《最後一戰》第68期:更高更深路(1)

Chapter 15 Further up and Further in

"KNOW, O Warlike Kings," said Emeth, "and you, O ladies whose beauty illuminates the universe, that I am Emeth the seventh son of Harpha Tarkaan of the city of Tehishbaan, Westward beyond the desert. I came lately into Narnia with nine and twenty others under the command of Rishda Tarkaan Now when I first heard that we should march upon Narnia I rejoiced; for I had heard many things of your Land and desired greatly to meet you in battle. But when I found that we were to go in disguised as merchants (which is a shameful dress for a warrior and the son of a Tarkaan) and to work by lies and trickery, then my joy departed from me. And most of all when I found we must wait upon a Monkey, and when it began to be said that Tash and Aslan were one, then the world became dark in my eyes. For always since I was a boy I have served Tash and my great desire was to know more of him, if it might be, to look upon his face. But the name of Aslan was hateful to me.

"And, as you have seen, we were called together outside the straw-roofed hovel, night after night, and the fire was kindled, and the Ape brought forth out of the hovel something upon four legs that I could not well see. And the people and the Beasts bowed down and did honour to it. But I thought, the Tarkaan is deceived by the Ape: for this thing that comes out of the stable is neither Tash nor any other god. But when I watched the Tarkaan's face, and marked every word that he said to the Monkey, then I changed my mind: for I saw that the Tarkaan did not believe in it himself. And then I understood that he did not believe in Tash at all: for if he had, how could he dare to mock him?

"When I understood this, a great rage fell upon me and I wondered that the true Tash did not strike down both the Monkey and the Tarkaan with fire from heaven. Nevertheless I hid my anger and held my tongue and waited to see how it would end. But last night, as some of you know, the Monkey brought not forth the yellow thing but said that all who desired to look upon Tashlan - for so they mixed the two words to pretend that they were all one - must pass one by one into the hovel. And I said to myself, Doubtless this is some other deception. But when the Cat had followed in and had come out again in a madness of terror, then I said to myself, Surely the true Tash, whom they called on without knowledge or belief, has now come among us, and will avenge himself. And though my heart was turned into water inside me because of the greatness and terror of Tash, yet my desire was stronger than my fear, and I put force upon my knees to stay them from trembling, and on my teeth that they should not chatter, and resolved to look upon the face of Tash though he should slay me. So I offered myself to go into the hovel; and the Tarkaan, though unwillingly, let me go.

"As soon as I had gone in at the door, the first wonder was that I found myself in this great sunlight (as we all are now) though the inside of the hovel had looked dark from outside. But I had no time to marvel at this, for immediately I was forced to fight for my head against one of our own men. As soon as I saw him I understood that the Monkey and the Tarkaan had set him there to slay any who came in if he were not in their secrets: so that this man also was a liar and a mocker and no true servant of Tash. I had the better will to fight him; and having slain the villain, I cast him out behind me through the door.

"Then I looked about me and saw the sky and the wide lands, and smelled the sweetness. And I said, By the Gods, this is a pleasant place: it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country and to seek him.

第15章 更高更深路

“尚武的國王們啊，”伊梅思說道，“美麗照耀宇宙的女士們啊，奉告各位，我是伊梅思，大沙漠外西邊的蒂希什班城的泰坎哈泮的第七代後裔。我是同二十九個卡樂門士兵在泰坎利什達的指揮下最近進入納尼亞的。卻說我最初聽到要開往納尼亞時，我是歡欣鼓舞的，因爲我聽說過許多你們國土上的事情，很想同你們在戰場上較量一番。但，當我發覺我們要化裝成商人前往（對一個戰士，一個‘泰坎’的兒子來說，穿上商人衣服就是個恥辱），憑撒謊和陰謀詭計搞工作，那種高興的心情就離開我了。最氣人的是，我發覺我們必須侍奉一頭猿猴，開始說什麼塔什和阿斯蘭是二位一體時，世界在我的眼睛裏就變成黑暗的了。因爲，從我的兒童時期起，我總是信奉塔什神的，我的一大願望就是對於塔什知道得更多，如果可能的話，當面瞧瞧塔什神。但對於阿斯蘭的名字，我卻覺得厭惡憎恨。

“你們已經看見了，一夜又一夜的，我們都被召集到那茅草棚子外面，點起了篝火。無尾猿從茅草棚裏牽出來一頭四條腿的東西，我沒法兒看清楚的東西。人和獸都向它鞠躬致敬。但我認爲，泰坎被那猿猴騙了。因爲這個從馬廄裏牽出來的東西，既不是塔什，也不是其他神明。但，當我仔細打量泰坎的臉，注意他跟猴子說的每一句話每一個字時，我的想法便改變了：因爲我看了出來，泰坎自己也不相信自己說的話。於是我明白了：他壓根兒不信塔什，因爲，如果他信塔什，怎麼會大膽地嘲弄塔什呢？

“我明白了這一點時，心中大爲憤怒，我覺得奇怪，爲什麼真正的塔什不從天上用烈火打擊猿猴和泰坎呢？然而，我隱藏着我的憤怒，緘口結舌，等待着這事情如何了結。然而，昨天夜裏，正如你們之中有幾位也知道的那樣，那猴子沒有把那頭黃顏色的東西從馬廄裏牽出來，卻說凡是想瞧瞧塔什蘭的——他們故意把兩個名字混合成一個名字，假裝兩者是合爲一體的——必須挨個兒到馬廄裏去。於是我對自己說，毫無疑問，這是另一個騙局。然而，當貓兒進了馬廄，又在一陣瘋狂恐懼中重新竄出來時，我又跟我自己說道，現在，必定是真正的塔什神來到我們中間了，他們呼喚塔什神，卻對塔什神無知無識或是毫無信仰，塔什神要爲自己報仇雪恨了。雖然由於塔什神的偉大和恐怖，我的內心已經被懾服，但我的慾望比我的恐懼強烈，我使勁兒剋制兩膝的顫抖，剋制牙齒格格作響，下定決心要瞧瞧塔什的臉，儘管塔什會把我殺了。所以我自動要求進茅草棚子去；而‘泰坎’呢，雖然不願意，也只好讓我進去了。

“我剛走進門，第一個奇蹟就是我發覺自己置身於這偉大的陽光裏（就像我們大家現在一樣），雖然這茅草棚子從外邊兒看來是漆黑一團的，但我沒有工夫爲此驚奇，因爲我立刻被迫爲保全自己的腦袋而跟我們的自己人搏鬥。我剛看到他就明白了，原來猴子和‘泰坎’把他佈置在那兒，是要把任何不參與其機密而闖進棚子來的人殺掉：所以他這個人也是個撒謊者和嘲弄者，並非塔什神的忠實僕人。我下決心要跟他搏鬥；我把那混蛋殺了，把他從門口扔了出去。

“然後我向四周瞧瞧，我看到了天空和遼闊的大地，聞到了一片芳香。於是我說，諸神作證，這是個好地方：說不定我是進入了塔什的國土。於是我開始在這新奇的國土裏漫遊，尋找塔什神。