Ch5-The Norns

CHAPTER FIVE The Norns. Teddy slammed the door against the wolves. Jack caught his breath. "Welcome!" the three Norns said in unison. They all looked exactly alike, except they wore gowns of different colors—blue, brown, and gray. "How are you, Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen?" said the blue Norn.

第五章诺恩一家特迪砰地一声关上了狼的门。 杰克屏住了呼吸。“欢迎！”三个诺恩异口同声地说。 他们看上去一模一样，只是穿着不同颜色的长袍——蓝色、棕色和灰色。 “你们好吗，杰克、安妮、特迪和凯瑟琳？”蓝色的诺恩说。

"We're good now," said Annie. Jack was amazed that the Norns knew all their names. Despite their strange appearance, their friendly smiles and twinkling eyes put him at ease. In their cozy house, he began to feel warm for the first time since they had left home. "Was your journey pleasant?" asked the brown Norn. "Yes. We came in the Ice Wizard's sleigh," said Annie. "With the help of a wind-string," said Teddy. Jack held up the string to show them. The gray Norn cackled. "Yes, we know! I like a string with knots," she said.

“我们现在没事了，”安妮说。 杰克很惊讶，诺恩一家竟然知道他们所有人的名字。 尽管他们的外表很奇怪，但他们友好的微笑和闪烁的眼睛让他放松下来。 在他们舒适的房子里，自从他们离开家以来，他第一次感到温暖。 “旅途愉快吗？”棕色皮肤的诺恩问。 “是的。我们是坐冰法师的雪橇来的。”安妮说。 “在风弦的帮助下，”泰迪说。 杰克举起绳子给他们看。 白发苍苍的诺恩咯咯地笑。“是的，我们知道！”我喜欢打结的绳子，”她说。

"A string without knots would be a boring string indeed!" said the blue Norn. "A life without knots would be a boring life indeed!" chimed in the brown Norn. As they spoke, the Norns kept weaving. Their bulging eyes never blinked. Jack sensed that they never closed their eyes—or stopped their work. "Sorry to bother you," said Annie. "But Jack and I need the eye of the Ice Wizard of Winter so we can save our friends Merlin and Morgan." "We know," said the blue Norn. "We are weaving the story of the Ice Wizard now. Come look." Jack moved with the others to the loom. Dozens of tiny pictures were woven into the tapestry. The

“一根没有结的绳子真是一根无聊的绳子！”蓝诺恩说。 “没有打结的生活真是无聊透顶！”棕色的诺恩附和道。 他们一边说，一边继续编织。 他们鼓鼓的眼睛一眨也不眨。 杰克感觉到他们从来没有闭上眼睛，也没有停止他们的工作。 “很抱歉打扰你，”安妮说。 “但是杰克和我需要冬天的冰雪巫师之眼，这样我们才能拯救我们的朋友梅林和摩根。” “我们知道。”蓝色的诺恩说。 “我们现在正在编织冰法师的故事。 来看看。”杰克和其他人一起走向织布机。 挂毯上织了几十幅小画。 的

threads were all wintry colors—blues, grays, and browns. "The pictures tell the story of the wizard's life," explained the brown Norn. One picture showed two children playing together. Another showed a boy running after a swan. Another showed two white wolves—and another showed an eye in a circle. "What's the story of the eye?" Jack asked. "Long ago, the Ice Wizard came to us seeking all the wisdom of the world," said the gray Norn. "We said we would give him wisdom if he gave us one of his eyes. He agreed to the bargain." "The wizard doesn't seem very wise," said Annie.

丝线都是冬天的颜色——蓝色、灰色和棕色。 “这些画讲述了巫师的一生。”棕色的诺恩解释道。 其中一张照片显示两个孩子在一起玩耍。 另一幅画的是一个男孩在追一只天鹅。 另一幅画了两只白狼，还有一幅画了一只圆圈里的眼睛。 “这只眼睛是怎么回事？”杰克问。 “很久以前，冰雪巫师来到我们这里，寻求世界上所有的智慧。”灰色的诺恩说。 “我们说过，如果他给我们一只眼睛，我们就给他智慧。 他同意了这笔交易。” “巫师似乎不太聪明，”安妮说。

"Indeed he is not," said the brown Norn. "We planted the seeds of wisdom in his heart, but they never grew." "Why did you want his eye?" asked Jack. "We wished to give it to the Frost Giant," said the blue Norn. "The Frost Giant?" said Teddy. "Who is the Frost Giant?"

“他确实不是。”棕色皮肤的诺恩说。 “我们在他心中种下了智慧的种子，但它们从未生长。” “你为什么要他的眼睛？”杰克问。 “我们想把它送给冰霜巨人。”蓝色的诺恩说。 “冰霜巨人？”泰迪问。 “谁是冰霜巨人？”

"He is neither magician nor mortal," said the blue Norn. "He is a blind force of nature that spares nothing in his path." "We hoped the Frost Giant would use the wizard's eye to see the beauty of the world, so he might choose to care for it rather than destroy it," said the brown Norn. "But alas, the Frost Giant

“他既不是魔术师，也不是凡人。”蓝色的诺恩说。 “他是一种盲目的自然力量，在他的道路上毫不留情。” “我们希望冰霜巨人能用巫师的眼睛看到这个世界的美丽，这样他就会选择爱护它，而不是毁灭它。”棕色的诺恩说。 “唉，冰霜巨人