid. Protect your people. They are felling us in Lantern Waste."

“國王陛下，你要主持正義——”她大聲喊道，“你要來幫助我們。你要保護你的子民。他們正在燈柱野林上砍伐我們。

"Forty great trunks of my brothers and sisters are already on the ground."

“我的兄弟姐妹們的四十棵巨大樹幹已經倒在地上了。”

"What, Lady! Felling Lantern Waste? Murdering the talking trees?" cried the King, leaping to his feet and drawing his sword. "How dare they? And who dares it? Now by the Mane of Aslan-"

“啊，夫人！砍伐燈柱野林嗎？謀害說人話的樹木嗎。”國王大聲喊道，跳起身來，拔出劍來，“他們竟膽大妄爲？是誰這麼膽大妄爲？憑阿斯蘭的鬃毛——”

"A-a-a-h," gasped the Dryad shuddering as if in pain - shuddering time after time as if under repeated blows. Then all at once she fell sideways as suddenly as if both her feet had been cut from under her. For a second they saw her lying dead on the grass and then she vanished. They knew what had happened. Her tree, miles away, had been cut down.

“啊——啊——啊——赫！”樹精氣喘吁吁地說道，她渾身發抖，彷彿疼痛萬分——她一陣又一陣地發抖，彷彿再三受到打擊似的。接着，在片刻之間她突然往斜刺裏倒下去，倒像是她的雙腳給砍掉了似的。國王他們看見她死了，躺在草地上短短一忽兒隨即消失得無影無蹤了。他們知道發生了。什麼事。幾英里之外，她那棵樹木，被人砍倒了。

For a moment the King's grief and anger were so great that he could not speak. Then he said:

國王悲憤交集，半晌說不出話來。後來，他開言道。

"Come, friends. We must go up river and find the villains who have done this, with all the speed we may. I will leave not one of them alive."

“朋友們，來吧。我們必須趕到河流的上游，找到這些幹壞事的惡棍們，我們要盡力全速趕去。我決不放過他們，哪一個也休想活着回去。”

"Sire, with a good will," said Jewel.

“陛下，衷心祝願您成功。”珍寶說。

But Roonwit said, "Sire, be wary in your just wrath. There are strange doings on foot. If there should be rebels in arms further up the valley, we three are too few to meet them. If it would please you to wait while ..."

然而龍威特卻說“陛下，即使是出於義憤，也要謹慎小心。奇怪的活動正在出現口山谷裏如果有武裝的叛徒，我們三個就勢單力薄，無法應戰。你是否願意等待一下，當……”