《魔法師的外甥》第67期:栽樹(1)

Chapter 14 The Planting of the Tree

"WELL done," said Aslan in a voice that made the earth shake. Then Digory knew that all the Narnians had heard those words and that the story of them would be handed down from father to son in that new world for hundreds of years and perhaps forever. But he was in no danger of feeling conceited for he didn't think about it at all now that he was face to face with Aslan. This time he found he could look straight into the Lion's eyes. He had forgotten his troubles and felt absolutely content.

"Well done, son of Adam," said the Lion again. "For this fruit you have hungered and thirsted and wept. No hand but yours shall sow the seed of the Tree that is to be the protection of Narnia. Throw the apple towards the river bank where the ground is soft."

Digory did as he was told. Everyone had grown so quiet that you could hear the soft thump where it fell into the mud.

"It is well thrown," said Aslan. "Let us now proceed to the Coronation of King Frank of Narnia and Helen his Queen."

The children now noticed these two for the first time. They were dressed in strange and beautiful clothes, and from their shoulders rich robes flowed out behind them to where four dwarfs held up the King's train and four rivernymphs the Queen's. Their heads were bare; but Helen had let her hair down and it made a great improvement in her appearance. But it was neither hair nor clothes that made them look so different from their old selves. Their faces had a new expression, especially the King's. All the sharpness and cunning and quarrelsomeness which he had picked up as a London cabby seemed to have been washed away, and the courage and kindness which he had always had were easier to see. Perhaps it was the air of the young world that had done it, or talking with Aslan, or both.

"Upon my word," whispered Fledge to Polly. "My old master's been changed nearly as much as I have! Why, he's a real master now."

"Yes, but don't buzz in my ear like that," said Polly. "It tickles so."

"Now," said Aslan, "some of you undo that tangle you have made with those trees and let us see what we shall find there."

Digory now saw that where four trees grew close together their branches had all been laced together or tied together with switches so as to make a sort of cage. The two Elephants with their trunks and a few dwarfs with their little axes soon got it all undone. There were three things inside. One was a young tree that seemed to be made of gold; the second was a young tree that seemed to be made of silver; but the third was a miserable object in muddy clothes, sitting hunched up between them.

"Gosh!" whispered Digory. "Uncle Andrew!"

第14章 栽樹

“幹得好。”阿斯蘭用震撼大地的聲音說。迪格雷知道所有的納尼亞公民都聽到了，他們的故事在那個新世界裏將由父輩傳給兒子，幾百年也許永遠流傳下去。然而他並沒有陷入驕傲自滿的危險，因爲，現在他面對面地看着阿斯蘭的時候，根本就沒有想到這一點。這次，他發現可以正視獅子的眼睛。他已經忘了自己的難處，完完全全地心滿意足了。

“幹得好，亞當的兒子。”獅子又說，“你曾經渴望得到這隻蘋果併爲它流過淚，只有你的手可以栽下這顆用來保衛納尼亞的樹種。將蘋果朝河邊的鬆土扔過去吧。”

迪格雷照着做了。大家安靜下來，蘋果掉進泥裏時發出的輕柔響聲聽得很清楚。

“扔得好，”阿斯蘭說，“現在，讓我們爲納尼亞的弗蘭克國王和他的海倫王后舉行加冕典禮。”

孩子們現在才注意到這一對夫妻。他們穿着奇特而美麗的衣服，華貴的長袍從肩上一直拖到地上，四個小矮人托起國王的袍裾，四個河澤仙女托起王后的裙裾。他們的頭上沒有裝飾，但海倫把頭髮披了下來，顯得更加動人。然而，不是頭髮也不是服裝使他們與過去迥然不同，而是臉上有了一種嶄新的表情，尤其是國王。他在倫敦當馬車伕時養成的尖刻、狡詐和好爭吵的秉性全部滌盪一空，勇敢和善良的本性則比較明顯。也許，是這個年輕世界的空氣或與阿斯蘭的談話產生了這樣的效果，也許兩者兼有。

“天哪，”弗蘭奇悄悄對波莉說，“我的老主人幾乎與我一樣大大地變了。他現在是個真正的主人了。”

“是的，但別在我耳邊嘰嘰喳喳，”波莉說，“太癢了。”

“現在，”阿斯蘭說，“你們去把纏在一起的那幾棵樹鬆開。讓我們看看裏面到底是什麼。”

迪格雷這纔看見，四棵樹緊緊地長在一起，樹枝相互纏繞糾結，形成一個像籠子似的東西。兩頭大象用鼻子、幾個小矮人用小斧很快分開了那些樹枝。裏面有三樣東西：一棵小樹，似乎是金子做的；另一棵像是銀子做的小樹；但第三樣東西模樣太慘，衣服上塗滿泥漿，弓腰縮背地夾在兩棵樹之間。

“哦!”迪格雷低低地喊了一聲，“安德魯舅舅!”