第七章: 圣盔谷 Helm’s Deep
Night closed about them. At last they halted to make their camp. They had ridden for some five hours and were far out upon the western plain, yet more than half their journey lay still before them. In a great circle, under the starry sky and the waxing moon, they now made their bivouac. They lit no fires, for they were uncertain of events; but they set a ring of mounted guards about them, and scouts rode out far ahead, passing like shadows in the folds of the land. The slow night passed without tidings or alarm. At dawn the horns sounded, and within an hour they took the road again.
夜色将众人包围。不得不停下来扎营。他们已经马不停蹄地赶了五个小时路程，但眼前还有超过一半的距离。他们在满天的星斗和月光下绕成一个大圆，扎起了营帐。由于他们不熟悉四周的状况，因此也不敢生火，但还是在四周设下了重重的守卫，斥候也骑到远方打探敌情。这一晚就相安无事的度过了，到了黎明，号角声再度响起，一个小时之内他们又踏上了征途。
The sun was already westering as they rode from Edoras, and the light of it was in their eyes, turning all the rolling fields of Rohan to a golden haze. There was a beaten way, north-westward along the foot-hills of the White Mountains, and this they followed, up and down in a green country, crossing small swift streams by many fords. Far ahead and to their right the Misty Mountains loomed; ever darker and taller they grew as the miles went by. The sun went slowly down before them. Evening came behind.
当他们离开伊多拉斯的时候，太阳已经开始西沉，落日的光芒让眼前洛汗的大草原染上了黄金的火焰。他们沿着一条西北方靠着白色山脉的大路前进，越过许多条细小的河流。他们的右方极远处是耸立的迷雾山脉，随着他们的脚步，它变得越来越高大、越来越黑暗。太阳在他们面前缓缓沉坠，暮色也跟着降临。
The host rode on. Need drove them. Fearing to come too late, they rode with all the speed they could, pausing seldom. Swift and enduring were the steeds of Rohan, but there were many leagues to go. Forty leagues and more it was, as a bird flies, from Edoras to the fords of the Isen, where they hoped to find the king’s men that held back the hosts of Saruman.
马队继续前进，他们担心太晚抵达，于是以全速前进，偶尔才会停下来休息洛汗国的良马善驰耐久，但眼前还有许多哩的旅程。从伊多拉斯到艾辛河渡口的直线距离，大约有一百二十哩，他们希望能够在那边和阻挡萨鲁曼入侵的部队会合。
Gandalf dropped back to where Legolas rode beside Éomer. “You have the keen eyes of your fair kindred, Legolas,” he said; “and they can tell a sparrow from a finch a league off. Tell me, can you see anything away yonder towards Isengard?”
甘道夫策马奔回勒苟拉斯和伊欧墨身边，“勒苟拉斯，你拥有精灵的敏锐视觉，”他说：“可以在数哩之内分辨麻雀和幼雏的分别。告诉我，你在往艾辛格的方向看见了任何异常吗？”
“Many miles lie between,” said Legolas, gazing thither and shading his eyes with his long hand. “I can see a darkness. There are shapes moving in it, great shapes far away upon the bank of the river; but what they are I cannot tell. It is not mist or cloud that defeats my eyes: there is a veiling shadow that some power lays upon the land, and it marches slowly down stream. It is as if the twilight under endless trees were flowing downwards from the hills.”
“距离那边还有很远的距离，”勒苟拉斯用手遮住日光，边观察道：“我看见一道黑影，里面有一些生物在移动；在河边有许多高大的身影在移动，但我看不出来那是什么。遮蔽我视线的并非是云雾，而是某种笼罩大地的力量，它正沿着那河流往下扩散；感觉上，好象是树林之中的阴影都从山丘上集体流泻而出。”
There were no clouds overhead yet, but a heaviness was in the air; it was hot for the season of the year. The rising sun was hazy, and behind it, following it slowly up the sky, there was a growing darkness, as of a great storm moving out of the East. And away in the North-west there seemed to be another darkness brooding about the feet of the Misty Mountains, a shadow that crept down slowly from the Wizard’s Vale.
天上没有一丝云朵，但他们可以感觉到空气凝重；以这个季节来说，这是相当炎热的一天。升起的太阳带着血色，其后还有一大块黑云跟着出现，仿佛东方有暴风雨即将降临；在西北方似乎也有另一道黑影在不断的游移，在巫师之谷上缓缓移动。
He came, a weary man with dinted helm and cloven shield. Slowly he climbed from his horse and stood there a while gasping. At length he spoke. “Is Éomer here?” he asked. “You come at last, but too late, and with too little strength. Things have gone evilly since Théodred fell. We were driven back yesterday over the Isen with great loss; many perished at the crossing. Then at night fresh forces came over the river against our camp. All Isengard must be emptied; and Saruman has armed the wild hillmen and herd-folk of Dunland beyond the rivers, and these also he loosed upon us. We were overmastered. The shield-wall was broken. Erkenbrand of Westfold has drawn off those men he could gather towards his fastness in Helm’s Deep. The rest are scattered. Where is Éomer? Tell him there is no hope ahead. He should return to Edoras before the wolves of Isengard come there.”
他终于来到马队之前，那是一名头盔脏污、盾牌裂成两半的骑士。他有气无力地爬下马，不停喘气，最后他终于挤出说话的力气：“伊欧墨在吗？”他问道：“你们终于来了，但是已经太晚了！兵力也太少了！在伊欧德战死之后战况急转直下，我们昨天承受了惨重的牺牲，并且被迫强渡艾辛河，许多战士在渡河的过程中战死。当天晚上，对方的生力军又夜袭我们的营地，全艾辛格的兵力一定都已经派出来了，萨鲁曼把山上的野人和登兰德的牧羊人都收纳成为旗下的士兵，并且驱使他们攻击我军。我们寡不敌众，盾墙遭敌击溃，西谷的鄂肯布兰德带着残兵退守圣盔谷，其它的战士则只有四散奔逃…伊欧墨在哪？告诉他前方的战况已经没有希望了。在艾辛格的恶狼抵达伊多拉斯之前，他应该回防我朝最后的宫殿。”
As the second day of their riding drew on, the heaviness in the air increased. In the afternoon the dark clouds began to overtake them: a sombre canopy with great billowing edges flecked with dazzling light. The sun went down, blood-red in a smoking haze. The spears of the Riders were tipped with fire as the last shafts of light kindled the steep faces of the peaks of Thrihyrne: now very near they stood on the northernmost arm of the White Mountains, three jagged horns staring at the sunset. In the last red glow men in the vanguard saw a black speck, a horseman riding back towards them. They halted awaiting him.
第二天众人依旧继续赶路，但空气变得越来越沉重。过了中午，乌云开始赶上他们，高耸的云中闪动着雷电的光芒，太阳笼罩在一片烟雾中，血红地滚落大地。骠骑们的枪尖反射着血红的烈焰，眼前则是白色山脉最北边的三座山峰；在夜晚来临之前，马队的先锋看见一个黑点奔向他们。那是一名狂奔的骑士，他们停下脚步等待他。
“And behind us comes a very storm of Mordor,” said Gandalf. “It will be a black night.”
“而在我们的身后则是魔多来的风暴，”甘道夫说：“这将会是危险的一夜。”
The man’s face lightened with joy and wonder. He drew himself up. Then he knelt, offering his notched sword to the king. “Command me, lord!” he cried. “And pardon me! I thought –“
那人的脸上突然间充满了喜悦，他立刻挺直腰，睁大眼望着面前的景象；接着立刻跪下，将满是缺口的长剑献给国王：“王上，请下令吧！”他大喊：“请饶恕我的无知！我以为──”
“Ride, Théoden!” he said. “Ride to Helm’s Deep! Go not to the Fords of Isen, and do not tarry in the plain! I must leave you for a while. Shadowfax must bear me now on a swift errand.” Turning to Aragorn and Éomer and the men of the king’s household, he cried: “Keep well the Lord of the Mark, till I return. Await me at Helm’s Gate! Farewell!”
“希优顿，我们动作得快！”他说：“快去圣盔谷！别去艾辛河渡口，也别在平原上徘徊！我得要先离开你们一阵子，影疾必须载我去执行另一个急迫的任务。”他转过身看着伊欧墨和亚拉冈以及全体的骠骑，大喊着：“好好保护骠骑王，等我回来，在圣盔之门前等我！再会了！”
“You thought I remained in Meduseld bent like an old tree under winter snow. So it was when you rode to war. But a west wind has shaken the boughs,” said Théoden. “Give this man a fresh horse! Let us ride to the help of Erkenbrand!”
“你以为我躲在梅杜西，像老狗一样龟缩不出。当你们出兵的时候的确是这样的，但一阵西风吹醒了沉睡的雄狮…”希优顿说：“给这人一匹新马！让我们一起去支持鄂肯布兰德！”
While Théoden was speaking, Gandalf rode a short way ahead, and he sat there alone, gazing north to Isengard and west to the setting sun. Now he came back.
在希优顿说话的时候，甘道夫往前骑了一段距离，孤身看着北方的艾辛格和西方的落日，最后他赶了回来。
Théoden had sat silent, hidden from the man’s sight behind his guards; now he urged his horse forward. “Come, stand before me, Ceorl!” he said. “I am here. The last host of the Eorlingas has ridden forth. It will not return without battle.”
希优顿一言不发，刻意隐在前锋之后，对方话一说完，他立刻策马向前。“瑟欧，来我面前！”他说：“带队的是我，骠骑的最后大军已经来到这里了，我们不会不战而退！”
He spoke a word to Shadowfax, and like an arrow from the bow the great horse sprang away. Even as they looked he was gone: a flash of silver in the sunset, a wind over the grass, a shadow that fled and passed from sight. Snowmane snorted and reared, eager to follow; but only a swift bird on the wing could have overtaken him.
他在影疾的耳边低语几句，骏马就如同飞箭一般劲射而出，在落日之下，他的身影如同一道银光和旋风般卷过草原；雪鬃扬首嘶鸣，想要跟在后面狂奔，但只有飞鸟能够追过急驰的影疾。
“That Gandalf Greyhame has need of haste,” answered Háma. “Ever he goes and comes unlooked-for.”
“甘道夫有要事待办，”哈玛回答道：“他经常都是来无影去无踪的。”
“Maybe you will wait long,” said the other.
“或许你会等上很久，”另一名禁卫军接话道。
“What does that mean?” said one of the guard to Háma.
“这是怎么一回事？”一名禁卫军问哈玛。
“Wormtongue, were he here, would not find it hard to explain,” said the other.
“如果巧言在这边，恐怕可以编出许多理由来，”另一人说。
“True enough,” said Háma; “but for myself, I will wait until I see Gandalf again.”
“的确是，”哈玛说：“至于我嘛！我宁愿等待甘道夫回来。”
The host turned away now from the road to the Fords of Isen and bent their course southward. Night fell, and still they rode on. The hills drew near, but the tall peaks of Thrihyrne were already dim against the darkening sky. Still some miles away, on the far side of the Westfold Vale, a great bay in the mountains, lay a green coomb, out of which a gorge opened in the hills. Men of that land called it Helm’s Deep, after a hero of old wars who had made his refuge there. Ever steeper and narrower it wound inward from the north under the shadow of the Thrihyrne, till the crowhaunted cliffs rose like mighty towers on either side, shutting out the light.
部队离开了朝向艾辛河渡口的道路，转往南进，夜色降临，他们依旧头也不回的奔驰。山丘越来越靠近，白色山脉的山峰已经被夜色所吞没。在数哩之外西谷的另一边，有一座深绿色的峡谷，那是三面环山的峡谷，当地的人们称呼它为圣盔谷，为了纪念一名古代在此躲藏的英雄。这座山谷的地形从北一路延伸，越来越陡峭，在白色山脉的阴影之下不停攀升，直到两旁的峭壁如高塔一般地矗立，遮挡住一切的光线为止。
At Helm’s Gate, before the mouth of the Deep, there was a heel of rock thrust outward by the northern cliff. There upon its spur stood high walls of ancient stone, and within them was a lofty tower. Men said that in the far-off days of the glory of Gondor the sea-kings had built here this fastness with the hands of giants. The Hornburg it was called, for a trumpet sounded upon the tower echoed in the Deep behind, as if armies long-forgotten were issuing to war from caves beneath the hills. A wall, too, the men of old had made from the Hornburg to the southern cliff, barring the entrance to the gorge. Beneath it by a wide culvert the Deeping-stream passed out. About the feet of the Hornrock it wound, and flowed then in a gully through the midst of a wide green gore, sloping gently down from Helm’s Gate to Helm’s Dike. Thence it fell into the Deeping-coomb and out into the Westfold Vale. There in the Hornburg at Helm’s Gate Erkenbrand, master of Westfold on the borders of the Mark, now dwelt. As the days darkened with threat of war, being wise, he had repaired the wall and made the fastness strong.
在圣盔谷的入口、圣盔之门前，北方的峭壁上有一座巨石伸出；在那底下有一道远古所建造的高墙，墙内则是一座耸立的高塔。人类有传说在刚铎全盛之时，海上之王藉由巨人之手建造了这座要塞。这里被称为号角堡，因为在塔上吹响的号角会在后方的深谷中回绕，彷佛古代的战将从深谷的洞穴中苏醒而战。古代的人类也将这道高墙，从号角堡延伸到南边的峭壁，完全阻挡住峡谷的入口。深溪从底下的渠道中流出，它在号角岩的位置转了个弯，从圣盔之门流向圣盔渠，再从那边落入深溪谷，最后流进西谷中。西谷的领主鄂肯布兰德，就驻守于位在圣盔之门的号角堡中，在这危机四伏的年代中，有远见的他修复了城墙，并且更强化了堡垒的防御能力。
“We have found many of our folk lying slain as they fled thither,” said the scout. “And we have met scattered companies, going this way and that, leaderless. What has become of Erkenbrand none seem to know. It is likely that he will be overtaken ere he can reach Helm’s Gate, if he has not already perished.”
“我们发现了许多同胞在撤退时遭到杀害的尸体，”斥候报告道：“我们在路上还遇到了群龙无首、漫无目奔跑的散兵，似乎没人知道鄂肯布兰德的下场如何。就算他没有在遭遇战中牺牲，在到圣盔之门前也很可能就被敌军赶上。”
The Riders were still in the low valley before the mouth of the Coomb, when cries and hornblasts were heard from their scouts that went in front. Out of the darkness arrows whistled. Swiftly a scout rode back and reported that wolf-riders were abroad in the valley, and that a host of Orcs and wild men were hurrying southward from the Fords of Isen and seemed to be making for Helm’s Deep.
部队的主力大多还在深溪谷之中，先遣的斥候就已经听到了杀声和号角吹动的声音，在黑暗中箭矢呼啸四射。很快，一名斥候策马回报，狼骑士出没在山谷中，一群半兽人和野人正从艾辛河渡口急行军，目标似乎是朝向圣盔谷。
“Yes, lord. Many have seen an old man in white upon a horse, passing hither and thither over the plains like wind in the grass. Some thought he was Saruman. It is said that he went away ere nightfall towards Isengard. Some say also that Wormtongue was seen earlier, going northward with a company of Orcs.”
“是的，王上，许多人看见一名穿着白衣的老人骑在马上，像风一般在草原上四处奔波，有人以为他是萨鲁曼。据说他在天黑之前被目击奔向艾辛格，有些人也说他们早先看到了巧言，带着一群半兽人往北逃。”
“Has aught been seen of Gandalf?” asked Théoden.
“有任何人看见甘道夫吗？”希优顿问道。
Aragorn and Legolas went now with Éomer in the van. On through the dark night they rode, ever slower as the darkness deepened and their way climbed southward, higher and higher into the dim folds about the mountains’ feet. They found few of the enemy before them. Here and there they came upon roving bands of Orcs; but they fled ere the Riders could take or slay them.
亚拉冈、勒苟拉斯和伊欧墨并肩而行，他们头也不回地骑进夜色之中，随着四周越来越黑暗，地势越来越陡峭，他们的速度也越来越慢。眼前的敌人并不多，他们偶尔会遇到走散的半兽人队伍，但是在骠骑来得及动手之前，这些家伙便拔腿就跑，根本追不上他们。
“It is very great,” said the scout. “He that flies counts every foeman twice, yet I have spoken to stouthearted men, and I do not doubt that the main strength of the enemy is many times as great as all that we have here.”
“对方数量非常庞大，”斥候说：“虽然撤退的士兵会因为草木皆兵而夸大敌人的数量，但我和比较老练的战士当面谈过，我相信对方拥有的部队，是我们在此集结兵力的好几倍。”
“It will go ill with Wormtongue, if Gandalf comes upon him,” said Théoden. “Nonetheless I miss now both my counsellors, the old and the new. But in this need we have no better choice than to go on, as Gandalf said, to Helm’s Gate, whether Erkenbrand be there or no. Is it known how great is the host that comes from the North?”
“如果甘道夫遇到他，巧言可就惨了，”希优顿说：“我还真想念新旧两名顾问。不过，在这种时刻，我们别无选择，只能继续往前进，不管鄂肯布兰德在不在，我们都必须照着甘道夫的指示前往圣盔之门。有人知道北方的部队兵力多少吗？”
“Then let us be swift,” said Éomer. “Let us drive through such foes as are already between us and the fastness. There are caves in Helm’s Deep where hundreds may lie hid; and secret ways lead thence up on to the hills.”
“那我们就必须更快些！”伊欧墨说：“让我们先冲杀这些阻挡在我们和要塞之间的敌人。圣盔谷中有许多可以躲藏数百人的洞穴，还有通往山中的密道。”
“Trust not to secret ways,” said the king. “Saruman has long spied out this land. Still in that place our defence may last long. Let us go!”
“别相信密道的隐密性，”国王说：“萨鲁曼对此地已经观察许久。不过，我们应该还是可以死守住该处。快出发吧！”
“It will not be long I fear,” said Éomer, “ere the coming of the king’s host will be known to the leader of our enemies, Saruman or whatever captain he has sent forth.”
“我担心的事情恐怕不久之后就要发生了！”伊欧墨说：“敌军的首领可能很快会知道我们部队赶来的消息，我还不确定对方是萨鲁曼，或是哪个大将。”
“It is a great host and follows us hard,” said Aragorn.
“对方的兵力确实惊人，而且还紧追不舍！”亚拉冈说。
The rumour of war grew behind them. Now they could hear, borne over the dark, the sound of harsh singing. They had climbed far up into the Deeping-coomb when they looked back. Then they saw torches, countless points of fiery light upon the black fields behind, scattered like red flowers, or winding up from the lowlands in long flickering lines. Here and there a larger blaze leapt up.
身后的威胁也逼近得很快，这时他们已经可以听见身后传来粗哑的歌声。当他们回头观看的时候，部队已经进入了深溪谷。眼前的景象十分惊人，他们在黑色的大地上，可以看见火把所造成的无数红点像是红花一般绽放，或是长蛇一般的延伸，偶尔还会有某些地方燃起熊熊烈火。
“They bring fire,” said Théoden, “and they are burning as they come, rick, cot, and tree. This was a rich vale and had many homesteads. Alas for my folk!”
“他们一路放火，”希优顿说：“不管是花草树木都被他们烧个精光。这里曾经是座水草丰美、畜养很多牲畜的山谷，现在全都被这些家伙糟蹋了！”
“Would that day was here and we might ride down upon them like a storm out of the mountains!” said Aragorn. “It grieves me to fly before them.”
“如果现在还是白天，我们可以像山脉席卷而下的暴风一样，杀进他们的队伍中！”亚拉冈说：“被迫在他们面前不停逃跑，让我觉得满腔怒火。”
“We need not fly much further,” said Éomer. “Not far ahead now lies Helm’s Dike, an ancient trench and rampart scored across the coomb, two furlongs below Helm’s Gate. There we can turn and give battle.”
“我们不需要再逃多远，”伊欧墨说道：“眼前不远就是圣盔渠，那是从圣盔之门底下穿过、绵延数哩的古老壕沟，我们在那边可以转身应战。”
“The Lord of the Mark rides to Helm’s Gate,” Éomer answered. “I, Éomer son of Éomund, speak.”
“骠骑王要前往圣盔之门！”伊欧墨回答道：“我是伊欧墨。”
“This is good tidings beyond hope,” said the sentinel. “Hasten! The enemy is on your heels.”
“这真是天大的好消息！”卫兵说：“动作快！敌人紧追在后！”
“At the breach our rearguard must stand, if we are pressed,” said Éomer.
“如果我们能够通过该处，一定得派后卫驻守那些缺口。”伊欧墨说。
“Nay, we are too few to defend the Dike,” said Théoden. “It is a mile long or more, and the breach in it is wide.”
“不行，我们的数量不足以守住圣盔渠，”希优顿说：“它的长度大概一哩左右，其中的缺口还相当宽。”
The host passed through the breach and halted on the sloping sward above. They now learned to their joy that Erkenbrand had left many men to hold Helm’s Gate, and more had since escaped thither.
部队通过了那缺口，停留在斜坡上。他们很高兴地发现鄂肯布兰德留下了很多人防守圣盔之门，而且还有很多逃过大难的士兵回来协助防守这个地方。
There was neither star nor moon when the Riders came to the breach in the Dike, where the stream from above passed out, and the road beside it ran down from the Hornburg. The rampart loomed suddenly before them, a high shadow beyond a dark pit. As they rode up a sentinel challenged them.
当骑士们来到圣盔渠的时候，天上无星也无月亮，小溪从山上流出，两旁的道路则是通往号角堡。眼前的防御工事如阴影一般地出现在面前，在那之前还有一座很深的陷坑。当他们骑近的时候，一名卫兵询问他们的身份。
“Maybe, we have a thousand fit to fight on foot,” said Gamling, an old man, the leader of those that watched the Dike. “But most of them have seen too many winters, as I have, or too few, as my son’s son here. What news of Erkenbrand? Word came yesterday that he was retreating hither with all that is left of the best Riders of Westfold. But he has not come.”
“我们或许可以凑出一千名可以战斗的步兵，”带领部下防守圣盔渠的老兵加姆林说：“但这些人里面，不是像我一样见识了太多寒暑，就是和我这位孙子一样乳臭未干。有任何关于鄂肯布兰德的消息吗？我们昨天听说他带着西谷最强骑兵团的残兵一起撤退，但他并没有出现。”
“Behind us in the caves of the Deep are three parts of the folk of Westfold, old and young, children and women,” said Gamling. “But great store of food, and many beasts and their fodder, have also been gathered there.”
“在我们身后的圣盔谷中，集合了西谷中的老弱妇孺，”加姆林说：“不只如此，还有许多的食物和牲畜，以及给他们的粮秣也都集中在该处。”
“I fear that he will not come now,” said Éomer. “Our scouts have gained no news of him, and the enemy fills all the valley behind us.”
“我想他恐怕不会来了，”伊欧墨说：“我们的斥候根本打听不到关于他的任何消息，身后的山谷中更是挤满了敌人。”
The king and his Riders passed on. Before the causeway that crossed the stream they dismounted. In a long file they led their horses up the ramp and passed within the gates of the Hornburg. There they were welcomed again with joy and renewed hope; for now there were men enough to man both the burg and the barrier wall.
国王和所有的部队继续前进，他们渡过了小河后，立刻下马集合，所有的骠骑都牵着马匹，走进号角堡的大门中。在那边，守军又再度热情地欢迎这些生力军的到来；有了这些战力，他们才终于获得了足够防御要塞和城墙的兵力。
“I would that he had escaped,” said Théoden. “He was a mighty man. In him lived again the valour of Helm the Hammerhand. But we cannot await him here. We must draw all our forces now behind the walls. Are you well stored? We bring little provision, for we rode forth to open battle, not to a siege.”
“我衷心希望他逃过这场大难，”希优顿说：“他是个骁勇善战的人，他拥有远古英雄再世般的勇气和意志，但我们不能在这边空等，我们必须赶快将所有的部队都撤进城墙内才行。你们的补给够吗？我们当初是准备和敌人决战，没想到必须面对围城的局面。”
“That is well,” said Éomer. “They are burning or despoiling all that is left in the vale.”
“非常好，”伊欧墨说：“敌人在后面的谷地上放火破坏了一切。”
“If they come to bargain for our goods at Helm’s Gate, they will pay a high price,” said Gamling.
“如果他们想要来圣盔之门乞求我们的食物，他们可得要付出极大的代价！”加姆林说。
The Deeping Wall was twenty feet high, and so thick that four men could walk abreast along the top, sheltered by a parapet over which only a tall man could look. Here and there were clefts in the stone through which men could shoot. This battlement could be reached by a stair running down from a door in the outer court of the Hornburg; three flights of steps led also up on to the wall from the Deep behind; but in front it was smooth, and the great stones of it were set with such skill that no foothold could be found at their joints, and at the top they hung over like a sea-delved cliff.
深溪墙高达二十尺，宽可以让四个人并肩齐步，防御守军的胸墙则只有身材高大的人才能够伸头往外看，墙上到处布满了可以让弓箭手瞄准敌人的箭孔。这道防御工事拥有一条由号角堡外围的空地上过来的阶梯，另外还有三道从背后的圣盔谷过来的阶梯。不过，在面对敌人的正前方则是光滑平整的高墙，巨大的石块彼此之间严丝合缝，毫无任何可以落脚的地方。对于进攻的部队来说，眼前是一道如同悬崖一般难以克服的阻碍。
Gimli stood leaning against the breastwork upon the wall. Legolas sat above on the parapet, fingering his bow, and peering out into the gloom.
金雳靠着城墙发呆，勒苟拉斯则是坐在胸墙上拨弄着弓弦，看着眼前的黑暗。
Quickly Éomer set his men in readiness. The king and the men of his household were in the Hornburg, and there also were many of the Westfold-men. But on the Deeping Wall and its tower, and behind it, Éomer arrayed most of the strength that he had, for here the defence seemed more doubtful, if the assault were determined and in great force. The horses were led far up the Deep under such guard as could be spared.
很快的，伊欧墨就下令部队备战，国王和他的禁卫军，以及许多西谷的战士负责镇守号角堡；不过，伊欧墨将大部分的兵力，都安排在深溪墙和它的高塔附近，因为如果敌方集中兵力攻打此处，这里的防御是最脆弱的。马匹则被领到圣盔谷的深处，以仅存的少数兵力来看守。
“I do not doubt it,” said Legolas. “But you are a dwarf, and dwarves are strange folk. I do not like this place, and I shall like it no more by the light of day. But you comfort me, Gimli, and I am glad to have you standing nigh with your stout legs and your hard axe. I wish there were more of your kin among us. But even more would I give for a hundred good archers of Mirkwood. We shall need them. The Rohirrim have good bowmen after their fashion, but there are too few here, too few.”
“我相信你，”勒苟拉斯说：“你毕竟是矮人，矮人都是怪里怪气的家伙。我不喜欢这个地方，就算天亮也不会改变这想法。不过，金雳，你是个可以让我放心的人；我很高兴能够看着你拿斧头屹立在我身边；我真希望有更多你的同胞加入我们。但我更希望能有幽暗密林的百名弓箭手来防守此处，我们会需要他们。骠骑们拥有自己独特风格的射手，但数量太少了，太少了！”
“It is dark for archery,” said Gimli. “Indeed it is time for sleep. Sleep! I feel the need of it, as never I thought any dwarf could. Riding is tiring work. Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!”
“以射箭来说，现在嫌黑了些，”金雳说：“的确是该睡觉的时候了。睡觉！现在我可能是有史以来最需要睡眠的矮人了，骑马真是累人。但我的斧头不甘寂寞地在手中跳跃，只要你给我一整排的半兽人和挥舞斧头的空间，我想这疲倦就会一扫而空！”
“This is more to my liking,” said the dwarf, stamping on the stones. “Ever my heart rises as we draw near the mountains. There is good rock here. This country has tough bones. I felt them in my feet as we came up from the dike. Give me a year and a hundred of my kin and I would make this a place that armies would break upon like water.”
“我就是喜欢这样！”矮人用力跺着脚底的岩石说：“我们越靠近山脉，我的心情就越好。这里的岩石都很坚固，这可是块骨骼牢靠的大地。我从壕沟那边走上来的时候，用脚就可以清楚地感觉到它们的强韧。只要我有一百名同胞和一年的时间，我就可以把这地方改造成能让那种兵力烟消云散的堡垒。”
A slow time passed. Far down in the valley scattered fires still burned. The hosts of Isengard were advancing in silence now. Their torches could be seen winding up the coomb in many lines.
时间缓慢流逝，底下的山谷依旧野火四窜，艾辛格的部队正沉默地前进。守军们可以清楚的看见他们的火把排成许多列，同时朝向此地进发。
It was now past midnight. The sky was utterly dark, and the stillness of the heavy air foreboded storm. Suddenly the clouds were seared by a blinding flash. Branched lightning smote down upon the eastward hills. For a staring moment the watchers on the walls saw all the space between them and the Dike lit with white light: it was boiling and crawling with black shapes, some squat and broad, some tall and grim, with high helms and sable shields. Hundreds and hundreds more were pouring over the Dike and through the breach. The dark tide flowed up to the walls from cliff to cliff. Thunder rolled in the valley. Rain came lashing down.
时间已经过了午夜，天色一片漆黑，沉闷的空气预言了将临的风暴。突然间，一道让人目眩的亮光划破了云朵，闪电的獠牙刺在东边的山丘上，在那一瞬间，所有的守军看到了底下如同白昼噩梦般的景象：地面上挤满了黑色的身影，有些矮胖、有些高壮，戴着头盔和黑色的盾牌，数以百计的敌人不停地拥过壕沟，穿过那唯一的开口，这道黑色的浪潮一路喷溅到两侧悬崖上。闪电在山谷中滚动着，滂沱大雨毫不留情地哗哗落下。
“The enemy is at hand!” they said. “We loosed every arrow that we had, and filled the Dike with Orcs. But it will not halt them long. Already they are scaling the bank at many points, thick as marching ants. But we have taught them not to carry torches.”
“敌军来袭！”他们大喊着：“我们射光了箭，让圣盔渠内躺满了半兽人的尸体，但这无法阻止他们太久，他们已经从许多地方同时渡过了壕沟，像是蚂蚁雄兵一样地蜂拥而来。不过，我们已经给他们上了惨痛的一课：别带火把！”
Suddenly from the Dike yells and screams, and the fierce battlecries of men broke out. Flaming brands appeared over the brink and clustered thickly at the breach. Then they scattered and vanished. Men came galloping back over the field and up the ramp to the gate of the Hornburg. The rearguard of the Westfolders had been driven in.
突然间，人类的惨嚎和战呼从圣盔渠的方向传了过来，火把似乎全都挤在渡口附近，接着它们分散开来，消失了。人们开始往城墙内撤，躲进号角堡的防御之中，西谷的后卫们已经被敌军赶出了之前的阵地。
Brazen trumpets sounded. The enemy surged forward, some against the Deeping Wall, others towards the causeway and the ramp that led up to the Hornburg-gates. There the hugest Orcs were mustered, and the wild men of the Dunland fells. A moment they hesitated and then on they came. The lightning flashed, and blazoned upon every helm and shield the ghastly hand of Isengard was seen. They reached the summit of the rock; they drove towards the gates.
刺耳的号角声响起，敌人纷纷冲向前，有些人挤向深溪墙，其它人则挤在通往号角堡大门的路口和斜坡上，最高大的半兽人都挤在那里，登兰德的野人也被指派到该处。他们迟疑了片刻，也跟着冲向前，在闪电的照耀下，每个头盔和盾牌上艾辛格的白掌都显得十分刺眼。进攻的部队抵达了峭壁边，开始冲向城门。
The assailing hosts halted, foiled by the silent menace of rock and wall. Ever and again the lightning tore aside the darkness. Then the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements; and the men of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, tossed by a tempest of war, and every ear glinted with barbed light.
进攻的部队停了下来，被那岩石和高墙沉默的威胁所阻挡。闪电一再地扯裂黑暗，接着，半兽人们嘶哑的大吼，挥舞着刀剑和长矛，对着防御工事中任何会动的目标发射箭矢。骠骑军团惊讶地看着这一片被旺盛战意所鼓动的黑色大海，不禁为他们的气势所震慑。
Arrows thick as the rain came whistling over the battlements, and fell clinking and glancing on the stones. Some found a mark. The assault on Helm’s Deep had begun, but no sound or challenge was heard within; no answering arrows came.
如同大雨一般密集的箭雨瞄准城墙射来，全都被坚固的岩石给阻挡了，只有极少数射中了目标。对圣盔谷的攻击已经展开了，但守军却没有任何的回应，也没有回射一箭一矢。
“Come!” said Aragorn. “This is the hour when we draw swords together!”
“快来！”亚拉冈说：“这是我们并肩拔剑的时刻了！”
Éomer and Aragorn stood together on the Deeping Wall. They heard the roar of voices and the thudding of the rams; and then in a sudden flash of light they beheld the peril of the gates.
伊欧墨和亚拉冈并肩站在深溪墙上，他们听见那破城锤一次又一次发出震耳的敲击声，在一阵闪光之下，他们发现了城门已经岌岌可危。
Then at last an answer came: a storm of arrows met them, and a hail of stones. They wavered, broke, and fled back; and then charged again, broke and charged again; and each time, like the incoming sea, they halted at a higher point. Again trumpets rang, and a press of roaring men leaped forth. They held their great shields above them like a roof, while in their midst they bore two trunks of mighty trees. Behind them orc-archers crowded, sending a hail of darts against the bowmen on the walls. They gained the gates. The trees, swung by strong arms, smote the timbers with a rending boom. If any man fell, crushed by a stone hurtling from above, two others sprang to take his place. Again and again the great rams swung and crashed.
最后，守军的回应终于出现了，一阵浓密的箭雨和巨石从城墙上落下。攻方犹豫了片刻，阵形随即被打破，只得转身逃跑，不久之后又再度集结进攻。如此周而复始，他们每次都更进一步攻占了几寸的土地。当号角声再度响起的时候，一群大吼大叫的人类冲了出来，他们高举着巨盾如同屋顶一般遮挡着上方的攻击，在队形中则是两棵大树的树干，在他们之后则是一群蜂拥而上的半兽人弓箭手，压制城墙上的守军；他们就这样冲杀到了门前，在许多双强壮手臂的挥舞之下，大树一次又一次地冲撞城门。如果有任何人被守军丢下的巨石砸死，立刻有两人前来支持。一次又一次，巨大的破城锤狠狠撞击在城门上。
Running like fire, they sped along the wall, and up the steps, and passed into the outer court upon the Rock. As they ran they gathered a handful of stout swordsmen. There was a small postern-door that opened in an angle of the burg-wall on the west, where the cliff stretched out to meet it. On that side a narrow path ran round towards the great gate, between the wall and the sheer brink of the Rock. Together Éomer and Aragorn sprang through the door, their men close behind. The two swords flashed from the sheath as one.
两人十万火急地沿着城墙狂奔，爬上楼梯，走到号角岩之上，同时他们也集合了一群强悍的剑士。该处有一座小门通往西边城墙和峭壁会合的地方，门外则是一条狭窄的小路，在巨岩和城墙的夹缝间通往城门外。伊欧墨和亚拉冈两人并肩冲出小门，部下紧跟在后，两柄剑同时拔出，如同一柄剑一般激射出光芒。
“Gúthwinë!” cried Éomer. “Gúthwinë for the Mark!”
“古丝温出鞘！”伊欧墨大喊着：“古丝温为骠骑而战！”
“Andúril!” cried Aragorn. “Andúril for the Dúnedain!”
“安都瑞尔！”亚拉冈大喊着：“安都瑞尔为登丹人而战！”
For a moment Éomer and Aragorn halted before the gates. The thunder was rumbling in the distance now. The lightning flickered still, far off among the mountains in the South. A keen wind was blowing from the North again. The clouds were torn and drifting, and stars peeped out; and above the hills of the Coomb-side the westering moon rode, glimmering yellow in the storm-wrack.
伊欧墨和亚拉冈站在城门前环顾四方，雷声现在已经渐渐远离，闪电依旧在南方的山脉中肆虐。阵阵的强风再度从北方吹拂而来，天上的浓云被撕扯吹开，星辰也探出头来，西沉的月亮从云朵空隙中将晖黄光芒洒在山坡上。
Dismayed the rammers let fall the trees and turned to fight; but the wall of their shields was broken as by a lightning-stroke, and they were swept away, hewn down, or cast over the Rock into the stony stream below. The orc-archers shot wildly and then fled.
负责破城的敌军被这气势所压，只得丢下大树，转身迎战；但他们的盾牌阵形彷佛被一道闪电所冲破，溃不成军。守军如同斩瓜切菜一般砍倒这些野人，或是将他们推到底下的河流中。半兽人弓箭手们一阵乱射之后，也跟着逃跑了。
Charging from the side, they hurled themselves upon the wild men. Andúril rose fell, gleaming with white fire. A shout went up from wall and tower: “Andúril! Andúril goes to war. The Blade that was Broken shines again!”
两人从旁边的山壁上奋不顾身地扑向那些野人，安都瑞尔不停地挥舞，发出白色的火焰。守军纷纷开始大呼：“安都瑞尔！安都瑞尔上战场了！断折的圣剑今晚再现神光了！”
“We did not come too soon,” said Aragorn, looking at the gates. Their great hinges and iron bars were wrenched and bent; many of their timbers were cracked. “The doors will not withstand another such battering.”
“我们来得还是太迟了，”亚拉冈看着城门说。巨大的门枢和上面的铁条都被撞弯，不少根木板都已经出现了裂缝。“这些门经不起又一次这样的撞击。”
They turned and ran. At that moment some dozen Orcs that had lain motionless among the slain leaped to their feet, and came silently and swiftly behind. Two flung themselves to the ground at Éomer’s heels, tripped him, and in a moment they were on top of him. But a small dark figure that none had observed sprang out of the shadows and gave a hoarse shout: Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! An axe swung and swept back. Two Orcs fell headless. The rest fled.
他们转过身准备再度冲回要塞内，就在那时，有数十名躺在地上装死的半兽人跳了起来，无声无息地紧跟在后；两名半兽人扑倒了伊欧墨，把他压在地上。千钧一发之际，一个之前没人注意到的矮小身影从黑暗中跳了出来，沙哑地大喊：BarukKhazd！Khazdai-m！一柄斧头在黑暗中飞舞，那两名半兽人的脑袋就这么飞上半空中，其它的半兽人见势头不对，也立刻转身开溜。
“Yet we cannot stay here beyond the walls to defend them,” said Éomer. “Look!” He pointed to the causeway. Already a great press of Orcs and Men were gathering again beyond the stream. Arrows whined, and skipped on the stones about them. “Come! We must get back and see what we can do to pile stone and beam across the gates within. Come now!”
“可是，我们站在门外也无法抵御敌人的攻击，”伊欧墨指着通往要塞入口的道路，已经有一整群的半兽人和人类，在河流旁边再度聚集。箭矢呼啸而来，撞上他们身旁的岩石，“快来！我们得赶回去，看看要如何从门内修补这座门。来吧！”
Éomer struggled to his feet, even as Aragorn ran back to his aid.
亚拉冈还没来得及跑到伊欧墨身前，对方就已经摆脱纠缠，站了起来。
The postern was closed again, the iron door was barred and piled inside with stones. When all were safe within, Éomer turned: “I thank you, Gimli son of Glóin!” he said. “I did not know that you were with us in the sortie. But oft the unbidden guest proves the best company. How came you there?”
侧门又关了起来，城门也从内侧堆上石块和用铁条闩上补强。在一切都安排妥当之后，伊欧墨转身说道：“金雳，多谢你的救命之恩！”他说：“我当初还不知道你和我们一起冲了出来，看来，不速之客往往是最好的客人。你是怎么出现在那边的？”
“I followed you to shake off sleep,” said Gimli; “but I looked on the hillmen and they seemed over large for me, so I sat beside a stone to see your sword-play.”
“我跟你们一起跑出去是为了摆脱睡意，”金雳说：“但是我看着那些野人，发现他们体型似乎太高了些，所以我就在旁边的石头上坐下来，欣赏你们的剑技表演。”
“I shall not find it easy to repay you,” said Éomer.
“你的恩情实在难以报答！”伊欧墨说。
“Two!” said Gimli, patting his axe. He had returned to his place on the wall.
“两个！”金雳拍着斧头说，他已经回到之前在城墙上的岗位。
“There may be many a chance ere the night is over,” laughed the Dwarf. “But I am content. Till now I have hewn naught but wood since I left Moria.”
“在今晚结束之前你应该会有很多机会的，”矮人笑着说：“不过，我自己倒是已经相当满意了。自从我离开摩瑞亚之后，除了木头之外几乎什么都没砍。”
“Two?” said Legolas. “I have done better, though now I must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone. Yet I make my tale twenty at the least. But that is only a few leaves in a forest.”
“两个？”勒苟拉斯说：“看来我的表现好很多，等下我还得去找人借箭才行。我至少射中了二十个敌人。可是，倒下的敌人和对方全军的数量比起来，只算是九牛一毛而已。”
The sky now was quickly clearing and the sinking moon was shining brightly. But the light brought little hope to the Riders of the Mark. The enemy before them seemed to have grown rather than diminished, and still more were pressing up from the valley through the breach. The sortie upon the Rock gained only a brief respite. The assault on the gates was redoubled. Against the Deeping Wall the hosts of Isengard roared like a sea. Orcs and hillmen swarmed about its feet from end to end. Ropes with grappling hooks were hurled over the parapet faster than men could cut them or fling them back. Hundreds of long ladders were lifted up. Many were cast down in ruin, but many more replaced them, and Orcs sprang up them like apes in the dark forests of the South. Before the wall’s foot the dead and broken were piled like shingle in a storm; ever higher rose the hideous mounds, and still the enemy came on.
天空此时变得十分清朗，缓缓西沉的月亮发出耀眼的光芒，但这光芒并无法给骠骑们带来任何的希望，他们眼前的敌人似乎越来越多，而且远方的山谷中还有更多的敌军正在集结，从号角岩上的突袭只争取到极为短暂的时间；稍后，对城门的攻击变得加倍猛烈，艾辛格的部队如同怒潮一般不停地拍打深溪墙，半兽人和野人把城墙前面的空地挤得水泄不通。底下不停丢上的抓钩让守军们疲于奔命，砍断绳索的动作，几乎赶不上它们丢上来的速度。数以百计的长梯也在墙边架了起来，许多梯子被守军给砸烂，但又有更多的梯子冲了上来；半兽人飞快地在梯子上攀爬，如同南方森林中的猿猴一般矫健。墙角的尸体堆积如山，但敌人却视若无睹地蜂涌而来。
The men of Rohan grew weary. All their arrows were spent, and every shaft was shot; their swords were notched, and their shields were riven. Three times Aragorn and Éomer rallied them, and three times Andúril flamed in a desperate charge that drove the enemy from the wall.
洛汗国的战士开始感到疲倦了，他们的箭矢几乎都已经消耗完毕了，每柄剑都出现了缺口，盾牌也伤痕累累。亚拉冈和伊欧墨为了鼓舞他们的士气，三次冲杀敌军，安都瑞尔的火焰也跟着绝望地在城墙上燃烧了三次。
Then a clamour arose in the Deep behind. Orcs had crept like rats through the culvert through which the stream flowed out. There they had gathered in the shadow of the cliffs, until the assault above was hottest and nearly all the men of the defence had rushed to the wall’s top. Then they sprang out. Already some had passed into the jaws of the Deep and were among the horses, fighting with the guards.
然后，要塞后方的圣盔谷中传来了骚动，半兽人像是老鼠一样从溪水的渠道中钻了进来。他们在峭壁的阴影中悄悄集结，等到战况最炽烈、几乎所有的人都冲上城墙时才跑了出来。已经有一些半兽人冲到了圣盔谷口的地方，开始和马群的守卫发生冲突。
Down from the wall leapt Gimli with a fierce cry that echoed in the cliffs. “Khazâd! Khazâd!” He soon had work enough. “Ai-oi!” he shouted. “The Orcs are behind the wall. Ai-oi! Come, Legolas! There are enough for us both. Khazâd ai-mênu!”
金雳从城墙上一跃而下，震耳的战呼在山壁之间回响。“凯萨德！凯萨德！”很快的，他就不再感到无聊寂寞了，“喂！”他大喊着：“半兽人混进来了！注意注意！勒苟拉斯，快过来！这边够我们两个好好杀一顿。冲啊！”
Gamling the Old looked down from the Hornburg, hearing the great voice of the dwarf above all the tumult. “The Orcs are in the Deep!” he cried. “Helm! Helm! Forth Helmingas!” he shouted as he leaped down the stair from the Rock with many men of Westfold at his back.
老兵加姆林从号角堡往下看，在满山遍野的喧闹中听见了矮人的大吼声。“半兽人进入圣盔谷了！”他大喊：“圣盔谷守军注意！冲啊！”他带着许多西谷的战士从巨岩上冲了下来。
“Twenty-one!” cried Gimli. He hewed a two-handed stroke and laid the last Orc before his feet. “Now my count passes Master Legolas again.”
“二十一个！”金雳说。他双手一挥，最后一名半兽人倒在他脚前。“现在我的杀敌数终于超过了勒苟拉斯啦。”
Their onset was fierce and sudden, and the Orcs gave way before them. Ere long they were hemmed in in the narrows of the gorge, and all were slain or driven shrieking into the chasm of the Deep to fall before the guardians of the hidden caves.
他们的反击猛烈地超乎对方想象，半兽人的队形在他们面前彻底瓦解。不久之后，他们就被围困在峡谷中的角落，这些入侵者不是被杀，就是被逼得在惨叫声中落入深谷中。
“We must stop this rat-hole,” said Gamling. “Dwarves are said to be cunning folk with stone. Lend us your aid, master!”
“我们必须要堵住这个老鼠洞，”加姆林说：“据说矮人是控制岩石的奇才，大师，请协助我们！”
“We do not shape stone with battle-axes, nor with our finger-nails,” said Gimli. “But I will help as I may.”
“我们无法用指甲或是战斧来雕塑岩石，”金雳说：“我只能尽力帮你们。”
“It will be drier above,” said Gimli. “Come, Gamling, let us see how things go on the wall!”
“上面会干一点，”金雳说：“来吧，加姆林，我们回去看看守城的人表现如何！”
They gathered such small boulders and broken stones as they could find to hand, and under Gimli’s direction the Westfold-men blocked up the inner end of the culvert, until only a narrow outlet remained. Then the Deeping-stream, swollen by the rain, churned and fretted in its choked path, and spread slowly in cold pools from cliff to cliff.
他们尽可能地搜集了许多的小块石头和岩石碎块，在金雳的指导下，西谷的战士们阻挡住渠道的这一端，只留下一个小开口。深溪在大雨的助长之下，在被堵塞的沟渠之间乱窜，慢慢地在峭壁之间累积起了一汪汪的积水。
“Twenty-one!” said Gimli.
“我杀了二十一个！”金雳说。
“Good!” said Legolas. “But my count is now two dozen. It has been knife-work up here.”
勒苟拉斯说：“很好！但我已经累积到二十四个，刚刚上面有一场激烈的白刃战。”
Éomer and Aragorn leant wearily on their swords. Away on the left the crash and clamour of the battle on the Rock rose loud again. But the Hornburg still held fast, like an island in the sea. Its gates lay in ruin; but over the barricade of beams and stones within no enemy as yet had passed.
伊欧墨和亚拉冈都疲倦地倚着宝剑，在他们的左方号角岩上，又再度响起了激烈的战斗声，不过号角堡依旧如同大海中的孤岛面对浪潮一般屹立不摇。它的城门已经破烂不堪，但在重重的工事和岩石阻挡下，暂时还没有敌人可以入侵要塞内。
He climbed up and found Legolas beside Aragorn and Éomer. The elf was whetting his long knife. There was for a while a lull in the assault, since the attempt to break in through the culvert had been foiled.
他爬上城墙，发现勒苟拉斯站在亚拉冈和伊欧墨身边，精灵正在磨着手上的小刀。在从渠道入侵的企图失败之后，敌人的攻击似乎暂时松懈了一阵子。
Aragorn looked at the pale stars, and at the moon, now sloping behind the western hills that enclosed the valley. “This is a night as long as years,” he said. “How long will the day tarry?”
亚拉冈看着苍白的星辰和即将落入山谷的月亮说道：“这一夜和一年一样漫长！”他说：“到底还要多久才会天亮？”
“But these creatures of Isengard, these half-orcs and goblin-men that the foul craft of Saruman has bred, they will not quail at the sun,” said Gamling. “And neither will the wild men of the hills. Do you not hear their voices?”
“可是，这些艾辛格的变种怪物，在萨鲁曼的魔法调制和混种之下，并不会惧怕阳光，”加姆林说，“同样的，山中的野人也不会因此退却。你听见他们的声音了吗？”
“Yet dawn is ever the hope of men,” said Aragorn.
“曙光永远会给人类带来希望！”亚拉冈说。
“Dawn is not far off,” said Gamling, who had now climbed up beside him. “But dawn will not help us, I fear.”
“就快了！”加姆林跟着爬上城墙：“不过，我担心阳光并不会对我们有任何帮助。”
“Yet there are many that cry in the Dunland tongue,” said Gamling. “I know that tongue. It is an ancient speech of men, and once was spoken in many western valleys of the Mark. Hark! They hate us, and they are glad; for our doom seems certain to them. ‘The king, the king!’ they cry. ‘We will take their king. Death to the Forgoil! Death to the Strawheads! Death to the robbers of the North!’ Such names they have for us. Not in half a thousand years have they forgotten their grievance that the lords of Gondor gave the Mark to Eorl the Young and made alliance with him. That old hatred Saruman has inflamed. They are fierce folk when roused. They will not give way now for dusk or dawn, until Théoden is taken, or they themselves are slain.”
“其中有许多用的是登兰德的语言，”加姆林说：“我听得懂那种语言，那是人类所使用的一种古语，骠骑国西边谷地一带曾经流行过这种语言。哼！他们恨我们，这时也感到很高兴，因为看来我们是铁定会惨败了。‘他们的国王！国王！’他们大喊着：‘我们会亲手杀死他们的国王。稻草头去死吧！北方的强盗去死吧！’这些都是他们替我取的浑名。五百年来，他们从来没有忘记刚铎将这块土地赐给伊欧的仇恨。萨鲁曼煽动了这过去的仇恨，在仇恨的驱使下，他们是凶猛的战士，除非希优顿王战死，或是他们全被消灭，否则不管黑夜或是白天，都无法阻挡他们的怒火。”
“Nonetheless day will bring hope to me,” said Aragorn. “Is it not said that no foe has ever taken the Hornburg, if men defended it?”
“不论如何，白昼都会替我带来希望！”亚拉冈说：“传说中，不是只要有人守护号角堡，它就永不会陷落吗？”
“I hear them,” said Éomer; “but they are only the scream of birds and the bellowing of beasts to my ears.”
“我听见了，”伊欧墨说：“可是在我耳中听起来，它们似乎只是鸟兽的嘶吼声。”
“So the minstrels say,” said Éomer.
“吟游诗人是这样说的，”伊欧墨说。
“Then let us defend it, and hope!” said Aragorn.
“那就让我们怀抱希望守护这里吧！”亚拉冈回答。
Even as they spoke there came a blare of trumpets. Then there was a crash and a flash of flame and smoke. The waters of the Deeping-stream poured out hissing and foaming: they were choked no longer, a gaping hole was blasted in the wall. A host of dark shapes poured in.
就在他们交谈的时候，又响起了另一阵号角声。一阵爆炸声和火焰及烟雾飘过，深溪的水流冒着青烟流出要塞外：水流已经不再堵塞，墙上被炸出了一个大洞，一大群黑暗的身影涌进洞内。
“Devilry of Saruman!” cried Aragorn. “They have crept in the culvert again, while we talked, and they have lit the fire of Orthanc beneath our feet. Elendil, Elendil!” he shouted, as he leaped down into the breach; but even as he did so a hundred ladders were raised against the battlements. Over the wall and under the wall the last assault came sweeping like a dark wave upon a hill of sand. The defence was swept away. Some of the Riders were driven back, further and further into the Deep, falling and fighting as they gave way, step by step, towards the caves. Others cut their way back towards the citadel.
“这是萨鲁曼的计谋！”亚拉冈大喊道：“在我们谈话的时候，他们又爬进了那道沟渠，还在我们脚下点燃了欧散克塔的妖火…冲啊，杀啊！”他大喊着跳下城墙，但在此同时，数百条云梯也对着城墙竖立了起来，敌方的最后一波攻势，从城墙上和城墙下疯狂展开，守军被敌人给冲散了。一部份的骠骑被逼得朝着圣盔谷的方向撤退，沿路拼死战斗，只希望能够来得及撤入洞穴中做最后的奋战，其它的敌军则是切断了他们撤回要塞的退路。
A broad stairway climbed from the Deep up to the Rock and the rear-gate of the Hornburg. Near the bottom stood Aragorn. In his hand still Andúril gleamed, and the terror of the sword for a while held back the enemy, as one by one all who could gain the stair passed up towards the gate. Behind on the upper steps knelt Legolas. His bow was bent, but one gleaned arrow was all that he had left, and he peered out now, ready to shoot the first Orc that should dare to approach the stair.
圣盔谷中有一道宽大的阶梯，通往号角岩和号角堡的后门，亚拉冈就站在阶梯底部，安都瑞尔在他的手中闪闪发光，圣剑的威力暂时逼退了敌人，好不容易退到阶梯边的守军，一个接一个撤入堡垒中。勒苟拉斯单膝跪在亚拉冈身后的阶梯上他弯弓瞄准，但手上只剩下孤单的一枚羽箭，他凝神看着前方，准备射死第一个胆敢靠近阶梯的半兽人。
Aragorn turned and sped up the stair; but as he ran he stumbled in his weariness. At once his enemies leapt forward. Up came the Orcs, yelling, with their long arms stretched out to seize him. The foremost fell with Legolas’ last arrow in his throat, but the rest sprang over him. Then a great boulder, cast from the outer wall above, crashed down upon the stair, and hurled them back into the Deep. Aragorn gained the door, and swiftly it clanged to behind him.
亚拉冈转过身，飞快地奔上阶梯；但久战的疲倦让他一步踏空，摔倒在阶梯上。敌人们立刻蜂拥冲向前，半兽人们大吼着伸出长长的手准备抓住他，当先的第一个半兽人被勒苟拉斯一箭射中咽喉，但其它人还是争先恐后的冲上来…就在此时，守军从墙上丢下一枚巨石，将其它的半兽人全都撞回圣盔谷中。亚拉冈把握机会，一个箭步冲到门内，门轰地一声关了起来。
“Things go ill, my friends,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm.
“这下子糟糕了，老友！”他用手臂擦去额上的汗珠，边说道。
“Ill enough,” said Legolas, “but not yet hopeless, while we have you with us. Where is Gimli?”
“情况的确是够坏了，”勒苟拉斯说：“但只要还有你在，就还没到绝望的地步。金雳到哪里去了？”
“All who can have now got safe within, Aragorn,” he called. “Come back!”
“亚拉冈，退到阶梯前的守军都已经安全进入堡垒了，”他大喊着：“快回来！”
“Alas! That is evil news,” said Legolas.
“糟糕！这真是个坏消息！”勒苟拉斯说。
“I do not know,” said Aragorn. “I last saw him fighting on the ground behind the wall, but the enemy swept us apart.”
“我不知道，”亚拉冈说：“我最后一次看到他的时候，金雳还在外面奋战，但敌军把我们冲散了。”
“He is stout and strong,” said Aragorn. “Let us hope that he will escape back to the caves. There he would be safe for a while. Safer than we. Such a refuge would be to the liking of a dwarf.”
“他可是个身经百战的战士，”亚拉冈说：“我们只能希望他可以逃到洞穴中，在那边他可以暂时安全一阵子，至少比我们要安全多了，那样的地点或许反而最适合矮人呢。”
“I must go and seek some arrows,” said Legolas. “Would that this night would end, and I could have better light for shooting.”
“我得赶快去找些箭才行，”勒苟拉斯四下观望着说：“如果天亮了，我就有更好的条件可以瞄准了。”
“That must be my hope,” said Legolas. “But I wish that he had come this way. I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.”
“我也这么希望，”勒苟拉斯说：“不过，我真希望他是朝这个方向撤退的，我很想告诉金雳老大，这回我的战绩已经有三十九人了！”
“If he wins back to the caves, he will pass your count again,” laughed Aragorn. “Never did I see an axe so wielded.”
“如果他能够杀进洞穴中，一定可以再胜过你，”亚拉冈笑着说：“我从来没看过这么刁钻的战斧。”
“Nay, he did not come to the Rock,” said one of the Westfold-men. “I last saw him gathering men about him and fighting in the mouth of the Deep. Gamling was with him, and the dwarf; but I could not come to them.”
“不，他没有往号角岩这方向走，”一名西谷的战士说：“我最后看见他的时候，他在圣盔谷口集结人马，准备反攻。加姆林和矮人都和他在一起，但我无法冲到他们身边去。”
Aragorn now passed into the citadel. There to his dismay he learned that Éomer had not reached the Hornburg.
亚拉冈终于回到要塞中，他失望地发现伊欧墨没来得及撤入号角堡。
Aragorn strode on through the inner court, and mounted to a high chamber in the tower. There stood the king, dark against a narrow window, looking out upon the vale.
亚拉冈越过要塞的内院，进入塔中最高的房间。国王站在那边，站在窗后的阴影中凝视着山谷中的战况。
“The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away; but many have escaped hither to the Rock.”
“王上，深溪墙已被攻陷，守军都被冲散了，但还是有很多人躲进了号角岩。”
“What is the news, Aragorn?” he said.
“亚拉冈，有什么消息吗？”他说。
“More than we. Good provision, it is said. And the air is wholesome there because of the outlets through fissures in the rock far above. None can force an entrance against determined men. They may hold out long.”
“我想至少比我们有希望多了，据说里面有很丰富的补给，而且，因为山壁上有很多的裂缝通风，洞穴中的空气也还算干净。只要守军决心坚守，没有任何的力量可以强行侵犯，他们应该可以支撑很长的一段时间。”
“I fret in this prison,” said Théoden. “If I could have set a spear in rest, riding before my men upon the field, maybe I could have felt again the joy of battle, and so ended. But I serve little purpose here.”
“我被困在这牢笼中，”希优顿说：“如果我可以带着部队冲上战场，或许可以身先士卒地享受那种置死生于度外的感觉，就这么战死沙场也比困守在此地好多了。”
“Here at least you are guarded in the strongest fastness of the Mark,” said Aragorn. “More hope we have to defend you in the Hornburg than in Edoras, or even at Dunharrow in the mountains.”
“在这里，至少你是在骠骑国最坚强的要塞中，”亚拉冈说：“在这里比在伊多拉斯，或甚至是登哈洛都要容易防守多了。”
“No, lord. But many of your men retreated into the Deep; and some say that Éomer was amongst them. In the narrows they may hold back the enemy and come within the caves. What hope they may have then I do not know.”
“没有，大人，但你有不少兵力撤入了圣盔谷，有人说伊欧墨就在他们之中。借着该处狭窄的地形，他们或许可以挡住敌人的入侵，撤退入洞穴中，之后该怎么办我就不知道了。”
“Is Éomer here?”
“伊欧墨回来了吗？”
“But the Orcs have brought a devilry from Orthanc,” said Aragorn. “They have a blasting fire, and with it they took the Wall. If they cannot come in the caves, they may seal up those that are inside. But now we must turn all our thought to our own defence.”
“但半兽人们从欧散克塔带来了可恶的魔法，”亚拉冈说：“他们有种会爆炸的火焰，靠着那火焰，他们轻易地炸开了城墙。就算他们攻不进洞穴中，也可以把守军封死在里面。唉，多说无益，我们还是仔细想想该怎么守住号角堡才行。”
“It is said that the Hornburg has never fallen to assault,” said Théoden; “but now my heart is doubtful. The world changes, and all that once was strong now proves unsure. How shall any tower withstand such numbers and such reckless hate? Had I known that the strength of Isengard was grown so great, maybe I should not so rashly have ridden forth to meet it, for all the arts of Gandalf. His counsel seems not now so good as it did under the morning sun.”
“据说号角堡从未被攻陷过，”希优顿说：“但我现在也不禁感到有些动摇，世事多变化，一度强胜的国家可能在转眼间崩溃，世界上怎么可能有任何建筑，能够抵御这种狂暴的攻势和无边无际的仇恨？如果我早知道艾辛格的势力已经如此坐大，或许我就不敢这么狂妄地上战场，就算有甘道夫的所有魔法在背后支持也一样。他的建议现在看起来并没有白天时那么的妥当！”
“Do not judge the counsel of Gandalf, until all is over, lord,” said Aragorn.
“在大势底定之前，不要轻率评断甘道夫的忠告，王上，”亚拉冈说。
“The end will not be long,” said the king. “But I will not end here, taken like an old badger in a trap. Snowmane and Hasufel and the horses of my guard are in the inner court. When dawn comes, I will bid men sound Helm’s horn, and I will ride forth. Will you ride with me then, son of Arathorn? Maybe we shall cleave a road, or make such an end as will be worth a song — if any be left to sing of us hereafter.”
“不久一切就会结束了，”国王说：“但我可不愿意像是只鼠辈一样被困在这牢笼中。雪鬃和哈苏风以及禁卫军的座骑都在内院里，只要天一亮，我就会下令部属吹起圣盔谷的迎战号角，亲自策马出阵。亚拉冈，你愿意和我一起上战场吗？或许我们可以杀出一条血路来，或至少来上一场可歌可泣的战斗──希望到时还会有人活下来，记载我们的事迹。”
Taking his leave, he returned to the walls, and passed round all their circuit, enheartening the men, and lending aid wherever the assault was hot. Legolas went with him. Blasts of fire leaped up from below shaking the stones. Grappling-hooks were hurled, and ladders raised. Again and again the Orcs gained the summit of the outer wall, and again the defenders cast them down.
他向国王告退，回到城墙上，把握每一个机会激励守军，哪里战况最激烈，他就奋不顾身地前去支持，勒苟拉斯和他一同冒险犯难。城下不停爆炸的火焰一次又一次撼动城墙，敌方又丢出了许多抓勾和攻城梯；半兽人一次又一次的意图冲进城内，而守军也一次次将他们击退。
“I will ride with you,” said Aragorn.
“这是我的荣幸！”亚拉冈说。
At last Aragorn stood above the great gates, heedless of the darts of the enemy. As he looked forth he saw the eastern sky grow pale. Then he raised his empty hand, palm outward in token of parley.
最后，亚拉冈站在城门上，不顾敌方的箭雨，看着东方天空逐渐泛白。然后，他举起右手，对着敌人伸出掌心，示意对方要谈判。
“The king stays or comes at his own will,” said Aragorn.
“国王爱来就来，爱走就走，”亚拉冈说。
“What of the dawn?” they jeered. “We are the Uruk-hai: we do not stop the fight for night or day, for fair weather or for storm. We come to kill, by sun or moon. What of the dawn?”
“黎明又怎么样？”他们轻蔑地回答：“我们是强兽人，不管白天黑夜、风霜雨雪，我们都不会停止战斗，黎明又算是哪根葱？”
The Orcs yelled and jeered. “Come down! Come down!” they cried. “If you wish to speak to us, come down! Bring out your king! We are the fighting Uruk-hai. We will fetch him from his hole, if he does not come. Bring out your skulking king!”
半兽人们欢声雷动。“下来！下来！”他们大喊着：“如果你想要和谈，快下来！把你们的国王带出来！我们可是善战的强兽人；如果他不来，我们就会把他抓下来！把你们懦弱的国王带出来吧！”
“Then what are you doing here?” they answered. “Why do you look out? Do you wish to see the greatness of our army? We are the fighting Uruk-hai.”
“那你在这边干什么？”他们回答：“你为什么看着这个方向？你想要亲眼看见我们壮盛的军容吗？我们可是骁勇的的强兽人啊。”
“None knows what the new day shall bring him,” said Aragorn. “Get you gone, ere it turn to your evil.”
“没有人知道崭新的一天会带来些什么，”亚拉冈说：“你们最好赶快撤退，免得必须面对厄运。”
“I looked out to see the dawn,” said Aragorn.
“我想要看看黎明的景色。”亚拉冈说。
“Get down or we will shoot you from the wall,” they cried. “This is no parley. You have nothing to say.”
“你不下来，我们就把你射下来，”他们大吼着：“这根本不是什么和谈，你根本无话可说。”
There was a roar and a blast of fire. The archway of the gate above which he had stood a moment before crumbled and crashed in smoke and dust. The barricade was scattered as if by a thunderbolt. Aragorn ran to the king’s tower.
一声震耳欲聋的巨响和刺眼的火光爆射，亚拉冈之前所站立的地方，一瞬间在浓烟中崩塌了下来，城门底下的防御工事似乎受到闪电击打一般地崩溃了。亚拉冈狂奔向国王所在的高塔，
So great a power and royalty was revealed in Aragorn, as he stood there alone above the ruined gates before the host of his enemies, that many of the wild men paused, and looked back over their shoulders to the valley, and some looked up doubtfully at the sky. But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall, as Aragorn leaped down.
亚拉冈身上散发出举世无匹的王者之气，让地面上的野人停下动作，不安地回头看着山谷的入口，有些甚至抬头看着天空。但半兽人们则是毫不留情地哈哈大笑，亚拉冈从高墙一跃而下，身后的箭矢如雨激射。
But even as the gate fell, and the Orcs about it yelled, preparing to charge, a murmur arose behind them, like a wind in the distance, and it grew to a clamour of many voices crying strange news in the dawn. The Orcs upon the Rock, hearing the rumour of dismay, wavered and looked back. And then, sudden and terrible, from the tower above, the sound of the great horn of Helm rang out.
但是，就在大门被攻陷、半兽人们狂吼着准备冲锋时，他们的身后忽然响起了低语的声音，仿佛是远方的和风带来了不祥的预兆。号角岩上的半兽人听见这声音，不禁转头回顾；就在那时，从要塞中的高塔响起了圣盔谷的迎战号角。
“I have still this to say,” answered Aragorn. “No enemy has yet taken the Hornburg. Depart, or not one of you will be spared. Not one will be left alive to take back tidings to the North. You do not know your peril.”
“我还有几句话要说，”亚拉冈不为所动地回答：“号角堡从来没被敌人攻陷过，赶快撤退，否则我们将会把你们赶尽杀绝，没有人可以活着回去向北方的主人回报军情，你们还不知道自己正面对着末日。”
“Forth Eorlingas!” With a cry and a great noise they charged. Down from the gates they roared, over the causeway they swept, and they drove through the hosts of Isengard as a wind among grass. Behind them from the Deep came the stern cries of men issuing from the caves, driving forth the enemy. Out poured all the men that were left upon the Rock. And ever the sound of blowing horns echoed in the hills.
“骠骑们，冲啊！”一声大吼，所有的马队全都朝敌人冲锋。他们冲出了倒塌的大门，一路所向披靡，像是狂风吹过草原一般席卷过艾辛格的部队。在圣盔谷中则是传来之前幸存者的回应，他们从洞穴中杀出，赶走了流连在该处的敌人。号角岩所有残存的守军全都一涌而出，震耳的号角声依旧在山丘中不停地四处回响。
“Helm! Helm!” the Riders shouted. “Helm is arisen and comes back to war. Helm for Théoden King!”
“圣盔！圣盔！”骠骑们大喊着：“古代的勇士复生了，将协助希优顿王打胜仗！”
All that heard that sound trembled. Many of the Orcs cast themselves on their faces and covered their ears with their claws. Back from the Deep the echoes came, blast upon blast, as if on every cliff and hill a mighty herald stood. But on the walls men looked up, listening with wonder; for the echoes did not die. Ever the hornblasts wound on among the hills; nearer now and louder they answered one to another, blowing fierce and free.
所有听见这声音的人都不禁浑身颤抖，许多半兽人伏倒在地，用爪子捂住耳朵。从圣盔谷中传来了不断的回响，一声接一声，仿佛每座山峰上都有一名号手回应这呼唤。守军们专注地倾听着，号角声不停地在山谷中回响，不但没有减弱，更显得越来越狂野奔放、越来越高昂振奋。
And with that shout the king came. His horse was white as snow, golden was his shield, and his spear was long. At his right hand was Aragorn, Elendil’s heir, behind him rode the lords of the House of Eorl the Young. Light sprang in the sky. Night departed.
国王在众人的欢呼声中出现了，他的马匹洁白胜雪、盾牌金黄耀眼、长枪无比锐利，他的右边是伊兰迪尔的子嗣亚拉冈，身后则是伊欧皇室的禁卫军。曙光划破天际，夜色悄然消退。
On they rode, the king and his companions. Captains and champions fell or fled before them. Neither orc nor man withstood them. Their backs were to the swords and spears of the Riders, and their faces to the valley. They cried and wailed, for fear and great wonder had come upon them with the rising of the day.
国王带领着禁卫军奋勇冲杀，敌人的统帅和军官，不是死于长枪之下就是四散奔逃，没有任何的半兽人或是人类可以阻挡他们的攻势。骠骑不停地追赶，敌人没命的奔逃，艾辛格的部队溃不成军──黎明的确给他们带来了意想不到的致命打击。
So King Théoden rode from Helm’s Gate and clove his path to the great Dike. There the company halted. Light grew bright about them. Shafts of the sun flared above the eastern hills and glimmered on their spears. But they sat silent on their horses, and they gazed down upon the Deeping-coomb.
希优顿王就这样，一路从圣盔之门冲杀到圣盔渠，部队在那边停了下来，天色越来越明亮。阳光开始从东方的山丘后一道道的跃出，反射在他们的枪尖上。但他们只能沉默不语地坐在马上，目瞪口呆望着深溪谷的景象。
The land had changed. Where before the green dale had lain, its grassy slopes lapping the ever-mounting hills, there now a forest loomed. Great trees, bare and silent, stood, rank on rank, with tangled bough and hoary head; their twisted roots were buried in the long green grass. Darkness was under them. Between the Dike and the eaves of that nameless wood only two open furlongs lay. There now cowered the proud hosts of Saruman, in terror of the king and in terror of the trees. They streamed down from Helm’s Gate until all above the Dike was empty of them, but below it they were packed like swarming flies. Vainly they crawled and clambered about the walls of the coomb, seeking to escape. Upon the east too sheer and stony was the valley’s side; upon the left, from the west, their final doom approached.
大地的容貌已经完全改变了，原先那里是一块倾斜的大草原，现在却出现了一座森林。这些树木沉默地矗立在草原上，纠缠的枝丫间几乎没有任何的空隙，它们扭曲的根部深深钻入土壤中，森林中则是漆黑一片。在圣盔渠和这座无名的森林之间，只有不到一哩的空隙，萨鲁曼引以为豪的大军就被困在该处，因为骠骑的威力加上恐怖的树林而无法动弹。他们没命地奔逃，却被困在深溪谷中；他们徒劳无功地攀爬着峭壁，想要逃开这困局，却只是白费力气；而他们真正的致命一击，则是从西方出现了。
“Erkenbrand!” the Riders shouted. “Erkenbrand!”
“鄂肯布兰德驾到！”骠骑们欢欣鼓舞地大喊：“鄂肯布兰德！”
“Behold the White Rider!” cried Aragorn. “Gandalf is come again!”
“还有白骑士！”亚拉冈大喊道：“甘道夫又回来了！”
There suddenly upon a ridge appeared a rider, clad in white, shining in the rising sun. Over the low hills the horns were sounding. Behind him, hastening down the long slopes, were a thousand men on foot; their swords were in their hands. Amid them strode a man tall and strong. His shield was red. As he came to the valley’s brink, he set to his lips a great black horn and blew a ringing blast.
一名穿着白袍的骑士，在刺眼的阳光下突然出现在山坡上，号角声再度从山下响起，一千名手握钢剑的步兵从他身后出现。在他们的队伍中有一名高大强悍的战士，他握着红色的盾牌，当他来到谷口时，他举起一只巨大的黑色号角，凑到唇边吹响——
“Mithrandir, Mithrandir!” said Legolas. “This is wizardry indeed! Come! I would look on this forest, ere the spell changes.”
“米斯兰达！米斯兰达！”勒苟拉斯说：“这可真是奇迹！快来！我要在魔法消失之前，看看这座森林。”
The hosts of Isengard roared, swaying this way and that, turning from fear to fear. Again the horn sounded from the tower. Down through the breach of the Dike charged the king’s company. Down from the hills leaped Erkenbrand, lord of Westfold. Down leaped Shadowfax, like a deer that runs surefooted in the mountains. The White Rider was upon them, and the terror of his coming filled the enemy with madness. The wild men fell on their faces before him. The Orcs reeled and screamed and cast aside both sword and spear. Like a black smoke driven by a mounting wind they fled. Wailing they passed under the waiting shadow of the trees; and from that shadow none ever came again.
艾辛格的部队仓皇狼狈地四处碰壁，偏偏每个方向都是死路。高塔中又再度响起号角声，国王领着骠骑沿着圣盔渠的开口冲了出来，西谷的领主鄂肯布兰德也带兵从山坡上冲下来；而影疾则以飞快的速度冲向山谷，白骑士的出现让他们恐惧得快要发狂，野人们趴在地上不敢动弹，半兽人狂叫着丢下武器只管逃命。他们像是被强风吹散的黑烟一般四散奔窜，在走投无路之下，他们只得哭喊着冲入森林的阴影中，再也没人活着离开这里。
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