Ch11-Sword and Rhyme

CHAPTER ELEVEN Sword and Rhyme. The sea serpent moved its head very close to Jack and Annie and hissed a long, whispery sssssssss. The serpent's flicking tongue touched the sword for a moment. Jack's heart nearly stopped. But then the serpent slowly pulled back its head and began to uncoil itself from around the rocky island.

第十一章剑与韵 海蛇把它的头移到杰克和安妮身边，发出长长的嘶嘶声。 蛇的舌头一闪一闪地碰了一下剑。 杰克的心跳几乎停止了。 但是蛇慢慢地缩回它的头，开始从岩石岛周围展开身体。

The monster kept uncoiling its great body, until once again one wide ring surrounded the cove like a circle of green hills. Then the serpent's head sank beneath the water with barely a ripple. It was impossible to tell where its body started and where it ended. Jack and Annie lowered the Sword of Light and laid it back on the rock. Then they let out a huge sigh of relief and sat down next to the sword. Kathleen and Teddy poked their seal heads up from the calm waters. Barrh! Barrh! they barked. Jack and Annie laughed. "It's safe to come out now!" Annie called. The seals hauled themselves onto the rocky island. Then they plopped on their sides.

这怪物不停地展开它那巨大的身躯，直到又把海湾围成一圈，像一圈青山。 然后，蛇头沉入水中，几乎没有激起一丝涟漪。 不可能分辨出它身体的起点和终点。 杰克和安妮放下光之剑，把它放回岩石上。 然后他们长长地松了一口气，在宝剑旁边坐了下来。 凯萨琳和泰迪把海豹的头从平静的海水中探了出来。 Barrh !Barrh !他们叫了起来。 杰克和安妮笑了。“现在出来安全了！”安妮叫。 海豹把自己拖到岩石岛上。 然后他们扑通一声侧身而下。

"The sword helped us answer the ancient question," said Jack. They all looked at the Sword of Light. It glowed brightly, even though the sun had slipped below the horizon and the purple sky was fading into twilight. "We still have to get it out of here before it's completely dark," said Annie. "I know," said Jack. "But how?" "Look at Merlin's rhyme," said Annie. Jack took the shell from his pocket. He read the last line of Merlin's rhyme: With rhyme and sword, your home is near.

“这把剑帮助我们回答了那个古老的问题。”杰克说。 他们都看着光之剑。 尽管太阳已经落在地平线下，紫色的天空渐渐变成了暮色，但它还是发出了明亮的光芒。 “我们还得在天完全黑下来之前把它弄出去，”安妮说。 “我知道，”杰克说。“可是什么?”“看看梅林的押韵诗，”安妮说。 杰克从口袋里掏出贝壳。 他念着梅林诗歌的最后一行：有了韵律和剑，你的家就在附近了。

Jack looked up. "That doesn't make sense," he said. "Perhaps it does," said Teddy. Jack and Annie turned around. Teddy and Kathleen were standing behind them. Their seal skins had silently slipped off. They were human again. "Perhaps it calls for a magical rhyme," said Teddy. "And I am a magician, remember?" Annie laughed. "How could we forget?" she said. Teddy grinned. "I have gotten much better at my rhymes," he said. "Just watch." He rubbed his hands together. Then he carefully picked up the Sword of Light. He gripped its handle with both

杰克抬起头来。“这说不通，”他说。 “也许是吧，”泰迪说。 杰克和安妮转过身来。 特迪和凯瑟琳站在他们后面。 他们的海豹皮悄悄地脱落了。 他们又变回了人类。“也许它需要一个神奇的押韵，”泰迪说。 “我是个魔术师，记得吗？”安妮笑了。 “我们怎么可能忘记呢？”她说。 泰迪笑了。他说：“我在押韵方面进步了很多。” “看”。他搓着手。 然后他小心翼翼地拿起光之剑。 他用两只手抓住把手

hands. He pointed the silver blade toward the tree house on the distant sea cliff. Teddy took a deep breath. Then he shouted: O Sword of Light, now light the night! Teddy paused. Jack grew worried. Teddy always had trouble finishing his rhymes. And even the ones he did finish never worked the way they were supposed to. Kathleen stepped close to the young sorcerer. "Say it again," she said softly. Teddy called out again: O Sword of Light, now light the night! Kathleen finished the rhyme in selkie language: Ma-ee-bree-stro-eh-brite!

的手。他把银刃指向远处海边悬崖上的树屋。 泰迪深吸了一口气。然后他喊道：啊，光之剑，现在点亮黑夜吧！泰迪停顿了一下。 杰克开始担心起来。泰迪总是写不完押韵诗。 即使是他完成的任务也没有按预期的方式进行。 凯萨琳走近年轻的巫师。 “再说一遍。”她轻声说。 泰迪又喊了一声：啊，光之剑，现在点亮黑夜吧！凯瑟琳用selkie语言念完了这首押韵诗：Ma-ee-bree-stro-eh-brite！

The sword began to vibrate in Teddy's hands. There was a roar and a blast of white light. Shimmering beams shot through the dark. The beams wiggled and waved, then streamed together to make a glittering bridge. The bridge spanned the purple darkness of dusk. It stretched from the rocky island in the middle of the cove to the sea cliff above the coast. When Teddy lowered the sword, the bridge remained in the sky. "Wow!" whispered Annie. She turned to Kathleen. "What did you say to finish the rhyme?" "Ma-ee-bree-stro-eh-brite," Kathleen told her. "Make a bridge, strong and bright."

宝剑在特迪的手中开始颤动。 一声咆哮，一道白光袭来。 闪烁的光束穿过黑暗。 这些梁摇摆着，摇摆着，然后汇成一座闪闪发光的桥。 这座桥横跨在黄昏的紫色黑暗中。 它从海湾中央的岩石岛一直延伸到海岸上方的海崖。 当特迪放下剑时，桥仍然矗立在空中。 “哇！”安妮小声说。她转向凯瑟琳。 “你说了什么来完成押韵？”“Ma-ee-bree-stro-eh-brite，”凯瑟琳告诉她。 “造一座桥，坚固而明亮。”