Chapter Twelve The Queen of Underland
第十二章 地下王国的女王
Two Earthmen entered, but instead of advancing into the room, they placed themselves one on each side of the door, and bowed deeply.
两个洞穴人走了进来,但他们并没继续向里走,而是立在门两旁,深深地鞠了一躬。
They were followed immediately by the last person whom anyone had expected or wished to see:
紧接着进来了一个他们最不想见到的人:
the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the Queen of Underland. She stood dead still in the doorway, and they could see her eyes moving as she took in the whole situation—the three strangers, the silver chair destroyed, and the Prince free, with his sword in his hand.
绿衣女神——地下王国的女王。她笔直地站在门口,眼睛来回看,审视着屋内的情况——三个陌生人,银椅子被毁了,王子获得了自由,手里还提着剑。
She turned very white; but Jill thought it was the sort of whiteness that comes over some people's faces not when they are frightened but when they are angry.
女王的脸唰一下白了,在吉尔看来,人生气时才会露出这种神色,和害怕没关系。
For a moment the Witch fixed her eyes on the Prince, and there was murder in them. Then she seemed to change her mind.
她盯着王子看了一会儿,眼露杀机。突然,她好像改变了主意。
"Leave us," she said to the two Earthmen. "And let none disturb us till I call, on pain of death." The gnomes padded away obediently, and the Witch-queen shut and locked the door.
“退下。”女王对两名洞穴人说,“不叫你们不许进来,否则杀无赦。”两个地精遵从地退了出去,女王把门关上并上了锁。
"How now, my lord Prince," she said. "Has your nightly fit not yet come upon you, or is it over so soon? Why stand you here unbound? Who are these aliens? And is it they who have destroyed the chair which was your only safety?"
“怎么了,我的王子殿下?”她说,“魔法发作还没结束吗,是不是快结束了?为什么没被绑着呢?这些陌生人是谁?难道他们把银椅子毁了?这可是你能获得安全的唯一保障。”
Prince Rilian shivered as she spoke to him. And no wonder: it is not easy to throw off in half an hour an enchantment which has made one a slave for ten years.
女王说话时,瑞廉王子颤抖了一下。很显然,他已经当了十年奴隶,这种魔法不可能在短短一小时内说摆脱就摆脱。
Then, speaking with a great effort, he said: "Madam, there will be no more need of that chair. And you, who have told me a hundred times how deeply you pitied me for the sorceries by which I was bound, will doubtless hear with joy that they are now ended for ever.
他费劲地说:“女士,椅子已经完全没用了。你曾千百次地和我说你很同情我被黑魔法控制那么多年。但如今,噩梦已经彻底结束了,你肯定很开心吧,但您的表情似乎不大对劲儿。
There was, it seems, some small error in your Ladyship's way of treating them. These, my true friends, have delivered me. I am now in my right mind, and there are two things I will say to you.
正是这些真诚的朋友拯救了我。我现在完全正常了,有两件事要和你说。
First—as for your Ladyship's design of putting me at the head of an army of Earthmen so that I may break out into the Overworld and there, by main force,
第一,您让我统领洞穴人破土而出,占领地上王国做国王确实是为我好。
make myself king over some nation that never did me wrong— murdering their natural lords and holding their throne as a bloody and foreign tyrant—now that I know myself, I do utterly abhor and renounce it as plain villainy.
但现在看来,杀死他们的国王,攫取王位做个血腥的外来暴君简直是世界上的头号恶行。我讨厌这么做,决定放弃。
And second: I am the King's son of Narnia, Rilian, the only child of Caspian, Tenth of that name, whom some call Caspian the Seafarer.
第二,我是纳尼亚的王子瑞廉,凯斯宾十世,也是凯斯宾航海家唯一的儿子。
Therefore, Madam, it is my purpose, as it is also my duty, to depart suddenly from your Highness's court into my own country. Please it you to grant me and my friends safe conduct and a guide through your dark realm."
因此,我必须离开这里,回归自己的祖国。这也是我的责任。请保障我和朋友们的安全,带领我们离开地下王国。”
Now the Witch said nothing at all, but moved gently across the room, always keeping her face and eyes very steadily towards the Prince.
女王一言不发,她轻轻走到房间的另一端,眼睛和脸始终对着王子。
When she had come to a little ark set in the wall not far from the fireplace, she opened it, and took out first a handful of a green powder.
离壁炉不远的墙边放着个小柜子,女王打开柜门,拿出一捧绿色粉末。
This she threw on the fire. It did not blaze much, but a very sweet and drowsy smell came from it.
然后,她将粉末扔向火里。粉末并不燃烧,却散发出一股香甜的、令人昏昏欲睡的气味。
And all through the conversation which followed, that smell grew stronger, and filled the room, and made it harder to think. Secondly, she took out a musical instrument rather like a mandolin.
随着谈话继续,味道越发浓烈,它逐渐充满室内,令人难以集中精力思考。然后,女王又拿出一件酷似曼陀林的乐器。
She began to play it with her fingers—a steady, monotonous thrumming that you didn't notice after a few minutes. But the less you noticed it, the more it got into your brain and your blood.
开始缓缓弹奏——节奏稳定单一,几分钟后你才注意到原来有人在弹琴。然而你越不注意它,节奏就越深入你的脑海和血液。
This also made it hard to think. After she had thrummed for a time (and the sweet smell was now strong) she began speaking in a sweet, quiet voice.
弹了一会儿,(香味越来越浓)女王开始用一种甜蜜沉静的声音说道:
"Narnia?" she said. "Narnia? I have often heard your Lordship utter that name in your ravings. Dear Prince, you are very sick. There is no land called Narnia."
“纳尼亚?你发疯时经常唠叨着这个地方。亲爱的王子,你病得很厉害。根本没有纳尼亚这个地方。”
"Yes there is, though, Ma'am," said Puddleglum. "You see, I happen to have lived there all my life." "Indeed," said the Witch. "Tell me, I pray you, where that country is?"
“确实有这个地方,女士。”帕德格莱姆说,“你看,我就住在那儿。”“是吗?”女巫说,“那请你告诉我,纳尼亚在哪儿呢?”
"Up there," said Puddleglum, stoutly, pointing overhead. "I— I don't know exactly where."
“上面。”帕德格莱姆语调很坚定,他指了指上面,“我,我不知道确切位置。”
"How?" said the Queen, with a kind, soft, musical laugh. "Is there a country up among the stones and mortar of the roof?"
“怎么会呢?”女王的笑声很和善,轻柔得如音乐一般,“在屋顶的石头和灰浆之间怎么会有什么国家呢?”
"No," said Puddleglum, struggling a little to get his breath. "It's in Overworld." "And what, or where, pray is this...how do you call it...Overworld?"
“不。”帕德格莱姆说,他拼命地喘息着,“是上面的世界。”“什么?哪里?你们管那里叫什么?上面的世界?”
"Oh, don't be so silly," said Scrubb, who was fighting hard against the enchantment of the sweet smell and the thrumming. "As if you didn't know! It's up above, up where you can see the sky and the sun and the stars. Why, you've been there yourself. We met you there."
“哦,别犯傻了。”斯库波说,他也正在奋力与气味和乐器发出的魔法搏斗,“就好像你不知道似的!就是地面上,你能看见天空、阳光和星星。你不是去过吗?我们还碰见过你。”