诗翁彼豆故事集 第28期:三兄弟的传说(5)

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　　She has been sent by Death to lure² the second brother into Death's clutches, and is therefore cold, remote, tantalisingly both present and absent. 她是被死神派来，诱惑老二落入死神魔爪的，因此她冷漠、遥远，若即若离。

　　(Note 5: Many critics believe that Beedle was inspired by the Philosopher's Stone, which makes the immortality-inducing Elixir³ of Life, when creating this stone that can raise the dead. ) （注释五：许多评论家认为，彼豆是受魔法石的启发，才创造了这块能够起死回生的石头。魔法石能制造出使人永恒的长生不老药。）

　　This leaves us with the wand, and here the obstinate⁴ believers in Beedle's hidden message have at least some historical evidence to back up their wild claims. 最后只剩下那根魔杖了，那些固执地相信彼豆传递了隐晦信息的人们，至少有了一些历史证据来支持他们疯狂的信念。

　　For it is the case – whether because they liked to glorify⁵ themselves, or to intimidate⁶ possible attackers, or because they truly believed what they were saying – that wizards down the ages have claimed to possess a wand more powerful than the ordinary, even an “unbeatable” wand. 因为古往今来，许多巫师或是为了吹嘘炫耀，或是为了吓唬潜在的袭击者，或是真的相信自己的说法，都声称自己拥有一根威力无比的魔杖，甚至是“不可战胜的”魔杖。

　　Some of these wizards have gone so far as to claim that their wand is made of elder, like the wand supposedly made by Death. 有些巫师还宣称他们的魔杖像故事里死神的那根魔杖一样，也是接骨木做的。

　　Such wands have been given many names, among them “the Wand of Destiny” and “the Death stick”. 这样的魔杖有许多名字，如“命运杖”、“死亡棒”等。

　　It is hardly surprising that old superstitions⁷ have grown up around our wands, which are, after all, our most important magical tools and weapons. 围绕我们的魔杖出现一些古老的迷信并不奇怪，因为魔杖毕竟是我们最重要的魔法工具和武器。

　　Certain wands (and therefore their owners) are supposed to be incompatible⁸: 某些魔杖（以及他们的主人）据说是不相容的：

　　When his wand's oak and hers is holly⁹, Then to marry would be folly¹⁰ or to denote flaws in the owner's character: Rowan gossips, chestnut¹¹ drones, ash is stubborn, hazel moans. 他的魔杖是橡木，她的是冬青，结合必定不幸。或标志着主人的性格缺陷：山梨啰嗦，栗木懒，白蜡固执，榛木娇。

　　And sure enough, within this category of unproven sayings we find: Wand of elder, never prosper¹². 果然，在这些未经证实的说法中，我们看到了：接骨木的魔杖，永不兴旺。

　　Whether because of the fact that Death makes the fictional¹³ wand out of elder in Beedle's story, or because power-hungry or violent wizards have persistently¹⁴ claimed that their own wands are made of elder, it is not a wood that is much favored among wand makers¹⁵. 不知是因为彼豆故事里死神的那根虚伪的魔杖是用接骨木做的，还是因为争权夺利、性情残暴的巫师坚称他们的魔杖是接骨木做的，魔杖制作人都不喜欢这种木料。

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