《能言馬與男孩》第45期:在蒂斯羅克的密室裏(5)

"O eternal Tisroc," answered Ahosta, "the strength of paternal affection is not unknown to me and I have often heard that sons are in the eyes of their fathers more precious than carbuncles. How then shall I dare freely to unfold to you my mind in a matter which may imperil the life of this exalted Prince?"
"Undoubtedly you will dare," replied the Tisroc. "Because you will find that the dangers of not doing so are at least equally great."
"To hear is to obey," moaned the wretched man. "Know then, O most reasonable Tisroc, in the first place, that the danger of the Prince is not altogether so great as might appear. For the gods have withheld from the barbarians the light of discretion, as that their poetry is not, like ours, full of choice apophthegms and useful maxims, but is all of love and war. Therefore nothing will appear to them more noble and admirable than such a mad enterprise as this of ow!" For the Prince, at the word "mad", had kicked him again.
"Desist, O my son," said the Tisroc. "And you, estimable Vizier, whether he desists or not, by no means allow the flow of your eloquence to be interrupted. For nothing is more suitable to persons of gravity and decorum than to endure minor inconveniences with constancy."
"To hear is to obey," said the Vizier, wriggling himself round a little so as to get his hinder parts further away from Rabadash's toe. "Nothing, I say, will seem as pardonable, if not estimable, in their eyes as this - er - hazardous attempt, especially because it is undertaken for the love of a woman. Therefore, if the Prince by misfortune fell into their hands, they would assuredly not kill him. Nay, it may even be, that though he failed to carry off the queen, yet the sight of his great valour and of the extremity of his passion might incline her heart to him."
"That is a good point, old babbler," said Rabadash. "Very good, however it came into your ugly head."
"The praise of my masters is the light of my eyes," said Ahoshta. "And secondly, O Tisroc, whose reign must and shall be interminable, I think that with the aid of the gods it is very likely that Anvard will fall into the Prince's hands. And if so, we have Narnia by the throat."
There was a long pause and the room became so silent that the two girls hardly dared to breathe. At last the Tisroc spoke.

“蒂斯羅克萬萬歲，”阿霍什塔答道，”古氏鎮情深的力量，我不是不知道的，我時常聽說，兒子在父親的眼睛裏看來，比紅寶石還要珍貴。對於這件也許會危害這位意氣風發的王子的生命的大事，我怎麼敢放肆地向你陳述我的愚見呢?”
“毫無疑問你會敢於陳述的，”蒂斯羅克答道，”因爲，你會發現:不這麼幹危險至少是同樣巨大的。”
“聽到命令，就遵命照辦。”爲難的首相嗚嗚咽咽地說道，”最最通情達理的蒂斯羅克啊，那麼，第一，須知王子的危險並不像看起來那麼大。因爲神靈沒有賜給外邦人謹慎小心之光，他們的詩歌不像我們的詩歌那樣充滿精美的箴言和有用的格言，卻全是謳歌愛情和戰爭的。因此，在他們看來，啥也不及像這樣瘋狂的冒險更加崇高更加令人欽佩的了——唷”因爲王子聽到瘋狂兩字時又踢他了。
“我的兒子啊，別踢，”蒂斯羅克說，”而你，值得尊重的首相，不論他踢不踢你，無論如何也不要中斷你滔滔不絕的議論。因爲，對於莊嚴而彬彬有禮的人，以堅定不變的態度忍受小小的不方便，是再合適也沒有的了。”
“聽到命令，就遵命照辦。”首相說道；他扭動着，把自己的身體縮得圓一點兒，使屁股離拉巴達什的腳趾遠一點兒。”像這樣的冒險行動，特別是爲了對一個女人的愛情而採取這樣的行動，在他們的眼睛裏看來，如果不是值得尊敬的，也似乎是可以原諒的。所以，如果王子不幸落到他們手裏，管保他們不會殺死他的。不，說不定甚至會出現這種情況儘管他想搶走女王是失敗了，然而看到了他偉大的英勇氣概和登峯造極的熱情，女王可能傾心於他。”
“這倒是個好觀點，你這嘮嘮叨叨的老頭兒，”拉巴達什說道，”十分高明的觀點畢竟進入了你那醜陋的頭腦。”
“明主的稱讚就是眼睛裏的光明，”阿霍什塔說道，”蒂斯羅克啊，你的統治是沒有止境的，其次，得到衆神的幫助，安瓦德落到王子手中是十分可能的。果然如此的話，我們就扼住了納尼亞的咽喉。”
討論出現了長時間的停頓，房間裏變得那麼寂靜，以致兩個姑娘都不敢呼吸了。最後蒂斯羅克終於說話了。