霍比特人： 來(lái)自內(nèi)部的消息 Inside Information （下）

"You may indeed! I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air. I am he that walks unseen.”

“當(dāng)然可以!我是從山下來(lái)的，我的道路穿過(guò)山脈，越過(guò)山丘。我還能在空中飛翔，我是個(gè)來(lái)無(wú)影去無(wú)蹤的人。”

“So I can well believe,” said Smaug, “but that is hardly your usual name.”

“這我相信，”史矛革說(shuō)，“但這恐怕不是你平常用的名字吧!”

“I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number.”

“我是能發(fā)現(xiàn)蛛絲馬跡的人，是能砍破蛛網(wǎng)的人，是能用蜇刺刺人的蒼蠅。我是被選來(lái)湊足幸運(yùn)數(shù)字的。”

“Lovely titles!” sneered the dragon. “But lucky numbers don’t always come off.”

“這些名頭可真可愛(ài)啊!”惡龍冷笑著說(shuō)道，“但幸運(yùn)數(shù)字可不見(jiàn)得每次都管用哦!”

“I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me.”

“我是把朋友活埋，把他們丟進(jìn)水里，然后又能讓他們從水中活生生離開(kāi)的人。我是從袋子的底端來(lái)的，但從來(lái)沒(méi)被袋子套上過(guò)。”

“These don’t sound so creditable,” scoffed Smaug.

“這些話聽(tīng)著可不太能令人相信。”史矛革嘲諷道。

“I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider,” went on Bilbo beginning to be pleased with his riddling.

“我是熊之友、鷹之客，我是贏得戒指并幸運(yùn)佩戴的人，我也是木桶騎士。”比爾博一路說(shuō)下去，開(kāi)始為自己編的謎語(yǔ)感到來(lái)勁了。

“That’s better!” said Smaug. “But don’t let your imagination run away with you!”

“這個(gè)更棒了!”史矛革說(shuō)，“不過(guò)，可別把想像游戲玩兒得太過(guò)頭了!”

This of course is the way to talk to dragons, if you don’t want to reveal your proper name (which is wise), and don’t want to infuriate them by a flat refusal (which is also very wise). No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it. There was a lot here which Smaug did not understand at all (though I expect you do, since you know all about Bilbo’s adventures to which he was referring), but he thought he understood enough, and he chuckled in his wicked inside.

如果你不想泄露你的真名實(shí)姓(這是聰明的做法)，也不想因?yàn)橹苯亓水?dāng)?shù)鼐芙^而惹惱了他們(這也很聰明)，那么你當(dāng)然就只能這樣跟惡龍說(shuō)話。沒(méi)有哪條惡龍能抵御充滿謎語(yǔ)的談話和花時(shí)間來(lái)解謎的誘惑。比爾博剛才的這番話里，史矛革有許多是一點(diǎn)都弄不明白的(不過(guò)我想你們是應(yīng)該明白的，因?yàn)樗傅氖撬@一路歷險(xiǎn)的過(guò)程，而你們對(duì)此是再清楚不過(guò)了)，但他自以為自己已經(jīng)了解得夠多了，因此不禁在他那邪惡的內(nèi)心中竊笑不已。

“I thought so last night,” he smiled to himself. “Lake-men, some nasty scheme of those miserable tub-trading Lake-men, or I’m a lizard. I haven’t been down that way for an age and an age; but I will soon alter that!”

“我昨晚就猜到了!”他微笑著在心中想道，“這一定是湖上的那些人類，就是那些賣桶子的可憐家伙弄出來(lái)的計(jì)策，不然我就是條蜥蜴。我已經(jīng)有好幾年沒(méi)有去過(guò)那個(gè)地方了，不過(guò)我很快就會(huì)改變這種情況的!”

“Very well, O Barrel-rider!” he said aloud. “Maybe Barrel was your pony’s name; and maybe not, though it was fat enough. You may walk unseen, but you did not walk all the way. Let me tell you I ate six ponies last night and I shall catch and eat all the others before long. In return for the excellent meal I will give you one piece of advice for your good: don’t have more to do with dwarves than you can help!”

“好極了，木桶騎士!”這次他大聲說(shuō)了出來(lái)，“或許木桶就是你坐騎的名字，或許不是，它作為坐騎可是太胖了點(diǎn)。你或許可以來(lái)無(wú)影去無(wú)蹤，但你絕對(duì)不可能一路都是走來(lái)的。讓我告訴你吧，我昨天晚上吃了六匹小馬，過(guò)不了多久，我會(huì)把別的小馬也都吃掉。為了回報(bào)這頓美餐，我愿意給你一個(gè)忠告：這事兒準(zhǔn)跟矮人有關(guān)!”

“Dwarves!” said Bilbo in pretended surprise.

“矮人!”比爾博故作驚訝地喊了一句。

“Don’t talk to me!” said Smaug. “I know the smell (and taste) of dwarf—no one better. Don’t tell me that I can eat a dwarf-ridden pony and not know it! You’ll come to a bad end, if you go with such friends, Thief Barrel-rider. I don’t mind if you go back and tell them so from me.” But he did not tell Bilbo that there was one smell he could not make out at all, hobbit-smell; it was quite outside his experience and puzzled him mightily.

“別跟我裝了!”史矛革說(shuō)，“我很淸楚矮人的氣息(還有滋味)，沒(méi)有人比我更熟悉了。別跟我說(shuō)我吃了矮人騎過(guò)的小馬還聞不出是誰(shuí)騎的!如果你交上這樣的朋友，木桶騎士小偷，你的下場(chǎng)會(huì)很慘的!啊，我不介意你回去告訴他們，就說(shuō)這是我說(shuō)的。”不過(guò)，他并沒(méi)有告訴比爾博的是，其中有種味道是他根本分辨不出的，那就是霍比特人的味道。這種味道不在他的經(jīng)驗(yàn)范圍之內(nèi)，令他大感迷惑。

“I suppose you got a fair price for that cup last night?” he went on. “Come now, did you? Nothing at all! Well, that’s just like them. And I suppose they are skulking outside, and your job is to do all the dangerous work and get what you can when I’m not looking—for them? And you will get a fair share? Don’t you believe it! If you get off alive, you will be lucky.”

“我想，昨天晚上的那個(gè)金杯，讓你得了個(gè)好價(jià)錢吧?”他繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，“說(shuō)嘛，是不是?什么都沒(méi)得到!哈，這倒正是他們的風(fēng)格。我想他們一定是偷偷摸摸地躲在外面，而你是專干危險(xiǎn)工作的，那就是趁我不注意的時(shí)候能偷多少就偷多少。你替他們賣命?會(huì)分給你一大票嗎?別信他們的鬼話!你能活著離開(kāi)就算幸運(yùn)了!”

Bilbo was now beginning to feel really uncomfortable. Whenever Smaug’s roving eye, seeking for him in the shadows, flashed across him, he trembled, and an unaccountable desire seized hold of him to rush out and reveal himself and tell all the truth to Smaug. In fact he was in grievous danger of coming under the dragon-spell. But plucking up courage he spoke again.

比爾博現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始覺(jué)得很不安了。史矛革正用眼睛在暗影中尋找著他，每當(dāng)他那巡視的目光掃過(guò)他身體的時(shí)候，他就禁不住渾身發(fā)抖，有種解釋不清的沖動(dòng)會(huì)攫住他，讓他想要沖出去把自己顯露出來(lái)，并把所有的實(shí)情都告訴史矛革。事實(shí)上，他已經(jīng)陷入了被惡龍魔法攫住的危險(xiǎn)邊緣。但他還是鼓起勇氣大聲說(shuō)道：

“You don’t know everything, O Smaug the Mighty,” said he. “Not gold alone brought us hither.”

“哦，了不起的史矛革，你并沒(méi)有知道所有事情，我們到這兒來(lái)可并不單單是為了黃金的。”

“Ha! Ha! You admit the ‘us’” laughed Smaug. “Why not say ‘us fourteen’ and be done with it, Mr. Lucky Number? I am pleased to hear that you had other business in these parts besides my gold. In that case you may, perhaps, not altogether waste your time.

“哈!哈!你承認(rèn)有‘我們’了，”史矛革大笑著說(shuō)，“為什么不索性爽爽快快地說(shuō)，我們十四個(gè)，呢，幸運(yùn)數(shù)字先生?我很高興地知道，你們到這里來(lái)除了我的黃金還另有所圖。如果那樣的話，或許你們就不會(huì)是在白白浪費(fèi)時(shí)間。

“I don’t know if it has occurred to you that, even if you could steal the gold bit by bit—a matter of a hundred years or so—you could not get it very far? Not much use on the mountain-side? Not much use in the forest? Bless me! Had you never thought of the catch? A fourteenth share, I suppose, or something like it, those were the terms, eh? But what about delivery? What about cartage? What about armed guards and tolls?” And Smaug laughed aloud. He had a wicked and a wily heart, and he knew his guesses were not far out, though he suspected that the Lake-men were at the back of the plans, and that most of the plunder was meant to stop there in the town by the shore that in his young days had been called Esgaroth.

“我不知道你是否曾經(jīng)想過(guò)，就算你可以一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地偷走我的黃金——那大概得花上個(gè)一百多年左右——你又能帶著黃金跑多遠(yuǎn)?躲在山邊一點(diǎn)用也沒(méi)有，躲在森林里面就行嗎?天啊!你難道從來(lái)沒(méi)想過(guò)自己能分到多少嗎?十四分之一吧，我想，或者多點(diǎn)少點(diǎn)，這就是你們定好的吧，嗯?那么運(yùn)送的成本呢?車輛的費(fèi)用呢?武裝護(hù)衛(wèi)和過(guò)路費(fèi)呢?”史矛革大笑了起來(lái)。他不僅心地邪惡，也詭計(jì)多端，他知道自己猜了個(gè)八九不離十。不過(guò)，他懷疑在這一計(jì)劃背后操縱一切的是長(zhǎng)湖邊的人類，偷來(lái)的財(cái)寶大部分會(huì)最終運(yùn)送到湖岸邊的那個(gè)鎮(zhèn)子上，在他年輕時(shí)那里被稱作埃斯加洛斯。

You will hardly believe it, but poor Bilbo was really very taken aback. So far all his thoughts and energies had been concentrated on getting to the Mountain and finding the entrance. He had never bothered to wonder how the treasure was to be removed, certainly never how any part of it that might fall to his share was to be brought back all the way to Bag-End Under-Hill.

你可能很難相信，但可憐的比爾博真的被這些問(wèn)題問(wèn)得有些慌亂了。到目前為止，他所有的心思和精力全都集中在如何到達(dá)孤山，如何找到密門上。他根本沒(méi)有費(fèi)心去想過(guò)怎樣運(yùn)走寶藏，當(dāng)然更沒(méi)想過(guò)該怎樣把分給他的那份運(yùn)回小丘下的袋底洞了。

Now a nasty suspicion began to grow in his mind—had the dwarves forgotten this important point too, or were they laughing in their sleeves at him all the time? That is the effect that dragon-talk has on the inexperienced. Bilbo of course ought to have been on his guard; but Smaug had rather an overwhelming personality.

現(xiàn)在，他的心中開(kāi)始起了嚴(yán)重的疑心：這些矮人是否也忘記了這最重要的一點(diǎn)，還是他們一直都在背后偷偷笑他傻呢?這就是惡龍的一番話對(duì)于缺乏經(jīng)驗(yàn)的人所具有的影響力。比爾博當(dāng)然應(yīng)該要保持警惕，但史矛革的確具有令人難以抗拒的蠱惑力。

“I tell you,” he said, in an effort to remain loyal to his friends and to keep his end up, “that gold was only an afterthought with us. We came over hill and under hill, by wave and wind, for Revenge. Surely, O Smaug the unassessably wealthy, you must realize that your success has made you some bitter enemies?”

“我告訴你，”他試圖繼續(xù)相信自己的朋友，不讓自己泄氣，“黃金只是我們次要的考慮而已。我們跋山涉水，風(fēng)餐露宿地來(lái)到這里是為了復(fù)仇!哦，財(cái)富多到無(wú)可估量的史矛革，你一定已經(jīng)意識(shí)到，你的成功會(huì)為你帶來(lái)一些仇敵的吧?”

Then Smaug really did laugh—a devastating sound which shook Bilbo to the floor, while far up in the tunnel the dwarves huddled together and imagined that the hobbit had come to a sudden and a nasty end.

史矛革聽(tīng)了發(fā)出真正的大笑，這可怕的笑聲把比爾博震倒在地上，而隧道遠(yuǎn)處的矮人們也嚇得抱在一起，不禁認(rèn)為霍比特人會(huì)不會(huì)已經(jīng)慘遭了不幸。

“Revenge!” he snorted, and the light of his eyes lit the hall from floor to ceiling like scarlet lightning. “Revenge! The King under the Mountain is dead and where are his kin that dare seek revenge? Girion Lord of Dale is dead, and I have eaten his people like a wolf among sheep, and where are his sons’ sons that dare approach me? I kill where I wish and none dare resist. I laid low the warriors of old and their like is not in the world today. Then I was but young and tender. Now I am old and strong, strong, strong, Thief in the Shadows!” he gloated. “My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!”

“復(fù)仇!”他鼻孔里哼了一聲，眼中泛起的光芒如猩紅的閃電將整個(gè)大廳從天花板到地板全都照亮了。“復(fù)仇!山下之王已經(jīng)死了那么久，他的后代有哪個(gè)敢來(lái)復(fù)仇的?河谷邦之王吉瑞安已經(jīng)死了，我吃他的子民就像狼吃羊一樣，他的子子孫孫有哪一個(gè)敢靠近我的?我想殺就殺，沒(méi)有人敢抵抗我。我殺死了古代的戰(zhàn)士，而如今世上像他們那樣的人根本都找不到了。那時(shí)，我還年輕纖弱;現(xiàn)在，我已經(jīng)成熟而強(qiáng)大、強(qiáng)大、無(wú)比強(qiáng)大了，你這個(gè)陰影中的小偷!”他得意洋洋地繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，“我的鱗甲如同十層厚的鋼盾，牙齒如同鋼劍，利爪如同長(zhǎng)矛，尾巴搖一搖便如同打了個(gè)雷，翅膀扇一扇便如同刮起狂風(fēng)，我的呼吸就足以帶來(lái)死亡!”

“I have always understood,” said Bilbo in a frightened squeak, “that dragons were softer underneath, especially in the region of the—er—chest; but doubtless one so fortified has thought of that.”

“我從以前就知道，”比爾博害怕得聲音都在發(fā)顫了，“惡龍的肉體在表層之下是很柔軟的，尤其是在——呃——胸部，但像你這樣全身戒備的，肯定早已想到了這一點(diǎn)。”

The dragon stopped short in his boasting. “Your information is antiquated,” he snapped. “I am armoured above and below with iron scales and hard gems. No blade can pierce me.”

惡龍突.然停止了夸耀。“你的情報(bào)早已過(guò)時(shí)了，”他怒沖沖地說(shuō)道，“我全身上下已經(jīng)披滿了鋼鐵般的鱗甲和堅(jiān)硬的寶石，沒(méi)有任何刀劍能穿透我了。”

“I might have guessed it,” said Bilbo. “Truly there can nowhere be found the equal of Lord Smaug the Impenetrable. What magnificence to possess a waistcoat of fine diamonds!”

“我早就應(yīng)該猜到了，”比爾博說(shuō)，“是啊，整個(gè)世上都找不到能夠和刀槍不人的史矛革大王匹敵的對(duì)手。您那件鉆石褂子可真是美麗啊!”

“Yes, it is rare and wonderful, indeed,” said Smaug absurdly pleased. He did not know that the hobbit had already caught a glimpse of his peculiar under-covering on his previous visit, and was itching for a closer view for reasons of his own. The dragon rolled over. “Look!” he said. “What do you say to that?”

“那是當(dāng)然，這可是稀罕的寶物，”史矛革聽(tīng)了這話有點(diǎn)飄飄然起來(lái)。他并不知道霍比特人上次來(lái)的時(shí)候已經(jīng)瞥見(jiàn)過(guò)了他那件特別的護(hù)甲，這次他只是出于自己的原因，很想要近距離觀察一下。惡龍把身子轉(zhuǎn)了過(guò)來(lái)。“看看!”他說(shuō)，“覺(jué)得怎么樣?”

“Dazzlingly marvellous! Perfect! Flawless! Staggering!” exclaimed Bilbo aloud, but what he thought inside was: “Old fool! Why, there is a large patch in the hollow of his left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell!”

“耀眼奪目!太完美了!毫無(wú)缺點(diǎn)!讓人震撼哪!”比爾博嘴上這樣大聲說(shuō)著，但心里想的其實(shí)是：“老蠢蛋!在他左胸的凹陷處，為什么會(huì)有一大塊地方像出了殼的蝸牛一樣是光溜溜的呢?”

After he had seen that Mr. Baggins’ one idea was to get away. “Well, I really must not detain Your Magnificence any longer,” he said, “or keep you from much needed rest. Ponies take some catching, I believe, after a long start. And so do burglars,” he added as a parting shot, as he darted back and fled up the tunnel.

在看過(guò)想看的東西之后，巴金斯先生惟一想著的就是要開(kāi)溜了。“好吧，我想我不能夠再叨擾大人您，”他說(shuō)，“使您無(wú)法進(jìn)行必要的休息了。小馬在受了長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的驚嚇后肯定不怎么好抓了吧，我想，飛賊也是一樣。”這句臨別的刺激話一說(shuō)完，他立刻轉(zhuǎn)身飛也似的順著隧道逃跑了。

It was an unfortunate remark, for the dragon spouted terrific flames after him, and fast though he sped up the slope, he had not gone nearly far enough to be comfortable before the ghastly head of Smaug was thrust against the opening behind. Luckily the whole head and jaws could not squeeze in, but the nostrils sent forth fire and vapour to pursue him, and he was nearly overcome, and stumbled blindly on in great pain and fear. He had been feeling rather pleased with the cleverness of his conversation with Smaug, but his mistake at the end shook him into better sense.

這可真是一句倒霉的話，受了刺激的惡龍立刻朝他身后吐出了可怕的火焰。雖然比爾博飛快地沿著斜坡向上跑去，但他的速度還是無(wú)法跟史矛革相提并論，史矛革一下子就將大腦袋塞進(jìn)了他身后的洞口。對(duì)他來(lái)說(shuō)幸運(yùn)的是，它的整個(gè)腦袋和下巴無(wú)法完全擠進(jìn)來(lái)，但他鼻孔里噴出來(lái)的火焰和蒸汽還是追了上來(lái)。他險(xiǎn)些就要被追上了，只能在黑暗中帶著極大的恐懼連滾帶爬，落荒而逃。他之前還對(duì)于自己與史矛革談話時(shí)的機(jī)敏頗有點(diǎn)得意，可最后關(guān)頭犯的錯(cuò)誤終于使他清醒了過(guò)來(lái)。

“Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!” he said to himself, and it became a favourite saying of his later, and passed into a proverb. “You aren’t nearly through this adventure yet,” he added, and that was pretty true as well.

“比爾博你這個(gè)笨蛋，永遠(yuǎn)不要取笑還活著的惡龍!”他對(duì)自己說(shuō)道，這在以后成了他的口頭禪，也慢慢變成了一句諺語(yǔ)。“你的冒險(xiǎn)還遠(yuǎn)沒(méi)結(jié)束呢。”他又加了一句，這話也一點(diǎn)沒(méi)說(shuō)錯(cuò)。

The afternoon was turning into evening when he came out again and stumbled and fell in a faint on the ‘doorstep’. The dwarves revived him, and doctored his scorches as well as they could; but it was a long time before the hair on the back of his head and his heels grew properly again: it had all been singed and frizzled right down to the skin. In the meanwhile his friends did their best to cheer him up; and they were eager for his story, especially wanting to know why the dragon had made such an awful noise, and how Bilbo had escaped.

當(dāng)他踉踉蹌蹌地從洞穴中走出來(lái)，一頭栽倒在“門階”上的時(shí)候，天色已是傍晚了。矮人們把他弄醒，盡可能地醫(yī)治了他身上的燙傷，但他后腦和腳后跟上的毛發(fā)又過(guò)了好久才重新長(zhǎng)出來(lái)：它們?nèi)冀o燒成焦黃，卷了起來(lái)。在這段時(shí)間里，他的朋友們盡力想讓他高興起來(lái)，他們還急著想要從他口中知道這段故事，特別是為什么惡龍會(huì)發(fā)出那么巨大的聲音，以及比爾博究竟是怎么逃出來(lái)的。

But the hobbit was worried and uncomfortable, and they had difficulty in getting anything out of him. On thinking things over he was now regretting some of the things he had said to the dragon, and was not eager to repeat them. The old thrush was sitting on a rock near by with his head cocked on one side, listening to all that was said. It shows what an ill temper Bilbo was in: he picked up a stone and threw it at the thrush, which merely fluttered aside and came back.

可是，霍比特人一副憂心忡忡渾身不舒服的樣子，他們很難從他口中套出任何東西來(lái)。在把整個(gè)過(guò)程回想了一遍之后，他開(kāi)始對(duì)自己跟惡龍說(shuō)過(guò)的有些話感到后悔，因此也實(shí)在不愿意再?gòu)?fù)述一遍了。那只老畫眉鳥正坐在旁邊的巖石上，側(cè)揚(yáng)著腦袋，傾聽(tīng)著他們所有的對(duì)話。比爾博的心情實(shí)在是糟透了，只見(jiàn)他撿起一塊石頭來(lái)就對(duì)著畫眉鳥扔了過(guò)去，老鳥撲閃了兩下翅膀往旁邊躲過(guò)，然后又回到了原處。

“Drat the bird!” said Bilbo crossly. “I believe he is listening, and I don’t like the look of him.”

“該死的鳥!”比爾博生氣地說(shuō)，“我覺(jué)得它肯定在偷聽(tīng)，我看見(jiàn)它的樣子就討厭。”

“Leave him alone!” said Thorin. “The thrushes are good and friendly—this is a very old bird indeed, and is maybe the last left of the ancient breed that used to live about here, tame to the hands of my father and grandfather. They were a long-lived and magical race, and this might even be one of those that were alive then, a couple of hundreds of years or more ago. The Men of Dale used to have the trick of understanding their language, and used them for messengers to fly to the Men of the Lake and elsewhere.”

“別管它了!”索林說(shuō)，“畫眉鳥是友好和善的鳥，這也的確是只很老的鳥了，它可能是過(guò)去居住在這邊的古老鳥類中僅存的碩果了——我的父親和祖父曾經(jīng)馴養(yǎng)過(guò)它們。這是一個(gè)長(zhǎng)壽而又有魔法的品種，這一只甚至有可能就是當(dāng)年那一批中的一只，搞不好都有幾百歲了。河谷城的人類以前曾聽(tīng)得懂它們的語(yǔ)言，利用它們來(lái)和長(zhǎng)湖邊的人類以及其他地方傳遞訊息。”

“Well, he’ll have news to take to Lake-town all right, if that is what he is after,” said Bilbo; “though I don’t suppose there are any people left there that trouble with thrush-language.”

“好吧，它會(huì)有消息可以帶回長(zhǎng)湖鎮(zhèn)了，如果這就是它想要的東西的話。”比爾博說(shuō)，“不過(guò)，那里可能不會(huì)有任何活人能聽(tīng)它的鳥語(yǔ)了!”

“Why what has happened?” cried the dwarves. “Do get on with your tale!”

“為什么會(huì)有那樣的事情呢?”矮人們著急地問(wèn)道，“快把詳情告訴我們吧!”

So Bilbo told them all he could remember, and he confessed that he had a nasty feeling that the dragon guessed too much from his riddles added to the camps and the ponies. “I am sure he knows we came from Lake-town and had help from there; and I have a horrible feeling that his next move may be in that direction. I wish to goodness I had never said that about Barrel-rider; it would make even a blind rabbit in these parts think of the Lake-men.”

比爾博于是就把所有還記得的事情都告訴了矮人們，他承認(rèn)自己有種不好的預(yù)感，他認(rèn)為惡龍除了它自己原先發(fā)現(xiàn)的小馬和營(yíng)地外，又從他的謎語(yǔ)中推測(cè)出了太多的線索。“我想他一定已經(jīng)知道了我們是從長(zhǎng)湖鎮(zhèn)來(lái)的，從那里得到過(guò)幫助。我有一種可怕的感覺(jué)，他的下一步行動(dòng)會(huì)是沖著那里去的。我真希望我從來(lái)都沒(méi)說(shuō)過(guò)木桶騎士之類的話，在這一帶就連一只瞎了眼的兔子都會(huì)聯(lián)想到長(zhǎng)湖鎮(zhèn)的人類。”

“Well, well! It cannot be helped, and it is difficult not to slip in talking to a dragon, or so I have always heard,” said Balin anxious to comfort him. “I think you did very well, if you ask me—you found out one very useful thing at any rate, and got home alive, and that is more than most can say who have had words with the likes of Smaug. It may be a mercy and a blessing yet to know of the bare patch in the old Worm’s diamond waistcoat.”

“好吧，算了吧!這也是沒(méi)辦法的事情，和惡龍對(duì)話是很難不說(shuō)漏嘴的，我一直都聽(tīng)人這么說(shuō)的。”巴林急著想要安慰他，“如果你問(wèn)我的看法，我覺(jué)得你已經(jīng)做得很好了——你至少發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件非常有用的事情，而且還活著回來(lái)了，在和史矛革談過(guò)話的人當(dāng)中你已經(jīng)是做得最好的了。我們知道了這個(gè)老家伙的鉆石褂子上有一塊光禿的地方，這或許是我們的幸運(yùn)和福氣也未可知。”

That turned the conversation, and they all began discussing dragon-slayings historical, dubious, and mythical, and the various sorts of stabs and jabs and undercuts, and the different arts devices and stratagems by which they had been accomplished. The general opinion was that catching a dragon napping was not as easy as it sounded, and the attempt to stick one or prod one asleep was more likely to end in disaster than a bold frontal attack. All the while they talked the thrush listened, till at last when the stars began to peep forth, it silently spread its wings and flew away. And all the while they talked and the shadows lengthened Bilbo became more and more unhappy and his foreboding grew.

眾人隨即改變了話題，開(kāi)始討論起了有關(guān)屠龍的各種歷史的、半真半假的和流傳于神話的方法，以及各種各樣刺、劈和撩的刀法，以及他們已經(jīng)具備了的各種技藝、裝置和策略。大家達(dá)成的共識(shí)是，要想抓住惡龍打盹兒的機(jī)會(huì)并沒(méi)有聽(tīng)上去那么容易，趁他睡著時(shí)行刺可能比從正面發(fā)起勇敢的攻擊還更容易導(dǎo)致災(zāi)難性的結(jié)局。整個(gè)談?wù)撨^(guò)程中，那只黑鳥都在專注地聽(tīng)著，直到天上星辰開(kāi)始出現(xiàn)，他才無(wú)聲無(wú)息地張開(kāi)翅膀飛走了。他們不停地談著，地上的影子越拖越長(zhǎng)，比爾博的心情也越來(lái)越糟，不祥的預(yù)感越來(lái)越強(qiáng)烈。

At last he interrupted them. “I am sure we are very unsafe here,” he said, “and I don’t see the point of sitting here. The dragon has withered all the pleasant green, and anyway the night has come and it is cold. But I feel it in my bones that this place will be attacked again. Smaug knows now how I came down to his hall, and you can trust him to guess where the other end of the tunnel is. He will break all this side of the Mountain to bits, if necessary, to stop up our entrance, and if we are smashed with it the better he will like it.”

最后，他打斷了大家的話。“我敢肯定我們?cè)谶@里非常不安全，”他說(shuō)，“而且我也看不出坐在這里有什么用。惡龍已經(jīng)把所有的綠地都給燒焦了，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)晚上了，天氣也比較冷。我有種從骨子里發(fā)散出來(lái)的感覺(jué)，這個(gè)地方一定會(huì)再次受到攻擊。史矛革現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)知道我是怎么進(jìn)入他的洞穴，而且肯定也猜得到隧道的另一頭會(huì)在什么地方。如果有必要的話，它會(huì)把山的這一面全都炸平來(lái)阻止我們進(jìn)入的。如果我們能跟石頭一起被炸碎，它會(huì)更加髙興的。”

“You are very gloomy, Mr. Baggins!” said Thorin. “Why has not Smaug blocked the lower end, then, if he is so eager to keep us out? He has not, or we should have heard him.”

“巴金斯先生，你太悲觀了啦!”索林說(shuō)，“如果它這么迫切想要把我們關(guān)在外面，那為什么它還沒(méi)把下邊的出口封掉?它肯定還沒(méi)封，不然我們會(huì)聽(tīng)到聲音的。”.

“I don’t know, I don’t know—because at first he wanted to try and lure me in again, I suppose, and now perhaps because he is waiting till after tonight’s hunt, or because he does not want to damage his bedroom if he can help it—but I wish you would not argue. Smaug will be coming out at any minute now, and our only hope is to get well in the tunnel and shut the door.”

“我不知道，真的不知道——可能它想要先把我再騙進(jìn)去吧，我想，又或許它準(zhǔn)備等到今晚狩獵后再來(lái)做這件事，也有可能它想盡可能不弄壞自己的臥室——不過(guò)我希望你們不要再和我爭(zhēng)辯了。史矛革隨時(shí)有可能出來(lái)，我們惟一的希望就是躲進(jìn)隧道里面，把門關(guān)起來(lái)。”

He seemed so much in earnest that the dwarves at last did as he said, though they delayed shutting the door—it seemed a desperate plan, for no one knew whether or how they could get it open again from the inside, and the thought of being shut in a place from which the only way out led through the dragon’s lair was not one they liked. Also everything seemed quite quiet, both outside and down the tunnel. So for a longish while they sat inside not far down from the half-open door and went on talking.

他的態(tài)度非常懇切，矮人們最終照他說(shuō)的做了，盡管他們?cè)陉P(guān)門一事上拖延了一下——這個(gè)計(jì)劃太鋌而走險(xiǎn)了，因?yàn)闆](méi)有人知道從里面到底能不能把門打開(kāi)，又該怎么打開(kāi)。他們一想到自己被困的地方其惟一出口通往的是惡龍的巢穴，心中就很不是滋味。況且，一切看來(lái)都非常平靜，不管是外面還是隧道里面。因此，他們久久地坐在離半開(kāi)著的門不遠(yuǎn)的隧道內(nèi)，繼續(xù)聊著天。

The talk turned to the dragon’s wicked words about the dwarves. Bilbo wished he had never heard them, or at least that he could feel quite certain that the dwarves now were absolutely honest when they declared that they had never thought at all about what would happen after the treasure had been won. “We knew it would be a desperate venture,” said Thorin, “and we know that still; and I still think that when we have won it will be time enough to think what to do about it. As for your share, Mr. Baggins, I assure you we are more than grateful and you shall choose your own fourteenth, as soon as we have anything to divide. I am sorry if you are worried about transport, and I admit the difficulties are great—the lands have not become less wild with the passing of time, rather the reverse—but we will do whatever we can for you, and take our share of the cost when the time comes. Believe me or not as you like!”

話題轉(zhuǎn)到了惡龍所說(shuō)的關(guān)于矮人們的惡毒話。比爾博真希望自己從來(lái)沒(méi)聽(tīng)過(guò)這些話，或者他可以相信矮人們這回的說(shuō)法是絕對(duì)誠(chéng)實(shí)的。他們聲稱自己真的從來(lái)也沒(méi)有考慮過(guò)奪回寶藏之后該怎么辦。“我們知道這是場(chǎng)九死一生的冒險(xiǎn)，”索林說(shuō)，“我們現(xiàn)在還是這么想的。我依舊認(rèn)為，等我們拿到寶藏之后，會(huì)有足夠的時(shí)間來(lái)考慮該怎么來(lái)應(yīng)付寶藏。至于你的分成，巴金斯先生，我向你保證，由于我們對(duì)你的感激實(shí)在難以用言語(yǔ)形容，因此只要我們有了可分的東西，會(huì)讓你優(yōu)先挑選屬于你的那一份。如果你為運(yùn)輸問(wèn)題而感到擔(dān)心的話，我向你表示歉意。我承認(rèn)困難會(huì)很大——隨著時(shí)間的流逝，這片土地上非但沒(méi)有越來(lái)越太平，反而越來(lái)越危險(xiǎn)了——不過(guò)，我們會(huì)竭盡所能地幫你解決運(yùn)輸問(wèn)題，并替你分?jǐn)傔\(yùn)輸費(fèi)用的。我的話就說(shuō)到這兒了，相不相信隨便你!”

From that the talk turned to the great hoard itself and to the things that Thorin and Balin remembered. They wondered if they were still lying there unharmed in the hall below: the spears that were made for the armies of the great King Bladorthin (long since dead), each had a thrice-forged head and their shafts were inlaid with cunning gold, but they were never delivered or paid for; shields made for warriors long dead; the great golden cup of Thror, two-handed, hammered and carven with birds and flowers whose eyes and petals were of jewels; coats of mail gilded and silvered and impenetrable; the necklace of Girion, Lord of Dale, made of five hundred emeralds green as grass, which he gave for the arming of his eldest son in a coat of dwarf-linked rings the like of which had never been made before, for it was wrought of pure silver to the power and strength of triple steel. But fairest of all was the great white gem, which the dwarves had found beneath the roots of the Mountain, the Heart of the Mountain, the Arkenstone of Thrain.

自那以后，話題又轉(zhuǎn)到了那堆積如山的金銀財(cái)寶，以及索林和巴林還記得的一些東西。他們?cè)谙?，不知道那些東西是否還完好地保存在地下的大廳里：替?zhèn)ゴ蟮膰?guó)王布拉多辛(他早就過(guò)世了)的部隊(duì)打造的長(zhǎng)槍，每柄長(zhǎng)槍都擁有經(jīng)過(guò)三次鍛造的槍尖，柄上則鑲著精雕細(xì)琢的黃金，但這些武器一直都沒(méi)能送出去，當(dāng)然也就沒(méi)收到對(duì)方付的工錢;還有替早已亡故的戰(zhàn)士們打造的盾牌;供瑟羅爾雙手持用的巨大金杯，上面雕琢的鳥和花其眼睛與花瓣都是珠寶鑲成;還有精心鍛造的鎧甲，鍍了純銀，刀槍不人;還有河谷邦之王吉瑞安的項(xiàng)鏈，是用五百顆如同青草一般碧綠的翡翠綴成，他用這串項(xiàng)鏈為代價(jià)，替他的長(zhǎng)子量身打造了一副鎧甲，鎧甲由純銀制成，上面的每一個(gè)環(huán)扣都由矮人們手工接合，強(qiáng)度和硬度是鋼鐵的三倍，堪稱舉世無(wú)雙。不過(guò)，在這其中最美麗的，則是一枚巨大的白色寶石，這是矮人們?cè)诖笊降紫峦诰虻降模环Q為山之心，又被稱作瑟萊因的阿肯寶鉆。

“The Arkenstone! The Arkenstone!” murmured Thorin in the dark, half dreaming with his chin upon his knees. “It was like a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon!”

“阿肯寶鉆!阿肯寶鉆!”索林把下巴擱在雙膝上，在黑暗中夢(mèng)囈般地喃喃著。“那就像是一顆擁有一千個(gè)切面的圓球，在火光中會(huì)發(fā)出銀色的光芒，如同陽(yáng)光下的水面，星辰下的積雪，月光下的雨珠!”

But the enchanted desire of the hoard had fallen from Bilbo. All through their talk he was only half listening to them. He sat nearest to the door with one ear cocked for any beginnings of a sound without, his other was alert for echoes beyond the murmurs of the dwarves, for any whisper of a movement from far below.

不過(guò)，那種對(duì)寶物著了魔似的渴望在比爾博身上已經(jīng)降溫了。矮人們?cè)谡務(wù)摰臅r(shí)候，他只是半心半意地聽(tīng)著。他坐在離門最近的地方，豎起一只耳朵來(lái)專心傾聽(tīng)門外的任何異響，而另一只耳朵則是用來(lái)監(jiān)聽(tīng)門內(nèi)除了矮人們低語(yǔ)之外的聲響，任何由下面的動(dòng)靜造成的輕微回聲。

Darkness grew deeper and he grew ever more uneasy. “Shut the door!” he begged them, “I fear that dragon in my marrow. I like this silence far less than the uproar of last night. Shut the door before it is too late!”

黑暗變得越來(lái)越濃，他也越來(lái)越不安起來(lái)。“關(guān)上門!”他懇求大家道，“我從骨髓里害怕惡龍，此刻的寂靜比昨夜的狂嘯還要可怕?？礻P(guān)上門，不然一切都來(lái)不及了!”

Something in his voice gave the dwarves an uncomfortable feeling. Slowly Thorin shook off his dreams and getting up he kicked away the stone that wedged the door. Then they thrust upon it, and it closed with a snap and a clang. No trace of a keyhole was there left on the inside. They were shut in the Mountain!

他聲音中的某種東西讓矮人也有了一種不安的感覺(jué)。索林慢慢地從對(duì)財(cái)寶的幻想中醒來(lái)，站起身，踢開(kāi)了擋住門的石頭。然后他們用力一推，門就先是咔嗒一聲，然后哐地關(guān)上了。門的內(nèi)側(cè)沒(méi)有任何鑰匙孔的痕跡，他們被關(guān)在大山里面了!

And not a moment too soon. They had hardly gone any distance down the tunnel when a blow smote the side of the Mountain like the crash of battering-rams made of forest oaks and swung by giants. The rock boomed, the walls cracked and stones fell from the roof on their heads. What would have happened if the door had still been open I don’t like to think. They fled further down the tunnel glad to be still alive, while behind them outside they heard the roar and rumble of Smaug’s fury. He was breaking rocks to pieces, smashing wall and cliff with the lashings of his huge tail, till their little lofty camping ground, the scorched grass, the thrush’s stone, the snail-covered walls, the narrow ledge, and all disappeared in a jumble of smithereens, and an avalanche of splintered stones fell over the cliff into the valley below.

真是千鈞一發(fā)啊。他們剛剛邁步朝著隧道下面沒(méi)走出多遠(yuǎn)，就只聽(tīng)見(jiàn)山的這一邊發(fā)出一聲轟天巨響，仿佛被巨人用橡木做的攻城大錘用力擊中了一般。巖石轟隆隆地震動(dòng)著，巖壁裂開(kāi)了縫隙，碎右從洞頂落下。我真不敢想像如果門沒(méi)有關(guān)上的話會(huì)是什么樣子。他們慶幸自己逃過(guò)一劫，朝著隧道深處狂奔，身后的門外傳來(lái)史矛革憤怒的吼聲。他將巖石擊碎成粉末，用他那巨大的尾巴甩打著巖壁與懸崖，直到他們建在高處的小小營(yíng)地、洞門前被烤焦的青草、畫眉鳥棲身的巨石、爬滿蝸牛的巖壁、狹窄的山脊，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)在惡龍的憤怒下化成碎屑，巨大的山崩也跟著掩埋了底下的山谷。

Smaug had left his lair in silent stealth, quietly soared into the air, and then floated heavy and slow in the dark like a monstrous crow, down the wind towards the west of the Mountain, in the hopes of catching unawares something or somebody there, and of spying the outlet to the passage which the thief had used. This was the outburst of his wrath when he could find nobody and see nothing, even where he guessed the outlet must actually be.

史矛革之前輕輕地離開(kāi)了洞穴，悄悄飛上天空，然后像一只巨大的烏鴉一般沉重而又緩慢地盤旋在夜空中，乘著風(fēng)滑翔向大山的西邊，希望能夠出其不意地抓到某些東西或某些人，同時(shí)探看一下小偷們用的那條隧道的出口在哪里。剛才的地動(dòng)山搖，就是因?yàn)楫?dāng)他來(lái)到了他認(rèn)準(zhǔn)的出口，卻什么人和東西都沒(méi)發(fā)現(xiàn)，一怒之下采取的發(fā)泄之舉。

After he had let off his rage in this way he felt better and he thought in his heart that he would not be troubled again from that direction. In the meanwhile he had further vengeance to take. “Barrel-rider!” he snorted. “Your feet came from the waterside and up the water you came without a doubt. I don’t know your smell, but if you are not one of those men of the Lake, you had their help. They shall see me and remember who is the real King under the Mountain!”

在以這種方式發(fā)泄了心中的怒氣之后，史矛革感覺(jué)好多了，他發(fā)自內(nèi)心地認(rèn)為自己不會(huì)再?gòu)哪莻€(gè)方向受到騷擾了。轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)神來(lái)，他就覺(jué)得自己還有別的復(fù)仇計(jì)劃要進(jìn)行。“木桶騎士!”他鼻子里哼了一聲說(shuō)道，“你們的雙腳原本是在水邊的，你們毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)是沿水路上來(lái)的。我雖然不知道你的氣味，但就算你不是湖邊人類的一份子，肯定也得到過(guò)他們的幫助。他們應(yīng)該見(jiàn)見(jiàn)我了，我要讓他們記起來(lái)誰(shuí)才是真正的山下之王!”

He rose in fire and went away south towards the Running River.

它從烈焰中騰身而起，朝著南方的奔流河飛去。