评论
打印
Caspian told Ramandu the story of Rhoop.
凯斯宾把罗普公爵的故事告诉了拉曼杜。
"I can give him what he needs most, "said Ramandu.
"我可以给他他最想要的东西, "拉曼杜说,
"I this island there is sleep without stint or measure, and sleep in which no faintest footfall of a dream was ever heard.
"他可以在这个岛上大睡特睡, 一直到天昏地暗, 日月无光, 并且梦里没有任何声音干扰。
Let him sit beside these other three and drink oblivion till you return. "
就让他坐在这三位旁边, 喝到把一切都忘掉, 等你们回来吧。"
"Oh, do let's do that, Caspian, "said Lucy. "I'm sure its just what he would love. "
"哦, 那就这样吧, 凯斯宾, "露茜说, "我敢确定这正是他最想要的。"
At that moment they were interrupted by the sound of many feet and voices: Drinian and the rest of the ship company were approaching.
就在这个时候, 有一些脚步声和说话声打断了他们, 原来是德里宁和其他船员都来了。
They halted in surprise whey they saw Ramandu and his daughter;and then, because these were obviously great people, every man uncovered his head.
他们看见拉曼杜和他女儿都不禁吃了一惊, 停了下来。后来他们看出这两个人显然不是凡人, 纷纷脱帽致敬。
Some sailors eyed the empty dishes and flagons on the table with regret.
一些水手看到桌上的盘子和酒壶都已经空了, 眼睛里流露出失望的神情。
"My lord, "said the King to Drinian, "pray send two men back to the Dawn Treader with a message to the Lord Rhoop.
"公爵, "国王对德里宁说, "请派两个人回船给罗普公爵捎口信,
Tell him that the last of his old shipmates are here asleep-a sleep without dreams-and that he can share it. "
告诉他说他那几位老伙计都在这里睡觉, 没有梦的沉睡, 他可以来分享。"
When this had been done, Caspian told the rest to sit down and laid the whole situation before them.
凯斯宾说完, 就吩咐其余的人都坐下, 把全部情况给大家说明。
When he had finished there was a long silence and some whispering until presently the Master Bowman got to his feet, and said:
他说完以后, 大家沉默了好一会儿, 才有几个人在轻声嘀咕。然后为首的弓箭手站起来, 说:
"What some of us have been wanting to ask for a long time, your Majesty, is how we're ever to get home when we do turn, whether we turn here or somewhere else.
"陛下, 有些人想问的就是, 一旦我们掉转航向, 不管是在这里, 还是在其他什么地方掉转, 我们究竟怎么回去。
It's been west and north-west winds all the way, barring an occasional calm.
除了偶尔的风平浪静之外, 这一路上都是西风和西北风。
And if that doesn't change, I'd like to know what hopes we have of seeing Narnia again.
如果风向一直不变, 我想知道我们还能不能回到纳尼亚。
There's not much chance of supplies lasting while we row all that way.
恐怕我们一路划回去, 船上的粮水也维持不了那么多天了。"
"That's landsman's talk, "said Drinian.
"这是陆地人的见识, "德里宁说,
"There's always a prevailing west wind in these seas all through the late summer, and it always changes after the New Year.
"这片海域整个夏末一直刮西风, 过了新年才转风向。
We'll have plenty of wind for sailing westward; more than we shall like from all accounts. "
年后要往西开的话, 大多数都是顺风, 这么估计下来, 恐怕多得不得了呢。"
"That's true, Master, "said an old sailor who was a Galmian by birth.
"说得太对了, 船长, "一个加尔马人的老水手说,
"You get some ugly weather rolling up from the east in January and February.
"每年一二月, 东边的坏天气总是不间断的。
And by your leave, Sire, if I was in command of this ship I'd say to winter here and begin the voyage home in March. "
船长大人, 恕我直言, 要我说, 就在这里过冬, 到三月再起航回家。"
"What'd you eat while you were wintering here ?"asked Eustace.
"在这里过冬, 那你们吃什么呢?"尤斯塔斯问。
"This table, "said Ramandu, "will be filled with a king's feast every day at sunset. "
"这张餐桌, "拉曼杜说, "每天太阳下山时, 就会摆上国王的盛宴。"
"Now you're talking !"said several sailors.
"这还差不多!"几个水手说。
"Your Majesties and gentlemen and ladies all, "said Rynelf, "there's just one thing I want to say.
"各位陛下, 各位先生们, 女士们, "赖尼夫说, "我只想说一件事。
There's not one of us chaps as was pressed on this journey. We're volunteers.
这次出海我们兄弟中没有一个是被迫来这里的。我们都是自告奋勇的。
And there's some here chat are looking very hard at that table and thinking about king's feasts who were talking very loud about adventures on the day we sailed from Cair Paravel, and swearing they wouldn't come home till we'd found the end of the world.
有些人现在正盯着那张餐桌, 一边琢磨着国王的盛宴。当初我们从凯尔帕拉维尔启程, 他们一边大谈什么冒险, 一边发誓找不到世界尽头, 就决不回家。"
And there were some standing on the quay who would have given all they had to come with us.
一些人站在码头上, 情愿抛弃一切跟我们一起来。
It was thought a finer thing then to have a cabin-boy's berth on the Dawn Treader than to wear a knight's belt.
当初人们都希望得到黎明踏浪号一个船舱服务员的铺位, 也不愿要骑士的腰带。
I don't know if you get the hang of what I'm saying.
我不知道你们是不是明白我的意思。
But what I mean is that I think chaps who set out like us will look as silly as-as those Dufflepuds--if we come home and say we got to the beginning of the world's end and hadn't the heart to go further."
不过我的意思是, 像我们这样远航的兄弟们要是回到家里, 说我们到了世界尽头的起点, 却没有勇气再走下去, 那我们简直跟那些笨蛋一样蠢了。"
Some of the sailors cheered at this but some said that that was all very well.
一些水手为这番话叫好, 另一些人觉得留下来过冬也不错。
"This isn't going to be much fun, "whispered Edmund to Caspian. "What are we to do if half those fellows hang back ?"
"情况不大妙, "爱德蒙悄悄地对凯斯宾说, "如果这里有一半人不愿意去, 我们该怎么办?"
"Wait, "Caspian whispered back. "I've still a card to play. "
"等一下, "凯斯宾悄悄地说, "我有最后的杀手锏。"
"Aren't you going to say anything, Reep ?"whispered Lucy.
"你不打算说些什么吗, 雷佩契普?"露茜悄声说。
"No. Why should your Majesty expect it ?"answered Reepicheep in a voice that most people heard.
"是的。陛下为什么偏要我说呢?"雷佩契普用大多数人都听得见的声音说,
"My owns plans are made. While I can, I sail east in the Dawn Treader.
"我自己的计划已定。只要我办得到, 我就随黎明踏浪号往东边去。
When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws.
这船不带我去, 我就乘我的小筏子去。小筏子沉了, 我就用爪子游到东边去。
And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan's country, or shot over the edge of the world in some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise and Peepiceek will be head of the talking mice in Narnia. "
万一我游不动了, 游不到阿斯兰的国土, 或者万一在世界边缘被瀑布冲走了, 那我沉到水下, 鼻子对着日出的地方。要是有这么一天, 请让佩比西克当纳尼亚老鼠的首领。"
"Hear, hear, "said a sailor, "I'll say the same, barring the bit about the coracle, which wouldn't bear me.
"说得好, 说得好, "一个水手说, "我也会说这番话的, 只是小筏子那段话除外, 那小筏子我坐不下。"
"He added in a lower voice, "I'm not going to be outdone by a mouse. "
他又低声说了一句, "我可不愿被一只老鼠给比下去。"
At this point Caspian jumped to his feet. "Friends, "he said, "I think you have not quite understood our purpose.
就在这个时候, 凯斯宾忽然站起来说: "朋友们, 我想你们可能并不十分理解我们的用意。
You talk as if we had come to you with our hat in our hand, begging for shipmates. It isn't like that at all.
你们说话的口气好像我们去找你们, 求你们做水手似的。事实并非如此。
