Chapter 4: Treebeard

Chapter 4 TREEBEARD Meanwhile the hobbits went with as much speed as the dark and tangled forest allowed, following the line of the running stream, westward and up towards the slopes of the mountains, deeper and deeper into Fangorn. Slowly their fear of the Orcs died away, and their pace slackened. A queer stifling feeling came over them, as if the air were too thin or too scanty for breathing. At last Merry halted. ‘We can’t go on like this,’ he panted. ‘I want some air.’ ‘Let’s have a drink at any rate,’ said Pippin. ‘I’m parched.’ He clambered on to a great tree-root that wound down into the stream, and stooping drew up some water in his cupped hands. It was clear and cold, and he took many draughts. Merry followed him. The water refreshed them and seemed to cheer their hearts; for a while they sat together on the brink of the stream, dabbling their sore feet and legs, and peering round at the trees that stood silently about them, rank upon rank, until they faded away into grey twilight in every direction. ‘I suppose you haven’t lost us already?’ said Pippin, leaning back against a great tree-trunk. ‘We can at least follow the course of this stream, the Entwash or whatever you call it, and get out again the way we came.’ ‘We could, if our legs would do it,’ said Merry; ‘and if we could breathe properly.’ “Yes, it is all very dim, and stuffy, in here,’ said Pippin. ‘It reminds me, somehow, of the old room in the Great Place of the Tooks away back in the Smials at Tuckborough: a huge place, where the furniture has never been moved or changed for generations. They say the Old Took lived in it year after year, while he and the room got older and shabbier together — and it has never been changed since he died, a century ago. And Old Gerontius was my great-great-grandfather: that puts it back a bit. But that is nothing to the old feeling of this wood. Look at all those weeping, trailing, beards and whiskers of lichen! And most of the trees seem to be half covered with ragged dry leaves that have never fallen. Untidy. I can’t imagine what spring would look like here, if it ever comes; still less a spring-cleaning.’ ‘But the Sun at any rate must peep in sometimes,’ said Merry. ‘It does not look or feel at all like Bilbo’s description of Mirkwood. That was all dark and black, and the home of dark black things. This is

第四章 樹鬍 與此同時，哈比人盡可能快地在黑暗糾結的森林中前進，沿著奔流的小溪，一路向西，朝山坡上走去，越來越深入法貢森林。他們對半獸人的恐懼慢慢消散，腳步也放慢了。一種奇怪的窒息感籠罩著他們，彷彿空氣太稀薄或太稀少，無法呼吸。最後梅里停了下來。「我們不能再這樣下去了，」他喘著氣說。「我需要點空氣。」「無論如何，先喝點水吧，」皮聘說。「我渴得要命。」他攀上一條蜿蜒伸入溪中的巨大樹根，彎下腰，用手捧起一些水。水清澈而冰涼，他喝了好幾大口。梅里也跟著他喝。水讓他們精神一振，心情似乎也開朗起來；他們在溪邊坐了一會兒，把酸痛的腳和腿泡在水裡，同時環顧四周靜靜矗立的樹木，一排又一排，直到它們在四面八方消逝於灰濛的暮色中。「我想你還沒把我們弄丟吧？」皮聘斜倚著一棵巨大的樹幹說。「我們至少可以沿著這條溪走，不管它叫樹沐河還是什麼，然後循原路出去。」「要是我們的腿還走得動的話，是可以的，」梅里說，「而且要是我們能順暢呼吸的話。」「是啊，這裡面又暗又悶，」皮聘說。「不知怎地，這讓我想起圖克鎮史麥爾區，圖克家族大宅裡那個老房間：一個巨大的地方，裡面的家具好幾代都沒動過也沒換過。他們說老圖克年復一年地住在那裡，他跟那個房間一起變得越來越老、越來越破舊——自從他一百年前去世後，那裡就再也沒變過。而老傑龍提斯是我的曾曾祖父：那可真是很久以前的事了。但這跟這片森林的古老感比起來，根本不算什麼。看看那些垂掛下來的、像鬍鬚一樣的地衣！而且大多數樹上似乎都半覆著從未掉落的破爛枯葉。真亂。我無法想像如果春天會來的話，這裡會是什麼樣子；更別提什麼春季大掃除了。」「但太陽總有時候會探頭進來吧，」梅里說。「這裡的樣子和感覺完全不像比爾博描述的幽暗密林。那裡一片漆黑，是黑暗邪物的家園。而這裡……

462 THE LORD OF THE RINGS just dim, and frightfully tree-ish. You can’t imagine animals living here at all, or staying for long.’ ‘No, nor hobbits,’ said Pippin. ‘And I don’t like the thought of trying to get through it either. Nothing to eat for a hundred miles, I should guess. How are our supplies?’ ‘Low,’ said Merry. ‘We ran off with nothing but a couple of spare packets of lembas, and left everything else behind.’ They looked at what remained of the elven-cakes: broken fragments for about five meagre days, that was all. ‘And not a wrap or a blanket,’ said Merry. ‘We shall be cold tonight, whichever way we go.’ ‘Well, we’d better decide on the way now,’ said Pippin. “The morning must be getting on.’ Just then they became aware of a yellow light that had appeared, some way further on into the wood: shafts of sunlight seemed suddenly to have pierced the forest-roof. ‘Hullo!’ said Merry. “The Sun must have run into a cloud while we’ve been under these trees, and now she has run out again; or else she has climbed high enough to look down through some opening. It isn’t far — let’s go and investigate!’ They found it was further than they thought. The ground was rising steeply still, and it was becoming increasingly stony. The light grew broader as they went on, and soon they saw that there was a rockwall before them: the side of a hill, or the abrupt end of some long root thrust out by the distant mountains. No trees grew on it, and the sun was falling full on its stony face. The twigs of the trees at its foot were stretched out stiff and still, as if reaching out to the warmth. Where all had looked so shabby and grey before, the wood now gleamed with rich browns, and with the smooth black-greys of bark like polished leather. The boles of the trees glowed with a soft green like young grass: early spring or a fleeting vision of it was about them. In the face of the stony wall there was something like a stair: natural perhaps, and made by the weathering and splitting of the rock, for it was rough and uneven. High up, almost level with the tops of forest-trees, there was a shelf under a cliff. Nothing grew there but a few grasses and weeds at its edge, and one old stump of a tree with only two bent branches left: it looked almost like the figure of some gnarled old man, standing there, blinking in the morning-light. ‘Up we go!’ said Merry joyfully. ‘Now for a breath of air, and a sight of the land!’ They climbed and scrambled up the rock. If the stair had been made it was for bigger feet and longer legs than theirs. They were too eager to be surprised at the remarkable way in which the cuts

《魔戒》462頁，四周昏暗，而且有種嚇人的樹木感。「你無法想像有任何動物會住在這，或待上很久。」「是啊，哈比人也不行，」皮聘說。「我也不喜歡要試著穿越這裡的想法。我猜大概一百英里內都沒東西吃。我們的補給品還剩多少？」「不多了，」梅里說。「我們匆忙逃跑時只帶了幾包備用的蘭巴斯，其他東西都留下了。」他們看著剩下的精靈蛋糕：一些碎塊，大概只夠吃個五天，就這樣了。「而且連一條包巾或毯子都沒有，」梅里說。「不管往哪走，我們今晚都會很冷。」「好吧，我們最好現在就決定方向，」皮聘說。「時間不早了。」就在那時，他們注意到一道黃光出現了，在樹林更深處的地方：幾道陽光似乎突然刺穿了林冠。「哈囉！」梅里說。「我們在樹下的時候，太陽一定是躲進雲裡了，現在她又跑出來了；要不然就是她爬得夠高，可以從某個開口往下看了。不遠——我們去看看！」他們發現比想像中要遠。地面仍然陡峭地向上攀升，而且越來越多石頭。他們繼續前行，光線變得越來越寬闊，很快他們看到前方有一面石壁：一座山丘的側面，或是遠方山脈伸出的一條長長山根的盡頭。石壁上沒有長樹，陽光正正地灑在它多石的表面上。石壁腳下的樹木枝枒僵硬地伸展著，靜止不動，彷彿在渴望溫暖。先前看起來灰暗破敗的一切，現在樹林閃耀著濃郁的棕色，以及像拋光皮革般光滑的黑灰色樹皮。樹幹泛著如嫩草般的柔和綠光：初春或稍縱即逝的春日幻象圍繞著他們。在石壁的表面上，有個像是階梯的東西：也許是天然的，由岩石風化和分裂而成，因為它既粗糙又不平整。在高處，幾乎與森林樹木的頂端齊平的地方，懸崖下有一塊岩棚。那裡什麼也沒長，只有邊緣的一些草和雜草，以及一棵只剩下兩根彎曲樹枝的老樹樁：它看起來幾乎像一個多節的老人，站在那裡，在晨光中眨著眼睛。「我們上去吧！」梅里高興地說。「現在可以呼吸點新鮮空氣，看看這片土地的景色了！」他們攀爬上岩石。如果這階梯是人造的，那也是為比他們腳更大、腿更長的人造的。他們太急切了，以至於沒對那些切口以何等奇特的方式感到驚訝。

TREEBEARD 463 and sores of their captivity had healed and their vigour had returned. They came at length to the edge of the shelf almost at the feet of the old stump; then they sprang up and turned round with their backs to the hill, breathing deep, and looking out eastward. They saw that they had only come some three or four miles into the forest: the heads of the trees marched down the slopes towards the plain. There, near the fringe of the forest, tall spires of curling black smoke went up, wavering and floating towards them. “The wind’s changing,’ said Merry. ‘It’s turned east again. It feels cool up here.’ ‘Yes,’ said Pippin; ‘I’m afraid this is only a passing gleam, and it will all go grey again. What a pity! This shaggy old forest looked so different in the sunlight. I almost felt I liked the place.’ ‘Almost felt you liked the Forest! That’s good! That’s uncommonly kind of you,’ said a strange voice. “Turn round and let me have a look at your faces. I almost feel that I dislike you both, but do not let us be hasty. Turn around!’ A large knob-knuckled hand was laid on each of their shoulders, and they were twisted round, gently but irresistibly; then two great arms lifted them up. They found that they were looking at a most extraordinary face. It belonged to a large Man-like, almost Troll-like, figure, at least fourteen foot high, very sturdy, with a tall head, and hardly any neck. Whether it was clad in stuff like green and grey bark, or whether that was its hide, was difficult to say. At any rate the arms, at a short distance from the trunk, were not wrinkled, but covered with a brown smooth skin. The large feet had seven toes each. The lower part of the long face was covered with a sweeping grey beard, bushy, almost twiggy at the roots, thin and mossy at the ends. But at the moment the hobbits noted little but the eyes. These deep eyes were now surveying them, slow and solemn, but very penetrating. They were brown, shot with a green light. Often afterwards Pippin tried to describe his first impression of them. ‘One felt as if there was an enormous well behind them, filled up with ages of memory and long, slow, steady thinking; but their surface was sparkling with the present; like sun shimmering on the outer leaves of a vast tree, or on the ripples of a very deep lake. I don’t know, but it felt as if something that grew in the ground — asleep, you might say, or just feeling itself as something between root-tip and leaf-tip, between deep earth and sky had suddenly waked up, and was considering you with the same slow care that it had given to its own inside affairs for endless years.’ ‘Hrum, Hoom,’ murmured the voice, a deep voice like a very deep woodwind instrument. ‘Very odd indeed! Do not be hasty, that is

他們被囚禁時的傷痛已經痊癒，體力也恢復了。他們終於來到一處岩架的邊緣，幾乎就在那老樹樁的腳下；接著他們跳起來，轉過身背對著山丘，深深地呼吸，向東方望去。他們發現自己只深入了森林三、四英里遠：樹梢沿著山坡一路延伸至平原。在那裡，靠近森林的邊緣，幾道高聳的黑色螺旋濃煙升起，搖曳著向他們飄來。「風向變了，」梅里說。「又轉成東風了。這裡感覺好涼。」「是啊，」皮聘說；「恐怕這只是短暫的陽光，很快又會變回一片灰濛濛的。真可惜！這座毛茸茸的老森林在陽光下看起來好不一樣。我幾乎覺得我喜歡上這個地方了。」「幾乎覺得你喜歡這座森林！那很好！你還真是異常地仁慈啊，」一個陌生的聲音說。「轉過身來，讓我瞧瞧你們的臉。我幾乎覺得我討厭你們兩個，但我們別太倉促。轉過來！」一隻指節粗大的大手分別搭在他們倆的肩上，溫柔卻不容抗拒地將他們轉過身來；接著兩條巨大的手臂將他們舉了起來。他們發現自己正望著一張極不尋常的臉。這張臉屬於一個高大的人形、又有點像食人妖的身影，至少有十四英尺高，非常結實，頭顱高聳，幾乎沒有脖子。很難說祂是穿著綠灰相間的樹皮般的東西，還是那根本就是祂的皮膚。無論如何，祂的手臂離軀幹不遠處並沒有皺紋，而是覆蓋著一層棕色的光滑皮膚。祂的大腳各有七個腳趾。長臉的下半部被一大片灰色的鬍鬚覆蓋，根部濃密得像樹枝，末端則稀疏而長滿苔蘚。但此刻，哈比人幾乎只注意到那雙眼睛。這雙深邃的眼睛正打量著他們，緩慢而莊嚴，卻極具穿透力。那雙眼睛是棕色的，卻透著綠光。後來皮聘常常試著描述他對那雙眼睛的第一印象。「一個人會感覺那雙眼睛後面像有一口巨大的深井，裝滿了歲月的記憶和漫長、緩慢、沉穩的思緒；但它們的表面又閃爍著當下的光芒；就像陽光灑在一棵巨樹最外層的葉子上，或是在一座極深湖泊的漣漪上閃爍。我不知道，但那感覺就像某個在土裡生長的東西——你可以說它在沉睡，或者只是感覺自己介於根尖與葉尖之間，介於深邃大地與天空之間——突然醒了過來，並用它無數年來審視自身內部事務的那種緩慢而審慎的態度來端詳你。」「哼，唔，」那個聲音喃喃道，那聲音低沉得像一種非常低沉的木管樂器。「真是非常奇怪！別太倉促，那是

464 THE LORD OF THE RINGS my motto. But if I had seen you, before I heard your voices — I liked them: nice little voices; they reminded me of something I cannot remember — if I had seen you before I heard you, I should have just trodden on you, taking you for little Orcs, and found out my mistake afterwards. Very odd you are, indeed. Root and twig, very odd!’ Pippin, though still amazed, no longer felt afraid. Under those eyes he felt a curious suspense, but not fear. ‘Please,’ he said, ‘who are you? And what are you?’ A queer look came into the old eyes, a kind of wariness; the deep wells were covered over. ‘Hrum, now,’ answered the voice; ‘well, I am an Ent, or that’s what they call me. Yes, Ent is the word. The Ent, I am, you might say, in your manner of speaking. Fangorn is my name according to some, Treebeard others make it. Treebeard will do.’ ‘An Ent?’ said Merry. ‘What’s that? But what do you call yourself? What’s your real name?’ ‘Hoo now!’ replied Treebeard. ‘Hoo! Now that would be telling! Not so hasty. And J am doing the asking. You are in my country. What are you, I wonder? I cannot place you. You do not seem to come in the old lists that I learned when I was young. But that was a long, long time ago, and they may have made new lists. Let me see! Let me see! How did it go? Learn now the lore of Living Creatures! First name the four, the free peoples: Eldest of all, the elf-children; Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses; Ent the earthborn, old as mountains; Man the mortal, master of horses: Hm, hm, hm. Beaver the builder, buck the leaper, Bear bee-hunter, boar the fighter; Hound ts hungry, hare is fearful... hm, hm. Eagle in eyrie, ox in pasture, Hart horn-crownéd; hawk 1s swiftest, Swan the whitest, serpent coldest... Hoom, hm; hoom, hm, how did it go? Room tum, room tum, roomty toom tum. It was a long list. But anyway you do not seem to fit in anywhere!’

我的座右銘。但要是我在聽到你們的聲音之前就看到你們——我喜歡你們的聲音：很悅耳的小聲音；讓我想起一件我想不起來的事——要是我在聽到你們之前就看到你們，我大概就把你們踩扁了，把你們當成小半獸人，事後才發現弄錯了。你們真是古怪，的確。從根到枝，都非常古怪！」皮聘雖然依舊驚訝，卻不再害怕了。在那雙眼睛底下，他感覺到一種奇妙的懸念，但不是恐懼。「請問，」他說，「您是誰？您是什麼？」那雙老眼中閃過一絲奇特的、警惕的神情；那兩口深井被蓋上了。「唔，嗯，」那聲音回答道；「嗯，我是個樹人，或者說他們是這麼叫我的。對，樹人這個詞。你可以說，用你們的說話方式，我就是那個樹人。有些人用法貢這個名字稱呼我，其他人則叫我樹鬍。樹鬍就可以了。」「樹人？」梅里說。「那是什麼？但您怎麼稱呼自己？您真正的名字是什麼？」「呼！」樹鬍回答。「呼！那可就洩漏天機了！別這麼急。而且現在是我在問問題。你們在我的國度裡。我倒想知道，你們是什麼？我無法把你們歸類。你們似乎不在我年輕時學的古老名單上。但那已經是很久很久以前的事了，他們可能已經造了新名單。讓我想想！讓我想想！那是怎麼說的？『學習活物之歌！首先提名四大自由民：萬物中最年長者，精靈之子；矮人是挖掘者，其居所幽暗；樹人為大地所生，與山同壽；人類壽命短暫，卻是馬的主人：嗯，嗯，嗯。海狸是建築師，雄鹿是跳躍者，熊是獵蜜者，野豬是戰士；獵犬飢餓，野兔膽怯……嗯，嗯。鷹在巢穴，牛在牧場，雄鹿頭戴角冠；隼最迅捷，天鵝最潔白，蛇最冰冷……唔，嗯；唔，嗯，是怎麼說的？嚕嗵，嚕嗵，嚕滴咚咚。那是一張很長的單子。但總之，你們似乎不屬於任何一類！』

TREEBEARD 465 ‘We always seem to have got left out of the old lists, and the old stories,’ said Merry. ‘Yet we’ve been about for quite a long time. We’re hobbits.’ ‘Why not make a new line?’ said Pippin. ‘Half-grown hobbits, the hole-dwellers. Put us in amongst the four, next to Man (the Big People) and you’ve got it.’ ‘Hm! Not bad, not bad,’ said Treebeard. “That would do. So you live in holes, eh? It sounds very right and proper. Who calls you hobbits, though? That does not sound Elvish to me. Elves made all the old words: they began it.’ ‘Nobody else calls us hobbits; we call ourselves that,’ said Pippin. ‘Hoom, hmm! Come now! Not so hasty! You call yourselves hobbits? But you should not go telling just anybody. You'll be letting out your own right names if you’re not careful.’ ‘We aren’t careful about that,’ said Merry. ‘As a matter of fact I’m a Brandybuck, Meriadoc Brandybuck, though most people call me just Merry.’ ‘And I’m a Took, Peregrin Took, but I’m generally called Pippin, or even Pip.’ ‘Hm, but you are hasty folk, I see,’ said Treebeard. ‘I am honoured by your confidence; but you should not be too free all at once. There are Ents and Ents, you know; or there are Ents and things that look like Ents but ain’t, as you might say. I'll call you Merry and Pippin, if you please — nice names. For I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate.’ A queer half-knowing, half-humorous look came with a green flicker into his eyes. ‘For one thing it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to. ‘But now,’ and the eyes became very bright and ‘present’, seeming to grow smaller and almost sharp, ‘what is going on? What are you doing in it all? I can see and hear (and smell and feel) a great deal from this, from this, from this a-lalla-lalla-rumba-kamanda-lind-or-burumé. Excuse me: that is a part of my name for it; I do not know what the word is in the outside languages: you know, the thing we are on, where I stand and look out on fine mornings, and think about the Sun, and the grass beyond the wood, and the horses, and the clouds, and the unfolding of the world. What is going on? What is Gandalf

樹鬍 465 「我們似乎總是被排除在古老的清單和古老的故事之外，」梅里說。「但我們已經存在很久了。我們是哈比人。」「何不開創一個新的分類呢？」皮聘說。「半身哈比人，穴居者。把我們放在那四個之中，排在人類（大人物）旁邊，就對了。」「嗯！不錯，不錯，」樹鬍說。「那樣可行。所以你們住在洞裡，嗯？聽起來很對、很合適。不過，是誰叫你們哈比人的？這聽起來不像精靈語。精靈創造了所有古老的詞彙：他們是開端。」「沒有其他人叫我們哈比人；我們自己這麼稱呼自己，」皮聘說。「呼，嗯！別這樣！別這麼急躁！你們稱自己為哈比人？但你們不該隨便告訴任何人。要是不小心，你們會洩漏自己的真名。」「我們對那件事不怎麼小心，」梅里說。「事實上，我是個烈酒鹿，梅里雅達克・烈酒鹿，不過大多數人只叫我梅里。」「而我是個圖克，培瑞格林・圖克，但我通常被稱為皮聘，或甚至皮普。」「嗯，但我看你們是急躁的民族，」樹鬍說。「我很榮幸你們對我如此信任；但你們不該一下子就這麼隨便。你知道，樹人跟樹人之間也是有差別的；或者說，有樹人，也有看起來像樹人但其實不是的東西。如果你們不介意，我就叫你們梅里和皮聘——很好聽的名字。因為我還不打算告訴你們我的名字，至少現在還不行。」一道奇異、半帶洞悉、半帶幽默的神情，伴隨著一絲綠光，閃現在他的眼中。「首先，這會花很長的時間：我的名字一直在增長，而且我活了非常、非常久；所以我的名字就像一個故事。在我的語言裡，也就是你們可以稱之為古樹人語的語言中，真名會告訴你它所屬事物的歷史。那是一種很美的語言，但用它說任何事都要花很長的時間，因為我們不用它說任何事，除非那件事值得花很長時間去說、去聽。「但是現在，」他的眼睛變得非常明亮且「專注」，似乎縮小了，幾乎變得銳利，「發生了什麼事？你們在這一切當中扮演什麼角色？我從這個，從這個，從這個 a-lalla-lalla-rumba-kamanda-lind-or-burumé 上，可以看到、聽到（聞到和感覺到）很多事。請原諒：那是我給它的名字的一部分；我不知道在外界的語言裡這個詞是什麼：你知道的，就是我們現在所在的、我站著在美好的早晨向外眺望、思考太陽、森林外的草地、馬匹、雲朵，以及世界如何展現的地方。到底發生了什麼事？甘道夫又怎麼了

466 THE LORD OF THE RINGS up to? And these — burdrum,’ he made a deep rumbling noise like a discord on a great organ — ‘these Orcs, and young Saruman down at Isengard? I like news. But not too quick now.’ “There is quite a lot going on,’ said Merry; ‘and even if we tried to be quick, it would take a long time to tell. But you told us not to be hasty. Ought we to tell you anything so soon? Would you think it rude, if we asked what you are going to do with us, and which side you are on? And did you know Gandalf?’ “Yes, I do know him: the only wizard that really cares about trees,’ said Treebeard. ‘Do you know him?’ ‘Yes,’ said Pippin sadly, ‘we did. He was a great friend, and he was our guide.’ “Then I can answer your other questions,’ said Treebeard. ‘I am not going to do anything with you: not if you mean by that “‘do something to you”? without your leave. We might do some things together. I don’t know about sides. I go my own way; but your way may go along with mine for a while. But you speak of Master Gandalf, as if he was in a story that had come to an end.’ “Yes, we do,’ said Pippin sadly. “The story seems to be going on, but I am afraid Gandalf has fallen out of it.’ ‘Hoo, come now!’ said Treebeard. ‘Hoom, hm, ah well.’ He paused, looking long at the hobbits. ‘Hoom, ah, well I do not know what to say. Come now!’ ‘If you would like to hear more,’ said Merry, ‘we will tell you. But it will take some time. Wouldn’t you like to put us down? Couldn’t we sit here together in the sun, while it lasts? You must be getting tired of holding us up.’ ‘Hm, tired? No, I am not tired. I do not easily get tired. And I do not sit down. I am not very, hm, bendable. But there, the Sun is going in. Let us leave this — did you say what you call it?’ ‘Hill?’ suggested Pippin. ‘Shelf? Step?’ suggested Merry. Treebeard repeated the words thoughtfully. ‘Hill. Yes, that was it. But it is a hasty word for a thing that has stood here ever since this part of the world was shaped. Never mind. Let us leave it, and go.’ ‘Where shall we go?’ asked Merry. “To my home, or one of my homes,’ answered Treebeard. ‘Is it far?’ ‘I do not know. You might call it far, perhaps. But what does that matter?’ ‘Well, you see, we have lost all our belongings,’ said Merry. ‘We have only a little food.’ ‘O! Hm! You need not trouble about that,’ said Treebeard. ‘I can give you a drink that will keep you green and growing for a long,

「《魔戒》466頁，你們在搞什麼？還有這些——burdrum，」他發出深沉的隆隆聲，像巨大管風琴上不和諧的音符——「這些半獸人，還有在艾辛格的年輕薩魯曼？我喜歡聽消息。但現在別說得太快。」「發生了很多事，」梅里說，「就算我們想說快一點，也得花很長的時間才能說完。但您告訴我們不要倉促。我們這麼快就該告訴您任何事嗎？如果我們問您打算怎麼處理我們，以及您站在哪一邊，您會覺得無禮嗎？還有，您認識甘道夫嗎？」「是的，我認識他：唯一真正關心樹木的巫師，」樹鬍說。「你們認識他嗎？」「是的，」皮聘悲傷地說，「我們認識。他是我們的好朋友，也是我們的嚮導。」「那麼我可以回答你其他的問題了，」樹鬍說。「我不打算對你們做任何事：如果你指的是未經你們允許就『對你們做什麼』的話。我們或許可以一起做些事。至於站在哪一邊，我不知道。我走我自己的路；但你們的路或許會和我的路同行一陣子。但你們提到甘道夫大師時，好像在說一個已經完結的故事。」「是的，我們是這麼說的，」皮聘悲傷地說。「故事似乎還在繼續，但我恐怕甘道夫已經從中脫落了。」「呼，別這麼說！」樹鬍說。「呼姆，嗯，唉。」他停頓了一下，長久地看著哈比人。「呼姆，啊，唉，我不知道該說什麼。別這麼說！」「如果您想聽更多，」梅里說，「我們會告訴您。但這會花上一些時間。您不想把我們放下來嗎？趁著還有太陽，我們不能一起坐在這裡嗎？您舉著我們一定累了吧。」「嗯，累？不，我不累。我不太容易累。而且我不會坐下。我不是很，嗯，能彎曲的。不過，瞧，太陽要下山了。我們離開這個——你們剛說你們管它叫什麼？」「山丘？」皮聘提議道。「岩架？台階？」梅里提議道。樹鬍若有所思地重複著這些詞。「山丘。對，就是這個。但對於一個自從世界這部分成形以來就矗立於此的東西來說，這是個倉促的詞。沒關係。我們離開這裡，走吧。」「我們要去哪裡？」梅里問。「去我家，或我其中一個家，」樹鬍回答。「遠嗎？」「我不知道。你們或許會稱之為遠吧。但那有什麼關係？」「嗯，您瞧，我們把所有家當都弄丟了，」梅里說。「我們只剩下一點點食物。」「哦！嗯！你們不必為此煩惱，」樹鬍說。「我可以給你們一種飲料，能讓你們長久保持青翠和生長，

TREEBEARD 467 long while. And if we decide to part company, I can set you down outside my country at any point you choose. Let us go!’ Holding the hobbits gently but firmly, one in the crook of each arm, Treebeard lifted up first one large foot and then the other, and moved them to the edge of the shelf. The rootlike toes grasped the rocks. Then carefully and solemnly, he stalked down from step to step, and reached the floor of the Forest. At once he set off with long deliberate strides through the trees, deeper and deeper into the wood, never far from the stream, climbing steadily up towards the slopes of the mountains. Many of the trees seemed asleep, or as unaware of him as of any other creature that merely passed by; but some quivered, and some raised up their branches above his head as he approached. All the while, as he walked, he talked to himself in a long running stream of musical sounds. The hobbits were silent for some time. They felt, oddly enough, safe and comfortable, and they had a great deal to think and wonder about. At last Pippin ventured to speak again. ‘Please, Treebeard,’ he said, ‘could I ask you something? Why did Celeborn warn us against your forest? He told us not to risk getting entangled in it.’ ‘Hmm, did he now?’ rumbled Treebeard. ‘And I might have said much the same, if you had been going the other way. Do not risk getting entangled in the woods of Laurelindorenan! That is what the Elves used to call it, but now they make the name shorter: Lothlorien they call it. Perhaps they are right: maybe it is fading, not growing. Land of the Valley of Singing Gold, that was it, once upon a time. Now it is the Dreamflower. Ah well! But it is a queer place, and not for just anyone to venture in. I am surprised that you ever got out, but much more surprised that you ever got in: that has not happened to strangers for many a year. It is a queer land. ‘And so is this. Folk have come to grief here. Aye, they have, to grief. Laurelindorenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin,’ he hummed to himself. “They are falling rather behind the world in there, I guess,’ he said. ‘Neither this country, nor anything else outside the Golden Wood, is what it was when Celeborn was young. Still: Taureliloméa-tumbalemorna Tumbaletauréa Léméanor* that is what they used to say. Things have changed, but it is still true in places.’ * See Appendix F under Enzs.

「嗯，他真這麼說了？」樹鬍轟隆地說。「要是你們走的是另一條路，我也會說同樣的話。別冒險被Laurelindorenan的森林給纏住！那是精靈們過去對那地方的稱呼，但現在他們把名字縮短了：他們叫它羅斯洛立安。或許他們是對的：也許它正在凋零，而非成長。歌唱黃金谷之地，很久以前，它曾是那樣。如今是夢之花。唉，罷了！但那地方很古怪，不是任何人都能隨便闖入的。我很驚訝你們竟然能出來，但更驚訝的是你們竟然能進去：已經很多年沒有陌生人進去過了。那是一片古怪的土地。」 「這裡也是。曾有人們在此遭遇不幸。是啊，他們遭遇了不幸。Laurelindorenan lindelorendor malinornélion ornemalin，」他對自己哼唱著。「我想，他們在那裡有點跟不上世界的腳步了，」他說。「無論是這片土地，還是黃金森林以外的任何事物，都已不是凱勒鵬年輕時的模樣了。不過：Taureliloméa-tumbalemorna Tumbaletauréa Léméanor*，他們過去常這麼說。世事已變，但在某些地方，這話依然不假。」 *見附錄F「樹人語」條目。

468 THE LORD OF THE RINGS ‘What do you mean?’ said Pippin. ‘What is true?’ “The trees and the Ents,’ said Treebeard. ‘I do not understand all that goes on myself, so I cannot explain it to you. Some of us are still true Ents, and lively enough in our fashion, but many are growing sleepy, going tree-ish, as you might say. Most of the trees are just trees, of course; but many are half awake. Some are quite wide awake, and a few are, well, ah, well getting Entish. That is going on all the time. ‘When that happens to a tree, you find that some have bad hearts. Nothing to do with their wood: I do not mean that. Why, I knew some good old willows down the Entwash, gone long ago, alas! They were quite hollow, indeed they were falling all to pieces, but as quiet and sweet-spoken as a young leaf. And then there are some trees in the valleys under the mountains, sound as a bell, and bad right through. That sort of thing seems to spread. There used to be some very dangerous parts in this country. There are still some very black patches.’ ‘Like the Old Forest away to the north, do you mean?’ asked Merry. ‘Aye, aye, something like, but much worse. I do not doubt there is some shadow of the Great Darkness lying there still away north; and bad memories are handed down. But there are hollow dales in this land where the Darkness has never been lifted, and the trees are older than I am. Still, we do what we can. We keep off strangers and the foolhardy; and we train and we teach, we walk and we weed. ‘We are tree-herds, we old Ents. Few enough of us are left now. Sheep get like shepherd, and shepherds like sheep, it is said; but slowly, and neither have long in the world. It is quicker and closer with trees and Ents, and they walk down the ages together. For Ents are more like Elves: less interested in themselves than Men are, and better at getting inside other things. And yet again Ents are more like Men, more changeable than Elves are, and quicker at taking the colour of the outside, you might say. Or better than both: for they are steadier and keep their minds on things longer. ‘Some of my kin look just like trees now, and need something great to rouse them; and they speak only in whispers. But some of my trees are limb-lithe, and many can talk to me. Elves began it, of course, waking trees up and teaching them to speak and learning their tree-talk. They always wished to talk to everything, the old Elves did. But then the Great Darkness came, and they passed away over the Sea, or fled into far valleys, and hid themselves, and made songs about days that would never come again. Never again. Aye, aye, there was all one wood once upon a time from here to the Mountains of Lune, and this was just the East End.

「你說的是什麼意思？」皮聘問。「什麼是真的？」「樹和樹人，」樹鬍說。「連我自己也不完全明白發生的所有事，所以我無法向你解釋。我們之中有些人仍然是真正的樹人，以我們的方式活得相當有生氣，但很多都變得越來越想睡，越來越『樹化』了，你可以這麼說。當然，大部分的樹就只是樹；但很多是半醒的。有些完全清醒，還有一些，嗯，啊，嗯，正在變得『樹人化』。這是一直在發生的事。「當這種事發生在一棵樹上時，你會發現有些樹的心是壞的。跟它們的木頭無關：我不是那個意思。哎呀，我認識一些在樹人沐浴河邊的好老柳樹，唉，很久以前就沒了！它們完全是中空的，真的，都快散架了，但說起話來就像嫩葉一樣安靜甜美。然後在山下的山谷裡有些樹，聽起來像鐘一樣完好，但從裡到外都壞透了。那種事似乎會蔓延。這個國度曾經有些非常危險的地方。現在也還有一些非常黑暗的地帶。」「你的意思是指北方那片老林嗎？」梅里問。「是啊，是啊，有點像，但糟得多。我毫不懷疑，北方那裡仍有一些大黑暗時期的陰影籠罩著；而且不好的記憶會代代相傳。但在這片土地上，有些空谷裡的黑暗從未被驅散，那裡的樹比我還老。不過，我們還是盡力而為。我們趕走陌生人和魯莽之徒；我們訓練、我們教導，我們行走、我們除草。「我們是樹的牧者，我們這些老樹人。現在我們剩下的人不多了。俗話說，羊會像牧羊人，牧羊人也會像羊；但這過程很慢，而且牠們在世上的時間都不長。樹和樹人的關係更緊密、變化也更快，他們一同走過漫長的歲月。因為樹人比較像精靈：不像人類那樣只關心自己，而且更擅長進入其他事物的內心。然而樹人又更像人類，比精靈更多變，也更快染上外界的色彩，你可以這麼說。或者比兩者都好：因為他們更穩重，能更長時間地專注於事物。「我有些同類現在看起來就像樹一樣，需要很重大的事才能喚醒他們；他們只會低聲說話。但我有些樹木卻是四肢輕盈，很多都能跟我說話。當然，是精靈們開始的，他們喚醒樹木，教它們說話，並學習它們的樹語。他們總是希望與萬物交談，那些古老的精靈們。但後來大黑暗來臨，他們渡海西去，或逃到遙遠的山谷裡躲藏起來，並為永不復返的日子譜寫歌曲。永不復返。是啊，是啊，曾幾何時，從這裡一直到月之山脈，曾經是同一片森林，而這裡只是東區而已。

TREEBEARD 469 “Those were the broad days! Time was when I could walk and sing all day and hear no more than the echo of my own voice in the hollow hills. The woods were like the woods of Lothlorien, only thicker, stronger, younger. And the smell of the air! I used to spend a week just breathing.’ Treebeard fell silent, striding along, and yet making hardly a sound with his great feet. Then he began to hum again, and passed into a murmuring chant. Gradually the hobbits became aware that he was chanting to them: In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the Spring. Ah! the sight and the smell of the Spring in Nan-tasarion! And I said that was good. I wandered in Summer in the elm-woods of Ossiriand. Ah! the light and the music in the Summer by the Seven Rivers of Ossir! And I thought that was best. To the beeches of Neldoreth I came in the Autumn. Ah! the gold and the red and the sighing of leaves in the Autumn in Taur-na-neldor! It was more than my desire. To the pine-trees upon the highland of Dorthonion I climbed in the Winter. Ah! the wind and the whiteness and the black branches of Winter upon Orod-na-Thon! My voice went up and sang in the sky. And now all those lands lie under the wave, And I walk in Ambaroéna, in Tauremorna, in Aldalémé, In my own land, in the country of Fangorn, Where the roots are long, And the years lie thicker than the leaves In Tauremornalomé. He ended, and strode on silently, and in all the wood, as far as ear could reach, there was not a sound. The day waned, and dusk was twined about the boles of the trees. At last the hobbits saw, rising dimly before them, a steep dark land: they had come to the feet of the mountains, and to the green roots of tall Methedras. Down the hillside the young Entwash, leaping from its springs high above, ran noisily from step to step to meet them. On the right of the stream there was a long slope, clad with grass, now grey in the twilight. No trees grew there and it was open to the sky; stars were shining already in lakes between shores of cloud.

樹鬍 469「那真是開闊的日子啊！曾幾何時，我能終日行走歌唱，聽見的不過是自己聲音在空谷中的回響。那時的森林就像羅斯洛立安的森林，只是更厚實、更強壯、更年輕。還有那空氣的氣味！我過去常常花上一整個星期，只為了呼吸。」樹鬍沉默下來，邁步前行，他那雙大腳卻幾乎沒發出任何聲響。然後他又開始哼唱，接著轉為低聲吟詠。哈比人漸漸意識到，他是在對他們吟唱： 在塔薩瑞南的柳樹草原上，我於春天漫步。 啊！南塔薩瑞安春天的景象與氣息！ 我說，那真好。 在歐西瑞安的榆樹林裡，我於夏天遊蕩。 啊！歐西爾七河之畔夏日的光與樂！ 我認為，那最美。 到奈爾多雷斯的山毛櫸林，我於秋天來訪。 啊！陶爾-那-奈爾多秋日的金、紅與葉之嘆息！ 那已超乎我所望。 到多索尼安高地上的松林，我於冬天攀登。 啊！歐羅德-那-松冬日的風、白與黑枝！ 我的歌聲高揚，在天空中吟唱。 而今所有那些土地都已沉於浪濤之下， 我行走在安巴羅納，在陶爾摩那，在奧達羅米， 在我自己的土地，在法貢森林的國度， 這裡樹根深長， 歲月堆積得比陶爾摩那羅米的落葉還厚。 他唱完了，靜默地大步前行，在整片森林裡，遠至雙耳所及之處，寂靜無聲。白日漸逝，暮色纏繞著樹幹。最後，哈比人看見一座陡峭黝黑的陸地在他們面前隱約升起：他們已來到山腳下，來到高聳的梅賽德拉斯山的青翠山麓。年輕的艾森河從高處的源頭躍下，沿著山坡喧鬧地奔流，一階一階地迎向他們。溪流的右邊是一片長長的斜坡，覆蓋著青草，在暮光中已呈灰色。那裡沒有樹木，對天空敞開；在雲層的岸緣之間，星辰已在片片湖泊中閃耀。

470 THE LORD OF THE RINGS Treebeard strode up the slope, hardly slackening his pace. Suddenly before them the hobbits saw a wide opening. Two great trees stood there, one on either side, like living gate-posts; but there was no gate save their crossing and interwoven boughs. As the old Ent approached, the trees lifted up their branches, and all their leaves quivered and rustled. For they were evergreen trees, and their leaves were dark and polished, and gleamed in the twilight. Beyond them was a wide level space, as though the floor of a great hall had been cut in the side of the hill. On either hand the walls sloped upwards, until they were fifty feet high or more, and along each wall stood an aisle of trees that also increased in height as they marched inwards. At the far end the rock-wall was sheer, but at the bottom it had been hollowed back into a shallow bay with an arched roof: the only roof of the hall, save the branches of the trees, which at the inner end overshadowed all the ground leaving only a broad open path in the middle. A little stream escaped from the springs above, and leaving the main water, fell tinkling down the sheer face of the wall, pouring in silver drops, like a fine curtain in front of the arched bay. The water was gathered again into a stone basin in the floor between the trees, and thence it spilled and flowed away beside the open path, out to rejoin the Entwash in its journey through the forest. ‘Hm! Here we are!’ said Treebeard, breaking his long silence. ‘I have brought you about seventy thousand ent-strides, but what that comes to in the measurement of your land I do not know. Anyhow we are near the roots of the Last Mountain. Part of the name of this place might be Wellinghall, if it were turned into your language. I like it. We will stay here tonight.’ He set them down on the grass between the aisles of the trees, and they followed him towards the great arch. The hobbits now noticed that as he walked his knees hardly bent, but his legs opened in a great stride. He planted his big toes (and they were indeed big, and very broad) on the ground first, before any other part of his feet. For a moment Treebeard stood under the rain of the falling spring, and took a deep breath; then he laughed, and passed inside. A great stone table stood there, but no chairs. At the back of the bay it was already quite dark. Treebeard lifted two great vessels and stood them on the table. They seemed to be filled with water; but he held his hands over them, and immediately they began to glow, one with a golden and the other with a rich green light; and the blending of the two lights lit the bay, as if the sun of summer was shining through a roof of young leaves. Looking back, the hobbits saw that the trees in the court had also begun to glow, faintly at first, but steadily quickening, until every leaf was edged with light: some green, some gold,

樹鬍大步走上斜坡，幾乎沒有放慢腳步。哈比人們突然看見前方有個寬闊的入口。兩棵巨大的樹木分立兩側，像是有生命的門柱；但除了它們交錯纏繞的枝枒外，並沒有真正的大門。當老樹人走近時，樹木們舉起了它們的樹枝，所有的葉子都顫動著，沙沙作響。因為它們是常青樹，葉子深色而光亮，在暮色中閃閃發光。樹後是一片寬闊的平地，彷彿一座大廳的地板被鑿進山腰。兩側的牆壁向上傾斜，直到五十英尺或更高，沿著每面牆都立著一排樹木，越往裡走，樹也越高。在最遠端，岩壁是陡峭的，但底部被向後挖空，形成一個帶有拱形頂的淺灣：這是大廳唯一的屋頂，除了樹枝之外——在內側末端，樹枝遮蔽了所有地面，只在中間留下一條寬闊的開放小徑。一股小溪流從上方的泉水溢出，離開主水道，沿著陡峭的岩壁叮咚流下，灑下銀色的水滴，像一幅精緻的簾幕掛在拱形淺灣前。水流再次匯集到樹木間地面上的一個石盆裡，然後從那裡溢出，沿著開放的小徑流走，最終在森林中重新匯入樹人河。「嗯！我們到了！」樹鬍打破了長久的沉默說。「我帶你們走了大約七萬個樹人步，但在你們的土地上這等於多少距離，我就不知道了。總之，我們現在靠近最後山脈的山腳了。如果用你們的語言來稱呼，這個地方的名字大概可以叫『湧泉廳』。我喜歡這裡。我們今晚就待在這兒。」他將他們放在兩排樹木之間的草地上，他們跟著他走向巨大的拱門。哈比人們這時才注意到，他走路時膝蓋幾乎不彎曲，但雙腿卻能邁出極大的步伐。他總是先將大腳趾（確實又大又寬）踏在地上，然後才是腳的其他部分。樹鬍在落下的泉水雨幕下站了一會兒，深吸一口氣；然後他笑了，走了進去。裡面有一張巨大的石桌，但沒有椅子。在淺灣的後方已經相當黑暗。樹鬍舉起兩個巨大的容器，把它們放在桌上。它們似乎裝滿了水；但他將雙手懸在容器上方，它們立刻開始發光，一個發出金色的光，另一個發出濃郁的綠光；兩種光芒交融，照亮了整個淺灣，彷彿夏日的陽光穿透了新生葉片的屋頂。哈比人們回頭看，發現庭院裡的樹木也開始發光，起初很微弱，但光芒穩定地增強，直到每片葉子都鑲上了光邊：有些是綠色，有些是金色，

TREEBEARD 471 some red as copper; while the tree-trunks looked like pillars moulded out of luminous stone. ‘Well, well, now we can talk again,’ said Treebeard. ‘You are thirsty, I expect. Perhaps you are also tired. Drink this!’ He went to the back of the bay, and then they saw that several tall stone jars stood there, with heavy lids. He removed one of the lids, and dipped in a great ladle, and with it filled three bowls, one very large bowl, and two smaller ones. “This is an ent-house,’ he said, ‘and there are no seats, I fear. But you may sit on the table.’ Picking up the hobbits he set them on the great stone slab, six feet above the ground, and there they sat dangling their legs, and drinking in sips. The drink was like water, indeed very like the taste of the draughts they had drunk from the Entwash near the borders of the forest, and yet there was some scent or savour in it which they could not describe: it was faint, but it reminded them of the smell of a distant wood borne from afar by a cool breeze at night. The effect of the draught began at the toes, and rose steadily through every limb, bringing refreshment and vigour as it coursed upwards, right to the tips of the hair. Indeed the hobbits felt that the hair on their heads was actually standing up, waving and curling and growing. As for Treebeard, he first laved his feet in the basin beyond the arch, and then he drained his bowl at one draught, one long, slow draught. The hobbits thought he would never stop. At last he set the bowl down again. ‘Ah — ah,’ he sighed. ‘Hm, hoom, now we can talk easier. You can sit on the floor, and I will lie down; that will prevent this drink from rising to my head and sending me to sleep.’ On the right side of the bay there was a great bed on low legs, not more than a couple of feet high, covered deep in dried grass and bracken. Treebeard lowered himself slowly on to this (with only the slightest sign of bending at his middle), until he lay at full length, with his arms behind his head, looking up at the ceiling, upon which lights were flickering, like the play of leaves in the sunshine. Merry and Pippin sat beside him on pillows of grass. ‘Now tell me your tale, and do not hurry!’ said Treebeard. The hobbits began to tell him the story of their adventures ever since they left Hobbiton. They followed no very clear order, for they interrupted one another continually, and Treebeard often stopped the speaker, and went back to some earlier point, or jumped forward asking questions about later events. They said nothing whatever about the Ring, and did not tell him why they set out or where they were going to; and he did not ask for any reasons.

有些紅得像銅；而樹幹看起來像是用發光的石頭鑄成的柱子。「好了，好了，我們現在又可以說話了，」樹鬍說。「我猜你們渴了。或許也累了。喝這個吧！」他走到壁灣的後方，他們這才看到那裡立著好幾個高大的石罐，蓋著厚重的蓋子。他移開其中一個蓋子，用一個大杓子伸進去舀，裝滿了三個碗，一個大碗，兩個小碗。「這是樹人屋，」他說，「恐怕沒有椅子。但你們可以坐在桌子上。」他抱起哈比人，把他們放在離地六英尺高的大石板上，他們就坐在那裡，雙腿懸空，小口小口地喝著。那飲料嚐起來像水，確實很像他們在森林邊界附近從艾森河喝過的那種水的味道，然而其中卻有一種他們無法形容的氣味或風味：它很淡，卻讓他們想起夜晚涼風從遠方吹來的遠處森林的氣息。那飲品的效力從腳趾開始，穩定地傳遍每一根肢體，在向上流竄的過程中帶來清新與活力，直達髮梢。哈比人確實感覺到他們頭上的毛髮真的豎立起來，揮舞、捲曲、甚至生長。至於樹鬍，他先在拱門後的盆子裡洗了腳，然後一口氣喝乾了他的碗，那是一口又長又慢的暢飲。哈比人以為他永遠不會停。他終於又把碗放下。「啊——啊，」他嘆了口氣。「嗯，呼姆，現在我們可以更輕鬆地談話了。你們可以坐在地板上，我會躺下；這樣可以防止這飲料衝上我的頭，讓我睡著。」在壁灣的右側，有一張低矮的大床，高度不超過兩英尺，上面鋪著厚厚的乾草和歐洲蕨。樹鬍緩慢地把自己放低到床上（腰部只有最輕微的彎曲跡象），直到他完全伸展開來，雙臂枕在腦後，望著天花板，上面有光影閃爍，就像陽光下樹葉的嬉戲。梅里和皮聘坐在他身旁，枕著草墊。「現在告訴我你們的故事，別著急！」樹鬍說。哈比人開始告訴他他們自離開哈比屯以來的冒險故事。他們說得沒什麼清晰的順序，因為他們不斷地打斷對方，而樹鬍也常常叫住說話的人，回到先前某個點，或是跳到後面去問關於之後事件的問題。他們對魔戒一字未提，也沒告訴他他們為何出發或要去哪裡；而他也沒有問任何理由。

472 THE LORD OF THE RINGS He was immensely interested in everything: in the Black Riders, in Elrond, and Rivendell, in the Old Forest, and Tom Bombadil, in the Mines of Moria, and in Lothlorien and Galadriel. He made them describe the Shire and its country over and over again. He said an odd thing at this point. ‘You never see any, hm, any Ents round there, do you?’ he asked. ‘Well, not Ents, Entwives I should really say.’ ‘Entwives?’ said Pippin. ‘Are they like you at all?’ “Yes, hm, well no: I do not really know now,’ said Treebeard thoughtfully. ‘But they would like your country, so I just wondered.’ Treebeard was however especially interested in everything that concerned Gandalf; and most interested of all in Saruman’s doings. The hobbits regretted very much that they knew so little about them: only a rather vague report by Sam of what Gandalf had told the Council. But they were clear at any rate that Ugluk and his troop came from Isengard, and spoke of Saruman as their master. ‘Hm, hoom!’ said Treebeard, when at last their story had wound and wandered down to the battle of the Orcs and the Riders of Rohan. ‘Well, well! That is a bundle of news and no mistake. You have not told me all, no indeed, not by a long way. But I do not doubt that you are doing as Gandalf would wish. There is something very big going on, that I can see, and what it is maybe I shall learn in good time, or in bad time. By root and twig, but it is a strange business: up sprout a little folk that are not in the old lists, and behold! the Nine forgotten Riders reappear to hunt them, and Gandalf takes them on a great journey, and Galadriel harbours them in Caras Galadhon, and Orcs pursue them down all the leagues of Wilderland: indeed they seem to be caught up in a great storm. I hope they weather it!’ ‘And what about yourself?’ asked Merry. ‘Hoom, hm, I have not troubled about the Great Wars,’ said Treebeard; ‘they mostly concern Elves and Men. That is the business of Wizards: Wizards are always troubled about the future. I do not like worrying about the future. I am not altogether on anybody’s side, because nobody is altogether on my side, if you understand me: nobody cares for the woods as I care for them, not even Elves nowadays. Still, I take more kindly to Elves than to others: it was the Elves that cured us of dumbness long ago, and that was a great gift that cannot be forgotten, though our ways have parted since. And there are some things, of course, whose side I am altogether ot on; I am against them altogether: these — burdrum’ (he again made a deep rumble of disgust) ‘ these Orcs, and their masters. ‘I used to be anxious when the shadow lay on Mirkwood, but when it removed to Mordor, I did not trouble for a while: Mordor

他對所有事情都抱持著極大的興趣：黑騎士、愛隆和瑞文戴爾、老林和湯姆·龐巴迪、摩瑞亞礦坑，以及羅斯洛立安和凱蘭崔爾。他讓他們一遍又一遍地描述夏爾和那裡的鄉村景致。這時他說了一句奇怪的話。「你們在那附近從沒見過，嗯，任何樹人，是嗎？」他問道。「嗯，不是樹人，我應該說是樹人太太才對。」「樹人太太？」皮聘說。「她們跟你有任何相像之處嗎？」「是的，嗯，喔不：我現在其實也不知道了，」樹鬍若有所思地說。「但她們會喜歡你們的國度，所以我只是好奇問問。」然而，樹鬍對一切與甘道夫有關的事都特別感興趣；而最最感興趣的，莫過於薩魯曼的所作所為。哈比人們非常懊悔自己對此所知甚少：只有山姆轉述甘道夫在聖白議會上說過的一份相當模糊的報告。但他們至少清楚，烏骨陸和他的部隊來自埃辛加，並稱薩魯曼為他們的主人。「嗯，哼！」當他們的故事終於蜿蜒曲折地講到半獸人與洛汗騎士的戰役時，樹鬍說道。「好，好！這可真是一大堆消息，千真萬確。你們還沒告訴我全部，確實沒有，還差得遠呢。但我毫不懷疑你們正照著甘道夫的期望在做。我看得出來，有件非常大的事正在發生，至於是什麼事，或許我在好的時機，或壞的時機，終將知曉。以根與枝為誓，這真是件奇事：冒出了一群不在古老名單上的小傢伙，然後你瞧！九位被遺忘的戒靈重現來追獵他們，甘道夫帶他們踏上偉大的旅程，凱蘭崔爾在卡拉斯加拉頓庇護他們，半獸人則穿越整個荒野之地追趕他們：他們確實像是被捲入了一場巨大的風暴。我希望他們能安然度過！」「那你自己呢？」梅里問道。「哼，嗯，我從未為那些大戰費心，」樹鬍說；「那些主要關乎精靈和人類。那是巫師的事：巫師們總是為未來煩惱。我不喜歡為未來擔憂。我並不完全站在任何一邊，因為沒有人完全站在我這邊，如果你明白我的意思：沒有人像我一樣關心森林，如今連精靈也不例外。不過，比起其他人，我對精靈還是比較友善：很久以前是精靈治好了我們的喑啞，那是一份不能忘懷的偉大贈禮，雖然我們的道路自那時起就分道揚鑣了。當然，也有些東西是我完全不站在他們那邊的；我完全反對他們：這些——burárum」（他又發出深沉而厭惡的咕嚕聲）「這些半獸人，以及他們的主人。「當黑影籠罩幽暗密林時，我曾經感到焦慮，但當它移到魔多後，我有段時間就不再煩心了：魔多

TREEBEARD 473 is a long way away. But it seems that the wind is setting East, and the withering of all woods may be drawing near. There is naught that an old Ent can do to hold back that storm: he must weather it or crack. ‘But Saruman now! Saruman is a neighbour: I cannot overlook him. I must do something, I suppose. I have often wondered lately what I should do about Saruman.’ ‘Who is Saruman?’ asked Pippin. ‘Do you know anything about his history?’ ‘Saruman is a Wizard,’ answered Treebeard. ‘More than that I cannot say. I do not know the history of Wizards. They appeared first after the Great Ships came over the Sea; but if they came with the Ships I never can tell. Saruman was reckoned great among them, I believe. He gave up wandering about and minding the affairs of Men and Elves, some time ago — you would call it a very long time ago; and he settled down at Angrenost, or Isengard as the Men of Rohan call it. He was very quiet to begin with, but his fame began to grow. He was chosen to be the head of the White Council, they say; but that did not turn out too well. I wonder now if even then Saruman was not turning to evil ways. But at any rate he used to give no trouble to his neighbours. I used to talk to him. There was a time when he was always walking about my woods. He was polite in those days, always asking my leave (at least when he met me); and always eager to listen. I told him many things that he would never have found out by himself; but he never repaid me in like kind. I cannot remember that he ever told me anything. And he got more and more like that; his face, as I remember it — I have not seen it for many a day — became like windows in a stone wall: windows with shutters inside. ‘I think that I now understand what he is up to. He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment. And now it is clear that he is a black traitor. He has taken up with foul folk, with the Orcs. Brm, hoom! Worse than that: he has been doing something to them; something dangerous. For these Isengarders are more like wicked Men. It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman’s Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it. I wonder what he has done? Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!’ Treebeard rumbled for a moment, as if he were pronouncing some deep, subterranean Entish malediction. ‘Some time ago I began to wonder how Orcs dared to pass through my woods so freely,’ he went on. ‘Only lately did I guess that Saruman was to blame, and

「樹鬍473號離這裡很遠。但看來風正朝東方吹，所有樹林的枯萎之日或許近了。一個年老的樹人對那場風暴無能為力：他要麼撐過去，要麼就此崩裂。『但現在說說薩魯曼！薩魯曼是個鄰居：我不能忽視他。我想，我必須做點什麼。我最近常常在想，我該拿薩魯曼怎麼辦。』『薩魯曼是誰？』皮聘問道。『你知道他的來歷嗎？』『薩魯曼是個巫師，』樹鬍回答。『更多的我就不能說了。我不知道巫師的歷史。他們是在大船渡海而來之後才首次出現的；但我從來無法確定他們是否跟船一起來的。我相信，薩魯曼在他們當中曾被認為是偉大的。他在一段時間前——你會覺得那是很久很久以前了——放棄了四處遊蕩、關心人類和精靈事務的生活；他在安格瑞諾斯特，也就是羅翰人口中的艾辛格，定居下來。他起初非常安靜，但他的名聲開始增長。他們說，他被選為白袍會議的領袖；但結果似乎不太好。我現在懷疑，薩魯曼是不是在那時就已經走向邪路了。但無論如何，他過去從不給鄰居添麻煩。我以前會跟他交談。曾有一段時間，他總是在我的樹林裡散步。那時他很有禮貌，總是會請求我的允許（至少在他遇到我的時候是這樣）；而且總是渴望傾聽。我告訴了他許多他自己永遠無法發現的事情；但他從未以同樣的方式回報我。我不記得他曾告訴我任何事。而且他越來越像那樣；他的臉，在我記憶中——我已經好多天沒見過了——變得像石牆上的窗戶：裡面還關著百葉窗。『我想我現在明白他在搞什麼鬼了。他正密謀成為一個「權力」。他有著一副金屬和齒輪構成的心智；他不在乎生長中的事物，除非那些東西能為他當下所用。而現在很清楚了，他是一個卑劣的叛徒。他跟那些污穢的傢伙，跟半獸人混在一起了。哼，嗯！更糟的是：他對他們做了一些事；一些危險的事。因為這些艾辛格的傢伙更像是邪惡的人類。來自大黑暗時代的邪惡之物有個標記，就是它們無法忍受陽光；但薩魯曼的半獸人卻能忍受，即使他們憎恨陽光。我不知道他做了什麼？他們是被他毀掉的人類，還是他混合了半獸人和人類的種族？那將是極度的邪惡！』樹鬍低沉地咕噥了一會兒，彷彿在念誦某種深邃、地底下的樹人語詛咒。『前些時候我開始納悶，半獸人怎麼敢如此自由地穿過我的樹林，』他繼續說。『直到最近我才猜到，薩魯曼是罪魁禍首，而且

474 THE LORD OF THE RINGS that long ago he had been spying out all the ways, and discovering my secrets. He and his foul folk are making havoc now. Down on the borders they are felling trees — good trees. Some of the trees they just cut down and leave to rot — orc-mischief that; but most are hewn up and carried off to feed the fires of Orthanc. There is always a smoke rising from Isengard these days. ‘Curse him, root and branch! Many of those trees were my friends, creatures I had known from nut and acorn; many had voices of their own that are lost for ever now. And there are wastes of stump and bramble where once there were singing groves. I have been idle. I have let things slip. It must stop!’ Treebeard raised himself from his bed with a jerk, stood up, and thumped his hand on the table. The vessels of light trembled and sent up two jets of flame. There was a flicker like green fire in his eyes, and his beard stood out stiff as a great besom. ‘I will stop it!’ he boomed. ‘And you shall come with me. You may be able to help me. You will be helping your own friends that way, too; for if Saruman is not checked Rohan and Gondor will have an enemy behind as well as in front. Our roads go together — to Isengard!’ ‘We will come with you,’ said Merry. ‘We will do what we can.’ “Yes! said Pippin. ‘I should like to see the White Hand overthrown. I should like to be there, even if I could not be of much use: I shall never forget Ugluk and the crossing of Rohan.’ ‘Good! Good!’ said Treebeard. ‘But I spoke hastily. We must not be hasty. I have become too hot. I must cool myself and think; for it is easier to shout stop/ than to do it.’ He strode to the archway and stood for some time under the falling rain of the spring. Then he laughed and shook himself, and wherever the drops of water fell glittering from him to the ground they glinted like red and green sparks. He came back and laid himself on the bed again and was silent. After some time the hobbits heard him murmuring again. He seemed to be counting on his fingers. ‘Fangorn, Finglas, Fladrif, aye, aye,’ he sighed. ‘The trouble is that there are so few of us left,’ he said turning towards the hobbits. ‘Only three remain of the first Ents that walked in the woods before the Darkness: only myself, Fangorn, and Finglas and Fladrif — to give them their Elvish names; you may call them Leaflock and Skinbark if you like that better. And of us three, Leaflock and Skinbark are not much use for this business. Leaflock has grown sleepy, almost tree-ish, you might say: he has taken to standing by himself half-asleep all through the summer with the deep grass of the meadows round his knees. Covered with leafy

「范貢、芬格拉斯、弗拉德利夫，唉，唉，」他嘆息道。「問題是我們剩下的數量太少了，」他轉向哈比人說。「在黑暗時代之前行走於森林中的第一代樹人，只剩下三個了：只有我自己、范貢，以及芬格拉斯和弗拉德利夫——這是他們的精靈語名字；如果你們喜歡，也可以叫他們葉鎖和膚皮。而在我們三個之中，葉鎖和膚皮對這件事沒什麼大用。葉鎖變得昏昏欲睡，你幾乎可以說他快變成樹了：他整個夏天都習慣獨自半睡半醒地站著，草原的深草長到他的膝蓋。身上覆蓋著葉子

TREEBEARD 475 hair he is. He used to rouse up in winter; but of late he has been too drowsy to walk far even then. Skinbark lived on the mountain-slopes west of Isengard. That is where the worst trouble has been. He was wounded by the Orcs, and many of his folk and his tree-herds have been murdered and destroyed. He has gone up into the high places, among the birches that he loves best, and he will not come down. Still, I daresay I could get together a fair company of our younger folks — if I could make them understand the need; if I could rouse them: we are not a hasty folk. What a pity there are so few of us!’ ‘Why are there so few, when you have lived in this country so long?’ asked Pippin. ‘Have a great many died?’ ‘Oh, no!’ said Treebeard. ‘None have died from inside, as you might say. Some have fallen in the evil chances of the long years, of course; and more have grown tree-ish. But there were never many of us and we have not increased. There have been no Entings — no children, you would say, not for a terrible long count of years. You see, we lost the Entwives.’ ‘How very sad!’ said Pippin. ‘How was it that they all died?’ ‘They did not die!’ said Treebeard. ‘I never said died. We lost them, I said. We lost them and we cannot find them.’ He sighed. ‘I thought most folk knew that. There were songs about the hunt of the Ents for the Entwives sung among Elves and Men from Mirkwood to Gondor. They cannot be quite forgotten.’ ‘Well, I am afraid the songs have not come west over the Mountains to the Shire,’ said Merry. ‘Won’t you tell us some more, or sing us one of the songs?’ ‘Yes, I will indeed,’ said Treebeard, seeming pleased with the request. ‘But I cannot tell it properly, only in short; and then we must end our talk: tomorrow we have councils to call, and work to do, and maybe a journey to begin.’ ‘It is rather a strange and sad story,’ he went on after a pause. ‘When the world was young, and the woods were wide and wild, the Ents and the Entwives — and there were Entmaidens then: ah! the loveliness of Fimbrethil, of Wandlimb the lightfooted, in the days of our youth! — they walked together and they housed together. But our hearts did not go on growing in the same way: the Ents gave their love to things that they met in the world, and the Entwives gave their thought to other things, for the Ents loved the great trees, and the wild woods, and the slopes of the high hills; and they drank of the mountain-streams, and ate only such fruit as the trees let fall in their path; and they learned of the Elves and spoke with the Trees. But the Entwives gave their minds to the lesser trees, and to the meads in the sunshine beyond the feet of the forests; and they saw the sloe

「他是毛髮最多的樹人。他以前冬天還會醒來活動一下；但近來他總是昏昏欲睡，即便在冬天也走不遠。膚皮住在艾辛格西邊的山坡上。那裡是災情最慘重的地方。他被半獸人所傷，他的許多同類和樹群都被殺害摧毀了。他已經上到高處，待在他最愛的樺樹林裡，再也不肯下來了。不過，我敢說我還是能召集到一批我們年輕一輩的，如果我能讓他們明白事情的必要性；如果我能喚醒他們：我們不是一個草率的民族。可惜我們的人數太少了！」 「你們在這片土地上住了這麼久，為什麼人數這麼少呢？」皮聘問。「是有很多樹人死去了嗎？」 「喔，不！」樹鬍說。「沒有誰是從內部死去的，你可以這麼說。有些在漫長的歲月裡，在不幸的意外中倒下了；還有更多變得『樹化』了。但我們從來就沒多少人，也沒有增加過。已經沒有小樹人了——也就是你們說的，孩子——已經有好長好長一段可怕的歲月沒有了。你看，我們失去了樹妻。」 「那真是太悲傷了！」皮聘說。「她們是怎麼全都死去的？」 「她們沒有死！」樹鬍說。「我從沒說過『死』。我說的是，我們失去了她們。我們失去了她們，而且找不到她們。」他嘆了口氣。「我以為大多數人都知道這件事。從幽暗密林到剛鐸，精靈和人類之間都傳唱著樹人尋找樹妻的歌謠。那些歌謠不可能完全被遺忘的。」 「嗯，恐怕那些歌謠沒有越過山脈傳到西邊的夏爾來。」梅里說。「您能再多告訴我們一些，或為我們唱其中一首歌嗎？」 「是的，我很樂意。」樹鬍說，似乎對這個請求感到高興。「但我無法完整地講述，只能簡短地說；然後我們就必須結束談話了：明天我們有會議要召開，有工作要做，或許還有一趟旅程要開始。」 「這是一個相當奇特又悲傷的故事，」他停頓了一下後繼續說。「當世界還年輕，森林既廣闊又原始時，樹人和樹妻——那時還有樹人少女呢：啊！我們年輕時，芬布瑞希爾、輕枝的婉肢是多麼可愛！——他們一同散步，一同居住。但我們的心沒有朝同一個方向繼續成長：樹人將他們的愛給了他們在世界上遇到的事物，而樹妻則將心思放在其他事情上，因為樹人熱愛參天大樹、原始森林和高山斜坡；他們飲用山泉，只吃樹木讓其掉落在路上的果實；他們向精靈學習，並與樹木交談。但樹妻們則將心思放在較小的樹木上，以及森林邊緣陽光下的草地上；她們看見了黑刺李

476 THE LORD OF THE RINGS in the thicket, and the wild apple and the cherry blossoming in spring, and the green herbs in the waterlands in summer, and the seeding grasses in the autumn fields. They did not desire to speak with these things; but they wished them to hear and obey what was said to them. The Entwives ordered them to grow according to their wishes, and bear leaf and fruit to their liking; for the Entwives desired order, and plenty, and peace (by which they meant that things should remain where they had set them). So the Entwives made gardens to live in. But we Ents went on wandering, and we only came to the gardens now and again. Then when the Darkness came in the North, the Entwives crossed the Great River, and made new gardens, and tilled new fields, and we saw them more seldom. After the Darkness was overthrown the land of the Entwives blossomed richly, and their fields were full of corn. Many men learned the crafts of the Entwives and honoured them greatly; but we were only a legend to them, a secret in the heart of the forest. Yet here we still are, while all the gardens of the Entwives are wasted: Men call them the Brown Lands now. ‘I remember it was long ago — in the time of the war between Sauron and the Men of the Sea — desire came over me to see Fimbrethil again. Very fair she was still in my eyes, when I had last seen her, though little like the Entmaiden of old. For the Entwives were bent and browned by their labour; their hair parched by the sun to the hue of ripe corn and their cheeks like red apples. Yet their eyes were still the eyes of our own people. We crossed over Anduin and came to their land; but we found a desert: it was all burned and uprooted, for war had passed over it. But the Entwives were not there. Long we called, and long we searched; and we asked all folk that we met which way the Entwives had gone. Some said they had never seen them; and some said that they had seen them walking away west, and some said east, and others south. But nowhere that we went could we find them. Our sorrow was very great. Yet the wild wood called, and we returned to it. For many years we used to go out every now and again and look for the Entwives, walking far and wide and calling them by their beautiful names. But as time passed we went more seldom and wandered less far. And now the Entwives are only a memory for us, and our beards are long and grey. The Elves made many songs concerning the Search of the Ents, and some of the songs passed into the tongues of Men. But we made no songs about it, being content to chant their beautiful names when we thought of the Entwives. We believe that we may meet again in a time to come, and perhaps we shall find somewhere a land where we can live together and both be content. But it is foreboded that that will only be when we have both lost all that we now have. And it may well be that that time is drawing near at last. For if Sauron

在灌木叢中，春日裡盛開的野蘋果與櫻桃，夏日水澤邊的綠色藥草，以及秋日田野裡結實的草。她們不渴望與這些事物交談；但她們希望它們能聽從並服從她們的吩咐。樹妻們命令它們按照她們的意願生長，結出她們喜愛的葉子和果實；因為樹妻們渴望秩序、豐饒與和平（她們所謂的和平，是指萬物都應待在她們安置好的地方）。於是，樹妻們建造了花園來居住。但我們樹人繼續四處漫遊，只是偶爾才去那些花園看看。後來，當黑暗降臨北方時，樹妻們渡過了大河，開闢了新的花園，耕耘了新的田地，我們見到她們的次數就更少了。黑暗被推翻後，樹妻們的土地繁花盛開，田裡長滿了穀物。許多人類向樹妻們學習技藝，並對她們尊敬有加；但對那些人來說，我們只是一個傳說，一個森林中心的秘密。然而我們至今仍在這裡，樹妻們的花園卻已全部荒蕪：如今人們稱那裡為褐色土地。 「我記得那是很久以前的事了——在索倫與大海彼岸的人作戰的時期——我突然渴望能再見芬布瑞希爾一面。在我上次見到她時，她在我眼中依然非常美麗，雖然已不太像往昔的樹人少女了。因為樹妻們因勞動而彎了腰、曬黑了皮膚；她們的頭髮被太陽曬得乾枯，呈現出熟玉米的色澤，臉頰則像紅蘋果。但她們的眼睛，依然是我們同族的眼睛。我們渡過安都因河，來到她們的土地；但我們只找到一片荒漠：那裡全被燒毀、連根拔起，因為戰爭剛肆虐過。但樹妻們不在那裡。我們呼喊了許久，也尋找了許久；我們問遍了所有遇到的人，樹妻們往哪個方向去了。有些人說從未見過她們；有些人說見過她們朝西邊走去，還有些人說東邊，另一些則說南邊。但無論我們去到何處，都找不到她們。我們的悲傷無比巨大。然而，原始森林在呼喚，於是我們回去了。許多年來，我們過去時不時會外出尋找樹妻們，走遍四方，呼喚著她們美麗的名字。但隨著時間流逝，我們外出的次數越來越少，漫遊的距離也越來越短。如今，樹妻們對我們而言只剩下回憶，我們的鬍鬚也已又長又灰白。精靈們作了許多關於樹人尋妻的歌曲，其中一些流傳到了人類的語言中。但我們沒有為此作歌，只要一想起樹妻們，我們便滿足於吟誦她們美麗的名字。我們相信在未來的某個時刻，我們或許能重逢，或許能找到一個地方，讓我們能一起生活，彼此都心滿意足。但有預兆說，那只有在我們雙方都失去現有一切的時候才會發生。而那個時刻，很可能終於要來臨了。因為如果索倫……」

TREEBEARD 477 of old destroyed the gardens, the Enemy today seems likely to wither all the woods. “There was an Elvish song that spoke of this, or at least so I understand it. It used to be sung up and down the Great River. It was never an Entish song, mark you: it would have been a very long song in Entish! But we know it by heart, and hum it now and again. This is how it runs in your tongue: ENT. ENTWIFE. ENT. ENTWIFE. ENT. ENTWIFE. BOTH. When Spring unfolds the beechen leaf, and sap ts in the bough; When light is on the wild-wood stream, and wind ts on the brow; When stride 1s long, and breath is deep, and keen the mountain-air, Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land ts fair! When Spring is come to garth and field, and corn is in the blade; When blossom like a shining snow ts on the orchard laid; When shower and Sun upon the Earth with fragrance fill the air, Tl linger here, and will not come, because my land ts fair. When Summer lies upon the world, and in a noon of gold Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves the dreams of trees unfold; When woodland halls are green and cool, and wind ts in the West, Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land ts best! When Summer warms the hanging fruit and burns the berry brown; When straw 1s gold, and ear is white, and harvest comes to town; When honey spills, and apple swells, though wind be in the West, Til linger here beneath the Sun, because my land 1s best! When Winter comes, the winter wild that hill and wood shall slay; When trees shall fall and starless night devour the sunless day; When wind 1s in the deadly East, then in the bitter rain Pll look for thee, and call to thee; I'll come to thee again! When Winter comes, and singing ends; when darkness falls at last; When broken 1s the barren bough, and light and labour past; Ill look for thee, and wait for thee, until we meet again: Together we will take the road beneath the bitter rain! Together we will take the road that leads into the West, And far away will find a land where both our hearts may rest.’

478 THE LORD OF THE RINGS Treebeard ended his song. “That is how it goes,’ he said. ‘It is Elvish, of course: lighthearted, quickworded, and soon over. I daresay it is fair enough. But the Ents could say more on their side, if they had time! But now I am going to stand up and take a little sleep. Where will you stand?’ ‘We usually lie down to sleep,’ said Merry. ‘We shall be all right where we are.’ ‘Lie down to sleep!’ said Treebeard. ‘Why of course you do! Hm, hoom: I was forgetting: singing that song put me in mind of old times; almost thought that I was talking to young Entings, I did. Well, you can lie on the bed. I am going to stand in the rain. Good night!” Merry and Pippin climbed on to the bed and curled up in the soft grass and fern. It was fresh, and sweet-scented, and warm. The lights died down, and the glow of the trees faded; but outside under the arch they could see old Treebeard standing, motionless, with his arms raised above his head. The bright stars peered out of the sky, and lit the falling water as it spilled on to his fingers and head, and dripped, dripped, in hundreds of silver drops on to his feet. Listening to the tinkling of the drops the hobbits fell asleep. They woke to find a cool sun shining into the great court, and on to the floor of the bay. Shreds of high cloud were overhead, running on a stiff easterly wind. Treebeard was not to be seen; but while Merry and Pippin were bathing in the basin by the arch, they heard him humming and singing, as he came up the path between the trees. ‘Hoo, ho! Good morning, Merry and Pippin!’ he boomed, when he saw them. ‘You sleep long. I have been many a hundred strides already today. Now we will have a drink, and go to Entmoot.’ He poured them out two full bowls from a stone jar; but from a different jar. The taste was not the same as it had been the night before: it was earthier and richer, more sustaining and food-like, so to speak. While the hobbits drank, sitting on the edge of the bed, and nibbling small pieces of elf-cake (more because they felt that eating was a necessary part of breakfast than because they felt hungry), Treebeard stood, humming in Entish or Elvish or some strange tongue, and looking up at the sky. ‘Where is Entmoot?’ Pippin ventured to ask. ‘Hoo, eh? Entmoot?’ said Treebeard, turning round. ‘It is not a place, it is a gathering of Ents — which does not often happen nowadays. But I have managed to make a fair number promise to come. We shall meet in the place where we have always met: Derndingle Men call it. It is away south from here. We must be there before noon.’ Before long they set off. Treebeard carried the hobbits in his arms

樹鬍結束了他的歌。「就是這樣唱的，」他說。「當然是精靈語：輕快、詞速快，一下子就結束了。我敢說這已經夠好了。但如果樹人有時間，他們自己這邊能說的就更多了！不過現在我要站起來小睡一會兒。你們要站在哪裡？」「我們通常是躺下睡覺的，」梅里說。「我們待在原地就好。」「躺下睡覺！」樹鬍說。「啊，你們當然是這樣！嗯，哼：我忘了：唱那首歌讓我想起了舊日時光；我還以為我是在跟年輕的樹人娃娃說話呢。好吧，你們可以躺在床上。我要去雨中站著。晚安！」梅里和皮聘爬上床，蜷縮在柔軟的青草和蕨類植物中。那裡清新、芳香又溫暖。燈光漸暗，樹木的光輝也褪去；但在拱門外的下方，他們能看見老樹鬍站著，一動也不動，雙臂舉過頭頂。明亮的星星從天空中探出頭來，照亮了落下的水珠，水珠灑在他的手指和頭上，滴答、滴答，成千上百顆銀色的水滴落到他的腳上。聽著水滴的叮咚聲，哈比人睡著了。他們醒來時，發現一輪清涼的太陽照進了這個大庭院，也照在壁龕的地板上。高空中有一絲絲的雲彩，正被一股強勁的東風吹著跑。樹鬍不見蹤影；但正當梅里和皮聘在拱門邊的水盆裡洗臉時，他們聽見他哼著歌，從樹林間的小徑走上來。「呼，吼！早安，梅里和皮聘！」他看到他們時，宏亮地說。「你們睡得真久。我今天已經走了好幾百步了。現在我們來喝點東西，然後去樹人會議。」他從一個石罐裡為他們倒了滿滿兩碗；但用的是另一個不同的罐子。味道和前一晚不一樣：更帶有泥土氣息、更濃郁，可以說，更像食物、更能果腹。當哈比人坐在床邊喝著，啃著小塊的精靈蛋糕時（他們這麼做更多是覺得吃東西是早餐必要的一環，而不是因為餓），樹鬍站著，用樹人語、精靈語或某種奇怪的語言哼著歌，抬頭望著天空。「樹人會議在哪裡？」皮聘鼓起勇氣問道。「呼，欸？樹人會議？」樹鬍轉過身說。「那不是一個地方，是樹人的集會——現在已經不常舉行了。但我已經設法讓相當多的樹人答應要來。我們會在我們一直以來見面的地方開會：人類稱之為德定谷。它在這邊的南邊。我們必須在中午前趕到。」不久後他們便出發了。樹鬍將哈比人抱在懷裡。

TREEBEARD 479 as on the previous day. At the entrance to the court he turned to the right, stepped over the stream, and strode away southwards along the feet of great tumbled slopes where trees were scanty. Above these the hobbits saw thickets of birch and rowan, and beyond them dark climbing pinewoods. Soon Treebeard turned a little away from the hills and plunged into deep groves, where the trees were larger, taller, and thicker than any that the hobbits had ever seen before. For a while they felt faintly the sense of stifling which they had noticed when they first ventured into Fangorn, but it soon passed. Treebeard did not talk to them. He hummed to himself deeply and thoughtfully, but Merry and Pippin caught no proper words: it sounded like boom, boom, rumboom, boorar, boom boom, dahrar boom boom, dahrar boom, and so on with a constant change of note and rhythm. Now and again they thought they heard an answer, a hum or a quiver of sound, that seemed to come out of the earth, or from boughs above their heads, or perhaps from the boles of the trees; but Treebeard did not stop or turn his head to either side. They had been going for a long while — Pippin had tried to keep count of the ‘ent-strides’ but had failed, getting lost at about three thousand — when Treebeard began to slacken his pace. Suddenly he stopped, put the hobbits down, and raised his curled hands to his mouth so that they made a hollow tube; then he blew or called through them. A great hoom, hom rang out like a deep-throated horn in the woods, and seemed to echo from the trees. Far off there came from several directions a similar hoom, hom, hoom that was not an echo but an answer. Treebeard now perched Merry and Pippin on his shoulders and strode on again, every now and then sending out another horn-call, and each time the answers came louder and nearer. In this way they came at last to what looked like an impenetrable wall of dark evergreen trees, trees of a kind that the hobbits had never seen before: they branched out right from the roots, and were densely clad in dark glossy leaves like thornless holly, and they bore many stiff upright flower-spikes with large shining olive-coloured buds. Turning to the left and skirting this huge hedge Treebeard came in a few strides to a narrow entrance. Through it a worn path passed and dived suddenly down a long steep slope. The hobbits saw that they were descending into a great dingle, almost as round as a bowl, very wide and deep, crowned at the rim with the high dark evergreen hedge. It was smooth and grassclad inside, and there were no trees except three very tall and beautiful silver-birches that stood at the bottom of the bowl. Two other paths led down into the dingle: from the west and from the east.

如同前一天，樹鬍在庭院入口處向右轉，跨過溪流，沿著樹木稀疏的巨大亂坡山腳向南大步走去。在這些山坡之上，哈比人看見了樺樹與花楸的灌木叢，更遠處則是攀升的黑暗松林。不久，樹鬍稍微偏離山丘，一頭鑽進了深邃的樹林。那裡的樹木比哈比人前所未見的任何樹木都更巨大、更高聳、更粗壯。有那麼一會兒，他們隱約感覺到初次冒險進入法貢森林時注意到的那種窒息感，但這感覺很快就消失了。樹鬍沒有和他們說話。他自顧自地低沉而若有所思地哼著，但梅里和皮聘沒聽出任何像樣的詞語：聽起來像是「boom, boom, rumboom, boorar, boom boom, dahrar boom boom, dahrar boom」，音調和節奏不斷變化。他們時而覺得聽到了回應，一種嗡嗡聲或聲音的微顫，似乎來自地底，或來自頭頂的樹枝，又或許來自樹幹本身；但樹鬍沒有停下，也沒有轉頭向任何一邊看。他們走了很長一段時間——皮聘試圖計算「樹人步」的數量但失敗了，在大概三千步左右就搞混了——這時樹鬍開始放慢他的步伐。他突然停下來，把哈比人放下，並將他蜷曲的雙手舉到嘴邊，形成一個中空的管子；然後他對著管子吹氣或呼喊。一聲巨大的「hoom, hom」響徹林間，像是一支音色低沉的號角，並似乎在樹木間迴盪。遠方，從好幾個方向傳來了類似的「hoom, hom, hoom」聲，這不是回音，而是回應。樹鬍現在將梅里和皮聘安置在他的肩膀上，再次大步前進，時不時發出另一次號角般的呼喚，而每一次，回應聲都變得更響亮、更近。就這樣，他們終於來到了一堵看似無法穿透的深色常綠樹牆前，這些樹是哈比人從未見過的種類：它們從根部就開始分枝，濃密地覆蓋著像無刺冬青一樣的深色光亮葉片，並長著許多帶有巨大閃亮橄欖色花苞的堅挺直立花穗。樹鬍向左轉，繞著這道巨大的樹籬走了幾步，來到一個狹窄的入口。一條磨損的小徑穿過入口，突然陡降，通往一個長長的險坡。哈比人發現他們正下降到一個巨大的林間窪地，幾乎像碗一樣圓，非常寬闊且深，邊緣由高大的深色常綠樹籬加冕。窪地內部平滑，覆蓋著草地，除了三棵非常高大美麗的銀樺樹立在碗底外，沒有別的樹。另有兩條小徑通往窪地：一條從西邊來，一條從東邊來。

480 THE LORD OF THE RINGS Several Ents had already arrived. More were coming in down the other paths, and some were now following Treebeard. As they drew near the hobbits gazed at them. They had expected to see a number of creatures as much like Treebeard as one hobbit is like another (at any rate to a stranger’s eye); and they were very much surprised to see nothing of the kind. The Ents were as different from one another as trees from trees: some as different as one tree is from another of the same name but quite different growth and history; and some as different as one tree-kind from another, as birch from beech, oak from fir. There were a few older Ents, bearded and gnarled like hale but ancient trees (though none looked as ancient as Treebeard); and there were tall strong Ents, clean-limbed and smooth-skinned like forest-trees in their prime; but there were no young Ents, no saplings. Altogether there were about two dozen standing on the wide grassy floor of the dingle, and as many more were marching in. At first Merry and Pippin were struck chiefly by the variety that they saw: the many shapes, and colours, the differences in girth, and height, and length of leg and arm; and in the number of toes and fingers (anything from three to nine). A few seemed more or less related to Treebeard, and reminded them of beech-trees or oaks. But there were other kinds. Some recalled the chestnut: brown-skinned Ents with large splayfingered hands, and short thick legs. Some recalled the ash: tall straight grey Ents with many-fingered hands and long legs; some the fir (the tallest Ents), and others the birch, the rowan, and the linden. But when the Ents all gathered round Treebeard, bowing their heads slightly, murmuring in their slow musical voices, and looking long and intently at the strangers, then the hobbits saw that they were all of the same kindred, and all had the same eyes: not all so old or so deep as Treebeard’s, but all with the same slow, steady, thoughtful expression, and the same green flicker. As soon as the whole company was assembled, standing in a wide circle round Treebeard, a curious and unintelligible conversation began. The Ents began to murmur slowly: first one joined and then another, until they were all chanting together in a long rising and falling rhythm, now louder on one side of the ring, now dying away there and rising to a great boom on the other side. Though he could not catch or understand any of the words — he supposed the language was Entish — Pippin found the sound very pleasant to listen to at first; but gradually his attention wavered. After a long time (and the chant showed no signs of slackening) he found himself wondering, since Entish was such an ‘unhasty’ language, whether they had yet got further than Good Morning; and if Treebeard was to call the roll, how many days it would take to sing all their names. ‘I wonder what the Entish is for yes or no,’ he thought. He yawned.

TREEBEARD 481 Treebeard was immediately aware of him. ‘Hm, ha, hey, my Pippin!’ he said, and the other Ents all stopped their chant. ‘You are a hasty folk, I was forgetting; and anyway it is wearisome listening to a speech you do not understand. You may get down now. I have told your names to the Entmoot, and they have seen you, and they have agreed that you are not Orcs, and that a new line shall be put in the old lists. We have got no further yet, but that is quick work for an Entmoot. You and Merry can stroll about in the dingle, if you like. There is a well of good water, if you need refreshing, away yonder in the north bank. There are still some words to speak before the Moot really begins. I will come and see you again, and tell you how things are going.’ He put the hobbits down. Before they walked away, they bowed low. This feat seemed to amuse the Ents very much, to judge by the tone of their murmurs, and the flicker of their eyes; but they soon turned back to their own business. Merry and Pippin climbed up the path that came in from the west, and looked through the opening in the great hedge. Long tree-clad slopes rose from the lip of the dingle, and away beyond them, above the fir-trees of the furthest ridge there rose, sharp and white, the peak of a high mountain. Southwards to their left they could see the forest falling away down into the grey distance. There far away there was a pale green glimmer that Merry guessed to be a glimpse of the plains of Rohan. ‘I wonder where Isengard is?’ said Pippin. ‘I don’t know quite where we are,’ said Merry; ‘but that peak is probably Methedras, and as far as I can remember the ring of Isengard lies in a fork or deep cleft at the end of the mountains. It is probably down behind this great ridge. There seems to be a smoke or haze over there, left of the peak, don’t you think?’ ‘What is Isengard like?’ said Pippin. ‘I wonder what Ents can do about it anyway.’ ‘So do I,’ said Merry. ‘Isengard is a sort of ring of rocks or hills, I think, with a flat space inside and an island or pillar of rock in the middle, called Orthanc. Saruman has a tower on it. There is a gate, perhaps more than one, in the encircling wall, and I believe there is a stream running through it; it comes out of the mountains, and flows on across the Gap of Rohan. It does not seem the sort of place for Ents to tackle. But I have an odd feeling about these Ents: somehow I don’t think they are quite as safe and, well, funny as they seem. They seem slow, queer, and patient, almost sad; and yet I believe they could be roused. If that happened, I would rather not be on the other side.’ ‘Yes!’ said Pippin. ‘I know what you mean. There might be all the

樹人馬上就注意到他了。「嗯，哈，嘿，我的皮聘！」他說，其他的樹人全都停下了他們的吟唱。「你們真是個性急的族群，我差點忘了；而且，聽不懂的演說想必也很累人。你們現在可以下來了。我已經把你們的名字告訴了樹人會議，他們也見過你們了，並且同意你們不是半獸人，舊名單上該為你們添上新的一行。我們目前還沒有更多進展，但對一場樹人會議來說，這已經是很快的了。如果你們願意，你和梅里可以在這個小樹谷裡四處走走。要是你們想提提神，在那邊北邊的坡岸上有口好井水。在會議真正開始前，還有一些話要說。我會再回來看你們，告訴你們事情進展得如何。」他把哈比人放了下來。在他們走開前，他們深深地鞠躬。從他們低語的聲調和閃爍的眼神來看，這個舉動似乎讓樹人們覺得相當有趣；但他們很快又轉回去忙自己的事了。梅里和皮聘爬上從西邊來的小徑，穿過巨大樹籬中的一個開口向外望去。長滿樹木的長坡從谷緣向上延伸，遠方，在最遠山脊的冷杉樹之上，聳立著一座高山的尖頂，銳利而潔白。往南邊他們的左手方，他們可以看到森林一路向下，消失在灰濛濛的遠方。遠處有一抹淡淡的綠色微光，梅里猜想那應該是羅翰平原的一瞥。「不知道艾辛格在哪裡？」皮聘說。「我不太確定我們在哪裡，」梅里說，「但那座山峰大概是梅賽德拉斯，就我記憶所及，艾辛格環圈位在山脈盡頭的一個分岔或深谷裡。它可能就在這座大山脊的後面。你看，山峰左邊那裡，好像有煙或霧？」「艾辛格是什麼樣子？」皮聘問。「我真好奇樹人到底能拿它怎麼辦。」「我也這麼想，」梅里說。「艾辛格像是一個由岩石或山丘圍成的環，我想，裡面有片平地，中間有一座孤島或石柱，叫做歐散克。薩魯曼在上面有座高塔。環牆上有個門，或許不止一個，而且我相信有條溪流穿過其中；它從山裡流出，繼續流過羅翰隘口。那地方看起來不像是樹人能對付的。但我對這些樹人有種奇怪的感覺：總覺得他們不像表面上看起來那麼安全，嗯，那麼有趣。他們看起來緩慢、古怪又耐心，幾乎有些悲傷；但我相信他們是可以被激怒的。如果真發生了那種事，我可不想站在他們的對立面。」「是啊！」皮聘說。「我懂你的意思。那裡可能會有所有...

482 THE LORD OF THE RINGS difference between an old cow sitting and thoughtfully chewing, and a bull charging; and the change might come suddenly. I wonder if Treebeard will rouse them. I am sure he means to try. But they don’t like being roused. Treebeard got roused himself last night, and then bottled it up again.’ The hobbits turned back. The voices of the Ents were still rising and falling in their conclave. The sun had now risen high enough to look over the high hedge: it gleamed on the tops of the birches and lit the northward side of the dingle with a cool yellow light. There they saw a little glittering fountain. They walked along the rim of the great bowl at the feet of the evergreens — it was pleasant to feel cool grass about their toes again, and not to be in a hurry — and then they climbed down to the gushing water. They drank a little, a clean, cold, sharp draught, and sat down on a mossy stone, watching the patches of sun on the grass and the shadows of the sailing clouds passing over the floor of the dingle. The murmur of the Ents went on. It seemed a very strange and remote place, outside their world, and far from everything that had ever happened to them. A great longing came over them for the faces and voices of their companions, especially for Frodo and Sam, and for Strider. At last there came a pause in the Ent-voices; and looking up they saw Treebeard coming towards them, with another Ent at his side. ‘Hm, hoom, here I am again,’ said Treebeard. ‘Are you getting weary, or feeling impatient, hmm, eh? Well, I am afraid that you must not get impatient yet. We have finished the first stage now; but I have still got to explain things again to those that live a long way off, far from Isengard, and those that I could not get round to before the Moot, and after that we shall have to decide what to do. However, deciding what to do does not take Ents so long as going over all the facts and events that they have to make up their minds about. Still, it is no use denying, we shall be here a long time yet: a couple of days very likely. So I have brought you a companion. He has an ent-house nearby. Bregalad is his Elvish name. He says he has already made up his mind and does not need to remain at the Moot. Hm, hm, he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent. You ought to get on together. Good-bye!’ Treebeard turned and left them. Bregalad stood for some time surveying the hobbits solemnly; and they looked at him, wondering when he would show any signs of ‘hastiness’. He was tall, and seemed to be one of the younger Ents; he had smooth shining skin on his arms and legs; his lips were ruddy, and his hair was grey-green. He could bend and sway like a slender tree in the wind. At last he spoke, and his voice though resonant was higher and clearer than Treebeard’s. ‘Ha, hmm, my friends, let us go for a walk!’ he said. ‘I am Bregalad,

《魔戒》482頁 這就像一頭老牛安坐沉思地反芻，和一頭公牛猛衝之間的差別；而且這種轉變可能來得很突然。我不知道樹鬍能否激勵他們。我確定他想試試。但他們不喜歡被激勵。樹鬍自己昨晚也被激怒了，然後又把情緒壓抑下去了。」 哈比人轉過身。樹人們的聲音仍在他們的秘密會議中起起伏伏。太陽已經升得夠高，越過了高高的樹籬：陽光在樺樹頂上閃爍，用清冷的黃光照亮了小林谷朝北的一側。他們在那裡看到一座閃閃發光的小噴泉。他們沿著大碗狀窪地的邊緣，在常青樹的腳下行走——再次感覺到清涼的青草觸碰腳趾，而且不用匆匆忙忙，感覺很愉快——然後他們爬下去，來到那湧出的泉水邊。他們喝了一點，那是一口潔淨、冰冷、清冽的泉水，然後坐在一塊長滿苔蘚的石頭上，看著草地上的片片陽光，以及浮雲的影子掠過谷底。樹人們的低語聲仍在繼續。這裡似乎是一個非常奇特而遙遠的地方，在他們的世界之外，遠離他們曾經歷的一切。一股強烈的思念湧上他們心頭，渴望見到同伴們的臉孔、聽到他們的聲音，尤其是佛羅多和山姆，還有大步佬。終於，樹人的聲音停頓了一下；他們抬頭一看，只見樹鬍朝他們走來，身邊還跟著另一個樹人。 「唔，哼，我又來了，」樹鬍說。「你們是累了，還是不耐煩了，嗯，欸？唉，恐怕你們還不能不耐煩。我們現在完成了第一階段；但我還得再向那些住得遠的、離艾辛格很遠的、以及在樹人會議前我沒來得及談到的樹人解釋情況，之後我們還得決定該怎麼做。不過，對樹人來說，決定做什麼並不像弄清楚所有需要下定決心的事實和事件那麼花時間。不過，無可否認，我們還會在這裡待上很長一段時間：很可能是幾天。所以我為你們帶來了一位同伴。他在附近有個樹人之屋。布理加拉德是他的精靈語名字。他說他已經下定決心，不需要留在會議裡了。唔，哼，他是我們當中最接近匆忙的樹人了。你們應該會處得來的。再見！」樹鬍轉身離開了他們。 布理加拉德站了一會兒，莊重地打量著哈比人；他們也看著他，心想他什麼時候才會顯現出任何「匆忙」的跡象。他很高，似乎是較年輕的樹人之一；他的手臂和腿上皮膚光滑發亮；他的嘴唇紅潤，頭髮是灰綠色的。他能像風中的細樹一樣彎曲搖擺。最後他開口了，聲音雖然洪亮，卻比樹鬍的更高亢、更清晰。 「哈，唔，我的朋友們，我們去散步吧！」他說。「我是布理加拉德。」

TREEBEARD 483 that is Quickbeam in your language. But it is only a nickname, of course. They have called me that ever since I said yes to an elder Ent before he had finished his question. Also I drink quickly, and go out while some are still wetting their beards. Come with me!’ He reached down two shapely arms and gave a long-fingered hand to each of the hobbits. All that day they walked about, in the woods with him, singing, and laughing; for Quickbeam often laughed. He laughed if the sun came out from behind a cloud, he laughed if they came upon a stream or spring: then he stooped and splashed his feet and head with water; he laughed sometimes at some sound or whisper in the trees. Whenever he saw a rowan-tree he halted a while with his arms stretched out, and sang, and swayed as he sang. At nightfall he brought them to his ent-house: nothing more than a mossy stone set upon turves under a green bank. Rowan-trees grew in a circle about it, and there was water (as in all ent-houses), a spring bubbling out from the bank. They talked for a while as darkness fell on the forest. Not far away the voices of the Entmoot could be heard still going on; but now they seemed deeper and less leisurely, and every now and again one great voice would rise in a high and quickening music, while all the others died away. But beside them Bregalad spoke gently in their own tongue, almost whispering; and they learned that he belonged to Skinbark’s people, and the country where they had lived had been ravaged. That seemed to the hobbits quite enough to explain his ‘hastiness’, at least in the matter of Orcs. “There were rowan-trees in my home,’ said Bregalad, softly and sadly, ‘rowan-trees that took root when I was an Enting, many many years ago in the quiet of the world. The oldest were planted by the Ents to try and please the Entwives; but they looked at them and smiled and said that they knew where whiter blossom and richer fruit were growing. Yet there are no trees of all that race, the people of the Rose, that are so beautiful to me. And these trees grew and grew, till the shadow of each was like a green hall, and their red berries in the autumn were a burden, and a beauty and a wonder. Birds used to flock there. I like birds, even when they chatter; and the rowan has enough and to spare. But the birds became unfriendly and greedy and tore at the trees, and threw the fruit down and did not eat it. Then Orcs came with axes and cut down my trees. I came and called them by their long names, but they did not quiver, they did not hear or answer: they lay dead. O Orofarné, Lassemista, Carnimirié! O rowan fair, upon your hair how white the blossom lay! O rowan mine, I saw you shine upon a summer’s day, Your rind so bright, your leaves so light, your voice so cool and soft:

「那是你們語言中的『快枝』(Quickbeam)。當然，這只是一個綽號。自從我在一位年長的樹人還沒問完問題時就回答『是』之後，他們就一直這麼叫我。而且我喝水喝得快，在有些人還在沾濕他們鬍子的時候，我就已經出門了。跟我來吧！」他伸下兩條勻稱的手臂，用長指的手分別牽起兩個哈比人。那天一整天，他們都跟著他在森林裡走動，邊走邊唱，邊走邊笑；因為快枝經常笑。太陽從雲後探出頭來，他會笑；他們遇到小溪或泉水，他也會笑：然後他會彎下腰，用手潑水洗腳和頭；有時，他聽到樹林裡的一些聲響或低語，也會笑起來。每當他看到一棵花楸樹，他就會停下來，伸長手臂，邊唱邊搖擺。夜幕降臨時，他帶他們到他的樹人之屋：那不過是在一片綠色土堤下，一塊長滿苔蘚的石頭，安放在幾塊草皮上。周圍環繞著一圈花楸樹，而且有水（就像所有的樹人之屋一樣），一道泉水從土堤中冒出。在黑暗籠罩森林之際，他們聊了一會兒。不遠處，樹人會議的聲音仍在繼續；但現在那些聲音似乎更低沉，不那麼悠閒了，而且時不時地，會有一個宏亮的聲音揚起，化為高亢而急促的樂音，而所有其他聲音則隨之靜默。但在他們身旁，布雷加拉德用他們自己的語言輕柔地說話，幾乎是在耳語；他們得知他屬於皮白(Skinbark)的族人，而他們曾經居住的土地已經被摧殘了。對哈比人來說，這似乎足以解釋他的「急躁」，至少在對待半獸人這件事上是如此。「我的家鄉有花楸樹，」布雷加拉德輕柔而悲傷地說，「那些花楸樹在我還是個小樹人(Enting)時就已生根，在世界還很寧靜的許多許多年前。最老的那幾棵是樹人們為了取悅樹人妻子(Entwives)而種的；但她們看了看，笑了笑，說她們知道哪裡有更潔白的花朵和更豐美的果實。然而，在那整個玫瑰族群中，沒有任何樹木對我來說是如此美麗。這些樹不斷生長，直到每一棵的樹蔭都像一座綠色的大廳，它們在秋天結出的紅色漿果既是一種負擔，也是一種美麗和奇蹟。鳥兒過去常常聚集在那裡。我喜歡鳥，即使牠們喋喋不休；而花楸樹的果實綽綽有餘。但鳥兒變得不友善、貪婪，牠們撕扯樹木，把果實扔下來卻不吃。然後半獸人帶著斧頭來，砍倒了我的樹。我來了，呼喚著它們的長名，但它們沒有顫動，沒有聽見或回應：它們死了。啊，奧羅法尼、拉西米斯塔、卡尼米瑞！啊，美麗的花楸，你的髮上曾覆蓋著何等潔白的繁花！啊，我的花楸，我曾見你在夏日裡閃耀，你的樹皮如此光亮，你的葉子如此輕盈，你的聲音如此清涼溫柔：

484 THE LORD OF THE RINGS Upon your head how golden-red the crown you bore aloft! O rowan dead, upon your head your hair is dry and grey; Your crown 1s spilled, your voice is stilled for ever and a day. O Orofarné, Lassemista, Carniminé! The hobbits fell asleep to the sound of the soft singing of Bregalad, that seemed to lament in many tongues the fall of trees that he had loved. The next day they spent also in his company, but they did not go far from his ‘house’. Most of the time they sat silent under the shelter of the bank; for the wind was colder, and the clouds closer and greyer; there was little sunshine, and in the distance the voices of the Ents at the Moot still rose and fell, sometimes loud and strong, sometimes low and sad, sometimes quickening, sometimes slow and solemn as a dirge. A second night came and still the Ents held conclave under hurrying clouds and fitful stars. The third day broke, bleak and windy. At sunrise the Ents’ voices rose to a great clamour and then died down again. As the morning wore on the wind fell and the air grew heavy with expectancy. The hobbits could see that Bregalad was now listening intently, although to them, down in the dell of his ent-house, the sound of the Moot was faint. The afternoon came, and the sun, going west towards the mountains, sent out long yellow beams between the cracks and fissures of the clouds. Suddenly they were aware that everything was very quiet; the whole forest stood in listening silence. Of course, the Ent-voices had stopped. What did that mean? Bregalad was standing up erect and tense, looking back northwards towards Derndingle. Then with a crash came a great ringing shout: ra-hoom-rah! The trees quivered and bent as if a gust had struck them. There was another pause, and then a marching music began like solemn drums, and above the rolling beats and booms there welled voices singing high and strong. We come, we come with roll of drum: ta-runda runda runda rom! The Ents were coming: ever nearer and louder rose their song: We come, we come with horn and drum: ta-riina rina rina rom! Bregalad picked up the hobbits and strode from his house. K BS

TREEBEARD 485 Before long they saw the marching line approaching: the Ents were swinging along with great strides down the slope towards them. Treebeard was at their head, and some fifty followers were behind him, two abreast, keeping step with their feet and beating time with their hands upon their flanks. As they drew near the flash and flicker of their eyes could be seen. ‘Hoom, hom! Here we come with a boom, here we come at last!’ called Treebeard when he caught sight of Bregalad and the hobbits. ‘Come, join the Moot! We are off. We are off to Isengard!’ “To Isengard!’ the Ents cried in many voices. “To Isengard!’ To Isengard! Though Isengard be ringed and barred with doors of stone; Though Isengard be strong and hard, as cold as stone and bare as bone, We go, we go, we go to war, to hew the stone and break the door; For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars — we go to war! To land of gloom with tramp of doom, with roll of drum, we come, we come; To Isengard with doom we come! With doom we come, with doom we come! So they sang as they marched southwards. Bregalad, his eyes shining, swung into the line beside Treebeard. The old Ent now took the hobbits back, and set them on his shoulders again, and so they rode proudly at the head of the singing company with beating hearts and heads held high. Though they had expected something to happen eventually, they were amazed at the change that had come over the Ents. It seemed now as sudden as the bursting of a flood that had long been held back by a dike. “The Ents made up their minds rather quickly, after all, didn’t they?’ Pippin ventured to say after some time, when for a moment the singing paused, and only the beating of hands and feet was heard. ‘Quickly?’ said Treebeard. ‘Hoom! Yes, indeed. Quicker than I expected. Indeed I have not seen them roused like this for many an age. We Ents do not like being roused; and we never are roused unless it is clear to us that our trees and our lives are in great danger. That has not happened in this Forest since the wars of Sauron and the Men of the Sea. It is the orc-work, the wanton hewing — rdrum — without even the bad excuse of feeding the fires, that has so angered us; and the treachery of a neighbour, who should have helped us.

不久，他們看見行進的隊伍正在靠近：樹人正邁著大步從山坡上朝他們走來。樹鬍走在最前面，身後跟著大約五十名追隨者，兩人一排，腳步整齊，雙手在身側拍打著節奏。當他們走近時，可以看到他們眼中閃爍的光芒。「呼姆，轟姆！我們轟隆隆地來了，我們終於來了！」樹鬍一見到布雷加拉德和哈比人就喊道。「來，加入樹人會議！我們要出發了。我們要去艾辛格！」「去艾辛格！」樹人們用各種聲音喊道。「去艾辛格！去艾辛格！即便艾辛格被石門環繞和封鎖；即便艾辛格堅固又強硬，如石之冷，如骨之枯，我們前去，我們前去，我們前去作戰，去劈開石頭，打破門戶；因為樹幹與樹枝正在燃燒，熔爐在咆哮——我們前去作戰！前往那陰暗之地，帶著毀滅的步伐，伴隨戰鼓的隆隆聲，我們來了，我們來了；我們帶著毀滅來到艾辛格！我們帶著毀滅而來，我們帶著毀滅而來！」他們邊往南行進邊如此歌唱。布雷加拉德，眼中閃著光芒，加入了隊伍，走到樹鬍身邊。老樹人現在把哈比人接回來，再次讓他們坐在自己的肩膀上，於是他們就在歌唱隊伍的最前方，心臟怦怦直跳，高昂著頭，驕傲地騎行。雖然他們預料到最終會發生些什麼，但樹人身上發生的變化還是讓他們驚訝不已。這變化現在看來，就像是被堤壩長久攔阻的洪水突然決堤一般。「樹人們終究還是很快就下定決心了，不是嗎？」過了一會兒，當歌聲暫停，只剩下手腳拍打的聲音時，皮聘試探性地說道。「很快？」樹鬍說。「呼姆！是的，確實。比我預期的要快。說真的，我已經很多個世代沒見過他們被這樣激怒了。我們樹人不喜歡被激怒；而且我們從不被激怒，除非我們清楚地意識到我們的樹木和我們的生命處於極大的危險之中。自從索倫與渡海之民的戰爭以來，這片森林裡還沒發生過這種事。是半獸人的勾當，那肆意的砍伐——嚕咚——連作為燃料這種爛藉口都沒有，才讓我們如此憤怒；還有一個本該幫助我們的鄰居的背叛。

486 THE LORD OF THE RINGS Wizards ought to know better: they do know better. There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of Men bad enough for such treachery. Down with Saruman!’ ‘Will you really break the doors of Isengard?’ asked Merry. ‘Ho, hm, well, we could, you know! You do not know, perhaps, how strong we are. Maybe you have heard of Trolls? They are mighty strong. But Trolls are only counterfeits, made by the Enemy in the Great Darkness, in mockery of Ents, as Orcs were of Elves. We are stronger than Trolls. We are made of the bones of the earth. We can split stone like the roots of trees, only quicker, far quicker, if our minds are roused! If we are not hewn down, or destroyed by fire or blast of sorcery, we could split Isengard into splinters and crack its walls into rubble.’ ‘But Saruman will try to stop you, won’t he?’ ‘Hm, ah, yes, that is so. I have not forgotten it. Indeed I have thought long about it. But, you see, many of the Ents are younger than I am, by many lives of trees. They are all roused now, and their mind is all on one thing: breaking Isengard. But they will start thinking again before long; they will cool down a little, when we take our evening drink. What a thirst we shall have! But let them march now and sing! We have a long way to go, and there is time ahead for thought. It is something to have started.’ Treebeard marched on, singing with the others for a while. But after a time his voice died to a murmur and fell silent again. Pippin could see that his old brow was wrinkled and knotted. At last he looked up, and Pippin could see a sad look in his eyes, sad but not unhappy. There was a light in them, as if the green flame had sunk deeper into the dark wells of his thought. ‘Of course, it is likely enough, my friends,’ he said slowly, ‘likely enough that we are going to our doom: the last march of the Ents. But if we stayed at home and did nothing, doom would find us anyway, sooner or later. That thought has long been growing in our hearts; and that is why we are marching now. It was not a hasty resolve. Now at least the last march of the Ents may be worth a song. Aye,’ he sighed, ‘we may help the other peoples before we pass away. Still, I should have liked to see the songs come true about the Entwives. I should dearly have liked to see Fimbrethil again. But there, my friends, songs like trees bear fruit only in their own time and their own way: and sometimes they are withered untimely.’ The Ents went striding on at a great pace. They had descended into a long fold of the land that fell away southward; now they began to climb up, and up, on to the high western ridge. The woods fell away and they came to scattered groups of birch, and then to bare

「巫師理應更明事理；他們確實更明事理。無論是精靈語、樹人語，還是人類的語言，都找不到足夠惡毒的詛咒來形容這種背叛。打倒薩魯曼！」 「你真的要打破艾辛格的大門嗎？」梅里問。 「呵，唔，嗯，我們辦得到，你知道的！你或許不知道我們有多強壯。也許你聽過食人妖？他們非常強壯。但食人妖只是仿冒品，是敵人在大黑暗時代為了嘲弄樹人而造的，就像半獸人之於精靈一樣。我們比食人妖更強壯。我們是由大地骨骼所造。我們能像樹根一樣劈開石頭，只要我們的心智被激發，速度只會更快，快得多！如果我們不被砍倒，或被火焰或巫術摧毀，我們可以把艾辛格劈成碎片，把它的牆垣裂成瓦礫。」 「但是薩魯曼會試圖阻止你們，不是嗎？」 「唔，啊，是的，沒錯。我沒忘記。事實上，我已經想了很久了。但是，你看，很多樹人都比我年輕，年輕了好幾代樹的生命。他們現在全都被激怒了，心裡只有一件事：摧毀艾辛格。但他們很快就會重新開始思考的；等我們喝晚上的飲料時，他們會稍微冷靜下來。我們到時會有多渴啊！但現在就讓他們前進和歌唱吧！我們還有很長的路要走，未來還有時間思考。至少已經開始了，這就是一件了不起的事。」 樹鬍繼續前進，跟著其他人一起唱了一會兒歌。但過了一段時間，他的聲音漸漸變成喃喃自語，然後又歸於沉寂。皮聘看得出他蒼老的額頭上佈滿了皺紋，糾結在一起。最後他抬起頭，皮聘看到他眼中流露出一絲悲傷，但並非不快樂。那裡有一道光，彷彿綠色的火焰沉入了祂思想的幽暗深井中。 「當然，我的朋友們，這很有可能，」他緩緩地說，「很有可能我們正走向我們的末日：樹人的最後一次長征。但如果我們待在家裡什麼都不做，末日遲早還是會找上我們。這個想法在我們心中醞釀已久；這就是我們現在前進的原因。這不是一個倉促的決定。現在，至少樹人的最後一次長征可能值得譜寫成一首歌。是啊，」他嘆了口氣，「在我們消逝之前，我們或許能幫助其他民族。不過，我還是希望能看到關於樹人妻子的歌謠成真。我多麼希望能再見到芬布雷希爾。但是，我的朋友們，歌謠就像樹木，只在它們自己的時間和方式下結果：有時它們會過早地枯萎。」 樹人們大步流星地繼續前進。他們走下了一道向南延伸的狹長谷地；現在他們開始向上攀登，一直向上，登上了西邊的高聳山脊。樹林漸漸消失，他們來到一片片零星的樺樹林，然後是光禿禿的

TREEBEARD 487 slopes where only a few gaunt pine-trees grew. The sun sank behind the dark hill-back in front. Grey dusk fell. Pippin looked behind. The number of the Ents had grown — or what was happening? Where the dim bare slopes that they had crossed should lie, he thought he saw groves of trees. But they were moving! Could it be that the trees of Fangorn were awake, and the forest was rising, marching over the hills to war? He rubbed his eyes wondering if sleep and shadow had deceived him; but the great grey shapes moved steadily onward. There was a noise like wind in many branches. The Ents were drawing near the crest of the ridge now, and all song had ceased. Night fell, and there was silence: nothing was to be heard save a faint quiver of the earth beneath the feet of the Ents, and a rustle, the shade of a whisper as of many drifting leaves. At last they stood upon the summit, and looked down into a dark pit: the great cleft at the end of the mountains: Nan Curunir, the Valley of Saruman. ‘Night lies over Isengard,’ said Treebeard.

在山坡上，只生長著幾棵瘦骨嶙峋的松樹。太陽沉入前方黝黑的山脊後。灰濛的暮色降臨了。皮聘向後望去。樹人的數量增加了——或者，是發生了什麼事？在他以為應該是他們剛才經過的昏暗禿坡上，他彷彿看到了一叢叢的樹林。但它們在移動！難道是法貢森林的樹木都甦醒了，整座森林正拔地而起，翻山越嶺前去征戰？他揉了揉眼睛，懷疑是否是睡意和陰影欺騙了他；但那些巨大的灰色身影仍穩定地向前移動。傳來一陣聲響，像是風吹過許多枝枒。樹人們現在正接近山脊的頂端，所有的歌聲都停止了。夜幕降臨，一片寂靜：除了樹人腳下大地微弱的顫動，以及一陣沙沙聲——如同許多落葉飄零時那微乎其微的細語——此外什麼也聽不見。最後，他們站在山頂上，俯瞰一個黑暗的深坑：那是群山盡頭的巨大裂口：南庫茹尼爾，薩魯曼的山谷。「夜幕籠罩著艾辛格，」樹鬍說道。