14 FIRE AND WATER

Chapter 14 FIRE AND WATER Now if you wish, like the dwarves, to hear news of Smaug, you must go back again to the evening when he smashed the door and flew off in rage, two days before. The men of the lake-town Esgaroth were mostly indoors, for the breeze was from the black East and chill, but a few were walking on the quays, and watching, as they were fond of doing, the stars shine out from the smooth patches of the lake as they opened in the sky. From their town the Lonely Mountain was mostly screened by the low hills at the far end of the lake, through a gap in which the Running River came down from the North. Only its high peak could they see in clear weather, and they looked seldom at it, for it was ominous and drear even in the light of morning. Now it was lost and

第十四章 火与水 如果你也像矮人那样，想要听听斯毛格的消息，就得回到两天前那个晚上，就是他撞破大门、愤怒飞走的时候。 湖镇埃斯加洛斯的人们大多待在屋里，因为风从阴冷的黑暗东方吹来，不过还是有几个人在码头散步——他们就爱这样，看着天空露出晴空，星星在平静的湖面上闪呀闪。 从他们的镇子望出去，孤山的大部分都被湖尽头的矮山挡住了，奔流河就是从北边穿过山间的缺口流下来的。 只有晴天才能看见孤山的高峰，可人们很少望向它，哪怕在晨光里，它也透着阴森不祥。 这会儿它已经隐没在

gone, blotted in the dark. Suddenly it flickered back to view; a brief glow touched it and faded. "Look!" said one. "The lights again! Last night the watchmen saw them start and fade from midnight until dawn. Something is happening up there." "Perhaps the King under the Mountain is forging gold," said another. "It is long since he went North. It is time the songs began to prove themselves again." "Which king?" said another with a grim voice. "As like as not it is the marauding fire of the Dragon, the only king under the Mountain we have ever known." "You are always foreboding gloomy things!" said the others. "Anything from floods to poisoned fish. Think of something cheerful!" Then suddenly a great light appeared in the low place in the hills and the northern end of the lake turned golden. "The King beneath the Mountain!" they shouted. "His wealth is like the Sun, his silver like a fountain, his rivers golden run! The river is running gold from the Mountain!" they cried, and everywhere windows were opening and feet were hurrying.

了踪迹，消失在沉沉夜色中。 突然它又闪了出来，一道微光掠过山顶，又很快暗了下去。 “看哪！”一个人说。 “那亮光又出现了！” “昨晚守卫就看见它从半夜亮到天亮，亮了又暗。” “山上肯定出事啦。” “说不定是山下国王在炼金子呢，”另一个人说。 “他去北方已经好久了。” 也该让歌谣里说的事应验啦。” “哪个国王？”另一个人粗着嗓子说。 “搞不好那是恶龙烧出来的火，那才是我们认识的唯一一个山下之王呢。” “你总说这些丧气话！”其他人说。 “从洪水说到毒鱼，就没好事。” “想点开心的事行不行！” 就在这时，山间低地突然亮起一道强光，湖北岸一下子变成了金黄色。 “山下之王！” 他们大喊道。 “他的财富像太阳闪光，他的银子像喷泉流淌，金色的河水顺着山脉往下淌！” “山上流下来的河水全是金的！” 他们喊着，家家户户都打开了窗户，人们急匆匆地往外跑。

There was once more a tremendous excitement and enthusiasm. But the grim-voiced fellow ran hotfoot to the Master. "The dragon is coming or I am a fool!" he cried. "Cut the bridges! To arms! To arms!" Then warning trumpets were suddenly sounded, and echoed along the rocky shores. The cheering stopped and the joy was turned to dread. So it was that the dragon did not find them quite unprepared. Before long, so great was his speed, they could see him as a spark of fire rushing towards them and growing ever huger and more bright, and not the most foolish doubted that the prophecies had gone rather wrong. Still they had a little time. Every vessel in the town was filled with water, every warrior was armed, every arrow and dart was ready, and the bridge to the land was thrown down and destroyed, before the roar of Smaug's terrible approach grew loud, and the lake rippled red as fire beneath the awful beating of his wings. Amid shrieks and wailing and the shouts of men he came over them, swept towards the bridges and was foiled! The bridge was gone, and his enemies were on an island in deep water—too deep and dark and cool for his liking. If he plunged into it, a

整个镇子瞬间爆发出巨大的兴奋和欢呼。 可那个粗嗓子的人却急冲冲跑去找镇长。 “恶龙来了，我错不了！” 他喊道。 “砍断桥梁！” “备战！” “备战！” 紧接着，警报号角突然吹响，回声沿着岩石湖岸远远传开。 欢呼声一下子停了，喜悦瞬间变成了恐惧。 就这样，恶龙并没有打他们个措手不及。 没过多久，恶龙就飞来了，他速度快极了，人们看见一团火花朝着他们冲来，越来越大、越来越亮，这下连最蠢的人都敢肯定，之前的预言全错了。 不过他们还是争取到了一点时间。 镇里所有容器都装满了水，每个战士都拿好了武器，每支箭都上好了弦，通往对岸的桥也被砍断摧毁了，做完这些，斯毛格可怕的吼声才越来越响，他翅膀一拍，湖面就翻起火红的波纹。 在人们的尖叫、哀嚎和呼喊声中，恶龙飞到他们头顶，朝着桥梁冲过去，却扑了个空！ 桥已经没了，他的敌人都在深水中的小岛上——水太深、太黑、太凉，完全不合他的心意。 要是他一头扎进去，一大团

vapour and a steam would arise enough to cover all the land with a mist for days; but the lake was mightier than he, it would quench him before he could pass through. Roaring he swept back over the town. A hail of dark arrows leaped up and snapped and rattled on his scales and jewels, and their shafts fell back kindled by his breath burning and hissing into the lake. No fireworks you ever imagined equalled the sights that night. At the twanging of the bows and the shrilling of the trumpets the dragon's wrath blazed to its height, till he was blind and mad with it. No one had dared to give battle to him for many an age; nor would they have dared now, if it had not been for the grim-voiced man (Bard was his name), who ran to and fro cheering on the archers and urging the Master to order them to fight to the last arrow. Fire leaped from the dragon's jaws. He circled for a while high in the air above them lighting all the lake; the trees by the shores shone like copper and like blood with leaping shadows of dense black at their feet. Then down he swooped straight through the arrow-storm, reckless in his rage, taking no heed to turn his scaly sides towards his foes, seeking only

水汽和蒸汽会冒出来，够把整片大地罩在雾里好几天；可湖比他强大得多，不等他冲过去就会把他浇灭。 他怒吼着调转方向，扫过镇子上空。 黑压压的箭雨飞射上来，碰到他的鳞片和宝石护甲就断成碎块，箭杆被他的龙息点燃，烧得咝咝响，掉进了湖里。 你能想象到的任何烟花，都比不上那天晚上的景象精彩。 弓弦弹出嗡鸣，号角吹得尖利，恶龙的怒火涨到了顶点，他气得发了疯，眼睛都看不见了。 这么多年来没人敢跟他开战，要不是这个粗嗓子的人——他叫巴德——来回奔跑鼓励弓箭手，还催镇长下令让大家战斗到最后一箭，人们现在也还是不敢开战的。 火焰从恶龙的颌下喷了出来。 他在人们头顶的高空绕了一圈，把整个湖面都照亮了；岸边的树亮得像赤铜，又像沾了血，树脚投下浓浓的黑影，不停跳动。 接着他猛地向下俯冲，径直穿过箭雨，怒火让他失去了理智，根本没想着把带鳞的侧身对着敌人，他一心只想

to set their town ablaze. Fire leaped from thatched roofs and wooden beam-ends as he hurtled down and past and round again, though all had been drenched with water before he came. Once more water was flung by a hundred hands wherever a spark appeared. Back swirled the dragon. A sweep of his tail and the roof of the Great House crumbled and smashed down. Flames unquenchable sprang high into the night. Another swoop and another, and another house and then another sprang afire and fell; and still no arrow hindered Smaug or hurt him more than a fly from the marshes. Already men were jumping into the water on every side. Women and children were being huddled into laden boats in the market-pool. Weapons were flung down. There was mourning and weeping, where but a little time ago the old songs of mirth to come had been sung about the dwarves. Now men cursed their names. The Master himself was turning to his great gilded boat, hoping to row away in the confusion and save himself. Soon all the town would be deserted and burned down to the surface of the lake.

要把他们的镇子烧成灰烬。 哪怕人们在他来前就浇透了所有地方，可当他俯冲、掠过、再次盘旋时，火焰还是从茅草屋顶和木梁端头窜了出来。 只要哪里冒出火星，上百双手就立刻往那里泼水。 恶龙旋身退开。 他尾巴一扫，大宅的屋顶就碎裂坍塌了下来。 无法扑灭的烈焰高高窜入了夜空。 他一次又一次俯冲，一栋接一栋房子起火坍塌；可没有一支箭能阻挡史矛革，对他造成的伤害还比不上沼泽里的一只苍蝇。 男人们已经纷纷从四面八方跳进水里。 妇女和儿童都被簇拥着挤上了市集水潭里满载的小船。 武器都被扔在了地上。 到处都是哀哭和啜泣，就在不久前，这里还唱响着歌颂矮人、期盼欢乐的古老歌谣。 现在人们却咒骂着矮人的名字。 镇长本人已经奔向他那艘镀金大船，想要趁乱划船逃走保住性命。 用不了多久整座镇子就会空无一人，被烧成焦土沉入湖底。

That was the dragon's hope. They could all get into boats for all he cared. There he could have fine sport hunting them, or they could stop till they starved. Let them try to get to land and he would be ready. Soon he would set all the shoreland woods ablaze and wither every field and pasture. Just now he was enjoying the sport of town-baiting more than he had enjoyed anything for years. But there was still a company of archers that held their ground among the burning houses. Their captain was Bard, grim-voiced and grim-faced, whose friends had accused him of prophesying floods and poisoned fish, though they knew his worth and courage. He was a descendant in long line of Girion, Lord of Dale, whose wife and child had escaped down the Running River from the ruin long ago. Now he shot with a great yew bow, till all his arrows but one were spent. The flames were near him. His companions were leaving him. He bent his bow for the last time. Suddenly out of the dark something fluttered to his shoulder. He started—but it was only an old thrush. Unafraid it perched by his ear and it brought him news. Marvelling he found he could understand its tongue, for he was of the race of Dale.

这正是恶龙打的如意算盘。 他们全都躲去船上，正合了他的心意。 他正好可以慢悠悠追猎他们，或是把他们困在湖里饿死。 要是他们敢靠岸，他早就准备好了。 用不了多久他就会把岸上整片森林都点燃，把所有田野牧场都烤成焦土。 这会儿他正享受着蹂躏镇子的乐趣，这是他这么多年来最开心的事。 不过还有一队弓箭手依然坚守在燃烧的房屋之间，没有退却。 队长是巴德，他语气沉重脸色凝重；之前他预言会有洪水和毒鱼，朋友们都怪他乌鸦嘴，但大家都清楚他既有本事又勇敢。 他是河谷城领主吉瑞安的直系后裔，当年吉瑞安的妻儿早在城破时就顺着奔流河逃了出来。 此刻他握着一把巨大的紫杉木弓不停射击，射得只剩最后一支箭了。 火焰已经烧到他身边了。 他的同伴们都纷纷离开他逃命去了。 他最后一次拉开了弓弦。 突然有个东西从黑暗里扑棱着翅膀落到了他肩膀上。 他吓了一跳——原来只是一只老鸫鸟。 它一点都不害怕，停在他耳边给他带来了消息。 巴德惊讶地发现自己居然听得懂它的话，因为他是河谷人的后裔。