听力原文

Brandon had been twenty when he died, strangled by order of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen only a few short days before he was to wed Catelyn Tully of Riverrun. His father had been forced to watch him die. He was the true heir, the eldest, born to rule.

布兰登死时不过二十，就在他和奔流城的凯特琳·徒利成婚前几天，被绞死於「疯王」伊里斯·坦格利安二世的命令之下。他父亲被迫全程目睹爱子惨死的经过。其实布兰登才是真正的继承人，他既是长子，又是天生的领袖。

Lyanna had only been sixteen, a child-woman of surpassing loveliness. Ned had loved her with all his heart. Robert had loved her even more. She was to have been his bride.

莱安娜香消玉殡那年才十六岁，还是个童心未泯的女孩。奈德全心全意地疼爱这个妹妹，劳勃对她的爱犹有过之。她原本是要当他新娘的。

“She was more beautiful than that,” the king said after a silence. His eyes lingered on Lyanna’s face, as if he could will her back to life. Finally he rose, made awkward by his weight. “Ah, damn it, Ned, did you have to bury her in a place like this?” His voice was hoarse with remembered grief. “She deserved more than darkness?”

「她比这漂亮多了。」一阵沉默之後，国王开口说。他的眼光仍眷恋在莱安娜脸上不忍离去，彷佛这样可以将她唤回人世。最後他终於站起身，步履却因为过於肥胖而显得有些不稳。「妈的，奈德，你真有必要把她埋葬在这种地方麽？」他的声音因为忆起的悲痛而嘶哑了起来：「她不该这样与阴暗为伍……」

“She was a Stark of Winterfell,” Ned said quietly. “This is her place.”

「她是临冬城史塔克家族的人，」奈德平静地说：「她属於这里。」

“She should be on a hill somewhere, under a fruit tree, with the sun and clouds above her and the rain to wash her clean.”

「她应该安葬在风景优美的山丘上，坟上种棵果树，头顶上有阳光和白云与她为伴，还有风霜雨露为她沐浴。」

“I was with her when she died,” Ned reminded the king. “She wanted to come home, to rest beside Brandon and Father.” He could hear her still at times. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper, but when he gave her his word, the fear had gone out of his sister’s eyes. Ned remembered the way she had smiled then, how tightly her fingers had clutched his as she gave up her hold on life, the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black. After that he remembered nothing. They had found him still holding her body, silent with grief. The little crannogman, Howland Reed, had taken her hand from his. Ned could recall none of it. “I bring her flowers when I can,” he said. “Lyanna was fond of flowers.”

「她临终前我在她身边，」奈德提醒国王，「她只想要回家，长眠在布兰登和父亲身畔。」他偶尔还听得见她死前的呓语：「答应我！」她在那个弥漫血腥味和玫瑰馨香的房间里朝他喊道：「奈德，答应我！」迟迟不退的高烧吸走了她的力量，当时她气若游丝。但当他保证将信守诺言时，妹妹眼里的恐惧顿时一扫而空。奈德记得她最後的微笑，还有她如何紧紧抓住他的手，然後离开人世，玫瑰花瓣自她掌心倾流而出，沉暗而没有生气。在那之後发生了什麽事，他全部都不记得了。後来他们找到他的时候，他仍然紧紧抱著她了无生息的躯体，哀恸得说不出话。最後是那个矮小的泽地人霍兰·蔡德将她的手自他手中抽开。奈德完全想不起来。「我一有机会就会带花来看她，莱安娜她……一直很喜欢花。」

读物介绍：

《权力的游戏》是一部中世纪史诗奇幻题材的电视连续剧。该剧以美国作家乔治·R·R·马丁的奇幻巨作《冰与火之歌》七部曲为基础改编创作，由大卫·贝尼奥夫和丹尼尔·威斯编剧、HBO电视网推出。本剧第一季于2011年4月17日开播，第二季于2012年4月1日回归，第三季于2013年3月31日开始播出，第四季已获得预定，将在2014年春季回归。

妙语连珠

1. linger on 逗留

eg. We lingered on until after midnight.

我们一直呆到午夜之后才离去。

2. at times 有时；偶尔

eg. He gets close to wildlife at times, but only when the animals come to him.

他有时候和野生动物有近距离的接触，但也只是那些动物主动靠近他。