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Now at last the Old Man turned to the travellers and bade them welcome.
此刻那位老者才转向这些人, 对他们表示欢迎。
"Sir, "said Caspian, "will you tell us how to undo the enchantment which holds these three Narnian Lords asleep. "
"阁下, "凯斯宾说, "请告诉我们怎么破解这三位纳尼亚公爵沉睡的魔法吧。"
"I will gladly tell you that, my son, "said the Old Man.
"孩子啊, 我很乐意, "老人说,
"To break this enchantment you must sail to the World's End, or as near as you can come to it, and you must come back having left at least one of your company behind. "
"要破解这个魔法, 你们必须把船开到世界尽头, 或者尽可能靠近那里, 并且把你们中间的至少一个伙伴留在那里。"
"And what must happen to that one ?"asked Reepicheep.
"留下的那一个会怎样?"雷佩契普问。
"He must go on into the utter east and never return into the world. "
"他会继续深入东方, 直到无法回到这个世界。"
"That is my heart's desire, "said Reepicheep.
"这正是我的夙愿。"雷佩契普说。
"And are we near the World's End now, Sir ?"asked Caspian. "Have you any knowledge of the seas and lands further east than this ?"
"阁下, 我们现在已经靠近世界尽头了吗?"凯斯宾问, "你知道再往东的海陆情况吗?"
"I saw them long ago, "said the Old Man, "but it was from a great height. I cannot tell you such things as sailor need to know. "
"我很久以前看到过, "老人说, "不过是从高空中看到的。水手们需要了解的情况, 我无法告知。"
"Do you mean you were flying in the air ?"Eustace blurted out.
"你是说自己飞在空中?"尤斯塔斯脱口而出。
"I was a long way above the air, my son, "replied the Old Man.
"小伙子, 我是远在星空中, "老人答,
"I am Ramandu. But I see that you stare at on another and have not heard this name.
"我是拉曼杜。我看你们大眼瞪小眼, 应该没听说过这个名字。
And no wonder, for the days when I was a star had ceased long before any of you knew this world, and all the constellations have changed. "
一点也不奇怪, 早在你们出世之前, 我就不再是一颗星辰了, 一切星座都改变了。"
"Golly, "said Edmund under his breath. "He's a retired star. "
"天啊, "爱德蒙低声说, "原来他是颗退隐的星辰。"
"Aren't you a star any longer ?"asked Lucy.
"你现在不再是星辰了?"露茜问。
"I am a star at rest, my daughter, "answered Ramandu
"是, 小姑娘, 我是颗退隐的星辰, "拉曼杜答,
"When I set for the last time, decrepit and old beyond all that you can reckon, I was carried to this island.
"上次我落下来时都衰老得没法想象了, 就被送到这岛上来。
I am not so old now as I was then. Every morning a bird brings me a fire-berry from the valleys in the Sun, and each fire-berry takes away a little of my age.
现在我已经不像当时那样老了。每天早晨都有一只鸟从太阳谷里带给我一枚火果, 每吃一枚火果我都会年轻一点。
And when I have become as young as the child that was born yesterday, then I shall take my rising again (for we are at earth's eastern rim) and once more tread the great dance. "
因为我们是在东边地角, 等我像新生儿那样年轻时, 就会重返天空, 又可以在星空遨游了。"
"In our world, "said Eustace, "a star is a huge ball of flaming gas. "
"在我们的世界里, "尤斯塔斯说, "星辰是一大团熊熊火焰一般的气体。"
"Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of.
"小伙子, 即使在你们的世界里, 那也不是星辰的真相, 而是它的成分。
And in this world you ave already met a star, for I think you have been with Coriakin. "
在我们这个世界里, 你们已经遇到一颗星辰了, 你们大概已经见过科里亚金了吧。"
"Is he a retired star, too ?"said Lucy.
"他也是一颗退隐的星辰吗?"露茜说。
"Well, not quite the same, "said Ramandu. "It was not quite as a rest than he was set to govern the Duffers.
"其实吧, 也并不全是这样, "拉曼杜说, "他被贬下来去管理那群笨蛋, 所以并不算完全退休。
You might call it a punishment. He might have shone for thousands of years more in the southern winter sky if all had gone well. "
更确切地说叫‘惩罚'。如果没有那些事的话, 他原本应该在南方冬天的上空再闪耀千万年。"
"What did he do, Sir ?"asked Caspian.
"他做错了什么呢, 阁下?"凯斯宾问。
"My son, "said Ramandu, "it is not for you, a son of Adam, to know what faults a star can commit.
"孩子, "拉曼杜说, "作为亚当的孩子, 你是不该知道星辰犯了什么过错的。
But come, we waste time in such talk. Are you yet resolved?
算了, 跟你们谈这种事情就是浪费时间。你们拿定主意了吗?
Will you sail further east and come again, leaving one to return no more, and so break the enchantment? Or will you sail westward ?"
要不要继续往东开, 把一个人留下永不返回, 然后你们回来破除这种魔法?或者原路返回?"
"Surely, Sire, "said Reepicheep, "there is no question about that ? It is very plainly part of our quest to rescue these three lords from enchantment. "
"陛下, "雷佩契普说, "没问题吧?把这三位公爵从魔法中解救出来, 其实是我们探险的部分目标。"
"I think the same, Reepicheep, "replied Caspian.
"我也是这么想的, 雷佩契普, "凯斯宾答,
"And even if it were not so, it would break my heart not to go as near the World's End as the Dawn Treader will take us.
"如果不这样做, 黎明踏浪号带我们到世界尽头了, 可我们没有去, 我也会难受的。
But I am thinking of the crew. They signed on to seek the seven lords, not to reach the rim of the Earth.
不过我要替水手们着想。他们是来寻找七位公爵的, 而不是到天涯海角。
If we sail east from here we sail to find the edge, the utter east. And not one knows how far it is.
如果我们从这里往东开, 就是寻找世界的边缘。没人知道路程有多远。
They're brave fellows, but I set signs that some of them are weary of the voyage and long to have our prow pointing to Narnia again.
他们的确勇敢, 不过我看得出有些人已经开始厌倦了航海, 一心盼望着我们返航, 回到纳尼亚。
I don't think should take them further without their knowledge an consent.
我得让他们知道, 不征得他们同意, 我无法带他们走。
And then there's the poor Lord Rhoop. He's broken man. "
还有可怜的罗普公爵, 他已经万念俱灰了。"
"My son, "said the star, "it would be no use, even though you wished it, to sail for the World's End with men unwilling or men deceived.
"小伙子, "拉曼杜说, "带不愿去的人或受骗上当的人开到世界尽头是没意义的, 尽管你的想法很好,
That is not how great unenchantments are achieved. They must know where they go and why. But who is this broken man you speak of ?"
可是这依旧破解不了魔法。他们必须知道自己去哪儿, 为什么去。不过你说的那个万念俱灰的人是谁啊?"
