But for the Hall-Sun; she sat long on that stone by the Women’s-door; but when the evening was now come, she arose and went down through the cornfields and into the meadow, and wandered away as her feet took her.
Night was falling by then she reached that pool of Mirkwood-water, whose eddies1 she knew so well. There she let the water cover her in the deep stream, and she floated down and sported with the ripples2 where the river left that deep to race over the shallows; and the moon was casting shadows by then she came up the bank again by the shallow end bearing in her arms a bundle of the blue-flowering mouse-ear. Then she clad herself at once, and went straight as one with a set purpose toward the Great Roof, and entered by the Man’s-door; and there were few men within and they but old and heavy with the burden of years and the coming of night-tide; but they wondered and looked to each other and nodded their heads as she passed them by, as men who would say, There is something toward.
So she went to her sleeping-place, and did on fresh raiment, and came forth3 presently clad in white and shod with gold and having her hair wreathed about with the herb of wonder, the blue-flowering mouse-ear of Mirkwood-water. Thus she passed through the Hall, and those elders were stirred in their hearts when they beheld4 her beauty. But she opened the door of the Women’s-Chamber, and stood on the threshold; and lo, there sat the carline amidst a ring of the Wolfing women, and she telling them tales of old time such as they had not yet heard; and her eyes were glittering, and the sweet words were flowing from her mouth; but she sat straight up like a young woman; and at whiles it seemed to those who hearkened, that she was no old and outworn woman, but fair and strong, and of much avail. But when she heard the Hall-Sun she turned and saw her on the threshold, and her speech fell suddenly, and all that might and briskness5 faded from her, and she fixed6 her eyes on the Hall-Sun and looked wistfully and anxiously on her.
Then spake the Hall-Sun standing7 in the doorway8:
“Hear ye a matter, maidens9, and ye Wolfing women all,
And thou alien guest of the Wolfings! But come ye up the hall,
That the ancient men may hearken: for methinks I have a word
Of the battle of the Kindreds, and the harvest of the sword.”
Then all arose up with great joy, for they knew that the tidings were good, when they looked on the face of the Hall-Sun and beheld the pride of her beauty unmarred by doubt or pain.
She led them forth to the dais, and there were the sick and the elders gathered and some ancient men of the thralls10: so she stepped lightly up to her place, and stood under her namesake, the wondrous11 lamp of ancient days. And thus she spake:
“On my soul there lies no burden, and no tangle12 of the fight
In plain or dale or wild-wood enmeshes now my sight.
I see the Markmen’s wain-burg, and I see their warriors14 go
As men who wait for battle and the coming of the foe15.
And they pass ’twixt the wood and the wain-burg within earshot of the horn,
But over the windy meadows no sound thereof is borne,
And all is well amongst them. To the burg I draw anigh
And I see all battle-banners in the breeze of morning fly,
But no Wolfings round their banner and no warrior13 of the Shield,
No Geiring and no Hrossing in the burg or on the field.”
She held her peace for a little while, and no one dared to speak; then she lifted up her head and spake:
“Now I go by the lip of the wild-wood and a sound withal I hear,
As of men in the paths of the thicket16, and a many drawing anear.
Then, muffled17 yet by the tree-boles, I hear the Shielding song,
And warriors blithe18 and merry with the battle of the strong.
Give back a little, Markmen, make way for men to pass
To your ordered battle-dwelling o’er the trodden meadow-grass,
For alive with men is the wild-wood and shineth with the steel,
And hath a voice most merry to tell of the Kindreds’ weal,
’Twixt each tree a warrior standeth come back from the spear-strewn way,
And forth they come from the wild-wood and a little band are they.”
Then again was she silent; but her head sank not, as of one thinking, as before it did, but she looked straight forward with bright eyes and smiling, as she said:
“Lo, now the guests they are bringing that ye have not seen before;
Yet guests but ill-entreated; for they lack their shields of war,
No spear in the hand they carry and with no sax are girt.
Lo, these are the dreaded19 foemen, these once so strong to hurt;
The men that all folk fled from, the swift to drive the spoil,
The men that fashioned nothing but the trap to make men toil20.
They drew the sword in the cities, they came and struck the stroke
And smote21 the shield of the Markmen, and point and edge they broke.
They drew the sword in the war-garth, they swore to bring aback
God’s gifts from the Markmen houses where the tables never lack.
O Markmen, take the God-gifts that came on their own feet
O’er the hills through the Mirkwood thicket the Stone of Tyr to meet!”
Again she stayed her song, which had been loud and joyous22, and they who heard her knew that the Kindreds had gained the day, and whilst the Hall-Sun was silent they fell to talking of this fair day of battle and the taking of captives. But presently she spread out her hands again and they held their peace, and she said:
“I see, O Wolfing women, and many a thing I see,
But not all things, O elders, this eve shall ye learn of me,
For another mouth there cometh: the thicket I behold23
And the Sons of Tyr amidst it, and I see the oak-trees old,
And the war-shout ringing round them; and I see the battle-lord
Unhelmed amidst of the mighty24; and I see his leaping sword;
Strokes struck and warriors falling, and the streaks25 of spears I see,
But hereof shall the other tell you who speaketh after me.
For none other than the Shieldings from out the wood have come,
And they shift the turn with the Daylings to drive the folk-spear home,
And to follow with the Wolfings and thrust the war-beast forth.
And so good men deem the tidings that they bid them journey north
On the feet of a Shielding runner, that Gisli hath to name;
And west of the water he wendeth by the way that the Wolfings came;
Now for sleep he tarries never, and no meat is in his mouth
Till the first of the Houses hearkeneth the tidings of the south;
Lo, he speaks, and the mead-sea sippeth, and the bread by the way doth eat,
And over the Geiring threshold and outward pass his feet;
And he breasts the Burg of the Daylings and saith his happy word,
And stayeth to drink for a minute of the waves of Battle-ford.
Lone26 then by the stream he runneth, and wendeth the wild-wood road,
And dasheth through the hazels of the Oselings’ fair abode27,
And the Elking women know it, and their hearts are glad once more,
And ye — yea, hearken, Wolfings, for his feet are at the door.”
收听单词发音 |
1
eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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2
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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briskness
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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8
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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9
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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10
thralls
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| n.奴隶( thrall的名词复数 )；奴役；奴隶制；奴隶般受支配的人 | |
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11
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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12
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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13
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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14
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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15
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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16
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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17
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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18
blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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19
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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21
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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22
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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23
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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25
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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26
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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27
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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