《能言馬與男孩》第24期:在塔什班城門口(6)
The lady shook her head. "No, brother," she said, "not for all the jewels in Tashbaan." ("Hullo!" thought Shasta. "Although they're king and queen, they're brother and sister, not married to one another.")
"Truly, sister," said the King, "I should have loved you the less if you had taken him. And I tell you that at the first coming of the Tisroc's ambassadors into Narnia to treat of this marriage, and later when the Prince was our guest at Cair Paravel, it was a wonder to me that ever you could find it in your heart to show him so much favour."
"That was my folly, Edmund," said Queen Susan, "of which I cry you mercy. Yet when he was with us in Narnia, truly this Prince bore himself in another fashion than he does now in Tashbaan. For I take you all to witness what marvellous feats he did in that great tournament and hastilude which our brother the High King made for him, and how meekly and courteously he consorted with us the space of seven days. But here, in his own city, he has shown another face."
"Ah!" croaked the Raven. "It is an old saying: see the bear in his own den before you judge of his conditions."
"That's very true, Sallowpad," said one of the Dwarfs. "And another is, Come, live with me and you'll know me."
"Yes," said the King. "We have now seen him for what he is: that is, a most proud, bloody, luxurious, cruel, and selfpleasing tryant."
"Then in the name of Aslan," said Susan, "let us leave Tashbaan this very day."
"There's the rub, sister," said Edmund. "For now I must open to you all that has been growing in my mind these last two days and more. Peridan, of your courtesy look to the door and see that there is no spy upon us. All well? So. For now we must be secret."
Everyone had begun to look very serious. Queen Susan jumped up and ran to her brother. "Oh, Edmund," she cried. "What is it? There is something dreadful in your face."
“確確實實，姐姐，”國王說道，”如果你看中了他，我就會不怎麼愛你了。我告訴你吧，蒂斯羅克的大使最初到納尼亞來說臺這門親事時，以及後來王子在我們凱爾帕拉維爾做客時，你竟會從心早表露出那麼多對他的寵愛，我真覺得奇怪。”
“那是由於我愚蠢無知，愛德蒙，”女王蘇珊說道，”我爲此求你寬容。然而，這位王子到納尼亞來我們家做客時，跟他如今在塔什班城裏作風確實是截然不同的。披請大家作證，在至尊王爲他舉行的騎馬比武和長矛較量上，他表現了多麼神奇的技藝，在做客七天之中，他又足多麼溫順、多麼彬彬有禮地陪伴着我們。然而，在這兒，在他自己的城市裏，他已經露出另外副面目來了。”
“哇”渡鴉叫道，”古老的諺語說道：先看看熊在它自己窩裏的情況，再對它的素質作出判斷。”
“這諺語是千真萬確的，薩羅帕德，”小矮人之一說道：”另一個諺語說：來吧，跟我一起生活，你就瞭解我了。”
“是的，”圍王說道，”現在我們已經看到了他的真面目：一個最最驕傲、血腥、奢侈、殘酷和自我欣賞的暴君”
“那麼，以阿斯蘭之名起誓，”蘇珊說道，”讓我們今天就離開塔什班城吧。”
“姐姐，難就難在這裏。現在我必須把我在這最後兩天多的時間裏逐漸醞釀成熟的種種想法都告訴你。珀裏丹，謝謝你留心門戶，別讓密探闖進來。一切都好？行。因爲我們現在必須嚴守祕密。”
大家開始顯得很嚴肅。女王蘇珊跳起來，奔向她的弟弟。”啊，愛德蒙，”她喊道，”怎麼一回事？你臉上有一種可怕的神情。”
