18 Freeing the Dragons

18. FREEING THE DRAGONS This was one of the most important speeches of his life, he knew it. 'Friends and fellow Vikings,' said Hiccup, 'I know that I am probably not quite the King that you expected, but destiny has decreed that I should become your King, in troubled times, facing a Dragon Rebellion. If we allow ourselves to be drawn into a war with the dragons, disaster will follow. Do we want this war? I say no.' The Vikings murmured to each other. They did not really want an all-out war with the dragons. Why would they? They had grown up with dragons. Their dragons slept at their firesides, they hunted fish for them, they fought by their sides in battle. 'I do not want a war with the dragons. In fact, I will do everything in my power to prevent it. I speak Dragonese. I will go to the Dragon Furious, myself, alone, and speak to him to stop this rebellion. War is not necessary! Dragons and humans can live together, I know it! 'But in order for us to stop this war, we have

18. 他知道，这是他一生中最重要的演讲之一。 “朋友们，维京同胞们，”小嗝嗝说，“我知道我可能不完全是你们所期望的国王，但命运已经决定让我成为你们的国王，在混乱时期，面对龙的叛乱。 如果我们让自己卷入与龙的战争，灾难就会随之而来。 我们想要这场战争吗？我说没有。”维京人互相窃窃私语。 他们并不是真的想和龙打一场全面战争。 他们为什么要这么做？他们是和龙一起长大的。 他们的龙睡在他们的炉边，为他们捕鱼，在战场上并肩作战。 “我不想和龙开战。 事实上，我会尽我所能阻止它。 我说龙语。我要亲自去找怒龙，独自一人，跟他谈谈，阻止这场叛乱。 战争没有必要！龙和人类可以共存，我知道！但为了阻止这场战争，我们必须

to change some things about the way we live,' continued Hiccup. He took a deep breath. 'The dragons need to be freed.' Uproar in the castle. Cries of 'That's just ridiculous!' and 'We depend on dragons for our livelihoods!' Hiccup shouted above the hubbub: 'But if the war goes ahead we will have no livelihoods left! We may not even have our lives!' The Tribes quieted again, although there were still furious mutterings and whisperings. 'Think carefully,' pleaded Hiccup. 'We are proud independent island peoples. Would we want to be chained and enslaved, forced to bow down to others as our Masters? Slavery should be banned in all its forms, for both dragons and humans.' The Vikings were silent. 'We do not have to depend on slave and dragon labour. We are Vikings. We can stand on our own two feet. We don't have to stand by and let history just happen to us. We can take charge of our own fortune, we can improve our own futures, and stop this war before it starts. Free the dragons!'

来改变我们的生活方式，”小嗝嗝继续说。 他深吸了一口气。“这些龙需要被释放。”城堡里一片骚动。 “这太荒谬了！”和“我们靠龙维持生计！”小嗝嗝在喧闹声中喊道：“但是如果战争继续下去，我们就没有生计了！我们可能连命都没有了！”部落里的人又安静了下来，尽管仍然有愤怒的嘀咕和窃窃私语。 “仔细想想，”小嗝嗝恳求道。 “我们是自豪的独立岛国人民。 难道我们想要被束缚和奴役，被迫像主人一样向别人卑躬屈膝吗？ 应该禁止一切形式的奴隶制，无论是对龙还是对人。”维京人沉默了。 “我们不必依赖奴隶和龙的劳动。 我们是维京人。我们可以自力更生。 我们不能袖手旁观，让历史发生在我们身上。 我们可以掌控我们自己的命运，我们可以改善我们自己的未来，在战争开始之前阻止它。 释放恶龙！”

All around the Battle Arena, the hunting- dragons were still as statues, ears back, cats' eyes watchful. Those that understood Norse were whispering in Dragonese to those that did not. One Eye the revolutionary Sabre-Tooth Driver Dragon looked cynically down from the Second to the Left Tower. 'HA! Nice try, Hiccup my boy, but trust me, humans are incapable of change. They were pigs with whips in the past, and they'll be pigs with whips for ever.' All around the edges of the castle, the Outcasts were prowling, like a pack of hungry wolves, ready to prove that One Eye the Sabre-Tooth was right. But maybe One Eye was wrong. For some reason, Hiccup's speech was striking a chord with the exhausted battle-weary Vikings. Maybe it was the long months of poor harvests and food. Maybe they were impressed by Hiccup seeming to have the will of the gods behind him. Maybe it was the thought of more fighting, and they hadn't got the heart for it. Or maybe, just maybe, they saw that he had a point. Who knows.

斗兽场四周，猎龙像雕像一样一动不动，耳朵向后仰着，猫的眼睛警惕着。 懂挪威语的人用龙语和不懂的人窃窃私语。 革命的剑齿虎司机龙从第二塔到左塔愤世嫉俗地看了一眼。 “哈!想得美，小嗝嗝，但相信我，人类是无法改变的。 他们过去是拿着鞭子的猪，将来也永远是拿着鞭子的猪。”在城堡的四周，弃儿们像一群饥饿的狼一样四处游荡，准备证明独眼剑齿是对的。 但也许独眼是错的。 出于某种原因，小嗝嗝的演讲引起了疲惫不堪的维京人的共鸣。 也许是因为长时间的歉收和粮食短缺。 也许他们被Hiccup背后似乎有上帝的意志所打动。 也许是因为他们还想再打一场仗，而他们没有勇气这么做。 或者也许，只是也许，他们看到他说的有道理。 谁知道呢。

A miracle happened that day on the mountain- top. A small miracle, perhaps just the beginning of one. Slowly, around the arena, people began to clap. Camicazi and Fishlegs began the applause. Closely followed by the whole of the Bog- Burglar and Meathead Tribes, for Hiccup had done them favours in the past. And then the Hooligans, for he was one of them, and the nicer Tribes, such as the Grim-bods, and the Bashem-Oiks, and the Glums and— Suddenly you realize that the nicer Tribes outweighed the not-so-nice. Not the Outcasts, of course. They didn't clap. Nor the Visithugs or the Murderous. They still stood with folded arms, sullen, silent. Although, wonder of wonders, little oily Gumboil got carried away with the moment and put his black-gloved hands together (his mother was a Wanderer) until Madguts the Murderous brought him to his senses with a cuff around the ear. 'Well, shiver my wings, and bless my one

那天在山顶上发生了奇迹。 一个小小的奇迹，也许只是一个奇迹的开始。 慢慢地，在竞技场周围，人们开始鼓掌。 Camicazi和鱼腿开始鼓掌。 后面紧跟着整个沼泽飞贼和笨蛋部落，因为Hiccup过去曾帮过他们的忙。 然后是流氓，因为他是他们中的一员，还有比较好的部落，比如格林姆人、巴什姆-奥克人、格卢姆人，还有——你突然意识到，比较好的部落比不那么好的部落要多。 当然不是那些被遗弃的人。 他们没有鼓掌。也不是拜访者或杀戮者。 他们仍然抱臂站着，闷闷不乐，沉默不语。 然而，奇迹中的奇迹是，小油乎乎的Gumboil一时激动，把戴着黑色手套的双手合在一起（他的母亲是流浪者），直到杀人狂用一根手铐把他带到了耳朵上，他才恢复了理智。 “好吧，颤抖我的翅膀，祝福我的翅膀

good eye!' wondered One Eye the old Sabre-Tooth. 'What a wonder to be wrong! Two hundred years I've served these humans, two hundred years… and I never thought they'd surprise me…' Close by, Stoick lifted his drooping head. 'I knew it!' whispered Camicazi, eyes shining. 'He is the King after all! I knew it!'

好眼力!独眼老剑齿虎想道。 “错了，真奇怪！”我为这些人类服务了两百年，两百年……我从没想过他们会让我吃惊……” “我就知道！”卡米卡齐低声说，眼睛闪闪发光。 “他毕竟是国王！”我就知道！”