PROLOGUE ET 4 Of the Finding of the Ring As is told in The Hobbit, there came one day to Bilbo’s door the great Wizard, Gandalf the Grey, and thirteen dwarves with him: none other, indeed, than Thorin Oakenshield, descendant of kings, and his twelve companions in exile. With them he set out, to his own lasting astonishment, on a morning of April, it being then the year 1341 Shire-reckoning, on a quest of great treasure, the dwarf-hoards of the Kings under the Mountain, beneath Erebor in Dale, far off in the East. The quest was successful, and the Dragon that guarded the hoard was destroyed. Yet, though before all was won the Battle of Five Armies was fought, and Thorin was slain, and many deeds of renown were done, the matter would scarcely have concerned later history, or earned more than a note in the long annals of the Third Age, but for an ‘accident’ by the way. The party was assailed by Orcs in a high pass of the Misty Mountains as they went towards Wilderland; and so it happened that Bilbo was lost for a while in the black orc-mines deep under the mountains, and there, as he groped in vain in the dark, he put his hand on a ring, lying on the floor of a tunnel. He put it in his pocket. It seemed then like mere luck. Trying to find his way out, Bilbo went on down to the roots of the mountains, until he could go no further. At the bottom of the tunnel lay a cold lake far from the light, and on an island of rock in the water lived Gollum. He was a loathsome little creature: he paddled a small boat with his large flat feet, peering with pale luminous eyes and catching blind fish with his long fingers, and eating them raw. He ate any living thing, even orc, if he could catch it and strangle it without a struggle. He possessed a secret treasure that had come to him long ages ago, when he still lived in the light: a ring of gold that made its wearer invisible. It was the one thing he loved, his ‘Precious’, and he talked to it, even when it was not with him. For he kept it hidden safe in a hole on his island, except when he was hunting or spying on the orcs of the mines. Maybe he would have attacked Bilbo at once, if the ring had been on him when they met; but it was not, and the hobbit held in his hand an Elvish knife, which served him as a sword. So to gain time Gollum challenged Bilbo to the Riddle-game, saying that if he asked a riddle which Bilbo could not guess, then he would kill him and eat him; but if Bilbo defeated him, then he would do as Bilbo wished: he would lead him to a way out of the tunnels. Since he was lost in the dark without hope, and could neither go on nor back, Bilbo accepted the challenge; and they asked one another many riddles. In the end Bilbo won the game, more by luck (as it
序言與第四章 關於魔戒的發現。正如《哈比人歷險記》中所述，有一天，偉大的巫師灰袍甘道夫帶著十三個矮人來到比爾博的家門口：他們不是別人，正是索林·橡木盾，一位國王的後裔，以及他的十二位流亡同伴。他與他們一同啟程，令他自己也感到長久的驚訝，在四月的一個早晨，那是夏爾曆1341年，去尋找一份巨大的寶藏，即山下國王在孤山下的矮人寶藏，位於東方遙遠的河谷鎮。這次任務成功了，守護寶藏的惡龍被消滅了。然而，儘管在一切勝利之前，五軍之戰爆發了，索林被殺，許多著名的事蹟也完成了，但這件事本來幾乎不會影響後來的歷史，也不會在第三紀元的漫長編年史中留下超過一個註腳，如果不是因為途中發生的一個「意外」。他們在前往幽暗密林時，在迷霧山脈的一個高山口遭到半獸人的襲擊；於是比爾博在山脈深處的黑色半獸人礦坑中迷失了一段時間，他在黑暗中徒勞地摸索時，手碰到了一枚戒指，它正躺在隧道的地板上。他把它放進了口袋。當時這似乎只是單純的運氣。比爾博試圖找到出路，他繼續往下走，深入山脈的根部，直到他無法再往前。在隧道的底部，有一個遠離光線的冰冷湖泊，湖水中的一座岩石小島上住著咕嚕。他是一個令人厭惡的小生物：他用他那雙扁平的大腳划著一艘小船，用蒼白發光的眼睛窺視著，用他那長長的手指捕捉盲魚，並生吃它們。他吃任何活物，甚至是半獸人，只要他能抓住並毫不費力地勒死它。他擁有一件秘密寶藏，那是很久很久以前，當他還生活在光明中時得到的：一枚金戒指，能讓佩戴者隱形。那是他唯一所愛之物，他的「寶貝」，他會對它說話，即使它不在他身邊。因為他把它安全地藏在島上的一個洞裡，除非他外出狩獵或監視礦坑裡的半獸人。也許如果他們相遇時戒指在他身上，他會立刻攻擊比爾博；但戒指不在，而且哈比人手裡握著一把精靈刀，這把刀對他來說就像一把劍。為了爭取時間，咕嚕向比爾博發起了猜謎遊戲的挑戰，他說如果他問一個比爾博猜不出來的謎語，那麼他就會殺了他並吃掉他；但如果比爾博打敗了他，那麼他就會照比爾博的意願去做：他會帶他走出隧道。由於他在黑暗中迷失，毫無希望，既不能前進也不能後退，比爾博接受了挑戰；他們互相問了許多謎語。最終比爾博贏得了遊戲，更多是憑藉運氣（正如它
I2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS seemed) than by wits; for he was stumped at last for a riddle to ask, and cried out, as his hand came upon the ring he had picked up and forgotten: What have I got in my pocket? This Gollum failed to answer, though he demanded three guesses. The Authorities, it is true, differ whether this last question was a mere ‘question’ and not a ‘riddle’ according to the strict rules of the Game; but all agree that, after accepting it and trying to guess the answer, Gollum was bound by his promise. And Bilbo pressed him to keep his word; for the thought came to him that this slimy creature might prove false, even though such promises were held sacred, and of old all but the wickedest things feared to break them. But after ages alone in the dark Gollum’s heart was black, and treachery was in it. He slipped away, and returned to his island, of which Bilbo knew nothing, not far off in the dark water. There, he thought, lay his ring. He was hungry now, and angry, and once his ‘Precious’ was with him he would not fear any weapon at all. But the ring was not on the island; he had lost it, it was gone. His screech sent a shiver down Bilbo’s back, though he did not yet understand what had happened. But Gollum had at last leaped to a guess, too late. What has it got in its pocketses? he cried. The light in his eyes was like a green flame as he sped back to murder the hobbit and recover his ‘Precious’. Just in time Bilbo saw his peril, and he fled blindly up the passage away from the water; and once more he was saved by his luck. For as he ran he put his hand in his pocket, and the ring slipped quietly on to his finger. So it was that Gollum passed him without seeing him, and went to guard the way out, lest the ‘thief? should escape. Warily Bilbo followed him, as he went along, cursing, and talking to himself about his ‘Precious’; from which talk at last even Bilbo guessed the truth, and hope came to him in the darkness: he himself had found the marvellous ring and a chance of escape from the orcs and from Gollum. At length they came to a halt before an unseen opening that led to the lower gates of the mines, on the eastward side of the mountains. There Gollum crouched at bay, smelling and listening; and Bilbo was tempted to slay him with his sword. But pity stayed him, and though he kept the ring, in which his only hope lay, he would not use it to help him kill the wretched creature at a disadvantage. In the end, gathering his courage, he leaped over Gollum in the dark, and fled away down the passage, pursued by his enemy’s cries of hate and despair: Thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it for ever! Now it is a curious fact that this is not the story as Bilbo first told it to his companions. To them his account was that Gollum had promised to give him a present, if he won the game; but when Gollum
I2 《魔戒》似乎) 是靠機智，而非蠻力；因為他最終被一個謎語難住了，當他的手碰到他撿起又忘記的戒指時，他大喊：「我口袋裡有什麼？」咕嚕未能回答，儘管他要求猜三次。誠然，權威人士對於這最後一個問題是否僅僅是一個「問題」而非「謎語」，按照遊戲的嚴格規則有所分歧；但所有人都同意，在接受並試圖猜出答案後，咕嚕受其承諾的約束。比爾博催促他遵守諾言；因為他想到這個黏滑的生物可能會食言，儘管這樣的承諾被視為神聖，而且從前除了最邪惡的東西外，所有生物都害怕違背它們。但在黑暗中獨自度過漫長歲月後，咕嚕的心變黑了，充滿了背叛。他溜走了，回到他的島嶼，比爾博對此一無所知，那島嶼就在黑暗的水域中不遠處。他想，他的戒指就在那裡。他現在又餓又氣，一旦他的「寶貝」在他身邊，他將不再懼怕任何武器。但戒指不在島上；他弄丟了，它不見了。他的尖叫讓比爾博背脊發涼，儘管他還不明白發生了什麼。但咕嚕最終還是猜到了，只是為時已晚。「牠口袋裡有什麼東西？」他喊道。他眼中的光芒像一道綠色的火焰，他飛奔回去，要謀殺哈比人並奪回他的「寶貝」。比爾博及時看到了他的危險，他盲目地沿著通道逃離水邊；他再次被好運所救。因為當他奔跑時，他把手伸進口袋，戒指悄無聲息地滑到了他的手指上。就這樣，咕嚕從他身邊經過卻沒有看到他，然後去守住出口，以免那個「小偷」逃走。比爾博小心翼翼地跟在他後面，他一邊走一邊咒罵，自言自語地說著他的「寶貝」；從這些話中，比爾博最終也猜到了真相，希望在黑暗中降臨到他身上：他自己找到了那枚奇妙的戒指，並有機會逃離半獸人和咕嚕。最後，他們停在一個看不見的開口前，那裡通往礦井的下層大門，位於山脈的東側。咕嚕在那裡被逼到絕境，嗅著、聽著；比爾博很想用劍殺了他。但憐憫之心阻止了他，儘管他保留了戒指，那是他唯一的希望所在，他卻不願利用它來殺死這個處於劣勢的可憐生物。最終，他鼓起勇氣，在黑暗中跳過咕嚕，沿著通道逃走了，身後傳來敵人充滿仇恨和絕望的叫喊：「小偷，小偷！巴金斯！我們永遠恨牠！」現在，一個有趣的事實是，這並不是比爾博第一次告訴同伴的故事。他對他們說的版本是，如果他贏了遊戲，咕嚕會答應給他一份禮物；但當咕嚕
PROLOGUE 13 went to fetch it from his island he found the treasure was gone: a magic ring, which had been given to him long ago on his birthday. Bilbo guessed that this was the very ring that he had found, and as he had won the game, it was already his by right. But being in a tight place, he said nothing about it, and made Gollum show him the way out, as a reward instead of a present. This account Bilbo set down in his memoirs, and he seems never to have altered it himself, not even after the Council of Elrond. Evidently it still appeared in the original Red Book, as it did in several of the copies and abstracts. But many copies contain the true account (as an alternative), derived no doubt from notes by Frodo or Samwise, both of whom learned the truth, though they seem to have been unwilling to delete anything actually written by the old hobbit himself. Gandalf, however, disbelieved Bilbo’s first story, as soon as he heard it, and he continued to be very curious about the ring. Eventually he got the true tale out of Bilbo after much questioning, which for a while strained their friendship; but the wizard seemed to think the truth important. Though he did not say so to Bilbo, he also thought it important, and disturbing, to find that the good hobbit had not told the truth from the first: quite contrary to his habit. The idea of a ‘present’ was not mere hobbitlike invention, all the same. It was suggested to Bilbo, as he confessed, by Gollum’s talk that he overheard; for Gollum did, in fact, call the ring his ‘birthday-present’, many times. That also Gandalf thought strange and suspicious; but he did not discover the truth in this point for many more years, as will be seen in this book. Of Bilbo’s later adventures little more need be said here. With the help of the ring he escaped from the orc-guards at the gate and rejoined his companions. He used the ring many times on his quest, chiefly for the help of his friends; but he kept it secret from them as long as he could. After his return to his home he never spoke of it again to anyone, save Gandalf and Frodo; and no one else in the Shire knew of its existence, or so he believed. Only to Frodo did he show the account of his Journey that he was writing. His sword, Sting, Bilbo hung over his fireplace, and his coat of marvellous mail, the gift of the Dwarves from the Dragon-hoard, he lent to a museum, to the Michel Delving Mathom-house in fact. But he kept in a drawer at Bag End the old cloak and hood that he had worn on his travels; and the ring, secured by a fine chain, remained in his pocket. He returned to his home at Bag End on June the 22nd in his fifty-second year (S.R. 1342), and nothing very notable occurred in the Shire until Mr. Baggins began the preparations for the celebration
序言 13 當他從島上取回寶物時，發現寶物不見了：那是一枚魔戒，很久以前在他生日時獲贈的。比爾博猜想這就是他找到的那枚戒指，既然他贏得了遊戲，這枚戒指理應屬於他。但由於身處困境，他對此隻字未提，並讓咕嚕帶他出去，作為獎勵而非禮物。比爾博將這段記述寫在他的回憶錄中，他似乎從未親自修改過，即使是在愛隆會議之後也是如此。顯然，它仍然出現在最初的紅皮書中，也出現在幾份副本和摘要裡。但許多副本都包含真實的記述（作為替代版本），這無疑是源自佛羅多或山姆衛斯的筆記，他們兩人都得知了真相，儘管他們似乎不願刪除老哈比人親筆寫下的任何內容。然而，甘道夫一聽到比爾博的第一個故事就不相信，他對那枚戒指一直非常好奇。最終，經過多次盤問，他從比爾博那裡問出了真相，這一度使他們的友誼緊張；但這位巫師似乎認為真相很重要。儘管他沒有對比爾博明說，但他同樣認為，發現這位善良的哈比人從一開始就沒有說出真相，這既重要又令人不安：這完全違背了他的習慣。然而，「禮物」這個想法並非哈比人憑空捏造。正如比爾博坦承，這是他無意中聽到咕嚕說話時得到的啟發；因為咕嚕確實多次稱那枚戒指為他的「生日禮物」。甘道夫也認為這很奇怪且可疑；但他直到多年以後才發現這一點的真相，這將在本書中看到。關於比爾博後來的冒險，這裡無需多言。藉助魔戒，他從大門的半獸人守衛手中逃脫，並與他的同伴會合。他在旅途中多次使用魔戒，主要是為了幫助他的朋友；但他盡可能地對他們保密。回到家後，他再也沒有向任何人提起過它，除了甘道夫和佛羅多；夏爾裡也沒有其他人知道它的存在，至少他是這麼認為的。他只向佛羅多展示了他正在撰寫的旅程記述。他的劍「刺叮」被比爾博掛在壁爐上方，而那件精美的鎖子甲，是矮人從惡龍寶藏中贈予的禮物，他則借給了一家博物館，實際上是米歇爾戴爾文的雜物屋。但他將旅行時穿過的舊斗篷和兜帽保存在袋底洞的一個抽屜裡；而那枚用一條細鏈固定住的戒指，則留在了他的口袋裡。他在他五十二歲那年的六月二十二日（夏爾曆1342年）回到了袋底洞的家，此後夏爾一直沒有發生什麼特別值得注意的事情，直到巴金斯先生開始為慶祝活動做準備。
I4 THE LORD OF THE RINGS of his hundred-and-eleventh birthday (S.R. 1401). At this point this History begins. NOTE ON THE SHIRE RECORDS At the end of the Third Age the part played by the Hobbits in the great events that led to the inclusion of the Shire in the Reunited Kingdom awakened among them a more widespread interest in their own history; and many of their traditions, up to that time still mainly oral, were collected and written down. The greater families were also concerned with events in the Kingdom at large, and many of their members studied its ancient histories and legends. By the end of the first century of the Fourth Age there were already to be found in the Shire several libraries that contained many historical books and records. The largest of these collections were probably at Undertowers, at Great Smials, and at Brandy Hall. This account of the end of the Third Age is drawn mainly from the Red Book of Westmarch. That most important source for the history of the War of the Ring was so called because it was long preserved at Undertowers, the home of the Fairbairns, Wardens of the Westmarch.* It was in origin Bilbo’s private diary, which he took with him to Rivendell. Frodo brought it back to the Shire, together with many loose leaves of notes, and during S.R. 1420-1 he nearly filled its pages with his account of the War. But annexed to it and preserved with it, probably in a single red case, were the three large volumes, bound in red leather, that Bilbo gave to him as a parting gift. To these four volumes there was added in Westmarch a fifth containing commentaries, genealogies, and various other matter concerning the hobbit members of the Fellowship. The original Red Book has not been preserved, but many copies were made, especially of the first volume, for the use of the descendants of the children of Master Samwise. The most important copy, however, has a different history. It was kept at Great Smials, but it was written in Gondor, probably at the request of the great-grandson of Peregrin, and completed in S.R. 1592 (F.A. 172). Its southern scribe appended this note: Findegil, King’s Writer, finished this work in IV 172. It is an exact copy in all details of the Thain’s Book in Minas Tirith. That book was a copy, made at the request of King Elessar, of the Red Book of the Periannath, and was brought to him by the Thain Peregrin when he retired to Gondor in IV 64. The Thain’s Book was thus the first copy made of the Red Book * See Appendix B: annals 1451, 1462, 1482; and note at end of Appendix C.
I4 《魔戒》 他的第一百一十一歲生日（夏爾紀年1401年）。本段歷史由此開始。 夏爾記錄附註 在第三紀元末期，哈比人在導致夏爾被納入重聯王國的重大事件中所扮演的角色，激發了他們對自身歷史更廣泛的興趣；他們許多當時仍主要口耳相傳的傳統，被收集並記錄下來。那些大家族也關心王國的整體事務，他們的許多成員研究了王國的古老歷史和傳說。到第四紀元第一個世紀末，夏爾已經有幾座圖書館，收藏了許多歷史書籍和記錄。其中最大的藏書地點可能在下塔、大斯米爾和白蘭地廳。 這份關於第三紀元末期的記載主要來自《西境紅皮書》。這部關於魔戒聖戰歷史最重要的資料之所以得名，是因為它長期保存在下塔——費爾班家族的家園，他們是西境的守護者。* 它最初是比爾博的私人日記，他將其帶到了瑞文戴爾。佛羅多將它帶回夏爾，同時帶回了許多零散的筆記，並在夏爾紀年1420-1年間幾乎用他對戰爭的記述填滿了書頁。但附在其上並與其一同保存的，可能在一個單獨的紅色盒子裡，是比爾博作為臨別贈禮送給他的三本紅色皮革裝訂的大部頭書。在這四卷書之外，西境又增添了第五卷，其中包含評論、家譜以及其他關於魔戒遠征隊哈比人成員的各種資料。 《紅皮書》原件並未保存下來，但製作了許多副本，特別是第一卷，供山姆衛斯大師子孫的後代使用。然而，最重要的副本有著不同的歷史。它保存在大斯米爾，但卻是在剛鐸寫成的，可能是應皮瑞格林曾孫的要求，並於夏爾紀年1592年（第四紀元172年）完成。其南方的抄寫員附上了這段註解：國王抄寫員芬德吉爾於第四紀元172年完成了這部作品。它是米那斯提力斯《塔因之書》的全部細節的精確副本。那本書是應埃萊薩王的要求，根據《哈比人紅皮書》製作的副本，並由塔因皮瑞格林於第四紀元64年退休到剛鐸時帶給他。《塔因之書》因此是《紅皮書》的第一個副本。* 參見附錄B：年鑑1451、1462、1482；以及附錄C末尾的註解。
PROLOGUE 15 and contained much that was later omitted or lost. In Minas Tirith it received much annotation, and many corrections, especially of names, words, and quotations in the Elvish languages; and there was added to it an abbreviated version of those parts of The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen which lie outside the account of the War. The full tale is stated to have been written by Barahir, grandson of the Steward Faramir, some time after the passing of the King. But the chief importance of Findegil’s copy is that it alone contains the whole of Bilbo’s “Translations from the Elvish’. These three volumes were found to be a work of great skill and learning in which, between 1403 and 1418, he had used all the sources available to him in Rivendell, both living and written. But since they were little used by Frodo, being almost entirely concerned with the Elder Days, no more is said of them here. Since Meriadoc and Peregrin became the heads of their great families, and at the same time kept up their connexions with Rohan and Gondor, the libraries at Bucklebury and Tuckborough contained much that did not appear in the Red Book. In Brandy Hall there were many works dealing with Eriador and the history of Rohan. Some of these were composed or begun by Meriadoc himself, though in the Shire he was chiefly remembered for his Herblore of the Shire, and for his Reckoning of Years in which he discussed the relation of the calendars of the Shire and Bree to those of Rivendell, Gondor, and Rohan. He also wrote a short treatise on Old Words and Names in the Shire, showing special interest in discovering the kinship with the language of the Rohirrim of such ‘shire-words’ as mathom and old elements in place names. At Great Smials the books were of less interest to Shire-folk, though more important for larger history. None of them was written by Peregrin, but he and his successors collected many manuscripts written by scribes of Gondor: mainly copies or summaries of histories or legends relating to Elendil and his heirs. Only here in the Shire were to be found extensive materials for the history of Numenor and the arising of Sauron. It was probably at Great Smials that The Tale of Years* was put together, with the assistance of material collected by Meriadoc. Though the dates given are often conjectural, especially for the Second Age, they deserve attention. It is probable that Meriadoc obtained assistance and information from Rivendell, which he visited more than once. There, though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel; * Represented in much reduced form in Appendix B as far as the end of the Third Age.
序言15，其中包含許多後來被省略或遺失的內容。在米那斯提力斯，它獲得了大量的註釋和許多修正，特別是關於精靈語中的名字、詞彙和引文；此外，還加入了《亞拉岡與亞玟之故事》中那些不屬於戰爭記述部分的節略版本。據說，完整的故事是由宰相法拉墨的孫子巴拉漢在國王駕崩後某個時候寫成的。但芬德吉爾抄本最重要的價值在於，它獨自包含了比爾博的《精靈語譯文》的全部內容。這三卷書被發現是一部極具技巧和學識的作品，比爾博在1403年至1418年間，利用了他在瑞文戴爾所能獲得的所有資料，無論是口述的還是書面的。但由於佛羅多很少使用它們，且它們幾乎完全與上古紀元有關，故在此不再贅述。由於梅里亞達克和皮瑞格林成為他們大家族的族長，同時也與洛汗和剛鐸保持著聯繫，巴克勒堡和塔克堡的圖書館收藏了許多未曾出現在《紅皮書》中的內容。在白蘭地廳，有許多關於伊利亞德和洛汗歷史的著作。其中一些是由梅里亞達克本人撰寫或開始撰寫的，儘管在夏爾，他主要因其《夏爾藥草學》和《歲月紀年》而聞名，後者討論了夏爾和布理的曆法與瑞文戴爾、剛鐸和洛汗曆法的關係。他還撰寫了一篇關於《夏爾古詞與地名》的短篇論文，特別熱衷於發現「夏爾詞彙」如「mathom」以及地名中古老元素與洛汗語的親緣關係。在大斯米爾，這些書籍對夏爾居民的吸引力較小，但對更宏大的歷史而言卻更為重要。這些書沒有一本是皮瑞格林寫的，但他和他的繼承者們收集了許多由剛鐸抄寫員撰寫的手稿：主要是關於伊蘭迪爾及其繼承者的歷史或傳說的副本或摘要。只有在夏爾，才能找到關於努曼諾爾歷史和索倫崛起的豐富資料。《歲月之故事》*很可能是在大斯米爾，藉助梅里亞達克收集的資料彙編而成的。儘管所給出的日期常常是推測性的，特別是對於第二紀元，但它們值得關注。梅里亞達克很可能從瑞文戴爾獲得了幫助和資訊，他曾不止一次造訪那裡。在那裡，儘管愛隆已經離開，但他的兒子們和一些高等精靈族人長期留居。據說，凱勒鵬在凱蘭崔爾離開後也去那裡居住；*在附錄B中，其內容被大大縮減，直至第三紀元末。
16 THE LORD OF THE RINGS but there is no record of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.
16 《魔戒》 但沒有記載他最終前往灰港的那一天，與他一同離去的，是中土世界中上古時代最後的活記憶。