He might have got up and chased the goat away, but Edwin felt too tired. The exhaustion had swept over him a little earlier, and with such intensity that he had fallen forward onto the ground, the mountain grass pressing against his cheek. He had reached the edges of sleep, but then had been startled back to wakefulness by the sudden conviction that his mother had gone. He had not moved, and had kept his eyes closed, but he had muttered aloud into the ground: “Mother. We’re coming. Only a little longer now.”
埃德温本来可以站起身来，把山羊赶走，但他感觉太累了。刚才疲惫感突然袭来，势不可挡，以至于他一头栽倒在地，一侧脸颊贴在草上。他迷迷糊糊快睡着了，脑海里却突然闪过一个念头：母亲已经走了，于是又被惊醒过来。他身体没动，眼睛也一直闭着，但他对着地面说：“母亲。我们来啦。就是现在要耽搁一会儿。”
There had been no answer, and he had felt a great emptiness opening within him. Since then, drifting between sleep and waking, he had several more times called to her, to be answered only by silence. And now the goat was chewing the grass next to his ear.
没有回答，他感觉到巨大的空虚在心里漫延开来。后来他一直半睡半醒，期间曾向她呼喊了好几次，回答他的只有沉寂。现在，这头山羊却在啃噬他耳朵旁边的草。
For some time now the goat had been trampling the grass very near Edwin’s head. Why did the animal have to come so close? They might be tied to the same post, but surely there was territory enough for each of them.
那头山羊一直在埃德温脑袋旁边的草地上踩着，已经有一会儿了。为什么它一定要靠得这么近呢？虽然他们两个绑在同一根木桩上，但是互不相扰的地方还是有的吧。
“Forgive me, mother,” he said softly into the earth. “They tied me. I couldn’t get free.”
“原谅我，母亲，”他轻声对着土地说。“他们绑住了我。我无法脱身。”
One of his knees ached badly, but when a gust of wind rocked him, he was able to keep his balance. He looked about him: there was the grey sky, the rising land, the rocks up on the crest of the next hill. Not long ago, those rocks had meant everything to him, but now she was gone, of that there was no doubt. And he remembered something the warrior had said: that when it was too late for rescue, it was still early enough for revenge. If that were true, those who had taken his mother would pay a terrible price.
一条腿的膝盖疼得厉害，一阵风吹得他摇摇晃晃，但他还能保持平衡。他看看周围：灰色的天空，绵延的大地，下一座山顶上的岩石。不久前，那些岩石对他至关重要，可现在她走了，这一点毋庸置疑。他想起了武士说过的话：救援未必来得及，但报仇的机会多得是。如果真是这样，那么，抓走他母亲的那些人，定要付出高昂的代价。
There were voices above him. Only then did it occur to him the footsteps around him were not those of the goat. Someone was untying his hands, and the rope was pulling away from under him. A gentle hand raised his head, and he opened his eyes to see the old woman — Mistress Beatrice — peering down at him. He realised he was no longer tied, and rose to his feet.
上方有人的声音。这时他才意识到，周围的脚步声不是山羊发出的。有人在解开他的双手，绳子从身体下面抽出去。一只温柔的手托起他的头，他睁开眼睛，看见那位老太太——比特丽丝夫人——正低头看着自己。他发现身上的绑绳已经解开，便站了起来。
There was no sign of Wistan. It was just the old couple here, but Edwin felt comforted by their presence. They were standing before him, gazing at him with concern, and the sight of the kindly Mistress Beatrice made him feel suddenly close to tears. But Edwin realised she was saying something — something about Wistan — and made an effort to listen.
没有维斯坦的踪迹。只有那对年长的夫妻在这儿，但埃德温也感到欣慰。他们站在他面前，关切地盯着他。看到好心的比特丽丝夫人，他感觉突然要哭出来一样。但是，埃德温意识到，她好像在说什么话——和维斯坦有关，于是努力去听。
Her Saxon was hard to understand, and the wind seemed to carry her words away. In the end he cut across her to ask: “Is Master Wistan fallen?”
她的撒克逊话不太好懂，风似乎把她的话带走了。最后，他打断她的话，问道：“维斯坦阁下倒下了吗？”
“Don’t you hear me, Master Edwin? I tell you Master Wistan is well and awaits you at the top of that path.”
“你没听到我的话吗，埃德温阁下？我告诉你，维斯坦阁下没事，顺那条路上去，他在那儿等你。”
She fell silent, but did not reply. Only when he repeated himself, in a voice that rose above the wind, did Mistress Beatrice shake her head emphatically and say:
她住了口，但没有作答。他又重复了一遍，提高嗓门盖过了风的声音，这时比特丽丝才使劲摇了摇头，说道：
The news filled him with relief, and he broke into a run, but then a giddiness quickly overtook him, obliging him to stop before he had even reached the path. He steadied himself, then glancing back, saw the old couple had taken a few steps in his direction. Edwin noticed now how frail they seemed. There they were standing together in the wind, each leaning against the other, looking far older than when he had first met them. Did they have strength left to descend the mountainside? But now they were gazing at him with an odd expression, and behind them, the goat too had ceased its restless activity to stare at him. A strange thought went through Edwin’s mind, that he was at that moment covered head to toe in blood, and this was why he had become the object of such scrutiny. But when he glanced down, though his clothes were marked with mud and grass, he saw nothing unusual.
这消息让他备感欣慰，他撒腿就跑，但随即发现自己头晕目眩，还没到路上就只好停了下来。他站稳了，然后回头望，看见那对年老的夫妻已经朝这边走了几步。这时埃德温注意到，他们非常虚弱。在风中，两人站在一起，互相依靠着，与他第一次见到他们的时候相比，显得老了许多。他们还有力气下山吗？现在他们正望着他，表情很奇怪，在他们身后，那头山羊也安静下来了，正瞪大眼睛看着他。埃德温心里闪过一个奇怪的念头：这一刻自己从头到脚全是血，所以大家都盯着他。他低头一看，衣服上有泥巴和草，除此之外，他没发现什么特别的。
As he heard this, something else came back to Edwin: a promise made to the warrior; a duty to hate all Britons. But surely Wistan had not meant to include this gentle couple. And now here was Master Axl, raising a hand uncertainly into the air. Was it in farewell or an attempt to detain him?
听到这话的时候，埃德温想起了另外一件事：他对武士的承诺；仇恨所有不列颠人的义务。不过，维斯坦肯定没打算把这对好心的夫妇也包括在内吧。埃克索阁下呢，正颤巍巍地将一只手举到空中。这是要告别呢，还是打算拦住他？
The old man suddenly called out something. It was in the Britons’ tongue and Edwin could not understand. Was it a warning? A request? Then Mistress Beatrice’s voice came through the wind.
那位老头子突然喊了什么话。是不列颠人的语言，埃德温听不懂。是警告吗？还是要求？接着比特丽丝夫人的声音从风中传来。
“Master Edwin! We both beg this of you. In the days to come, remember us. Remember us and this friendship when you were still a boy.”
“埃德温阁下！我们两人都求你一件事。以后的日子里，记住我们啊。记住我们，记住你还是个男孩的时候，我们之间的友谊。”
Edwin turned away, and this time when he ran, even with the wind pushing from one side, his body did not fail him. His mother was gone, most likely gone beyond all retrieving, but the warrior was well and waiting for him. He continued to run, even as the path grew steeper and the ache in his knee grew worse.
埃德温转过身去，这次他奔跑的时候，虽然风从一侧猛烈地吹着，他的身体并没有让他失望。他的母亲已经走了，很可能永远也不会回来了，但武士还在，正等着他。路越来越陡，膝盖也越来越疼，但他继续奔跑着。
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