《能言馬與男孩》第42期:在蒂斯羅克的密室裏(2)

"Understand, O my son," said the Tisroc, "that no words you can speak will move me to open war against Narnia."
"If you were not my father, O ever-living Tisroc, " said the Prince, grinding his teeth, "I should say that was the word of a coward."
"And if you were not my son, O most inflammable Rabadash," replied his father, "your life would be short and your death slow when you had said it." (The cool, placid voice in which he spoke these words made Aravis's blood run cold.)
"But why, O my father," said the Prince - this time in a much more respectful voice, "why should we think twice about punishing Narnia any more than about hanging an idle slave or sending a worn-out horse to be made into dog'smeat? It is not the fourth size of one of your least provinces. A thousand spears could conquer it in five weeks. It is an unseemly blot on the skirts of your empire."
"Most undoubtedly," said the Tisroc. "These little barbarian countries that call themselves free (which is as much as to say, idle, disordered, and unprofitable) are hateful to the gods and to all persons of discernment."
"Then why have we suffered such a land as Narnia to remain thus long unsubdued?"
"Know, O enlightened Prince," said the Grand Vizier, "that until the year in which your exalted father began his salutary and unending reign, the land of Narnia was covered with ice and snow and was moreover ruled by a most powerful enchantress."
"This I know very well, O loquacious Vizier," answered the Prince. "But I know also that the enchantress is dead. And the ice and snow have vanished, so that Narnia is now wholesome, fruitful, and delicious."
"And this change, O most learned Prince, has doubtless been brought to pass by the powerful incantations of those wicked persons who now call themselves kings and queens of Narnia."
"I am rather of the opinion," said Rabadash, "that it has come about by the alteration of the stars and the operation of natural causes."

“我的兒子啊，明白了，”蒂斯羅克說道，”你說的話慫恿不了我公開同納尼亞作戰。”
“萬壽無疆的蒂斯羅克啊，如果你不是我的父親，”王子咬牙切齒地說道，”我就會說這是懦夫的言語。”
“最容易激動的拉巴達什啊，如果你不是我的兒子，”他的父親答道，”當你說這話時，你就會短壽促命，而你的死亡將會是緩慢的。”(他說這些話時所用的冷冰冰的平靜聲調使阿拉維斯毛骨悚然。
“我的父親啊，可是爲什麼，”王子說道，這回用的是尊敬得多的聲調了，”爲什麼關於懲罰納尼亞王國的事，我們要再三考慮呢?這件事跟絞死一個遊手好閒的奴隸或是把筋疲力盡的老馬送去充作狗食一樣不必多加思考。這個國家還趕不上你最小的省四分之一的面積。上千枝長矛，不出五個星期，就能把它征服了。這是你帝國邊境上的一個不相宜的污點。”
“毫無疑問之至，”蒂斯羅克說道，”這些個小小的外邦國家自稱是自由的(這等於說，遊手好閒，目無秩序，無利無益)，嫌惡神靈和一切明眼人。”
“那麼我們爲什麼容忍像納尼亞這樣一個國家繼續存在下去，長期不去征服它呢?”
“開明的王子啊，要知道，”首相說，”在你高貴的父親開始他有效而永恆的統治那一年之前，納尼亞的國土上到處都是冰雪，而且是由一個最強有力的女巫統治着的。”
“饒舌的首相啊，這個我知道得很清楚了，”王子答道，”可我也知道女巫死了，冰雪消失了，所以納尼亞王國現在清新健康，水果遍地，美味可口。”
“最有學問的王子啊，這個變化，無疑是那些壞人強有力的魔法造成的，他們還自稱爲納尼亞的國王和女王哩。”
“我倒是有這樣的看法，”拉巴達什說道，”這種變化是由於星宿的改變和自然界的作用造成的。”