霍比特人：Chapter V Riddles in the Dark 黑暗中的謎語 （下）

“Come on!” said Bilbo. “I am waiting!” He tried to sound bold and cheerful, but he did not feel at all sure how the game was going to end, whether Gollum guessed right or not.

“快點啦!”比爾博催道“我在等著哪!”他竭力讓自己的聲音聽上去勇敢而又歡快，但心里其實很沒底，不知道這場游戲會怎么樣收場，無論咕嚕猜對還是猜錯。

“Time’s up!” he said.

“時間到!”他說。

“String, or nothing!” shrieked Gollum, which was not quite fair—working in two guesses at once.

“線頭，或者什么都沒有!”咕嚕大叫道，他這種做法其實也不太公平，因為他一次猜了兩樣東西。

“Both wrong,” cried Bilbo very much relieved; and he jumped at once to his feet, put his back to the nearest wall, and held out his little sword. He knew, of course, that the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity, and even wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played at it. But he felt he could not trust this slimy thing to keep any promise at a pinch. Any excuse would do for him to slide out of it. And after all that last question had not been a genuine riddle according to the ancient laws.

“兩個都錯。”比爾博如釋重負地喊道。接著他立刻跳了起來，背靠著離他最近的洞壁，把短劍伸在身前。他當然知道，猜謎是件很神圣的事情，而且有著悠久的傳統，即使是心地險惡的壞東西，也不敢在猜謎的時候作弊。但他不相信這個滑膩膩的討厭家伙會覺得有必要守信。只要能找到一點借口，這家伙便會賴賬。再說，根據古老的規(guī)定，他的最后一個問題其實并不能算是一條真正的謎語。

But at any rate Gollum did not at once attack him. He could see the sword in Bilbo’s hand. He sat still, shivering and whispering. At last Bilbo could wait no longer.

但至少咕嚕沒有立刻向他發(fā)起進攻。他可以看見比爾博手中的寶劍，所以他靜靜地坐著，渾身抖動著，口中不停低聲說著什么。最后，比爾博終于不耐煩了。

“Well?” he said. “What about your promise? I want to go. You must show me the way.”

“怎樣?”他說，“你答應我的事情呢?我想離開這兒，你得給我指路。”

“Did we say so, precious? Show the nassty little Baggins the way out, yes, yes. But what has it got in its pocketses, eh? Not string, precious, but not nothing. Oh no! gollum!”

“我們有這么說過嗎，寶貝?帶那個可惡的小巴金斯出去，是的，是的，有這么回事兒?？墒撬目诖锏降子惺裁茨?不是線頭，寶貝兒，可也不是什么都沒有。噢，不!咕嚕!”

“Never you mind,” said Bilbo. “A promise is a promise.”

“你別管那么多，”比爾博說，“說話就得算話!”

“Cross it is, impatient, precious,” hissed Gollum. “But it must wait, yes it must. We can’t go up the tunnels so hasty. We must go and get some things first, yes, things to help us.”

“它生氣了，可真沒耐性，寶貝，”咕嚕嘶撕地說道，“但它必須得等，是的，必須得等，我們可不能這么急著出去。我們得先去拿點東西，是的，拿一些可以幫上忙的東西。”

“Well, hurry up!” said Bilbo, relieved to think of Gollum going away. He thought he was just making an excuse and did not mean to come back. What was Gollum talking about? What useful thing could he keep out on the dark lake? But he was wrong. Gollum did mean to come back. He was angry now and hungry. And he was a miserable wicked creature, and already he had a plan.

“好，那就快點吧!”比爾博一想到咕嚕會暫時離開，心里稍稍松了口氣?？伤D念又想，這家伙可能只是找個借口，一去就再也不回了。瞧他剛才說了些什么，在漆黑的湖面上他能存放什么有用的東西呢?但他錯了，咕嚕的確是想回來的。他現在又氣又餓，作為一個心地險惡的家伙，他已經想出了一個詭計。

Not far away was his island, of which Bilbo knew nothing, and there in his hiding-place he kept a few wretched oddments, and one very beautiful thing, very beautiful, very wonderful. He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring.

不遠處就是他的小島，比爾博對此一無所知，在這個藏身之處，他放了幾樣零零碎碎的惡心玩意兒，以及一件非常美麗的寶物，非常美、非常棒。那是一枚戒指——一枚黃金戒指，一枚珍貴的戒指。

“My birthday-present!” he whispered to himself, as he had often done in the endless dark days. “That’s what we wants now, yes; we wants it!”

“我的生日禮物!”在無盡的黑暗歲月中，他常常會這樣自言自語道，“那是我們現在所需要的，對，我們需要它!”

He wanted it because it was a ring of power, and if you slipped that ring on your finger, you were invisible; only in the full sunlight could you be seen, and then only by your shadow, and that would be shaky and faint.

他需要這戒指是因為它擁有魔力，只要把戒指戴上手指，人就會隱形，只有在明亮的陽光下才會被發(fā)現，而且還只是通過搖晃而又模糊的影子來發(fā)現的。

“My birthday-present! It came to me on my birthday, my precious.” So he had always said to himself. But who knows how Gollum came by that present, ages ago in the old days when such rings were still at large in the world? Perhaps even the Master who ruled them could not have said. Gollum used to wear it at first, till it tired him; and then he kept it in a pouch next his skin, till it galled him; and now usually he hid it in a hole in the rock on his island, and was always going back to look at it. And still sometimes he put it on, when he could not bear to be parted from it any longer, or when he was very, very, hungry, and tired of fish. Then he would creep along dark passages looking for stray goblins. He might even venture into places where the torches were lit and made his eyes blink and smart; for he would be safe. Oh yes, quite safe. No one would see him, no one would notice him, till he had his fingers on their throat. Only a few hours ago he had worn it, and caught a small goblin-imp. How it squeaked! He still had a bone or two left to gnaw, but he wanted something softer.

“我的生日禮物!那是在我生日那天得來的，寶貝。”他一直這樣對自己說。不過，誰又知道咕嚕是怎么得來這個戒指的呢。在很多年以前的那個古老年代，這樣的戒指在世界上還有許多。他怎么得來的或許連統御這些戒指的主人都說不上來。咕嚕剛開始的時候把它戴在手上，后來他戴膩了，然后他把它放在了一個貼身的小口袋中，不料戒指卻擦破了他的皮。

“Quite safe, yes,” he whispered to himself. “It won’t see us, will it, my precious? No. It won’t see us, and its nassty little sword will be useless, yes quite.”

現在，他通常會把戒指藏在小島上的一個石頭小洞里，時不時地就跑回去端詳一番。有時，當他再也無法忍受和它分離時，他就戴上它;又或者當他餓得實在受不了卻又吃膩了魚的時候，他也會戴上它，戴上之后，他會躡手躡腳地沿著黑暗的隧道去搜尋走岔了路的半獸人。有時他甚至敢大膽地混入點著火把的燧道，雖然火光會讓他的眼睛眨個不停，感到疼痛，但他知道自己是安全的。沒錯兒，相當安全!沒有人能看見他，沒有人會注意到他，直到他的手指掐上他們的喉嚨才能發(fā)現，卻已經晚了。幾個小時之前他才戴過這枚戒指，抓到了一個小半獸人。那小家伙叫得可真凄慘哪!他還剩了一兩根骨頭沒啃，不過，他現在想要吃點更軟的東西。

That is what was in his wicked little mind, as he slipped suddenly from Bilbo’s side, and flapped back to his boat, and went off into the dark. Bilbo thought he had heard the last of him. Still he waited a while; for he had no idea how to find his way out alone.

“相當安全，是的，”他自言自語道，“它看不見我們的，寶貝，對吧?是的，它看不見我們，它那把臭短劍也派不上用場，是的。”

Suddenly he heard a screech. It sent a shiver down his back. Gollum was cursing and wailing away in the gloom, not very far off by the sound of it. He was on his island, scrabbling here and there, searching and seeking in vain.

這就是他從比爾博身邊悄悄溜走，跳回船上朝黑暗中劃去時，他那邪惡的小腦瓜里在想的東西。比爾博覺得自己再也不會見到他了。但他還是又等了一會兒，因為他也不知道憑自己怎樣才能找到路出去。

“Where iss it? Where iss it?” Bilbo heard him crying. “Losst it is, my precious, lost, lost! Curse us and crush us, my precious is lost!”

突然，他聽見了一聲尖叫，讓他不由得背脊發(fā)涼。咕嚕在混沌的黑暗中不停地咒罵哭嚎，聽聲音好像并不太遠。他在自己的小島上到處翻找著，搜尋著，卻都徒勞無功。

“What’s the matter?” Bilbo called. “What have you lost?”

“它在哪兒?它在哪兒?”比爾博聽見他大喊道，“不見了，我的寶貝，不見了，沒有了!詛咒我們吧，碾死我們吧，我們該死，我的寶貝不見啦!”

“It mustn’t ask us,” shrieked Gollum. “Not its business, no, gollum! It’s losst, gollum, gollum, gollum.”

“怎么回事兒啊?”比爾博喊道，“你丟什么了?”

“Well, so am I,” cried Bilbo, “and I want to get unlost. And I won the game, and you promised. So come along! Come and let me out, and then go on with your looking!” Utterly miserable as Gollum sounded, Bilbo could not find much pity in his heart, and he had a feeling that anything Gollum wanted so much could hardly be something good. “Come along!” he shouted.

“輪不到它來問我們，”咕嚕尖叫道，“沒它什么事兒!完了，咕嚕!它不見了，咕嚕，咕嚕，咕嚕!”

“No, not yet, precious!” Gollum answered. “We must search for it, it’s lost, gollum.”

“嗯，我也完了，”比爾博大喊著，“我可不想被困在這里，我贏了猜謎比賽，你答應過給我?guī)返摹Ｔ蹅冏甙?，你先帶我走出去，然后你再回頭慢慢找!”雖然咕嚕聽起來絕對可憐，可比爾博卻擠不出多少同情心給他，而且他有一種感覺，凡事咕嚕這家伙這么想要的東西，都不會好到哪里去。“快來吧!”他大聲催促道。

“But you never guessed my last question, and you promised,” said Bilbo.

“不，現在不行，寶貝兒!”咕?；卮鸬溃?ldquo;我們得找到它才行，它不見了，咕嚕!”

“Never guessed!” said Gollum. Then suddenly out of the gloom came a sharp hiss. “What has it got in its pocketses? Tell us that. It must tell first.”

“可你一直也沒猜對我的最后一個問題，你答應過要帶我出去的。”比爾博說。

As far as Bilbo knew, there was no particular reason why he should not tell. Gollum’s mind had jumped to a guess quicker than his; naturally, for Gollum had brooded for ages on this one thing, and he was always afraid of its being stolen. But Bilbo was annoyed at the delay. After all, he had won the game, pretty fairly, at a horrible risk. “Answers were to be guessed not given,” he said.

“一直沒猜對!”咕嚕憤憤地重復道。然后，突然間，黑暗中傳來很銳利的一聲嘶嘶：“它的口袋里面到底有什么?告訴我們，它一定得先說出來。”

“But it wasn’t a fair question,” said Gollum. “Not a riddle, precious, no.”

在比爾博看來，他沒什么理由不告訴對方答案。但還沒等他說出口，咕嚕的腦子里已經迸出了一個猜測。他會想到這個是很自然的。因為這么多年來他心心念念的只有這一樣東西，整天就怕它被人偷走。但此時，比爾博只是對咕嚕的拖延感到不滿，畢竟，他可是冒了極大的危險，憑了挺公平的手段才贏下這場猜謎比賽的。“答案是要猜的，可不能讓人告訴。”他說。

“Oh well, if it’s a matter of ordinary questions,” Bilbo replied, “then I asked one first. What have you lost? Tell me that!”

“可這不是一個公平的問題。”咕嚕說，“這不是個謎語，寶貝，不是。”

“What has it got in its pocketses?” The sound came hissing louder and sharper, and as he looked towards it, to his alarm Bilbo now saw two small points of light peering at him. As suspicion grew in Gollum’s mind, the light of his eyes burned with a pale flame.

“哦，好吧，如果你只是在問普通問題，那我可以告訴你。”比爾博回答道，“不過你先回答我的。你丟了什么東西?告訴我!”

“What have you lost?” Bilbo persisted.

“它的口袋里有什么呢?”嘶嘶的聲音變得越來越響，越來越銳利了。比爾博循聲望去，不由得一驚，他發(fā)現了有兩點小小的光亮正在瞪著他。隨著咕嚕的疑心越來越盛，他的眼中燃起一團蒼白的火焰來。

But now the light in Gollum’s eyes had become a green fire, and it was coming swiftly nearer. Gollum was in his boat again, paddling wildly back to the dark shore; and such a rage of loss and suspicion was in his heart that no sword had any more terror for him.

“你丟什么了?”比爾博堅持問道。

Bilbo could not guess what had maddened the wretched creature, but he saw that all was up, and that Gollum meant to murder him at any rate. Just in time he turned and ran blindly back up the dark passage down which he had come, keeping close to the wall and feeling it with his left hand.

此時，咕嚕眼中的光芒已經變成了一團綠色的火焰，而且正飛快地向比爾博靠近。咕嚕又跳上了船，瘋狂地往黑暗的岸邊劃來。他的心中充滿了丟失東西的憤怒和對比爾博的懷疑，所以什么樣的刀劍都不令他感到可怕了。

“What has it got in its pocketses?” he heard the hiss loud behind him, and the splash as Gollum leapt from his boat. “What have I, I wonder?” he said to himself, as he panted and stumbled along. He put his left hand in his pocket. The ring felt very cold as it quietly slipped on to his groping forefinger.

比爾博實在猜不出來，到底是什么讓這個家伙這么生氣。但他知道一切都完了。咕?？磥碓趺炊家獨⒘怂恕Ｋ皶r轉過身去，朝著來時那條漆黑的隧道跑去，他緊貼著墻，邊跑邊用左手感受著墻壁。

The hiss was close behind him. He turned now and saw Gollum’s eyes like small green lamps coming up the slope. Terrified he tried to run faster, but suddenly he struck his toes on a snag in the floor, and fell flat with his little sword under him.

“它的口袋里有什么呢?”他聽見身后傳來很響的帶嘶嘶的說話聲，接著是咕嚕從船上跳下時的水花聲。“我有的這個到底是什么呢?”他一邊氣喘吁吁、踉踉蹌蹌地跑著，一邊對自己說。他把左手伸進口袋里，戒指無聲無息地滑上了他正在摸索的食指上，感到非常冷。

In a moment Gollum was on him. But before Bilbo could do anything, recover his breath, pick himself up, or wave his sword, Gollum passed by, taking no notice of him, cursing and whispering as he ran.

嘶嘶聲越來越近了。他轉過身，看見咕嚕的眼睛像兩盞綠色的小燈一樣沿著斜坡向他靠近。驚恐之下他不禁加快了步伐，卻不小心踢到了地面上的一個突起，摔了一個嘴啃泥，把寶劍壓在了身下。

What could it mean? Gollum could see in the dark. Bilbo could see the light of his eyes palely shining even from behind. Painfully he got up, and sheathed his sword, which was now glowing faintly again, then very cautiously he followed. There seemed nothing else to do. It was no good crawling back down to Gollum’s water. Perhaps if he followed him, Gollum might lead him to some way of escape without meaning to.

轉眼間咕嚕就趕上了他?？蛇€沒等比爾博來得及做任何事，比如調整呼吸，站起身來，或是揮舞寶劍，咕嚕已經從他身邊過去了，一點都沒有注意到他，只顧自己一邊跑，一邊罵罵咧咧，自言自語。

“Curse it! curse it! curse it!” hissed Gollum. “Curse the Baggins! It’s gone! What has it got in its pocketses? Oh we guess, we guess, my precious. He’s found it, yes he must have. My birthday-present.”

這是怎么回事?咕嚕在黑暗中也能看見東西，比爾博從后面都可以看見他的眼睛發(fā)出淡淡的光芒。他痛苦地站起身來，將重新放出微光的寶劍裝入鞘內，然后小心翼翼地跟在咕嚕后面。現在如果掉頭往下，爬回到咕嚕的湖邊是不會有任何好處的。如果跟在咕嚕后面，他或許倒會在無意中帶比爾博找到出口。

Bilbo pricked up his ears. He was at last beginning to guess himself. He hurried a little, getting as close as he dared behind Gollum, who was still going quickly, not looking back, but turning his head from side to side, as Bilbo could see from the faint glimmer on the walls.

“詛咒它!詛咒它!詛咒它!”咕嚕嘶嘶地吼道，“詛咒巴金斯!它不見了!它口袋里到底有什么?噢，我們猜到了，我們猜到了，我的寶貝——被他撿去了，對肯定被他撿去了，我的生日禮物啊!”

“My birthday-present! Curse it! How did we lose it, my precious? Yes, that’s it. When we came this way last, when we twisted that nassty young squeaker. That’s it. Curse it! It slipped from us, after all these ages and ages! It’s gone, gollum.”

波爾博豎起耳朵聽著，終于，他也開始懷疑起自己來。他稍稍加快了一點步伐，在他膽量許可的范圍內盡可能靠近咕嚕。咕嚕依然在快步走著，無暇回頭朝后看，但卻左右張望著，比爾博是就著墻壁上的微光看到的。

Suddenly Gollum sat down and began to weep, a whistling and gurgling sound horrible to listen to. Bilbo halted and flattened himself against the tunnel-wall. After a while Gollum stopped weeping and began to talk. He seemed to be having an argument with himself.

“我的生日禮物!詛咒它!我們怎么把它給弄丟了呢，寶貝?是的，就是這么回事兒!詛咒它!它從我們手上滑走了，肯定已經丟了很久了!它不見了，咕嚕。”

“It’s no good going back there to search, no. We doesn’t remember all the places we’ve visited. And it’s no use. The Baggins has got it in its pocketses; the nassty noser has found it, we says.”

突然間，咕嚕坐了下來，開始哭了起來，那聲音既像吹口哨，又像在咯咯笑，讓人聽了感覺很可怕。比爾博停下腳步，背緊靠著洞壁。過了一陣子之后，咕嚕止住了哭泣，開始說起話來，似乎在和自己吵架。

“We guesses, precious, only guesses. We can’t know till we find the nassty creature and squeezes it. But it doesn’t know what the present can do, does it? It’ll just keep it in its pocketses. It doesn’t know, and it can’t go far. It’s lost itself, the nassty nosey thing. It doesn’t know the way out. It said so.”

“再回去找也沒用，沒用，我們去過哪些地方根本記不得了，不會有用的。巴金斯把它放在口袋里了，那個討厭的愛管閑事的家伙找到了它。

“It said so, yes; but it’s tricksy. It doesn’t say what it means. It won’t say what it’s got in its pocketses. It knows. It knows a way in, it must know a way out, yes. It’s off to the back-door. To the back-door, that’s it.”

“這是我們的猜測，寶貝，只是猜測。只有找到那個討厭東西，好好逼問一下才能確定。不過它還不知道這禮物的用處呢，是吧?它只是把它放進了口袋。它不知道的，它也走不遠。它迷路了，這個討厭的家伙。它不知道出去的路，它是這么說的。

“The goblinses will catch it then. It can’t get out that way, precious.”

“它是這么說沒錯，但也可能有詐。它沒說這是什么意思，它也不肯說口袋里裝的是什么東西。它知道。它知道進來的路，就一定知道出去的路，肯定如此。它去后門了，對，去后門，就這么辦!

“Ssss, sss, gollum! Goblinses! Yes, but if it’s got the present, our precious present, then goblinses will get it, gollum! They’ll find it, they’ll find out what it does. We shan’t ever be safe again, never, gollum! One of the goblinses will put it on, and then no one will see him. He’ll be there but not seen. Not even our clever eyeses will notice him; and he’ll come creepsy and tricksy and catch us, gollum, gollum!”

“它要是走后門，半獸人會抓住它的。它不可能從那邊出去，寶貝兒。“嘶噺，嘶嘶，咕嚕!半獸人!是的，但是如果它拿到了我們的禮物，我們珍貴的禮物，那半獸人就會得到，咕嚕!他們會發(fā)現的，會發(fā)現它有什么用處。我們就再也不安全了，永遠不安全了，咕嚕!會有半獸人把它戴上，然后沒人會看見他。他會隱形，連我們聰明的眼睛也看不見他，他會悄悄地跑來把我們抓住，咕嚕，咕嚕!

“Then let’s stop talking, precious, and make haste. If the Baggins has gone that way, we must go quick and see. Go! Not far now. Make haste!”

“那我們還是別再聊天了吧，寶貝，得趕緊行動了。如果巴金斯往這個方向走了，我們必須要趕快過去看。走吧!不遠了，趕快!”

With a spring Gollum got up and started shambling off at a great pace. Bilbo hurried after him, still cautiously, though his chief fear now was of tripping on another snag and falling with a noise. His head was in a whirl of hope and wonder. It seemed that the ring he had was a magic ring: it made you invisible! He had heard of such things, of course, in old old tales; but it was hard to believe that he really had found one, by accident. Still there it was: Gollum with his bright eyes had passed him by, only a yard to one side.

咕嚕一躍而起，立刻開始邁著大步搖搖晃晃地走了起來。比爾博依舊小心翼翼地緊跟在他身后，只不過，這回他擔心的是別又像剛才那樣賜到地上的突起，在摔倒時發(fā)出聲響。他的小腦袋中被希望和驚奇沖擊得有點暈暈乎乎?？磥硭麚斓降氖莻€魔法戒指：它可以讓人隱身!當然，他曾經在非常非常古老的傳說中聽過這種事，但自己竟然真的在無意中找到了一件這樣的寶物，實在令他難以置信。不過眼前的證據由不得他不信：擁有銳利雙眼的咕嚕從他身旁只有一碼的地方走了過去，卻對他視而不見。

On they went, Gollum flip-flapping ahead, hissing and cursing; Bilbo behind going as softly as a hobbit can. Soon they came to places where, as Bilbo had noticed on the way down, side-passages opened, this way and that. Gollum began at once to count them.

他們繼續(xù)往前走，咕嚕啪嗒啪嗒地走在前面，一邊發(fā)出嘶嘶的聲音一邊罵罵咧咧;比爾博跟在后面，以霍比特人最輕柔無聲的步伐走著。不久，他們就來到了比爾博下來之時曾注意到的有許多岔路的地方，咕嚕馬上開始數起岔路來。

“One left, yes. One right, yes. Two right, yes, yes. Two left, yes, yes.” And so on and on.

“左邊一條，對;右邊一條，對。右邊兩條，對，對。左邊兩條，對，對。”他就這樣一直叨叨個不停。

As the count grew he slowed down, and he began to get shaky and weepy; for he was leaving the water further and further behind, and he was getting afraid. Goblins might be about, and he had lost his ring. At last he stopped by a low opening, on their left as they went up.

他越數越多，漸漸地就慢了下來，接著他的身體開始抖了起來，發(fā)出了啜泣聲，因為他已經離開地底湖越來越遠，心中開始感到害怕了。半獸人可能就在周圍，而他又弄丟了戒指。最后，他在左邊一個低矮的隧道口停了下來。

“Seven right, yes. Six left, yes!” he whispered. “This is it. This is the way to the back-door, yes. Here’s the passage!”

“右邊七條，對，左邊六條，對!”他低聲道，“就是這個了，這就是通往后門的路，就是這條路!”

He peered in, and shrank back. “But we dursn’t go in, precious, no we dursn’t. Goblinses down there. Lots of goblinses. We smells them. Ssss!”

他往里窺探著，又縮了回來。“可是我們不想要進去，寶貝，不，我們不想，前面有半獸人，很多半獸人，我們可以聞到他們的味道。嘶嘶!“我們該怎么辦?詛咒他們，碾死他們!我們得等在這里，寶貝兒，再等一會兒看看。”

“What shall we do? Curse them and crush them! We must wait here, precious, wait a bit and see.”

于是他們就完全停了下來。咕嚕畢竟還是把比爾博帶到了出口，但比爾博卻不能進去!因為咕嚕駝著背坐在人口那里，雙眼發(fā)出冷冷的光，頭則在雙膝之間左右掃視著。

So they came to a dead stop. Gollum had brought Bilbo to the way out after all, but Bilbo could not get in! There was Gollum sitting humped up right in the opening, and his eyes gleamed cold in his head, as he swayed it from side to side between his knees.

比爾博用比老鼠更小的聲音離開洞壁，但咕嚕立刻渾身一緊，開始用鼻子嗅了起來，眼睛變綠了。他輕輕地發(fā)出嘶噺聲，卻充滿著威脅的意味。他看不見霍比特人，卻已經提高了警覺;而且，他還有其他在黑暗中變得更敏銳的知覺——聽覺和嗅覺。他趴到了地面上，雙手張開，頭伸了出來，鼻子幾乎湊到了石頭上。

Bilbo crept away from the wall more quietly than a mouse; but Gollum stiffened at once, and sniffed, and his eyes went green. He hissed softly but menacingly. He could not see the hobbit, but now he was on the alert, and he had other senses that the darkness had sharpened: hearing and smell. He seemed to be crouched right down with his flat hands splayed on the floor, and his head thrust out, nose almost to the stone. Though he was only a black shadow in the gleam of his own eyes, Bilbo could see or feel that he was tense as a bowstring, gathered for a spring.

雖然他只是自己雙眼放出的微光中的一團暗影，但比爾博卻可以看見或者說感覺到：他已經像弓弦一樣緊繃，蓄積著力量，隨時準備一躍而起。

Bilbo almost stopped breathing, and went stiff himself. He was desperate. He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts passed in a flash of a second. He trembled. And then quite suddenly in another flash, as if lifted by a new strength and resolve, he leaped.

比爾博害怕得幾乎停止了呼吸，自己的身體也變得僵硬起來，幾乎陷入了絕望。他必須要趁著自己還有力氣，走出這片恐怖的黑暗，去奮力一搏。他一定要刺死這個邪惡的家伙，讓他的眼睛失去光芒。這意味著他必須要殺死咕嚕。不，這不是一場公平的戰(zhàn)斗。自己不僅已經隱形，而且咕嚕還手無寸鐵。細想一下，咕嚕其實并沒有威脅過要殺他，至少還沒有付諸行動。他處境悲慘，孤身一人，不知如何是好。突然間，比爾博的心中對咕嚕生出些理解來，一種混雜著恐懼的同情：他所能見到的只有茫茫沒有盡頭的黑暗歲月，生活沒有任何改善的希望，堅硬的巖石，冰冷的魚，偷偷摸摸地走動，鬼鬼祟祟地自言自語。這些念頭都在一瞬間掠過他的腦海。比爾博打了個寒戰(zhàn)，接著，又是在轉瞬之間，似乎是被一股嶄新的力量與決心托舉起一樣，他縱身一躍。

No great leap for a man, but a leap in the dark. Straight over Gollum’s head he jumped, seven feet forward and three in the air; indeed, had he known it, he only just missed cracking his skull on the low arch of the passage.

這一躍對人類來說算不了什么，但這卻是在黑暗中的奮力一躍。他直直地躍過了咕嚕的頭頂，往前飛了七呎，躍起空中有三呎。幸虧他不知道，他的腦袋差一點就砸在了通道那低矮的拱門上。

Gollum threw himself backwards, and grabbed as the hobbit flew over him, but too late: his hands snapped on thin air, and Bilbo, falling fair on his sturdy feet, sped off down the new tunnel. He did not turn to see what Gollum was doing. There was a hissing and cursing almost at his heels at first, then it stopped. All at once there came a blood-curdling shriek, filled with hatred and despair. Gollum was defeated. He dared go no further. He had lost: lost his prey, and lost, too, the only thing he had ever cared for, his precious. The cry brought Bilbo’s heart to his mouth, but still he held on. Now faint as an echo, but menacing, the voice came behind:

咕嚕立刻轉過身去，在霍比特人躍過頭頂時朝空中抓去，但還是慢了一拍：他的雙手只抓到了薄薄的空氣，比爾博則憑了他那健壯的雙腳穩(wěn)穩(wěn)落地，朝著這條新的隧道飛奔而去。他沒有回頭去看咕嚕在干些什么。剛開始，他可以聽見嘶嘶聲和咒罵聲就追著他的腳后跟，后來那聲音停了下來，幾乎與此同時，后方傳來一聲讓人血液為之凍結的尖叫，叫聲中充滿了仇恨與絕望。咕嚕被打敗了，他不敢再往前走了，他已經輸了：他不僅追丟了獵物，更弄丟了他這輩子惟一在乎的東西，他的寶貝。這聲尖叫讓比爾博的心懸到了嗓子眼兒，但他繼續(xù)不停步地往前跑著。那微弱得如同回聲，但充滿威脅的喊聲從背后傳來：

“Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it for ever!”

“小偷，小偷，小偷!巴金斯!我們恨它，我們恨它，我們永遠都恨它!”

Then there was a silence. But that too seemed menacing to Bilbo. “If goblins are so near that he smelt them,” he thought, “then they’ll have heard his shrieking and cursing. Careful now, or this way will lead you to worse things.”

然后是一片死寂，但這對于比爾博來說，依舊充滿著危險。“如果半獸人近到可以被咕嚕聞到氣味，那么他們也會聽見他的尖叫和咒罵。從現在起得打起十二萬分的精神了，不然這一路還不知道會遇到怎樣可怕的事情呢。”

The passage was low and roughly made. It was not too difficult for the hobbit, except when, in spite of all care, he stubbed his poor toes again, several times, on nasty jagged stones in the floor. “A bit low for goblins, at least for the big ones,” thought Bilbo, not knowing that even the big ones, the orcs of the mountains, go along at a great speed stooping low with their hands almost on the ground.

這條隧道不僅低矮，造得也十分簡陋。這對于霍比特人來說，并不算太難走，除了有幾次，盡管他已經十分當心了，他那可憐的腳趾頭還是踢到了地上那些討厭的坑坑洼洼的碎石。“對半獸人來說有點矮，至少對那些大個子是這樣。”比爾博想。其實他不知道，即使是大個子的半獸人，由于習慣了山里的生活，也可以彎著身子，雙手幾乎垂地，飛快地行走。

Soon the passage that had been sloping down began to go up again, and after a while it climbed steeply. That slowed Bilbo down. But at last the slope stopped, the passage turned a corner and dipped down again, and there, at the bottom of a short incline, he saw, filtering round another corner—a glimpse of light. Not red light, as of fire or lantern, but a pale out-of-doors sort of light. Then Bilbo began to run.

很快，一直在往下的隧道開始往上走了，又過了一陣之后，它更是變得陡峭起來。這讓比爾博的速度慢了下來。但到了最后，向上的斜坡到頭了，隧道轉過一個彎，又開始往下走。遠方，在一小段下坡的盡頭，從又一個拐角的后面，透過來一縷亮光。那不是營火或燈籠之類放出的紅光，而是一縷白色的天光。比爾博開始跑了起來。

Scuttling as fast as his legs would carry him he turned the last corner and came suddenly right into an open space, where the light, after all that time in the dark, seemed dazzlingly bright. Really it was only a leak of sunshine in through a doorway, where a great door, a stone door, was left standing open.

他讓雙腿帶著自己盡力飛奔，繞過最后的彎角，終于跑進一片開闊的空間。他在黑暗中待了那么久之后，這里的光線讓他覺得十分刺眼。其實，這還只是從門縫中漏進來灑在門道內的一點陽光，門道盡頭的一扇石門居然是開著的。

Bilbo blinked, and then suddenly he saw the goblins: goblins in full armour with drawn swords sitting just inside the door, and watching it with wide eyes, and watching the passage that led to it. They were aroused, alert, ready for anything.

比爾博眨眨眼，這時他突然看見了半獸人：幾個半獸人全副武裝，手拿刀劍，就坐在門里邊，眼睛睜得大大的盯著門，也盯著通往大門的門道。他們已經嚴陣以待，為即將到來的一切作好了準備。

They saw him sooner than he saw them. Yes, they saw him. Whether it was an accident, or a last trick of the ring before it took a new master, it was not on his finger. With yells of delight the goblins rushed upon him.

比爾博還沒看見他們的時候他們就已經看見比爾博了。對，他們看見他了。不知這是個意外，還是戒指在認自己的新主人之前開的最后一個玩笑，反正這會兒它沒有在比爾博的手指上。半獸人歡呼著朝他沖了過來。

A pang of fear and loss, like an echo of Gollum’s misery, smote Bilbo, and forgetting even to draw his sword he struck his hands into his pockets. And there was the ring still, in his left pocket, and it slipped on his finger. The goblins stopped short. They could not see a sign of him. He had vanished. They yelled twice as loud as before, but not so delightedly.

一陣恐懼和茫然向比爾博襲來，那簡直像是咕嚕的痛苦所激起的回聲。他甚至忘記了去拔劍，而是將手伸進了口袋。戒指依然還在，就在他左邊的口袋中，手剛一伸進去，戒指就滑了上去。半獸人們戛然止住了腳步——他們一點都看不見他了，他就這么憑空消失了。他們發(fā)出比之前高過一倍的吼叫聲，但不是剛才的那種歡呼了。

“Where is it?” they cried.

“他到哪兒去了?”大家喊道。

“Go back up the passage!” some shouted.

“回到隧道里去了!”有人喊。

“This way!” some yelled. “That way!” others yelled.

“往這兒走了!”有些人叫道。“往那兒跑了!”其他人叫道。

“Look out for the door,” bellowed the captain.

“盯緊大門。”他們的隊長咆哮道。

Whistles blew, armour clashed, swords rattled, goblins cursed and swore and ran hither and thither, falling over one another and getting very angry. There was a terrible outcry, to-do, and disturbance.

哨聲響起，盔甲撞擊，刀劍錚錚作響，半獸人咒罵著像沒頭蒼蠅般四處瞎跑，相互絆倒，彼此發(fā)起火來。那真是好一場可怕的騷亂哪!

Bilbo was dreadfully frightened, but he had the sense to understand what had happened and to sneak behind a big barrel which held drink for the goblin-guards, and so get out of the way and avoid being bumped into, trampled to death, or caught by feel.

比爾博怕得要命，但他總算還能弄清楚狀況，知道偷偷溜到半獸人守衛(wèi)裝酒的大桶后面躲了起來，因此沒有擋到任何人的路，也避免了被人撞倒，踩踏而死，或是因為被人摸到而抓住。

“I must get to the door, I must get to the door!” he kept on saying to himself, but it was a long time before he ventured to try. Then it was like a horrible game of blind-man’s-buff. The place was full of goblins running about, and the poor little hobbit dodged this way and that, was knocked over by a goblin who could not make out what he had bumped into, scrambled away on all fours, slipped between the legs of the captain just in time, got up, and ran for the door.

“我一定得到門口去，我一定得到門口去!”他不停地對自己說道，但直到過了很久他才敢冒險嘗試。接下來就像是一場可怕的捉迷藏游戲，到處都是四處瞎跑的半獸人，可憐的小霍比特人左躲右閃，還是被一個半獸人給撞倒了，那個半獸人則根本不知道自己究竟撞上了什么。比爾博手足并用在地上爬著，并及時爬過了隊長的胯下，站起身來，朝著門口奔去。

It was still ajar, but a goblin had pushed it nearly to. Bilbo struggled but he could not move it. He tried to squeeze through the crack. He squeezed and squeezed, and he stuck! It was awful. His buttons had got wedged on the edge of the door and the door-post. He could see outside into the open air: there were a few steps running down into a narrow valley between tall mountains; the sun came out from behind a cloud and shone bright on the outside of the door—but he could not get through.

大門依舊半開著，但有個半獸人將它推得只剩下一條縫。比爾博使出了吃奶的力氣去推，結果大石門巋然不動。他想從那條縫里擠過去，擠來擠去的，竟然卡在了縫里。他的紐扣卡在了門與門柱之間。他可以看見露天中的景象：再跑幾步就能進入高山夾著的一條狹窄山谷，太陽從云后探出頭來，照得門外陽光明媚——可他就是擠不過去。

Suddenly one of the goblins inside shouted: “There is a shadow by the door. Something is outside!”

突然間，門里邊的一個半獸人大喊道：“門旁邊有個影子，外面有東西!”

Bilbo’s heart jumped into his mouth. He gave a terrific squirm. Buttons burst off in all directions. He was through, with a torn coat and waistcoat, leaping down the steps like a goat, while bewildered goblins were still picking up his nice brass buttons on the doorstep.

比爾博的心又跳到了嗓子眼兒。他奮力一掙，紐扣往四面八方爆開，人終于擠了出去，外套和背心都扯破了。但他顧不得這些了，只見他像只山羊一樣一蹦一跳地沖下階梯，而那幫不明就里的半獸人則還在門口撿著他散落在臺階上的漂亮的銅紐扣。

Of course they soon came down after him, hooting and hallooing, and hunting among the trees. But they don’t like the sun: it makes their legs wobble and their heads giddy. They could not find Bilbo with the ring on, slipping in and out of the shadow of the trees, running quick and quiet, and keeping out of the sun; so soon they went back grumbling and cursing to guard the door. Bilbo had escaped.

當然，他們沒過多久就嗚里哇啦狂喊著追了下來，在林子里展開搜索。但他們不喜歡陽光，因為陽光會讓他們兩腿發(fā)軟，頭腦發(fā)暈。比爾博戴著戒指，他們當然找不到。此時他正在樹林的陰影中穿梭，迅捷而又悄無聲息地奔跑著，盡量不讓自己被陽光照到。因此，那些半獸人很快就抱怨著、咒罵著回去守大門去了。比爾博終于逃離了險境。