評論
打印
Bronn was waiting with the horses at the mouth of the alley. He helped Tyrion into his saddle.
波隆和馬兒等在巷子口。他一邊扶提利昂上馬，一邊問：
"When do I take the man to Duskendale?"
“我什么時候帶這家伙去暮谷城？”
"You don't."
“不用了。”
Tyrion turned his horse.
提利昂調轉馬頭。
"Give him three days, then inform him that Hamish the Harper has broken his arm.
“三天之后回來，告訴他‘琴手’哈米西斷了胳膊。
Tell him that his clothes will never serve for court, so he must be fitted for new garb at once.
之后你得指出他的服裝完全不合宮廷要求，必須立刻制作新袍子，
He'll come with you quick enough."
要他馬上跟你走。他會樂意的。”
He grimaced.
提利昂扮個鬼臉。
"You may want his tongue, I understand it's made of silver.
“你可以留下他的舌頭——但愿那真是銀舌。
The rest of him should never be found."
其余部分，要干凈徹底地從世界上消失。”
Bronn grinned.
波隆咧嘴而笑，
"There's a pot shop I know in Flea Bottom makes a savory bowl of brown.
“跳蚤窩里有不少食堂專門做一種褐湯，
All kinds of meat in it, I hear."
聽說里面什么肉都有。”
"Make certain I never eat there."
“哼，橫豎我是不吃。”
Tyrion spurred to a trot.
提利昂踢馬前進。
He wanted a bath, and the hotter the better.
他想洗澡，越熱越好。
Even that modest pleasure was denied him, however;
可惜這點安慰他也未能享受，
no sooner had he returned to his chambers than Podrick Payne informed him that he had been summoned to the Tower of the Hand.
剛到房間，波德瑞克·派恩便告訴他立刻趕去首相塔。
"His lordship wants to see you.
“大人想見您，
The Hand. Lord Tywin."
我是說，首相大人，泰溫公爵。”
"I recall who the Hand is, Pod," Tyrion said.
“我知道首相是誰，”提利昂道，
"I lost my nose, not my wits."
“我掉了鼻子，可沒掉腦子。”
Bronn laughed.
波隆忍俊不禁，
"Don't bite the boy's head off now."
“別把這小子嚇傻啰。”
"Why not?
“有關系嗎？
He never uses it."
反正他從不思考。”
Tyrion wondered what he'd done now.
提利昂感覺事有蹊蹺，
Or more like, what I have failed to do.
難道父親也知道了？
A summons from Lord Tywin always had teeth; his father never sent for him just to share a meal or a cup of wine, that was for certain.
泰溫可不會找他共進晚餐或喝酒，中間一定有問題。
As he entered his lord father's solar a few moments later, he heard a voice saying,
當他走進父親的書房，只聽有人正在解釋：
"… cherrywood for the scabbards, bound in red leather and ornamented with a row of lion's-head studs in pure gold.
“…劍鞘用櫻桃木做，紅皮革包裹，裝飾一排純金獅子頭，
Perhaps with garnets for the eyes…"
眼睛用石榴石…”
"Rubies," Lord Tywin said.
“用紅寶石，”泰溫公爵道，
"Garnets lack the fire."
“石榴石缺乏火氣。”
Tyrion cleared his throat.
提利昂清清喉嚨，
"My lord. You sent for me?"
“大人，您找我？”
His father glanced up.
父親抬眼一看，
"I did.
“不錯，
Come have a look at this."
你先過來看這個。”
A bundle of oilcloth lay on the table between them, and Lord Tywin had a longsword in his hand.
桌子上有個油布包裹，公爵手中則有一柄長劍。
"A wedding gift for Joffrey," he told Tyrion.
“這是給喬佛里的新婚賀禮，”他告訴提利昂，
The light streaming through the diamond-shaped panes of glass made the blade shimmer black and red as Lord Tywin turned it to inspect the edge,
一邊左右檢查劍鋒，光線穿過鉆石形狀的窗棱照耀在既黑且紅的刃面上，
while the pommel and crossguard flamed gold.
劍柄和圓頭則閃耀著金光。
"With this fool's jabber of Stannis and his magic sword, it seemed to me that we had best give Joffrey something extraordinary as well.
“那些閑人一天到晚談論史坦尼斯和他的魔法劍，咱們也不能給比下去。
A king should bear a kingly weapon."
我要送給喬佛里國王一件特別的武器。”
"That's much too much sword for Joff," Tyrion said.
“這玩意兒小喬可舉不動，”提利昂評論。
"He will grow into it.
“他會長大的，
Here, feel the weight of it."
來，你試試。”
He offered the weapon hilt first.
他將長劍劍柄在前遞過來。
The sword was much lighter than he had expected.
它比他料想中輕。
As he turned it in his hand he saw why.
他拿它上下翻轉，終于明白其中原因——
Only one metal could be beaten so thin and still have strength enough to fight with,
世上只有一種金屬可以打造得如此細薄，同時還不失致命的威力，
and there was no mistaking those ripples, the mark of steel that has been folded back on itself many thousands of times.
這些波紋，都是鍛治時千錘百煉的印記。
"Valyrian steel?"
“瓦雷利亞鋼劍？”
"Yes," Lord Tywin said, in a tone of deep satisfaction.
“對，”泰溫大人道，語氣里透出極度的滿足感。
At long last, Father?
終于到手了，父親？
Valyrian steel blades were scarce and costly,
瓦雷利亞鋼劍是稀世之寶，
yet thousands remained in the world, perhaps two hundred in the Seven Kingdoms alone.
流傳至今的只有幾千把，其中約有兩百在維斯特洛大陸，
It had always irked his father that none belonged to House Lannister.
但沒有一把屬于蘭尼斯特家族，父親每每為之扼腕。
The old Kings of the Rock had owned such a weapon,
古代的凱巖王有過一把著名的瓦雷利亞巨劍“光嘯”，
but the greatsword Brightroar had been lost when the second King Tommen carried it back to Valyria on his fool's quest.
后來國王托曼二世帶它前去瓦雷利亞進行那愚蠢的冒險，人劍便雙雙失落。
He had never returned; nor had Uncle Gery, the youngest and most reckless of his father's brothers,
提利昂的小叔叔吉利安，那位活潑的叔叔，
who had gone seeking after the lost sword some eight years past.
也于八年前在尋找族劍的旅途中一去不返。
Thrice at least Lord Tywin had offered to buy Valyrian longswords from impoverished lesser houses,
泰溫公爵至少三次找到王國中窮苦潦倒的家族，提出愿用重金購買對方的瓦雷利亞鋼劍，
but his advances had always been firmly rebuffed.
但均被回絕。
The little lordlings would gladly part with their daughters should a Lannister come asking,
世家望族樂意與蘭尼斯特家族結親，
but they cherished their old family swords.
然而族劍之事，無可商量。
