納尼亞傳奇：第八章 飯后發(fā)生的情況

Chapter 8: What Happened After Dinner

第八章　飯后發(fā)生的情況

"AND now," said Lucy, "do please tell us what's happened to Mr Tumnus."

“現(xiàn)在，”露茜說，“請你告訴我們，圖姆納斯先生到底出了什么事?”

"Ah, that's bad," said Mr Beaver, shaking his head. "That's a very, very bad business. There's no doubt he was taken off by the police. I got that from a bird who saw it done."

“啊，真糟糕。”海貍先生搖著頭說，“那可是非常非常糟糕的事。毫無疑問，他是被警察帶走的。這個情況我是從一只鳥兒那里探聽到的，它親眼看見他被他們帶走的。”

"But where's he been taken to?" asked Lucy.

“那么他被帶到什么地方去了呢?”露茜問道。

"Well, they were heading northwards when they were last seen and we all know what that means."

“嗯，最后看到他們的時候，他們是朝北去的。大家都知道那意味著什么。”

"No, we don't," said Susan. Mr Beaver shook his head in a very gloomy fashion.

“但是我們不懂啊。”蘇珊說。

"I'm afraid it means they were taking him to her House," he said.

海貍先生非常憂郁地?fù)u了搖頭說：“恐怕他們把他帶到她的住所去了。”

"But what'll they do to him, Mr Beaver?" gasped Lucy.

“他們要拿他怎么樣，海貍先生?”露茜喘著氣問。

"Well," said Mr Beaver, "you can't exactly say for sure. But there's not many taken in there that ever comes out again. Statues. All full of statues they say it is - in the courtyard and up the stairs and in the hall. People she's turned" - (he paused and shuddered) "turned into stone."

“唉，”海貍先生說，“這就難說了，凡是被抓去的能夠出來的不多，全變成了石頭雕像啦。據(jù)說，在她住的院子里，樓上，廳堂里都堆滿了石頭雕像。她把人們……”他頓了一下，繼續(xù)顫栗著說，“通通變成石頭了。”

"But, Mr Beaver," said Lucy, "can't we - I mean we must do something to save him. It's too dreadful and it's all on my account."

“但是，海貍先生，”露茜說，“難道我們就一點辦法也沒有了嗎?我是說我們應(yīng)該想一切辦法去救他。這是多么可怕啊，而且，不是為了我，他就不會遭這個罪。”

"I don't doubt you'd save him if you could, dearie," said Mrs Beaver, "but you've no chance of getting into that House against her will and ever coming out alive."

“孩子們，我并不懷疑，如果你們能有辦法的話，你們可以救他的命，”海貍太太說，“但是，你們怎么能強行進(jìn)入她的住所，再活著出來呢?”

"Couldn't we have some stratagem?" said Peter. "I mean couldn't we dress up as something, or pretend to be - oh, pedlars or anything - or watch till she was gone out - or- oh, hang it all, there must be some way. This Faun saved my sister at his own risk, Mr Beaver. We can't just leave him to be - to be - to have that done to him."

“我們是不是可以用些計謀呢?”彼得說，“例如，我們打扮成小販或旁的什么人，或者注意好了，等她不在家時，偷偷地潛入她的宮中，或者……唉，她真是該死?？傊覀兊孟胍磺修k法救他出來。海貍先生，這位農(nóng)牧之神不顧他自己的生命危險救了我的妹妹，我們怎能眼巴巴的不顧他的死活，看著他受苦呢?”

"It's no good, Son of Adam," said Mr Beaver, "no good your trying, of all people. But now that Aslan is on the move-"

“不行啊，亞當(dāng)?shù)膬鹤樱?rdquo;海貍先生說，“你們再想辦法也沒用。唉，聽說阿斯蘭回來了……”

"Oh, yes! Tell us about Aslan!" said several voices at once; for once again that strange feeling - like the first signs of spring, like good news, had come over them.

“哦，對啦，給我們講講阿斯蘭的情況吧!”幾個人異口同聲地說，說到阿斯蘭，那種神奇的感覺，就像春天來臨的第一個信號，就像喜訊撥動著他們的心弦。

"Who is Aslan?" asked Susan.

“阿斯蘭是誰呀?”蘇珊問。

"Aslan?" said Mr Beaver. "Why, don't you know? He's the King. He's the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father's time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He'll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr Tumnus."

“阿斯蘭?”海貍先生說，“這你還不知道嗎?他是國王，他是森林之王，但他不經(jīng)常在這兒。不論在我父親的一生中，還是在我的一生中，他都沒來過。但現(xiàn)在有確實的消息說，他已經(jīng)回來了。目前他就在那尼亞。他一定要將白女巫徹底消滅。能夠救圖姆納斯先生的就是他，而不是你們。”

"She won't turn him into stone too?" said Edmund.

“她不會也把他變成石頭嗎?”愛德蒙說。

"Lord love you, Son of Adam, what a simple thing to say!" answered Mr Beaver with a great laugh. "Turn him into stone? If she can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it'll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her. No, no. He'll put all to rights as it says in an old rhyme in these parts:

“我的小祖宗啊，亞當(dāng)?shù)膬鹤樱銌柕膯栴}是多么簡單幼稚啊!”海貍先生哈哈大笑地回答說，“把他變成石頭?如果她敢在他面前站起來，正視他一眼，她就算是有種的了。我能肯定她不敢這樣做。阿斯蘭要重整河山，如同一首古老的詩歌中所寫的那樣：

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

阿斯蘭出現(xiàn)在我們面前，是非顛倒的現(xiàn)象就會改變;

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,

人們一聽到他的吼聲，

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

阿斯蘭一露他的牙齒，漫漫嚴(yán)冬就會消逝不見;

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

他的鬃毛輕輕一抖，我們就會重睹春天。

You'll understand when you see him."

你們見到以后就會知道了。”

"But shall we see him?" asked Susan.

“我們要去見見他嗎?”蘇珊問道。

"Why, Daughter of Eve, that's what I brought you here for. I'm to lead you where you shall meet him," said Mr Beaver.

“當(dāng)然羅，夏娃的女兒，我就是為了這個才把你們帶到這兒來的。我把你們帶到跟他相會的地方去。”海貍先生說。

"Is-is he a man?" asked Lucy.

“他，他是人嗎?”露茜問。

"Aslan a man!" said Mr Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."

“阿斯蘭是人?!”海貍先生嚴(yán)肅地說，“當(dāng)然不是。我已告訴過你們，他是森林之王，是海外大帝之子。你不知道誰是百獸之王嗎?阿斯蘭是一頭獅子，一頭雄獅，是偉大的百獸之王。”

"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

“哦，哦，哦，”蘇珊說，“我原來還以為他是人呢。那么他——會傷人嗎?和一頭獅子相會，我會感到非常害怕。”

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

“你們會感到害怕，親愛的，這一點也不奇怪，”海貍太太說，“如果有誰在阿斯蘭面前兩膝不發(fā)抖，他不是一個非凡的勇士，就是一個傻瓜。”

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

“這樣說來不是太嚇人了嗎?”露茜說。

"Safe?" said Mr Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

“害怕嗎?”海貍先生說，“你沒有聽見我的太太說的話嗎?他當(dāng)然使人望而生畏，但他是善良的。他是王，懂了嗎?”

"I'm longing to see him," said Peter, "even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point."

“即使我見到他會感到害怕，我還是渴望去見他。”彼得說。

"That's right, Son of Adam," said Mr Beaver, bringing his paw down on the table with a crash that made all the cups and saucers rattle. "And so you shall. Word has been sent that you are to meet him, tomorrow if you can, at the Stone Table.'

“說得對，亞當(dāng)?shù)膬鹤樱?rdquo;海貍先生說，他用腳爪猛地拍了一下桌子，震得滿桌的杯子和碟子都叮當(dāng)直響。“你們應(yīng)該去見他，我這兒已經(jīng)得到口信，約你們?nèi)ヅc他相會。如果可能的話，就在明天，在石臺那兒。”

"Where's that?" said Lucy.

“石臺在哪兒?”露茜問。

"I'll show you," said Mr Beaver. "It's down the river, a good step from here. I'll take you to it!"

“我會給你們帶路的，”海貍先生說，“它在這條河流的下游，離這兒好遠(yuǎn)呢，我送你們到那兒。”

"But meanwhile what about poor Mr Tumnus?" said Lucy.

“還要走這么遠(yuǎn)的路，圖姆納斯先生不知會怎么樣?”露茜問。

"The quickest way you can help him is by going to meet Aslan," said Mr Beaver, "once he's with us, then we can begin doing things. Not that we don't need you too. For that's another of the old rhymes:

“你們能幫助他的最快的辦法就是去找阿斯蘭，”海貍先生說，“只要他和我們在一起，我們就會有辦法，但這并不是說我們就不需要你們，這里還有幾行古老的詩句：

When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone

一旦亞當(dāng)?shù)挠H骨肉登上

Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,

凱爾·巴拉維爾的王位，

The evil time will be over and done.

罪惡的年代就會一去不復(fù)返。

So things must be drawing near their end now he's come and you've come. We've heard of Aslan coming into these parts before - long ago, nobody can say when. But there's never been any of your race here before."

所以，既然阿斯蘭來了，你們又來了，一切都得結(jié)束了。我們很久以前——具體什么時候，誰也說不清楚——就聽說阿斯蘭到這一帶來過，但這里從來也不曾有過你們?nèi)祟惖淖阚E。”

"That's what I don't understand, Mr Beaver," said Peter, "I mean isn't the Witch herself human?"

“這正是我搞不清楚的地方，海貍先生，”彼得問，“我是說，難道女王自己就不是人嗎?”

"She'd like us to believe it," said Mr Beaver, "and it's on that that she bases her claim to be Queen. But she's no Daughter of Eve. She comes of your father Adam's" - (here Mr Beaver bowed) "your father Adam's first wife, her they called Lilith. And she was one of the Jinn. That's what she comes from on one side. And on the other she comes of the giants. No, no, there isn't a drop of real human blood in the Witch."

“她就希望我們相信她是人類，”海貍先生說，“她就是以此自封為女王的，但她根本不是夏娃的女兒，她是你父王亞當(dāng)?shù)?hellip;…”說到這里，海貍先生鞠了一個躬，“第一個妻子李麗絲生的，李麗絲是個妖精，所以她身上既有女巫的血統(tǒng)，又有巨人的血緣。在這個女巫身上，沒有一滴真正人類的血液。”

"That's why she's bad all through, Mr Beaver," said Mrs Beaver.

“怪不得她這樣壞，海貍先生，”海貍太太說。

"True enough, Mrs Beaver," replied he, "there may be two views about humans (meaning no offence to the present company). But there's no two views about things that look like humans and aren't."

“對極了，太太，”他答道，“關(guān)于人類也許有兩種看法(我不想冒犯在場的人)，但對看起來像人類而又不是人類的東西，就不存在兩種看法。”

"I've known good Dwarfs," said Mrs Beaver.

“我認(rèn)識善良的小妖，”海貍太太說。

"So've I, now you come to speak of it," said her husband, "but precious few, and they were the ones least like men. But in general, take my advice, when you meet anything that's going to be human and isn't yet, or used to be human once and isn't now, or ought to be human and isn't, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet. And that's why the Witch is always on the lookout for any humans in Narnia. She's been watching for you this many a year, and if she knew there were four of you she'd be more dangerous still."

“我也認(rèn)識，”她的丈夫說，“但真正善良的極少，他們最不像人?？傊?，你們應(yīng)該聽我的勸告，當(dāng)你們遇見任何要想變做人而還沒有變成的，或過去曾經(jīng)是人而現(xiàn)在已不是的，或應(yīng)該是人實際上不是人的什么生靈，你們就必須提高警惕，隨時準(zhǔn)備好你們的斧子。白女巫總是害怕那尼亞會出現(xiàn)人類，她提防你們已有好幾年了。如果她知道你們四個人都在這兒，她就會變得更加狠毒。”

"What's that to do with it?" asked Peter.

“這是什么原因?”彼得問。

"Because of another prophecy," said Mr Beaver. "Down at Cair Paravel - that's the castle on the sea coast down at the mouth of this river which ought to be the capital of the whole country if all was as it should be - down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life, and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along, for if she knew about you four, your lives wouldn't be worth a shake of my whiskers!"

“這就要說到一個古老的預(yù)言，”海貍說，“在凱爾·巴拉維爾，也就是這條河流入?？诟浇哪莻€城堡，照理它應(yīng)該是整個國家的首都，有四個國王的寶座。很久很久以前，誰也記不清是什么年代了，在那尼亞有這樣一種傳說，一旦亞當(dāng)?shù)膬蓚€兒子和夏娃的兩個女兒坐上這四個王位，不僅白女巫的統(tǒng)治，而且連同她的生命都將一起完蛋。這就是剛才我們來的路上為什么要這樣小心翼翼的原因，因為假如讓她知道了，她要害死你們，就像我抖抖胡子這樣容易。”

All the children had been attending so hard to what Mr Beaver was telling them that they had noticed nothing else for a long time. Then during the moment of silence that followed his last remark, Lucy suddenly said:

孩子們一直這樣聚精會神地聽著海貍先生講話，他們好長時間都沒有去注意別的情況。他說到最后，大家都寂靜無聲的時候，露茜突然說道：

"I say-where's Edmund?"

“哎喲，愛德蒙到哪兒去啦?”

There was a dreadful pause, and then everyone began asking "Who saw him last? How long has he been missing? Is he outside? and then all rushed to the door and looked out. The snow was falling thickly and steadily, the green ice of the pool had vanished under a thick white blanket, and from where the little house stood in the centre of the dam you could hardly see either bank. Out they went, plunging well over their ankles into the soft new snow, and went round the house in every direction. "Edmund! Edmund!" they called till they were hoarse. But the silently falling snow seemed to muffle their voices and there was not even an echo in answer.

先是一陣可怕的沉默，接著大家都問：“誰最后看見他的?不見他有多少時候啦?他到屋外去了嗎?”大家馬上沖到門口去看。外面大雪紛飛，水池上面綠色的冰已經(jīng)不見了，而蓋上了一條厚厚的雪毯。站在小屋的門口，你幾乎看不見兩邊的河岸。他們在屋前屋后四下尋找，兩腳深陷在剛下的柔軟的雪中。“愛德蒙!愛德蒙!”他們拼命地喊著，嗓子都喊啞了。但是，他們的喊聲似乎全被寂靜的大雪淹沒了，甚至連一句回聲也聽不到。

"How perfectly dreadful!" said Susan as they at last came back in despair. "Oh, how I wish we'd never come."

最后，他們懊喪地回到屋里。“太可怕了!”蘇姍說，“啊，如果我們不到這兒來該有多好啊。”

"What on earth are we to do, Mr Beaver?" said Peter.

“我們究竟怎么辦呢?海貍先生?”彼得問。

"Do?" said Mr Beaver, who was already putting on his snow-boots, "do? We must be off at once. We haven't a moment to spare!"

“怎么辦?”海貍先生說，他已經(jīng)穿上了雪靴，“怎么辦?我們必須立即出發(fā)，一刻也不能停留!”

"We'd better divide into four search parties," said Peter, "and all go in different directions. Whoever finds him must come back here at once and-"

“我們最好分成四個搜尋小組，”彼得說，“朝各個方向去找，找到他以后立即回到這兒來，還有……”

"Search parties, Son of Adam?" said Mr Beaver; "what for?"

“分成搜尋小組，”海貍先生問，“干什么去呀?”

"Why, to look for Edmund, of course!"

“當(dāng)然去找愛德蒙羅!”

"There's no point in looking for him," said Mr Beaver.

“不必去找他啦，”海貍先生說。

"What do you mean?" said Susan. "He can't be far away yet. And we've got to find him. What do you mean when you say there's no use looking for him?"

“你這是什么意思?”彼得說，“他還不可能走遠(yuǎn)。我們必須把他找回來。你說不用去找他，這是什么意思?”

"The reason there's no use looking," said Mr Beaver, "is that we know already where he's gone!" Everyone stared in amazement. "Don't you understand?" said Mr Beaver. "He's gone to her, to the White Witch. He has betrayed us all."

“不必找他的理由是，”海貍先生說，“我們已經(jīng)知道他到哪兒去了!”大家聽了，一時摸不著頭腦，都驚訝地瞪起了眼睛。“你們難道還不知道嗎?”海貍先生接下來說，“他到白女巫哪兒去了，他已經(jīng)背叛了我們。”

"Oh, surely-oh, really!" said Susan, "he can't have done that."

“哦，不會的，我敢肯定，”蘇姍說，“他不會干出這種事來的。”

"Can't he?" said Mr Beaver, looking very hard at the three children, and everything they wanted to say died on their lips, for each felt suddenly quite certain inside that this was exactly what Edmund had done.

“他不會?”海貍先生緊盯著三個孩子問，孩子們的話剛到了嘴邊又咽了下去，因為他們每個人的心里都立刻明白過來，愛德蒙肯定已經(jīng)干了那樣的事。

"But will he know the way?" said Peter.

“但他認(rèn)得路嗎?”彼得說。

"Has he been in this country before?" asked Mr Beaver. "Has he ever been here alone?"

“他以前來過這個國家嗎?”海貍先生問，“他有沒有一個人單獨來過?”

"Yes," said Lucy, almost in a whisper. "I'm afraid he has."

“他來過，”露茜低聲說，聲音低得人們幾乎都聽不見。

"And did he tell you what he'd done or who he'd met?"

“他有沒有告訴你們做了些什么，遇見了誰嗎?”

"Well, no, he didn't," said Lucy.

“嗯，沒有，”彼得說。

"Then mark my words," said Mr Beaver, "he has already met the White Witch and joined her side, and been told where she lives. I didn't like to mention it before (he being your brother and all) but the moment I set eyes on that brother of yours I said to myself `Treacherous'. He had the look of one who has been with the Witch and eaten her food. You can always tell them if you've lived long in Narnia; something about their eyes."

“那么，你們就聽我說，”海貍先生說，“他見過白女巫，他已經(jīng)加入她那一邊了，他知道她住在哪兒。我起先不高興講，因為他是你們的兄弟，但我一見到你們這位兄弟，就知道他不可靠。他臉上有一種特別的表情，只有和女巫在一起、吃過她東西的人臉上才有這種表情。如果你們在那尼亞的時間長了，就可以根據(jù)他們的眼神把他們辨別出來。”

"All the same," said Peter in a rather choking sort of voice, "we'll still have to go and look for him. He is our brother after all, even if he is rather a little beast. And he's only a kid."

“不管怎樣，”彼得幾乎用一種哽咽的聲音說，“我們還得去找他，他到底是我們的兄弟，即使他是個小畜生，他畢竟還是個小孩子。”

"Go to the Witch's House?" said Mrs Beaver. "Don't you see that the only chance of saving either him or yourselves is to keep away from her?"

“到女巫住的地方去找他?”海貍太太說，“你們難道還不明白，救他或者救你們自己的惟一辦法，就是避免和她接觸，不讓她看見嗎?”

"How do you mean?" said Lucy.

“這到底是什么意思?”露茜說。

"Why, all she wants is to get all four of you (she's thinking all the time of those four thrones at Cair Paravel). Once you were all four inside her House her job would be done - and there'd be four new statues in her collection before you'd had time to speak. But she'll keep him alive as long as he's the only one she's got, because she'll want to use him as a decoy; as bait to catch the rest of you with."

“哎喲，她一心想的就是要把你們四人一網(wǎng)打盡，她一直在覬覦著凱爾·巴拉維爾的四個王位。你們四個人一到她的住所里面，她正好下手。你們還來不及開口，就已成了四座新的石頭雕像。但是如果抓住他一個人，她就會讓他活著，因為她要把他作為釣餌，用來引誘你們其余的人上鉤。”

"Oh, can no one help us?" wailed Lucy.

“啊，難道就沒有人幫助我們了嗎?”露茜大聲哭了起來。

"Only Aslan," said Mr Beaver, "we must go on and meet him. That's our only chance now."

“只有阿斯蘭，”海貍先生說，“我們一定要去見他，這是我們眼下惟一的辦法。”

"It seems to me, my dears," said Mrs Beaver, "that it is very important to know just when he slipped away. How much he can tell her depends on how much he heard. For instance, had we started talking of Aslan before he left? If not, then we may do very well, for she won't know that Aslan has come to Narnia, or that we are meeting him, and will be quite off her guard as far as that is concerned."

“親愛的孩子們，據(jù)我看來，”海貍太太說，“要緊的是知道他什么時候溜走的。他能告訴女巫多少取決于他聽到了多少。例如說，在他溜走前，我們已經(jīng)開始談到阿斯蘭了嗎?如果還沒有，我們就照?？梢愿傻煤芎?，因為女巫還不知道阿斯蘭已經(jīng)來到了那尼亞，也不知道我們將去見阿斯蘭，不知道我們將盡可能地避開她。”

"I don't remember his being here when we were talking about Aslan -" began Peter, but Lucy interrupted him.

“我記不清我們談?wù)摪⑺固m時他是不是還在這兒……”彼得說，但露茜馬上打斷了他的話。

"Oh yes, he was," she said miserably; "don't you remember, it was he who asked whether the Witch couldn't turn Aslan into stone too?"

“哦，他在的，”她很難過地說，“你可記得，就是他要打聽女巫能不能將阿斯蘭也變成石頭嗎?”

"So he did, by Jove," said Peter; "just the sort of thing he would say, too!"

“天哪，正是他，”彼得說，“他就是喜歡問這一類的問題。”

"Worse and worse," said Mr Beaver, "and the next thing is this. Was he still here when I told you that the place for meeting Aslan was the Stone Table?"

“糟了，糟了，”海貍先生說，“還有一個問題，當(dāng)我告訴你們在石臺會見阿斯蘭時他還在這兒嗎?”

And of course no one knew the answer to this question.

沒有誰能回答這個問題。

"Because, if he was," continued Mr Beaver, "then she'll simply sledge down in that direction and get between us and the Stone Table and catch us on our way down. In fact we shall be cut off from Aslan. "

“因為，如果他那時也在的話，”海貍先生繼續(xù)說道，“那么，女巫知道了這一情況，她就會駕著雪橇直奔石臺，插到我們和石臺中間，在半路上堵截我們。這樣，我們和阿斯蘭的聯(lián)系就會被切斷。”

"But that isn't what she'll do first," said Mrs Beaver, "not if I know her. The moment that Edmund tells her that we're all here she'll set out to catch us this very night, and if he's been gone about half an hour, she'll be here in about another twenty minutes."

“但是這還不是她首先要干的事，”海貍太太說，“在我看來，她不會那樣干。如果愛德蒙告訴了她我們都在這兒，她今晚就會到這里來抓我們。假如她是半小時以前溜走的，再過二十分鐘，她就會趕到我們這兒來。”

"You're right, Mrs Beaver," said her husband, "we must all get away from here. There's not a moment to lose."

“你說得對，太太，”海貍先生說，“我們必須立刻出發(fā)，全部離開這兒!”