Chapter 9 The Founding of Narnia

THE Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song. It was softer and more lilting than the song by which he had called up the stars and the sun; a gentle, rippling music. And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass. It spread out from the Lion like a pool. It ran up the sides of the little hills like a wave. In a few minutes it was creeping up the lower slopes of the distant mountains, making that young world every moment softer. The light wind could now be heard ruffling the grass. Soon there were other things besides grass. The higher slopes grew dark with heather. Patches of rougher and more bristling green appeared in the valley. Digory did not know what they were until one began coming up quite close to him. It was a little, spiky thing that threw out dozens of arms and covered these arms with green and grew larger at the rate of about an inch every two seconds. There were dozens of these things all round him now. When they were nearly as tall as himself he saw what they were. "Trees!" he exclaimed.

The nuisance of it, as Polly said afterwards, was that you weren't left in peace to watch it all. Just as Digory said "Trees!" he had to jump because Uncle Andrew had sidled up to him again and was going to pick his pocket. It wouldn't have done Uncle Andrew much good if he had succeeded, for he was aiming at the right-hand pocket because he still thought the green rings were "homeward" rings. But of course Digory didn't want to lose either.

"Stop!" cried the Witch. "Stand back. No, further back. If anyone goes within ten paces of either of the children, I will knock out his brains." She was poising in her hand the iron bar that she had torn off the lamp-post, ready to throw it. Somehow no one doubted that she would be a very good shot.

"So!" -she said. "You would steal back to your own world with the boy and leave me here."

Uncle Andrew's temper at last got the better of his fears. "Yes, Ma'am, I would," he said. "Most undoubtedly I would. I should be perfectly in my rights. I have been most shamefully, most abominably treated. I have done my best to show you such civilities as were in my power. And what has been my reward? You have robbed - I must repeat the word robbed a highly respectable jeweller. You have insisted on my entertaining you to an exceedingly expensive, not to say ostentatious, lunch, though I was obliged to pawn my watch and chain in order to do so (and let me tell you, Ma'am, that none of our family have been in the habit of frequenting pawnshops, except my cousin Edward, and he was in the Yeomanry). During that indigestible meal - I'm feeling the worse for it at this very moment - your behaviour and conversation attracted the unfavourable attention of everyone present. I feel I have been publicly disgraced. I shall never be able to show my face in that restaurant again. You have assaulted the police. You have stolen -"

"Oh stow it, Guv'nor, do stow it," said the Cabby. "Watchin' and listenin's the thing at present; not talking."

There was certainly plenty to watch and to listen to. The tree which Digory had noticed was now a full-grown beech whose branches swayed gently above his head. They stood on cool, green grass, sprinkled with daisies and buttercups. A little way off, along the river bank, willows were growing. On the other side tangles of flowering currant, lilac, wild rose, and rhododendron closed them in. The horse was tearing up delicious mouthfuls of new grass.

第9章 纳尼亚的诞生

狮子唱着新歌，在空旷的大地上走来走去。这歌声比刚才唤起星星和太阳的歌声更柔和，更轻快活泼，是一曲如潺潺流水般温暖的乐声。随着它的移动和歌唱，河谷里长出青青碧草，从狮子身边像水潭一样蔓延开去，又如浪花一般爬到小山坡上。一会儿，青草就长上了远处大山的斜坡，年轻的世界每一瞬间都变得更加柔美。徽风沙沙地拂动青草。很快，除了草，又出现了别的东西。高高的山坡上长出了颜色暗淡的石南属植物，河谷里旨出了一片片毛茬茬的粗糙不平的绿色。迪格雷刚开始不知道是什么，直到其中一个来到离他很近的地方。那是一种长而尖的小东西，身上长出几十支手臂，上面班盖着绿色之物，而且以每两秒钟一寸的速度增大。现在他的周围到处都有这样的东西。等它们长到与他高度相似时，他才恍然大悟地喊道“树！”

令人沮丧的是，正如波莉以后说的，你无法安安静静地观赏这一切。迪格雷说“树”的同时，他不得不跳到一边，因为安德鲁舅舅又悄悄溜到他身旁，企图偷他的戒指。即使他偷到手也没有多大好处，因为他一直以为绿戒指管返回，便把目标对准右边口袋。当然，迪格雷也不想让他得逞。

“住手” 女巫大叫，“站回去。不准往前走。谁要是走到离这两个小孩中的任何一个十步远的地方，我就敲碎他的脑袋。”她挥舞着那根从灯柱上扭下来的铁棒，随时准备扔出去。不管怎么说，人人都相信她会扔得很准。

“好哇，”她说，“你想带着这男孩偷偷跑回你们的世界，而把我留在这儿。”

安德鲁舅舅终于不怕她了，忍不住发了火。“是的，夫人，”他说，“豪无疑问，我就想这么干。这完全是我的权力。我蒙受了最大的羞辱，受到了最低等的待遇。我曾经尽全力尊敬你，讨好你，但我得到的报答是什么呢？你抢劫……我一定要重复这两个字……抢劫了受人尊敬的珠宝商。你坚持要我招待你最昂贵（不用说也是最铺张）的午餐。这样一来，我不得不当掉手表和表链（告诉你，夫人，我们家还没谁有经常光顾当铺的习惯，除了我的表哥爱德华，他参加过义勇骑兵队）。吃那顿消化不了的午饭时…… 现在想起来我更难受了…… 你的言行骚扰了在座的每一个人。我觉得自己在公众场合丢了脸。以后，我再没有脸去那个饭店了。你袭击警察察，还愉了……”

“别说了，先生，请别说了。”马车夫说，“看一看、听一听眼前发生的事吧，不要讲话。”

值得看和值得听的实在太多了。迪格雷最先看见的那棵树己经长成一棵粗壮的山毛榉，枝丫优美地在他头顶上舒展。他们站立的那片凉爽的青草地上散布着雏菊和毛莨属植物。稍远的地方，沿河生长着柳树。河的对岸，绽放着一丛丛茶藨子、丁香花、野玫瑰和杜鹃花。那匹马大口大口地撕咬着新鲜的草。