冰与火之歌系列之《权力的游戏》第496期:第二十七章 艾德(33)

 　　Again they were given fresh mules². Hers was white. Mya smiled when she saw him.  她们再次换了新骡子。给她的那头是白的，米亚一见便微笑道：

　　Whitey's a good one, my lady. Sure of foot, even on ice, but you need to be careful. He'll kick if he doesn't like you. 夫人，小白是头好骡。就算步履坚冰，它的脚步也很稳，但您千万小心，他要是不喜欢您，可是会踢人的。

　　The white mule¹ seemed to like Catelyn; there was no kicking, thank the gods.  诸神保佑，小白似乎还挺喜欢凯特琳，至少它没有踢人。

　　There was no ice either, and she was grateful for that as well. My mother says that hundreds of years ago, this was where the snow began, Mya told her.  路上没有冰，这点她也很感激。我妈说，数百年前，这里就是风雪线。

　　It was always white above here, and the ice never melted. She shrugged³.  米亚告诉她，从这往上便是白茫茫的，冰雪从不融化。她耸耸肩，离山顶还很远，

　　I can't remember ever seeing snow this far down the mountain, but maybe it was that way once, in the olden times. 我不记得在这儿看过雪，不过，或许古时候是那样罢。

　　So young, Catelyn thought, trying to remember if she had ever been like that. The girl had lived half her life in summer, and that was all she knew.  她好年轻，凯特琳心想，一边试着回忆自己是否曾如她这般纯真。这女孩大半时光都活在夏季，除此之外她一无所知。

　　Winter is coming, child, she wanted to tell her. The words were on her lips; she almost said them. Perhaps she was becoming a Stark⁴ at last. 孩子，凛冬将至啊，她想告诉她。话到嘴边，几乎就要出口，或许她究竟是逐渐变成史塔克家的人了吧。

　　Above Snow, the wind was a living thing, howling around them like a wolf in the waste, then falling off to nothing as if to lure⁵ them into complacency.  雪山堡之上，强风是个活生生的事物，犹如荒野孤狼般在她们周围呼啸狂吼，时时又归于平静，仿佛有意诱使她们掉以轻心。

　　The stars seemed brighter up here, so close that she could almost touch them, and the horned moon was huge in the clear black sky.  从这里看去，星星似乎更亮，好似近在咫尺，触手可及。一弯新月挂在清朗的夜空中，显得硕大无朋。

　　As they climbed, Catelyn found it was better to look up than down.  凯特琳只觉上山时往上看比往下看感觉好多了。

　　The steps were cracked and broken from centuries of freeze and thaw⁶ and the tread⁷ of countless⁸ mules, and even in the dark the heights put her heart in her throat.  经过几百年来的结冰、融雪和无以计数的骡蹄踩踏，石阶破损得相当厉害，即便是在黑暗中看不清，她依旧提心吊胆。

　　When they came to a high saddle between two spires⁹ of rock, Mya dismounted.  当她们来到两座尖石间的平台时，米亚爬下骡子。

　　It's best to lead the mules over, she said.  这里我们最好牵骡子过去，她说，

　　The wind can be a little scary here, my lady. 夫人，请注意，这儿的风有点强。

1 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

2 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。

3 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

5 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

6 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

7 tread   

vi.踩；行走；vt.踩烂（出）；n.胎面，脚步声

参考例句：

• A policeman walked by with a slow,measured tread.一名警察迈着小心的步子慢慢走过。
• We heard father's tread on the steps.我们听到台阶上父亲的脚步声。

8 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

9 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》