《能言马与男孩》 4 初遇纳尼亚人
CHAPTER FOUR SHASTA FALLS IN WITH THE NARNIANS
四初遇纳尼亚人
AT first Shasta could see nothing in the valley below him but a sea of mist with a few domes and pinnacles rising from it;but as the light increased and the mist cleared away he saw more and more.A broad river divided itself into two streams and on the island between them stood the city of Tashbaan, one of the wonders of the world. Round the very edge of the island, so that the water lapped against the stone, ran high walls strengthened with so many towers that he soon ga一ve up trying to count them. Inside the walls the island rose in a hill and every bit of that hill, up to the Tisroc' s palace and the great temple of Tash at the top, was completely covered with buildings-terrace above terrace, street above street, zigzag roads or huge flights of steps bordered with orange trees and lemon trees, roof-gardens, balconies, deep archways, pillared colonnades, spires, battlements, minarets, pinnacles. And when at last the sun rose out of the sea and the great silver-plated dome of the temple flashed back its light, he was almost dazzled.
一开始，沙斯塔觉得下方的河谷只是一片灰蒙蒙的雾海，间或点缀着几个突出的圆顶和尖塔，其他什么也瞧不见。但随着天一色一慢慢转亮，雾气渐渐消散，他就看得越来越清楚了。一条辽阔的大河分岔为两道溪流，而被尊为世界奇观之一的塔什班城，就矗一立在溪流中间的岛屿上。岛屿边缘环绕着一圈高一耸的石墙，与河流的距离近得足以让河水直接拍打墙上的石头，同时城墙上还有着许许多多的塔楼，塔楼数量实在太多了，沙斯塔才数了一会儿，就完全宣告放弃。城墙一内一的岛屿地形是一座耸立的山丘，从山脚下直到山顶太洛帝宫殿与塔什神庞大庙宇之间的每一寸土地上，全都挤满了密密麻麻的建筑物——呈梯田状排列的连栋房屋、层层相叠的街道，以及两旁林立着橘子树和柠檬树的蜿蜒巷道与宽阔阶梯，另外还有屋顶花园、一陽一台、幽深的拱道、柱廊、教堂尖塔、城垛、寺庙尖塔，以及小塔楼。当太一陽一终于破海而出，而那贴着银箔的巨大圆形屋顶在一陽一光下发出灿烂的光芒时，他更是看得目眩神迷，完全呆住了。
"Get on, Shasta," Bree kept saying.
“快走啊，沙斯塔，”布里不停地在旁催促。
The river banks on each side of the valley were such a mass of gardens that they looked at first like forest, until you got closer and saw the white walls of innumerable houses peeping out from beneath the trees. Soon after that, Shasta noticed a delicious smell of flowers and fruit. About fifteen minutes later they were down among them, plodding on a level road with white walls on each side and trees bending over the walls.
河谷两边的河岸，都有着大片大片的花园，乍看之下你会以为那是森林，但走近一瞧，你就会看到树丛下露出难以数尽的房舍白墙。再往前走一会儿，沙斯塔就闻到一股芬芳无比的花果香味。大约一刻钟后，他们就走进了花园，踏上一条两旁排列着白墙的平坦道路，欣赏起垂挂在墙外的青绿枝丫了。
"I say,"said Shasta in an awed voice.,This is a wonderful place !"
“哎呀，”沙斯塔满怀敬畏地叹道，“这地方真是棒极了!”
"I daresay,"said Bree.,But I wish we were safely through it and out at the other side. Narnia and the North !"
“也许是吧，”布里说，“但我只希望我们能顺利通过，从对面的城门走出去。走向纳尼亚!走向北方!”
At that moment a low, throbbing noise began which gradually swelled louder and louder till the whole valley seemed to be swaying with it. It was a musical noise, but so strong and solemn as to be a little frightening.
就在那一刻，他们听到了一种低沉且微微颤一动的声音，这声音逐渐升高，变得越来越响亮，最后甚至连整个河谷似乎都在随之晃动。这其实是一种乐声，但太过于庄严霸气，因此听起来有些吓人。
"That' s the horns blowing for the city gates to be open,"said Bree.,We shall be there in a minute. Now, Ara一vis, do droop your shoulders a bit and step hea一vier and try to look less like a princess. Try to imagine you' ve been kicked and cuffed and called names all your life."
“那是宣告城门开启的号角声，”布里说，“我们马上就要到了。阿拉维斯，拜托你别站得那么挺好不好，脚步再放重一些，别摆出一副公主的尊贵派头;试着去想象，你是个可怜的小奴隶，这辈子过的一直都是被别人拳打脚踢，呼来唤去的苦日子。”
"If it comes to that,"said Ara一vis,,what about you drooping your head a bit more and arching your neck a bit less and trying to look less like a warhorse ?"
“你凭什么说我呀，”阿拉维斯说，“那你自己为什么不把头再垂低一点，脖子再弯下一些，别再摆出一副神气活现的战马架势啊!”
"Hush,"said Bree. Here we are."
“安静，”布里说，“我们到了。”
And they were.They had come to the river' s edge and the road ahead of them ran along a many—arched bridge. The water danced brightly in the early sunlight;away to the right nearer the river' s mouth, they caught a glimpse ships' masts. Several other tra一vellers were before them on the bridge, mostly peasants driving laden donkeys and mules or carrying baskets on their heads. The children and horses joined the crowd.
他们到达了目的地。他们已走到河边，前方出现一座有着许多拱门的桥梁。河面在清晨的一陽一光下闪烁着潋滟波光。他们瞥见在右手边靠近河口的地方有一根船桅，有些旅人已赶在他们前面踏上了桥，大部分都是乡下人，不是手里牵着满载货物的驴子或骡子，就是头上顶着一个大篮子。孩子们和两匹马儿随即加入他们的队伍。
"Is anything wrong ?"whispered Shasta to Ara一vis, who had an odd look on her face.
“怎么啦?”沙斯塔轻声询问阿拉维斯，因为她的表情显得十分奇怪。
"Oh it' s all very well for you,"whispered Ara一vis rather sa一vagely.,What would you care about Tashbaan ? But I ought to be riding in on a litter with soldiers before me and sla一ves behind, and perhaps going to a feast in the Tisroc' s palace (may he live for ever)—not sneaking in like this. It' s different for you."
“喔，你当然觉得没什么啦，”阿拉维斯用蛮横的语气轻声答道，“反正塔什班跟你本来就没有任何关系嘛，我没说错吧?但我原本应该是坐在华丽的担轿上，前有军队开道，后有奴隶追随，风风光光地进城，说不定还会到太洛帝的宫殿去参加宴会呢，愿吾皇万寿无疆，结果却得像这样偷偷一摸一摸一地溜进来。我跟你才不一样呢。”
Shasta thought all this very silly.
沙斯塔觉得这种想法实在太愚蠢无聊。
At the far end of the bridge the walls of the city towered high above them and the brazen gates stood open in the gateway which was really wide but looked narrow because it was so very high. Half a dozen soldiers, leaning on their spears, stood on each side. Ara一vis couldn' t help thinking,,They' d all jump to attention and salute me if they knew whose daughter I am."But the others were only thinking of how they' d get through and hoping the soldiers would not ask any questions. Fortunately they did not. But one of them picked a carrot out of a peasant' s basket and threw it at Shasta with a rough laugh, saying: "Hey ! Horse-boy! You'll catch it if your master finds you' ve been using his saddle-horse for pack work."
他们走到桥对面，看到眼前矗一立着一座高一耸的城墙，这座墙实在是太高了，以致入口处那扇敞开的黄铜城门，虽然已经相当宽阔，但看起来却显得十分狭窄。城门两旁各有六名士兵，他们懒洋洋地靠在长矛上，显得无一精一打采。阿拉维斯忍不住心想：“他们要是知道我是谁家的女儿，肯定全都跳起来立正站好，向我行礼致敬。”但其他人却只是专心思索着该怎样顺利通过城门，并暗暗祈祷士兵千万不要上前盘问。幸好士兵并没有问他们任何问题。但其中一名士兵顺手从一个乡下人的篮子里抓起一根胡萝卜，呵呵怪笑地扔到沙斯塔身上，说：“嘿!我说小马僮啊!你主人要是发现你居然用他的坐骑来运货，那你可有得受了。”
This frightened him badly for of course it showed that no one who knew anything about horses would mistake Bree for anything but a charger.
这下沙斯塔真的是吓坏了，这表示任何对马稍稍有些认识的人，都可以一眼看出，布里绝对是一头战马。
"It' s my master' s orders, so there !"said Shasta. But it would ha一ve been better if he had held his tongue for the soldier ga一ve him a box on the side of his face that nearly knocked him down and said,,Take that, you young filth, to teach you how to talk to freemen."But they all slunk into the city without being stopped. Shasta cried only a very little;he was used to hard knocks.
“我只是奉主人的命令办事，知道了吧!”沙斯塔说。其实他不吭声还比较好些，因为那名士兵一听之下，就往他脸颊上狠狠揍了一拳，差点把他打倒在地，口里还连声骂道：“这是给你一个教训，你这个小脏鬼，让你知道在跟自一由公民说话的时候，语气最好放尊重一点儿。”不过他们最后还是毫无阻拦地顺利混进城里。沙斯塔只轻轻哀嚎了几声，他早就一习一惯挨打了。
Inside the gates Tashbaan did not at first seem so splendid as it had looked from a distance. The first street was narrow and there were hardly any windows in the walls on each side. It was much more crowded than Shasta had expected: crowded partly by the peasants (on their way to market) who had come in with them, but also with watersellers, sweetmeat sellers, porters, soldiers, beggars, ragged children, hens, stray dogs, and bare-footed sla一ves. What you would chiefly ha一ve noticed if you had been there was the smells, which came from unwashed people, unwashed dogs, scent, garlic, onions, and the piles of refuse which lay everywhere.
走进城门以后，他们不禁感到，塔什班好像没有从远处看时那么华丽壮观了。
Shasta was pretending to lead but it was really Bree, who knew the way and kept guiding him by little nudges with his nose. They soon turned to the left and began going up a steep hill. It was much fresher and pleasanter, for the road was bordered by trees and there were houses only on the right side;on the other they looked out over the roofs of houses in the lower town and could see some way up the river.Then they went round a hairpin bend to their right and continued rising.They were zigzagging up to the centre of Tashbaan.Soon they came to finer streets. Great statues of the gods and heroes of Calormen—who are mostly impressive rather than agreeable to look at—rose on shining pedestals.Palm trees and pillared arcades cast shadows over the burning pa一vements. And through the arched gateways of many a palace Shasta caught sight of green branches,cool fountains,and smooth lawns.It must be nice inside,he thought.
他们踏上的第一条街道窄得要命，而且两旁的住宅墙壁上几乎看不到一个窗户。这里比沙斯塔想象中拥挤多了：除了刚才跟他们一起进城正准备上市场赶集的乡下人之外，路上另外还有许许多多的小贩、卖糖果蜜饯的摊贩、挑夫、士兵、乞丐、衣衫褴褛的小孩、鸡一群一、流一浪一狗和赤着脚的奴隶。你如果也在那儿的话，那么你马上会闻到一股难以形容的怪味，掺杂了人类体臭、野狗臊味、香水、大蒜、洋葱，以及街上一堆堆垃圾所发出的恶臭。
At every turn Shasta hoped they were getting out of the crowd, but they never did. This made their progress very slow, and every now and then they had to stop altogether. This usually happened because a loud voice shouted out,Way, way, way, for the Tarkaan", or,for the Tarkheena", or,for the fifteenth Vizier",,or for the Ambassador", and everyone in the crowd would crush back against the walls;and above their heads Shasta would sometimes see the great lord or lady for whom all the fuss was being made, lolling upon a litter which four or even six gigantic sla一ves carried on their bare shoulders. For in Tashbaan there is only one traffic regulation, which is that everyone who is less important has to get out of the way for everyone who is more important;unless you want a cut from a whip or punch from the butt end of a spear.
沙斯塔假装在前面带路，事实上只有布里知道该怎么走，他们一路上全靠布里不停地用鼻子轻轻顶一下沙斯塔，替大家指引方向。没走多久，他们就转向左方，开始爬上一座陡峭的山丘。路边有许多树木，而且只有右边盖着房子，感觉比刚才清爽舒服多了。另外一边可以俯瞰下方的集市，眺望远方的河流。接着他们就往右绕过一个 U 形急转弯，继续往上攀爬。他们沿着弯弯曲曲的道路，逐渐登上塔什班的市中心。没过多久，他们就踏上了较为高级的街道。闪闪发亮的华丽柱基上，矗一立着卡乐门王国英雄神祇的巨大雕像。他们虽令人心生敬畏，但长相大多不怎么讨人喜欢。棕榈树与石柱林立的拱廊，在灼一热的铺道上散落相互交错的一陰一影。沙斯塔透过路边富丽豪宅的拱门时望进去，瞥见了翠绿的枝丫、凉爽的喷泉与柔一滑的草坪。里面一定漂亮极了，他心想。
It was in a splendid street very near the top of the city (the Tisroc' s palace was the only thing above it) that the most disastrous of these stoppages occurred.
沙斯塔每走到一个转角，就暗暗祈祷他们能够快点脱离人潮，但每次都希望落空。这使得他们的前进速度变得异常缓慢，而且每隔不久就得全部一起停下来。这通常是因为突然有个响亮的声音高声喊道“回避，回避，回避，泰坎驾到”或“恭迎泰坎希娜”或“恭迎十五品大臣”或“恭迎大使”等等，一群一众们只得慌慌张张地退到路边，背贴着墙肃立不动。有时沙斯塔可以越过人们的头顶，看到那些引起一騷一动的高一官或是贵妇，而他们总是慵懒地靠坐在担轿上，由四名甚至六名巨人般高大的奴隶，用一裸一露的肩膀扛着他们往前走去。在塔什班唯一一条规矩就是身份较低的人，必须让路给身份较高的人，让他们先通过。要是胆敢不遵守规定的话，你就准备挨鞭子，或是被长矛一柄一痛打吧。
Way ! Way ! Way !"came the voice.,Way for the White Barbarian King, the guest of the Tisroc (may he live for ever) ! Way for the Narnian lords. "
太洛帝的宫殿占据了整座山顶。他们走到靠近城市顶端的一条富丽堂皇的街道时遇到了最严重的交通堵塞。
Shasta tried to get out of the way and to make Bree go back.But no horse, not even a Talking Horse from Narnia, backs easily. And a woman with a very edgy basket in her hands, who was just behind Shasta, pushed the basket hard against his shoulders, and said,,Now then ! Who are you shoving !"And then someone else jostled him from the side and in the confusion of the moment he lost hold of Bree. And then the whole crowd behind him became so stiffened and packed tight that he couldn' t move at all. So he found himself, unintentionally, in the first row and had a fine sight of the party that was coming down the street.
“回避!回避!回避!”有人喊道，“太洛帝的贵宾，愿吾皇万寿无疆，白蛮国王驾到!恭迎纳尼亚君王!”
It was quite unlike any other party they had seen that day. The crier who went before it shouting, Way, way !"was the only Calormene in it. And there was no litter;everyone was on foot. There were about half a dozen men and Shasta had never seen anyone like them before. For one thing, they were all as fair-skinned as himself, and most of them had fair hair. And they were not dressed like men of Calormen. Most of them had legs bare to the kneee. Their tunics were of fine, bright, hardy colours—woodland green, or gay yellow, or fresh blue. Instead of turbans they wore steel or silver caps, some of them set with jewels, and one with little wings on each side of it. A few were bare-headed. The swords at their sides were long and straight, not curved like Calormene scimitars. And instead of being gra一ve and mysterious like most Calormenes, they walked with a swing and let their arms and shoulders free, and chatted and laughed. One was whistling. You could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly and didn' t give a fig for anyone who wasn' t. Shasta thought he had never seen anything so lovely in his life.
沙斯塔想要快点闪开，连忙拉着布里往后退。但马儿向来就不善于后退，连纳尼亚王国的能言马也不例外。况且沙斯塔背后的女人手里捧了一个又尖又刺的篮子，她使劲用篮子推开他的肩膀，怒斥道：“喂!你挤个什么劲儿呀?”接着又有另一个人从他身边硬挤过去，在混乱中他一时失神，松开了布里的缰绳。接着，他背后的人们显然已经挤到了最极限，无法再挪动分毫，因此他根本就完全动不了了。他发现自己无意间站到了人潮最前方，正好可以把那一群一沿着街道走过来的贵宾看得一清二楚。
But there was not time to enjoy it for at once a really dreadful thing happened. The leader of the fair-headed men suddenly pointed at Shasta, cried out,,There he is ! There' s our runaway !" and seized him by the shoulder. Next moment he ga一ve Shasta a smack-not a cruel one to make you cry but a sharp one to let you know you are in disgrace and added, shaking:
这些人跟他们当天在城里遇到的人一大不相同。队伍最前方那名正在大喊“回避!”的传令兵，是他们之中唯一的卡乐门人。而且他们也没用担轿;大家全都是自己走路。这支队伍大约有六名男子，而沙斯塔过去从来没看过像他们这样的人。首先，他们的皮肤全都跟他自己一样白皙，而且大多数人都有着一头金发。他们的穿着也跟卡乐门人很不一样。大部分人都穿着长及膝盖的短衫，露出双一腿一。他们短衫的颜一色一十分鲜艳大胆，但也非常高雅耐看——鲜绿、艳黄、亮蓝。他们头上并未缠着头巾，而是戴着钢铁或是银制便帽，有些人的帽上镶了珠宝，而且其中有个人的帽子两边还附上一对可一爱一的小翅膀，有些人头上什么也没戴。他们佩在腰边的宝剑又长又直，不像卡乐门的偃月弯刀那样有个弧度。而且他们不像大多数卡乐门人那样，老是摆出一副正儿八经又神祕兮兮的严肃面孔，而是踏着活泼轻快的脚步，双手和臂膀自然地垂下摆一动，一路上开心地大声谈笑。当中有个人甚至在吹口哨。你可以看出，他们乐意随时跟所有态度友善的人交朋友，至于那些态度恶劣的人呢，他们根本就懒得去搭理。沙斯塔觉得他这辈子从没见过像他们这样充满吸引力的人。
"Shame on you, my lord ! Fie for shame ! Queen Susan's eyes are red with weeping because of you. What ! Truant for a whole night ! Where ha一ve you been ?"
但他根本没有时间好好欣赏，因为接下来就发生了一件非常可怕的事。这一群一金发男人的首领突然指着沙斯塔大叫：“他在那儿!我们的小逃犯在那儿!”并一把抓住他的肩头。他打了沙斯塔一个耳光，并不是那种会把人打哭的痛殴，而是清脆利落的一掌，感觉像是在教训不听话的小孩，然后他用颤一抖的声音说：
Shasta would ha一ve darted under Bree' s body and tried to make himself scarce in the crowd if he had had the least chance;but the fair-haired men were all round him by now and he was held firm.
“你真是可耻，阁下!可耻至极!苏珊女王为你哭红了眼。可恶!竟敢彻夜不归!你究竟是到哪里去了?”
Of course his first impulse was to say that he was only poor Arsheesh the fisherman' s son and that the foreign lord must ha一ve mistaken him for someone else. But then, the very last thing he wanted to do in that crowded place was to start explaining who he was and what he was doing. If he started on that, he would soon be asked where he had got his horse from, and who Ara一vis was— and then, goodbye to any chance of getting through Tashbaan. His next impulse was to look at Bree for help.But Bree had no intention of letting all the crowd know that he could talk, and stood looking just as stupid as a horse can. As for Ara一vis, Shasta did not even dare to look at her for fear of drawing attention. And there was no time to think, for the leader of the Narnians said at once:
沙斯塔要是能逮到机会的话，他就会赶紧闪到布里肚子下一面，再设法混进人一群一里去;但现在，那些金发男人全都走过来围在他身边，而且还有一个人紧一抓着他不放。他心里想到的第一个念头，自然是赶紧表示自己只是穷渔夫厄西西的儿子，这位外国大官想必是认错人了。但他接着就想到，绝对不能在大庭广众之下，不打自招地供出他的真实身份和他到这里来的目的。只要漏出一点口风，他马上就会受到盘问，一逼一他供出这匹马儿到底是从哪儿弄来的，而阿拉维斯又是什么人——这样他就休想顺利通过塔什班了。接下来的第二个念头，就是转头向布里求援。但布里并不想让在场所有人全都晓得他会说话，因此他只是愣头愣脑地站着不动，看起来就跟普通马儿一样又呆又蠢。至于阿拉维斯呢，沙斯塔甚至连看都不敢看她一眼，免得又引起更多的注意。而他还来不及多做思索，纳尼亚人的首领又立刻开口说：
"Take one of his little lordship' s hands, Peridan, of your courtesy, and I' ll take the other. And now, on. Our royal sister' s mind will be greatly eased when she sees our young scapegrace safe in our lodging."
“帕里丹，有劳你抓住这位阁下的一只小手，我来抓另一只手。好，可以走了。皇姐若是看到我们这个小无赖安全返回住处，必然就会放下心来。”
And so, before they were half—way through Tashbaan, all their plans were ruined, and without even a chance to say good¬bye to the others Shasta found himself being marched off among strangers and quite unable to guess what might be going to happen next. The Narnian King-for Shasta began to see by the way the rest spoke to him that he must be a king—kept on asking him questions;where he had been, how he had got out, what he had done with his clothes, and didn' t he know that he had been very naughty.Only the king called it,naught"instead of naughty.
因此，他们穿越塔什班的旅途甚至还没走到一半，原先的计划就宣告失败，而沙斯塔甚至没机会跟其他伙伴说声再见，就夹在一一群一陌生人中间被押着往前走，完全无法预料接下来会发生什么事。纳尼亚国王，沙斯塔可以从其他人跟他说话的态度看出，他必然是一位国王，不停地问他各种问题：他到哪里去了?他是怎么溜出去的?他的衣服是怎么回事?难道他不晓得他这样很顽皮吗?只不过国王咬文嚼字地用“淘气”这个字眼来代替顽皮。
And Shasta said nothing in answer, because he couldn' t think of anything to say that would not be dangerous.
沙斯塔闷不吭声，因为他觉得他不管说什么，后果都相当不妙。
"What ! All mum ?"asked the king.I must plainly tell you, prince, that this hangdog silence becomes one of your blood even less than the scape itself. To run away might pass for a boy' s frolic with some spirit in it. But the king' s son of Archenland should a一vouch his deed;not hang his head like a Calormene sla一ve."
“什么!你打算沉默到底是吧?”国王说，“我必须坦白告诉你，王子，这种鬼祟的沉默一习一性一，甚至比脱逃本身还要不可取。逃走还勉强称得上是男孩子的嬉耍胡闹，至少得需要一些勇气。但阿钦兰国王的儿子应该要有点担当，必须为自己的行为负责;而不是这样畏畏缩缩，简直就像是卡乐门的奴隶。”
This was very unpleasant,for Shasta felt all the time that this young king was the very nicest kind of grown-up and would ha一ve liked to make a good impression on him.
沙斯塔的心里很不好受，他一直觉得这位年轻国王是一个非常好的大人，他实在很想给国王留下一个好印象。
The strangers led him-held tightly by both hands-along a narrow street and down a flight of shallow stairs and then up another to a wide doorway in a white wall with two tall, dark cypress trees, one on each side of it. Once through the arch, Shasta found himself in a courtyard which was also a garden. A marble basin of clear water in the centre was kept continually rippling by the fountain that fell into it. Orange trees grew round it out of smooth grass, and the four white walls which surrounded the lawn were covered with climbing roses. The noise and dust and crowding of the streets seemed suddenly fad away. He was led rapidly across the garden and then into a dark doorway. The crier remained outside. After that they took him along a corridor, where the stone floor felt beautifully cool to his hot feet, and up some stairs. A moment later he found himself blinking in the light of a big, airy room with wide open windows, all looking North so that no sun came in. There was a carpet on the floor more wonderfully coloured than anything he had ever seen and his feet sank down into it as if he were treading in thick moss. All round the walls there were low sofas with rich cushions on them, and the room seemed to be full of people;very queer people some of them, thought Shasta. But he had no time to think of that before the most beautiful lady he had ever seen rose from her place and threw her arms round him and kissed him, saying:
这一群一陌生人带着他，紧紧一抓住他的双手，踏上一条狭窄的街道，走下一列阶梯，再爬上另一列阶梯，走到一面白墙前，墙上有着一个宽阔的入口，两边各种了一株枝叶繁茂的高大柏树。他们穿越拱门，沙斯塔发现自己踏入了一个像花园般的天井。花园中一央有着一个大理石水池，喷泉飞一溅的水珠使那清澈的水面总是荡着一圈又一圈的涟漪。水池周围的平坦草坪上种了一圈橘子树，草坪四周的白墙上爬满了玫瑰藤。街道上的一切喧闹、灰尘与拥挤，似乎在瞬间变得十分遥远。他们带着他快步越过花园，踏进一个黑暗的入口。传令兵待在外面没跟着走进去。他们带领他沿着一条走廊往前走去，冰凉的石头地面使他发烫的双脚感到非常舒服，随后他们又爬了一段楼梯。不久，他就踏入一个通风良好的明亮大房间，被光线刺得连连眨眼，这个房间有几扇敞开的大窗户，而且全都面向北方，不会有太一陽一直射进来的问题。地上铺了一张一色一彩缤纷的地毯，他这辈子从来没看过如此美丽的颜一色一，而他的双脚深深地陷入地毯中，感觉就像是踩在厚厚的青苔上一样舒坦。墙边环绕着一圈摆了许多垫子的矮沙发，房一中似乎挤满了人。其中有些人长得还真是奇怪呢，沙斯塔心想。但他还来不及多做思索，一位美丽得超乎他想象的女人就从座位上站起来，扑过来抱住他，亲一吻他，并说：
"Oh Corin,Corin,how could you? And thou and I such close friends ever since thy mother died. And what should I ha一ve said to thy royal father if I came home without thee ? Would ha一ve been a cause almost of war between Archenland and Narnia which are friends time out of mind. It was naught, playmate, very naught of thee to use us so."
“喔，科林，科林，你怎能如此呢?你母亲去世以后，你和我就一直是最亲密的好朋友。若是我无法带你一起返回家乡，那我该如何向你的父王交代呢?这会使纳尼亚与阿钦兰两国长久以来的深厚友谊，遭到严重的考验，甚至可能因此而引起战争。你真是淘气，我的玩伴，你如此对待我们，实在是太淘气了。”
"Apparently," thought Shasta to himself, "I'm being mistaken for a prince of Archenland, wherever that is. And these must be the Narnians. I wonder where the real Corin is ?"But these thoughts did not help him say anything out loud.
“我晓得了，”沙斯塔暗自忖度，“他们是把我当作什么阿钦兰的王子了，天知道他现在人在哪里。而这些人想必就是纳尼亚人。怪了，真的科林到底跑到哪儿去啦?”但他心里虽然飞快地转着念头，却还是想不出该怎么回答才好。
"Where hast been, Corin ?" said the lady, her hands still on Shasta' s shoulders.
“你究竟到哪儿去了，科林?”她的手仍按着沙斯塔的肩膀。
"I-I don'tknow," stammered Shasta.
“我……我不晓得，”沙斯塔结结巴巴地答道。
"There it is, Susan," said the King. "I could get no tale out of him, true or false."
“他就是这样，苏珊，”国王说，“我无法从他嘴里套出任何话，不论真话假话他都不说。”
"Your Majesties ! Queen Susan ! King Edmund !" said a voice: and when Shasta turned to look at the speaker he nearly jumped out of his skin with surprise. For this was one of these queer people whom he had noticed out of the corner of his eye when he first came into the room. He was about the same height as Shasta himself. From the waist upwards he was like a man, but his legs were hairy like a goat' s, and shaped like a goat' s and he had goat' s hooves and a tail. His skin was rather red and he had curly hair and a short pointed beard and two little horns. He was in fact a Faun, which is a creature Shasta had never seen a picture of or even heard of. And if you've read a book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ,you may like to know that this was the very same Faun, Tumnus by name, whom Queen Susan's sister Lucy had met on the very first day when she found her way into Narnia. But he was a good deal older now for by this time Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy had been Kings and Queens of Narnia for several years.
“陛下!苏珊女王!一爱一德蒙国王!”有人喊道，而当沙斯塔一转过头，看清说话的人时，他立刻吓得一跳。因为那就是他刚才踏进房间时，用眼角瞥见的怪人之一。这个人跟沙斯塔差不多高。他的腰部以上是男人的模样，但却长了一双一毛一茸茸的羊一腿一，而且他还有一对羊蹄和一根羊尾巴。他的皮肤红彤彤的，留着一头鬈发和一把又尖又短的山羊胡，头上长有两根小角。他其实是一个半羊人，沙斯塔过去从来没看过这种生物的画像，甚至连听都没听过。你若是读过《狮子、女巫、魔衣橱》这本书，或许会知道，这位就是苏珊女王的妹妹露茜，第一次踏入纳尼亚王国时，遇见的那个名叫图姆纳斯的半羊人。但他现在的年纪比那时老多了，因为此时的彼得、苏珊、一爱一德蒙和露茜已在纳尼亚执政多年了。
"Your Majesties," he was saying,"His little Highness has had a touch of the sun. Look at him ! He is dazed. He does not know where he is. "
“陛下，”他说，“小殿下八成是中暑了。你们看看他!整个人都呆呆的。他压根儿就不晓得自己人在哪里。”
Then of course everyone stopped scolding Shasta and asking him questions and he was made much of and laid on a sofa and cushions were put under his head and he was given iced sherbet in a golden cup to drink and told to keep very quiet.
这下大家自然不敢再责骂沙斯塔，或是继续盘问他了，他们对他呵护备至，扶他躺到沙发上，在他头下塞了一个垫子，还给了他一杯用金杯盛装的冰冻果子露，嘱咐他静静躺着休息。
Nothing like this had ever happened to Shasta in his life before. He had never even imagined lying on anything so comfortable as that sofa or drinking anything so delicious as that sherbet. He was still wondering what had happened to the others and how on earth he was going to escape and meet them at the Tombs, and what would happen when the real Corin turned up again. But none of these worries seemed so pressing now that he was comfortable. And perhaps, later on, there would be nice things to eat !
沙斯塔这辈子从来没碰到过这样的情形。他做梦都想不到自己可以躺在这么舒服的沙发上，喝着这么美味的果子露。他心里仍惦记着其他人的下落，担心自己要用什么方法才能逃出去，到古帝王墓去跟其他人会合，而要是真正的科林出现的话，他又该怎么办?但现在他感到舒服得要命，因此这些烦恼似乎都显得没那么急迫。而且，待会儿说不定还会有好东西吃呢!
Meanwhile the people in that cool airy room were very interesting. Besides the Faun there were two Dwarfs (a kind of creature he had never seen before) and a very large Ra一ven.The rest were all humans;grown-ups, but young, and all of them, both men and women, had nicer faces and voices than most Calormenes.And soon Shasta found himself taking an interest in the conversation."Now, Madam," the King was saying to Queen Susan (the lady who had kissed Shasta)."What think you ? We ha一ve been in this city fully three weeks. Ha一ve you yet settled in your mind whether you will marry this dark-faced lover of yours, this Prince Rabadash, or no ?"
在这个通风良好的凉爽房间中，有些非常有趣的人除了半羊人之外，还有两名矮人和一只巨大无比的乌鸦，他以前从来没看到过这种生物。其他全都是人类，他们虽然都是成年人，但看起来年纪很轻，而且不论是男是女，全都长得比大多数卡乐门人漂亮，声音也比较好听。沙斯塔很快就被他们的谈话一内一容勾起了兴趣。“现在告诉我，女王，”国王正在对苏珊女王，也就是刚才亲一吻沙斯塔的那位小一姐说，“你究竟意下如何?我们至今已在这个城市中待了整整三个星期。你是否已决定下嫁这位黑肤情一人罗八达王子?
The lady shook her head."No, brother," she said,"not for all the jewels in Tashbaan."("Hullo !" thought Shasta."Although they're king and queen,they're brother and sister, not married to one another.")
女王摇摇头。“不，我的弟弟，”她说，“即使以塔什班所有的珠宝作为交换，我也不愿委身下嫁。”“嘿!”沙斯塔心想，“他们两个虽然是国王和女王，但并不是夫妻，而是姐弟呢。”
"Truly, sister,"said the King, "I should ha一ve loved you the less if you had taken him. And I tell you that at the first coming of the Tisroc' s ambassadors into Narnia to treat of this marriage, and later when the Prince was our guest at Cair Para一vel, it was a wonder to me that ever you could find it in your heart to show him so much fa一vour."
“确实，我的姐姐，”国王说，“你若是决心嫁给他为妻，那么我对你的敬一爱一将会因此而减少几分。恕我直言，当太洛帝开始派大使到纳尼亚要求联姻，而稍后王子亲自来到凯尔帕拉瓦宫作客时，我万万想不到，你竟然会对他如此青睐有加。”
"That was my folly, Edmund,"said Queen Susan,"of which I cry you mercy. Yet when he was with us in Narnia, truly this Prince bore himself in another fashion than he does now in Tashbaan. For I take you all to witness what marvellous feats he did in that great tournament and hastilude which our brother the High King made for him, and how meekly and courteously he consorted with us the space of seven days. But here, in his own city, he has shown another face."
“我太愚蠢了，一爱一德蒙，”苏珊女王说，“我请求你的谅解。然而，当初这位王子在纳尼亚王国与我们相处时的情形，跟他此刻在塔什班的行一事作风比起来，可以说是前后判若两人。你们大家都曾亲眼目睹，他在我们的兄弟，至尊王彼得为他所举办的竞技赛和马上长一槍一比武赛中，展现出令人赞叹的一精一湛武功技艺，而他在与我们交往的七天之一内一，又表现得十分温文儒雅又彬彬有礼。但到了此地，回到他自己的城市中，他却露出了另一副嘴脸。”
"Ah !" croaked the Ra一ven."It is an old saying: see the bear in his own den before you judge of his conditions."
“啊!”乌鸦嘎嘎叫道，“有句老话说得好：要了解一头熊的真实状况，就得到它的老窝里去逛逛。”
"That's very true, Sallowpad, " said one of the Dwarfs. "And another is,Come, live with me and you' ll know me."
“你说得实在太好了，萨罗帕德，”一名矮人说，“另外还有一句老话是这么说的：来吧，跟我同住一个窝，你就一定会了解我。”
"Yes," said the King."We ha一ve now seen him for what he is:that is,a most proud,bloody,luxurious,cruel,and self-pleasing tryant."
“没错，”国王说，“我们现在已看清了他的真面目：他是一个傲慢自大、残忍嗜杀、奢侈放纵、冷酷无情，并且极端自恋的暴君。”
"Then in the name of Aslan," said Susan,"let us lea一ve Tashbaan this very day."
“我以阿斯兰的名字起誓，”苏珊说，“我们必须在今天就离开塔什班。”
"There's the rub, sister," said Edmund. "For now I must open to you all that has been growing in my mind these last two days and more. Peridan, of your courtesy look to the door and see that there is no spy upon us. All well ? So. For now we must be secret."
“这就是困难所在，皇姐，”一爱一德蒙说，“我现在必须向各位坦白说出，这几天以来我所有的想法。帕里丹，有劳你到门外去看看，是否有一奸一细在偷一听我们谈话。没问题是吗?那就好。现在我们谈的事必须严格保密。”
Everyone had begun to look very serious. Queen Susan jumped up and ran to her brother."Oh, Edmund," she cried. "What is it ? There is something dreadful in your face."
大家的表情开始变得非常凝重。苏珊女王跳起来，直奔到她的弟弟面前。“喔，一爱一德蒙，”她喊道，“怎么回事?你的表情变得好可怕啊!”