冰与火之歌系列之《权力的游戏》第29期:第二章 凯特琳 (4)

 And winter is coming." Yes, Catelyn agreed. The words gave her a chill, as they always did. 更何况凛冬将至。「是啊，」凯特琳也同意，最後那句话一如往常地教她不寒而栗。

The Stark¹ words. Every noble house had its words. Family mottoes, touchstones, prayers of sorts, 那是史塔克家族的警语，每一个贵族家族都有自己的箴言警句：或是世代相传的座右铭，或是待人处事的衡量标准，或是面临困境的祷词；

they boasted of honor and glory, promised loyalty² and truth, swore faith and courage. 有的夸耀荣誉，有些讲究忠贞诚信，还有的为信仰勇气宣誓，

All but the Starks. Winter is coming, said the Stark words. 唯独史塔克家族例外。凛冬将至，史塔克家族的警语是这麽说的。

Not for the first time, she reflected on what a strange people these northerners were. 她已经不只一次在心里暗自疑惑，这些北方人究竟是什麽样的一群怪人。

The man died well, I'll give him that, Ned said. He had a swatch of oiled leather in one hand. 「今天那个人死得很乾脆，这一点我不否认。」奈德说道，他手里握了一块上了油的皮革，

He ran it lightly up the greatsword as he spoke³, polishing the metal to a dark glow. 边说边轻拭剑身，把金属磨出一道暗沉的光泽。

I was glad for Bran's sake. You would have been proud of Bran. 「我很为布兰高兴，你要是在场，也会为他骄傲的。」

I am always proud of Bran, Catelyn replied, watching the sword as he stroked it. 「我向来都很为他骄傲。」凯特琳看著他拭剑答道，

She could see the rippling⁴ deep within the steel, where the metal had been folded back on itself a hundred times in the forging. 她可以看见钢铁深处的波纹，那是锻制时千锤百链的印记。

Catelyn had no love for swords, but she could not deny that Ice had its own beauty. 凯特琳对刀剑素无好感，但她不能否认「寒冰」确实有其独特的美。

It had been forged in Valyria, before the Doom⁵ had come to the old Freehold, 它是在未日浩劫降临古自由堡垒以前，在瓦雷利亚锻造而成的，

when the ironsmiths had worked their metal with spells as well as hammers. 当时的铁匠不仅用凿槌冶铁，也用法术来形塑金属。

Four hundred years old it was, and as sharp as the day it was forged. 宝剑已有四百年历史，却仍旧如同它锻冶初成时那般锋利，

The name it bore was older still, a legacy⁶ from the age of heroes, when the Starks were Kings in the North. 它的名字则更是源远流长，是古代英雄纪元时的精神遗产，那时史塔克一族是北境之王。

 

1 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

2 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 rippling   

起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的

参考例句：

• I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
• The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。

5 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。