《能言馬與男孩》第19期:在塔什班城門口(1)
Chapter 4 Shasta Falls in with the Narians
AT first Shasta could see nothing in the valley below him but a sea of mist with a few domes and pinnacles rising from it; but as the light increased and the mist cleared away he saw more and more. A broad river divided itself into two streams and on the island between them stood the city of Tashbaan, one of the wonders of the world. Round the very edge of the island, so that the water lapped against the stone, ran high walls strengthened with so many towers that he soon gave up trying to count them. Inside the walls the island rose in a hill and every bit of that hill, up to the Tisroc's palace and the great temple of Tash at the top, was completely covered with buildings - terrace above terrace, street above street, zigzag roads or huge flights of steps bordered with orange trees and lemon trees, roofgardens, balconies, deep archways, pillared colonnades, spires, battlements, minarets, pinnacles. And when at last the sun rose out of the sea and the great silver-plated dome of the temple flashed back itslight, he was almost dazzled.
"Get on, Shasta," Bree kept saying.
The river banks on each side of the valley were such a mass of gardens that they looked at first like forest, until you got closer and saw the white walls of innumerable houses peeping out from beneath the trees. Soon after that, Shasta noticed a delicious smell of flowers and fruit. About fifteen minutes later they were down among them, plodding on a level road with white walls on each side and trees bending over the walls.
"I say," said Shasta in an awed voice. "This is a wonderful place!"
"I daresay," said Bree. "But I wish we were safely through it and out at the other side. Narnia and the North!"
At that moment a low, throbbing noise began which gradually swelled louder and louder till the whole valley seemed to be swaying with it. It was a musical noise, but so strong and solemn as to be a little frightening.
"That's the horns blowing for the city gates to be open," said Bree. "We shall be there in a minute. Now, Aravis, do droop your shoulders a bit and step heavier and try to look less like a princess. Try to imagine you've been kicked and cuffed and called names all your life."
"If it comes to that," said Aravis, "what about you drooping your head a bit more and arching your neck a bit less and trying to look less like a war-horse?"
"Hush," said Bree. "Here we are."
起初，沙斯塔看不清下面山谷裏的景物，但用個霧靄的海洋，從中矗出些圓屋頂和小尖塔，但光芒增強、霧靄廓清時，他看到的景物就越來越多了。一條寬闊的大河分成兩條支流，支流之間的島上聳立着塔什班城——世界上有名的奇觀之一。環繞着島嶼的四周，築有一系列高大的城牆，中間夾着許多堡壘塔樓，以資拱衛。流水拍打着石頭城。堡壘又那麼多，沙斯塔不久就不想去一一點清數目了。城牆裏邊，島嶼上降起個小山，山上每一塊土地，從山麓直到山頂上蒂斯羅克的王宮和塔什神的廟宇，都佈滿了建築物——重重疊疊，臺地之上還有臺地，街道之上還有街道，曲曲折折的路或是巨大的臺階，兩邊都種上了橘子樹和檸檬樹，處處是屋頂花園、陽臺、深邃的拱廊、柱廊、塔尖、雉堞牆、寺院尖塔、哥特式建築的尖頂。太陽終於從海上升起來時，寺院巨大的鍍銀圓屋頂把陽光反射出來，耀得他眼花繚亂。
“向前走，沙斯塔。”布里不斷地說道。
山谷兩邊河岸上花園那麼多，乍看簡直就像個森林，直至走近了，看到樹木下露出無數房屋的雪白牆垣，才明白了真相。不久以後，沙斯塔便覺得有陣陣芬芳的花果香氣。大約十五分鐘以後他們便到了花園之間，他們走在一條平坦的道路上，兩邊都是雪白的牆垣，下垂的花木枝條伸出牆來。
“啊。”沙斯塔用敬畏的聲音說道，”這真是個了不得的好地方”
“敢情是這樣。”布里說，”但我巴望我們安全穿過城市，在另頭安全走出城去，直奔納尼亞和北方！”
這時候，響起了一個低沉而顫動的聲音，這聲音逐漸響亮，彷彿整個山谷都被它震動了似的。這是一種樂聲，但是強烈而莊嚴，因此有點兒令人害怕。
“這是打開城門的號角聲，”布里說道，”咱們一會兒
就到那兒了。注意囉，阿拉維斯，你的肩膀要下垂一點兒，走路的步子要更加沉重一些，要竭力裝得看上去不像個公主。你要儘量設想你一生捱過腳踢，捱過巴掌，還捱過臭罵。”
“說到這一點，”阿拉維斯說，”你要把腦袋再往下耷拉一點兒，脖子少拱起點兒，竭力裝得看上去不像匹戰馬，好嗎?”
“莫作聲，”布里說，”咱們到了。”
