《最後一戰》第66期:黑夜籠罩納尼亞(4)

Peter, shivering with cold, leaned out into the darkness and pulled the Door to. It scraped over ice as he pulled it. Then, rather clumsily (for even in that moment his hands had gone numb and blue) he took out a golden key and locked it.

They had seen strange things enough through that Doorway. But it was stranger than any of them to look round and find themselves in warm daylight, the blue sky above them, flowers at their feet, and laughter in Aslan's eyes.

He turned swiftly round, crouched lower, lashed himself with his tail and shot away like a golden arrow.

"Come further in! Come further up!" he shouted over his shoulder. But who could keep up with him at that pace? They set out walking Westward to follow him.

"So," said Peter, "night falls on Narnia. What, Lucy! You're not crying? With Aslan ahead, and all of us here?"

"Don't try to stop me, Peter," said Lucy, "I am sure Aslan would not. I am sure it is not wrong to mourn for Narnia. Think of all that lies dead and frozen behind that door."

"Yes and I did hope," said Jill, "that it might go on for ever. I knew our world couldn't. I did think Narnia might."

"I saw it begin," said the Lord Digory. "I did not think I would live to see it die."

"Sirs," said Tirian. "The ladies do well to weep. See, I do so myself. I have seen my mother's death. What world but Narnia have I ever known? It were no virtue, but great discourtesy, if we did not mourn."

They walked away from the Door and away from the Dwarfs who still sat crowded together in their imaginary stable. And as they went they talked to one another about old wars and old peace and ancient Kings and all the glories of Narnia.

The Dogs were still with them. They joined in the conversation but not much because they were too busy racing on ahead and racing back and rushing off to sniff at smells in the grass till they made themselves sneeze. Suddenly they picked up a scent which seemed to excite them very much. They all started arguing about it - "Yes it is - No it isn't - That's just what I said - anyone can smell what that is - Take your great nose out of the way and let someone else smell."

彼得渾身冷得發抖，向黑暗中探出身子，把門拉上。他拉門時，門是在冰上擦過的。然後，他相當笨拙地（因爲，即使在片刻之間，他的雙手已經凍得麻木，發青發紫了。）摸出一把金鑰匙來，把門鎖上。

他們從門裏向外望到的景象是夠奇怪的了。但，比上述任何景象更奇怪的是，他們在門內向四周打量，竟發現自己置身於溫暖的白晝，蔚藍的天空在他們的頭上，繁花在他們的腳邊，笑意在阿斯蘭的眼睛裏。

阿斯蘭迅速轉過身來，蹲得更低，用尾巴甩打自己的身體，然後像金箭似的躥出去了。

“來，朝更深處跑！來，朝更高處跑！”阿斯蘭回過頭來喊道。但誰能趕得上阿斯蘭這種步伐呢？他們大家朝西跟着阿斯蘭走去。

“完了，”彼得說道，“黑夜籠罩着納尼亞了。怎麼啦，露茜？你不是在哭吧？阿斯蘭走在前頭，我們大家都在這兒啊！”

“彼得，別勸我不要哭，”露茜說道，“我相信阿斯蘭是不會勸我的。我深信，爲納尼亞而哀悼，並不錯。想想門外倒下死去和凍斃的一切人與獸吧。”

“是啊，我確實希望，”吉爾說，“這種情況會繼續下去。我知道我們的世界不可能發生這種情況。我並不認爲納尼亞會發生這種情況。”

“我看到納尼亞開國，”迪格雷勳爵說道，“我並不認爲我會活到看見它滅亡。”

“爵士，”蒂蓮說道，“女士們哭泣是做得對的。你瞧，我自己也哭了。我曾看見我母親去世。除了納尼亞我還熟悉什麼世界呢？這不是道德問題，但，如果我們不爲它哀悼，這就大大的失敬失禮了。”

他們一路走去，離開了門，離開了依舊擠在一起坐在心造的馬廄裏的小矮人們。他們且走且談，互相談起古老的戰爭、古老的和平、古代的國王和納尼亞的一切光榮。

狗兒們仍舊和他們在一起。它們也參加談話，但說話不多，因爲它們忙於一忽兒跑在前頭一忽兒又跑回後頭，又奔到草地裏去聞聞氣味，直聞得自己大打噴嚏。突然它們嗅到了一種氣味，看來這種氣味使它們大爲激動。它們大家爲此開始辯論：“是的，這是——不，這不是——那就是我所說的——誰都聞得出這是什麼氣味——叫你那大鼻子讓開，讓別的狗來嗅嗅。”