《凯斯宾王子》第四章 小矮人讲述凯斯宾王子的故事

CHAPTER FOUR THE DWARF TELLS OF PRINCE CASPIAN

第四章 小矮人讲述凯斯宾王子的故事

PRINCE CASPIAN lived in a great castle in the centre of Narnia with his uncle，Miraz，the King of Narnia，and his aunt，who had red hair and was called Queen Prunaprismia.His father and mother were dead and the person whom Caspian loved best was his nurse，and though (being a prince) he had wonderful toys which would do almost anything but talk，he liked best the last hour of the day when the toys had all been put back in their cupboards and Nurse would tell him stories.

在凯斯宾王子从小就住在纳尼亚中部最大的城堡里，和他的叔父和婶母一起生活，也就是纳尼亚的国王弥若兹和那个红头发的普鲁娜普瑞丝弥尔王后。凯斯宾王子的父母很早就去世了，保姆就是他最亲近的人。作为纳尼亚的王子，他有很多玩具，它们除了不会说话之外，什么都会做。但是，他最喜欢的还是每天睡觉之前的时间。因为每天的这个时候，他的保姆就会过来哄他睡觉，给他讲故事。

He did not care much for his uncle and aunt，but about twice a week his uncle would send for him and they would walk up and down together for half an hour on the terrace at the south side of the castle.One day，while they were doing this，the King said to him，

他的叔父和婶母好像并不太关心他的成长，但是几乎每周，他的叔父都会叫凯斯宾王子陪他散步半个钟头。有一天，他们散步时，他的叔父突然说：

"Well，boy，we must soon teach you to ride and use a sword.You know that your aunt and I have no children，so it looks as if you might have to be King when I'm gone.How shall you like that，eh?"

孩子，我们计划安排人来教你骑马和击剑。你也知道，我和你婶母没有孩子。也就是说，我去世后就是你来继承王位了。你应该会很乐意的，是吧?

"I don't know，Uncle，"said Caspian.

"我不知道，叔父。"凯斯宾回答。

"Don't know，eh?"said Miraz."Why，I should like to know what more anyone could wish for!"

"你不知道?什么意思?"弥若兹感到很意外，"为什么!我想知道，一个人除了最高的尊敬和荣耀之外，还想要什么?"

"All the same，I do wish，"said Caspian.

"好吧，叔父，我真的有个愿望。"听到叔父这么问，凯斯宾认真地回答。

"What do you wish?"asked the King.

"你的愿望是什么?"国王又问。

"I wish-I wish-I wish I could have lived in the Old Days，"said Caspian.(He was only a very little boy at the time.)

"我希望......希望......我希望能生活在过去。"凯斯宾说。(那时候，他不过是个孩子。)

Up till now King Miraz had been talking in the tiresome way that some grown-ups have，which makes it quite clear that they are not really interested in what you are saying，but now he suddenly gave Caspian a very sharp look.

在这之前，弥若兹国王一直用成年人的语调跟他谈话，就是那种他们对孩子说的话不怎么感兴趣的样子。这时，弥尔兹投来了锐利的一瞥。

"Eh? What's that?"he said."What old days do you mean?"

"嗯?那是什么日子?"他说，"什么叫过去的日子?"

"Oh，don't you know，Uncle?"said Caspian."When everything was quite different.When all the animals could talk，and there were nice people who lived in the streams and the trees.Naiads and Dryads they were called.And there were Dwarfs.And there were lovely little Fauns in all the woods.They had feet like goats.And-"

"哦，你不知道吗，叔父?"凯斯宾说，"那个时候，所有一切和现在都不一样。那时候的动物会说话，大森林和小溪边都住着善良的仙女。还有很多小矮人和非常可爱的羊怪，他们有着像山羊一样的角，还有......"

"That's all nonsense，for babies，"said the King sternly."Only fit for babies，do you hear? You're getting too old for that sort of stuff.At your age you ought to be thinking of battles and adventures，not fairy tales."

"那全是无稽之谈，哄骗小孩的!"国王怒斥道，"只是糊弄三岁小孩的话，你明白了吗?你已经过了那样的年纪了。你现在长大了，应该去关注战争和探险，而不是童话故事。"

"Oh，but there were battles and adventures in those days，"said Caspian."Wonderful adventures.Once there was a White Witch and she made herself Queen of the whole country.And she made it so that it was always winter.And then two boys and two girls came from somewhere and so they killed the Witch and they were made Kings and Queens of Narnia，and their names were Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy.And so they reigned for ever so long and everyone had a lovely time，and it was all because of Aslan-"

"嗯，可是在那个时候，也有战争和探险呀，"凯斯宾说，"还是很奇妙的冒险!那个时候，有个白女巫自封为纳尼亚的女王。她用魔法让整个纳尼亚只有漫长寒冷的冬天。然后，不知道从什么地方来了两个男孩和两个女孩，他们杀了女巫，成了纳尼亚的国王和女王。他们叫彼得、苏珊、爱德蒙和露茜。他们统治纳尼亚多年，让人们过着幸福的生活。这都是因为阿斯兰......。"

"Who's he?"said Miraz.And if Caspian had been a very little older，the tone of his uncle's voice would have warned him that it would be wiser to shut up.But he babbled on，

"阿斯兰是谁?"弥若兹生气地问。如果凯斯宾的年龄再大一点，他肯定能从叔父的语调中听出异样，并且识相地闭嘴。可是他还是讲了下去。

"Oh，don't you know?"he said."Aslan is the great Lion who comes from over the sea."

"噢，你不知道吗?"他说，"阿斯兰是漂洋过海而来的一头伟大的狮子。"

"Who has been telling you all this nonsense?"said the King in a voice of thunder.Caspian was frightened and said nothing.

"你是听谁胡说八道的?"国王怒气冲冲地抓起凯斯宾的手，弥若兹的这一举动吓坏了凯斯宾，他不敢再说什么了。

"Your Royal Highness，"said King Miraz，letting go of Caspian's hand，which he had been holding till now，"I insist upon being answered.Look me in the face.Who has been telling you this pack of lies?"

"我尊贵的王子，"弥若兹国王放开了抓住凯斯宾的手，接着说，"你看着我的眼睛，告诉我，是谁给你讲了这些谎话?"

"N-Nurse，"faltered Caspian，and burst into tears.

"是保......保姆。"凯斯宾颤抖地回答，吓得眼泪都出来了。

"Stop that noise，"said his uncle，taking Caspian by the shoulders and giving him a shake."Stop it.And never let me catch you talking-or thinking either-about all those silly stories again.There never were those Kings and Queens.How could there be two Kings at the same time? And there's no such person as Aslan.And there are no such things as lions.And there never was a time when animals could talk.Do you hear?"

"不准哭!"国王抓住他的肩，使劲地摇，"别再让我听到你讲这些荒诞的故事，想都不准想。什么国王、女王的，根本都不存在。一个国家怎么可能有两个国王和女王，更没有什么阿斯兰狮子，也不会有什么会说话的动物。听明白了吗?"

"Yes，Uncle，"sobbed Caspian.

"好的，叔父。"凯斯宾还在抽泣。

"Then let's have no more of it，"said the King.Then he called to one of the gentlemen-in-waiting who were standing at the far end of the terrace and said in a cold voice，"Conduct His Royal Highness to his apartments and send His Royal Highness's nurse to me AT ONCE."

"好了，不说了。"国王叫来恭候在阳台的侍从，冷冷地说，"送王子殿下回他的房间，然后把他的保姆给我带上来!"

Next day Caspian found what a terrible thing he had done，for Nurse had been sent away without even being allowed to say good-bye to him，and he was told he was to have a Tutor.

第二天，凯斯宾才知道自己做了多么可怕的事，保姆被赶走了，甚至不准她跟王子道别，而且他马上会有一位新的家庭教师。

Caspian missed his nurse very much and shed many tears; and because he was so miserable，he thought about the old stories of Narnia far more than before.He dreamed of Dwarfs and Dryads every night and tried very hard to make the dogs and cats in the castle talk to him.But the dogs only wagged their tails and the cats only purred.

凯斯宾非常想念他的保姆，还因此哭了好多次。可能是因为这现实生活太不尽如人意，所以他比以前更想念纳尼亚的古老故事了。他夜夜梦到小矮人和森林里的小仙女，还有会说话的动物。白天他便想尽一切办法，让那些城堡里的猫狗和他说话。可是，那些狗只会冲他摇尾巴，猫也只是会发出"咪咪"的叫声。

Caspian felt sure that he would hate the new Tutor，buy when the new Tutor arrived about a week later he turns out to be the sort of person it is almost impossible not to like.He was the smallest，and also the fattest，man Caspian had ever seen.He had a long，silvery，pointed beard which came down to his waist，and his face，which was brown and covered with wrinkles，looked very wise，very ugly，and very kind.His voice was grave and his eyes were merry so that，until you got to know him really well，it was hard to know when he was joking and when he was serious.His name was Doctor Cornelius.

凯斯宾相信他新来的家庭教师，一定非常讨厌。可让他意外的是，一个礼拜后，当家庭教师出现在他面前时，他发现他太招人喜欢了。他是凯斯宾见过最矮最胖的人，长长的白胡子几乎垂到了他的肚子上。他的脸是棕色的，布满皱纹。老师虽然很丑，但是慈祥的眼睛里充满了智慧。只有跟他混得非常熟，才知道他什么时候开玩笑，什么时候在说正经话。他就是克奈尔斯博士。

Of all his lessons with Doctor Cornelius the one that Caspian liked best was History.Up till now，except for Nurse's stories，he had known nothing about the History of Narnia，and he was very surprised to learn that the royal family were newcomers in the country.

在克奈尔斯博士所教的所有课程中，凯斯宾最喜欢历史课。到现在为止，除了保姆给他讲的故事，他对纳尼亚的历史根本是一无所知。当了解到自己的王族是从其他地方迁徙过来的时候，他非常惊讶。

"It was your Highness's ancestor，Caspian the First，"said Doctor Cornelius，"who first conquered Narnia and made it his kingdom.It was he who brought all your nation into the country.You are not native Narnians at all.You are all Telmarines-that is，you all came from the Land of Telmar，far beyond the Western Mountains.That is why Caspian the First is called Caspian the Conqueror."

"那是殿下的祖先，凯斯宾一世，"克奈尔斯博士说，"他征服了纳尼亚，并且成了它的国王。是他把你们的族人带到了纳尼亚。你们不是土生土长的纳尼亚人，而是台尔马人，来自西部大山那边的台尔马王国。这就是凯斯宾一世被称为'征服者凯斯宾'的原因。

"Please，Doctor，"asked Caspian one day，"who lived in Narnia before we all came here out of Telmar?"

"可是，克奈尔斯博士，"有一天凯斯宾问，"我们台尔马人来这儿之前，是什么人住在这里的呢?"

"No men-or very few-lived in Narnia before the Telmarines took it，"said Doctor Cornelius.

"没有人，或者说在台尔马人来这儿之前，很少有人来过纳尼亚。"克奈尔斯博士回答。

"Then who did my great-great-grandcesters conquer?"

"那么我的祖先征服了谁呢?"

"Whom，not who，your Highness，"said Doctor Cornelius."Perhaps it is time to turn from History to Grammar."

"不是征服谁，而是谁被征服，王子殿下，"克奈尔斯博士话锋一转，"我觉得现在我们应该马上结束历史课了，接下来是语法课。"

"Oh please，not yet!"said Caspian.

再等一下，马上就好，求求你了，凯斯宾恳求道，

"I mean，wasn't there a battle? Why is he called Caspian the Conqueror if there was nobody to fight with him?"

"那你告诉我，这中间难道就没有发生过战争吗?不然，为什么大家称他为'征服者凯斯宾'呢?"

"I said there were very few men in Narnia，"said the Doctor，looking at the little boy very strangely through his great spectacles.

"我说过了，纳尼亚之前很少有人的。"克奈尔斯博士透过他的老花镜，用一种异样的眼神看着这个小男孩。

For a moment Caspian was puzzled and then suddenly his heart gave a leap."Do you mean，"he gasped，"that there were other things? Do you mean it was like in the stories? Were there-?"

有那么一瞬间，凯斯宾感到很迷惑，但是他马上就激动了起来。"那么说，"他急切地问道，"难道真的像故事里讲的那样，纳尼亚之前还有其他的生灵吗?比如有......"

"Hush!"said Doctor Cornelius，laying his head very close to Caspian's."Not a word more.Don't you know your Nurse was sent away for telling you about Old Narnia? The King doesn't like it.If he found me telling you secrets，you'd be whipped and I should have my head cut off."

"嘘!"克奈尔斯博士凑近凯斯宾说，"别提这个了。难道你忘了，你的保姆就是因为跟你讲这些故事被赶走的吗?我们的国王不让提这些。如果他发现我跟你讲了这些，我的命就会保不住，你也会被打一顿的。"

"But why?"asked Caspian.

"可是，为什么不让提这些呢?"凯斯宾又问。

"1t is high time we turned to Grammar now，"said Doctor Cornelius in a loud voice."Will your Royal Highness be pleased to open Pulverulentus Siccus at the fourth page of his Grammatical garden or the Arbour of Accidence pleasantlie open'd to Tender Wits?"

"我们现在必须上语法课了，"克奈尔斯博士提高了声调，"王子殿下，请打开《语法解析》翻到第四页，我们要讲趣味语法点滴以及语言的结构和妙用。"

After that it was all nouns and verbs till lunchtime，but I don't think Caspian learned much.He was too excited.He felt sure that Doctor Cornelius would not have said so much unless he meant to tell him more sooner or later.

这之后到午饭之前，克奈尔斯博士一直在讲名词、动词，但是凯斯宾什么都没听进去。他非常确定克奈尔斯博士迟早还会接着讲那些故事的，如果他不打算告诉他，之前也不会说这么多了。

In this he was not disappointed.A few days later his Tutor said，"Tonight I am going to give you a lesson in Astronomy.At dead of night two noble planets，Tarva and Alambil，will pass within one degree of each other.Such a conjunction has not occurred for two hundred years，and your Highness will not live to see it again.It will be best if you go to bed a little earlier than usual.When the time of the conjunction draws near,I will come and wake you."

克奈尔斯博士果然没有让他失望。过了几天，他对凯斯宾说："今天晚上我们要上天文课。今夜两颗神圣的行星--塔瓦和阿拉姆毕尔将会相遇，他们之间的距离是近两百年里最接近的。恐怕此生见到这种奇迹的机会仅此一次。所以，王子殿下今晚最好早点睡觉，在两颗星星相遇之前我来叫醒你。"

This didn't seem to have anything to do with Old Narnia，which was what Caspian really wanted to hear about，but getting up in the middle of the night is always interesting and he was moderately pleased.When he went to bed that night，he thought at first that he would not be able to sleep; but he soon dropped off and it seemed only a few minutes before he felt someone gently shaking him.

凯斯宾觉得，这和古老的纳尼亚似乎没有什么关系。但是，半夜起床去做其他的事情倒也很新鲜，他想想都非常开心。起先，他估计自己会兴奋得睡不着，可事实是，他很快就睡着了。而且，好像是刚睡了一小会儿就有人轻轻地叫醒他。

He sat up in bed and saw that the room was full of moonlight.

他坐起来，看到屋子满是银色的月光。

Doctor Cornelius，muffled in a hooded robe and holding a small lamp in his hand，stood by the bedside.

而克奈尔斯博士穿着一件带帽子的大斗篷，提着一盏灯，站在他的床边。

Caspian remembered at once what they were going to do.He got up and put on some clothes.Athough it was a summer night he felt colder than he had expected and was quite glad when the Doctor wrapped him in a robe like his own and gave him a pair of warm，soft buskins for his feet.A moment later，both muffled so that they could hardly be seen in the dark corridors，and both shod so that they made almost no noise，master and pupil left the room.

凯斯宾很快清醒过来。他赶紧爬起来穿衣服，虽然这是夏天，但深夜里还是有点凉意。克奈尔斯博士给他披了一件和自己一样的斗篷，还给了他一双温暖的长筒靴。然后，两个人裹上黑色的斗篷，在漆黑的廊子里蹑手蹑脚地走，一点声音也没有。这对师生像隐形了一样，离开了房间。

Caspian followed the Doctor through many passages and up several staircases，and at last，through a little door in a turret，they came out upon the leads.On one side were the battlements，on the other a steep roof; below them，all shadowy and shimmery，the castle gardens; above them，stars and moon.Presently they came to another door，which led into the great central tower of the whole castle: Doctor Cornelius unlocked it and they began to climb the dark winding stair of the tower.Caspian was becoming excited; he had never been allowed up this stair before.

凯斯宾跟着克奈尔斯博士走过很多长廊，爬了很多层楼梯，最后穿过一扇小门，来到天台。凯斯宾在夜色中遥望下面幽暗的城堡和花园。抬起头，皓月当空，星罗棋布。很快，他们又进入另一扇门，走向城堡中心的高塔。克奈尔斯博士打开锁，带着凯斯宾沿着旋转楼梯爬上去。凯斯宾非常兴奋，因为这楼梯平时是不准爬的。

It was long and steep，but when they came out on the roof of the tower and Caspian had got his breath，he felt that it had been well worth it.Away on his right he could see，rather indistinctly，the Western Mountains.On his left was the gleam of the Great River，and everything was so quiet that he could hear the sound of the waterfall at Beaversdam，a mile away.There was no difficulty in picking out the two stars they had come to see.They hung rather low in the southern sky，almost as bright as two little moons and very close together.

楼梯又长又陡。爬到塔顶时，凯斯宾已经上气不接下气了。但是，他马上发现这一切都是值得的。向右望去，山峦重重，依稀可见，左边是一条九曲回肠的大河。此时万籁俱寂，凯斯宾隐约听得见一英里外大坝的水声。他们开始从众星中找出那两颗神圣的星星，不过这似乎并不难--它们低悬在南方，明亮得像两颗小月亮，而且相距非常近。

"Are they going to have a collision?"he asked in an awestruck voice.

"它们会撞在一起吗?"凯斯宾突然不安地问。

"Nay，dear Prince，"said the Doctor (and he too spoke in a whisper)."The great lords of the upper sky know the steps of their dance too well for that.Look well upon them.Their meeting is fortunate and means some great good for the sad realm of Narnia.Tarva，the Lord of Victory，salutes Alambil，the Lady of Peace.They are just coming to their nearest."

"不会的，我的王子殿下，"克奈尔斯博士说，"那些星星太熟悉它们的轨道了，怎么可能会撞在一起呢。你好好地看着吧，这次相聚是个吉兆的，将会给不幸的纳尼亚带来福音。你看!胜利之神塔瓦正在向和平女神阿拉姆毕尔致敬呢，它们就要到相距最近的地方了。"

"It's a pity that tree gets in the way，"said Caspian."We'd really see better from the West Tower，though it is not so high."

"可惜被那棵树挡住了，"凯斯宾说，"西塔的视线应该会好一点，而且也不用爬这么高。"

Doctor Cornelius said nothing for about two minutes，but stood still with his eyes fixed on Tarva and Alambil.Then he drew a deep breath and turned to Caspian.

大概有两分钟，克奈尔斯博士一句话都没说，就像雕像一样站在那里，注视着行星塔瓦和阿拉姆毕尔。然后，他深深地吐了口气，转头看着凯斯宾。

"There，"he said."You have seen what no man now alive has seen，nor will see again.And you are right.We should have seen it even better from the smaller tower.I brought you here for another reason."

"在这里，"他说，"你看到了别人没看过的，而且此后再也不会有人看到的奇迹。当然你是对的，我们在西塔可以看得更清楚。但是我带你来这里，还有别的原因。"

Caspian looked up at him，but the Doctor's hood concealed most of his face.

凯斯宾仰起头看着他，可是克奈尔斯博士的帽子遮住了他大半个脸。

"The virtue of this tower，"said Doctor Cornelius，"is that we have six empty rooms beneath us，and a long stair，and the door at the bottom of the stair is locked.We cannot be overheard."

"来这座塔真正的原因，"克奈尔斯博士说，"是因为在我们下面，有六间空屋子，还有长长的楼梯，底楼还上了锁，所以没有人能听到我们讲话。

"Are you going to tell me what you wouldn't tell me the other day?"said Caspian.

"你是不是要告诉我那天没说完的事?"凯斯宾急切地问。

"I am，"said the Doctor."But remember.You and I must never talk about these things except here-on the very top of the Great Tower."

"没错，"克奈尔斯博士说，"但是你必须要记住，我们不要再谈论这件事，除非在这里。"

"No.That's a promise，"said Caspian."But do go on，please."

"好的，我答应你。"凯斯宾说，"那你现在就给我讲吧。"

"Listen，"said the Doctor."All you have heard about Old Narnia is true.It is not the land of Men.It is the country of Aslan，the country of the Waking Trees and Visible Naiads，of Fauns and Satyrs，of Dwarfs and Giants，of the gods and the Centaurs，of Talking Beasts.It was against these that the first Caspian fought.It is you Telmarines who silenced the beasts and the trees and the fountains，and who killed and drove away the Dwarfs and Fauns，and are now trying to cover up even the memory of them.The King does not allow them to be spoken of."

"那你听好了，"博士说，"那些关于纳尼亚的传说都是真实的。纳尼亚根本不是人类的领地，它属于阿斯兰。以前的纳尼亚，有清醒的大树，有机灵的水仙女、羊怪、小矮人和巨人，还有海狸和人马，以及其他会说话的动物。就是他们败给了凯斯宾一世，正是你们台尔马人让这些圣灵都变得安静和愚钝，是你们台尔马人赶走了小矮人和羊怪。而且你们台尔马人还想把这些恶行从人们的记忆中抹去，所以国王不准任何人提起这些事。"

"Oh，I do wish we hadn't，"said Caspian."And I am glad it was all true，even if it is all over."

"啊，我宁愿我的祖先没有做过这些事情，"凯斯宾说，"但是我很高兴，因为这些传说虽然已经过去了很久，但是它们都是真的。"

"Many of your race wish that in secret，"said Doctor Cornelius.

"当然，在你的同胞里，也有一些人暗地里反对过你们祖先做那些事情。"克奈尔斯博士说。

"But，Doctor，"said Caspian，"why do you say my race? After all，I suppose you're a Telmarine too."

"但是，克奈尔斯博士，"凯斯宾禁不住问，"你为什么说'我的同胞'，难道你不是台尔马人?"

"Am I?"said the Doctor.

"你觉得我像吗?"克奈尔斯博士问。

"Well，you're a Man anyway，"said Caspian.

"嗯，你好歹算是一个人嘛。"凯斯宾回答。

"Am I?"repeated the Doctor in a deeper voice，at the same moment throwing back his hood so that Caspian could see his face clearly in the moonlight.

"你确定?"克奈尔斯博士的声音更加低沉了，他说着取掉了斗篷的帽子。凯斯宾借着月光看清了他的脸。

All at once Caspian realized the truth and felt that he ought to have realized it long before.Doctor Cornelius was so small，and so fat，and had such a very long beard.Two thoughts came into his head at the same moment.One was a thought of terror-"He's not a real man，not a man at all，he's a Dwarf，and he's brought me up here to kill me."The other was sheer delight-"There are real Dwarfs still，and I've seen one at last."

凯斯宾顿时恍然大悟，他早就应该发现的，克奈尔斯博士身材那么矮小，那么胖，而且胡子那么长、那么密。他的脑海里立即闪过两个念头，一个声音恐惧地想，"难道克奈尔斯博士是个小矮人，为了报复台尔马人，把我带到这里偷偷杀掉。"另一个声音却很乐观，"竟然有小矮人活了下来，还让我亲眼见到了。"

"So you've guessed it in the end，"said Doctor Cornelius."Or guessed it nearly right.I'm not a pure Dwarf.I have human blood in me too.Many Dwarfs escaped in the great battles and lived on，shaving their beards and wearing high-heeled shoes and pretending to be men.They have mixed with your Telmarines.I am one of those，only a half-Dwarf，and if any of my kindred，the true Dwarfs，are still alive anywhere in the world，doubtless they would despise me and call me a traitor.But never in all these years have we forgotten our own people and all the other happy creatures of Narnia，and the long-lost days of freedom."

"你应该明白是怎么回事了吧。"克奈尔斯博士说，"可能你猜对了，我不是纯正的小矮人，我有人类的血统。事实上，很多小矮人在那场战争中幸存了下来。只不过为了继续活着，他们剃掉胡子穿上长筒靴，扮成人类和台尔马人混居。我是其中的一个，但是我只是半个小矮人。如果我的同胞，也就是说纯正的小矮人还活在世上的话，他们肯定会瞧不起我，叫我'叛徒'。但是这么多年来，我从来没有忘记它们，还有古纳尼亚的那些生灵和那神仙般的生活。"

"I'm-I'm sorry，Doctor，"said Caspian."It wasn't my fault，you know."

"对......对不起，克奈尔斯博士，"凯斯宾说，"你知道的，那并不是我的错。"

"I am not saying these things in blame of you，dear Prince，"answered the Doctor."You may well ask why I say them at all.But I have two reasons.Firstly，because my old heart has carried these secret memories so long that it aches with them and would burst if I did not whisper them to you.But secondly，for this: that when you become King you may help us，for I know that you also，Telmarine though you are，love the Old Things."

"我的王子，我没有责备你的意思。"博士回答说，"你应该很好奇，我为什么对你说这些。这其中有两个原因，其一，这些秘密待在我心里面，实在是太久了，这些回忆在我心里隐隐作痛，但是我又改变不了什么。其二我希望你将来成为国王的时候，能帮助我们。因为我知道，虽然你是一个台尔马人，但是你像我一样，热爱古纳尼亚的一切。

"I do，I do，"said Caspian."But how can I help?"

"我愿意，当然愿意，"凯斯宾说，"可是我该怎么帮助你呢?"

"You can be kind to the poor remnants of the Dwarf people，like myself.You can gather learned magicians and try to find a way of awaking the trees once more.You can search through all the nooks and wild places of the land to see if any Fauns or Talking Beasts or Dwarfs are perhaps still alive in hiding."

"你可以对那些幸存下来的小矮人好一些，召集充满智慧的资深魔法师唤醒树神;你可以派人找找其他地方是不是还有羊怪、会说话的动物和小矮人。也许他们现在没有死，而是在我们找不到的地方避难。

"Do you think there are any?"asked Caspian eagerly.

"你觉得我们真的能找到他们吗?"凯斯宾急切地问。

"I don't know-I don't know，"said the Doctor with a deep sigh."Sometimes I am afraid there can't be.I have been looking for traces of them all my life.Sometimes I have thought I heard a Dwarf-drum in the mountains.Sometimes at night，in the woods，I thought I had caught a glimpse of Fauns and Satyrs dancing a long way off; but when I came to the place，there was never anything there.I have often despaired; but something always happens to start me hoping again.I don't know.But at least you can try to be a King like the High King Peter of old，and not like your uncle."

"我也说不好，真的说不好，"克奈尔斯博士叹了口气"很多时候我也在怀疑，他们是不是真的幸存了下来。这些年来我一直在寻找他们的踪迹，有时我会听到山中有小矮人的鼓声;有时我似乎看到了森林中有羊怪，又或者是树仙女在跳舞。可是当我走向他们时，他们就突然消失了。每次都这样，真令人沮丧，但是之后又有类似的事情不断发生，又燃起了我的希望。我说不好他们究竟有没有幸存下来，可是你至少要做一位贤明的国王，像彼得国王那样，一定不要学你的叔父。

"Then it's true about the Kings and Queens too，and about the White Witch?"said Caspian.

"那也就是说，关于国王和女王的传说也是真的?还有白女巫?"凯斯宾问。

"Certainly it is true，"said Cornelius."Their reign was the Golden Age in Narnia and the land has never forgotten them."

"没错，都是真的，"克奈尔斯说，"那是纳尼亚的黄金时代，这块土地是永远不会忘记他们的。"

"Did they live in this castle，Doctor?"

"克奈尔斯博士，他们当时就住在这座城堡吗?"

"Nay，my dear，"said the old man."This castle is a thing of yesterday.Your great-great-grandfather built it.But when the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve were made Kings and Queens of Narnia by Aslan himself，they lived in the castle of Cair Paravel.No man alive has seen that blessed place and perhaps even the ruins of it have now vanished.But we believe it was far from here，down at the mouth of the Great River，on the very shore of the sea."

"不是的，我的王子，"这位充满智慧的老者说，"这座城堡是由你曾祖父在前些年修建的。在阿斯兰加封亚当的两个儿子和夏娃的两个女儿为国王和女王时，他们住的是凯尔帕拉维尔城堡。没有人到过那个神圣的地方，连废墟都找不到。所以，我们相信那儿离这儿很遥远，在大河的入海口。

"Ugh!"said Caspian with a shudder."Do you mean in the Black Woods? Where all the-the-you know，the ghosts live?"

"啊?!"凯斯宾吃惊不小，"你说的是'黑树林'吗?那个......那个，那里不是住着幽灵吗?"

"Your Highness speaks as you have been taught，"said the Doctor."But it is all lies.There are no ghosts there.That is a story invented by the Telmarines.Your Kings are in deadly fear of the sea because they can never quite forget that in all stories Aslan comes from over the sea.They don't want to go near it and they don't want anyone else to go near it.So they have let great woods grow up to cut their people off from the coast.But because they have quarrelled with the trees they are afraid of the woods.And because they are afraid of the woods they imagine that they are full of ghosts.And the Kings and great men，hating both the sea and the wood，partly believe these stories，and partly encourage them.They feel safer if no one in Narnia dares to go down to the coast and look out to sea-towards Aslan's land and the morning and the eastern end of the world."

"尊敬的王子殿下，一定是有人曾对你说了谎话，"克奈尔斯博士说，"那里没有幽灵，那些都是台尔马人编造的谎言。历代的台尔马国王都很怕海水，因为他们对过去的传说耿耿于怀，他们担心阿斯兰会从海外回来惩恶扬善。因此他们不敢亲近大海，也不让其他人亲近大海。久而久之，那里的森林就越来越茂密，把他们居住的地方和海岸隔了开来。他们还害怕森林，臆想那里到处都是幽灵。而且历代国王和大臣都是这样，对那些谎言推波助澜。只要没有人敢去看大海，去遥望阿斯兰和初升的太阳，他们就觉得安心了。

There was a deep silence between them for a few minutes.Then Doctor Cornelius said，"Come.We have been here long enough.It is time to go down and to bed."

他们俩默默地站了好久，都没有说话，最后还是克奈尔斯博士先开口，"走吧，我们出来的时间不短了，你该回去睡觉了。"

"Must we?"said Caspian."I'd like to go on talking about these things for hours and hours and hours."

"一定要回去吗?"凯斯宾意犹未尽地说，"我还没听够呢，真想再听几个小时。"

"Someone might begin looking for us，if we did that，"said Doctor Cornelius.

"天快亮了，如果再讲下去，恐怕他们要开始四处寻找我们了。"克奈尔斯博士说。