《能言馬與男孩》第67期:沙斯塔在納尼亞(2)
"Good morning," said Shasta. "But I'm not a neighbour. In fact I'm a stranger in these parts."
"Ah?" said the Hedgehog inquiringly.
“啊?”刺蝟詢問地說道。"I've come over the mountains - from Archenland, you know."
“我越過大山而來——你要知道，我是從阿欽蘭來的。”
"Ha, Archenland," said the Hedgehog. "That's a terrible long way. Never been there myself."
“呀，阿欽蘭，”刺蝟說道，”離這兒遠得可怕。我自己從沒去過。”"And I think, perhaps," said Shasta, "someone ought to be told that there's an army of savage Calormenes attacking Anvard at this very moment."
“而且我認爲，”沙斯塔說道，”也許應該告訴人們：此時此刻，有一支野蠻的卡樂門軍隊正在進攻安瓦德城。”"You don't say so!" answered the Hedgehog. "Well, think of that. And they do say that Calormen is hundreds and thousands of miles away, right at the world's end, across a great sea of sand."
“不會這樣吧！”刺蝟答道，”哦，想想吧。不是據說卡樂門在幾百、幾千裏之外，在世界的盡頭，跟這兒還隔着一個大沙漠嗎?”"It's not nearly as far as you think," said Shasta. "And oughtn't something to be done about this attack on Anvard? Oughtn't your High King to be told?"
“不像你所想像的那麼遙遠，”沙斯塔說道，”關於這次對安瓦德的進攻，總該做點兒事吧。總該稟告你們的至尊王吧?”"Certain sure, something ought to be done about it," said the Hedgehog. "But you see I'm just on my way to bed for a good day's sleep. Hullo, neighbour!"
“確實如此，總該爲此乾點兒事情。”刺蝟說道，”但，你瞧，我正要到牀上去，美美地睡它一個白晝啊。哈囉，鄰居！”The last words were addressed to an immense biscuitcoloured rabbit whose head had just popped up from somewhere beside the path. The Hedgehog immediately told the Rabbit what it had just learned from Shasta. The Rabbit agreed that this was very remarkable news and that somebody ought to tell someone about it with a view to doing something.
最後一句話是對一隻巨大的淡褐色兔子說的，兔子的腦袋剛從小徑旁的地底下突然冒出來。刺蝟立刻把它從沙斯塔那裏聽來的事情告訴兔子。兔子同意這是個驚人的消息，應該有人去告訴別人，以便爲此乾點兒事。And so it went on. Every few minutes they were joined by other creatures, some from the branches overhead and some from little underground houses at their feet, till the party consisted of five rabbits, a squirrel, two magpies, a goat-foot faun, and a mouse, who all talked at the same time and all agreed with the Hedgehog. For the truth was that in that golden age when the Witch and the Winter had gone and Peter the High King ruled at Cair Paravel, the smaller woodland people of Narnia were so safe and happy that they were getting a little careless.
於是就這樣紛紛傳開去了。每隔幾分鐘，就有別的生物參加進來，有的來自頭上的樹枝，有的來自腳下的地底小屋：這一幫子，終於包含了五隻兔子、一隻松鼠、兩隻喜鵲、一個羊腳怪物以及一隻耗子，它們大家同時說着話兒，大家都同意刺蝟的意見。因爲，事情的真相是：在那黃金時代裏，女巫和冬天已經被趕走，至尊王彼得治理着凱爾帕拉維爾，納尼亞較小林地裏的居民們是那麼安寧和幸福，所以它們有點兒麻痹大意了。Presently, however, two more practical people arrived in the little wood. One was a Red Dwarf whose name appeared to be Duffle. The other was a stag, a beautiful lordly creature with wide liquid eyes, dappled flanks and legs so thin and graceful that they looked as if you could break them with two fingers.
不過，又有兩個小樹林裏比較實際的居民來了。一個是紅色小矮人，名叫德夫爾。另一個是一頭牡鹿，一隻美麗華貴的生物，眼睛大大的水汪汪的，兩脅斑斑點點，兩腿又纖細又雅緻，看上去彷彿用兩個手指就能把那腿折斷似的。
