纳尼亚传奇4魔法师的外甥 《魔法师的外甥》第55期:迪格雷和他的舅舅又陷困境(5)

《魔法师的外甥》第55期:迪格雷和他的舅舅又陷困境(5)  

The last words were spoken to Polly and the Cabby who had now arrived. Polly
all eyes and mouth
was staring at Aslan and holding the Cabby's hand rather tightly. The Cabby gave one glance at the Lion
and took off his bowler hat: no one had yet seen him without it. When it was off
he looked younger and nicer
and more like a countryman and less like a London cabman.
"Son
" said Aslan to the Cabby. "I have known you long. Do you know me?"
"Well
no
sir
" said the Cabby. "Leasays
not in an ordinary manner of speaking. Yet I feel somehow
if I may make so free
as 'ow we've met before."
"It is well
" said the Lion. "You know better than you think you know
and you shall live to know me better yet. How does this land please you?"
"It's a fair treat
sir
" said the Cabby.
"Would you like to live here always?"
"Well you see sir
I'm a married man
" said the Cabby. "If my wife was here neither of us would ever want to go back to London
I reckon. We're both country folks really."
Aslan threw up his shaggy head
opened his mouth
and uttered a long
single note; not very loud
but full of power. Polly's heart jumped in her body when she heard it. She felt sure that it was a call
and that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it and (what's more) would be able to obey it
however many worlds and ages lay beeen. And so
though she was filled with wonder
she was not really astonished or shocked when all of a sudden a young woman
with a kind
honest face stepped out of nowhere and stood beside her. Polly knew at once that it was the Cabby's wife
fetched out of our world not by any tiresome magic rings
but quickly
simply and sweetly as a bird flies to its nest. The young woman had apparently been in the middle of a washing day
for she wore an apron
her sleeves were rolled up to the elbow
and there were soapsuds on her hands. If she had had time to put on her good clothes (her best hat had imitation cherries on it) she would have looked dreadful; as it was
she looked rather nice.
Of course she thought she was dreaming. That was why she didn't rush across to her husband and ask him what on earth had happened to them both. But when she looked at the Lion she didn't feel quite so sure it was a dream
yet for some reason she did not appear to be very frightened. Then she dropped a little half curtsey
as some country girls still knew how to do in those days. After that
she went and put her hand in the Cabby's and stood there looking round her a little shyly.
"My children
" said Aslan
fixing his eyes on both of them
"you are to be the first King and Queen of Narnia."
The Cabby opened his mouth in astonishment
and his wife turned very red.
"You shall rule and name all these creatures
and do justice among them
and protect them from their enemies when enemies arise. And enemies will arise
for there is an evil Witch in this world."
最后一句是对刚刚到达的波莉和马车伕说的。波莉紧紧地拉着马车伕的手，目瞪口呆地盯着阿斯兰。马车伕看了狮子一眼，摘下帽子来，谁也没有见过他不戴帽子的模样。这下，他看上去要年轻漂亮些，更像一个乡下人而不像伦敦的马车伕。
“孩子，”阿斯兰对马车伕说，“我很早就认识你了，你认识我吗？”
“不，阁下，不认识，”马车伕说，“至少不是一般人说的那种认识。不过我觉得，如果我可以这么说的话，我们以前是有些认识的。”
“很好，”狮子说，“你比你自己想像的更有悟性，你会越来越了解我的。你喜欢这片土地吗？”
“我在这儿非常快乐，阁下。”马车伕说。
“你想永远住在这儿吗？”
“你知道，阁下，我结了婚，”马车伕说，“我想，要是我妻子也在这儿，我们谁也不想再回伦敦了。我们都是地地道道的乡下人。”
阿斯兰昂起多毛的头，张口呼出长长的、不很嘹亮但有力的一声。波莉听得心跳加快。她敢肯定，那是一种呼唤，任何人听到这声呼唤，不管隔了多少世界多少年代，都想听从而且都能够听从。虽然她心中充满了好奇，但当一个看上去善良、诚实的年轻女人不知从哪儿走出来站在她旁边时，她并没有被吓一跳或者感到十分震惊。波莉立刻明白，那就是马车伕的妻子，不是被任何折磨人的魔法戒指从我们的世界硬生生地拖过去的，而是如鸟儿回巢一般迅捷、简单、舒适地到了那里。那年轻女人系着围裙，袖子挽到肘部，手上还沾着肥皂泡，显然刚才正在洗衣服。如果有时间换上好衣服(她最好的帽子上镶有樱桃饰)，她看上去准会让人讨厌。那身朴实无华的衣服却使她显得相当可爱。
当然，她以为自己是在梦中，便没有马上奔到丈夫身边，问他到底怎么回事。但当她看见狮子时，她不那么肯定是在做梦，然而不知什么原因她也没露出非常害怕的神情。然后，她微微行了一个屈膝礼，那年月，一些农村姑娘也知道如何行屈膝礼。接着，她走过去，拉住马车伕的手，站在那里，略带羞涩地四下环顾。
“我的孩子们，”阿斯兰看着他们两人说，“你们将是纳尼亚第一位国王和王后。”
马车伕吃惊地张大了嘴，他妻子的脸也红了。
“你们将统治所有这些动物，要公正行事，当敌人入侵时保卫它们的安全。而且敌人是会来的，因为这个世界里已经有了一个恶魔般的女巫。”