dooomer 2006-3-12 13:42
上古卷轴3晨风的一篇小说翻译
这是奇幻RPG上古卷轴3晨风里面的一篇小故事，我给翻译成了中文。首发于铁资网论坛。
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我看到金子，然后就拿了。别的人可能不会这么做，我知道，我有时候也经常回想起当时看到金子伸手去拿的那一刻。你知道，我当时很饿，这不是很讽刺么。;g l
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我不大记得那天晚上其他事情了，只记得放在那儿的金子，还有当时那种饥饿感的折磨。那个客栈的名字，甚至那条村子的名字，我都不记得了。相信那个村子应该是在瓦登弗尔（Vvardenfell）南部什么地方，不过我不能确定。那时候，我静静坐在椅子上好一会儿，全部注意力都集中在胃部由于饥饿所带来的疼痛上。如果你从来没有试过几天没有吃的，从来没有尝到过那种真真正正的饥饿感，那么你就根本没办法想象那种感觉。那种状态下，你没办法想别的任何事情。我当时昏昏沉沉的，直到坐在我左边桌子的一个家伙起身去喝酒，却把一些金子忘在座位上，我才突然回过神来。;L l(R Gf&W
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之后的每件事，我都记得一清二楚。 Br(E$_P,[
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我看了看金子，我又看了看那个陌生人的背影。他慢慢踱步走向吧台的侍女。我伸手抓住金子放进自己的口袋里，然后站起身往门口走去。我回头张望了一下，看见那个家伙已经转身向我走过来。他头上包着头巾，因此我看不清楚他的脸，不过我能感觉得到他正盯着我的眼睛。我发誓能感觉到他在微笑。
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我跑到街上，然后蹲在一些桶子后面，想等追我的那个家伙走过去。一辈子都被警卫们追来赶去，我早就学会了如何神不知鬼不觉地躲起来。我躲在那儿几乎有一个小时之久，饥饿所带来的痛苦愈发强烈。你知道，我当时的神智已经完全清明过来，手头又有钱足够我大餐一顿，这些让饥饿感愈发难耐。当我最终站起身来的时候，几乎一下子晕倒在地。我勉力走到村子另一头，走进一家破落客栈，然后就摊在了桌子上。我觉得当时应该是失去知觉了，然后我听到了侍女在对我说话。1V/k(MM7d)U*K4k
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“先生，要点什么吃的吗？”
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我狼吞虎咽，大口大口地把烤肉、馅饼往嘴巴里塞，大口大口地灌冒着泡泡的格里夫（greef）啤酒。我差点饿死，不过现在既然肚子已经缓过劲儿来了，我就抬起头看了看四周，结果发现有个戴着金面具的家伙正盯着我。在窗户透进来的黯淡月光下，他的眼睛似乎在闪闪发光。他身上套着黑色皮甲，身形大小与刚才我偷窃的苦主根本不一样。但是我看得出来他知道刚才的事儿。我立刻付了饭钱，拔腿离开。
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我穿过铺着地砖的庭院，绕着村子外沿走。四周围是脏兮兮的农舍，没有一户的窗户或者门透出光来。街上空无一人。我无处可藏，只好一路跑出镇外，向荒郊野外跑去。此前好些天，一直压在我心头的是忍饥挨饿的痛苦，而现在则是些别的什么东西。我想这就是所谓负疚感的鞭笞吧。其实，更多的应该是恐惧。
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在黑漆漆的路上猛跑，我跌倒了两次，因为一路上高低起伏，满是卵石碎砾。跌倒在地上的时候，那些在奔跑时没听到的动物咆哮嗥叫声，突然就在耳朵里无比清晰起来。不仅仅只是动物，还有别的什么东西，有东西在追赶我。O
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路的一旁有一道矮墙，我翻爬过去，蹲下躲了起来。做这种事情我是行家里手，我蹲的地方那矮墙微微下行，即使有人看到我的轮廓，也只会以为是矮墙的一部分，而不会认出是个人来。没多久，我就听到奔跑中的脚步声。从声音听来不止一人。他们跑了过去，然后突然停了下来。我听到他们在悄声低语交谈些什么，然后有个人又转头往村子的方向跑了回去。之后是一片寂静。
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又过了几分钟，我探头张望。一个女性身影，身着深褐色袍子，脸上覆着面纱，赫然站在路中间。路的另一头站着个骑士装扮的人，披挂着深色锁子甲，挡住了回村子的方向。他们的脸我根本看不清。一时间，我呆立在那里，不知道是不是被发现了。!h&B$Z,H-?7nY@
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“跑吧。”那个女的说。她的声音毫无生气。
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我身后的山丘太陡峭了，于是我两步跳过矮墙横穿越路，一直往森林方向跑去。那该死的金子还在我口袋里叮当作响。我知道我发出很大动静，追赶我的人肯定会听见的。但是我现在只想把他们远远地落在身后，没空蹑手蹑脚躲躲藏藏。天空中灰烬的云朵飘过，遮蔽了月光，但是我知道这地方还是太亮，藏不住人。我跑啊跑啊，直到我周身的血汹涌冲击头部和心脏，不得不停下来为止。
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我现在站在森林边上，前面是一道浅浅的溪流，溪流对岸是一座大房子，摇摇欲坠的样子，房子周围环绕着篱笆。身后，我能听到跑步声。在南面溪流的下游，可以听到有人在涉水往这边走来。
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别无选择。我跳入溪流踩在淤泥里，深一脚浅一脚地走到对岸。我钻过篱笆，在空地上狂跑，直奔向那栋破房子。回头能看到有七个阴影站在篱柱旁，包括我的苦主、金面具男、面纱女、黑骑士，还有另外三个家伙刚才肯定也在追我，但是我之前一直没有发现他们。我还以为我算是偷偷摸摸躲躲藏藏的好手呢，跟他们比起来简直小巫见大巫。e ^D3{'a6Wy
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现在，漫天的灰烬把月光完全遮掩了。只能看到些微闪烁的星光。这座破房子的门是开着的，我猛冲进去，一下子把门摔上，立刻反身插上了门栓。但是我心里明白得很，这撑不了很久。我回头四处打量，屋子里有些破破烂烂的家具，我想找件家具躲进去。如果我躲在角柜或者壁龛里面，一动不动，应该没有人能看得到我。!WS?[4iW
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有一张破裂的桌子靠在墙上，刚好能满足要求。我俯身爬到桌子底下，立刻又吓得跳了起来：有东西在动！然后我听到有个老头的声音，似乎他也吓着了：6Q-N^1a2IJ7f
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“别害怕，”我低语道，“我不是和他们一伙的。”r C/}'B ]3u)z }:b
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他粗糙多皱的手从黑影中伸出来，抓住了我的胳膊。立刻，我觉得睡意袭来，但我还是极力抵抗。月亮从灰云中探身出来，月光撒进破碎的窗户。老头可怖的脸，一张饥饿的不死生物的脸，在月光下显现出来。他的爪子紧紧地抓着我。我向后倾倒，四周围都能闻到老头散发的死亡气息。
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桌子被掀翻了。站在面前的，是七个猎人，还有十来个其他人。不，他们不是猎人。他们是猎犬，他们把我从每个藏身之所赶出来，很有技巧地把我驱赶到真正的猎食者所在的巢穴里。那个猎食者，那个老头，他本人因为年老而衰弱了，不再像年轻时候那样出去追猎。他是一架锋刃已经钝化的屠戮机器。px_/H7_`g{
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“求求你……”别的话我根本一句也说不出来。MX MF q5T I9Q
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由于刚刚我带给他们的运动，他们对我“大发慈悲”，算是某种意义上的慈悲吧。我没有被活活吸干血液而立刻死去，也没有受到血之诅咒而成为他们一份子，成为一个伯尔尼（Berne）吸血鬼，而是被关押起来。还有些其他人和我关押在一起。很多人因为恐惧而发疯了。我们在囹圄中慢慢老去，任吸血鬼们玩弄品尝。我们被称作牲畜。
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几个月前我就放弃了所有希望，他们把我们关在阴森的地下室里，根本逃不出去。即使这张纸条能被外面某个人捡到，我也根本不知道我们现在在哪里，因此，就算有位勇士能击败这些吸血鬼，也根本救不了我们。我写这些文字，只是为了不让自己堕入疯狂，也为了警告世人，
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世上有些事情比忍饥挨饿更糟糕，那就是：E)\g#S]Zt
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沦为他人的口中食盘中餐。Kl w{4l m6?J x5_a
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原文：-iHs/Vsx
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I saw the gold, and I took it. A different man might not have, I know that, and from time to time, I think back on the hour when I saw the gold and took it. You see, I was hungry. Isn't it ironic.
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I don't remember much else about that night but the gold and the hunger. I don't remember the name of the tavern, or even the village, but I believe it was somewhere in southern Vvardenfell. I can't really be certain. For some time, I sat dumbly in my chair, my mind occupied with nothing but the pain in my stomach. If you've never been truly hungry from days of no food, you can't know what it's like. You can't concentrate on anything. It wasn't until a figure to my left got up from the table to get a drink and left a stack of gold marks behind that I snapped to awareness.
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From this moment on, my memory is crystalline.
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My eyes to the gold. My eyes to the stranger's back, walking calmly toward the barmaid. My hand to the gold. The gold in my pocket. I'm up from the table, and out the door. For just a moment, I look back. The stranger has turned to look my way. He wears a hood, but I can feel his eyes meet mine. I swear, I can scent a smile.
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Out into the street, and behind some barrels I crouched down, waiting for my pursuer. One benefit of a lifetime running from guards, I know how to disappear. For nearly an hour, I waited there, suffering even more from hunger. You see, I was awake now and I had the means to buy myself a feast. This knowledge tortured me. When I finally got to my feet, I very nearly fainted. I had only enough energy to walk to the other edge of the village to a run-down tavern before collapsing at a table. I think I must have fallen unconscious for a moment before I heard the barmaid's voice..S.H vj$[3k}#?
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"Can I get you something to eat, sera?" \#T6i5Lm uzDCt
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I gorged myself on roasts and pies and huge frothing mugs of greef. As the fog of near fatal starvation began to lift, I looked up from my plate to see a gold-masked stranger looking at me, his vizard glowing by the blinding light of the moon through the window. He wore black leather armor and was a different physique and size from the man I had burgled, but I could tell he knew. I paid for my meal quickly and left.
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I skirted the edge of the village, through a tiled central courtyard surrounded by the squalid peasant's cottages. There was not a light shining from any window or door. No one was on the streets. I could find no place to hide, so I took the road out of town, heading for the wilderness. Hunger had pushed me on in the days before, but now I felt what I imagined to be the whip of guilt. Or perhaps, even then, it was fear.
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I fell twice, rushing down the dark path, unused to the slopes and pebbled texture. The sounds of animal life, which I had numbed to, were suddenly very loud in my ears. And there was something else out there in the night, something chasing me.
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On the side of the road, there was a low wall, and I scrambled over it and hid. I knew enough about concealment to pick a spot where the bulwark sunk slightly so even if someone saw the outline of my figure, he would assume it to be part of the wall. It wasn't long before I heard the sound of running footsteps from more than one person pass me by and then stop. There was a moment of whispered conversation, and one of the people ran back on the path toward the village. Then, silence.
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After a few more minutes, I peered out from behind the wall. A female figure in a dun gown, wimple, and veil stood in the road. On the other end of the road, blocking the way back to town, was a knight, coated in dark mail. I could see neither of their faces. For a moment, I froze, unsure whether either or both had seen me.9b#A.I
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"Run," said the woman in a dead voice.
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The hill behind me was too steep, so I leapt over the wall and across the road in two bounds. Into the night forest I ran, the maddening jingle of the accursed gold in my pocket. I knew I was making so much noise my pursuers could not help but hear me, but now I cared more for putting distance between us than in stealth. Clouds of ash filtered through the moonlight, but I still knew it was too bright to hide. I ran and ran until I felt all my blood pumping in my head and heart, begging me to stop.
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I was at the edge of the wood, on the other side of a shallow stream from a vast, crumbling house encircled by a rail fence. Behind me, running footfall in the broken, dusty earth. To the south, downstream, a distinct sodden splashing of someone moving nearer.m^
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There was no choice. I half jumped and half fell into the mud and dragged myself up the bank on the other side. I rolled under the fence and ran through the open field toward the house. Jerking my head around, I saw seven shadowy figures by the fence posts. The cloaked man I had robbed. The man in the gold mask. The veiled woman. The dark knight. Three others too who had pursued me, but I had never seen. And I thought I was the stealthy one.
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The moon was entirely hidden in a swarm of ash. Only the stars offered their meager illumination as I reached the open door of the ruin. I slammed and bolted the door behind me, but I knew there could be no protection for very long. As I looked about the ravaged interior of broken furniture, I searched for someone to hide. A corner, a niche where if I stayed very still, no one would see me.
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A splintered table lying against the wall looked perfect for my purposes. I crawled under it, and jumped when something moved and I heard a frightened old man's voice.
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"Who's there??BR> -z9c
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"It's all right," I whispered. "I'm not one of them."U EIc*a.^:L0Z(YpA
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His puckered, gnarled hand reached out from the shadow and gripped my arm. Instantly, I felt sleep fall upon me, resist it as I might. The old man's horrible face, the face of the hungry dead, emerged as the moon came out and shone through the broken window. His talon still gripping me, I fell back, smelling his death surround me.n uz_#J v1X"k'?3e G
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The table was thrown back. There stood the seven hunters and a dozen more. No, hunters they weren't. They were harriers who had chased me out of every hiding place, expertly pushing me to the lair of the real predator. He was weak with age, the old man was, not as good at the chase as once he was. A blunt, killing machine.
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"Please," I said. It was all I could muster.V@!NpD)zS(j!dS
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Having enjoyed the sport I offered, he granted me mercy, of sorts. I was not bled dry. I was not cursed by being made one of them, the Berne. I was kept with others, most of us mad with fear, to be aged and tasted at the vampires' whim. We are called cattle.CH(t-C#p_ aoC pC
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I lost all hope months ago of ever leaving the dank cellar where they keep us. Even if this note finds its way to the outside world, I cannot give enough information about my whereabouts to be rescued, even if some champion were able to defeat the bloodsuckers. I only write this to keep my own sanity, and to warn others.
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There is something worse than being hungry. @,O*i J(rW
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Being food.
Lala 2006-3-14 21:24
谢谢楼主的翻译！%DUc'LBC
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