《能言马与男孩》第42期:在蒂斯罗克的密室里(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."

“我的儿子啊，明白了，”蒂斯罗克说道，”你说的话怂恿不了我公开同纳尼亚作战。”
“万寿无疆的蒂斯罗克啊，如果你不是我的父亲，”王子咬牙切齿地说道，”我就会说这是懦夫的言语。”
“最容易激动的拉巴达什啊，如果你不是我的儿子，”他的父亲答道，”当你说这话时，你就会短寿促命，而你的死亡将会是缓慢的。”(他说这些话时所用的冷冰冰的平静声调使阿拉维斯毛骨悚然。
“我的父亲啊，可是为什么，”王子说道，这回用的是尊敬得多的声调了，”为什么关于惩罚纳尼亚王国的事，我们要再三考虑呢?这件事跟绞死一个游手好闲的奴隶或是把筋疲力尽的老马送去充作狗食一样不必多加思考。这个国家还赶不上你最小的省四分之一的面积。上千枝长矛，不出五个星期，就能把它征服了。这是你帝国边境上的一个不相宜的污点。”
“毫无疑问之至，”蒂斯罗克说道，”这些个小小的外邦国家自称是自由的(这等于说，游手好闲，目无秩序，无利无益)，嫌恶神灵和一切明眼人。”
“那么我们为什么容忍像纳尼亚这样一个国家继续存在下去，长期不去征服它呢?”
“开明的王子啊，要知道，”首相说，”在你高贵的父亲开始他有效而永恒的统治那一年之前，纳尼亚的国土上到处都是冰雪，而且是由一个最强有力的女巫统治着的。”
“饶舌的首相啊，这个我知道得很清楚了，”王子答道，”可我也知道女巫死了，冰雪消失了，所以纳尼亚王国现在清新健康，水果遍地，美味可口。”
“最有学问的王子啊，这个变化，无疑是那些坏人强有力的魔法造成的，他们还自称为纳尼亚的国王和女王哩。”
“我倒是有这样的看法，”拉巴达什说道，”这种变化是由于星宿的改变和自然界的作用造成的。”