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Chapter Fourteen The Beginning Of The End Of The World
第十四章 世界尽头的开端
Slowly the door opened again and out there came a figure as tall and straight as the girl's but not so slender.
只见那扇门慢慢地打开了, 又走出一个跟那个姑娘那般高挺, 但是没那么苗条的人。
It carried no light but light seemed to come from it.
那人虽然没带灯火, 却好像全身都在发光。
As it came nearer, Lucy saw that it was like an old man.
等这人走近, 露茜才看出是个老人。
His silver beard came down to his bare feet in front and his saver hair hung down to his heels behind and his robe appeared to be made from the fleece of silver sheep.
他银白的胡须垂到身前的光脚上, 一头银发也垂到脚后跟, 那一席长袍好像是银羊毛做的。
He looked so mild and grave that once more all the travellers rose to their feet and stood in silence.
老人的神情非常慈祥却很庄严, 所有人不约而同地再次起立。
But the old man came on without speaking to the travellers and stood on the other side of the table opposite to his daughter.
这位老者并没有与他们说话, 只是站在桌子那头, 面对他女儿。
Then both of them held up their arms before them and turned to face the east.
他们两个都举起双臂, 面朝东方, 唱起歌来。
In that position the began to sing. I wish I could write down the song, but one who was present could remember it.
真希望我能把这首歌写下来, 可是在场没有一个人能记住。
Lucy said afterwards that it was high, almost shrill, but very beautiful, cold kind of song, an early morning kind of song.
露茜后来说, 这支歌的调子很高, 近乎尖厉, 不过很好听, 是一首清冷的歌, 有清晨的感觉。
And they sang, the grey clouds lifted from the eastern sky a the white patches grew bigger and bigger till it was white, and the sea began to shine like silver.
他们一开始唱歌, 东方的灰色云堆就散开了, 白云越来越大, 最后摊成了一片雪白, 映在海面泛着银光。
And long afterwards (but those two sang all the time) the east began to turn red and at last, unclouded, the sun came up out the sea and its long level ray shot down the length of the table on the gold and silver sand on the Stone Knife.
父女俩一直唱着歌, 过了一会儿东方才开始发红。最后云散天晴, 太阳跃出海面, 长长的光束照在桌上, 照耀着金银餐具和石刀。
Once or twice before, the Narnians had wondered whether the sun at its rising did not look bigger in these seas than it had looked at home.
之前有一两次, 这几个纳尼亚人说不知道这一带海面上升起的太阳, 会不会跟国内的一样大。
This time they were certain. There was no mistaking it.
这回他们肯定了, 一点都没错,
And the brightness its ray on the dew and on the table was far beyond an. morning brightness they had ever seen.
露珠以及桌上的阳光比他们见过的任何早晨的曙光都明亮闪烁。
And as Edmu said afterwards, "Though lots of things happened on that trip which sound more exciting, that moment was really the most exciting."
正如后来爱德蒙所说: "虽然那次旅程碰到过不少听起来激动人心的事, 但那一刻才是最最激动人心的。"
For now they knew that they had truly come to the beginning of the End of the World.
因为他们知道, 现在的确是来到了世界尽头的起点。
Then something seemed to be flying at them out of the very centre of the rising sun: but of course one couldn't look steadily in that direction to make sure.
于是, 那轮朝阳的中心好像有什么东西向他们飞来。不过你的眼睛没法一眨也不眨, 所以没法看得清楚。
But presently the air became full of voices-voices which took up same song that the Lady and her Father were singing, but in far wilder tones and in a language which no one knew.
不久空中就都是声音, 应和着父女俩那支歌的歌声, 但是声调有些古怪, 而且唱的语言没人能懂。
And soon after that the owners of these voices could be seen.
不一会儿就看得见这些歌声是谁的了。
They were birds, large and white, and they came hundreds and thousands and alighted on everything;the grass, and the pavement, on the table, on your shoulders, your hands, and your head, till it looked as heavy snow had fallen.
原来是又大又白成千上万的鸟飞来, 停在草地上、石板地上、桌上、你的肩上、头上、手上, 看上去像下了一场大雪。
For, like snow, they not only make everything white but blurred and blunted all shapes.
说是像雪, 是因为这些鸟不仅把一切都变白了, 周围所有东西的形状都模模糊糊的让人看不清楚。
But Lucy, looking out from between the wings of the birds that covered her, saw one bird fly to the Old Man with something in its beak that looked like a little fruit, unless it was a little live coal, which it might have been, for it was too bright to look at.
露茜透过鸟儿的翅膀从中间看过去, 只见其中一只鸟飞到老人身边, 嘴里叼着什么东西, 如果不是一块燃烧着的火炭, 就是一个小果子。但是它亮得你没法睁眼去看,
And the bird laid it in the Old Man's mouth.
那只鸟把这东西送到老人嘴里。
Then the birds stopped their singing and appeared to be very busy about the table.
之后那些鸟就不唱了, 开始在餐桌上忙碌。
When they rose from it again everything on the table that could be eaten or drunk had disappeared.
等它们从餐桌上再飞起来的时候, 桌上可以吃的、喝的全部一扫而光。
These birds rose from their meal in their thousands and hundreds and carried away all the things that could not be eaten or drunk, such as bones, rinds, and shells, and took their flight back to the rising sun.
这些鸟吃完之后飞走, 把一切不能吃不能喝的东西, 比如骨头啊、皮啊、壳啊之类的, 统统都带走, 飞回朝阳那边。
But now, because they were not singing, the whir of their wings seemed to set the whole air a-tremble.
不过, 因为它们现在没在唱歌, 所以成千上万的鸟翅膀把整个空气都扑腾得直震颤。
And there was the table pecked clean and empty, and the three old Lords of Narnia still fast asleep.
桌面上已被啄食一空, 干干净净, 三位纳尼亚老公爵却依然沉睡不醒。
