Ch4-The One-Eyed King

CHAPTER FOUR The One-Eyed King The front hallway was dark and cool. The flickering flames of oil lamps cast shadows on wall murals. The murals showed figures from Greek myths. "Zeus," Annie whispered to Jack, pointing to a painting of the ruler of all the Greek gods.

第四章独眼王前厅阴暗而凉爽。 油灯摇曳的火焰在墙上的壁画上投下阴影。 壁画上的人物来自希腊神话。 “宙斯，”安妮指着一幅希腊众神之王的画像，小声对杰克说。

"Centaurs," whispered Jack, pointing to creatures that were half man and half horse. "This way," said Aristotle. Jack and Annie followed the philosopher through the hall to an open courtyard. Women in long white dresses were grilling meat over a fire and pulling bread from a clay oven. They glanced at Annie with curiosity. Aristotle led them past the cooks to a doorway off the courtyard. The sounds of loud conversation came from the room beyond. "King Philip has gathered the men of his most elite cavalry," said Aristotle. "They are known as the King's Companions. Do not be startled when you look upon the king. Years ago, he lost an eye in battle." "Oww," said Annie, wincing. "Even so, he is still the greatest military leader in the known world," said Aristotle. Jack nodded. He took a deep breath. "Prince Alexander will be arriving soon," said the philosopher. "Come." Then he led Jack and Annie into the spacious, lamp-lit room.

“人头马。”杰克小声说，指着半人半马的动物。 “这边，”亚里士多德说。 杰克和安妮跟着哲学家穿过大厅来到一个开放的庭院。 穿着白色长裙的妇女们在火上烤肉，从陶制烤炉里取出面包。 他们好奇地瞥了安妮一眼。 亚里士多德领着他们经过厨师，来到院子外的一个门口。 远处的房间里传来了响亮的谈话声。 “菲利普国王召集了他最精锐的骑兵，”亚里士多德说。 “他们被称为国王的同伴。 你们看见王的时候，不要惊惶。 几年前，他在战斗中失去了一只眼睛。” “哦，”安妮说，畏缩了一下。 “即便如此，他仍然是已知世界上最伟大的军事领袖，”亚里士多德说。 杰克点了点头。他深吸了一口气。 “亚历山大王子马上就要到了。”哲学家说。 “来了。”然后，他领着杰克和安妮走进那间灯火通明的宽敞房间。

The King's Companions lay on couches, propped up on their elbows, or on pillows. They were talking and eating. King Philip was on a couch draped in purple silk. He had a black patch over one eye. Two bodyguards with curved swords hanging from their belts stood nearby. When the king and his men caught sight of Jack and Annie and Aristotle, they fell silent. "King Philip the Second of Macedonia," Aristotle said, bowing. Jack and Annie bowed also. "I have just met these two very learned young people today," said Aristotle. "They are Jack and his sister, Annie, of Frog Creek, a land west of Greece." "Hi," said Annie with a smile. Jack smiled, too, as he looked around at the warriors. No one smiled back, including King Philip II of Macedonia. "Sit," the king ordered. Jack and Annie sat together on an empty couch. Aristotle sat nearby. Three servants quickly appeared. The King's Companions resumed eating and talking as a servant removed Jack's sandals.

国王的同伴们躺在长沙发上，或用胳膊肘撑着，或靠在枕头上。 他们边说边吃。 菲利普国王坐在铺着紫色丝绸的长沙发上。 他一只眼睛上戴着黑色眼罩。 两个腰带上挂着弯刀的保镖站在旁边。 当国王和他的手下看到杰克、安妮和亚里士多德时，他们都沉默了。 “马其顿国王菲利普二世，”亚里士多德鞠躬说道。 杰克和安妮也鞠了一躬。 “我今天刚刚遇到了这两个非常有学问的年轻人，”亚里士多德说。 “他们是杰克和他的妹妹安妮，住在希腊西部的青蛙溪。” “嗨，”安妮笑着说。 杰克看着周围的战士们，也笑了。 没有人报以微笑，包括马其顿国王菲利普二世。 “坐下，”国王命令道。杰克和安妮一起坐在一张空沙发上。 亚里士多德坐在旁边。三个仆人很快出现了。 国王的同伴们继续吃饭和谈话，一个仆人替杰克脱下了凉鞋。

She rinsed his dust-covered feet in a tub of warm water. Jack kept his eyes down, not sure what to do or say. Next, servants delivered small dishes of food to them. Jack identified olives, cheese, purple grapes, nuts, figs… and then there was something that looked like dead bugs. Annie caught Jack's eye. "Grasshoppers?" she whispered, wrinkling her nose. "Eat the grapes," he whispered back. Jack and Annie silently ate grapes as the King's Companions feasted and talked with Aristotle and King Philip. The king was telling a story about a stallion that had been taken captive. Not until the dishes were cleared away did King Philip turn his gaze on Jack and Annie. "Silence!" the king ordered his men. "It is time now to hear from our esteemed visitors. Whomever Aristotle admires, I admire also." Jack nearly choked on a grape. "Aristotle tells us you have studied and learned much—both of you," the king said, looking at Annie. "Is that true?"

她用一盆温水冲洗他满是灰尘的脚。 杰克低着头，不知道该做什么或说什么。 接下来，仆人们给他们送上小碟食物。 杰克认出了橄榄、奶酪、紫葡萄、坚果、无花果……然后还有一些看起来像死虫子的东西。 安妮引起了杰克的注意。“蚱蜢？”她低声说，皱起鼻子。 “吃葡萄吧，”他小声回答。 杰克和安妮静静地吃着葡萄，而国王的同伴们则在大吃大喝，与亚里士多德和国王菲利普交谈。 国王正在讲一个关于一匹被俘虏的公马的故事。 直到盘子被收拾干净，菲利普国王才把目光转向杰克和安妮。 “安静！”国王命令他的部下。 “现在是时候听取我们尊敬的客人的意见了。 亚里士多德欣赏谁，我也欣赏谁。” 杰克差点被一颗葡萄噎住。 “亚里士多德告诉我们，你们两个都学习了很多，学到了很多。”国王看着安妮说。 “是真的吗？”

Before Annie could answer, a boy burst into the room. He was fair-haired and muscular. He wore a purple cloak over his tunic. He strode to the center of the room, tossed back his cloak, and bowed. "I greet you all!" the boy declared. "At last I have arrived!" "Hail, Prince Alexander!" the men said in unison. Alexander the Great! Jack thought. Prince Alexander started to speak, but to Jack's surprise, the king snapped at him, "Quiet, boy! Sit down!" The smile left the prince's face, but he obeyed and sat on a couch near his father. Aristotle leaned forward and spoke kindly to Alexander. "My prince," he said, "when you entered, we were about to hear from two learned young people from Frog Creek, a land west of Greece. They have come here expressly to meet you. This is Jack and his sister, Annie."

安妮还没来得及回答，一个男孩冲进了房间。 他是一头金发，肌肉发达。 他在束腰外衣外披了一件紫色斗篷。 他大步走到房间中央，掀开斗篷，鞠了一躬。 “我向大家问好！”男孩宣布。 “我终于到了！”“哈喽，亚历山大公爵！”人们齐声说道。 亚历山大大帝！杰克的想法。 亚历山大王子开始说话，但令杰克惊讶的是，国王厉声对他说：“安静，孩子！坐下来!”王子脸上的笑容消失了，但他还是照做了，在父亲旁边的沙发上坐了下来。 亚里士多德倾身向前，亲切地对亚历山大说。 “我的王子，”他说，“当你进来的时候，我们正要听到两个有学问的年轻人的演讲，他们来自希腊西部的青蛙溪。 他们是专程来接你的。 这是杰克和他的妹妹安妮。”

"I see," said Alexander, puffing out his chest. He gave Jack and Annie a superior smile. "Well then, small visitors, please share with us your great knowledge." Is this kid serious? Jack wondered. Who does he think he is? "I'll share," Annie piped up. "Recently we learned a lot about a rare kind of bear called a panda bear." "Panda bear?" said the prince with a smirk. "Yes, but don't confuse pandas with other bears, like polar bears or grizzly bears," said Annie. "Pandas live in China. Polar bears live in the Arctic." "That's right," said Jack, clearing his throat. "They're very heavy, polar bears, but they can

“我明白了，”亚历山大挺起胸膛说。 他给了杰克和安妮一个高高在上的微笑。 “那么，小客人们，请与我们分享你们的渊博知识吧。” 这孩子是认真的吗？杰克想知道。 他以为自己是谁？“我来分享，”安妮尖声说。 “最近我们学到了很多关于一种叫做熊猫的稀有熊的知识。” “熊猫熊？”王子傻笑着说。 “是的，但是不要把熊猫和其他熊混淆，比如北极熊或灰熊，”安妮说。 “熊猫生活在中国。北极熊生活在北极。” “没错。”杰克清了清嗓子说。 “北极熊很重，但它们可以