书城童书纳尼亚传奇系列(套装共7册)
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第313章 世界的尽头(4)

“There is a way into my country from all the worlds,” said the Lamb; but as he spoke, his snowy white flushed into tawny gold and his size changed and he was Aslan himself, towering above them and scattering light from his mane.

“Oh, Aslan,” said Lucy. “Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?”

“I shall be telling you all the time,” said Aslan. “But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river.

But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder. And now come; I will open the door in the sky and send you to your own land.”

“Please, Aslan,” said Lucy. “Before we go, will you tell us when we can come back to Narnia again? Please. And oh, do, do, do make it soon.”

“Dearest,” said Aslan very gently, “you and your brother will never come balk to Narnia.”

“Oh, Aslan!” said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voices.

“You are too old, children,” said Aslan, “and you must begin to come close to your own world now.”

“It isn‘t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan‘t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”

“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan. “Are-are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.

“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learnto know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

“And is Eustace never to come back here either?” said Lucy.

“Child,” said Aslan, “do you really need to know that? Come, I am opening the door in the sky.” Then all in one moment there was a rending of the blue wall (like a curtain being torn) and a terrible white light from beyond the sky, and the feel of Aslan’s mane and a Lion‘s kiss on their foreheads and then-the bark bedroom in Aunt Alberta’s home in Cambridge.

Only two more things need to be told. One is that Caspian and his men all came safely back to Ramandu‘s Island. And the three lords woke from their sleep. Caspian married Ramandu’s daughter and they all reached Narnia in the end, and she became a great queen and the mother and grandmother of great kings. The other is that back in our own world everyone soon started saying how Eustace had improved, and how “You‘d never know him for the same boy”: everyone except Aunt Alberta, who said he had become very commonplace and tiresome and it must have been the influence of those Pevensie children.

中文阅读

除了德利尼安和珀文西家两兄妹之外,还有雷匹奇普看到了海人。一看见海人的国王挥舞长矛,它就立即跳进了海里,因为它把这看成了一种威胁,或者说是一种挑战,当即就想跟他们一决胜负。发现海水变甜的激动转移了它的注意力,还没等它想起那些海人,露西和德利尼安就把它拉到一边,告诫它不可提起那些海人。

随着事情的发展,其实他们大可不必为此费心。因为这会儿,“黎明”号正行驶在一片看上去无人居住的海域。只有露西再一次看到了海人,而且只是惊鸿一瞥。第二天整整一个上午,他们都在很浅的水中航行,水底长着海草。快到正午时,露西看到一大群鱼在吃草。这些鱼都在静静地吃着草,朝着同一个方向移动。“就像是一群羊。”露西心中暗想。猛然间,她看到鱼群中有一个海人少女,跟自己的年纪差不多——一个安静的、神情寂寞的少女,手里拿着根曲柄牧羊杖。露西认定,那一定是个牧羊女——或许应该说是牧鱼女——她的确是在草场放牧那群鱼。鱼群和少女距离水面很近。女孩子在浅水中滑行着,露西靠在围栏上,正好与她打了个照面。牧鱼女抬起头来,直勾勾地盯着露西的脸。她们两个谁都没有说话。顷刻之间,牧鱼女落到了船后边。露西永远也忘不了她的面容,不像其他的海人,她看上去既不害怕,也不愤怒。露西很喜欢那个女孩子,她相信那个女孩子也喜欢她。转瞬之间,她们不知怎么就成了朋友。看来,她们没有多少机会在那个世界或者另外的世界里重逢。如果真有这样的机会,她们将会伸出双手,朝着对方跑去。

在那之后,有很多天船帆上没有一丝风,船头也没有一朵浪花,“黎明”号行驶在波澜不惊的大海上,平稳地向东滑行。每一天,每一个小时,光线都变得更加灿烂,而他们依旧能够承受。没有人吃饭或者睡觉,但是大家都不感到饥饿或是困倦。他们从海里打起一桶桶令人目眩的海水,那水比酒还要浓郁,比普通的水更加湿润,更加清澈。大家彼此默默地干杯,开怀畅饮。有一两个水手出航时年纪比较大,如今则一天比一天变得年轻。船上每个人都充满了喜乐与激动,但那种激动使人保持着缄默。他们航行得越远,话语越少,即使说话,也都压低了嗓音。最后一海的静谧征服了他们。

“爱卿,”一天,卡斯宾对德利尼安说,“你看前边是什么东西?”“陛下,”德利尼安答道,“我看到了一片白色,在我视力所及的范围内,沿着地平线从北到南。”“我看到的也是这样,”卡斯宾说,“我想象不出,那会是什么东西。”“如果我们位于更高的纬度,陛下,”德利尼安说,“我会说,那些是冰。但不可能是冰,在这里不可能。尽管如此,我们最好还是让大家划起桨来,使船逆流而行。不管那是什么,我们都不想以这种速度撞上它!”

人们按照德利尼安的吩咐去行动,于是船的速度越来越慢。等他们到了跟前,那片白色并没有因此而减少其神秘。如果是土地的话,那一定是一片神奇的土地,因为它看起来像水一样平滑,与水同处于一个平面上。就在他们快要撞上那片东西的时候,德利尼安用力扳动船舵,使“黎明”号掉头向南。就这样,船的一边对着水流,与白色东西的边缘保持平行,向南划出了一段距离。在这个过程中,他们偶然有了一个重要的发现,即水流只有大约四十英尺宽,海洋的其他部分依旧波平如镜。对于水手们来说,这是一个好消息。他们已经在考虑返回拉曼都岛的航程,假如一路上逆流划船,那将会苦不堪言(这也解释了牧鱼女为何那么快就落到了船的后边。因为她不在水流之中。如果她也位于水流中的话,她会以同样的速度与船一起向东移动。)还是没有人知道那白花花的东西是什么。他们把小船吊了下去,划到近前去进行探查。留在“黎明”号上的人看见小舟直接驶入了白色的东西之中。随后,人们听到小船上的人在说话(声音在平静的水面上显得十分清晰),他们惊讶地尖声谈论着。再往后,说话声停止了,里奈尔福在小船的船头测了水深之后,他们又把小船划了回来,上面装了不少白色的物体。大家蜂拥到船边,想听听他们带回来的消息。

“百合花,陛下!”里奈尔福在船头站立起来,喊道。“你在说些什么?”卡斯宾问道。“盛开的百合花,陛下,”里奈尔福说,“就跟长在水塘里,或者国内花园里的一模一样。”“看!”露西说。她坐在小船的尾部,举起湿漉漉的手臂中抱着的白色花朵与扁平宽阔的叶子。“水深是多少,里奈尔福?”德利尼安问道。

“真是件咄咄怪事,船长,”里奈尔福回答说,“水依然很深。足足有二十一英尺。”

“那不可能是真正的百合花——不是我们所说的百合花。”尤斯塔斯说。也许它们不是,但真的十分相像。大家商量了一会儿之后,“黎明”号又转身进入水流,开始向东滑过百合花湖,或者说银海(他们使用了这两个名字,但最终银海保留了下来,至今还标在卡斯宾的地图上),开始了他们航程中最奇特的部分。很快,他们驶离的开阔的大海变成了西边地平线上的一道蓝线。白色,微微透出些许金色,蔓延在他们的四周,只有船尾部划出的一条开阔的水路,像是墨绿色的玻璃熠熠生辉。看起来,这最后一海很像是北极。如果他们的眼睛现在没有变得像鹰眼一样锐利的话,太阳照射在那片银海之上——尤其是在清晨,太阳最大的时候——将会令人无法忍受。每天夜晚,这片皑皑白色使得日光持续得更久。百合花看起来漫无边际。一天又一天,那些蔓延千百里的鲜花散发出一股香味,露西觉得很难加以描述。甜香——是的,但并不使人昏昏欲睡,浑身无力。一股清新自然、幽雅寂寞的香气,似乎可以醒脑提神,使你觉得,自己可以奔跑着登上高山,或者去与大象摔跤。她和卡斯宾在互相诉说着:“我感到再也无法承受更多的香气,然而,我又不想让这种香气消失。”

他们经常测量水深,几天之后,海水才逐渐变浅。随后,水变得越来越浅。终于有一天,他们不得不划出水流,以蜗牛般的速度探索着向前划行。很快,他们就看清了形势,“黎明”号再也无法继续向东行驶。的确,只是靠着高超的航海技术,他们才没有使船搁浅。

“放下小船,”卡斯宾喊道,“叫人们到船尾来。我有话要对大家讲。”“他想做什么?”尤斯塔斯小声对埃德蒙说,“他的眼神怪怪的。”“我想,我们大概都是这个样子。”埃德蒙说。他们陪着卡斯宾站在船尾楼上。很快,所有的人都聚集在梯子的下方,聆听国王讲话。“朋友们,”卡斯宾说,“现在,我们已经完成了你们所参与的探索。