《能言馬與男孩》第64期:不受歡迎的同路人(5)

Shasta was a little reassured by the breath: so he told how he had never known his real father or mother and had been brought up sternly by the fisherman. And then he told the story of his escape and how they were chased by lions and forced to swim for their lives; and of all their dangers in Tashbaan and about his night among the tombs and how the beasts howled at him out of the desert. And he told about the heat and thirst of their desert journey and how they were almost at their goal when another lion chased them and wounded Aravis. And also, how very long it was since he had had anything to eat.

沙斯塔對那氣息稍稍有點兒放心了，所以他就告訴對方：他從來不知道他真正的父親或母親，他是由一個漁夫嚴厲地撫養大的。然後他又講了他逃跑的故事，以及他們怎樣被獅子追逐，被迫泅水逃命等；他講到了他們在塔什班城所經歷的一切危險，他在墳場裏過夜以及沙漠裏的也受對他的咆哮。他講到了沙漠旅途中的炎熱和口渴，以及他們快要到達目的地時另一頭獅子怎樣追逐他們，並且抓傷了阿拉維斯。他也講了從那時起他好久沒吃過任何東西。

"I do not call you.unfortunate," said the Large Voice.

“我並不認爲你是不幸的。”大嗓門說。

"Don't you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?" said Shasta.

“遇到這麼多獅子，你還不認爲是倒黴嗎？”

"There was only one lion," said the Voice.

“只有一頭獅子。”那聲音說道。

"What on earth do you mean? I've just told you there were at least two the first night, and-"

“你這話究竟是什麼意思？我剛纔就告訴過你，至少第一夜有兩頭獅子，還有……”

"There was only one: but he was swift of foot."

“只有一頭獅子，但那頭獅子跑得極快。”

"How do you know?"

“你怎麼知道呢？”

"I was the lion." And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. "I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."

“我就是那頭獅子。”由於沙斯塔緊張得張大了嘴巴卻說不出話來，龐然大物繼續說到，”我就是逼你與阿拉維斯同行的那頭獅子。我就是在墳場這死人之家裏安慰你的那隻貓咪。我就是在你睡熟時替你驅逐豺狼的那頭獅子。我就是使馬兒們在恐懼中獲得新的力量、奔馳最後一段路程，以便你及時見到倫恩國王的那頭獅子。而且我還是你當年並不記得的那頭獅子，當年你奄奄一息躺在一條小船裏，是我把船推動，使它漂到一個海灘上，有個漁夫坐在那兒，午夜未睡，收留了你。”

"Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"

“那麼，抓傷阿拉維斯的，也是你嗎？”

"It was I"

“是我。”

"But what for?"

“幹嗎要抓傷她呢？”

"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."

“孩子，”那聲音說道，”我在把你的故事告訴你，不是她的。我只對一個人講他本人的故事，不講別的。”

"Who are you?" asked Shasta.

“你是誰呢？”沙斯塔問道。

"Myself," said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again "Myself", loud and clear and gay: and then the third time "Myself", whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.

“我自己。”那聲音說道，又低又深沉，大地爲之震動；接着是第二遍，”我自己。”響亮、清晰、愉快；然後是第三遍，”我自己。”那可是柔和的低聲細語，你幾乎聽不大見，然而它又從四面八方向你傳來，彷彿樹葉兒也隨之簌簌有聲。