納尼亞傳奇：第十七章 追獵白鹿

Chapter 17: The Hunting of the White Stag

第十七章 追獵白鹿

THE battle was all over a few minutes after their arrival. Most of the enemy had been killed in the first charge of Aslan and his -companions; and when those who were still living saw that the Witch was dead they either gave themselves up or took to flight. The next thing that Lucy knew was that Peter and Aslan were shaking hands. It was strange to her to see Peter looking as he looked now - his face was so pale and stern and he seemed so much older.

這場戰(zhàn)斗在他們趕到后片刻間就全部結束了。大部分敵人在阿斯蘭和它的伙伴第一次猛攻時就已送了命，那些還活著的看見妖婆死了，不是投降就是逃走了。接下來露茜只知道彼得跟阿斯蘭在握手了。她覺得彼得這會兒看上去很怪——他的臉那么蒼白，神情嚴峻，而且他老氣多了。

"It was all Edmund's doing, Aslan," Peter was saying. "We'd have been beaten if it hadn't been for him. The Witch was turning our troops into stone right and left. But nothing would stop him. He fought his way through three ogres to where she was just turning one of your leopards into a statue. And when he reached her he had sense to bring his sword smashing down on her wand instead of trying to go for her directly and simply getting made a statue himself for his pains. That was the mistake all the rest were making. Once her wand was broken we began to have some chance - if we hadn't lost so many already. He was terribly wounded. We must go and see him."

“這都是愛德蒙的功勞，阿斯蘭，”彼得說道，“要不是他，我們就要被她們打敗了。妖婆把我們的軍隊都變成石頭排在兩邊。可什么也擋不住他。他一路打倒了三個吃人惡魔，一直打到她剛把你的一頭豹變成石像的地方。等他靠近她時，他很理智，先用劍劈了她的魔杖，而不是魯莽地直接向她進攻，害得自己反而被變成一個石像。而所有其他的人正是犯了這個錯誤。要是我們原先損失沒那么嚴重的話，她的魔杖一斷，我們就開始有轉機了。他受了重傷。我們必須去看看他。”

They found Edmund in charge of Mrs Beaver a little way back from the fighting line. He was covered with blood, his mouth was open, and his face a nasty green colour.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)愛德蒙就在離戰(zhàn)線不遠的后方，由海貍太太負責照看著。他渾身是血，張著嘴，臉色慘白。

"Quick, Lucy," said Aslan.

“快，露茜。”阿斯蘭說。

And then, almost for the first time, Lucy remembered the precious cordial that had been given her for a Christmas present. Her hands trembled so much that she could hardly undo the stopper, but she managed it in the end and poured a few drops into her brother's mouth.

到了那時，露茜才頭一回記起作為圣誕禮物送給她的那瓶珍貴的妙藥。她兩手抖得厲害，怎么也打不開瓶塞，不過末了她總算打開了，而且在她哥哥嘴里倒了幾滴。

"There are other people wounded," said Aslan while she was still looking eagerly into Edmund's pale face and wondering if the cordial would have any result.

“還有別的傷員呢。”阿斯蘭說。她卻仍然焦急地望著愛德蒙蒼白的臉，不知妙藥有沒有什么效果。

"Yes, I know," said Lucy crossly. "Wait a minute."

“是啊，我知道，”露茜生氣地說，“等一下。”

"Daughter of Eve," said Aslan in a graver voice, "others also are at the point of death. Must more people die for Edmund?"

“夏娃的女兒，”阿斯蘭的聲音嚴肅起來了，“別人也在生死關頭，難道一定要更多的人為愛德蒙而死嗎?”

"I'm sorry, Aslan," said Lucy, getting up and going with him. And for the next half-hour they were busy - she attending to the wounded while he restored those who had been turned into stone. When at last she was free to come back to Edmund she found him standing on his feet and not only healed of his wounds but looking better than she had seen him look - oh, for ages; in fact ever since his first term at that horrid school which was where he had begun to go wrong. He had become his real old self again and could look you in the face. And there on the field of battle Aslan made him a knight.

“對不起，阿斯蘭。”露茜說著站起來跟它一起走去。接下來半小時里她們忙得不可開交——她忙著照顧傷員，它忙著把那些變成石頭的動物變回原樣。等她終于抽出身子回到愛德蒙那兒時，她發(fā)現(xiàn)他已經一個人站在那兒了，不僅傷口長好了，而且看上去比以前還要好;事實上，自從他上了那個討厭的學校，第一學期他就開始變壞了。如今他已經恢復本來面目，敢于正視你的臉了。阿斯蘭就在戰(zhàn)場上封他為騎士。

"Does he know," whispered Lucy to Susan, "what Aslan did for him? Does he know what the arrangement with the Witch really was?"

“他知道，”露茜悄悄對蘇珊說，“阿斯蘭為他作出什么犧牲嗎?他知道獅王和妖婆的真正協(xié)議嗎?”

"Hush! No. Of course not," said Susan.

“噓!不，當然不知道。”蘇珊說。

"Oughtn't he to be told?" said Lucy.

“難道不應該告訴他嗎?”露茜說。

"Oh, surely not," said Susan. "It would be too awful for him. Think how you'd feel if you were he."

“哦，當然不應該，”蘇珊說，“那對他太可怕了。如果你是他，想想看你有什么感想?”

"All the same I think he ought to know," said Lucy. But at that moment they were interrupted.

“盡管如此，我認為他應該知道。”露茜說。

That night they slept where they were. How Aslan provided food for them all I don't know; but somehow or other they found themselves all sitting down on the grass to a fine high tea at about eight o'clock. Next day they began marching eastward down the side of the great river. And the next day after that, at about teatime, they actually reached the mouth. The castle of Cair Paravel on its little hill towered up above them; before them were the sands, with rocks and little pools of salt water, and seaweed, and the smell of the sea and long miles of bluish-green waves breaking for ever and ever on the beach. And oh, the cry of the sea-gulls! Have you heard it? Can you remember?

不過這時有人打斷了她們的談話。那天晚上他們就在原地睡覺。阿斯蘭怎么供大家吃飯我可不知道;不過不管怎么說，大伙兒在八點鐘左右全都坐在草地上吃了一頓美美的正式茶點。第二天他們開始沿著那條大河往東進發(fā)。第三天，大約在吃茶點的時候，他們果然來到了入?？?。坐落在小山上的凱爾帕拉維爾城堡高高屹立在他們上面;在他們前方是沙灘、巖石、一個個小小的咸水坑、海草、大海的氣息，還有青綠色的萬里波濤永遠不停地沖擊著海灘。哦，還有海鷗的叫聲!你們聽見過嗎?你們還能記得嗎?

That evening after tea the four children all managed to get down to the beach again and get their shoes and stockings off and feel the sand between their toes. But next day was more solemn. For then, in the Great Hall of Cair Paravel - that wonderful hall with the ivory roof and the west wall hung with peacock's feathers and the eastern door which looks towards the sea, in the presence of all their friends and to the sound of trumpets, Aslan solemnly crowned them and led them to the four thrones amid deafening shouts of, "Long Live King Peter! Long Live Queen Susan! Long Live King Edmund! Long Live Queen Lucy!"

那天傍晚吃過茶點，四個孩子全都想方設法再到海灘上去，他們脫下鞋襪，光腳在沙灘上玩。不過第二天就嚴肅得多了。原來那時，在凱爾帕拉維爾的大廳里，在那象牙屋頂?shù)木来髲d里(西門全都掛滿了孔雀毛，東門直通大海)，阿斯蘭當著他們的各位好友，聽到號聲齊鳴，就莊嚴地為他們加冕。“彼得國王萬歲!蘇珊女王萬歲!愛德蒙國王萬歲!露茜女王萬歲!”在震耳欲聾的歡呼聲中，阿斯蘭領他們坐到四個寶座上。

"Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen. Bear it well, Sons of Adam! Bear it well, Daughters of Eve!" said Aslan.

“在納尼亞一朝為王，就終身為王，好好記住，亞當?shù)膬鹤?好好記住，夏娃的女兒!”阿斯蘭說。

And through the eastern door, which was wide open, came the voices of the mermen and the mermaids swimming close to the shore and singing in honour of their new Kings and Queens.

同時從敞開的東門外傳來了雄人魚和雌人魚的聲音，它們游到靠近城堡臺階的地方，歡唱著向它們的國王和女王致敬。

So the children sat on their thrones and sceptres were put into their hands and they gave rewards and honours to all their friends, to Tumnus the Faun, and to the Beavers, and Giant Rumblebuffin, to the leopards, and the good centaurs, and the good dwarfs, and to the lion. And that night there was a great feast in Cair Paravel, and revelry and dancing, and gold flashed and wine flowed, and answering to the music inside, but stranger, sweeter, and more piercing, came the music of the sea people.

于是四個孩子坐在寶座上，接受了權杖，他們對所有好友分別犒賞，表示敬意，包括羊怪圖姆納斯、海貍夫婦、巨人倫波布芬、豹、善良的人頭馬和小矮人，以及另一頭獅子。那天晚上在凱爾帕拉維爾舉行了一個盛大的宴會，縱情歌舞狂歡，金光閃閃，美酒汩汩，和城堡里的音樂相呼應的是海上傳來的那種更奇妙、更甜美、更扣人心弦的仙樂。

But a midst all these rejoicings Aslan himself quietly slipped away. And when the Kings and Queens noticed that he wasn't there they said nothing about it. For Mr Beaver had warned them, "He'll be coming and going," he had said. "One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild,' you know. Not like a tame lion."

但就在這場歡慶中，阿斯蘭悄悄地溜走了。兩位國王和兩位女王注意到它不在了，倒也沒說什么。因為海貍先生曾經對他們有言在先。“它是來去自由的，”它說，“你們今天看見它，改天就看小見了。它不喜歡被拴住——當然還有別的國家要它去操心。這沒關系。它會常常來的。只是你們不能逼它。要知道它性子野，不像馴化了的獅子。”

And now, as you see, this story is nearly (but not quite) at an end. These two Kings and two Queens governed Narnia well, and long and happy was their reign. At first much of their time was spent in seeking out the remnants of the White Witch's army and destroying them, and indeed for a long time there would be news of evil things lurking in the wilder parts of the forest - a haunting here and a killing there, a glimpse of a werewolf one month and a rumour of a hag the next. But in the end all that foul brood was stamped out. And they made good laws and kept the peace and saved good trees from being unnecessarily cut down, and liberated young dwarfs and young satyrs from being sent to school, and generally stopped busybodies and interferers and encouraged ordinary people who wanted to live and let live. And they drove back the fierce giants (quite a different sort from Giant Rumblebuffin) on the north of Narnia when these ventured across the frontier. And they entered into friendship and alliance with countries beyond the sea and paid them visits of state and received visits of state from them. And they themselves grew and changed as the years passed over them. And Peter became a tall and deep-chested man and a great warrior, and he was called King Peter the Magnificent. And Susan grew into a tall and gracious woman with black hair that fell almost to her feet and the kings of the countries beyond the sea began to send ambassadors asking for her hand in marriage. And she was called Susan the Gentle. Edmund was a graver and quieter man than Peter, and great in council and judgement. He was called King Edmund the Just. But as for Lucy, she was always gay and golden-haired, and all princes in those parts desired her to be their Queen, and her own people called her Queen Lucy the Valiant.

現(xiàn)在呢，你們也看得出，這故事就快講完了(不過還沒完呢)。話說這兩位國王和兩位女王管理納尼亞，倒也搞得長治久安，快快活活。一開頭他們大部分時間都花在搜尋白妖婆軍隊的殘余并消滅他們上。長期以來確實也有潛伏在森林中偏僻地帶的壞蛋作惡的消息——到處搗亂，殺人，這個月看見一個狼人，下個月又謠傳出現(xiàn)母夜叉。不過到頭來所有的禍害都被消滅了。他們制訂了完善的法律，維持社會治安，保護好樹木不受濫砍濫伐，不讓年輕的小矮人和樹精被強迫上學，嚴禁人家多嘴多舌、愛管閑事，鼓勵愿意安居樂業(yè)的普通百姓安定下來。他們趕走了膽敢越過納尼亞北部邊境的兇猛巨人(這些巨人跟倫渡布芬大不相同)。他們跟海外一些國家結成友好同盟，對那些國家進行國事訪問，并接待對方的訪問。歲月流逝，他們自己也都長大成人，起了變化。彼得變成一個身材高大、胸脯厚實的男人，一個偉大的武士，人稱至尊王彼得。蘇珊長成一個身材頎長，舉止文雅的女人，一頭黑發(fā)幾乎拖到腳跟，海外一些國王開始紛紛派大使來向她求婚，人稱溫柔女王蘇珊。愛德蒙比起彼得來顯得更嚴肅、更沉默，善于掌握議會和主持審判，人稱公正王愛德蒙。至于露茜，她一向無憂無慮，而且是滿頭金發(fā)，那一帶所有的王子都想娶她為王后，國內人民稱之為英勇女王露茜。

So they lived in great joy and if ever they remembered their life in this world it was only as one remembers a dream. And one year it fell out that Tumnus (who was a middle-aged Faun by now and beginning to be stout) came down river and brought them news that the White Stag had once more appeared in his parts - the White Stag who would give you wishes if you caught him. So these two Kings and two Queens with the principal members of their court, rode a-hunting with horns and hounds in the Western Woods to follow the White Stag. And they had not hunted long before they had a sight of him. And he led them a great pace over rough and smooth and through thick and thin, till the horses of all the courtiers were tired out and these four were still following. And they saw the stag enter into a thicket where their horses could not follow. Then said King Peter (for they talked in quite a different style now, having been Kings and Queens for so long), "Fair Consorts, let us now alight from our horses and follow this beast into the thicket; for in all my days I never hunted a nobler quarry."

于是他們就這樣過著歡歡喜喜的日子，如果他們想到過他們在人世間的生活，也只是像人們想起一個夢似的。有一年，圖姆納斯(如今這只羊怪也到了中年，身子也開始發(fā)胖了)順河下來給他們帶信說，白鹿又出現(xiàn)在他這一帶了——如果你抓到白鹿，白鹿就可以讓你實現(xiàn)愿望。于是兩位國王和兩位女王帶上他們宮廷里的文武百官，還帶著號角、獵犬，騎著馬到西部森林去追蹤白鹿了。他們去了不久就看到了白鹿的身影，白鹿領著他們飛快地翻山越嶺，歷盡艱險，折騰得所有大臣的馬都累倒了，只有這四個國王仍然緊追不舍。他們看見那只鹿鉆進一片灌木叢中，坐騎進不去。于是彼得國王說(如今他們在朝執(zhí)政已經多年，所以說話的口氣也大不一樣了)，“各位王弟王妹，現(xiàn)在讓我們下馬，跟隨那畜生進入灌木叢吧;因為我生平從未打到過一只比這更高貴的獵物了。”

"Sir," said the others, "even so let us do."

“王兄，”其余三個說，“既然如此，我們就走吧。”

So they alighted and tied their horses to trees and went on into the thick wood on foot. And as soon as they had entered it Queen Susan said,

于是他們都下了馬，把馬拴在樹上，繼續(xù)向密林中走去。他們剛走進樹林，蘇珊女王就說：

"Fair friends, here is a great marvel, for I seem to see a tree of iron."

“各位，這兒有一大奇跡，我似乎看見了一棵鐵樹。”

"Madam," said,King Edmund, "if you look well upon it you shall see it is a pillar of iron with a lantern set on the top thereof."

“王姐，”愛德蒙國王說，“如果你好好看一看，就會看出這是一根鐵柱，頂上裝了一盞燈。”

"By the Lion's Mane, a strange device," said King Peter, "to set a lantern here where the trees cluster so thick about it and so high above it that if it were lit it should give light to no man!"

“真是的，想得倒怪，”彼得國王說，“把燈裝在周圍樹木這么密、這么高的地方，就是燈亮著也照不見人。”

"Sir," said Queen Lucy. "By likelihood when this post and this lamp were set here there were smaller trees in the place, or fewer, or none. For this is a young wood and the iron post is old." And they stood looking upon it. Then said King Edmund,

“王兄，”露茜女王說，“很可能這根柱子和這盞燈裝在這兒的時候，這地方只有小樹，也可能樹木稀，也可能沒樹。因為這里是幼林，而鐵柱是老的。”于是他們都站在那兒望著鐵柱。后來愛德蒙國王說：

"I know not how it is, but this lamp on the post worketh upon me strangely. It runs in my mind that I have seen the like before; as it were in a dream, or in the dream of a dream."

“不知道怎么回事，但柱子上的這盞燈對我有種奇怪的影響。在我腦子里閃過，以前我好像見過類似的東西，似乎是個夢，或者是夢中夢。”

"Sir," answered they all, "it is even so with us also."

“王弟，”他們大家都回答說，“我們也這樣想。”

"And more," said Queen Lucy, "for it will not go out of my mind that if we pass this post and lantern either we shall find strange adventures or else some great change of our fortunes."

“而且，”露茜女王說，“我腦子里老在想，只要我們走過這根柱子和燈，我們就會有種種哿遇，或者命運就要發(fā)生大大變化。”

"Madam," said King Edmund, "the like foreboding stirreth in my heart also."

“王妹，”愛德蒙國王說，“我心里也有類似的預感。”

"And in mine, fair brother," said King Peter.

“我也是，王弟。”彼得國王說。

"And in mine too," said Queen Susan. "Wherefore by my counsel we shall lightly return to our horses and follow this White Stag no further."

“我也這么想，”蘇珊女王說，“因此依我之見，我們還是悄悄地回到我們拴馬的地方，不要再追蹤這只白鹿了。”

"Madam," said King Peter, "therein I pray thee to have me excused. For never since we four were Kings and Queens in Narnia have we set our hands to any high matter, as battles, quests, feats of arms, acts of justice, and the like, and then given over; but always what we have taken in hand, the same we have achieved."

“王妹，”彼得國王說，“這一點我要請你原諒。因為我們四個自從在納尼亞當了國王和女王以來，我們不論著手進行什么大事，諸如戰(zhàn)爭、審訊、比武、執(zhí)法之類，都沒有半途而廢過;我們一向總是一旦著于，就必定貫徹到底的。”

"Sister," said Queen Lucy, "my royal brother speaks rightly. And it seems to me we should be shamed if for any fearing or foreboding we turned back from following so noble a beast as now we have in chase."

“王姐，”露茜女王說，“王兄說得對。而且我覺得，要是我們?yōu)榱巳魏慰謶只蝾A感就回去，不再追捕一只那么高貴的野獸，似乎太不像話了。”

"And so say I," said King Edmund. "And I have such desire to find the signification of this thing that I would not by my good will turn back for the richest jewel in all Narnia and all the islands."

“我也這么想，”愛德蒙國王說，“我一心想發(fā)現(xiàn)這東西的意義，就是拿整個納尼亞最珍貴的珠寶和所有的島嶼來換，我也決不回去。”

"Then in the name of Aslan," said Queen Susan, "if ye will all have it so, let us go on and take the adventure that shall fall to us."

“那么以阿斯蘭的名義起誓，”蘇珊女王說，“如果你們都要這樣做，那就讓我們走下去，不管將遇上什么奇事都聽之任之吧。”

So these Kings and Queens entered the thicket, and before they had gone a score of paces they all remembered that the thing they had seen was called a lamppost, and before they had gone twenty more they noticed that they were. making their way not through branches but through coats. And next moment they all came tumbling out of a wardrobe door into the empty room, and They were no longer Kings and Queens in their hunting array but just Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy in their old clothes. It was the same day and the same hour of the day on which they had all gone into the wardrobe to hide. Mrs Macready and the visitors were still talking in the passage; but luckily they never came into the empty room and so the children weren't caught.

于是兩位國王和兩位女王走進了灌木叢，他們剛走了幾步就全想起來了，他們看見的那東西叫作路燈柱，再走了不到二十步，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)不是在樹枝間摸索著走路，而是在大衣堆里止路。不一會兒他們全都從大衣柜的一扇門里滾到空房間里了，而且他們也不再是穿著獵裝的國王和女王，而是穿著過去的衣服的彼得、蘇珊、愛德蒙和露茜。時間還是他們躲進大衣柜的同一天，同一個時辰。麥克里迪太太和參觀的客人還在過道里談話;不過幸好他們沒到這空房間里來，因此孩子們也沒被他們發(fā)現(xiàn)。

And that would have been the very end of the story if it hadn't been that they felt they really must explain to the Professor why four of the coats out of his wardrobe were missing. And the Professor, who was a very remarkable man, didn't tell them not to be silly or not to tell lies, but believed the whole story. "No," he said, "I don't think it will be any good trying to go back through the wardrobe door to get the coats. You won't get into Narnia again by that route. Nor would the coats be much use by now if you did!

要不是他們覺得真的必須對教授說清他大衣柜里丟失四件大衣的原因，這個故事本來也就結束了。而教授呢，他是一個非常了不起的人，他并沒教訓他們別瞎說，或者別說謊，而是相信了整個故事。“不，”他說，“我認為想再從衣柜里去拿回那些大衣沒什么好處。你們不要從那條路再回納尼亞去了。即使拿回來，那些大衣也沒多大用處。

Eh? What's that? Yes, of course you'll get back to Narnia again some day. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice.

啊?什么?是啊，有一天你們當然會回納尼亞去。在納尼亞一朝為王，就終身為王嘛。不過你們不要再走同一條路線。

Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you're not looking for it. And don't talk too much about it even among yourselves. And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves. What's that? How will you know? Oh, you'll know all right. Odd things they say - even their looks - will let the secret out. Keep your eyes open. Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?

真的，千萬別想方設法上那兒去。你們不去找它，它自會出現(xiàn)。而且，即使在你們自己之間也別多談這件事。也別對任何外人說起，除非你們發(fā)現(xiàn)他們也有過類似的奇遇。什么?你們怎么會知道?哦，你們準會知道的。碰上怪事，他們說的話——甚至他們的神情——會露出馬腳的。你們留心好了。天哪，他們那些學校是怎么教他們的啊?”

And that is the very end of the adventure of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures of Narnia.

這就是大衣柜奇遇的結尾了。不過如果教授說得對的話，這只是納尼亞奇遇的開始。