Chapter 10 THE BLACK GATE OPENS Two days later the army of the West was all assembled on the Pelennor. The host of Orcs and Easterlings had turned back out of Anorien, but harried and scattered by the Rohirrim they had broken and fled with little fighting towards Cair Andros; and with that threat destroyed and new strength arriving out of the South the City was as well manned as might be. Scouts reported that no enemies remained upon the roads east as far as the Cross-roads of the Fallen King. All now was ready for the last throw. Legolas and Gimli were to ride again together in the company of Aragorn and Gandalf, who went in the van with the Dunedain and the sons of Elrond. But Merry to his shame was not to go with them. “You are not fit for such a journey,’ said Aragorn. ‘But do not be ashamed. If you do no more in this war, you have already earned great honour. Peregrin shall go and represent the Shire-folk; and do not grudge him his chance of peril, for though he has done as well as his fortune allowed him, he has yet to match your deed. But in truth all now are in like danger. Though it may be our part to find a bitter end before the Gate of Mordor, if we do so, then you will come also to a last stand, either here or wherever the black tide overtakes you. Farewell!’ And so despondently Merry now stood and watched the mustering of the army. Bergil was with him, and he also was downcast; for his father was to march leading a company of the Men of the City: he could not rejoin the Guard until his case was judged. In that same company Pippin was also to go, as a soldier of Gondor. Merry could see him not far off, a small but upright figure among the tall men of Minas Tirith. At last the trumpets rang and the army began to move. Troop by troop, and company by company, they wheeled and went off eastward. And long after they had passed away out of sight down the great road to the Causeway, Merry stood there. The last glint of the morning sun on spear and helm twinkled and was lost, and still he remained with bowed head and heavy heart, feeling friendless and alone. Everyone that he cared for had gone away into the gloom that hung over the distant eastern sky; and little hope at all was left in his heart that he would ever see any of them again. As if recalled by his mood of despair, the pain in his arm returned,
第十章 黑門開啟 兩天後，西方大軍全數集結在佩蘭諾平原。半獸人與東方人的大軍已從安諾瑞恩撤退，但在洛汗人的騷擾和驅散下，他們潰不成軍，幾乎未經戰鬥便向凱爾安德羅斯逃竄；隨著這個威脅的解除以及南方援軍的到來，這座城市的人力部署已達到最佳狀態。斥候回報，東方道路上已無敵人，遠至殞落之王的十字路口亦然。現在，一切都已準備好進行最後一搏。勒苟拉斯和金靂將再次與亞拉岡和甘道夫同行，後者與登丹人及愛隆的兒子們走在隊伍的最前方。但梅里卻羞愧地無法與他們一同前往。 「你不適合這樣的旅程，」亞拉岡說。「但別感到羞愧。即使你在這場戰爭中不再有所作為，你已贏得了巨大的榮譽。皮聘將代表夏爾人前往；別嫉妒他冒險的機會，因為儘管他已盡其所能，但他尚未能與你的功績相比。但事實上，現在所有人都處於同樣的危險之中。雖然我們可能要在魔多黑門前迎來悲慘的結局，但如果我們真的如此，那麼你也會迎來最後的抵抗，無論是在這裡，還是黑潮淹沒你的任何地方。永別了！」 於是，梅里沮喪地站在那裡，看著軍隊的集結。貝吉爾與他在一起，他也同樣沮喪；因為他的父親將率領一支城市衛隊的隊伍行軍：他必須等到案件審理後才能重新加入衛隊。在同一支隊伍中，皮聘也將作為剛鐸的士兵一同前往。梅里看見他不遠處，在米那斯提力斯的高大男子中，他是一個矮小卻挺拔的身影。號角聲終於響起，軍隊開始移動。一隊隊、一連連地，他們轉身向東方行進。在他們沿著通往堤道的康莊大道消失在視線之外很久之後，梅里仍站在那裡。晨曦最後一抹閃光在長矛和頭盔上閃爍後消失，他依然低著頭，心情沉重，感到孤立無援。所有他關心的人都已離去，進入籠罩著遙遠東方天空的陰霾之中；他心中幾乎沒有任何希望，認為自己還能再見到他們。彷彿被他絕望的心情所召喚，他手臂上的疼痛又回來了，
884 THE LORD OF THE RINGS and he felt weak and old, and the sunlight seemed thin. He was roused by the touch of Bergil’s hand. ‘Come, Master Perian!’ said the lad. ‘You are still in pain, I see. I will help you back to the Healers. But do not fear! They will come back. The Men of Minas Tirith will never be overcome. And now they have the Lord Elfstone, and Beregond of the Guard too.’ Ere noon the army came to Osgiliath. There all the workers and craftsmen that could be spared were busy. Some were strengthening the ferries and boat-bridges that the enemy had made and in part destroyed when they fled; some gathered stores and booty; and others on the eastern side across the River were throwing up hasty works of defence. The vanguard passed on through the ruins of Old Gondor, and over the wide River, and on up the long straight road that in the high days had been made to run from the fair Tower of the Sun to the tall Tower of the Moon, which now was Minas Morgul in its accursed vale. Five miles beyond Osgiliath they halted, ending their first day’s march. But the horsemen pressed on and ere evening they came to the Cross-roads and the great ring of trees, and all was silent. No sign of any enemy had they seen, no cry or call had been heard, no shaft had sped from rock or thicket by the way, yet ever as they went forward they felt the watchfulness of the land increase. Tree and stone, blade and leaf were listening. The darkness had been dispelled, and far away westward sunset was on the Vale of Anduin, and the white peaks of the mountains blushed in the blue air; but a shadow and a gloom brooded upon the Ephel Duath. Then Aragorn set trumpeters at each of the four roads that ran into the ring of trees, and they blew a great fanfare, and the heralds cried aloud: “The Lords of Gondor have returned and all this land that is theirs they take back.’ The hideous orc-head that was set upon the carven figure was cast down and broken in pieces, and the old king’s head was raised and set in its place once more, still crowned with white and golden flowers; and men laboured to wash and pare away all the foul scrawls that orcs had put upon the stone. Now in their debate some had counselled that Minas Morgul should first be assailed, and if they might take it, it should be utterly destroyed. ‘And, maybe,’ said Imrahil, ‘the road that leads thence to the pass above will prove an easier way of assault upon the Dark Lord than his northern gate.’ But against this Gandalf had spoken urgently, because of the evil that dwelt in the valley, where the minds of living men would turn to madness and horror, and because also of the news that Faramir
884 《魔戒》 他感到虛弱而蒼老，陽光也顯得稀薄。他被貝吉爾的手觸碰而驚醒。「來吧，裴瑞安大師！」那少年說。「我看你還在疼痛。我會扶你回醫者那裡。但別害怕！他們會回來的。米那斯提力斯的將士們永遠不會被擊敗。而且現在他們有精靈石領主，還有衛兵貝瑞剛。」未到中午，大軍便抵達了奧斯吉力亞斯。所有能抽調出來的工匠和工人都在那裡忙碌著。有些人在加固敵人建造、撤退時又部分摧毀的渡船和浮橋；有些人在收集物資和戰利品；還有一些人在河東岸匆忙構築防禦工事。先鋒部隊穿過古老的剛鐸廢墟，渡過寬闊的河流，沿著那條筆直的長路前進，這條路在鼎盛時期是從美麗的太陽之塔一直通往高聳的月亮之塔的，而月亮之塔現在已是米那斯魔窟，位於其被詛咒的山谷中。他們在奧斯吉力亞斯以東五英里處停下，結束了第一天的行軍。但騎兵們繼續前進，未到傍晚便抵達了十字路口和那巨大的樹環，一切都寂靜無聲。他們沒有看到任何敵人的蹤跡，沒有聽到任何呼喊或叫聲，也沒有箭矢從路旁的岩石或灌木叢中射出，然而每當他們前進一步，就感覺到這片土地的警惕性在增強。樹木和石頭，刀刃和葉片都在傾聽。黑暗已經消散，遠方西邊的安都因河谷沐浴在夕陽中，山脈的白色山峰在藍色的空氣中泛著紅暈；但一片陰影和憂鬱籠罩著伊菲爾杜亞斯。於是亞拉岡在通往樹環的四條道路上各安置了號手，他們吹響了宏亮的號角，傳令官們高聲宣告：「剛鐸的領主們已經歸來，他們將收復所有屬於他們的土地！」那個被放在雕像上的醜陋獸人頭顱被推倒並摔成碎片，而老國王的頭像則被重新抬起並放回原位，頭上仍戴著白色和金色的花朵；人們辛勤地清洗並刮去獸人刻在石頭上的所有污穢塗鴉。現在，在他們的辯論中，有些人建議應該首先攻打米那斯魔窟，如果他們能攻下它，就應該徹底摧毀它。「而且，或許，」伊姆拉希爾說，「從那裡通往上方隘口的道路，將會比他的北門更容易攻打黑暗魔君。」但甘道夫對此提出了緊急反對，因為山谷中盤踞著邪惡，活人的心智會在那裡變得瘋狂和恐懼，也因為法拉米爾帶來的消息。
THE BLACK GATE OPENS 885 had brought. For if the Ring-bearer had indeed attempted that way, then above all they should not draw the Eye of Mordor thither. So the next day when the main host came up, they set a strong guard upon the Cross-roads to make some defence, if Mordor should send a force over the Morgul Pass, or should bring more men up from the South. For that guard they chose mostly archers who knew the ways of Ithilien and would lie hid in the woods and slopes about the meeting of the ways. But Gandalf and Aragorn rode with the vanguard to the entrance of Morgul Vale and looked on the evil city. It was dark and lifeless; for the Orcs and lesser creatures of Mordor that had dwelt there had been destroyed in battle, and the Nazgtl were abroad. Yet the air of the valley was heavy with fear and enmity. Then they broke the evil bridge and set red flames in the noisome fields and departed. The day after, being the third day since they set out from Minas Tirith, the army began its northward march along the road. It was some hundred miles by that way from the Cross-roads to the Morannon, and what might befall them before they came so far none knew. They went openly but heedfully, with mounted scouts before them on the road, and others on foot upon either side, especially on the eastward flank; for there lay dark thickets, and a tumbled land of rocky ghylls and crags, behind which the long grim slopes of the Ephel Duath clambered up. The weather of the world remained fair, and the wind held in the west, but nothing could waft away the glooms and the sad mists that clung about the Mountains of Shadow; and behind them at whiles great smokes would arise and hover in the upper winds. Ever and anon Gandalf let blow the trumpets, and the heralds would cry: ‘The Lords of Gondor are come! Let all leave this land or yield them up!’ But Imrahil said: ‘Say not The Lords of Gondor. Say The King Elessar. For that is true, even though he has not yet sat upon the throne; and it will give the Enemy more thought, if the heralds use that name.’ And thereafter thrice a day the heralds proclaimed the coming of the King Elessar. But none answered the challenge. Nonetheless, though they marched in seeming peace, the hearts of all the army, from the highest to the lowest, were downcast, and with every mile that they went north foreboding of evil grew heavier on them. It was near the end of the second day of their march from the Cross-roads that they first met any offer of battle. For a strong force of Orcs and Easterlings attempted to take their leading companies in an ambush; and that was in the very place where Faramir
黑門開啟。885年已至。因為如果持戒者確實嘗試了那條路，那麼他們尤其不應將魔多的魔眼引向那裡。因此，第二天當主力部隊抵達時，他們在十字路口設立了重兵把守，以防魔多從魔窟谷口派兵，或從南方調集更多人手。他們為這支衛隊挑選的主要是熟悉伊西力安道路的弓箭手，他們將潛伏在會合點周圍的樹林和山坡上。但甘道夫和亞拉岡與先鋒部隊一同騎行至魔窟谷口，眺望那座邪惡的城市。那裡一片黑暗死寂；因為曾居住在那裡的半獸人和魔多較小的生物已在戰鬥中被消滅，而戒靈則在外面活動。然而，山谷中的空氣依然瀰漫著恐懼和敵意。隨後他們摧毀了那座邪惡的橋樑，並在惡臭的田野中點燃了紅色的火焰，然後離開了。第二天，也就是他們從米那斯提力斯出發後的第三天，軍隊開始沿著道路向北行進。從十字路口到黑門，這條路約有一百英里，在他們抵達那裡之前會發生什麼，無人知曉。他們公開行進，但小心翼翼，前方有騎馬的偵察兵開路，兩側則有步行的偵察兵，尤其是在東側；因為那裡有茂密的灌木叢，以及崎嶇不平、佈滿岩石峽谷和峭壁的地形，其後是伊菲爾杜阿斯山脈漫長而險峻的山坡攀升而上。天氣依然晴朗，西風持續吹拂，但沒有什麼能吹散籠罩在影山山脈周圍的陰鬱和悲傷的迷霧；而在它們後面，不時會有巨大的煙霧升起，在高空盤旋。甘道夫不時命人吹響號角，傳令官則會高喊：「剛鐸的領主們來了！所有人都離開這片土地，否則就投降！」但伊姆拉希爾說：「不要說剛鐸的領主們。要說埃萊薩王。因為這是事實，即使他尚未登上王位；如果傳令官使用這個名字，會讓敵人更加深思。」此後，傳令官每天三次宣告埃萊薩王的到來。但無人應戰。儘管如此，雖然他們看似平靜地行軍，但全軍上下，從最高層到最底層，都心情沮喪，每向北行進一英里，不祥的預感就越發沉重地壓在他們心頭。就在他們從十字路口出發行軍的第二天接近尾聲時，他們首次遭遇了戰鬥。因為一股強大的半獸人和東方人部隊試圖在伏擊中襲擊他們的先頭部隊；而那正是在法拉墨
886 THE LORD OF THE RINGS had waylaid the men of Harad, and the road went in a deep cutting through an out-thrust of the eastward hills. But the Captains of the West were well warned by their scouts, skilled men from Henneth Anntn led by Mablung; and so the ambush was itself trapped. For horsemen went wide about westward and came up on the flank of the enemy and from behind, and they were destroyed or driven east into the hills. But the victory did little to enhearten the captains. ‘It is but a feint,’ said Aragorn; ‘and its chief purpose, I deem, was rather to draw us on by a false guess of our Enemy’s weakness than to do us much hurt, yet.” And from that evening onward the Nazgil came and followed every move of the army. They still flew high and out of sight of all save Legolas, and yet their presence could be felt, as a deepening of shadow and a dimming of the sun; and though the Ringwraiths did not yet stoop low upon their foes and were silent, uttering no cry, the dread of them could not be shaken off. So time and the hopeless journey wore away. Upon the fourth day from the Cross-roads and the sixth from Minas Tirith they came at last to the end of the living lands, and began to pass into the desolation that lay before the gates of the Pass of Cirith Gorgor; and they could descry the marshes and the desert that stretched north and west to the Emyn Muil. So desolate were those places and so deep the horror that lay on them that some of the host were unmanned, and they could neither walk nor ride further north. Aragorn looked at them, and there was pity in his eyes rather than wrath; for these were young men from Rohan, from Westfold far away, or husbandmen from Lossarnach, and to them Mordor had been from childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had no part in their simple life; and now they walked like men in a hideous dream made true, and they understood not this war nor why fate should lead them to such a pass. ‘Go!’ said Aragorn. ‘But keep what honour you may, and do not run! And there is a task which you may attempt and so be not wholly shamed. Take your way south-west till you come to Cair Andros, and if that is still held by enemies, as I think, then re-take it, if you can; and hold it to the last in defence of Gondor and Rohan!’ Then some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear and went on, and the others took new hope, hearing of a manful deed within their measure that they could turn to, and they departed. And so, since many men had already been left at the Cross-roads, it was with less than six thousands that the Captains of the West came at last to challenge the Black Gate and the might of Mordor. ok BS
哈拉德人遭到伏擊，道路穿過東方山脈的一處突出地帶，形成一道深邃的切口。但西方的將領們已得到偵察兵的充分警告，這些偵察兵是來自漢內斯安南的精銳，由馬布隆帶領；因此，伏擊者反被伏擊。因為騎兵們向西繞行，從敵人的側翼和後方包抄，將他們殲滅或驅趕到東方的山區。 然而，這場勝利並未能讓將領們士氣大振。「這不過是個佯攻，」亞拉岡說道，「我認為，它的主要目的，是想讓我們誤以為敵人虛弱而引誘我們前進，而不是要對我們造成多大傷害。」從那天晚上起，戒靈便來了，並跟隨軍隊的每一個行動。牠們仍然高飛，除了勒苟拉斯之外，無人能見，但牠們的存在卻能被感受到，如同陰影加深、陽光黯淡；儘管戒靈尚未俯衝攻擊敵人，也保持沉默，沒有發出任何叫喊，但牠們帶來的恐懼卻無法擺脫。 於是，時間和這趟絕望的旅程緩慢地消逝。從十字路口算起第四天，從米那斯提力斯算起第六天，他們終於抵達了生者之地的盡頭，開始進入西力斯哥哥隘口大門前的荒蕪之地；他們可以遠眺向北和向西延伸至伊敏穆爾的沼澤和沙漠。這些地方如此荒涼，籠罩其上的恐怖如此深重，以至於有些士兵喪失了鬥志，無法再向北行進或騎馬。 亞拉岡看著他們，眼中是憐憫而非憤怒；因為這些是來自遙遠西谷的羅翰年輕人，或是來自洛薩那赫的農夫，對他們來說，魔多從小就是一個邪惡的名字，卻又虛幻不實，一個與他們簡單生活無關的傳說；而現在，他們卻像身處一個成真的可怕夢境中，他們不明白這場戰爭，也不明白命運為何將他們引向如此困境。「走吧！」亞拉岡說，「但盡力保住你們的榮譽，不要逃跑！還有一個任務你們可以嘗試，這樣就不會完全蒙羞。向西南方前進，直到你們到達凱爾安德洛斯，如果那裡仍然被敵人佔領，正如我所料，那麼，如果可以的話，就奪回它；並為剛鐸和羅翰的防禦堅守到最後！」 於是，有些人因他的仁慈而感到羞愧，克服了恐懼繼續前進，而其他人則聽說有一個在他們能力範圍內可以完成的英勇任務，重新燃起了希望，然後他們離開了。因此，由於許多人已經留在十字路口，西方的將領們最終只帶著不到六千人，前來挑戰黑門和魔多的強大力量。
THE BLACK GATE OPENS 887 They advanced now slowly, expecting at every hour some answer to their challenge, and they drew together, since it was but waste of men to send out scouts or small parties from the main host. At nightfall of the fifth day of the march from Morgul Vale they made their last camp, and set fires about it of such dead wood and heath as they could find. They passed the hours of night in wakefulness and they were aware of many things half-seen that walked and prowled all about them, and they heard the howling of wolves. The wind had died and all the air seemed still. They could see little, for though it was cloudless and the waxing moon was four nights old, there were smokes and fumes that rose out of the earth and the white crescent was shrouded in the mists of Mordor. It grew cold. As morning came the wind began to stir again, but now it came from the North, and soon it freshened to a rising breeze. All the night-walkers were gone, and the land seemed empty. North amid their noisome pits lay the first of the great heaps and hills of slag and broken rock and blasted earth, the vomit of the maggot-folk of Mordor; but south and now near loomed the great rampart of Cirith Gorgor, and the Black Gate amidmost, and the two Towers of the Teeth tall and dark upon either side. For in their last march the Captains had turned away from the old road as it bent east, and avoided the peril of the lurking hills, and so now they were approaching the Morannon from the north-west, even as Frodo had done. The two vast iron doors of the Black Gate under its frowning arch were fast closed. Upon the battlement nothing could be seen. All was silent but watchful. They were come to the last end of their folly, and stood forlorn and chill in the grey light of early day before towers and walls which their army could not assault with hope, not even if it had brought thither engines of great power, and the Enemy had no more force than would suffice for the manning of the gate and wall alone. Yet they knew that all the hills and rocks about the Morannon were filled with hidden foes, and the shadowy defile beyond was bored and tunnelled by teeming broods of evil things. And as they stood they saw all the Nazgtil gathered together, hovering above the Towers of the Teeth like vultures; and they knew that they were watched. But still the Enemy made no sign. No choice was left them but to play their part to its end. Therefore Aragorn now set the host in such array as could best be contrived; and they were drawn up on two great hills of blasted stone and earth that orcs had piled in years of labour. Before them towards Mordor lay like a moat a great mire of reeking mud and foul-smelling pools. When all was ordered, the Captains rode forth towards the Black Gate with a great guard of horsemen and the banner and heralds and
黑門開啟 他們現在緩緩前進，每時每刻都預期著他們的挑戰會得到回應，他們聚攏在一起，因為派出斥候或小隊離開主力部隊只會是徒勞的犧牲。從魔窟谷行軍的第五天黃昏，他們紮下了最後一個營地，並用能找到的枯木和石楠生火。他們徹夜未眠，察覺到許多半隱半現的東西在他們周圍走動和徘徊，他們還聽到了狼的嚎叫。風已經停了，空氣似乎一片寂靜。他們幾乎看不見什麼，因為儘管天空無雲，上弦月也已四夜，但地面上卻升騰著煙霧和毒氣，白色的新月被魔多迷霧籠罩。天氣變冷了。隨著清晨的到來，風又開始吹拂，但這次是從北方吹來，很快就變成了一陣漸強的微風。所有夜行者都消失了，大地似乎空無一人。在他們北邊，那些污穢的坑洞中，是魔多蛆蟲般的居民所嘔吐出的第一批巨大的爐渣堆、碎石堆和焦土堆；但南邊，現在近在眼前的是西力斯哥哥的巨大城牆，黑門則居於其中，兩座牙之塔高聳而黑暗地矗立在兩側。因為在他們最後的行軍中，將軍們已偏離了向東彎曲的舊路，避開了潛伏山丘的危險，所以他們現在是從西北方向接近魔拉農，正如佛羅多所做的那樣。黑門那座陰沉拱門下兩扇巨大的鐵門緊閉著。城垛上什麼也看不見。萬籟俱寂，卻又充滿警惕。他們來到了他們愚行的盡頭，在清晨灰色的光線中，孤獨而寒冷地站在高塔和城牆前，他們的軍隊無法懷抱希望地攻打這些地方，即使他們帶來了強大的攻城器械，而敵人所擁有的兵力也僅夠守衛城門和城牆。然而他們知道，魔拉農周圍所有的山丘和岩石都藏匿著敵人，而其後陰暗的峽谷則被無數邪惡生物鑽挖成洞穴和隧道。當他們站著的時候，他們看到所有戒靈都聚集在一起，像禿鷲一樣盤旋在牙之塔上方；他們知道自己被監視著。但敵人仍然沒有任何動靜。他們別無選擇，只能將自己的角色扮演到底。因此，亞拉岡現在將部隊佈置成最能應對的陣型；他們被部署在兩座巨大的焦石和泥土堆成的山丘上，這些是半獸人在多年勞動中堆積起來的。在他們前方，通往魔多的方向，像護城河一樣橫亙著一片散發惡臭的泥濘和污穢的池塘。當一切都安排妥當後，將軍們帶著一支龐大的騎兵衛隊、軍旗和傳令官，騎馬走向黑門。
888 THE LORD OF THE RINGS trumpeters. There was Gandalf as chief herald, and Aragorn with the sons of Elrond, and Eomer of Rohan, and Imrahil; and Legolas and Gimli and Peregrin were bidden to go also, so that all the enemies of Mordor should have a witness. They came within cry of the Morannon, and unfurled the banner, and blew upon their trumpets; and the heralds stood out and sent their voices up over the battlement of Mordor. ‘Come forth!’ they cried. ‘Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Justice shall be done upon him. For wrongfully he has made war upon Gondor and wrested its lands. Therefore the King of Gondor demands that he should atone for his evils, and depart then for ever. Come forth!’ There was a long silence, and from wall and gate no cry or sound was heard in answer. But Sauron had already laid his plans, and he had a mind first to play these mice cruelly before he struck to kill. So it was that, even as the Captains were about to turn away, the silence was broken suddenly. There came a long rolling of great drums like thunder in the mountains, and then a braying of horns that shook the very stones and stunned men’s ears. And thereupon the door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it there came an embassy from the Dark Tower. At its head there rode a tall and evil shape, mounted upon a black horse, if horse it was; for it was huge and hideous, and its face was a frightful mask, more like a skull than a living head, and in the sockets of its eyes and in its nostrils there burned a flame. The rider was robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant of the Tower of Baraddtr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it, and he said: ‘I am the Mouth of Sauron.’ But it is told that he was a renegade, who came of the race of those that are named the Black Numenoreans; for they established their dwellings in Middle-earth during the years of Sauron’s domination, and they worshipped him, being enamoured of evil knowledge. And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord’s favour; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc. He it was that now rode out, and with him came only a small company of black-harnessed soldiery, and a single banner, black but bearing on it in red the Evil Eye. Now halting a few paces before the Captains of the West he looked them up and down and laughed. ‘Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me?’ he asked. ‘Or indeed with wit to understand me? Not thou at least!’ he mocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn. ‘It needs more to make a
888 《魔戒》號角手。甘道夫是首席傳令官，亞拉岡與愛隆的兒子們、羅翰的伊歐墨、以及伊姆拉希爾都在場；勒苟拉斯、金靂和皮聘也被命令前往，好讓魔多的所有敵人都有見證。他們來到魔多黑門的呼喊可及之處，展開了旗幟，吹響了號角；傳令官們站了出來，將他們的聲音傳過魔多的城垛。「出來！」他們喊道。「讓黑土之主出來！正義將降臨於他。因為他不正當地向剛鐸發動戰爭，並奪取了其土地。因此，剛鐸之王要求他為其惡行贖罪，然後永遠離開。出來！」現場一片長久的寂靜，城牆和城門都沒有任何回應的呼喊或聲音。但索倫早已佈下他的計畫，他心想先殘酷地玩弄這些「老鼠」，然後再痛下殺手。於是，就在將領們準備轉身離去之際，寂靜突然被打破了。一陣巨大的鼓聲如山間雷鳴般滾滾而來，接著是號角刺耳的嘶鳴，震動了石頭，震聾了人們的耳朵。隨即，黑門的大門轟然洞開，黑暗塔的使節從中走出。領頭的是一個高大邪惡的身影，騎著一匹黑馬，如果那真是一匹馬的話；因為牠巨大而醜陋，臉上戴著一張可怕的面具，更像骷髏而非活生生的頭顱，牠的眼窩和鼻孔中燃燒著火焰。騎手全身黑袍，頭戴高聳的黑色頭盔；然而這並非戒靈，而是一個活生生的人。他是巴拉多塔的副官，他的名字在任何故事中都未被記住；因為他自己也早已忘記，他說道：「我是索倫之口。」但據說他是一個叛徒，來自被稱為黑努曼諾爾人的種族；因為他們在索倫統治的歲月裡在中土世界建立了居所，並崇拜他，沉迷於邪惡的知識。他在黑暗塔再次崛起時加入了它的服務，由於他的狡猾，他在魔君的恩寵中地位越來越高；他學會了高深的巫術，並深知索倫的心思；他比任何半獸人都要殘酷。現在騎出來的就是他，與他同行的只有一小隊身著黑甲的士兵，以及一面黑色的旗幟，上面用紅色繪著邪惡之眼。他在西方將領們面前幾步處停下，上下打量著他們，然後笑了。「這群烏合之眾中，有誰有權力與我談判？」他問道。「或者說，有誰有智慧能理解我？至少不是你！」他嘲諷道，輕蔑地轉向亞拉岡。「要成為一個
THE BLACK GATE OPENS 889 king than a piece of Elvish glass, or a rabble such as this. Why, any brigand of the hills can show as good a following!’ Aragorn said naught in answer, but he took the other’s eye and held it, and for a moment they strove thus; but soon, though Aragorn did not stir nor move hand to weapon, the other quailed and gave back as if menaced with a blow. ‘I am a herald and ambassador, and may not be assailed!’ he cried. ‘Where such laws hold,’ said Gandalf, ‘it is also the custom for ambassadors to use less insolence. But no one has threatened you. You have naught to fear from us, until your errand is done. But unless your master has come to new wisdom, then with all his servants you will be in great peril.’ ‘So!’ said the Messenger. “Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard? Have we not heard of thee at whiles, and of thy wanderings, ever hatching plots and mischief at a safe distance? But this time thou hast stuck out thy nose too far, Master Gandalf; and thou shalt see what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before the feet of Sauron the Great. I have tokens that I was bidden to show to thee — to thee in especial, if thou shouldst dare to come.’ He signed to one of his guards, and he came forward bearing a bundle swathed in black cloths. The Messenger put these aside, and there to the wonder and dismay of all the Captains he held up first the short sword that Sam had carried, and next a grey cloak with an elven-brooch, and last the coat of mithril-mail that Frodo had worn wrapped in his tattered garments. A blackness came before their eyes, and it seemed to them in a moment of silence that the world stood still, but their hearts were dead and their last hope gone. Pippin who stood behind Prince Imrahil sprang forward with a cry of grief. ‘Silence!’ said Gandalf sternly, thrusting him back; but the Messenger laughed aloud. ‘So you have yet another of these imps with you!’ he cried. ‘What use you find in them I cannot guess; but to send them as spies into Mordor is beyond even your accustomed folly. Still, I thank him, for it is plain that this brat at least has seen these tokens before, and it would be vain for you to deny them now.’ ‘I do not wish to deny them,’ said Gandalf. ‘Indeed, I know them all and all their history, and despite your scorn, foul Mouth of Sauron, you cannot say as much. But why do you bring them here?’ ‘Dwarf-coat, elf-cloak, blade of the downfallen West, and spy from the little rat-land of the Shire — nay, do not start! We know it well — here are the marks of a conspiracy. Now, maybe he that bore these things was a creature that you would not grieve to lose, and maybe otherwise: one dear to you, perhaps? If so, take swift counsel with
黑門開啟 889 不如一個國王，不如一塊精靈玻璃，或像這群烏合之眾。哼，任何山裡的強盜都能召集到一樣好的追隨者！ 亞拉岡沒有回答，但他盯著對方的眼睛，兩人就這樣僵持了一會兒；但很快地，儘管亞拉岡沒有動彈，也沒有把手伸向武器，對方卻退縮了，彷彿受到了一擊的威脅。 「我是傳令官兼使者，不得受到攻擊！」他喊道。「在這些法律有效的地方，」甘道夫說，「使者也習慣少一點傲慢。但沒有人威脅你。在你的任務完成之前，你無需懼怕我們。但除非你的主人已獲得新的智慧，否則你和他的所有僕從都將身處極大的危險之中。」 「原來如此！」使者說。「那麼你就是發言人，老灰鬍子？我們不是時不時就聽說過你，以及你的遊蕩，總是在安全距離之外策劃陰謀和惡作劇嗎？但這次你把鼻子伸得太遠了，甘道夫大師；你將會看到，把愚蠢的羅網設在索倫大帝腳下的人會有什麼下場。我有一些信物，奉命要展示給你——特別是你，如果你敢來的話。」 他向一名衛兵示意，那衛兵便上前，手裡抱著一捆用黑布包裹的東西。使者將這些東西撥開，在所有將領的驚訝與沮喪中，他先舉起了山姆曾佩戴的短劍，接著是一件帶有精靈胸針的灰色斗篷，最後是佛羅多曾穿在破爛衣物裡面的秘銀甲衣。 一片黑暗籠罩在他們眼前，在片刻的寂靜中，世界彷彿靜止了，但他們的心已死，最後的希望也已消逝。站在伊姆拉希爾親王身後的皮聘，悲痛地大叫一聲，向前衝去。「安靜！」甘道夫嚴厲地說，將他推了回去；但使者卻大聲笑了起來。「所以你又帶了另一個這樣的小鬼來！」他喊道。「我猜不出你用他們有什麼用處；但把他們當作間諜送進魔多，甚至超出了你一貫的愚蠢。不過，我還是要感謝他，因為很明顯，這個小屁孩至少以前見過這些信物，你現在否認也沒用了。」 「我不想否認它們，」甘道夫說。「事實上，我對它們及其所有歷史都瞭若指掌，儘管你蔑視，邪惡的索倫之口，你卻說不出這麼多。但你為何將它們帶來這裡？」 「矮人甲衣，精靈斗篷，西方殞落之刃，還有來自夏爾那小小的老鼠窩的間諜——不，別驚訝！我們很清楚——這些都是陰謀的標誌。現在，也許攜帶這些東西的人是個你不會為失去而悲傷的生物，也許不是：也許是你所珍愛的人？如果是這樣，那就趕快商議一下
890 THE LORD OF THE RINGS what little wit is left to you. For Sauron does not love spies, and what his fate shall be depends now on your choice.’ No one answered him; but he saw their faces grey with fear and the horror in their eyes, and he laughed again, for it seemed to him that his sport went well. ‘Good, good!’ he said. ‘He was dear to you, I see. Or else his errand was one that you did not wish to fail? It has. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years, as long and slow as our arts in the Great Tower can contrive, and never be released, unless maybe when he is changed and broken, so that he may come to you, and you shall see what you have done. This shall surely be unless you accept my Lord’s terms.’ ‘Name the terms,’ said Gandalf steadily, but those nearby saw the anguish in his face, and now he seemed an old and wizened man, crushed, defeated at last. They did not doubt that he would accept. “These are the terms,’ said the Messenger, and smiled as he eyed them one by one. “The rabble of Gondor and its deluded allies shall withdraw at once beyond the Anduin, first taking oaths never again to assail Sauron the Great in arms, open or secret. All lands east of the Anduin shall be Sauron’s for ever, solely. West of the Anduin as far as the Misty Mountains and the Gap of Rohan shall be tributary to Mordor, and men there shall bear no weapons, but shall have leave to govern their own affairs. But they shall help to rebuild Isengard which they have wantonly destroyed, and that shall be Sauron’s, and there his lieutenant shall dwell: not Saruman, but one more worthy of trust.’ Looking in the Messenger’s eyes they read his thought. He was to be that lieutenant, and gather all that remained of the West under his sway; he would be their tyrant and they his slaves. But Gandalf said: ‘This is much to demand for the delivery of one servant: that your Master should receive in exchange what he must else fight many a war to gain! Or has the field of Gondor destroyed his hope in war, so that he falls to haggling? And if indeed we rated this prisoner so high, what surety have we that Sauron, the Base Master of Treachery, will keep his part? Where is this prisoner? Let him be brought forth and yielded to us, and then we will consider these demands.’ It seemed then to Gandalf, intent, watching him as a man engaged in fencing with a deadly foe, that for the taking of a breath the Messenger was at a loss; yet swiftly he laughed again. ‘Do not bandy words in your insolence with the Mouth of Sauron!’ he cried. ‘Surety you crave! Sauron gives none. If you sue for his clemency you must first do his bidding. These are his terms. Take them or leave them!’ “These we will take!’ said Gandalf suddenly. He cast aside his
890 《魔戒》 你還剩下多少智慧。因為索倫不喜歡間諜，而他的命運現在取決於你的選擇。」沒有人回答他；但他看到他們的臉因恐懼而發白，眼中充滿了驚駭，他又笑了，因為他覺得自己的遊戲進行得很順利。「很好，很好！」他說。「他對你們來說很重要，我明白了。或者說，他的任務是你們不希望失敗的？它已經失敗了。現在他將忍受漫長的歲月折磨，漫長而緩慢，如同我們在巨塔中的技藝所能設計的那樣，永不釋放，除非他被改變和摧毀，這樣他才能來到你們面前，你們就會看到自己做了什麼。除非你們接受我主的條件，否則這一切必然會發生。」「說出條件。」甘道夫平靜地說，但附近的人看到了他臉上的痛苦，他此刻看起來像個蒼老枯槁的人，被擊垮了，最終被打敗了。他們毫不懷疑他會接受。「這些就是條件。」信使說，他一個個地打量著他們，臉上帶著微笑。「剛鐸的烏合之眾及其受矇蔽的盟友應立即撤退到安都因河以東，首先發誓永不再以武力，無論公開或秘密，攻擊偉大的索倫。安都因河以東的所有土地將永遠歸索倫所有，獨佔。安都因河以西，遠至迷霧山脈和羅翰隘口，將成為魔多的附庸，那裡的人民不得持有武器，但可以自行管理事務。但他們必須幫助重建他們肆意摧毀的艾辛格，那將歸索倫所有，他的副官將駐紮在那裡：不是薩魯曼，而是更值得信任的人。」看著信使的眼睛，他們讀懂了他的心思。他將成為那個副官，將西方所有殘餘勢力納入他的統治之下；他將是他們的暴君，他們將是他的奴隸。但甘道夫說：「這對釋放一個僕人來說要求太多了：你的主人竟然想以此換取他本來必須經過許多戰爭才能獲得的東西！難道剛鐸的戰場摧毀了他對戰爭的希望，以至於他開始討價還價了嗎？如果我們真的如此看重這個囚犯，我們有什麼保證索倫，這個卑鄙的背叛大師，會遵守他的承諾？這個囚犯在哪裡？讓他被帶出來交給我們，然後我們才會考慮這些要求。」那時甘道夫全神貫注，像一個與致命敵人劍拔弩張的人一樣注視著他，信使似乎一時語塞；但他很快又笑了。「不要用你的傲慢與索倫之口爭辯！」他喊道。「你們渴望保證！索倫什麼也不會給。如果你們懇求他的寬恕，你們必須先執行他的命令。這些是他的條件。接受它們，或者放棄它們！」 「這些我們將接受！」甘道夫突然說。他拋開了他的
THE BLACK GATE OPENS 891 cloak and a white light shone forth like a sword in that black place. Before his upraised hand the foul Messenger recoiled, and Gandalf coming seized and took from him the tokens: coat, cloak, and sword. “These we will take in memory of our friend,’ he cried. ‘But as for your terms, we reject them utterly. Get you gone, for your embassy is over and death is near to you. We did not come here to waste words in treating with Sauron, faithless and accursed; still less with one of his slaves. Begone!’ Then the Messenger of Mordor laughed no more. His face was twisted with amazement and anger to the likeness of some wild beast that, as it crouches on its prey, is smitten on the muzzle with a stinging rod. Rage filled him and his mouth slavered, and shapeless sounds of fury came strangling from his throat. But he looked at the fell faces of the Captains and their deadly eyes, and fear overcame his wrath. He gave a great cry, and turned, leaped upon his steed, and with his company galloped madly back to Cirith Gorgor. But as they went his soldiers blew their horns in signal long arranged; and even before they came to the gate Sauron sprang his trap. Drums rolled and fires leaped up. The great doors of the Black Gate swung back wide. Out of it streamed a great host as swiftly as swirling waters when a sluice is lifted. The Captains mounted again and rode back, and from the host of Mordor there went up a jeering yell. Dust rose smothering the air, as from nearby there marched up an army of Easterlings that had waited for the signal in the shadows of Ered Lithui beyond the further Tower. Down from the hills on either side of the Morannon poured Orcs innumerable. The men of the West were trapped, and soon, all about the grey mounds where they stood, forces ten times and more than ten times their match would ring them in a sea of enemies. Sauron had taken the proffered bait in jaws of steel. Little time was left to Aragorn for the ordering of his battle. Upon the one hill he stood with Gandalf, and there fair and desperate was raised the banner of the Tree and Stars. Upon the other hill hard by stood the banners of Rohan and Dol Amroth, White Horse and Silver Swan. And about each hill a ring was made facing all ways, bristling with spear and sword. But in the front towards Mordor where the first bitter assault would come there stood the sons of Elrond on the left with the Dunedain about them, and on the right the Prince Imrahil with the men of Dol Amroth tall and fair, and picked men of the Tower of Guard. The wind blew, and the trumpets sang, and arrows whined; but the sun now climbing towards the South was veiled in the reeks of Mordor, and through a threatening haze it gleamed, remote, a sullen
黑門開啟。一件斗篷和一道白光像劍一樣在那黑暗之地閃耀。在他舉起的手前，那邪惡的使者退縮了，甘道夫上前奪走了他身上的信物：外套、斗篷和劍。「這些我們將作為我們朋友的紀念品收下。」他喊道。「至於你的條件，我們斷然拒絕。你走吧，你的使命已經結束，死亡就在你身邊。我們來這裡不是為了與背信棄義、被詛咒的索倫浪費口舌，更不是與他的一個奴隸說話。滾開！」於是魔多的使者不再發笑。他的臉因驚訝和憤怒而扭曲，就像一隻野獸在撲向獵物時，被一根刺痛的棍子猛擊口鼻。怒火充滿了他，他的嘴角流涎，無形的狂怒之聲從他喉嚨裡嘶啞地發出。但他看著那些將領們凶惡的臉龐和他們致命的眼神，恐懼戰勝了他的憤怒。他發出一聲大叫，轉身，躍上他的戰馬，與他的隨從瘋狂地奔回戈哥洛隘口。但當他們離去時，他的士兵們吹響了早已安排好的號角；甚至在他們到達城門之前，索倫就啟動了他的陷阱。戰鼓隆隆，火焰騰空。黑門的巨扇大開。大批軍隊從中湧出，如同水閘開啟時的漩渦般湍急。將領們再次上馬回撤，魔多大軍中爆發出一陣嘲諷的叫囂。塵土飛揚，遮蔽了空氣，因為附近一支東方人軍隊從伊瑞德力蘇山脈更遠的塔樓陰影中，等待信號後行軍而來。無數的半獸人從魔南農兩側的山丘上傾瀉而下。西方人被困住了，很快，在他們所站立的灰色土丘周圍，十倍甚至更多於他們數量的敵軍將把他們團團圍住，形成一片敵人的海洋。索倫用鋼鐵般的巨顎吞下了送上門的誘餌。亞拉岡幾乎沒有時間來部署他的戰鬥。在一座山丘上，他與甘道夫站在一起，那裡升起了美麗而絕望的樹與星之旗。在另一座近旁的山丘上，豎立著羅翰和多爾安羅斯的旗幟，白馬與銀天鵝。每個山丘周圍都形成了一個面向四方的環形陣地，矛與劍林立。但在面向魔多、預計將迎來第一波猛烈攻擊的前線，左側是愛隆的兒子們和他們周圍的登丹人，右側是伊姆拉希爾親王與高大英俊的多爾安羅斯人，以及守衛塔的精銳士兵。風吹拂著，號角聲響徹，箭矢呼嘯；但此刻正向南方攀升的太陽，卻被魔多的臭氣所遮蔽，透過一層威脅性的薄霧，它遙遠地閃爍著，陰沉而...
892 THE LORD OF THE RINGS red, as if it were the ending of the day, or the end maybe of all the world of light. And out of the gathering mirk the Nazgtl came with their cold voices crying words of death; and then all hope was quenched. Pippin had bowed crushed with horror when he heard Gandalf reject the terms and doom Frodo to the torment of the Tower; but he had mastered himself, and now he stood beside Beregond in the front rank of Gondor with Imrahil’s men. For it seemed best to him to die soon and leave the bitter story of his life, since all was in ruin. ‘I wish Merry was here,’ he heard himself saying, and quick thoughts raced through his mind, even as he watched the enemy come charging to the assault. ‘Well, well, now at any rate I understand poor Denethor a little better. We might die together, Merry and I, and since die we must, why not? Well, as he is not here, I hope he’ll find an easier end. But now I must do my best.’ He drew his sword and looked at it, and the intertwining shapes of red and gold; and the flowing characters of Numenor glinted like fire upon the blade. “This was made for just such an hour,’ he thought. ‘If only I could smite that foul Messenger with it, then almost I should draw level with old Merry. Well, Pll smite some of this beastly brood before the end. I wish I could see cool sunlight and green grass again!’ Then even as he thought these things the first assault crashed into them. The orcs hindered by the mires that lay before the hills halted and poured their arrows into the defending ranks. But through them there came striding up, roaring like beasts, a great company of hilltrolls out of Gorgoroth. Taller and broader than Men they were, and they were clad only in close-fitting mesh of horny scales, or maybe that was their hideous hide; but they bore round bucklers huge and black and wielded heavy hammers in their knotted hands. Reckless they sprang into the pools and waded across, bellowing as they came. Like a storm they broke upon the line of the men of Gondor, and beat upon helm and head, and arm and shield, as smiths hewing the hot bending iron. At Pippin’s side Beregond was stunned and overborne, and he fell; and the great troll-chief that smote him down bent over him, reaching out a clutching claw; for these fell creatures would bite the throats of those that they threw down. Then Pippin stabbed upwards, and the written blade of Westernesse pierced through the hide and went deep into the vitals of the troll, and his black blood came gushing out. He toppled forward and came crashing down like a falling rock, burying those beneath him. Blackness and stench and crushing pain came upon Pippin, and his mind fell away into a great darkness.
892 《魔戒》 紅色，彷彿是白晝的終結，或者，或許是所有光明世界的末日。隨著黑暗漸濃，戒靈們帶著他們冰冷的聲音，呼喊著死亡的詞語而來；於是，所有的希望都熄滅了。當他聽到甘道夫拒絕了條件，並宣判佛羅多將受高塔的折磨時，皮聘曾因恐懼而崩潰彎腰；但他已控制住自己，此刻他與貝瑞剛並肩站在剛鐸的前排，與伊姆拉希爾的士兵們在一起。因為他覺得最好是早點死去，結束他生命中這段痛苦的故事，反正一切都已毀滅。「我希望梅里在這裡。」他聽到自己這麼說，思緒飛快地在他腦中奔騰，即使他正看著敵人衝鋒而來。「唉，唉，無論如何，我現在總算比較理解可憐的迪耐瑟了。我們或許會一起死去，梅里和我，既然非死不可，何樂而不為？嗯，既然他不在這裡，我希望他能有個更輕鬆的結局。但現在我必須盡力而為。」他拔出劍，看著它，那紅金交織的圖案；努曼諾爾的流暢文字在劍刃上閃爍如火。「這把劍正是為此刻而造。」他想。「如果我能用它擊倒那個邪惡的使者，那我幾乎就能與老梅里平起平坐了。嗯，我會在結束前擊倒一些這群野獸般的惡種。我希望能再次看到涼爽的陽光和綠草！」就在他想著這些的時候，第一波攻勢猛烈地撞擊了他們。半獸人被山丘前的泥沼所阻，停了下來，將箭矢傾瀉到防禦的隊伍中。但穿過他們，一群來自高爾哥洛斯、像野獸般咆哮的丘陵食人妖大步走來。他們比人類更高大、更寬闊，身上只穿著緊身、由角質鱗片編成的網狀物，或許那就是他們醜陋的皮膚；但他們手持巨大漆黑的圓盾，並在他們粗壯的雙手中揮舞著沉重的錘子。他們不顧一切地跳入水池，涉水而過，邊走邊咆哮。他們像一場風暴般衝擊著剛鐸士兵的防線，敲擊著頭盔和頭部，手臂和盾牌，就像鐵匠錘打著熾熱彎曲的鐵塊。在皮聘身旁，貝瑞剛被震暈並被擊倒，他倒下了；而那擊倒他的巨大食人妖首領彎下身，伸出一隻抓攫的爪子；因為這些兇殘的生物會咬斷被他們擊倒者的喉嚨。接著皮聘向上刺去，那刻有文字的西方人劍刃刺穿了食人妖的皮膚，深入其內臟，黑色的血液噴湧而出。食人妖向前傾倒，像塊墜落的巨石般轟然倒下，將其下的人壓住。黑暗、惡臭和劇痛襲向皮聘，他的意識陷入一片巨大的黑暗之中。
THE BLACK GATE OPENS 893 ‘So it ends as I guessed it would,’ his thought said, even as it fluttered away; and it laughed a little within him ere it fled, almost gay it seemed to be casting off at last all doubt and care and fear. And then even as it winged away into forgetfulness it heard voices, and they seemed to be crying in some forgotten world far above: “The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!’ For one moment more Pippin’s thought hovered. ‘Bilbo!’ it said. ‘But no! That came in his tale, long long ago. This is my tale, and it is ended now. Good-bye!’ And his thought fled far away and his eyes saw no more.
黑門開啟 893 「看來，一切都如我所料地結束了。」他的思緒說道，即使它正漸漸消散；它在他心中輕輕地笑了，在消逝之前，彷彿終於擺脫了所有的疑慮、憂慮和恐懼，幾乎是愉悅的。然後，當它飛向遺忘之際，它聽到了聲音，那些聲音似乎在遙遠的上方，一個被遺忘的世界裡呼喊著：「巨鷹來了！巨鷹來了！」皮聘的思緒又盤旋了一會兒。「比爾博！」它說。「不！那是他故事裡的事了，很久很久以前。這是我的故事，現在它結束了。再見了！」他的思緒遠遠地飛走了，他的眼睛再也看不見任何東西。
BOOK SIx
第六卷