冰与火之歌系列之《权力的游戏》第852期:第四十章 提利昂(2)

 　　That was the trouble with the clans²; 这是原住民最麻烦的地方，

　　they had an absurd notion that every man's voice should be heard in council, so they argued about everything, endlessly. 他们有种古怪的观念，认为开会的时候每个人都有权表达意见，所以不论事情大小，他们一律争吵不休。

　　Even their women were allowed to speak. 甚至连女人也有开口的权利，

　　Small wonder that it had been hundreds of years since they last threatened the Vale with anything beyond an occasional raid. 难怪几百年来，除了偶尔实施小规模的突袭，他们无法真正威胁到艾林谷。

　　Tyrion meant to change that. 提利昂有意改变这个局面。

　　Brorm rode with him. Behind them, after a quick bit of grumbling³, the five clansmen followed on their undersize garrons, 波隆和他并肩而行，身后——咕哝了几声以后——五个原住民骑着营养不良的矮种马跟了上来。

　　scrawny things that looked like ponies⁴ and scrambled⁵ up rock walls like goats. 每匹马都骨瘦如柴，看起来小得可怜，走在颠簸山路上活像是山羊。

　　The Stone Crows rode together, and Chella and Ulf stayed close as well, as the Moon Brothers and Black Ears had strong bonds between them. 两个石鸦部的人走在一块，齐拉跟乌尔夫靠得很近，因为月人部和黑耳部之间的关系向来密切。

　　Timett son of Timett rode alone. 提魅之子提魅则独自前行。

　　Every clan¹ in the Mountains of the Moon feared the Burned Men, 明月山脉里的每一个部落都害怕灼人部，

　　who mortified⁶ their flesh with fire to prove their courage and (the others said) roasted babies at their feasts. 因为他们用火自虐来证明勇气，甚至在宴会上烧烤婴儿来吃（这是其他几部说的）。

　　And even the other Burned Men feared Timett, who had put out his own left eye with a white-hot knife when he reached the age of manhood. 而提魅更令所有灼人部民害怕，因为他成年的时候用一把烧得白热的尖刀剜出了自己的左眼。

　　Tyrion gathered that it was more customary for a boy to burn off a nipple, a finger, or (if he was truly brave, or truly mad) an ear. 提利昂大致听出，灼人部中一般男孩的成年礼多半是烧掉自己的一边乳头、一根手指或是（只有非常勇敢或非常疯狂的人才做得出）一只耳朵。

1 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

2 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

3 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

4 ponies   

矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑

参考例句：

• They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。
• She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

5 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 mortified   

v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等）

参考例句：

• She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了，直羞得无地自容。
• The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》