霍比特人：Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire 才出煎鍋又入火坑

OUT OF THE FRYING-PAN INTO THE FIRE

才出煎鍋又入火坑

Bilbo had escaped the goblins, but he did not know where he was. He had lost hood, cloak, food, pony, his buttons and his friends. He wandered on and on, till the sun began to sink westwards—behind the mountains. Their shadows fell across Bilbo’s path, and he looked back. Then he looked forward and could see before him only ridges and slopes falling towards lowlands and plains glimpsed occasionally between the trees.

比爾博逃出了半獸人的魔穴，卻不知道自己身在何處。他弄丟了兜帽、斗篷、食物、小馬、紐扣和所有的朋友。他漫無目的地走啊走，直到太陽開始西沉——落到大山背后去了。大山把自已的陰影投在比爾博走的路上，他回頭望望，然后又朝前看去，前面只有山嶺與山坡在往下綿延，通往低地與平原，但低地與平原被樹林擋住了，只有透過縫隙才能偶然得見。

“Good heavens!” he exclaimed. “I seem to have got right to the other side of the Misty Mountains, right to the edge of the Land Beyond! Where and O where can Gandalf and the dwarves have got to? I only hope to goodness they are not still back there in the power of the goblins!”

“老天爺啊!”比爾博驚嘆道，“我好像穿過了迷霧山脈，來到了山的另一邊，來到了遙遠之地的邊緣!哦!甘道夫和矮人們究竟去了哪兒啊?我只希望老天保佑，他們不會還在半獸人的勢力范圍內(nèi)!”

He still wandered on, out of the little high valley, over its edge, and down the slopes beyond; but all the while a very uncomfortable thought was growing inside him. He wondered whether he ought not, now he had the magic ring, to go back into the horrible, horrible, tunnels and look for his friends. He had just made up his mind that it was his duty, that he must turn back—and very miserable he felt about it—when he heard voices.

他繼續(xù)漫無目的地往前走，走出了狹窄的山谷，越過了山谷邊緣，往山坡下走去，但心中一直縈繞著一個讓他很不舒服的念頭。他在想的是，既然已經(jīng)有了魔法戒指，難道不該再回到那些恐怖黑暗的隧道中找尋自己的朋友嗎?他剛下定決心，認為這是他的責任，必須回去——這想法讓他很是痛苦——就在這時，他聽見了說話的聲音。

He stopped and listened. It did not sound like goblins; so he crept forward carefully. He was on a stony path winding downwards with a rocky wall on the left hand; on the other side the ground sloped away and there were dells below the level of the path overhung with bushes and low trees. In one of these dells under the bushes people were talking.

他停下腳步聽了起來。這不像是半獸人的聲音，因此他小心翼翼地又朝前走了幾步。這時他踏在一條蜿蜒向下的石徑上，左邊是一片巖壁，另一邊則是一道通往下方的斜坡，從上面看去，可以看見下面的山谷中長著許多灌木和低矮的植物。在其中一座山谷中的灌木叢之下，有人在交談。

He crept still nearer, and suddenly he saw peering between two big boulders a head with a red hood on: it was Balin doing look-out. He could have clapped and shouted for joy, but he did not. He had still got the ring on, for fear of meeting something unexpected and unpleasant, and he saw that Balin was looking straight at him without noticing him.

他又潛近了些，突然看見一個戴著紅兜帽的腦袋在兩塊大石頭間若隱若現(xiàn)：那是負責站崗的巴林。他差點高興得拍手大叫起來，但他忍住了。由于擔心還會遇到什么意外的險情，他手上依然戴著戒指，因此，他看見巴林雖然看著自己的方向，卻根本沒注意到自己。

“I will give them all a surprise,” he thought, as he crawled into the bushes at the edge of the dell. Gandalf was arguing with the dwarves. They were discussing all that had happened to them in the tunnels, and wondering and debating what they were to do now. The dwarves were grumbling, and Gandalf was saying that they could not possibly go on with their journey leaving Mr. Baggins in the hands of the goblins, without trying to find out if he was alive or dead, and without trying to rescue him.

“我要給大家一個驚喜。”他這么想著，就鉆進了山谷邊的灌木叢中。甘道夫正在和矮人們爭論著什么，他們在討論著發(fā)生在隧道中的事情，想要決定接下來該怎么辦。矮人們在抱怨著，而甘道夫則堅持說決不能把巴金斯先生留在半獸人手里，他們自己管自己上路，至少得弄清他是死是活，或者該去嘗試營救他。

“After all he is my friend,” said the wizard, “and not a bad little chap. I feel responsible for him. I wish to goodness you had not lost him.”

“他畢竟是我的朋友。”巫師說，“他也不是個壞人，我對他有責任，我真希望你們沒有把他給弄丟。”

The dwarves wanted to know why he had ever been brought at all, why he could not stick to his friends and come along with them, and why the wizard had not chosen someone with more sense. “He has been more trouble than use so far,” said one. “If we have got to go back now into those abominable tunnels to look for him, then drat him, I say.”

矮人們想要知道當初把他帶來究竟有什么用，為什么他不能跟緊他的朋友們，和他們一起行動，巫師又為什么不挑選一個更機靈點的家伙。“到目前為止他惹的麻煩比幫的忙多，”有人說，“如果我們現(xiàn)在還得回到那可惡的隧道里去找他，還不如讓他見鬼去呢。”

Gandalf answered angrily: “I brought him, and I don’t bring things that are of no use. Either you help me to look for him, or I go and leave you here to get out of the mess as best you can yourselves. If we can only find him again, you will thank me before all is over. Whatever did you want to go and drop him for, Dori?”

甘道夫生氣地回答：“帶他來的人是我，我決不會帶上一個沒用的人。要么你們幫我一起去找他，要么我自己去找，你們就留在這里，自己想辦法從麻煩中脫身。如果我們能找到他的話，在探險結(jié)束以前你們一定會感謝我的。多瑞，你當初為什么只顧著自己跑，把他給丟下了?”

“You would have dropped him,” said Dori, “if a goblin had suddenly grabbed your legs from behind in the dark, tripped up your feet, and kicked you in the back!”

“如果有個半獸人在黑暗中突然從背后抓住你，把你絆倒作地，還在你背上踢一腳，”多瑞辯解道，“換了你也會背不住他的!”

“Then why didn’t you pick him up again?”

“那你為什么不回頭把他再背上呢?”

“Good heavens! Can you ask! Goblins fighting and biting in the dark, everybody falling over bodies and hitting one another! You nearly chopped off my head with Glamdring, and Thorin was stabbing here there and everywhere with Orcrist. All of a sudden you gave one of your blinding flashes, and we saw the goblins running back yelping. You shouted ‘follow me everybody!’ and everybody ought to have followed. We thought everybody had. There was no time to count, as you know quite well, till we had dashed through the gate-guards, out of the lower door, and helter-skelter down here. And here we are—without the burglar, confusticate him!”

“天哪!虧你還好意思問!半獸人在黑暗里又打又咬，每個人不是在別人身上絆倒，就是互相撞來撞去!你差點用格拉姆德凜劍把我的腦袋砍掉，索林則揮舞著他的奧克銳斯特劍到處亂戳。然后，你突然放出那種能把人眼睛都照瞎的閃光，我們看見半獸人尖叫著逃回去了。你大喊‘大家跟我來’，大家應(yīng)該都跟著你走了。我們以為大家都跟上了。那會兒哪有時間點數(shù)啊，這你應(yīng)該很明白，然后我們就一路殺過門口的守衛(wèi)，沖出了矮門，慌里慌張地就跑到這兒來了。“現(xiàn)在我們就是這副樣子——飛賊不見了，我們把他拋棄啦!”

“And here’s the burglar!” said Bilbo stepping down into the middle of them, and slipping off the ring.

“飛賊在這兒呢!”比爾博說著走到大伙兒中間，褪下了戒指。

Bless me, how they jumped! Then they shouted with surprise and delight. Gandalf was as astonished as any of them, but probably more pleased than all the others. He called to Balin and told him what he thought of a look-out man who let people walk right into them like that without warning. It is a fact that Bilbo’s reputation went up a very great deal with the dwarves after this. If they had still doubted that he was really a first-class burglar, in spite of Gandalf’s words, they doubted no longer. Balin was the most puzzled of all; but everyone said it was a very clever bit of work.

我的天哪，大家伙兒見了他全都跳了起來，然后發(fā)出驚喜的歡呼。甘道夫和別人一樣吃驚，但他的歡喜或許要更勝其他人一籌。他把巴林叫了過來，問他是怎么放的哨，居然讓人走到了他們身邊而沒有發(fā)出一點警告。經(jīng)過這件事以后，比爾博在矮人們中間聲名鵲起。就算之前他們對比爾博作為一流飛賊的身份仍然有所懷疑，哪怕甘道夫再怎么夸獎、推薦也沒用，可現(xiàn)在他們徹徹底底地服了。盡管巴林依舊百思不得其解，但大家卻都說比爾博這手露得真漂亮。

Indeed Bilbo was so pleased with their praise that he just chuckled inside and said nothing whatever about the ring; and when they asked him how he did it, he said: “Oh, just crept along, you know—very carefully and quietly.”

大伙兒的贊譽比爾博聽了著實受用，他在心中竊笑著，嘴上卻對戒指的事只字不提。當大家問他究竟怎么辦到的時候，他說：“哦，沒什么，悄悄地走過來就行了——當然，要非常小心，一點聲音也沒有。”

“Well, it is the first time that even a mouse has crept along carefully and quietly under my very nose and not been spotted,” said Balin, “and I take off my hood to you.” Which he did.

“以前，就算再小心，再沒有聲音，也沒有哪怕一只小老鼠能從我鼻子底下經(jīng)過而不被我發(fā)覺的，你絕對是頭一個。”巴林說，“請接受我脫帽致敬。”說完他真的這么做了。

“Balin at your service,” said he.

“巴林愿意為您效勞!”他敬佩地說道。

“Your servant, Mr. Baggins,” said Bilbo.

“在下巴金斯愿意為您效勞!”比爾博答禮道。

Then they wanted to know all about his adventures after they had lost him, and he sat down and told them everything—except about the finding of the ring (“not just now” he thought). They were particularly interested in the riddle-competition, and shuddered most appreciatively at his description of Gollum.

接著他們?nèi)枷胍辣葼柌┖退麄冏呱⒅蟮拿半U經(jīng)歷，于是他坐了下來，將一切娓娓道來——只把找到戒指這件事瞞了下來。(“只是現(xiàn)在暫時不說而已。”他是這樣想的。)他們對于猜謎比賽的那段聽得津津有味，聽到他對咕嚕的描述時全都感到刺激得微微發(fā)抖。

“And then I couldn’t think of any other question with him sitting beside me,” ended Bilbo; “so I said ‘what’s in my pocket?’ And he couldn’t guess in three goes. So I said: ‘what about your promise? Show me the way out!’ But he came at me to kill me, and I ran, and fell over, and he missed me in the dark. Then I followed him, because I heard him talking to himself. He thought I really knew the way out, and so he was making for it. And then he sat down in the entrance, and I could not get by. So I jumped over him and escaped, and ran down to the gate.”

“那時，他在我旁邊坐著，我哪還想得出什么謎題啊，”比爾博的講述臨近了尾聲，“所以，我就問‘我的口袋里面有什么?’他連猜了三次都沒猜中。于是我問他：‘你答應(yīng)的事怎么辦?你得帶我出去!’可是他過來要殺我，我撒腿就跑，沒多久摔了一跤，黑暗之中他從我旁邊擦身而過。然后我就一路跟著他，因為我聽見過他自言自語，他以為我其實知道出去的路，就沿著這條路一路走來。到了入口的地方，他一屁股坐了下來，把我的路給擋住了。最后，我只好從他頭上跳了過去，一路跑到了大石門。”

“What about the guards?” they asked. “Weren’t there any?”

“那些守衛(wèi)呢?”他們問，“門口難道沒有守衛(wèi)嗎?”

“O yes! lots of them; but I dodged ’em. I got stuck in the door, which was only open a crack, and I lost lots of buttons,” he said sadly looking at his torn clothes. “But I squeezed through all right—and here I am.”

“有!多得是，可全都叫我給躲過去了。門只開了一條縫，我給卡在了門里，好多扣子都掙掉了呢，”他看著自己扯破的衣服難過地說道，“可我最終還是擠了出來——于是我就在這兒了。”

The dwarves looked at him with quite a new respect, when he talked about dodging guards, jumping over Gollum, and squeezing through, as if it was not very difficult or very alarming.

比爾博從容講述著自己躲避守衛(wèi)、跳過咕嚕和擠出大門的過程，仿佛這并不是什么很困難或是很可怕的事情，矮人們聽了不禁用比之前更尊敬的眼光看著他。

“What did I tell you?” said Gandalf laughing. “Mr. Baggins has more about him than you guess.” He gave Bilbo a queer look from under his bushy eyebrows, as he said this, and the hobbit wondered if he guessed at the part of his tale that he had left out.

“我跟你們怎么說來著?”甘道夫笑著說道，“巴金斯先生的實力可是遠遠超出你們的想像啊!”他說這話的時候，從他那濃密的眉毛下面對巴金斯使了個奇怪的眼色，霍比特人不禁懷疑他是否已經(jīng)猜到故事中他隱瞞掉的內(nèi)容了。

Then he had questions of his own to ask, for if Gandalf had explained it all by now to the dwarves, Bilbo had not heard it. He wanted to know how the wizard had turned up again, and where they had all got to now.

接著，比爾博也有問題要問。就算之前甘道夫已經(jīng)對矮人們都解釋過一切了，可比爾博并沒有聽到。他想要知道巫師是怎么重新出現(xiàn)的，他們后來又去了哪兒。

The wizard, to tell the truth, never minded explaining his cleverness more than once, so now he told Bilbo that both he and Elrond had been well aware of the presence of evil goblins in that part of the mountains. But their main gate used to come out on a different pass, one more easy to travel by, so that they often caught people benighted near their gates. Evidently people had given up going that way, and the goblins must have opened their new entrance at the top of the pass the dwarves had taken, quite recently, because it had been found quite safe up to now.

說實話，巫師并不介意再次講述他的聰明睿智，因此，他就跟比爾博說了起來。他和埃爾隆德早就知道這一帶有邪惡的半獸人出沒，但是，以前他們的正門是在另一個路上的，一條更好走些的路，他們經(jīng)常在夜晚捕捉不小心靠近的旅人。顯然，人們后來再也不走那條路了，于是半獸人肯定在山頂?shù)耐ǖ?，也就是矮人們走的那條路旁蓋了個新的門，這應(yīng)該是最近的事情，因為直到現(xiàn)在，人們都覺得那條路是相當安全的。

“I must see if I can’t find a more or less decent giant to block it up again,” said Gandalf, “or soon there will be no getting over the mountains at all.”

“我得要看看，是否能找到一個多少還算正直的巨人把那個門再堵起來，”甘道夫說，“不然這山很快就沒法兒過了。”

As soon as Gandalf had heard Bilbo’s yell he realized what had happened. In the flash which killed the goblins that were grabbing him he had nipped inside the crack, just as it snapped to. He followed after the drivers and prisoners right to the edge of the great hall, and there he sat down and worked up the best magic he could in the shadows.

甘道夫在避雨的山洞里一聽到比爾博的叫喊，就意識到發(fā)生了什么。借著那道殺死那些抓他的半獸人的閃光，他在裂縫合攏前的一剎那溜了進去。他跟著半獸人士兵和他們的囚犯一路來到大廳附近，接著他坐了下來，開始在黑暗中準備他所掌握的最強大的魔法。

“A very ticklish business, it was,” he said. “Touch and go!”

“那可真是需要算計得非常準確才行，”他說，“一擊成功之后必須馬上逃離!”

But, of course, Gandalf had made a special study of bewitchments with fire and lights (even the hobbit had never forgotten the magic fireworks at Old Took’s midsummer-eve parties, as you remember). The rest we all know—except that Gandalf knew all about the back-door, as the goblins called the lower gate, where Bilbo lost his buttons. As a matter of fact it was well known to anybody who was acquainted with this part of the mountains; but it took a wizard to keep his head in the tunnels and guide them in the right direction.

但是，當然啦，甘道夫?qū)τ诨鹧婧凸獾哪Хㄓ刑貏e的研究(就連霍比特人也一直對老圖克家夏至宴會中的煙火表演念念不忘，這你們應(yīng)該還記得)。其他的我們都知道了——惟一的例外是甘道夫早就知道有后門，也就是半獸人口中的下層門，比爾博掉了紐扣的地方。事實上，任何了解這一帶地形的人都知道有這個出口，但要能在隧道中保持冷靜，帶領(lǐng)他們朝正確的方向前進，則非得是巫師才行。

“They made that gate ages ago,” he said, “partly for a way of escape, if they needed one; partly as a way out into the lands beyond, where they still come in the dark and do great damage. They guard it always and no one has ever managed to block it up. They will guard it doubly after this,” he laughed.

“他們在很多年之前就造了這座大門，既是為了在需要的時候能有一條逃跑的路徑，也是為了有一條路通向山背后的地區(qū)，他們現(xiàn)在還會趁天黑出來，對這一帶造成很大的禍害。他們?nèi)找故刂@個出口，沒有任何人能夠?qū)⑦@個門堵死。經(jīng)過這次事情后，他們肯定更要加強守衛(wèi)了。”甘道夫大笑著說。

All the others laughed too. After all they had lost a good deal, but they had killed the Great Goblin and a great many others besides, and they had all escaped, so they might be said to have had the best of it so far.

其他的人也跟著開懷大笑。雖然他們損失了很多東西，但他們也殺死了那個高大的半獸人首領(lǐng)和許多半獸人士兵，而且都安全地逃了出來。所以，到目前為止，他們或許可以說是取得了勝利。

But the wizard called them to their senses. “We must be getting on at once, now we are a little rested,” he said. “They will be out after us in hundreds when night comes on; and already shadows are lengthening. They can smell our footsteps for hours and hours after we have passed. We must be miles on before dusk. There will be a bit of moon, if it keeps fine, and that is lucky. Not that they mind the moon much, but it will give us a little light to steer by.”

但巫師讓他們恢復(fù)了清醒。“既然我們已經(jīng)稍稍休息了一下，那么必須要馬上出發(fā)了。”他說，“等夜幕降臨，就會有成百上千的半獸人出來追殺我們?，F(xiàn)在影子已經(jīng)漸漸長起來了，只要是我們經(jīng)過的地方，他們在若干小時內(nèi)都還能聞出我們的足跡，因此我們必須趕在天黑之前盡量遠離此地。如果天氣一直晴好的話，晚上會有一點月光，這對我們來說是幸運的事情。他們不是很在乎月光，但月光能方便我們認路前進。”

“O yes!” he said in answer to more questions from the hobbit. “You lose track of time inside goblin-tunnels. Today’s Thursday, and it was Monday night or Tuesday morning that we were captured. We have gone miles and miles, and come right down through the heart of the mountains, and are now on the other side—quite a short cut. But we are not at the point to which our pass would have brought us; we are too far to the North, and have some awkward country ahead. And we are still pretty high up. Let’s get on!”

“哦，是的!”還沒等霍比特人提出更多的問題來他就先回答了，“你在半獸人的洞穴中已經(jīng)忘記白天黑夜了。今天是周四，我們是在周一晚上或周二凌晨被抓的，從那以后走了很長的路，從大山的肚子里穿了出來，現(xiàn)在來到了山的另外一邊——倒是條捷徑，但和我們經(jīng)過原計劃中的道路所到達的地點有一段距離，太偏北了，所以前面會有一段不太好走的鄉(xiāng)村野路。我們現(xiàn)在所處位置的地勢還很高呢，還是快趕路吧!”

“I am dreadfully hungry,” groaned Bilbo, who was suddenly aware that he had not had a meal since the night before the night before last. Just think of that for a hobbit! His stomach felt all empty and loose and his legs all wobbly, now that the excitement was over.

“我的肚子實在是餓壞了。”比爾博被甘道夫這么一說，才突然意識到他已經(jīng)有整整兩三天沒吃過一頓飯了。想想看，這對愛吃的霍比特人來說意味著什么吧!興奮勁兒一過去，他才發(fā)現(xiàn)肚子癟癟的，餓得咕咕直叫，雙腿也直打顫。

“Can’t help it,” said Gandalf, “unless you like to go back and ask the goblins nicely to let you have your pony back and your luggage.”

“沒辦法，”甘道夫說，“除非你想要再回去，客客氣氣地請那些半獸人把行李和小馬還給你。”

“No thank you!” said Bilbo.

“那還是算了吧!”比爾博說。

“Very well then, we must just tighten our belts and trudge on—or we shall be made into supper, and that will be much worse than having none ourselves.”

“很好，那我們就只能勒緊褲帶，繼續(xù)我們的跋涉——否則找們就要成為別人的晚餐了，這可比不吃晚餐要糟糕多了!”

As they went on Bilbo looked from side to side for something to eat; but the blackberries were still only in flower, and of course there were no nuts, not even hawthorn-berries. He nibbled a bit of sorrel, and he drank from a small mountain-stream that crossed the path, and he ate three wild strawberries that he found on its bank, but it was not much good.

他們繼續(xù)上路以后，比爾博一直左顧右盼，希望能夠找到點吃的東西，但黑莓才剛開始開花，堅果當然更沒影，就連山楂果子也一個都沒見到。他找了些苦苦的酸?？辛藥卓冢謴臋M貫過小徑的山溪里喝了些水，吃了三顆溪岸邊找到的野草莓，但肚子依然餓得厲害。

They still went on and on. The rough path disappeared. The bushes, and the long grasses between the boulders, the patches of rabbit-cropped turf, the thyme and the sage and the marjoram, and the yellow rockroses all vanished, and they found themselves at the top of a wide steep slope of fallen stones, the remains of a landslide. When they began to go down this, rubbish and small pebbles rolled away from their feet; soon larger bits of split stone went clattering down and started other pieces below them slithering and rolling; then lumps of rock were disturbed and bounded off, crashing down with a dust and a noise. Before long the whole slope above them and below them seemed on the move, and they were sliding away, huddled all together, in a fearful confusion of slipping, rattling, cracking slabs and stones.

他們繼續(xù)前進，走著走著連依稀的山徑也消失了，之前的灌木叢、礫石間的長草、兔子經(jīng)營出來的小片草皮、百里香、山艾樹、香花薄荷和黃色的巖薔薇也全都消失了，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)自己身處一片滿是落石的寬闊陡坡上，這必定是山崩的遺跡。他們沿著陡坡開始往下走，塵土和小石子從腳邊往下滾去。沒多久更大塊的碎石就嘩啦啦地落了下來，落在下面的石頭上，帶動著它們一起滑動翻滾。再接著，大片大片的巖石都被擾動了，翻跌著滾落，所到之處激起一陣巨響，蕩起一團塵埃。到最后，他們上面和下面的整個山坡似乎都動了起來，大家跟著山坡一起滑落，擠跌成一團，與轟隆隆、嘩啦啦、呼嚕嚕翻滾的大小石頭一起陷入一片可怕的混亂之中。

It was the trees at the bottom that saved them. They slid into the edge of a climbing wood of pines that here stood right up the mountain slope from the deeper darker forests of the valleys below. Some caught hold of the trunks and swung themselves into lower branches, some (like the little hobbit) got behind a tree to shelter from the onslaught of the rocks. Soon the danger was over, the slide had stopped, and the last faint crashes could be heard as the largest of the disturbed stones went bounding and spinning among the bracken and the pine-roots far below.

長在斜坡底部的樹木救了他們一命。他們滑到了山坡邊的一叢松樹里，這叢松樹是從下面山谷中更深更黑暗的樹林里伸出到斜坡上來的。有些人抓住了樹干，慢慢地滑到了靠下一點的樹枝上，有些人(比如小霍比特人)則藏身樹后，躲避著落下的巖石。很快，危險過去了，滑坡停止了，最大、最沉重的巖石旋轉(zhuǎn)著落入下方的羊齒蕨和松樹樹根間，傳來最后一些微弱的撞擊之聲。

“Well! that has got us on a bit,” said Gandalf; “and even goblins tracking us will have a job to come down here quietly.”

“很好!我們又多了一點領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢了，”甘道夫說，“就算是追殺我們的半獸人也得費一番工夫才能太太平平地下來吧!”

“I daresay,” grumbled Bombur; “but they won’t find it difficult to send stones bouncing down on our heads.” The dwarves (and Bilbo) were feeling far from happy, and were rubbing their bruised and damaged legs and feet.

“這話不錯，”邦伯口齒不清地說道，“不過他們要從上面對著我們的腦袋扔石頭可不是什么難事。”矮人們和比爾博一點都不覺得髙興，他們都在揉搓著被石頭擦傷砸破的腿和腳。

“Nonsense! We are going to turn aside here out of the path of the slide. We must be quick! Look at the light!”

“沒的話!我們這就朝旁邊拐一拐，離開滑坡要經(jīng)過的線路。我們的動作得快了!你們看天色!”

The sun had long gone behind the mountains. Already the shadows were deepening about them, though far away through the trees and over the black tops of those growing lower down they could still see the evening lights on the plains beyond. They limped along now as fast as they were able down the gentle slopes of a pine forest in a slanting path leading steadily southwards. At times they were pushing through a sea of bracken with tall fronds rising right above the hobbit’s head; at times they were marching along quiet as quiet over a floor of pine-needles; and all the while the forest-gloom got heavier and the forest-silence deeper. There was no wind that evening to bring even a sea-sighing into the branches of the trees.

太陽早已落到山背后去了，他們四周的陰影已經(jīng)漸漸加深，盡管穿過遠處樹木的縫隙，越過比它們長得更低的林木的黑色樹梢，他們依舊可以看見遙遠平原上的晚霞。他們一瘸一拐地勉力前行著?，F(xiàn)在，他們走的是一面平緩的斜坡，斜坡上長滿松樹，林間傾斜向下的小路一直朝著南方延伸。有些時候，他們必須撥開正好高過霍比特人頭頂?shù)拿苌L的羊齒蕨葉子，才能夠艱難前行;有時候他們又寂靜無聲地在一地松針中大步走著，整個一路森林的陰郁之氣變得越來越重，寂靜則變得越來越深邃。那天晚上，沒有一點風吹進松林，令其發(fā)出海濤般的歌吟。

“Must we go any further?” asked Bilbo, when it was so dark that he could only just see Thorin’s beard wagging beside him, and so quiet that he could hear the dwarves’ breathing like a loud noise. “My toes are all bruised and bent, and my legs ache, and my stomach is wagging like an empty sack.”

“我們非得再走嗎?”比爾博問道，這時天色已經(jīng)黑到他只能看見索林的胡子在他身邊亂晃，周圍的寂靜使得矮人的呼吸聲在他耳朵里成了響亮的噪音。“我的腳指頭都破了而且彎了半天，我的腿很痛，我的胃像個空袋子一樣甩來甩去。”

“A bit further,” said Gandalf.

“再走一點。”甘道夫說。

After what seemed ages further they came suddenly to an opening where no trees grew. The moon was up and was shining into the clearing. Somehow it struck all of them as not at all a nice place, although there was nothing wrong to see.

經(jīng)過了似乎有好幾年那么長的跋涉后，他們來到了一塊沒有樹木生長的空地，月亮升起來了，正照著這塊空地。雖然這里看著沒有什么不對勁，但他們都覺得這里不像是什么好地方。

All of a sudden they heard a howl away down hill, a long shuddering howl. It was answered by another away to the right and a good deal nearer to them; then by another not far away to the left. It was wolves howling at the moon, wolves gathering together!

突然，他們聽見從山下傳來一聲嗥叫，那是悠長而帶著顫抖的嗥叫。這聲嗥叫得到了來自另一邊也就是右邊的應(yīng)和，距離離他們更近;然后左邊不太遠的地方也響起了一聲回應(yīng)。這是狼群在對著月亮嗥叫，它們正在呼朋引伴!

There were no wolves living near Mr. Baggins’ hole at home, but he knew that noise. He had had it described to him often enough in tales. One of his elder cousins (on the Took side), who had been a great traveller, used to imitate it to frighten him. To hear it out in the forest under the moon was too much for Bilbo. Even magic rings are not much use against wolves—especially against the evil packs that lived under the shadow of the goblin-infested mountains, over the Edge of the Wild on the borders of the unknown. Wolves of that sort smell keener than goblins, and do not need to see you to catch you!

在巴金斯先生家鄉(xiāng)的洞府附近是沒有狼出沒的，但他認得這聲音，他之前聽過的故事里對此有很多描述。他有一位年長的表親(是圖克家那邊的)，游歷過許多地方，他曾經(jīng)模仿過這種聲音來嚇唬他。在月下的森林中聽見這聲音對比爾博來說實在是太可怕了。就算他有魔法戒指，對狼也沒什么辦法——尤其是生活在半獸人出沒的大山陰影中，在荒野之緣與未知世界接壤地帶的邪惡狼群。這里的惡狼嗅覺比半獸人還要靈敏，根本不需要看見你就能把你抓住!

“What shall we do, what shall we do!” he cried. “Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves!” he said, and it became a proverb, though we now say “out of the frying-pan into the fire” in the same sort of uncomfortable situations.

“我們該怎么辦，該怎么辦?”他驚慌失措地大喊著，“剛躲開半獸人，又被惡狼逮住!”他說的這句話后來成為了一句成語，盡管我們現(xiàn)在碰到同樣讓人難受的處境多半會說“才出煎鍋，又人火坑”。

“Up the trees quick!” cried Gandalf; and they ran to the trees at the edge of the glade, hunting for those that had branches fairly low, or were slender enough to swarm up. They found them as quick as ever they could, you can guess; and up they went as high as ever they could trust the branches. You would have laughed (from a safe distance), if you had seen the dwarves sitting up in the trees with their beards dangling down, like old gentlemen gone cracked and playing at being boys. Fili and Kili were at the top of a tall larch like an enormous Christmas tree. Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, and Gloin were more comfortable in a huge pine with regular branches sticking out at intervals like the spokes of a wheel. Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and Thorin were in another. Dwalin and Balin had swarmed up a tall slender fir with few branches and were trying to find a place to sit in the greenery of the topmost boughs. Gandalf, who was a good deal taller than the others, had found a tree into which they could not climb, a large pine standing at the very edge of the glade. He was quite hidden in its boughs, but you could see his eyes gleaming in the moon as he peeped out.

“快上樹!”甘道夫大喊道。大家立刻跑到草地邊緣的樹林中，找尋那些樹枝相對低矮的樹，或是樹干較細、比較好爬的樹。你可以想見，他們當時爬起樹來個個都是要多快有多快，而且只要樹枝能承受得了他們的重量，都是能爬多高就爬多高。如果你在旁邊(當然，得在安全的距離之外)，看到矮人們坐在樹枝上，胡須飄來蕩去，就像一群老頭兒突然發(fā)起了瘋，玩起了扮孩子的游戲，一定會忍俊不禁的。菲力和奇力躲在一株高大的、長得很像圣誕樹的落葉松頂端。多瑞、諾瑞、歐瑞、歐因和格羅因則在一株巨大的松樹上找到了更舒服的藏身之處，這棵松樹的樹枝長得很有規(guī)律，幾乎是等距離地伸展出去，就像是輪子的輻條一樣。比弗、波弗和邦伯擠在另一棵松樹上。杜瓦林和巴林爬上了一棵又高又細的杉樹，拼命想在樹頂?shù)木G色枝葉中找到可以落腳的地方。甘道夫由于個子比大家都高，因此找到了一棵其他人都爬不上去的樹，那是位于草地邊緣的一棵大松樹。他在枝葉中隱藏得相當好，不過，當他往外張望的時候，你還是可以看見他的雙眼在月光下放射著光芒。

And Bilbo? He could not get into any tree, and was scuttling about from trunk to trunk, like a rabbit that has lost its hole and has a dog after it.

那么比爾博呢?他哪棵樹也爬不上去，正心急慌忙地從一棵樹跑到另一棵樹，就像一只失去了洞穴的兔子，屁股后面還有一條狗在攆著。

“You’ve left the burglar behind again!” said Nori to Dori looking down.

“你又把飛賊給扔在后面了!”諾瑞對多瑞說。

“I can’t be always carrying burglars on my back,” said Dori, “down tunnels and up trees! What do you think I am? A porter?”

“我總不能一直把飛賊背在背上吧?”多瑞說，“又下隧道又上樹的!你以為我是誰啊?挑夫嗎?”

“He’ll be eaten if we don’t do something,” said Thorin, for there were howls all round them now, getting nearer and nearer. “Dori!” he called, for Dori was lowest down in the easiest tree, “be quick, and give Mr. Baggins a hand up!”

“如果我們不想點辦法，他會被吃掉的!” 索林說，因為這時的狼嚎聲已經(jīng)四面都是，而且越來越近了。“多瑞!”他大叫道，因為多瑞距離地面最近，他在的那棵樹也是最好爬的，“快點，把巴金斯先生拉上來!”

Dori was really a decent fellow in spite of his grumbling. Poor Bilbo could not reach his hand even when he climbed down to the bottom branch and hung his arm down as far as ever he could. So Dori actually climbed out of the tree and let Bilbo scramble up and stand on his back.

雖然多瑞很愛抱怨，但其實他是個很好心的人?？杉词苟嗳鹋赖阶钕旅娴臉渲ι系箳熘斐鍪直?，可憐的比爾博還是抓不到他的手。因此，多瑞索性從樹上爬了下來，讓比爾博踩在他的背上往上爬。

Just at that moment the wolves trotted howling into the clearing. All of a sudden there were hundreds of eyes looking at them. Still Dori did not let Bilbo down. He waited till he had clambered off his shoulders into the branches, and then he jumped for the branches himself. Only just in time! A wolf snapped at his cloak as he swung up, and nearly got him. In a minute there was a whole pack of them yelping all round the tree and leaping up at the trunk, with eyes blazing and tongues hanging out.

就在那時，野狼們嗥叫著小步跑進了空地，突然間便有幾百雙眼睛望向他們。多瑞沒有讓比爾博掉下來，他一直等他從自己的肩膀爬上樹之后，才跳上樹枝，真是千鈞一發(fā)啊!在他翻身上樹的剎那，一只狼叼住了他的斗篷，差點把他給扯了下去。沒過不久，就有一整群狼在圍著樹嗥叫不已，還對著樹干躍撲著，舌頭吐在外面，眼睛放著兇光。

But even the wild Wargs (for so the evil wolves over the Edge of the Wild were named) cannot climb trees. For a time they were safe. Luckily it was warm and not windy. Trees are not very comfortable to sit in for long at any time; but in the cold and the wind, with wolves all round below waiting for you, they can be perfectly miserable places.

可即便它們是兇桿的座狼(荒野之緣的野狼就叫這個名字)，它們也不會爬樹。他們至少暫時是安全的。幸好這時天氣暖和，也沒有刮風。本來樹枝也不是能讓人舒舒服服地久坐的地方，但如果要是碰到寒冷的天氣，刮著大風，再有惡狼圍在下面等著吃你，那它們可成了十足要人命的地方。

This glade in the ring of trees was evidently a meeting-place of the wolves. More and more kept coming in. They left guards at the foot of the tree in which Dori and Bilbo were, and then went snuffling about till they had smelt out every tree that had anyone in it. These they guarded too, while all the rest (hundreds and hundreds it seemed) went and sat in a great circle in the glade; and in the middle of the circle was a great grey wolf. He spoke to them in the dreadful language of the Wargs. Gandalf understood it. Bilbo did not, but it sounded terrible to him, and as if all their talk was about cruel and wicked things, as it was. Every now and then all the Wargs in the circle would answer their grey chief all together, and their dreadful clamour almost made the hobbit fall out of his pine-tree.

這塊林中空地顯然是野狼們聚會的地方，只見越來越多的狼不斷向這邊集中過來。它們在多瑞和比爾博所在的那棵樹下留了守衛(wèi)，然后四處嗅啊聞的，直到把躲著人的樹都找了出來為止。它們在這些樹下也派出了守衛(wèi)看守，其他的狼(看著有好幾百只)則在草地中央圍成一個大圈坐了下來，位于圓圈中央的是一只身形龐大的灰狼，它用座狼的恐怖語言對其余的狼說話。甘道夫能聽懂這種狼的語言。比爾博雖然聽不懂，但覺得這種語言非?？膳?，好像它們在談?wù)摰氖菤埲潭中皭旱氖虑椋聦嵰驳拇_如此。每隔一段時間，所有圍成圈的座狼就會齊聲應(yīng)和它們的灰狼首領(lǐng)，而它們可怕的嗥叫聲，幾乎讓霍比特人從棲身的松樹上跌落下來。

I will tell you what Gandalf heard, though Bilbo did not understand it. The Wargs and the goblins often helped one another in wicked deeds. Goblins do not usually venture very far from their mountains, unless they are driven out and are looking for new homes, or are marching to war (which I am glad to say has not happened for a long while). But in those days they sometimes used to go on raids, especially to get food or slaves to work for them. Then they often got the Wargs to help and shared the plunder with them. Sometimes they rode on wolves like men do on horses. Now it seemed that a great goblin-raid had been planned for that very night. The Wargs had come to meet the goblins and the goblins were late. The reason, no doubt, was the death of the Great Goblin, and all the excitement caused by the dwarves and Bilbo and the wizard, for whom they were probably still hunting.

雖然比爾博聽不懂狼話，但甘道夫可是全聽懂了。座狼和半獸人經(jīng)常會相幫著做壞事。半獸人通常不會冒險遠離大山，除非他們被趕了出來，被迫要尋找新家，或是行軍到遠方去作戰(zhàn)(關(guān)于這一點我很高興地告訴大家，這樣的事情已經(jīng)很久沒發(fā)生了)。在那個年代，他們有時會四處劫掠，奪取食物或是去抓替他們工作的奴隸。這些時候，他們往往會請座狼來幫忙，事后會和他們一起分享劫掠來的贓物。有時候他們還會騎在狼的身上就像人類騎馬一樣。從現(xiàn)在的情形來看，那天晚上半獸人似乎計劃了一場大行動，座狼是來和半獸人會面的，而半獸人則遲到了。毫無疑問，其原因便是他們的高個子首領(lǐng)被殺，再加上比爾博、矮人們和巫師所造成的騷亂。這會兒，半獸人也許還在追捕他們呢。

In spite of the dangers of this far land bold men had of late been making their way back into it from the South, cutting down trees, and building themselves places to live in among the more pleasant woods in the valleys and along the river-shores. There were many of them, and they were brave and well-armed, and even the Wargs dared not attack them if there were many together, or in the bright day. But now they had planned with the goblins’ help to come by night upon some of the villages nearest the mountains. If their plan had been carried out, there would have been none left there next day; all would have been killed except the few the goblins kept from the wolves and carried back as prisoners to their caves.

即使在這塊遙遠土地上有許多危險，勇敢的人類近來還是從南方千方百計回到此地，砍伐樹木，在山谷或是河岸邊更安全宜人的樹林中為自己建起了棲身之所。他們?nèi)藬?shù)很多，勇敢善戰(zhàn)而又武器精良。如果他們是集體行動，或是在大白天，那么就連座狼也不敢對他們發(fā)起攻擊。不過，這次它們計劃在半獸人的幫助下，趁著黑夜對最靠近山邊的幾座村子發(fā)動襲擊。如果它們的計劃得以實施，那么第二天這些村子里就不會有人剩下了，所有人都會被殺，除了半獸人從狼嘴里攔下來的一小部分，那是因為半獸人要把他們抓回去當奴隸。

This was dreadful talk to listen to, not only because of the brave woodmen and their wives and children, but also because of the danger which now threatened Gandalf and his friends. The Wargs were angry and puzzled at finding them here in their very meeting-place. They thought they were friends of the woodmen, and were come to spy on them, and would take news of their plans down into the valleys, and then the goblins and the wolves would have to fight a terrible battle instead of capturing prisoners and devouring people waked suddenly from their sleep. So the Wargs had no intention of going away and letting the people up the trees escape, at any rate not until morning. And long before that, they said, goblin soldiers would be coming down from the mountains; and goblins can climb trees, or cut them down.

這些話聽著就讓人毛骨悚然，不僅是因為這些勇敢的伐木人和他們的妻兒有可能要慘遭毒手，也因為甘道夫和他的朋友們眼下就面臨著極大的危險。座狼對于會在他們集會的地方發(fā)現(xiàn)這些人感到既憤怒又迷惑。它們認為這些人是伐木人的朋友，是前來偵察他們的，會把它們進攻的計劃通知下面的山谷。半獸人和狼群原先準備趁著黑夜，偷襲尚在夢鄉(xiāng)中的村民，把他們抓去做奴隸或是大快朵頤?？涩F(xiàn)在這樣一來，偷襲就會成為一場艱苦的血戰(zhàn)了。因此，座狼們不打算離開這里，讓樹上的這些家伙逃脫，至少也要把他們拖到天亮。它們還說，在那之前，半獸人的士兵就會從山上下來了，這些半獸人可以爬樹，也可以將樹砍倒，反正有辦法收拾這幫闖進來的探子。

Now you can understand why Gandalf, listening to their growling and yelping, began to be dreadfully afraid, wizard though he was, and to feel that they were in a very bad place, and had not yet escaped at all. All the same he was not going to let them have it all their own way, though he could not do very much stuck up in a tall tree with wolves all round on the ground below. He gathered the huge pine-cones from the branches of the tree. Then he set one alight with bright blue fire, and threw it whizzing down among the circle of the wolves. It struck one on the back, and immediately his shaggy coat caught fire, and he was leaping to and fro yelping horribly. Then another came and another, one in blue flames, one in red, another in green. They burst on the ground in the middle of the circle and went off in coloured sparks and smoke. A specially large one hit the chief wolf on the nose, and he leaped in the air ten feet, and then rushed round and round the circle biting and snapping even at the other wolves in his anger and fright.

大家現(xiàn)在能明白，為什么甘道夫聽著它們的嗥叫與嘶吼，雖然身為巫師，也開始感到恐懼起來了吧。他感到他們正處于非常危險的境地，根本就沒有逃脫。眼下自己被困在樹上，地上有狼群圍著，簡直無計可施，然而盡管如此，他還是不想讓他們得償所愿。他從身處的大松樹上收集了一大堆大個兒的松果，然后用藍色火焰將其中一個點燃，嗖地朝著圍成圈的狼群扔去。松果打在了一只狼的背上，它那毛茸茸的狼皮外套馬上就燒了起來，燒得它前躥后跳，發(fā)出可怕的尖叫。然后火球一顆接一顆地拋了下來，一顆燃著藍色火焰，一顆燃著紅色火焰，還有一顆則燃著綠色火焰。它們在地面上狼群圍成的圈子中間炸了開來，冒出各種顏色的火星和煙霧。一顆特別大的松果正中狼群首領(lǐng)的鼻子，疼得它一跳足有十呎高，然后在驚恐與憤怒中圍著狼群的圈子拼命奔跑并胡亂撕咬，甚至咬到了其他惡狼。

The dwarves and Bilbo shouted and cheered. The rage of the wolves was terrible to see, and the commotion they made filled all the forest. Wolves are afraid of fire at all times, but this was a most horrible and uncanny fire. If a spark got in their coats it stuck and burned into them, and unless they rolled over quick they were soon all in flames. Very soon all about the glade wolves were rolling over and over to put out the sparks on their backs, while those that were burning were running about howling and setting others alight, till their own friends chased them away and they fled off down the slopes crying and yammering and looking for water.

矮人們和比爾博大叫著，歡呼著。群狼發(fā)怒的樣子看起來十分恐怖，讓整個森林都跟著騷動了起來。狼自古以來就是怕火的，但這次它們碰到的火尤為可怕和怪異。只要有一點火星落到它們的皮毛上，就會沾在上面燃燒起來，除非它們趕緊就地打滾，否則馬上就會被火焰吞噬。沒多久，整個草地上到處是狼在打滾，想把背上的火星熄滅，而那些已經(jīng)燒了起來的狼則嚎哭著四處奔逃，倒把其他的狼給點著了，最后它們的伙伴只好把它們趕遠，它們一路哀號著跑下山坡去尋找水源。

“What is all this uproar in the forest tonight?” said the Lord of the Eagles. He was sitting, black in the moonlight, on the top of a lonely pinnacle of rock at the eastern edge of the mountains. “I hear wolves’ voices! Are the goblins at mischief in the woods?”

“今天晚上森林里這些鬧騰是怎么冋事?”大鷹之王說。它在月光下一身漆黑，蹲坐在山脈東角的一座孤巖之巔，“我聽見狼群的聲音了!半獸人是不是又在森林里作惡了?”

He swept up into the air, and immediately two of his guards from the rocks at either hand leaped up to follow him. They circled up in the sky and looked down upon the ring of the Wargs, a tiny spot far far below. But eagles have keen eyes and can see small things at a great distance. The Lord of the Eagles of the Misty Mountains had eyes that could look at the sun unblinking, and could see a rabbit moving on the ground a mile below even in the moonlight. So though he could not see the people in the trees, he could make out the commotion among the wolves and see the tiny flashes of fire, and hear the howling and yelping come up faint from far beneath him. Also he could see the glint of the moon on goblin spears and helmets, as long lines of the wicked folk crept down the hillsides from their gate and wound into the wood.

它騰身而起飛向空中，隨即左右兩邊兩只擔任護衛(wèi)的大鷹也躍起跟了上來。它們在空中盤旋，俯瞰著地面上座狼圍成的圓圈，從高處望向那只是極小的一點。不過，大鷹們擁有極佳的眼力，可以從很遠的地方看見很小的東西。迷霧山脈鷹王的眼睛可以直視太陽而不眨眼，也可以甚至在月光下看清楚一哩之外奔跑的一只兔子。因此，盡管它看不見躲在樹上的人們，但它可以看清楚底下狼群的騷亂，看見火光的細微閃爍，聽見從下方極遠處傳來的微弱的嗥叫與嘶吼。它還能看見月光在半獸人的長矛和頭盔上的反光，這些邪惡的家伙正排著長隊從他們的大門出來，沿著山坡悄悄向下，迂回著向樹林進發(fā)。

Eagles are not kindly birds. Some are cowardly and cruel. But the ancient race of the northern mountains were the greatest of all birds; they were proud and strong and noble-hearted. They did not love goblins, or fear them. When they took any notice of them at all (which was seldom, for they did not eat such creatures), they swooped on them and drove them shrieking back to their caves, and stopped whatever wickedness they were doing. The goblins hated the eagles and feared them, but could not reach their lofty seats, or drive them from the mountains.

老鷹并不是和善的鳥類，有些老鷹是懦弱而殘忍的，但北方山脈的古老鷹族是鳥中之王，它們驕傲、強壯，擁有髙尚的心靈。它們不喜歡半獸人，也不怕他們。當它們注意這些家伙的時候(這種情況并不多，因為它們不吃這樣的生物)，它們會直撲向他們，趕得這些家伙尖叫著逃回洞里去，從而終止他們正在干的壞事。半獸人對大鷹又恨又怕，可是他們既無法到達它們高峻的巢穴，也無法將它們從山中趕走。

Tonight the Lord of the Eagles was filled with curiosity to know what was afoot; so he summoned many other eagles to him, and they flew away from the mountains, and slowly circling ever round and round they came down, down, down towards the ring of the wolves and the meeting-place of the goblins.

今夜，鷹王好奇心很盛，想要知道下面正在發(fā)生著什么，因此它召喚來許多大鷹，一起飛離山巔，緩緩地盤旋下降，朝著圍成圈的群狼以及它們與半獸人會合的地點飛近。

A very good thing too! Dreadful things had been going on down there. The wolves that had caught fire and fled into the forest had set it alight in several places. It was high summer, and on this eastern side of the mountains there had been little rain for some time. Yellowing bracken, fallen branches, deep-piled pine-needles, and here and there dead trees, were soon in flames. All round the clearing of the Wargs fire was leaping. But the wolf-guards did not leave the trees. Maddened and angry they were leaping and howling round the trunks, and cursing the dwarves in their horrible language, with their tongues hanging out, and their eyes shining as red and fierce as the flames.

這真是件好事啊!下面正在發(fā)生著很可怕的事情，著了火之后逃進森林中去的群狼，讓森林中幾處地方燒了起來。此刻正是盛夏，這里是山的東側(cè)，已經(jīng)有很長時間沒下過多少雨水了。沒多久，黃色的羊齒蕨、掉落的枯枝、堆得厚厚的松針以及散布在各處的枯樹全都燒了起來。座狼所在空地的四周已經(jīng)到處是火苗在躥動了，但狼群依舊不肯離開這些樹木。它們氣得發(fā)狂，圍著那些有人的樹干不停地跳躍、嗥叫，用它們恐怖的語言詛咒著矮人，舌頭伸在外面，雙眼如同火焰一般閃動著猛烈的紅光。

Then suddenly goblins came running up yelling. They thought a battle with the woodmen was going on; but they soon learned what had really happened. Some of them actually sat down and laughed. Others waved their spears and clashed the shafts against their shields. Goblins are not afraid of fire, and they soon had a plan which seemed to them most amusing.

然后，突然間，半獸人吼叫著沖了出來。他們以為和伐木人之間的戰(zhàn)斗正在進行中，但很快就發(fā)現(xiàn)了事情的真相。有些人甚至坐下來哈哈大笑，其他的人則是揮舞著長矛，用矛柄敲打著盾牌。半獸人不怕火，他們很快就想出了一個對他們來說很有趣的點子。

Some got all the wolves together in a pack. Some stacked fern and brushwood round the tree-trunks. Others rushed round and stamped and beat, and beat and stamped, until nearly all the flames were put out—but they did not put out the fire nearest to the trees where the dwarves were. That fire they fed with leaves and dead branches and bracken. Soon they had a ring of smoke and flame all round the dwarves, a ring which they kept from spreading outwards; but it closed slowly in, till the running fire was licking the fuel piled under the trees. Smoke was in Bilbo’s eyes, he could feel the heat of the flames; and through the reek he could see the goblins dancing round and round in a circle like people round a midsummer bonfire. Outside the ring of dancing warriors with spears and axes stood the wolves at a respectful distance, watching and waiting.

一些半獸人將所有的狼重新匯攏成一群，一些半獸人在樹干底下堆起了羊齒蕨和矮灌木，還有一些則跑來跑去，又是踩來又是打，又是打來又是踩，直到差不多把所有的火焰都給撲滅了，但他們把最靠近矮人藏身那些樹木的火留著，不僅不撲滅，反倒更往火里添加許多落葉、枯枝和蕨類。很快，矮人就被一個濃煙和烈焰的大圈子給包圍了。半獸人不讓這個圈子往外擴散，而是讓它慢慢朝中心收縮，火焰終于燒到了堆放在樹下的燃料。煙霧熏到了比爾博的雙眼，他已經(jīng)感受到了火焰的灼熱。透過濃煙他可以看見半獸人圍成圓圈在轉(zhuǎn)著跳舞，就像人們圍著仲夏夜的篝火所做的那樣。在這圈拿著長矛和斧頭不停跳舞的戰(zhàn)士外面，群狼遠遠地站著，看著好戲上演，等待著它們樂于見到的結(jié)果。

He could hear the goblins beginning a horrible song:

他可以聽見半獸人開始唱起了一首可怕的歌謠：

Fifteen birds in five fir-trees,

五棵冷杉樹上有十五只鳥，

their feathers were fanned in a fiery breeze!

羽毛在狂風中不停飄搖!

But, funny little birds, they had no wings!

可是，可笑的小鳥，它們連翅膀也沒有!

O what shall we do with the funny little things?

我們該拿這些可笑的小東西怎么開銷?

Roast ’em alive, or stew them in a pot;

是把它們活活烤熟，還是在鍋里燉得咕嘟冒泡;

fry them, boil them and eat them hot?

是把它們用油炸了，還是煮熟之后趁熱吃掉?

Then they stopped and shouted out: “Fly away little birds! Fly away if you can! Come down little birds, or you will get roasted in your nests! Sing, sing little birds! Why don’t you sing?”

然后他們停下腳步來大叫道：“快飛走啊，小鳥們!會飛的話就請快飛走吧!下來吧，小鳥，不然你們就會在巢里面被活活烤熟啦!唱吧，唱吧，小鳥兒!你們?yōu)槭裁床怀枘?”

“Go away! little boys!” shouted Gandalf in answer. “It isn’t bird-nesting time. Also naughty little boys that play with fire get punished.” He said it to make them angry, and to show them he was not frightened of them—though of course he was, wizard though he was. But they took no notice, and they went on singing.

“滾開吧!小毛孩兒!”甘道夫大叫著回答，“現(xiàn)在可不是團聚的時候，而且玩火的淘氣小毛孩兒是要受到懲罰的。”他說這話是為了激怒他們，而且讓他們知道他一點兒也不害怕他們——盡管他當然是害怕的，雖然他是巫師。不過半獸人沒有把甘道夫的回應(yīng)當回事，他們繼續(xù)唱道：

Burn, burn tree and fern!

燒吧，燒吧，大樹和苔蘚!

Shrivel and scorch! A fizzling torch

變枯，變焦!變成火把撕嘶燒

To light the night for our delight,

照亮黑夜，讓我們樂翻天，

Ya hey!

呀嘿!

Bake and toast ’em, fry and roast ’em!

把他們烤一烤，炸一炸，燒一燒!

till beards blaze, and eyes glaze;

把他們的胡子燒焦，眼睛烤成玻璃球;

till hair smells and skins crack,

把他們頭發(fā)燒出焦糊味道，把他們皮膚烤出裂縫一道道，

fat melts, and bones black

把他們的脂肪烤化，把他們的骨頭燒得焦黑

in cinders lie

讓他們變成一堆灰渣，

beneath the sky!

躺在天空之下!

So dwarves shall die,

矮人們就該這樣死掉，

and light the night for our delight,

點亮夜空，讓我們樂翻天，

Ya hey!

呀嘿!

Ya-harri-hey!

呀哈哩嘿!

Ya hoy!

呀呼!

And with that Ya hoy! the flames were under Gandalf’s tree. In a moment it spread to the others. The bark caught fire, the lower branches cracked.

那聲“呀呼!”剛一完，火焰就來到了甘道夫藏身的那棵樹下，而且轉(zhuǎn)眼之間，又擴散到其他的樹上。樹皮著了火，較低的樹枝開始劈啪作響。

Then Gandalf climbed to the top of his tree. The sudden splendour flashed from his wand like lightning, as he got ready to spring down from on high right among the spears of the goblins. That would have been the end of him, though he would probably have killed many of them as he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt. But he never leaped.

甘道夫立刻爬上樹的最高點，他的魔杖突然發(fā)出耀眼的光芒，如同閃電一般，他準備就這樣從高處跳進半獸人的長矛堆中去。這一跳跳下去后他必死無疑，雖然他這挾風帶電、雷霆萬鈞的一躍，可能會殺死許多半獸人。然而，他這一跳卻始終沒有跳下去。

Just at that moment the Lord of the Eagles swept down from above, seized him in his talons, and was gone.

因為就在那一瞬間，鷹王從空中俯沖而下，一把就用爪子將他抓起，帶著他飛走了。

There was a howl of anger and surprise from the goblins. Loud cried the Lord of the Eagles, to whom Gandalf had now spoken. Back swept the great birds that were with him, and down they came like huge black shadows. The wolves yammered and gnashed their teeth; the goblins yelled and stamped with rage, and flung their heavy spears in the air in vain. Over them swooped the eagles; the dark rush of their beating wings smote them to the floor or drove them far away; their talons tore at goblin faces. Other birds flew to the tree-tops and seized the dwarves, who were scrambling up now as far as they ever dared to go.

從半獸人那里傳出一陣憤怒和失望的嚎叫。鷹王發(fā)出大聲的鳴叫，因為甘道夫已經(jīng)跟它說過話了。和它同行的大鷹們?nèi)缤薮蟮暮谟鞍阍俣雀_而下。狼群嘆息著，咬緊了牙關(guān);半獸人吼叫著，憤怒地跺腳，徒勞地將長矛往天空中擲去。大鷹對著他們俯沖過去，扇動的翅膀在黑暗中強勁地掃過，將他們擊倒在地，或是以勁風將他們驅(qū)散，它們的利爪撕扯半獸人的臉孔，其他的大鷹飛近樹梢，將盡力往樹梢爬去的矮人們一個個抓起救走。

Poor little Bilbo was very nearly left behind again! He just managed to catch hold of Dori’s legs, as Dori was borne off last of all; and up they went together above the tumult and the burning, Bilbo swinging in the air with his arms nearly breaking.

可憐的小比爾博這次差點又被大家撇下!他最后關(guān)頭終于抓住了多瑞的雙腿，而多瑞是最后一個被接走的。他們就這樣離開了下面這一團混亂與火海的場景，比爾博在空中害怕得拼命舞動雙臂，差點把兩條胳膊都給弄斷了。

Now far below the goblins and the wolves were scattering far and wide in the woods. A few eagles were still circling and sweeping above the battleground. The flames about the trees sprang suddenly up above the highest branches. They went up in crackling fire. There was a sudden flurry of sparks and smoke. Bilbo had escaped only just in time!

現(xiàn)在，遠遠的下方，半獸人和野狼在森林中四散奔跑，幾只大鷹仍在戰(zhàn)場上盤旋掃蕩。原先在樹周圍的火焰突然間都竄上了最高的枝條，烈火熊熊，大樹被燒得噼啪作響，猛然間爆出一團團火星與濃煙來。比爾博堪堪躲過一劫!

Soon the light of the burning was faint below, a red twinkle on the black floor; and they were high up in the sky, rising all the time in strong sweeping circles. Bilbo never forgot that flight, clinging onto Dori’s ankles. He moaned “my arms, my arms!”; but Dori groaned “my poor legs, my poor legs!”

很快，底下的火光就變?nèi)趿?，成為黑色地面上星星點點閃動的紅光。他們身在高空，不停地盤旋著往上飛。比爾博一直沒忘記自己是在飛行，死死地抓著多瑞的腳踝，哀嚎著：“我的手臂啊，我的手臂啊!”而多瑞哭喊的則是：“我可憐的腿啊，我可憐的腿啊!”

At the best of times heights made Bilbo giddy. He used to turn queer if he looked over the edge of quite a little cliff; and he had never liked ladders, let alone trees (never having had to escape from wolves before). So you can imagine how his head swam now, when he looked down between his dangling toes and saw the dark lands opening wide underneath him, touched here and there with the light of the moon on a hill-side rock or a stream in the plains.

就算是在最年輕力壯的時候，比爾博到了高處也會犯暈，哪怕是從一個小懸崖的邊上望出去，他都會變得局促不安起來。他從來不喜歡爬梯子，更別提爬樹了(因為他之前從來就沒有躲避惡狼的需要)。所以大家可以想見當他從自己晃來晃去的腳趾頭之間看見黑色的土地在下面如畫卷般鋪展開來，沐浴在月光下的巖坡或是平原上的溪流點綴其間時，腦袋該暈成什么樣兒了吧!

The pale peaks of the mountains were coming nearer, moonlit spikes of rock sticking out of black shadows. Summer or not, it seemed very cold. He shut his eyes and wondered if he could hold on any longer. Then he imagined what would happen if he did not. He felt sick.

山脈的蒼白群峰越來越靠近，被月光照亮的巖石峰尖從暗影中突兀而出。不管是不是夏天，這幅景象看起來都好冷。他閉上眼睛，不知道自己是否能再撐下去。然后他想像萬一自己支撐不住會有怎樣的事情發(fā)生——想著想著他就惡心想吐了。

The flight ended only just in time for him, just before his arms gave way. He loosed Dori’s ankles with a gasp and fell onto the rough platform of an eagle’s eyrie. There he lay without speaking, and his thoughts were a mixture of surprise at being saved from the fire, and fear lest he fall off that narrow place into the deep shadows on either side. He was feeling very queer indeed in his head by this time after the dreadful adventures of the last three days with next to nothing to eat, and he found himself saying aloud: “Now I know what a piece of bacon feels like when it is suddenly picked out of the pan on a fork and put back on the shelf!”

對他來說，這場飛行結(jié)束得正是時候，因為他的雙手再也支持不住了。他舒了一口氣，松開多瑞的腳踝，倒在鷹巢所在的粗礪平臺上。他躺在那里一言不發(fā)，心中感到又驚又怕，驚的是自己居然能夠從大火中逃生，怕的是自己此刻躺的地方如此狹窄，一個不小心就會滾落到兩邊暗黑的深谷中去。在經(jīng)過了過去三天的可怕冒險又幾乎什么都沒吃的情況下，此刻他腦子里的想法十分奇怪，他聽見自己竟然把腦子里想到的東西大聲說了出來：“現(xiàn)在我知道，一片火腿被人用叉子從煎鍋里叉出來，重新放回到架子上去是什么感覺了!”

“No you don’t!” he heard Dori answering, “because the bacon knows that it will get back in the pan sooner or later; and it is to be hoped we shan’t. Also eagles aren’t forks!”

“不，你才不知道呢!”他聽見多瑞回答，“因為火腿知道自己遲早總會回到煎鍋里去的，而我們可不希望再回去了，再說大鷹也不是叉子!”

“O no! Not a bit like storks—forks, I mean,” said Bilbo sitting up and looking anxiously at the eagle who was perched close by. He wondered what other nonsense he had been saying, and if the eagle would think it rude. You ought not to be rude to an eagle, when you are only the size of a hobbit, and are up in his eyrie at night!

“噢，不!它們一點也不像沙子——叉子，我是說。”比爾博坐起身來，緊張地看著停在他近旁的大鷹。他不知道自己剛才說了些什么蠢話，也不知道大鷹們是否會認為這些話很粗魯。如果你只有霍比特人這么大小，又是在夜間身處大鷹的巢穴中，那么最好別對他不禮貌!

The eagle only sharpened his beak on a stone and trimmed his feathers and took no notice.

大鷹只是在巖石上磨著巨喙，梳理著羽毛，根本沒注意他們兩個。

Soon another eagle flew up. “The Lord of the Eagles bids you to bring your prisoners to the Great Shelf,” he cried and was off again. The other seized Dori in his claws and flew away with him into the night leaving Bilbo all alone. He had just strength to wonder what the messenger had meant by ‘prisoners,’ and to begin to think of being torn up for supper like a rabbit, when his own turn came.

沒多久，另一只大鷹飛了過來。“鷹王命令你把俘虜們帶到大架巖去。”他把這句話叫完就又飛走了。巢中的這只大鷹用爪子將多瑞抓起，一鷹一人共同飛入了夜色中，把比爾博一個人留了下來。他身上剩下的一點點力氣剛夠他去思考信使口中的“俘虜”究竟是什么意思，然后他又開始想，等輪到他自己的時候，他會不會像只兔子一樣被生吞活剝了當晚餐。

The eagle came back, seized him in his talons by the back of his coat, and swooped off. This time he flew only a short way. Very soon Bilbo was laid down, trembling with fear, on a wide shelf of rock on the mountain-side. There was no path down on to it save by flying; and no path down off it except by jumping over a precipice. There he found all the others sitting with their backs to the mountain wall. The Lord of the Eagles also was there and was speaking to Gandalf.

大鷹飛了回來，用爪子抓住他外套的后背，又飛了出去。這次他只飛了很短一段距離。很快，比爾博就被放了下來，怕得渾身發(fā)抖，呆立在山邊上一面如同寬闊架子的巖壁上。除了靠飛以外，沒有別的方法可以抵達該處，而且這里也沒有辦法離開，除非從懸崖上跳下去。在這里，他發(fā)現(xiàn)所有的伙伴們都背靠巖壁坐著。鷹王也在，他正在和甘道夫說話。

It seemed that Bilbo was not going to be eaten after all. The wizard and the eagle-lord appeared to know one another slightly, and even to be on friendly terms. As a matter of fact Gandalf, who had often been in the mountains, had once rendered a service to the eagles and healed their lord from an arrow-wound. So you see ‘prisoners’ had meant ‘prisoners rescued from the goblins’ only, and not captives of the eagles. As Bilbo listened to the talk of Gandalf he realized that at last they were going to escape really and truly from the dreadful mountains. He was discussing plans with the Great Eagle for carrying the dwarves and himself and Bilbo far away and setting them down well on their journey across the plains below.

看來比爾博不會被吃掉了。巫師和鷹王似乎之前打過點交道，甚至還有一些交情。事實上，經(jīng)常來往于山間的甘道夫曾經(jīng)幫過這些大鷹，還幫它們的首領(lǐng)治好過箭傷。所以各位明白了吧，所謂的“俘虜”，其實只是指“從半獸人手中救下的俘虜”，而不是大鷹們的俘虜。比爾博聽了會兒甘道夫的談話，這才意識到他們終于就要真正地逃離這座可怕的大山了。他正在和鷹王討論計劃，準備將矮人們、他自己和比爾博運走，帶他們穿過平原回到原先計劃好的旅途上。

The Misty Mountains Looking West from the Eyrie towards Goblin Gate

鷹王不愿意送他們靠近任何有人住的地方。“

The Lord of the Eagles would not take them anywhere near where men lived. “They would shoot at us with their great bows of yew,” he said, “for they would think we were after their sheep. And at other times they would be right. No! we are glad to cheat the goblins of their sport, and glad to repay our thanks to you, but we will not risk ourselves for dwarves in the southward plains.”

他們會用巨大的紫杉木弓射我們，”他說，“因為他們會以為我們想要抓他們的羊。平心而論，他們這么想也沒錯。所以不行!我們很愿意能壞了半獸人的好事，也很愿意報答你，但我們可不愿意為了矮人而在南面的平原上冒生命危險。”

“Very well,” said Gandalf. “Take us where and as far as you will! We are already deeply obliged to you. But in the meantime we are famished with hunger.”

“好吧，”甘道夫說，“那就把我們送到你們愿意去的最遠的地方!我們已經(jīng)欠你們很多情了。不過這會兒我們可都餓著哪!”

“I am nearly dead of it,” said Bilbo in a weak little voice that nobody heard.

“我快餓死了!”比爾博用微弱而又細小的聲音說道，其他人都沒聽見。

“That can perhaps be mended,” said the Lord of the Eagles.

“這一點我們或許倒能幫得上忙!”鷹王說。

Later on you might have seen a bright fire on the shelf of rock and the figures of the dwarves round it cooking and making a fine roasting smell. The eagles had brought up dry boughs for fuel, and they had brought rabbits, hares, and a small sheep. The dwarves managed all the preparations. Bilbo was too weak to help, and anyway he was not much good at skinning rabbits or cutting up meat, being used to having it delivered by the butcher all ready to cook. Gandalf, too, was lying down after doing his part in setting the fire going, since Oin and Gloin had lost their tinder-boxes. (Dwarves have never taken to matches even yet.)

不久，巖壁上就燒起了明亮的火堆，矮人們圍著火堆烹烤著，弄出好聞的烤肉香氣來。大鷹們給他們送上了干樹枝，還送來了幾只兔子和一只小綿羊。料理的事情則由矮人們自己來操辦。比爾博身體太虛弱了，什么忙都幫不上，再說給兔子剝皮或切肉這些事他也做不大來，在他以前的生活中，他一直習慣了由屠夫準備好一切，自己只要直接拿來做就行了。由于歐因和格羅因把火絨盒(矮人們直到那時也還不習慣用火柴)弄丟了，所以甘道夫幫大家生了火，做完這以后，他也躺倒休息去了。

So ended the adventures of the Misty Mountains. Soon Bilbo’s stomach was feeling full and comfortable again, and he felt he could sleep contentedly, though really he would have liked a loaf and butter better than bits of meat toasted on sticks. He slept curled up on the hard rock more soundly than ever he had done on his feather-bed in his own little hole at home. But all night he dreamed of his own house and wandered in his sleep into all his different rooms looking for something that he could not find nor remember what it looked like.

迷霧山脈的冒險就這樣結(jié)束了。不久，比爾博的肚子又再次有了飽足的暢美感覺，他覺得這下可以美美地睡上一覺了，雖然按他平時的胃口，他比較喜歡面包和牛油，而不是樹枝叉著的烤肉。他蜷縮成一團，在堅硬的巖石上睡著了，睡得甚至比在自己家里的羽毛床上還美。不過，一整晚他都夢到自己家，夢見自己在屋子的各個不同房間里找東西，可那東西他既沒有找到，也不記得是什么樣子的了。