評論
打印
"You have a dragon's eye, Khaleesi, that's plain to see."
“問得好，卡麗熙，您有龍的眼睛。”
"I wanted an answer, not a compliment."
“我需要答案，不要恭維。”
"There are two reasons.
“原因有二。
Astapor's brave defenders are so much chaff, it's true.
首先，您說得沒錯，阿斯塔波勇敢的守衛者們不過是些廢物。
Old names and fat purses who dress up as Ghiscari scourges to pretend they still rule a vast empire.
他們所剩的只有古老的名望和鼓鼓的錢包，卻要打扮成夕日的吉斯長鞭手，裝作自己仍舊統治著一個大帝國。
Every one is a high officer.
每人都是軍官，每人的頭銜都極夸張。
On feastdays they fight mock wars in the pits to demonstrate what brilliant commanders they are,
節慶日里，他們在斗技場中模擬戰爭，以顯示英勇，
but it's the eunuchs who do the dying.
但死的卻是太監。
All the same, any enemy wanting to sack Astapor would have to know that they'd be facing Unsullied.
然而任何想與阿斯塔波作對的人都知道，對手將是無垢者，
The slavers would turn out the whole garrison in the city's defense.
一旦形勢危急，奴隸商人們會讓所有部隊傾巢出動。
The Dothraki have not ridden against Unsullied since they left their braids at the gates of Qohor."
別的不說，多斯拉克人自從在科霍爾城門口留下辮子之后，就再沒跟無垢者打過。”
"And the second reason?" Dany asked.
“第二個原因呢？”丹妮問…
"Who would attack Astapor?" Ser Jorah asked.
“誰會攻擊阿斯塔波？”喬拉道，
"Meereen and Yunkai are rivals but not enemies, the Doom destroyed Valyria,
“彌林和淵凱是競爭對手，但不是敵人，末日浩劫摧毀了瓦雷利亞，
the folk of the eastern hinterlands are all Ghiscari, and beyond the hills lies Lhazar.
而東方腹地全是同族的吉斯人，山的另一邊則是拉札林人。
The Lamb Men, as your Dothraki call them, a notably unwarlike people."
您的多斯拉克人稱他們為‘羊人’，是個特別安分的民族。”
"Yes," she agreed,
“是的，”她贊同。
"but north of the slave cities is the Dothraki sea,
“但這些奴隸城邦的北面是多斯拉克海，
and two dozen mighty khals who like nothing more than sacking cities and carrying off their people into slavery."
那兒有二三十位強大的卡奧，他們最喜歡的莫過于攻城掠地，并將城中人等賣為奴隸。”
"Carrying them off where?
“賣給誰？
What good are slaves once you've killed the slavers?
一旦把販買奴隸的商人都殺了，奴隸還有什么用呢？
Valyria is no more, Qarth lies beyond the red waste, and the Nine Free Cities are thousands of leagues to the west.
瓦雷利亞已然式微，魁爾斯位于紅色荒原的另一邊，而九大自由貿易城邦遠在千里之外的西方。
And you may be sure the sons of the harpy give lavishly to every passing khal, just as the magisters do in Pentos and Norvos and Myr.
況且您可以想見，鷹身女妖之子肯定給予每位路過的卡奧豐厚的饋贈，就和潘托斯、諾佛斯與密爾的總督們所做的一樣。
They know that if they feast the horselords and give them gifts, they will soon ride on.
只需宴請馬王，贈予禮物，他們很快就會繼續上路。
It's cheaper than fighting, and a deal more certain."
這比戰斗的代價要小，也更可靠。”
Cheaper than fighting, Dany thought.
比戰斗的代價要小，丹妮心想，
Yes, it might be.
是啊。
If only it could be that easy for her.
她要是也可以這么簡單就好了，
How pleasant it would be to sail to King's Landing with her dragons, and pay the boy Joffrey a chest of gold to make him go away.
只需帶著龍航向君臨，付給那男孩喬佛里一箱金子，就讓他走開，該有多好啊。
"Khaleesi?"
“卡麗熙？”
Ser Jorah prompted, when she had been silent for a long time.
她沉默良久。喬拉爵士催促，
He touched her elbow lightly.
一邊輕觸她的肘部。
Dany shrugged him off.
丹妮將他甩開。
"Viserys would have bought as many Unsullied as he had the coin for.
“若是韋賽里斯，就會用所有的錢買盡可能多的無垢者。
But you once said I was like Rhaegar…
但你曾說我像雷加…”
"I remember, Daenerys."
“我記得，丹妮莉絲。”
"Your Grace," she corrected.
“陛下，”她糾正，
"Prince Rhaegar led free men into battle, not slaves.
“雷加王子麾下都是自由人，而不是奴隸。
Whitebeard said he dubbed his squires himself, and made many other knights as well."
白胡子說他親手授予自己的侍從騎士稱號，也冊封了許多其他的騎士。”
"There was no higher honor than to receive your knighthood from the Prince of Dragonstone."
“由龍石島親王親手賜封，沒有比這更高的榮譽。”
"Tell me, then -- when he touched a man on the shoulder with his sword, what did he say?
“那么告訴我——當他用劍觸碰一個人的肩膀時，說的是什么？
'Go forth and kill the weak'?
‘起來，去殺死弱者’？
Or 'Go forth and defend them'?
還是‘起來，去守護他們’？
At the Trident, those brave men Viserys spoke of who died beneath our dragon banners --
韋賽里斯說過，那三叉戟河畔，無數勇士在真龍王旗下戰死——
did they give their lives because they believed in Rhaegar's cause, or because they had been bought and paid for?"
他們獻出生命，是因為相信雷加的信念，還是貪戀雷加的金錢？”
Dany turned to Mormont, crossed her arms, and waited for an answer.
丹妮轉向莫爾蒙，雙手抱胸，等待回答。
"My queen," the big man said slowly,
“女王陛下，”高大的男人緩緩道，
"all you say is true.
“您說的一切都沒錯。
But Rhaegar lost on the Trident.
但雷加在三叉戟河輸了。
He lost the battle, he lost the war, he lost the kingdom, and he lost his life.
他輸了決斗，輸了戰爭，輸了王國，還陪上性命。
His blood swirled downriver with the rubies from his breastplate, and Robert the Usurper rode over his corpse to steal the iron Throne.
他的鮮血隨胸甲上的紅寶石一起順江東去，而篡奪者勞勃踩在他的尸體上竊取了鐵王座。
Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably.
雷加戰斗得英勇，雷加戰斗得高貴，雷加戰斗得榮譽，
And Rhaegar died."
雷加死得不明不白。”
