冰与火之歌系列之《权力的游戏》第379期:第二十三章 艾德(20)

 　　Above the Vale, the Eyrie stood high and impregnable, its towers reaching for the sky.  雄立于艾林谷顶端的鹰巢城固若金汤，高塔直向天际。

　　There she would find her sister and, perhaps, some of the answers Ned sought.  在那里她可以找到妹妹莱莎…或许还能找到某些奈德求索的答案。

　　Surely Lysa knew more than she had dared to put in her letter.  莱莎信里想必有所保留，不敢多说，

　　She might have the very proof that Ned needed to bring the Lannisters to ruin,  说不定她正持有奈德需要的证据，足以导致兰尼斯特家的毁灭。

　　and if it came to war, they would need the Arryns and the eastern lords who owed them service. 倘若真的开战，他们也需要得到艾林家族和其臣属的东境贵族们的支持。

　　Yet the mountain road was perilous¹. Shadowcats prowled those passes, rock slides were common,  然而山路崎岖难行，危机四伏。影子山猫四处出没不提，落石是常有的事，

　　and the mountain clans² were lawless brigands³,  山区氏族部落更是目无法纪的盗匪，

　　descending⁴ from the heights to rob and kill and melting away like snow whenever the knights⁶ rode out from the Vale in search of them.  他们从峰峦间呼啸而至，杀人越货后，一见峡谷派出骑士追剿，便如积雪融化般消失得无影无踪。

　　Even Jon Arryn, as great a lord as any the Eyrie had ever known, had always traveled in strength when he crossed the mountains.  就连琼恩·艾林如此少见的英明领主，每次穿越山脉也必定带上大批人马。

　　Catelyn's only strength was one elderly knight⁵, armored in loyalty⁷. 而此刻凯特琳惟一的人马是个老骑士，惟一的屏障是他的忠诚。

　　No, she thought, Riverrun and the Eyrie would have to wait. Her path ran north to Winterfell, where her sons and her duty were waiting for her.  不，她想，奔流城和鹰巢城以后再说，此刻她应该北上直取临冬城，她的三个儿子和重责大任正对她翘首以盼。

　　As soon as they were safely past the Neck, she could declare herself to one of Ned's bannermen,  只等安然渡过颈泽，她便可对奈德的封臣宣布身份，然后派信使骑马先行，

　　and send riders racing⁸ ahead with orders to mount a watch on the kingsroad. 发布国王大道戒严的消息。

　　The rain obscured the fields beyond the crossroads, but Catelyn saw the land clear enough in her memory.  雨丝遮蔽了岔路远方的田野，但凯特琳记忆里的风景依旧清晰。

　　The marketplace was just across the way, and the village a mile farther on, half a hundred white cottages surrounding a small stone sept.  市集在路的那一头，再走一里有个村落，五十来间白色农舍围绕着一间小小的石砌圣堂。

1 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

2 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

3 brigands   

n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They say there are brigands hiding along the way. 他们说沿路隐藏着土匪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The brigands demanded tribute from passing vehicles. 土匪向过往车辆勒索钱财。 来自辞典例句

4 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

5 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

6 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

7 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。

8 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。