为什么第一胎都想要男孩 《能言马与男孩》第41期:在蒂斯罗克的密室里(1)

《能言马与男孩》第41期:在蒂斯罗克的密室里(1)  

Chapter 8 In the House of The Tisroc
"OH-my-father-and-oh-the-delight-of-my-eyes
" began the young man
muttering the words very quickly and sulkily and not at all as if the Tisroc were the delight of his eyes. "May you live for ever
but you have utterly destroyed me. If you had given me the swiftest of the galleys at sunrise when I first saw that the ship of the accursed barbarians was gone from her place I would perhaps have overtaken them. But you persuaded me to send first and see if they had not merely moved round the point into better anchorage. And now the whole day has been wasted. And they are gone - gone - out of my reach! The false jade
the-" and here he added a great many descriptions of Queen Susan which would not look at all nice in print. For of course this young man was Prince Rabadash and of course the false jade was Susan of Narnia.
"Compose yourself
O my son
" said the Tisroc. "For the departure of guests makes a wound that is easily healed in the heart of a judicious host."
"But I want her
" cried the Prince. "I must have her. I shall die if I do not get her- false
proud
black-hearted daughter of a dog that she is! I cannot sleep and my food has no savour and my eyes are darkened because of her beauty. I must have the barbarian queen."
"How well it was said by a gifted poet
" observed the Vizier
raising his face (in a somewhat dusty condition) from the carpet
"that deep draughts from the fountain of reason are desirable in order to extinguish the fire of youthful love."
This seemed to exasperate the Prince. "Dog
" he shouted
directing a series of well-aimed kicks at the hindquarters of the Vizier
"do not dare to quote the poets to me. I have had maxims and verses flung at me all day and I can endure them no more." I am afraid Aravis did not feel at all sorry for the Vizier.
The Tisroc was apparently sunk in thought
but when
after a long pause
he noticed what was happening
he said tranquilly:
"My son
by all means desist from kicking the venerable and enlightened Vizier: for as a costly jewel retains its value even if hidden in a dung-hill
so old age and discretion are to be respected even in the vile persons of our subjects. Desist therefore
and tell us what you desire and propose."
"I desire and propose
O my father
" said Rabadash
"that you immediately call out your invincible armies and invade the thrice-accursed land of Narnia and waste it with fire and sword and add it to your illimitable empire
killing their High King and all of his blood except the queen Susan. For I must have her as my wife
though she shall learn a sharp lesson first."