C S 刘易斯(Clive Staples Lewis,1898-1963),出生于北爱尔兰首府贝尔法斯特的一个新教家庭,但长年居住于英格兰,是威尔士裔英国知名作家及护教士。他以儿童文学经典《纳尼亚传奇》系列闻名于世,此外他还写作了其他神学著作、中世纪文学研究等诸多作品。
刘易斯小时候因讨厌学校,只接受家庭教师授课。1916 年他获奖学金进入牛津大学就读,期间曾应征入伍参与第一次世界大战。1925 年起,他在牛津大学莫德林学院担任研究员,任教期间,他参加名为“吉光片羽(The Inklings)”读书会,并结识牛津大学英国文学教授N 柯格希尔,以及著名的《魔戒》作者J R R 托尔金,这场相遇改变了他整个人生。
1954 年,他当选为剑桥大学中世纪与文艺复兴期英国文学讲座教授,所写文学批评论文已成传世之作。他是一位甚受学生爱戴的老师。而他写作的神学和具神学深度的文学作品早已脍炙人口。其重要作品有:《纳尼亚传奇系列》、《太空三部曲》、《痛苦的奥秘》、《返璞归真》、《四种爱》等。
目錄:
Chapter 1 The Island 岛国 001
Chapter 2 The Ancient Treasure House 古代藏宝室 013
Chapter 3 The Dwarf 矮人 028
Chapter 4 The Dwarf Tells Of Prince Caspian 矮人讲述卡斯宾王子的故事 039
Chapter 5 Caspian’s Adventure In The Mountains 卡斯宾山中历险 055
Chapter 6 The People That Lived In Hiding 藏身于荒野之间的人们 073
Chapter 7 Old Narnia In Danger 古老纳尼亚陷入险境 085
Chapter 8 How They Left The Island 他们如何离开岛屿 100
Chapter 9 What Lucy Saw 露西的所见所闻 116
Chapter 10 The Return Of The Lion 狮王归来 133
Chapter 11 The Lion Roars 狮王咆哮 151
Chapter 12 Sorcery And Sudden Vengeance 巫术与即刻的刑罚 166
Chapter 13 The High King In Command 大帝运筹帷幄 182
Chapter 14 How All Were Very Busy 决战沙场 196
Chapter 15 Aslan Makes A Door In The Air 阿斯兰在空中开了一扇门 214
向和平
2013年12月
【文摘】
The Island
岛 国
Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure. They had opened the door of a magic wardrobe and found themselves in a quite different world from ours, and in that different world they had become Kings and Queens in a country called Narnia. While they were in Narnia they seemed to reign for years and years; but when they came back through the door and found themselves in England again, it all seemed to have taken no time at all. At any rate, no one noticed that they had ever been away, and they never told anyone except one very wise grown-up.
That had all happened a year ago, and now all four of them were sitting on a seat at a railway station with trunks and playboxes piled up round them. They were, in fact, on their way back to school. They had travelled together as far as this station, which was a junction; and here, in a few minutes, one train would arrive and take the girls away to one school, and in about half an hour another train would arrive and the boys would go off to another school. The first part of the journey, when they were all together, always seemed to be part of the holidays; but now when they would be saying goodbye and going different ways so soon, everyone felt that the holidays were really over and everyone felt their term-time feeling beginning again, and they were all rather gloomy and no one could think of anything to say. Lucy was going to boarding school for the first time.
It was an empty, sleepy, country station and there was hardly anyone on the platform except themselves. Suddenly Lucy gave a sharp little cry, like someone who has been stung by a wasp.
“What’s up, Lu?” said Edmund—and then suddenly broke off and made a noise like “Ow!”
“What on earth—” began Peter, and then he too suddenly changed what he had been going to say. Instead, he said, “Susan, let go! What are you doing? Where are you dragging me to?”
“I’m not touching you,” said Susan. “Someone is pulling me. Oh—oh—oh—stop it!”
Everyone noticed that all the others’ faces had gone very white.
“I felt just the same,” said Edmund in a breathless voice. “As if I were being dragged along. A most frightful pulling—ugh! It’s beginning again.”
“Me too,” said Lucy. “Oh, I can’t bear it.”
“Look sharp!” shouted Edmund. “All catch hands and keep together. This is magic—I can tell by the feeling. Quick!”
“Yes,” said Susan. “Hold hands. Oh, I do wish it would stop—oh!”
Next moment the luggage, the seat, the platform, and the station had completely vanished. The four children, holding hands and panting, found themselves standing in a woody place—such a woody place that branches were sticking into them and there was hardly room to move. They all rubbed their eyes and took a deep breath.
“Oh, Peter!” exclaimed Lucy. “Do you think we can possibly have got back to Narnia?”
“It might be anywhere,” said Peter. “I can’t see a yard in all these trees. Let’s try to get into the open—if there is any open.”
With some difficulty, and with some stings from nettles and pricks from thorns, they struggled out of the thicket. Then they had another surprise. Everything became much brighter, and after a few steps they found themselves at the edge of the wood, looking down on a sandy beach. A few yards away a very calm sea was falling on the sand with such tiny ripples that it made hardly any sound. There was no land in sight and no clouds in the sky. The sun was about where it ought to be at ten o’clock in the morning, and the sea was a dazzling blue. They stood sniffing in the sea-smell.
??????
从前有四个孩子,他们的名字是彼得、苏珊、埃德蒙和露西。我在另外一本叫做《狮子,女巫和魔衣柜》的书中讲述了他们非同寻常的历险故事。他们打开了魔衣柜的门,进入了一个与我们这个世界截然不同的世界。在那个世界里,他们成为了纳尼亚国的国王和女王,并且在那里统治了很多年。后来,他们再次经过那扇柜门,发现自己又回到了英国,所有的一切似乎都发生在短短的一瞬间。不管怎样,没有人注意到他们曾经离去。他们只将这个奇遇告诉了一位睿智的长者,其他的人都毫不知情。
那些事情发生在一年以前。此刻他们兄妹四人正坐在一个火车站的长椅上,身边堆放着行李箱和杂物盒。事实上,他们正在去往学校的路上。兄妹四人结伴同行,到这里就要分手了。因为这个车站是个中转站,再过几分钟,一列火车即将驶来,将女孩子们带往她们的学校。大约半个小时之后,另一辆火车又会到来,男孩子们将乘坐那辆火车前往另一所学校。前一半旅途,大家欢聚一堂,仿佛假期还没有到头。现在告别在即,马上就要各奔前程,每个人都感到,假期真的已经结束了,从此又该“上套”了。他们的心情相当郁闷,没有人知道该说些什么。而露西是第一次到寄宿学校去上学。
那是一个空空荡荡、令人昏昏欲睡的乡村车站,除了他们,站台上几乎空无一人。突然露西轻轻地惊叫了一声,就像是被马蜂蛰了一下。
“怎么啦,露?”埃德蒙问道——他的话突然中断,发出了一个类似“噢!”的声音。
“到底怎么——”彼得开口询问,但是他也突然改变了话题,转而说道,“苏珊,放开手!你在做什么?你想拖我去哪里呀?”
“我没有碰你,”苏珊说,“有人正在拉我。啊-啊-啊-住手!”
每个人都注意到,另外三人的脸色变得异常苍白。
“我也有同样的感觉,”埃德蒙上气不接下气地说,“好像我正在被人拖走。一种非常可怕的力量——啊!又开始了。”
“我也是,”露西说,“哦,我顶不住啦。”
“注意!”埃德蒙喊道,“大家手拉手,站在一起。这是魔法——通过感觉我能识别出来。快!”
“是的,”苏珊说,“手拉紧。啊,我真希望它能够停下来——啊!”
转瞬之间,行李,座椅,站台以及火车站全都消失了。四个孩子发现自己站在一个密林之中,手拉着手,气喘吁吁——这里的树木非常茂密,有些枝条甚至戳到了他们身上,他们被卡在那里,几乎动弹不得。孩子们揉了揉眼睛,深深地吸了一口气。
“啊,彼得!”露西惊叫道,“你觉得我们是不是又回到了纳尼亚?”
“这里可能是任何一个地方,”彼得说,“有这么多树,我看不到一米以外的地方。让我们想办法找个空地——如果能够找到的话。”
他们忍受着荨麻的刺扎,荆棘划破了皮肤,费了好大的劲儿,才挣脱出灌木丛。这时,他们又一次感到惊奇,周围的一切都变得明亮起来。刚走出几步,他们便发现自己已经来到树林的边缘,向下俯视着一个沙滩。几米之外,是风平浪静的大海,纤细的浪花悄无声息地拍打着沙滩。他们目光所及,看不到陆地,只见海天一色,晴空万里。按照太阳的高度来推测,这时应该是上午十点钟左右。湛蓝的大海令人目眩。他们站在那里,深深地呼吸着大海的气息。
??????