霍比特人：苍蝇与蜘蛛 Flies and Spiders （上）

FLIES AND SPIDERS

苍蝇与蜘蛛

They walked in single file. The entrance to the path was like a sort of arch leading into a gloomy tunnel made by two great trees that leant together, too old and strangled with ivy and hung with lichen to bear more than a few blackened leaves. The path itself was narrow and wound in and out among the trunks. Soon the light at the gate was like a little bright hole far behind, and the quiet was so deep that their feet seemed to thump along while all the trees leaned over them and listened.

他们排成一路纵队行进着。小径的入口是两棵彼此靠向一起的大树，看起来像是通往某个黑暗隧道的拱门。两棵树老态龙钟，又缠满了藤蔓，附满了苔藓，因此只剩了寥寥几片黑黢黢的树叶。小径本身十分狭窄，在树木之间穿来绕去。很快，入口的亮光就变成了身后远处的一个小亮洞，四周一片死寂，让他们的脚步声成了沉重的鼓声，似乎所有的树木都朝着他们凑了过来，凝神倾听。

As their eyes became used to the dimness they could see a little way to either side in a sort of darkened green glimmer. Occasionally a slender beam of sun that had the luck to slip in through some opening in the leaves far above, and still more luck in not being caught in the tangled boughs and matted twigs beneath, stabbed down thin and bright before them. But this was seldom, and it soon ceased altogether.

随着眼睛渐渐适应了昏暗，他们看见所走道路的两旁各有一条小路，散发着有点像是墨绿色的暗光。有时，会有一缕细细的阳光通过最上方浓密树叶间的某个缺口，幸运地溜了进来，又凭着更大的幸运没有被下面交错的树枝给拦截，在他们面前刺下一道极细的光线。但这样的情况很罕见，而且马上就完全消失了。

There were black squirrels in the wood. As Bilbo’s sharp inquisitive eyes got used to seeing things he could catch glimpses of them whisking off the path and scuttling behind tree-trunks. There were queer noises too, grunts, scufflings, and hurryings in the undergrowth, and among the leaves that lay piled endlessly thick in places on the forest-floor; but what made the noises he could not see. The nastiest things they saw were the cobwebs: dark dense cobwebs with threads extraordinarily thick, often stretched from tree to tree, or tangled in the lower branches on either side of them. There were none stretched across the path, but whether because some magic kept it clear, or for what other reason they could not guess.

森林中有黑色的松鼠，在比尔博锐利的双眼经过适应能看清东西之后，他可以瞥见它们飞快地掠过小径，慌慌张张地躲到了树干后面。在矮树丛中还有许多奇怪的声响，闷哼声、搔抓声以及快速跑动的声音。这类声响也会出现在地上堆得厚厚的腐叶堆中，但是究竟是什么生物弄出这些声响来的他却看不见。他们见到的最恶心的东西就是蜘蛛网了：这些黑暗浓密的网由特别粗的蛛丝织成，往往从一棵树延伸到另一棵树，或是悬挂在道路两侧的低矮树枝上。没有哪张蛛网是拦在道路中央的，但究竟是由于某种魔法还是其他原因才使得道路保持清通的，他们想不出来。

It was not long before they grew to hate the forest as heartily as they had hated the tunnels of the goblins, and it seemed to offer even less hope of any ending. But they had to go on and on, long after they were sick for a sight of the sun and of the sky, and longed for the feel of wind on their faces. There was no movement of air down under the forest-roof, and it was everlastingly still and dark and stuffy. Even the dwarves felt it, who were used to tunnelling, and lived at times for long whiles without the light of the sun; but the hobbit, who liked holes to make a house in but not to spend summer days in, felt that he was being slowly suffocated.

不久之后，他们就对这座森林产生了厌恶感，其强烈与真挚，一如他们讨厌半兽人的隧道。而且，森林比隧道还更让人盼不到头。他们早就极度渴望能见到阳光和天空的景象，向往凉风拂过脸庞的感觉，但是没办法，他们只能不停地走啊走。在森林的穹盖之下空气没有任何流动，似乎永远就是那么静止、黑暗与窒闷。即使是习惯了长期在地底挖隧道，经常会有很长一段时间见不到日光的矮人，也感受到了这种压迫感。霍比特人虽然喜欢把家安在地底的洞里，但到了夏天也喜欢离家到外面透气，所以这会儿他觉得自己正在慢慢地窒息而死。

The nights were the worst. It then became pitch-dark—not what you call pitch-dark, but really pitch: so black that you really could see nothing. Bilbo tried flapping his hand in front of his nose, but he could not see it at all. Well, perhaps it is not true to say that they could see nothing: they could see eyes. They slept all closely huddled together, and took it in turns to watch; and when it was Bilbo’s turn he would see gleams in the darkness round them, and sometimes pairs of yellow or red or green eyes would stare at him from a little distance, and then slowly fade and disappear and slowly shine out again in another place. And sometimes they would gleam down from the branches just above him; and that was most terrifying. But the eyes that he liked the least were horrible pale bulbous sort of eyes. “Insect eyes,” he thought, “not animal eyes, only they are much too big.”

夜晚是最糟糕的时段，森林中会变得漆黑一团——这可不是一般人所谓的漆黑，而是真的黑到了极致：黑得你连任何东西都看不见。比尔博试着在鼻子前摆了摆手，根本什么都看不见。不过，也许说什么都看不见不能算是很精确，因为他们可以看见眼睛。他们睡觉的时候全都挤在一起，然后大家轮流守夜。在轮到比尔博值班的时候，他会看见四周的黑暗中有许多微光闪烁，有时候，一双双黄色、红色或是绿色的眼睛，会从不远的地方瞪着他们，然后，那些光芒会慢慢地黯淡并消失，然后又慢慢地在另一个地方再度亮起。有时候，这些光芒会在他们头顶的树枝间向下闪着光，这是最让人害怕的景象。不过，比尔博最讨厌的是那种可怕的、苍白而又突出的眼睛。“那是昆虫的眼睛，”他想，“不是小动物的眼睛，只是稍微有点嫌太大了。”

Although it was not yet very cold, they tried lighting watch-fires at night, but they soon gave that up. It seemed to bring hundreds and hundreds of eyes all round them, though the creatures, whatever they were, were careful never to let their bodies show in the little flicker of the flames. Worse still it brought thousands of dark-grey and black moths, some nearly as big as your hand, flapping and whirring round their ears. They could not stand that, nor the huge bats, black as a top-hat, either; so they gave up fires and sat at night and dozed in the enormous uncanny darkness.

虽然天气还不是很冷，他们还是试着想在晚上生起警戒用的篝火，不过他们很快就放弃了。火焰似乎会把成百上千的眼睛吸引到他们的身边来，尽管这些神秘的生物，不管它们到底是什么，总是小心翼翼地不让自己的身躯曝露在微弱火光的照耀之下。更糟糕的是，它会吸引来成千上万深灰色和黑色的蛾子，有些几乎有人的手掌那么大，在他们的耳边不停飞舞，让他们难以忍受。同样让他们受不了的还有那些漆黑得如同高筒礼帽的巨型蝙蝠。于是他们只好放弃了生火，整晚都坐着，在巨大而又诡异的黑暗中渐渐睡去。

All this went on for what seemed to the hobbit ages upon ages; and he was always hungry, for they were extremely careful with their provisions. Even so, as days followed days, and still the forest seemed just the same, they began to get anxious. The food would not last for ever: it was in fact already beginning to get low. They tried shooting at the squirrels, and they wasted many arrows before they managed to bring one down on the path. But when they roasted it, it proved horrible to taste, and they shot no more squirrels.

对霍比特人来说，这一切仿佛有好几年那么久;由于他们一直严格执行食物定额制，所以他总是觉得饿。即便如此，随着时间慢慢流逝，而森林依然一成不变，他们开始感到紧张起来。食物不会永远吃不完，实际上，已经开始有点不够了。他们试着射杀松鼠，在浪费了许多支箭之后好不容易在小径上射到一只。但等他们烤来一吃，发现味道糟糕得简直难以入口，于是他们便再也不射松鼠了。

They were thirsty too, for they had none too much water, and in all the time they had seen neither spring nor stream. This was their state when one day they found their path blocked by a running water. It flowed fast and strong but not very wide right across the way, and it was black, or looked it in the gloom. It was well that Beorn had warned them against it, or they would have drunk from it, whatever its colour, and filled some of their emptied skins at its bank. As it was they only thought of how to cross it without wetting themselves in its water. There had been a bridge of wood across, but it had rotted and fallen leaving only the broken posts near the bank.

他们也十分口渴，因为他们没有多少水了，而在这一段时间内，他们既没见到过泉水，也没见到过溪流。处在这种境况下的某一天，他们发现一道流水横贯小径。那道河水流得又急又猛，但拦掉的道路却没有多宽，河水的颜色是黑的，至少在晦暗的森林中看起来如此。幸好贝奥恩之前警告过他们，否则他们一定会不管河水是什么颜色趴上去就喝，而且还会把那些空了的水囊装满。现在，他们满脑子只想到要怎么样不弄湿手脚而渡过这条河。河上本来有座木桥，但已经烂掉落入水中了，只留下两边岸上断折的桥柱。

Bilbo kneeling on the brink and peering forward cried: “There is a boat against the far bank! Now why couldn’t it have been this side!”

比尔博跪在河岸边，朝前方望去，然后叫了起来：“对岸有条船!为什么它不是在我们这边呢!”

“How far away do you think it is?” asked Thorin, for by now they knew Bilbo had the sharpest eyes among them.

“你看看那条船离我们有多远?”索林问道，因为现在大家都知道比尔博的眼力是他们之中最好的。

“Not at all far. I shouldn’t think above twelve yards.”

“不算太远，我估计不会超过十二码。”

“Twelve yards! I should have thought it was thirty at least, but my eyes don’t see as well as they used a hundred years ago. Still twelve yards is as good as a mile. We can’t jump it, and we daren’t try to wade or swim.”

“十二码!我觉得至少有三十码吧，不过，我的眼睛已经不像一百年前那么管用了。不过就算只有十二码也和一哩一样够不着。我们跳不过去，也不敢趟水或是游过去。”

“Can any of you throw a rope?”

“你们有谁能扔绳套过去吗?”

“What’s the good of that? The boat is sure to be tied up, even if we could hook it, which I doubt.”

“那又有什么用?船一定是拴住的，就算我们能钩住也没用，更何况钩不钩得中还成问题呢。”

“I don’t believe it is tied,” said Bilbo, “though of course I can’t be sure in this light; but it looks to me as if it was just drawn up on the bank, which is low just there where the path goes down into the water.”

“我倒不认为它是拴住的，”比尔博说，“虽然我在这种光线下不能确定，但在我看来，它似乎只是靠在岸边。那边的岸特别低矮，刚好是道路和河流汇合的地方。”

“Dori is the strongest, but Fili is the youngest and still has the best sight,” said Thorin. “Come here Fili, and see if you can see the boat Mr. Baggins is talking about.”

“多瑞是力气最大的，菲力则是最年轻、视力最好的。”索林说，“过来，菲力，试试看能不能看见巴金斯先生说的那条船。”

Fili thought he could; so when he had stared a long while to get an idea of the direction, the others brought him a rope. They had several with them, and on the end of the longest they fastened one of the large iron hooks they had used for catching their packs to the straps about their shoulders. Fili took this in his hand, balanced it for a moment, and then flung it across the stream.

菲力认为他能看得见，因此，当他盯着看了很久，在脑子里形成了方向感之后，旁边的人给他拿来了一条粗绳。他们带着好几条绳子，现在在最长的一条上绑了一个原先用来固定背包的大铁钩。菲力握住铁钩，在手中稍微平衡了一下重量，然后将它朝着河对岸抛了过去。

Splash it fell in the water! “Not far enough!” said Bilbo who was peering forward. “A couple of feet and you would have dropped it on to the boat. Try again. I don’t suppose the magic is strong enough to hurt you, if you just touch a bit of wet rope.”

“扑通——”钩子掉进了水里!“不够远!”比尔博看着对岸说，“再多扔个两三呎就能掉进小船里去了，再试一次。如果你只是碰到一点湿绳子，我想河水的魔法还没强到能伤害你。”

Fili picked up the hook when he had drawn it back, rather doubtfully all the same. This time he threw it with great strength.

菲力小心翼翼地将钩子拉回来，当他拿起钩子的时候，还是有点将信将疑。这次，他用了更大的力气把钩子抛了出去。

“Steady!” said Bilbo, “you have thrown it right into the wood on the other side now. Draw it back gently.” Fili hauled the rope back slowly, and after a while Bilbo said: “Carefully! It is lying on the boat; let’s hope the hook will catch.”

“稳着点儿!”比尔博说，“这次你已经把它抛到另一边的树林里了。把它轻轻拉回来。”菲力慢慢地将绳子往后拉，过了一儿之后，比尔博说：“小心，!钩子就在船上了，希望能把船钩住。”

It did. The rope went taut, and Fili pulled in vain. Kili came to his help, and then Oin and Gloin. They tugged and tugged, and suddenly they all fell over on their backs. Bilbo was on the look out, however, caught the rope, and with a piece of stick fended off the little black boat as it came rushing across the stream. “Help!” he shouted, and Balin was just in time to seize the boat before it floated off down the current.

钩子的确把船钩住了，菲力使劲一拉，小舟却纹丝没动。奇力赶过来帮忙，接着是欧因和格罗因。他们拉呀拉呀，突然全都仰天摔倒在地上。比尔博是在旁边察看的，正好抓住了落下的绳子。对岸的小船顺着众人用力的余势冲了过来，比尔博连忙用一根棍子把船挡开。“快帮忙!”他大喊着，巴林及时赶到，一把抓住了小船，不然小小船又要顺流漂走了。

“It was tied after all,” said he, looking at the snapped painter that was still dangling from it. “That was a good pull, my lads; and a good job that our rope was the stronger.”

“原来它还是拴住的!”他看着手中扯断的船缆说道，“大伙儿的力气可真是大，也幸好我们的绳子比它的更结实。”

“Who’ll cross first?” asked Bilbo.

“谁先过?”比尔博问道。

“I shall,” said Thorin, “and you will come with me, and Fili and Balin. That’s as many as the boat will hold at a time. After that Kili and Oin and Gloin and Dori; next Ori and Nori, Bifur and Bofur; and last Dwalin and Bombur.”

“我先吧，”索林说，“你和我一起过，还有菲力和巴林。这船一次就只能装这么些人了。在那之后是奇力、欧因、格罗因和多瑞;再下一批是欧瑞、诺瑞、比弗和波弗;最后是杜瓦林和邦伯。”

“I’m always last and I don’t like it,” said Bombur. “It’s somebody else’s turn today.”

“我讨厌每次都殿后，”邦伯说，“也该换换人了吧。”

“You should not be so fat. As you are, you must be with the last and lightest boatload. Don’t start grumbling against orders, or something bad will happen to you.”

“谁叫你长这么胖呢。既然你这么胖，你就应该最后过来，在船载重最少的时候。不要有对命令嘀嘀咕咕的苗头，否则你会遇上厄运的。”

“There aren’t any oars. How are you going to push the boat back to the far bank?” asked the hobbit.

“可是没有桨啊，我们要怎样才能把船送回对岸呢?”霍比特人问道。

“Give me another length of rope and another hook,” said Fili, and when they had got it ready, he cast it into the darkness ahead and as high as he could throw it. Since it did not fall down again, they saw that it must have stuck in the branches. “Get in now,” said Fili, “and one of you haul on the rope that is stuck in a tree on the other side. One of the others must keep hold of the hook we used at first, and when we are safe on the other side he can hook it on, and you can draw the boat back.”

“再给我一段绳子和另一个铁钩，”菲力说，等大家都准备好的时候，他就将绳子往前方的黑暗中用力朝高处一扔。由于绳子和钩子没有再落下来，大家认为它一定已经挂在树枝上了。“上船吧!”菲力说，“你们要有—个人用力拉这根卡在对岸树上的绳子，还得有一个人必须抓住我们先前用过的铁钩，等我们都安全地到达对岸时，就可以把钩子钩上，让这边的人再把船拉回去。”

In this way they were all soon on the far bank safe across the enchanted stream. Dwalin had just scrambled out with the coiled rope on his arm, and Bombur (still grumbling) was getting ready to follow, when something bad did happen. There was a flying sound of hooves on the path ahead. Out of the gloom came suddenly the shape of a flying deer. It charged into the dwarves and bowled them over, then gathered itself for a leap. High it sprang and cleared the water with a mighty jump. But it did not reach the other side in safety. Thorin was the only one who had kept his feet and his wits. As soon as they had landed he had bent his bow and fitted an arrow in case any hidden guardian of the boat appeared. Now he sent a swift and sure shot into the leaping beast. As it reached the further bank it stumbled. The shadows swallowed it up, but they heard the sound of hooves quickly falter and then go still.

凭借着这个方法，他们很快就都安全地渡过了这条被施了魔法的小溪。杜瓦林胳膊上卷着绳子，刚刚爬出小船，邦伯(嘴里依旧在嘟囔着)正准备要跟上去，就在此时，糟糕的事情发生了。前方的路上传来一阵飞驰的蹄声，接着，从黑暗中突然蹿出一个像是飞奔着的野鹿的身影，只见它冲进矮人群中，将大家撞开，然后奋力跃向对岸。它蹦得很高，以有力的一跃掠过水面，然而它却没能安然抵达对岸。在野鹿一撞之下，索林是惟一站稳了脚步又保持了冷静头脑的人。一踏上对岸，他便立刻弯弓搭箭，以防有任何隐藏着的看守小船的生物出现。这时，他迅捷而又稳准地向那纵跃的野兽射出了一箭。当它跳落到对岸的时候，脚步变得蹒跚了。黑暗吞没了它的身影，但大家可以听出蹄声马上踉跄起来，然后就归于安静了。

Before they could shout in praise of the shot, however, a dreadful wail from Bilbo put all thoughts of venison out of their minds. “Bombur has fallen in! Bombur is drowning!” he cried. It was only too true. Bombur had only one foot on the land when the hart bore down on him, and sprang over him. He had stumbled, thrusting the boat away from the bank, and then toppled back into the dark water, his hands slipping off the slimy roots at the edge, while the boat span slowly off and disappeared.

还没等他们来得及大声赞美索林这精准的一射，比尔博的一声尖叫就把大家脑子里关于吃鹿肉的想头给赶没影儿了。“邦伯落水啦!邦伯要淹死啦!”他一点都没开玩笑，邦伯刚才只有一只脚踏上地面，就被那头鹿一头撞倒，还从他身上跳了过去。他踉跄倒地的时候，手一搭船帮，把小船推离了岸边，于是就跌进了黑暗的水中。他的手慌乱地去抓岸边滑溜溜的草根，结果怎么也抓不住，而小船又慢慢地打着转消失在了黑暗之中。

They could still see his hood above the water when they ran to the bank. Quickly, they flung a rope with a hook towards him. His hand caught it, and they pulled him to the shore. He was drenched from hair to boots, of course, but that was not the worst. When they laid him on the bank he was already fast asleep, with one hand clutching the rope so tight that they could not get it from his grasp; and fast asleep he remained in spite of all they could do.

大家跑到河边的时候，还可以看见他的帽子漂在水面上。他们赶紧朝着那方向扔去了带着钩子的粗绳。邦伯伸手抓住了绳子，大伙儿合力把他拉到了岸上。他当然从头到脚都湿透了，但这还不是最糟糕的。大伙儿把他放到岸上时，他已经沉沉地睡了过去，一只手还死抓着绳子不放，大家怎么拽都拽不下来。大伙儿使出了各种招数想把他弄醒，可他还是睡得跟死猪一样。

They were still standing over him, cursing their ill luck, and Bombur’s clumsiness, and lamenting the loss of the boat which made it impossible for them to go back and look for the hart, when they became aware of the dim blowing of horns in the wood and the sound as of dogs baying far off. Then they all fell silent; and as they sat it seemed they could hear the noise of a great hunt going by to the north of the path, though they saw no sign of it.

大家依旧围在他身边，骂骂咧咧地抱怨着他们的霉运，怪邦伯笨手笨脚，又为小船漂走了而感到惋惜，因为这下他们没办法回到对岸去找那只被射中的野鹿了。这时，他们听见林子里隐约传来了号角之声，还有似乎是猎犬在远处的吠叫。大家全都不作声了，在地上坐了下来，他们似乎听见小径北方传来了大规模狩猎的声音，但却看不见任何的迹象。

There they sat for a long while and did not dare to make a move. Bombur slept on with a smile on his fat face, as if he no longer cared for all the troubles that vexed them. Suddenly on the path ahead appeared some white deer, a hind and fawns as snowy white as the hart had been dark. They glimmered in the shadows. Before Thorin could cry out three of the dwarves had leaped to their feet and loosed off arrows from their bows. None seemed to find their mark. The deer turned and vanished in the trees as silently as they had come, and in vain the dwarves shot their arrows after them.

他们在那儿坐了好久，不敢轻举妄动。邦伯的胖脸上挂着微笑，甜甜地睡着，似乎对困扰着大家的麻烦再也不在乎了。突然，前方的小径上出现了几只白色的野鹿，有一只高大的雌鹿和几只幼鹿，它们毛皮的纯白和之前那只雄鹿的漆黑恰成强烈的对比。它们在暗影中放出微微的光芒。还没等索林发声阻止，就有三个矮人一跃而起，张弓搭箭向白鹿射去，但似乎无一命中。群鹿掉过头去，就像来时一样无声无息地消失在了森林中，矮人们又追着射出一蓬箭矢，但全都是徒劳。

“Stop! stop!” shouted Thorin; but it was too late, the excited dwarves had wasted their last arrows, and now the bows that Beorn had given them were useless.

“住手!住手!”索林大喊道，但一切都太迟了，兴奋的矮人们已经浪费掉了最后一些箭矢，使得贝奥恩送给他们的弓箭变得毫无用处了。

They were a gloomy party that night, and the gloom gathered still deeper on them in the following days. They had crossed the enchanted stream; but beyond it the path seemed to straggle on just as before, and in the forest they could see no change. Yet if they had known more about it and considered the meaning of the hunt and the white deer that had appeared upon their path, they would have known that they were at last drawing towards the eastern edge, and would soon have come, if they could have kept up their courage and their hope, to thinner trees and places where the sunlight came again.

那天晚上，大家情绪低落，而在稍后几天中情绪更是一路走低。他们虽然已经越过了被施了魔法的小溪，但那之后的小径似乎依然漫无尽头，而森林也看不出有任何变化。然而如果对黑森林能有更多一点的了解，并且思考一下那场狩猎和白鹿出现的意义，他们就会知道终于靠近了森林的东部边缘了。要不了多久，只要他们继续保有勇气和希望，就能来到树木越来越稀疏的地方，重新见到阳光。

But they did not know this, and they were burdened with the heavy body of Bombur, which they had to carry along with them as best they could, taking the wearisome task in turns of four each while the others shared their packs. If these had not become all too light in the last few days, they would never have managed it; but a slumbering and smiling Bombur was a poor exchange for packs filled with food however heavy. In a few days a time came when there was practically nothing left to eat or to drink. Nothing wholesome could they see growing in the wood, only funguses and herbs with pale leaves and unpleasant smell.

可惜他们并不知道，而且他们还必须带着邦伯那沉重的身体一起前进。他们为此使出了全力，由四个人一组轮流承担这项累人的工作，其他人则分担了那四个人携带的背包。如果不是因为背包的重量到了最后几天已经大幅减轻的话，他们根本无法完成这个任务。然而相对于一个沉睡中露着傻笑的大胖子邦伯来说，可能人们还宁愿去背装得满满的食物背包呢。又过了几天，这样的一刻终于来临了，他们完全陷入了没有粮食和饮水的窘境。森林中放眼望去，他们看不到任何可以让人放心吃的食物，只有蕈类和长着苍白叶子发出难闻味道的野草。

About four days from the enchanted stream they came to a part where most of the trees were beeches. They were at first inclined to be cheered by the change, for here there was no undergrowth and the shadow was not so deep. There was a greenish light about them, and in places they could see some distance to either side of the path. Yet the light only showed them endless lines of straight grey trunks like the pillars of some huge twilight hall. There was a breath of air and a noise of wind, but it had a sad sound. A few leaves came rustling down to remind them that outside autumn was coming on. Their feet ruffled among the dead leaves of countless other autumns that drifted over the banks of the path from the deep red carpets of the forest.

在越过魔法小溪四天之后，他们来到了森林中一片大都是山毛榉的区域。一开始，他们对于这改变有点感到高兴，因为脚底下不再有灌木丛，阴影也变得不那么浓了。他们四周有了些绿莹莹的光，在某些地方，甚至可以看见小径两边一定距离内的东西。但是，借着这种绿光他们能看见的还是一排排永无止尽的树木，它们灰色的树干全都笔直，宛如熹微晨光中某个巨型大厅里的柱子。这里有了空气的流动和风的声响，但这声响听在耳朵里却给人带来忧伤的感觉。一些树叶簌簌地掉落下来，提醒他们外面已是秋意渐浓了。他们的脚踩踏着无数个过往的秋天累积下的落叶，这些枯叶已经为森林铺上了一层深红色的地毯，还越过小径的边缘，漂泊到了小径之上。

Still Bombur slept and they grew very weary. At times they heard disquieting laughter. Sometimes there was singing in the distance too. The laughter was the laughter of fair voices not of goblins, and the singing was beautiful, but it sounded eerie and strange, and they were not comforted, rather they hurried on from those parts with what strength they had left.

邦伯依旧沉睡着，而大伙儿已经无比疲惫了。有时，他们会听见让人不安的笑声，有时还能听到远方传来唱歌的声音。那笑声是由相当悦耳的声音发出的，绝不是半兽人;那唱歌声很优美，但听起来却有些诡异陌生，一点也不让他们觉得安心。他们积聚起所剩的最后一点力气，只想尽快远离这个地方。

Two days later they found their path going downwards, and before long they were in a valley filled almost entirely with a mighty growth of oaks.

两天之后，他们发现小径开始往下倾斜，不久之后，他们就来到了一座长满了橡树的山谷。

“Is there no end to this accursed forest?” said Thorin. “Somebody must climb a tree and see if he can get his head above the roof and have a look round. The only way is to choose the tallest tree that overhangs the path.”

“这该死的森林难道永远都没有尽头吗?”索林说，“得找某个人爬到树上，看看能不能把脑袋从树顶伸出去，看看周围的情况。惟一的办法是挑一棵长在小径边的最高的树。”

Of course “somebody” meant Bilbo. They chose him, because to be of any use the climber must get his head above the topmost leaves, and so he must be light enough for the highest and slenderest branches to bear him. Poor Mr. Baggins had never had much practice in climbing trees, but they hoisted him up into the lowest branches of an enormous oak that grew right out into the path, and up he had to go as best he could. He pushed his way through the tangled twigs with many a slap in the eye; he was greened and grimed from the old bark of the greater boughs; more than once he slipped and caught himself just in time; and at last, after a dreadful struggle in a difficult place where there seemed to be no convenient branches at all, he got near the top. All the time he was wondering whether there were spiders in the tree, and how he was going to get down again (except by falling).

这“某个人”当然指的就是比尔博了。他们之所以选择他，是因为如果要达到侦察的目的，爬树的人一定得把头伸出最高处的树叶才行，所以他必须要足够轻，能让最高处的最细的树枝承受得起他的重量。可怜的巴金斯先生以前根本没怎么爬过树，但大家不由分说地将他托上了路边一棵大橡树最下面的树枝，接下来他只能好自为之了。他在拨开交错的树枝奋力上行的过程中，眼睛周围好几次都被树枝弹到;老橡树上那些大一点的树枝很快就把他搞得浑身又黑又绿;他还不止一次从树上滑落，于千钧一发之际才抓住了下面的树枝;最后，在一个似乎没有合适的树枝可供踩踏的不上不下的地方，他经过了一番令人心惊胆寒的拼搏，终于接近了树顶。在这一路上，他不停地在担心树上会不会有蝴蛛，以及过会儿他该怎么原路下去(除了掉下去)。

In the end he poked his head above the roof of leaves, and then he found spiders all right. But they were only small ones of ordinary size, and they were after the butterflies. Bilbo’s eyes were nearly blinded by the light. He could hear the dwarves shouting up at him from far below, but he could not answer, only hold on and blink. The sun was shining brilliantly, and it was a long while before he could bear it. When he could, he saw all round him a sea of dark green, ruffled here and there by the breeze; and there were everywhere hundreds of butterflies. I expect they were a kind of “purple emperor”, a butterfly that loves the tops of oak-woods, but these were not purple at all, they were a dark dark velvety black without any markings to be seen.

最后，他终于把头伸出了树叶的冠顶，也的确发现了蜘蛛。不过这些都是普通大小的蜘蛛，它们想抓的也只是蝴蝶而已。比尔博的眼睛差点被阳光给炫盲了，他可以听见矮人在底下性急地叫喊，但他没办法回答，只能拼命眨眼睛，把这段适应期给熬过去。阳光异常明亮，他过了好一阵子才能够渐渐忍受。等他能睁开眼之后，他发现四周是一片深绿色的树海，微风过处，在“海面”上弄出星星点点的褶皱。满天都是飞舞的蝴蝶。我想，它们多半是一种叫作“紫色帝王蝶”的蝴蝶，那是种喜欢在橡树顶端栖息的蝴蝶，不过，这些可不是紫色的，它们身上是一种极深极深的紫黑色，看不到任何的斑纹。

He looked at the “black emperors” for a long time, and enjoyed the feel of the breeze in his hair and on his face; but at length the cries of the dwarves, who were now simply stamping with impatience down below, reminded him of his real business. It was no good. Gaze as much as he might, he could see no end to the trees and the leaves in any direction. His heart, that had been lightened by the sight of the sun and the feel of the wind, sank back into his toes: there was no food to go back to down below.

他盯着这些“黑色帝王蝶”看了很久，同时享受着微风吹过发梢和脸庞的怡人感觉。不过到头来，还是底下开始跺脚咆哮的矮人，才让他想起了自己还有正事要办。情况不妙。他向四周极目望去，都看不到树与叶的尽头。他因为阳光与微风的怡人感觉而变得轻快起来的心情，重新又往下沉到了脚趾头：没有什么喜讯可以回去报给下面的人听。

Actually, as I have told you, they were not far off the edge of the forest; and if Bilbo had had the sense to see it, the tree that he had climbed, though it was tall in itself, was standing near the bottom of a wide valley, so that from its top the trees seemed to swell up all round like the edges of a great bowl, and he could not expect to see how far the forest lasted. Still he did not see this, and he climbed down full of despair. He got to the bottom again at last, scratched, hot, and miserable, and he could not see anything in the gloom below when he got there. His report soon made the others as miserable as he was.

其实，如我之前告诉过你们的，他们离森林的边缘并不远。如果比尔博有眼光的话，他会发现自己所在的树木虽然本身很高，其实是位于一个宽阔山谷的底部，因此，从这棵树的树顶看去，周围的树都像一只大碗的碗边一样在向外延伸，所以他根本就看不见森林的尽头究竟在哪里。但他并不明白这一点，所以他满怀失望地爬下树来。等他好不容易回到地面上时，身上多处擦伤，热得一头是汗，一副惨兮兮的模样，而且乍一回到底下幽暗的环境中，他又什么都看不见了。等他把所见报告完，大伙儿也都变得跟他同样沮丧起来。

“The forest goes on for ever and ever and ever in all directions! Whatever shall we do? And what is the use of sending a hobbit!” they cried, as if it was his fault. They did not care tuppence about the butterflies, and were only made more angry when he told them of the beautiful breeze, which they were too heavy to climb up and feel.

“这座森林往所有的方向都没有尽头!我们到底该怎么办啊?派个霍比特人来又有什么用!”他们嚷嚷着，仿佛这是他的错。他们根本不在乎蝴蝶这种无关紧要的小东西，而当比尔博跟他们描述怡人的轻风时，他们就更来气了，因为矮人们身体都太笨重，根本没办法爬到那么高去感受轻风。

That night they ate their very last scraps and crumbs of food; and next morning when they woke the first thing they noticed was that they were still gnawingly hungry, and the next thing was that it was raining and that here and there the drip of it was dropping heavily on the forest floor. That only reminded them that they were also parchingly thirsty, without doing anything to relieve them: you cannot quench a terrible thirst by standing under giant oaks and waiting for a chance drip to fall on your tongue. The only scrap of comfort there was came unexpectedly from Bombur.

那天晚上，他们吃完了最后一点点食物的碎屑，第二天早晨一醒来，他们注意到的第一件事就是他们依旧饥饿难耐。他们接下来注意到的是天上正在下着大雨，雨滴这里那里地密密地滴落到地面上来。然而这除了提醒他们不仅腹中空空，连口唇也是干得要命之外，却并不能帮他们解渴：要想浇灭他们如火烧般的干渴，可不能站在橡树下，呆呆地等着有哪滴水碰巧滴落到舌头上。结果惟一的一小点安慰竟然出人意料地来自于邦伯。

He woke up suddenly and sat up scratching his head. He could not make out where he was at all, nor why he felt so hungry; for he had forgotten everything that had happened since they started their journey that May morning long ago. The last thing that he remembered was the party at the hobbit’s house, and they had great difficulty in making him believe their tale of all the many adventures they had had since.

他突然间醒了过来，坐起身子，用手搔着脑袋。他不知道自己身在何处，或是为什么会觉得这么饥饿，因为他已经把从许久以前那个五月早晨出发以来的所有事情都给忘记了。他记得的最后一件事情，就是在霍比特人家中所举行的派对。大伙儿费了好一番口舌，才让他相信了他们自那以后的种种冒险经历。

When he heard that there was nothing to eat, he sat down and wept, for he felt very weak and wobbly in the legs. “Why ever did I wake up!” he cried. “I was having such beautiful dreams. I dreamed I was walking in a forest rather like this one, only lit with torches on the trees and lamps swinging from the branches and fires burning on the ground; and there was a great feast going on, going on for ever. A woodland king was there with a crown of leaves, and there was a merry singing, and I could not count or describe the things there were to eat and drink.”

当他听说已经没东西可吃了之后，不禁坐在地上哭了起来，因为他觉得自己非常虚弱，双腿软得直打颤。“我干吗要醒过来啊!”他嚎道，“我刚刚正在做着美梦呢。我梦到我走在一个和这里挺像的森林里，不过那儿可亮堂啦，树上有火把，树枝上挂着油灯，地上还点着篝火。那儿正在办一场大宴会，永远不停的盛大宴会。一个森林之王戴着树叶缀成的皇冠，大家都在快乐地唱着歌，那儿吃喝的东西多得我数不过来，好吃得我都说不明白!”

“You need not try,” said Thorin. “In fact if you can’t talk about something else, you had better be silent. We are quite annoyed enough with you as it is. If you hadn’t waked up, we should have left you to your idiotic dreams in the forest; you are no joke to carry even after weeks of short commons.”

“说不明白就别说!”索林没好气儿地说道，“如果你没别的好说的话，干脆就给我闭嘴。我们之前就已经受够你了，你要是再不醒过来，我们就准备把你扔在森林里发你的白痴梦去了。你这家伙，就算好几个礼拜不吃不喝，扛起来也重得要命。”

There was nothing now to be done but to tighten the belts round their empty stomachs, and hoist their empty sacks and packs, and trudge along the track without any great hope of ever getting to the end before they lay down and died of starvation. This they did all that day, going very slowly and wearily; while Bombur kept on wailing that his legs would not carry him and that he wanted to lie down and sleep.

除了勒紧裤带之外，大伙儿也别无对策。他们扛着空荡荡的背包和袋子，迈着沉重的脚步在小径上走着，心中甚是绝望，觉得自己不等走到头就会先倒下饿死了。他们就这样走了一整天，走得又慢又累，邦伯还一个劲儿地哭闹，说他的两条腿再也撑不住了，他想要躺倒睡觉。

“No you don’t!” they said. “Let your legs take their share, we have carried you far enough.”

“不行，不可以!”大家都说，“你的腿也该走它们那份路了，我们抬你抬得够远了。”

All the same he suddenly refused to go a step further and flung himself on the ground. “Go on, if you must,” he said. “I’m just going to lie here and sleep and dream of food, if I can’t get it any other way. I hope I never wake up again.”

可他把大伙儿的话当做了耳旁风，突然一步也不肯走了，一屁股坐到了地上。“你们要走你们走，”他说，“反正也没办法弄到吃的，我宁愿躺在这里睡一觉，在梦里多吃点儿。我真希望自己永远也不要再醒来了。”

At that very moment Balin, who was a little way ahead, called out: “What was that? I thought I saw a twinkle of light in the forest.”

就在这时，走在稍微前面一点的巴林喊了起来：“那是什么?我想我看见森林里面有火光在闪。”

They all looked, and a longish way off, it seemed, they saw a red twinkle in the dark; then another and another sprang out beside it. Even Bombur got up, and they hurried along then, not caring if it was trolls or goblins. The light was in front of them and to the left of the path, and when at last they had drawn level with it, it seemed plain that torches and fires were burning under the trees, but a good way off their track.

大家全都朝前看去，在挺远的地方，好像能看见黑暗中有一点红光在闪动，接着，在它旁边又冒出了另一点火花，然后是另一点。连邦伯都爬了起来，大家全都快步往前飞奔，根本不在乎那是食人妖或是半兽人。那点光亮在他们前方，位于小径的左边，当他们终于与那点火光齐平的时候，可以很明显地看到那是在树下燃烧着的火把和篝火，只是离他们的小径还颇有一段距离。

“It looks as if my dreams were coming true,” gasped Bombur puffing up behind. He wanted to rush straight off into the wood after the lights. But the others remembered only too well the warnings of the wizard and of Beorn.

“看来我的梦想要成真了!”邦伯呼哧呼哧地从后面赶了上来，一边上气不接下气地说道。他直接就想要冲到林子里去追逐那些火光，但其他人对于巫师和贝奥恩的警告却谨记在心。

“A feast would be no good, if we never got back alive from it,” said Thorin.

“如果得把命搭上的话，宴席再好吃都没用。”索林说。

“But without a feast we shan’t remain alive much longer anyway,” said Bombur, and Bilbo heartily agreed with him. They argued about it backwards and forwards for a long while, until they agreed at length to send out a couple of spies, to creep near the lights and find out more about them. But then they could not agree on who was to be sent: no one seemed anxious to run the chance of being lost and never finding his friends again. In the end, in spite of warnings, hunger decided them, because Bombur kept on describing all the good things that were being eaten, according to his dream, in the woodland feast; so they all left the path and plunged into the forest together.

“可如果没东西吃，我们不也快没命了吗!”邦伯说，这话可说到比尔博的心坎儿里去了。他们翻来覆去地争了半天，最后同意派出几名探子，悄悄地靠近那些光亮，把那里的情况给摸清楚。但接下来大家又为该派谁去而争执不休了，因为似乎没谁热衷于去冒迷失方向，再也见不到朋友们的危险。最后，饥饿压倒了警告，由于邦伯一直不停地描述他在梦里的林中宴会上吃到的种种美食，矮人们全部离开小径，冲向了森林深处。

After a good deal of creeping and crawling they peered round the trunks and looked into a clearing where some trees had been felled and the ground levelled. There were many people there, elvish-looking folk, all dressed in green and brown and sitting on sawn rings of the felled trees in a great circle. There was a fire in their midst and there were torches fastened to some of the trees round about; but most splendid sight of all: they were eating and drinking and laughing merrily.

在经过了好一番的匍匐前进之后，他们终于摸到了火光附近。从树干后面探出脑袋望去，他们看见一块树木被砍倒、土地被铲平后清理出来的空地。空地上有许多人，看起来像是精灵，全都穿着绿色和褐色的衣物，坐在锯倒的圆木墩子上，围成了一个大圈。圈子正中有一团营火，四周的树上则插着许多火把，但最令人心动不已的景象却是，他们正在大吃大喝，一边发出欢快的笑声。

The smell of the roast meats was so enchanting that, without waiting to consult one another, every one of them got up and scrambled forwards into the ring with the one idea of begging for some food. No sooner had the first stepped into the clearing than all the lights went out as if by magic. Somebody kicked the fire and it went up in rockets of glittering sparks and vanished. They were lost in a completely lightless dark and they could not even find one another, not for a long time at any rate. After blundering frantically in the gloom, falling over logs, bumping crash into trees, and shouting and calling till they must have waked everything in the forest for miles, at last they managed to gather themselves in a bundle and count themselves by touch. By that time they had, of course, quite forgotten in what direction the path lay, and they were all hopelessly lost, at least till morning.

烤肉的香气是如此诱人，众人等不及相互商量一下便从树后走了出来，争先恐后地朝圈子里跑去，一心想着问人讨点酒肉吃。然而第一个人的脚刚一踏上空地，所有的火光就仿佛被施了魔法一样同时熄灭。有人对着篝火踢了一脚，它就炸成无数个火花，然后便消失无踪了。他们陷入彻底的黑暗中，连彼此都找不见，好在时间还不算太长。他们在黑暗中跌跌撞撞，被圆木绊倒，迎头撞上树干，又是吼又是叫的，几乎吵醒了森林中方圆几哩内所有的生物，最后大家终于又聚拢在一起，通过触摸清点了人数。到这时，他们当然早就已经忘记了小径的方向，彻彻底底地迷了路，至少到天亮前是如此。

There was nothing for it but to settle down for the night where they were; they did not even dare to search on the ground for scraps of food for fear of becoming separated again. But they had not been lying long, and Bilbo was only just getting drowsy, when Dori, whose turn it was to watch first, said in a loud whisper:

他们在黑暗中无事可做，只能就地坐下。他们甚至不敢到地上去摸索食物的碎屑，惟恐互相间又走散了。但他们没躺多久，比尔博刚开始觉得瞌睡上来的时候，排第一个值夜的多瑞就用大家都能听见的声音低声道：

“The lights are coming out again over there, and there are more than ever of them.”

“火光又在那边出现了，这次数量比刚才还多!”

Up they all jumped. There, sure enough, not far away were scores of twinkling lights, and they heard the voices and the laughter quite plainly. They crept slowly towards them, in a single line, each touching the back of the one in front. When they got near Thorin said: “No rushing forward this time! No one is to stir from hiding till I say. I shall send Mr. Baggins alone first to talk to them. They won’t be frightened of him—(‘What about me of them?’ thought Bilbo)—and any way I hope they won’t do anything nasty to him.”

大家全都跳了起来。没锚儿，在不远的地方有几十点闪烁的火光，他们清楚地听见了笑语声。大家又悄悄地朝火光摸过去，这次大家学乖了，排成了一路纵队，每个人都摸着前面人的背。等他们走近的时候，索林说：“这次别再急着冲过去了!我没说话，谁也别从隐蔽的地方跳出来。我先派巴金斯先生一个人过去和他们谈谈，他们不会被他吓到的——(“那我被他们吓到了怎么办?”比尔博心想)——我希望他们不会对他怎么样。”

When they got to the edge of the circle of lights they pushed Bilbo suddenly from behind. Before he had time to slip on his ring, he stumbled forward into the full blaze of the fire and torches. It was no good. Out went all the lights again and complete darkness fell.

当他们来到火光构成的圆圈边缘时，众人猛然从背后推了比尔博一把。他还没来得及戴上戒指，就跌跌撞撞地冲进了明晃晃的火光之中。结果还是没用——所有的光亮全都熄灭，四周重又变得一团漆黑。

If it had been difficult collecting themselves before, it was far worse this time. And they simply could not find the hobbit. Every time they counted themselves it only made thirteen. They shouted and called: “Bilbo Baggins! Hobbit! You dratted hobbit! Hi! hobbit, confusticate you, where are you?” and other things of that sort, but there was no answer.

如果说之前在黑暗中集合已经算得上困难了，那么这次的情况还要糟糕得多。他们怎么找也找不到霍比特人，每次点数都只有十三个。他们大声喊着：“比尔博·巴金斯!霍比特人!你这个该死的霍比特人!喂!霍比特人，你这个该挨棍子的家伙，你在哪里啊?”以及诸如此类的东西，只是得不到一点回音。

They were just giving up hope, when Dori stumbled across him by sheer luck. In the dark he fell over what he thought was a log, and he found it was the hobbit curled up fast asleep. It took a deal of shaking to wake him, and when he was awake he was not pleased at all.

就在他们快要放弃希望时，多瑞却意外地绊到了他。他在黑暗中摔了一跤，还以为自己绊到了一根木头，结果却发现那是蜷成一团、陷入熟睡的霍比特人。他们一通猛摇才把他摇醒，而他在醒来之后还满心的不高兴。

“I was having such a lovely dream,” he grumbled, “all about having a most gorgeous dinner.”

“我正在做一个好梦，”他嘟囔道，“梦见我在吃一顿超级丰盛的大餐。”

“Good heavens! he has gone like Bombur,” they said. “Don’t tell us about dreams. Dream-dinners aren’t any good, and we can’t share them.”

“老天爷啊!他变得和邦伯一样了，”他们说，“不用跟我们说你梦见什么了，梦里边吃得再好也没用，我们又分享不到。”

“They are the best I am likely to get in this beastly place,” he muttered, as he lay down beside the dwarves and tried to go back to sleep and find his dream again. But that was not the last of the lights in the forest. Later when the night must have been getting old, Kili who was watching then, came and roused them all again, saying:

“在这种鬼地方，我恐怕只有靠做梦来填肚子了。”他咕哝着在矮人身边躺下，想把刚才的美梦再续下去。但是，森林中的怪光还没完呢。又过了一阵，夜半的天气转冷之后，当值的奇力又把所有的人给叫醒了：

“There’s a regular blaze of light begun not far away—hundreds of torches and many fires must have been lit suddenly and by magic. And hark to the singing and the harps!”

“跟刚才一样的亮光又在不远的地方亮起来了，有几百支火把和好多堆营火，肯定是被魔法突然点着的。听，那是他们唱歌和弹竖琴的声音!”

After lying and listening for a while, they found they could not resist the desire to go nearer and try once more to get help. Up they got again; and this time the result was disastrous. The feast that they now saw was greater and more magnificent than before; and at the head of a long line of feasters sat a woodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair, very much as Bombur had described the figure in his dream. The elvish folk were passing bowls from hand to hand and across the fires, and some were harping and many were singing. Their gleaming hair was twined with flowers; green and white gems glinted on their collars and their belts; and their faces and their songs were filled with mirth. Loud and clear and fair were those songs, and out stepped Thorin in to their midst.

在躺下去仔细聆听了一会儿之后，他们发现自己无法抵御走近去再作一次求救尝试的诱惑。于是他们又爬了起来，没想到这次的结果更加灾难性。这次他们看到的宴会比之前的更盛大、更诱人，在一长列宴饮者的上首坐着一名森林之王，金黄的头发上戴着树叶缀成的皇冠，活脱脱就是邦伯描述过的梦中人物。这些像是精灵的生物彼此递着大碗，有些弹着竖琴，许多人都在唱着歌。他们闪亮的头发中都点缀着鲜花，领口和腰带上闪耀着绿色和白色宝石的光华，他们的表情和歌声都充满了欢乐。他们唱的歌响亮、清晰而又悦耳，听得索林不由得又踏人他们之中。

Dead silence fell in the middle of a word. Out went all light. The fires leaped up in black smokes. Ashes and cinders were in the eyes of the dwarves, and the wood was filled again with their clamour and their cries.

一瞬间，森林又陷入死寂，所有的光芒全都消失，火焰化成黑烟，矮人的眼中只能看见余烬和灰屑，森林中再度充斥着他们的喧哗与喊叫。

Bilbo found himself running round and round (as he thought) and calling and calling: “Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Fili, Kili, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur, Dwalin, Balin, Thorin Oakenshield,” while people he could not see or feel were doing the same all round him (with an occasional “Bilbo!” thrown in). But the cries of the others got steadily further and fainter, and though after a while it seemed to him they changed to yells and cries for help in the far distance, all noise at last died right away, and he was left alone in complete silence and darkness.

比尔博发现自己是在绕着圈子跑(他这样以为)，口中不停地喊着：“多瑞、诺瑞、欧瑞、欧因、格罗因、菲力、奇力、邦伯、比弗、波弗、杜瓦林、巴林，索林·橡木盾。”而他看不见也摸不着的人，也在他身边做着同样的事情(冷不丁会有人喊上一声“比尔博!”)。但其他人的叫喊声变得越来越远，虽然过了一阵之后，他觉得那些声音变成了遥远的呼救声，所有的声音最终都归于了沉寂，只留下他一个人孤单地处在一片寂静与黑暗中。