霍比特人：来到门口 On the Doorstep

ON THE DOORSTEP

来到门口

In two days going they rowed right up the Long Lake and passed out into the River Running, and now they could all see the Lonely Mountain towering grim and tall before them. The stream was strong and their going slow. At the end of the third day, some miles up the river, they drew in to the left or western bank and disembarked. Here they were joined by the horses with other provisions and necessaries and the ponies for their own use that had been sent to meet them. They packed what they could on the ponies and the rest was made into a store under a tent, but none of the men of the town would stay with them even for the night so near the shadow of the Mountain.

他们沿着长湖朝北划了两天之后，就出湖来到了奔流河。现在，他们可以看见孤山阴沉地高耸在眼前。水流很急，他们走得很慢。第三天快结束的时候，他们在溯河而上几里之后，在左岸或者说西岸靠边上岸了。在这里，他们将与载着其他给养和必需品的马匹以及供他们自己乘用的小马会合。他们尽可能地将物资打包，让小马驮上，剩下的则搭了个帐篷存放了起来，但镇上来的人类没有一个愿意和他们待在一起，哪怕只是过一夜，因为这里离恐怖的孤山太近了。

“Not at any rate until the songs have come true!” said they. It was easier to believe in the Dragon and less easy to believe in Thorin in these wild parts. Indeed their stores had no need of any guard, for all the land was desolate and empty. So their escort left them, making off swiftly down the river and the shoreward paths, although the night was already drawing on.

“在歌里唱的成真之前我们绝对不敢!”他们说。在这种荒凉的地方，他们更容易相信恶龙的传说，也更不容易相信索林。事实上，他们的补给物资根本不需要有人看守，因为周围毫无人烟。于是他们的随从就离开了他们，分别从陆路和水路踏上了归程，虽然此时夜色已经开始渐浓了。

They spent a cold and lonely night and their spirits fell. The next day they set out again. Balin and Bilbo rode behind, each leading another pony heavily laden beside him; the others were some way ahead picking out a slow road, for there were no paths. They made north-west, slanting away from the River Running, and drawing ever nearer and nearer to a great spur of the Mountain that was flung out southwards towards them.

他们度过了寒冷而又孤独的一夜，情绪也随之低落下来。第二天，他们再度上路了。巴林和比尔博骑马走在最后面，每人身边都另外牵了一匹满满载着行李的小马。其他人则在前面走着一条低洼的路，因为这里其实根本无路可走。他们向西北前进，稍稍离开奔流河，越来越靠近孤山朝南对着他们延伸出来的一个支脉。

It was a weary journey, and a quiet and stealthy one. There was no laughter or song or sound of harps, and the pride and hopes which had stirred in their hearts at the singing of old songs by the lake died away to a plodding gloom. They knew that they were drawing near to the end of their journey, and that it might be a very horrible end. The land about them grew bleak and barren, though once, as Thorin told them, it had been green and fair. There was little grass, and before long there was neither bush nor tree, and only broken and blackened stumps to speak of ones long vanished. They were come to the Desolation of the Dragon, and they were come at the waning of the year.

旅程相当令人困乏，他们一路上不敢说话，只敢悄悄前进。没有了笑语欢歌，没有了琴声悠扬，在湖边时唱着古老的歌曲而在心中激起的骄傲与希望，渐渐地蜕变成了沉重的郁闷。他们知道旅程就要来到终点了，而这可能是非常恐怖的终点。周围的大地变得越来越荒凉，尽管索林告诉他们，这里一度是一片充满绿色的美丽世界。这里几乎没有什么草，而且不久也没了灌木或树，只有一些断折焦黑的树桩，令人想起那久已消逝的林木葱茏。他们已经来到了恶龙造成的荒废之地，而他们赶上的又正好是万物凋落的季节。

They reached the skirts of the Mountain all the same without meeting any danger or any sign of the Dragon other than the wilderness he had made about his lair. The Mountain lay dark and silent before them and ever higher above them. They made their first camp on the western side of the great southern spur, which ended in a height called Ravenhill. On this there had been an old watch-post; but they dared not climb it yet, it was too exposed.

虽然郁闷，可他们还是来到了山脚下，一路上既没有碰到任何危险，也没有见到任何恶龙的迹象，除了它在自己的巢穴边造就的一派荒凉。孤山阴沉地矗立着，看着比以往更高大。他们在庞大的南方支脉的西边第一次扎下了营，支脉的尽头是个叫做渡鸦岭的地方，渡鸦岭上有痤古老的瞭望台，但众人现在不敢冒险攀登，因为这个位置太突出太显眼了。

Before setting out to search the western spurs of the Mountain for the hidden door, on which all their hopes rested, Thorin sent out a scouting expedition to spy out the land to the South where the Front Gate stood. For this purpose he chose Balin and Fili and Kili, and with them went Bilbo. They marched under the grey and silent cliffs to the feet of Ravenhill. There the river, after winding a wide loop over the valley of Dale, turned from the Mountain on its road to the Lake, flowing swift and noisily. Its bank was bare and rocky, tall and steep above the stream; and gazing out from it over the narrow water, foaming and splashing among many boulders, they could see in the wide valley shadowed by the Mountain’s arms the grey ruins of ancient houses, towers, and walls.

在开始去寻找位于孤山西边支脉那扇凝聚了他们所有希望的密门之前，索林先派了一支侦察小分队去察看正门所在的南边。他选了巴林、奇力和菲力来担任这项使命，比尔博也跟着一起去了。他们沿着灰色沉寂的悬崖一路走到渡鸦岭脚下，奔流河在那里绕了个大圈，穿过河谷城，继续往长湖流去。河水湍急喧闹，河岸边光秃秃的都是岩石，高峻陡峭，俯瞰着河流。他们站在岩石上向远方望去，越过窄窄的、在卵石间白沫四溅的激流，看见在孤山阴影笼罩下的宽阔山谷中，有着古代房屋、高楼和城墙的灰色废墟。

“There lies all that is left of Dale,” said Balin. “The mountain’s sides were green with woods and all the sheltered valley rich and pleasant in the days when the bells rang in that town.” He looked both sad and grim as he said this: he had been one of Thorin’s companions on the day the Dragon came.

“那儿就是河谷城的遗迹。”巴林说，“在镇上还有钟声响起的时候，山坡上是郁郁葱葱的树木，山谷里的生活富裕而又祥和。”他在说这些的时候表情悲伤而又凝重：在恶龙来袭的那天，他是索林身边的伙伴之一。

They did not dare to follow the river much further towards the Gate; but they went on beyond the end of the southern spur, until lying hidden behind a rock they could look out and see the dark cavernous opening in a great cliff-wall between the arms of the Mountain. Out of it the waters of the Running River sprang; and out of it too there came a steam and a dark smoke. Nothing moved in the waste, save the vapour and the water, and every now and again a black and ominous crow. The only sound was the sound of the stony water, and every now and again the harsh croak of a bird. Balin shuddered.

他们不敢继续沿着河往大山的正门走，但他们走到了南方支脉尽头的另一边，直到躲在岩石后面，可以清楚地看见两座支脉之间一面大悬崖上黑黢黢的洞穴入口。奔流河的河水从洞中流出，同时，还有蒸汽和一缕黑烟朝外飘出。没有任何东西在移动，除了蒸汽和水流，以及时不时飞过的不祥的乌鸦。能听到的仅是流水撞击岩石的声音，以及乌鸦偶尔的一声沙哑鸣叫。巴林对此景象不由得打了个寒战。

“Let us return!” he said. “We can do no good here! And I don’t like these dark birds, they look like spies of evil.”

“我们回头吧!”他说，“我们在这儿也没有什么用!我不喜欢这些黑鸟，他们看起来像是邪恶的密探。”

“The dragon is still alive and in the halls under the Mountain then—or I imagine so from the smoke,” said the hobbit.

“恶龙还活着，就在大山底下的洞穴里——我是从黑烟作出的推测。”霍比特人说。

“That does not prove it,” said Balin, “though I don’t doubt you are right. But he might be gone away some time, or he might be lying out on the mountain-side keeping watch, and still I expect smokes and steams would come out of the gates: all the halls within must be filled with his foul reek.”

“这可说明不了问题，”巴林说，“不过，我倒不怀疑你是对的。但它可能暂时离开了，或者有可能躲在山边偷看着。反正我觉得有烟和蒸汽从门里冒出来是意料之中的，山底下的大厅里一定充满了它的臭气。”

With such gloomy thoughts, followed ever by croaking crows above them, they made their weary way back to the camp. Only in June they had been guests in the fair house of Elrond, and though autumn was now crawling towards winter that pleasant time now seemed years ago. They were alone in the perilous waste without hope of further help. They were at the end of their journey, but as far as ever, it seemed, from the end of their quest. None of them had much spirit left.

带着这种令人沮丧的想法，一路又被头顶嘎嘎叫的乌鸦跟着，他们拖着疲惫的步伐回到了营地。就在不久前的六月，他们还是埃尔隆德漂亮居所的座上宾;虽说现在秋天是在慢慢向冬天走去，可那段欢乐时光却仿佛已是多年前的旧事了。他们孤零零地身处在荒野之中，已经无望再得到更多的帮助了。这虽然是他们旅程的最后一段，但冒险的终点似乎与以前一样遥不可及。他们之中已经没有一个人还保持着高昂的斗志了。

Now strange to say Mr. Baggins had more than the others. He would often borrow Thorin’s map and gaze at it, pondering over the runes and the message of the moon-letters Elrond had read. It was he that made the dwarves begin the dangerous search on the western slopes for the secret door. They moved their camp then to a long valley, narrower than the great dale in the South where the Gates of the river stood, and walled with lower spurs of the Mountain. Two of these here thrust forward west from the main mass in long steep-sided ridges that fell ever downwards towards the plain. On this western side there were fewer signs of the dragon’s marauding feet, and there was some grass for their ponies. From this western camp, shadowed all day by cliff and wall until the sun began to sink towards the forest, day by day they toiled in parties searching for paths up the mountain-side. If the map was true, somewhere high above the cliff at the valley’s head must stand the secret door. Day by day they came back to their camp without success.

然而巴金斯先生的精气神却比其他人多一点，这说来其实是蛮奇怪的。他经常会向索林借来地图，一看就是半天，思索着关于上面的如尼文和埃尔隆德所说的月亮文字所记载的谜团。正是在他的坚持下，矮人们才开始对西坡进行了十分危险的搜索以找寻那道密门。他们那时把营地搬到了一个狭长的山谷中，这里要比南边那个奔流河流出的正门所在的河谷要狭窄，被大山较低的一些支脉所包围。有两条支脉在这里与主脉分开，以绵长而又陡峭的山脊往西延伸插入平原。恶龙的足迹在西边更为少见，这里甚至还有一些青草可以供小马吃。这个营地整天都在悬崖阴影笼罩之下，只有太阳开始朝着森林落下的时候才会被阳光照亮。他们就从这里一次又一次地分成小队搜寻上山的路。如果地图正确的话，那么在山谷出口处高高的悬崖上，一定就是那密门的所在。日复一日，他们回到营地时都一无所获。

But at last unexpectedly they found what they were seeking. Fili and Kili and the hobbit went back one day down the valley and scrambled among the tumbled rocks at its southern corner. About midday, creeping behind a great stone that stood alone like a pillar, Bilbo came on what looked like rough steps going upwards. Following these excitedly he and the dwarves found traces of a narrow track, often lost, often rediscovered, that wandered on to the top of the southern ridge and brought them at last to a still narrower ledge, which turned north across the face of the Mountain. Looking down they saw that they were at the top of the cliff at the valley’s head and were gazing down on to their own camp below. Silently, clinging to the rocky wall on their right, they went in single file along the ledge, till the wall opened and they turned into a little steep-walled bay, grassy-floored, still and quiet. Its entrance which they had found could not be seen from below because of the overhang of the cliff, nor from further off because it was so small that it looked like a dark crack and no more. It was not a cave and was open to the sky above; but at its inner end a flat wall rose up that in the lower part, close to the ground, was as smooth and upright as masons’ work, but without a joint or crevice to be seen. No sign was there of post or lintel or threshold, nor any sign of bar or bolt or key-hole; yet they did not doubt that they had found the door at last.

但最后，他们却于无意中找到了他们要找的目标。菲力、奇力和比尔博有一天从山谷那边回来，在南边角上的一堆碎石中磕磕绊绊地走着。大约在中午时分，比尔博在绕过一座像柱子一样孤零零矗立着的巨岩时，发现了一道似乎是往上的简陋阶梯。他和两个矮人同伴兴奋地拾级而上，找到了一条狭窄小道的痕迹。痕迹忽隐忽现，一直蜿蜒曲折地来到了南岭的顶端，终于把他们送上了另一道更狭窄经过山的正面朝北转去的岩架。他们往下看去，发现自己正在谷口的悬崖顶端，俯瞰着自己的营地。他们静悄悄地靠着右边的山壁，排成一路纵队沿着岩架朝前走，直到山壁消失，他们拐进了一个被悬崖环抱着的，遍地青草，阒寂无声的山坳。由于这个山坳的入口四周被悬崖挡住，因此从下面根本看不见，而从远处也很难发现，因为它小得看起来只像是一道黑暗的裂缝。这不是一个洞穴，而是一个露天的空间，但在它的最里端则竖着一面扁平的石壁，其下端靠近地面的地方光滑而又平直，简直如同经过石匠之手，但上面却见不到一点雕凿加工的痕迹。那里没有任何门柱、门枢或是门槛的痕迹，也没有门栏、门闩或是钥匙孔的痕迹，然而他们却毫不怀疑，他们终于找到了进入山洞的密门。

They beat on it, they thrust and pushed at it, they implored it to move, they spoke fragments of broken spells of opening, and nothing stirred. At last tired out they rested on the grass at its feet, and then at evening began their long climb down.

他们对着山壁又拍又打，又推又拉，他们唠里唠叨地恳求它动起来，又念诵着支离破碎、七拼八凑的开门咒语，然而一切都没有发生。折腾了半天后他们精疲力竭了，便坐倒在石壁跟前的草地上休息，等到了晚上才开始慢慢地朝山下走去。

There was excitement in the camp that night. In the morning they prepared to move once more. Only Bofur and Bombur were left behind to guard the ponies and such stores as they had brought with them from the river. The others went down the valley and up the newly found path, and so to the narrow ledge. Along this they could carry no bundles or packs, so narrow and breathless was it, with a fall of a hundred and fifty feet beside them on to sharp rocks below; but each of them took a good coil of rope wound tight about his waist, and so at last without mishap they reached the little grassy bay.

当天晚上大家都很兴奋，到了早上，大家再次整装待发，只有波弗和邦伯被留在营区，看管小马和从水路带来的补给物资。其他的人先沿着山谷往下，然后再顺着新发现的小径来到那道狭窄的山脊。由于小路又窄又险，一边是一百五十呎的峭壁，所以根本无法携带任何的行李或背包，但每个人都带了一大卷绳索绑在腰际，因此最后都安全地来到了长满青草的小山坳。

There they made their third camp, hauling up what they needed from below with their ropes. Down the same way they were able occasionally to lower one of the more active dwarves, such as Kili, to exchange such news as there was, or to take a share in the guard below, while Bofur was hauled up to the higher camp. Bombur would not come up either the rope or the path.

他们在这里扎下了第三个营地，用绳子把他们要用到的东西从底下吊了上来。用同样的方法，他们偶尔也会把身手比较敏捷的矮人，比如奇力，给送下去，与下面互通信息，或者是在波弗被拉到上面的营地时到下面去分担守卫工作。邦伯则不管是利用绳索还是走小径，都不愿意上来。

“I am too fat for such fly-walks,” he said. “I should turn dizzy and tread on my beard, and then you would be thirteen again. And the knotted ropes are too slender for my weight.” Luckily for him that was not true, as you will see.

“我太胖了，这种半空中的行走我应付不了。”他说，“我会头晕，然后就会绊到自己的胡子，这样你们就又会变成只有十三个人了。这些打了结的绳子也太细，不能承载我的体重。”他运气不错，这话说得并不对，等下你们就会知道了。

In the meanwhile some of them explored the ledge beyond the opening and found a path that led higher and higher on to the mountain; but they did not dare to venture very far that way, nor was there much use in it. Out up there a silence reigned, broken by no bird or sound except that of the wind in the crannies of stone. They spoke low and never called or sang, for danger brooded in every rock. The others who were busy with the secret of the door had no more success. They were too eager to trouble about the runes or the moon-letters, but tried without resting to discover where exactly in the smooth face of the rock the door was hidden. They had brought picks and tools of many sorts from Lake-town, and at first they tried to use these. But when they struck the stone the handles splintered and jarred their arms cruelly, and the steel heads broke or bent like lead. Mining work, they saw clearly, was no good against the magic that had shut this door; and they grew terrified, too, of the echoing noise.

与此同时，有些人已经开始探索入口后面的山脊，发现有条小径通往大山的更高处。但他们不敢沿着这条路往前探得太远，而且就算去了那边也没有多大用处。在那片高地上万籁俱寂，连鸟叫也听不到，只有风吹过岩石缝隙的声音。他们压低声音说话，不敢大声喊叫或是唱歌，因为每一块岩石中都孕育着危险。其他忙着探索门的秘密的人也没有丝毫的进展。他们太过心急，根本懒得去推敲如尼文或是月亮文字的记载，只是一个劲儿地想在那块平滑的山壁上找到隐藏的门。他们从长湖镇带来了钢钎等各种各样的工具，一开始他们先试着利用这些工具，但钢钎往石头上一敲，不是把手断裂，就是把他们的胳膊震得生疼，钢铁的尖端要么断裂，要么弯曲，简直就像是铅一样。很明显，用采矿那套手法来对付封印密门的魔法是行不通的，而且，对于敲击钢钎引起的阵阵回声也令他们心里越来越发慌。

Bilbo found sitting on the doorstep lonesome and wearisome—there was not a doorstep, of course, really, but they used to call the little grassy space between the wall and the opening the “doorstep” in fun, remembering Bilbo’s words long ago at the unexpected party in his hobbit-hole, when he said they could sit on the doorstep till they thought of something. And sit and think they did, or wandered aimlessly about, and glummer and glummer they became.

比尔博坐在门阶上，觉得孤单而又疲惫——当然，这里并没有真的台阶或是门槛之类的东西，只是他们都习惯把山壁和山坳入口之间的草地叫做“门阶”。这样叫是出于打趣，因为他们都还记得，在他们第一次拜访比尔博的时候，他叫他们在想到好点子之前可以先坐在门口的台阶上。他们的确坐在这边沉思了很久，或是漫无目的地转来转去，大伙儿变得越来越闷闷不乐了。

Their spirits had risen a little at the discovery of the path, but now they sank into their boots; and yet they would not give it up and go away. The hobbit was no longer much brighter than the dwarves. He would do nothing but sit with his back to the rock-face and stare away west through the opening, over the cliff, over the wide lands to the black wall of Mirkwood, and to the distances beyond, in which he sometimes thought he could catch glimpses of the Misty Mountains small and far. If the dwarves asked him what he was doing he answered:

发现小径的时候，他们的士气的确有所提升，但现在又跌落到谷底了。不过，他们并不肯放弃。霍比特人也不再比别人兴致高出许多了，他经常会什么事也不干，定定地背靠山壁坐着，目光穿过山坳的开口，向着遥远的西面，越过悬崖，越过广阔的土地，落到黑墙般的黑森林上。他继续朝前望去，觉得自己有时甚至能瞥见一眼迷雾山脉那遥远而渺小的影子。如果矮人们问他在干什么，他会回答：

“You said sitting on the doorstep and thinking would be my job, not to mention getting inside, so I am sitting and thinking.” But I am afraid he was not thinking much of the job, but of what lay beyond the blue distance, the quiet Western Land and the Hill and his hobbit-hole under it.

“你们不是说坐在门口想办法是我的工作吗，更不用说还要进去呢，所以我正坐在这里想办法呀。”不过，恐怕他脑子里在想的并非是眼前的工作，而是在想着遥远的那片西部陆地，那座小丘，以及小丘下属于他的洞府。

A large grey stone lay in the centre of the grass and he stared moodily at it or watched the great snails. They seemed to love the little shut-in bay with its walls of cool rock, and there were many of them of huge size crawling slowly and stickily along its sides.

在草地中央有一块很大的灰色石头，他会闷闷不乐地一直盯着那块石头，或是看大蜗牛爬。这些大蜗牛似乎很喜欢这个封闭在大山深处的山坳和冰凉的岩石，许多体型巨大的蜗牛聚集在此，沿着山坳的边沿慢腾腾、黏乎丰地爬来爬去。

“Tomorrow begins the last week of autumn,” said Thorin one day.

“明天就是秋天的最后一周了，”有一天索林如此说道。

“And winter comes after autumn,” said Bifur.

“秋天之后就是冬天了。”比弗接口道。

“And next year after that,” said Dwalin, “and our beards will grow till they hang down the cliff to the valley before anything happens here. What is our burglar doing for us? Since he has got an invisible ring, and ought to be a specially excellent performer now, I am beginning to think he might go through the Front Gate and spy things out a bit!”

“然后就是明年了。”杜瓦林说，“我们的胡子会越来越长，还不等这里有任何事情发生，我们的胡子就能沿着悬崖一直长到山谷里去了。我们的飞贼帮上我们什么忙了吗?既然他手上有那么一个隐形戒指，现在正应该大显身手才对。我都有点觉得他应该从正门进去，替我们打探一下状况了!”

Bilbo heard this—the dwarves were on the rocks just above the enclosure where he was sitting—and “Good Gracious!” he thought, “so that is what they are beginning to think, is it? It is always poor me that has to get them out of their difficulties, at least since the wizard left. Whatever am I going to do? I might have known that something dreadful would happen to me in the end. I don’t think I could bear to see the unhappy valley of Dale again, and as for that steaming gate! ! !”

比尔博听见了——矮人们所在的那片岩石正好就在他坐的地方的头上——“天哪!”他想道，“原来他们开始有了这样的念头啊!每回有了麻烦，总是指望我来替他们脱离困境，至少在巫师离开之后一直是这样。我究竟该怎么办呢?我看到头来别会有什么可怕的事情落到我头上呢。我觉得，我可忍受不了再看到那个悲惨的河谷城，也再不想见到那个冒着蒸汽的大门了!!!”

That night he was very miserable and hardly slept. Next day the dwarves all went wandering off in various directions; some were exercising the ponies down below, some were roving about the mountain-side. All day Bilbo sat gloomily in the grassy bay gazing at the stone, or out west through the narrow opening. He had a queer feeling that he was waiting for something. “Perhaps the wizard will suddenly come back today,” he thought.

那天晚上，他越想心里越不是滋味，翻来覆去地怎么也睡不着。第二天，矮人们散到四面八方去闲逛了，有的到下面去遛小马，有的则沿着山坡瞎转悠。比尔博整天都坐在长着青草的山坳里看石头，或是通过山坳的入口朝西方远眺。他有一种奇怪的感觉，觉得自己正在等待着什么东西。“或许巫师会在今天突然回来吧。”他想。

If he lifted his head he could see a glimpse of the distant forest. As the sun turned west there was a gleam of yellow upon its far roof, as if the light caught the last pale leaves. Soon he saw the orange ball of the sun sinking towards the level of his eyes. He went to the opening and there pale and faint was a thin new moon above the rim of Earth.

如果他抬起头来，就会瞥见远方的森林。太阳西坠的时候，森林的顶端会泛起一片金光，如同太阳光照射在最后一些浅色的树叶上。很快他就可以看见橘色的火球落到了与他视线齐平的高度。他走到山坳的入口，看见一轮淡淡的新月出现在地平面上。

At that very moment he heard a sharp crack behind him. There on the grey stone in the grass was an enormous thrush, nearly coal black, its pale yellow breast freckled with dark spots. Crack! It had caught a snail and was knocking it on the stone. Crack! Crack!

就在这一刻，他听见身后传来一记尖利的咔嗒声，一只巨大的画眉鸟落在草地上的灰色岩石上，它几乎是全黑的，就连浅黄色的胸脯上都布满黑点。咔嗒!它抓到了一只蜗牛，正在岩石上试图敲破它的壳。咔嗒!咔嗒!

Suddenly Bilbo understood. Forgetting all danger he stood on the ledge and hailed the dwarves, shouting and waving. Those that were nearest came tumbling over the rocks and as fast as they could along the ledge to him, wondering what on earth was the matter; the others shouted to be hauled up the ropes (except Bombur, of course: he was asleep).

比尔博突然间明白了。他忘记了所有的危险，站在山脊上招呼矮人们，对着他们又是喊叫，又是挥手。离他最近的人立刻用最快的速度攀着岩石沿着山脊向他赶来，心中纳闷究竟会是什么重要的事情;其他人则高声喊着叫上面放绳子把他们吊上来(只有邦伯例外：他睡着了)。

Quickly Bilbo explained. They all fell silent: the hobbit standing by the grey stone, and the dwarves with wagging beards watching impatiently. The sun sank lower and lower, and their hopes fell. It sank into a belt of reddened cloud and disappeared. The dwarves groaned, but still Bilbo stood almost without moving. The little moon was dipping to the horizon. Evening was coming on. Then suddenly when their hope was lowest a red ray of the sun escaped like a finger through a rent in the cloud. A gleam of light came straight through the opening into the bay and fell on the smooth rock-face. The old thrush, who had been watching from a high perch with beady eyes and head cocked on one side, gave a sudden trill. There was a loud crack. A flake of rock split from the wall and fell. A hole appeared suddenly about three feet from the ground.

比尔博很快对众人作了解释，他们全都一声不吭地听着。霍比特人静静地站在灰岩旁，矮人们的胡子飘来飘去，不耐烦地看着他。太阳越落越低，他们的希望也在跌落。最后，它沉入一圈火红的晚霞，消失了。矮人们发着牢骚，但比尔博依旧几乎是纹丝不动地站着。新月与地平线还有一丝粘连，夜色正在降临。突然，就在他们最灰心的时候，一缕红色的阳光像一根手指捅破帐篷一样，从云层中逃了出来，一道光线直直地穿过山坳的入口，落在了光滑的岩壁上。那只老画眉鸟之前一直瞪着亮晶晶的小眼睛，脑袋高高翘起侧向一边，停在高处观察着，此时只听它猛地叫了一声!接着是很响的一声“咔嗒!”一片薄薄的岩石从岩壁上裂开又落下，离地三呎的地方突然出现了一个小洞。

Quickly, trembling lest the chance should fade, the dwarves rushed to the rock and pushed—in vain.

矮人们反应倒是很快，担心机会稍纵即逝，纷纷冲到岩石跟前，想把小洞推开——然而却只是徒劳。

“The key! The key!” cried Bilbo. “Where is Thorin?”

“钥匙!钥匙!”比尔博大喊，“索林在哪儿?”

Thorin hurried up.

索林急忙跑了过来。

“The key!” shouted Bilbo. “The key that went with the map! Try it now while there is still time!”

“钥匙!”比尔博吼道，“和那张地图一起的钥匙!趁还有时间赶紧试试!”

Then Thorin stepped up and drew the key on its chain from round his neck. He put it to the hole. It fitted and it turned! Snap! The gleam went out, the sun sank, the moon was gone, and evening sprang into the sky.

索林走上前，把连在链子上的钥匙从脖子上摘了下来，插到了洞里。洞孔与钥匙很吻合，跟着钥匙转动了起来!嗒!光线消失，太阳落下，月亮也不见了，夜色布满了天空。

Now they all pushed together, and slowly a part of the rock-wall gave way. Long straight cracks appeared and widened. A door five feet high and three broad was outlined, and slowly without a sound swung inwards. It seemed as if darkness flowed out like a vapour from the hole in the mountain-side, and deep darkness in which nothing could be seen lay before their eyes, a yawning mouth leading in and down.

这时，众人一起发力推动大门，慢慢地，岩壁的一部分向后退去，狭长的缝隙出现了，并且越来越大，渐渐现出一道五呎高，三呎宽的大门，缓慢而又无声地向内转去。黑暗如同蒸汽一般从山壁上的黑洞往外流出来，在他们的眼前是一个伸手不见五指的漆黑洞穴，如同一张张开的大嘴，直通入孤山的深腹。