冰与火之歌系列之《权力的游戏》第533期:第二十七章 布兰(5)

 　　So you are. Robb sounded sad, and even a little scared. Bran, I need to tell you something. There was a bird last night. From King's Landing. Maester Luwin woke me. 是啊，罗柏语气哀伤，甚至有些害怕。布兰，有件事我必须跟你讲清楚。昨晚来了只信鸦，从君临来，鲁温师傅半夜把我叫醒。

　　Bran felt a sudden dread¹. Dark wings, dark words, Old Nan always said, and of late the messenger ravens² had been proving the truth of the proverb.  布兰突然感到一阵惊恐。黑色的翅膀，黑色的消息，老奶妈总这么说，而近来传递信息的渡鸦一再证明了这句俗谚的正确。

　　When Robb wrote to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the bird that came back brought word that Uncle Benjen was still missing.  罗柏写信给守夜人军团的司令官，鸟儿却带回班扬叔叔依旧下落不明的消息。

　　Then a message had arrived from the Eyrie, from Mother, but that had not been good news either.  接着鹰巢城有信传来，是母亲写的，可惜也并非好消息。

　　She did not say when she meant to return, only that she had taken the Imp³ as prisoner.  她没说何时回来，只说小恶魔如今是她的犯人。

　　Bran had sort of liked the little man, yet the name Lannister sent cold fingers creeping up his spine⁴.  布兰其实还挺喜欢那矮个子，但兰尼斯特这个姓氏却教他背脊发凉。

　　There was something about the Lannisters, something he ought to remember, but when he tried to think what, he felt dizzy and his stomach clenched⁵ hard as a stone.  有件和兰尼斯特有关的事，他应该记得，然而每次他试图回忆，便觉头晕目眩，腹痛如绞。

　　Robb spent most of that day locked behind closed doors with Maester Luwin, Theon Greyjoy, and Hallis Mollen.  那一天，罗柏整日把自己关在房里，和鲁温师傅、席恩·葛雷乔伊，以及哈里斯·莫兰共商对策。

　　Afterward⁶, riders were sent out on fast horses, carrying Robb's commands throughout the north.  之后信使骑着快马，将罗柏的命令传遍北境。

　　Bran heard talk of Moat Cailin, the ancient stronghold the First Men had built at the top of the Neck.  布兰依稀听到卡林湾这地名，那是先民在颈泽北端筑起的古老要塞。

　　No one ever told him what was happening, yet he knew it was not good. 究竟发生了什么，没人告诉他，但肯定不是什么好事。

1 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

2 ravens   

n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wheresoever the carcase is,there will the ravens be gathered together. 哪里有死尸，哪里就有乌鸦麇集。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A couple of ravens croaked above our boat. 两只乌鸦在我们小船的上空嘎嘎叫着。 来自辞典例句

3 imp   

n.顽童

参考例句：

• What a little imp you are!你这个淘气包！
• There's a little imp always running with him.他总有一个小鬼跟着。

4 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

5 clenched   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
• She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。