铜树坪坝上的灵怪 The Spirit of Copperwood Glade

作者：Jared Rosen

在如今这个黑暗的时期，人们谈起永恒之森的时候往往都带着几分敬畏，因为无论男女老少都知道那个地方危险至极，世上最后一群荒野之子在那里布满了机关和陷阱。

It is common in these dark days to speak of the Elderwood with some deference, as both the young and old know it as a place of great danger, filled with tricks and traps laid by the last true children of the wilds.但这样的情形并非自古如此，早在神明陨落以前，那些善良美好的森中居民曾经与天真无邪的人类杂居共存，上演过无数喜怒哀乐、悲欢离合。许多怪事奇谈都流传至今，这些传说故事可能是人类蒙昧时代留下的唯一线索，世代相传，让后人回望那个尚未被巫术与暗影掩埋的，魔法的纪元。Yet this was not always the case, and in the bygone age before the gods fell these fair folk did mingle with a wide-eyed humankind, both for good and ill. Tales of those misadventures exist even to this day―perhaps the last surviving stories of a more innocent time, captured and passed down so those who come after us will remember the magic that has been lost to witchery and shadow.不提伤心事了！下面这个故事，讲的就是与那片古老森林有瓜葛的人，还有森林里生活着的奇异生物。要知道，永恒之森曾经养育了许许多多英勇的骑士、温柔的花妖、还有大大小小的奇精异灵，其中一些依然还栖息在那里。或许，若你有幸，有纯洁的心，有朝一日你也可以亲眼见到他们……

But let us not speak of sad things! Here is but one telling of those touched by the old forest, and the strange creatures living within it. For the Elderwood was once home to brave knights, gentle dryads, and odd spirits large and small, and some reside there still; perhaps, if you are lucky and pure of heart, you may one day even meet one yourself...

Many years ago, in a kingdom to the south of the great Elderwood, there lived a good-natured husband and wife who worked as toymakers. They had a young daughter whose name was Rowan, as gentle and pleasant as a child could be, and together they lived quite happily making all manner of playthings from the wood of the forest.

很久以前，在永恒之森南面的一个王国里，住着一对好心的夫妻，他们以制作玩具营生。二人育有一女，唤作萝菀，天真烂漫，怡然自乐。一家人过着幸福安宁的日子，用森林里的木材制作各式各样的玩具。

The toys fashioned by Rowan’s parents were greatly desired, even by members of the noble houses, and because of this they became wealthy and well-renowned. The toys were never damaged no matter how roughly children played, and never grew old no matter how much time had passed, and each was a work of art unique in everything but name, never to be made again―for this was the magic of the Elderwood, such as it was back then.

萝菀的父母心灵手巧，制作的玩具供不应求，顾客之中甚至不乏侯爵贵族，他们也因此名利双收。他们做出的玩具摔打不破、摧折不烂、经年不旧、历久弥新，而且每一件玩具都巧夺天工、独一无二，除了名字以外皆不相同，无法做出第二件——因为这是永恒之森的魔法，是那个时代的样貌。

It had been said that Rowan’s great-grandfather had once saved a fledgling spirit, and in return his family had been blessed for one-hundred-and-two years, so that they might harvest a single tree each year and from it make as many creations as they desired. No creature would harm him or his descendants, even the Great Guardian Hecarim, so long as his family never turned against the denizens of the forest, and not more than a single tree was taken on the first day of spring. They must also live away from the walls of the city, to signify the bond of spirit and man, and in return the Elderwood would extend its protection to their kin forevermore.

据说萝菀的曾祖父曾经救助过一个稚幼的灵怪，并因此为自己的家族换来了为期一百零二年的福佑，保他们每年都可伐一棵树，穷尽这棵树的木材施展工艺。任何猛兽都不会伤害他和他的后代，就连山神赫卡里姆也要容忍，但前提是他的家族决不能与森中居民为敌，而且只能在每个春季的第一天砍伐不多于一棵树。他们还必须生活在城防高墙之外，以此昭示灵怪与人类之间的纽带，与之相应，永恒之森的华盖也将永远荫蔽他的家族。

Rowan’s family did respect the terms of this agreement for one-hundred-and-one years, and they were joyful for it.

萝菀一家遵守此约，度过了一百零一年，安康欢愉。

On the eve of the one-hundred-and-second year, a nobleman from a foreign land visited Rowan and her parents. His name was Brín, and he fancied himself a king, though in truth his lands were small and his influence was quite minor among the lords and ladies of the kingdoms. As such he was obsessed with baubles giving the appearance of wealth and status, and so mesmerized by these wooden toys that he decided he must have as many as he could, so that in his court they might be considered commonplace.

就在第一百零二年的新年前夜，一名异乡的贵族造访萝菀家。他名为布粦，自封为王，但其实他治下的土地褊狭，在诸多王公郡主里不值一提。故此，他痴迷于那些显富露贵的闲物细软，见到那些木质玩具以后便不可自拔，决心要将其尽数纳为己有，摆满他的宫殿。

“Honored toymaker,” he declared, “these treasures are priceless, and yet ye would sell them for such a pittance to the children of this land. Is it not more prudent to create them for a noble such as I? I could pay thee greatly, and fill thy coffers, so thy family may never want again.”

“荣幸的玩具匠人啊，”他高声说道，“这每一件都是无价之宝，而你却廉价卖给此地的孩童。何不来做本王的御用工匠？本王重重有赏，保你盆丰钵满，全家衣食无忧。”

But Rowan’s father refused, as the Elderwood provided all the family needed. “I do not wish to sell my wares for profit, though their fame has blessed me greatly. I strive only to honor my agreement with the great forest, as my father did, and his father before.”

但萝菀的父亲拒绝了，因为永恒之森早已让这个家族别无他求。“小民不图财不图利，名声和赞誉也是不请自来。小民不过是想谨遵家门与森林之约，不负家父和家祖所望。”

“Honored toymaker,” declared Brín, “thy fame is known throughout the lands, and yet ye would live among the edges of the untamed wilds. Craft these treasures in the name of my house, and I will build ye a great manse upon the riverbank, so ye might be the envy of all other men.”

“荣幸的玩具匠人啊，”布粦高声说道，“你誉满四方，却隐居于杳无人烟的荒郊野外。只要你以本王之名打造此等无价之宝，本王便差人给你造一座河畔的阔宅，羡煞旁人。”

Again, Rowan’s father refused, as even when they could harvest the trees no further, his family would always have a place among the fair folk of the Elderwood. “I am sorry,” he said, “but ye may purchase any wares within these walls, and bring them back to thy court. They never age or wear, and I am sure that will suffice.”

萝菀的父亲再次拒绝了，因为即便明年过后他们将无法伐木取材，他的家族也会在永恒之森的善良居民之中存有一席之地。“万分抱歉，”他说，“不过您可以买下此间房内的所有器物，带回您的宫殿。我的玩具永不磨损褪色，请您笑纳。”

Now Brín did become furious. “If thou would’st reject such a generous offer, I will burn thy workshop to the ground. The Elderwood does not extend as far as my kingdom, and by the time its children come to thine aid thy life will be spent, and thy family slaughtered. I will take these treasures for my own, and that will be the end of it.”

这下，布粦勃然大怒。“既然你不识抬举，可别怪我把你的工坊化为焦土。永恒之森距我的王国山高路远，森林之子即便要来救你们，也只来得及给你全家收尸。这些宝物全归本王，至此收场。”

With this, Rowan’s father relented, and the lord Brín would return one month hence, to claim every toy crafted from the final gifted tree.

至此，萝菀的父亲只得妥协，布粦国王将于一个月后再来，拿走最后一棵馈赠之树做出的全部玩具。

“Father,” said Rowan, for she knew much despite her years, “what will we do? Though his lands are few, that man is a lord nonetheless, and might call upon a great many knights.”

“爹爹，”年幼的萝菀已懂许多世事，“我们这下如何是好？土地再褊狭，他也是个不折不扣的王，可能会召集起许许多多的骑士。”

“True,” said Rowan’s father, “but in his hubris he disregards the spirits of the wood. Take warm clothes from thy mother, and a bindle of foodstuffs, and go to the place called Copperwood Glade. There, thy eyes will fall upon a great tree as hard as armor plate. Sleep softly at its base, and the spirit that blesses this house will appear in a dream to barter with ye. But beware, for it is not a kind spirit, but a violent one. If thy words are false, or thy offers unfair, or it senses darkness in thy heart, then it will cut thy soul away, and thy body will never wake.”

“的确，”萝菀的父亲说，“但他的高傲言行已然触怒了林中的灵怪。让娘亲给你准备御寒的厚衣和一袋干粮，然后去一个叫做铜树坪坝的地方。到那以后，你会看到一棵大树，树皮坚如甲胄。在树下安睡，护佑咱家的灵怪就将托梦给你，与你交涉商谈。千万小心，这个灵怪绝非善类，性情暴戾。若你言不由衷，抑或你要价不公，再或它察觉你心存黑暗，那它就将割走你的灵魂，让你的肉身长眠不起。”

And so Rowan did take warm clothes from her mother, and a bindle of food, and travel into the Elderwood, as her parents raced to carve toys for the lord Brín, in case her quest failed.

于是萝菀从母亲手里接过御寒的厚衣，外加一袋干粮，动身进入了永恒之森。而她的父母则紧忙为布粦国王雕琢玩具，以免她此行遭遇不测。

Before long Rowan did stumble upon a quiet glade apart from the forest, at its center an ancient tree whose bark shone like polished copper. Around it were the bones of many people, their tattered belongings covered in deep, green moss. Rowan could not hear the birds or the streams of the whispers of the countless spirits in this place―only silence, as though not even the wind would dare disturb its countless secrets. She felt a great dread here, as though she were being watched, but despite her fear she unpacked her bindle, and buttoned up her warm coat, and rested herself against the base of the copperwood tree as her father had told her to do.

没走多久，萝菀就真的在森林中找到了一片静谧的坪坝，一棵古树在中央拔地而起，树皮泛着紫铜般的光泽。树下散落着许多人的骸骨，凌乱的遗物上覆盖着厚厚的青苔。萝菀听不见鸟鸣溪唱，听不见森中灵怪此起彼伏的轻语——只有一片寂静，似乎就连风也不敢打扰埋藏于此的无数秘密。她在这里感觉到一股夺魂的恐慌，似乎自己被看穿。纵使惊慌失措，她还是打开了行囊，穿上御寒的大衣，按照父亲所说，靠在铜树下休憩。

Soon enough, she fell deeply asleep. The sun’s rays danced across her cheeks, and it seemed that these old bones strewn about were barely a bother anymore.

她很快就沉睡过去。缕缕阳光在她脸颊上跃动，这些零落的骸骨很快就显得无关紧要了。

She awoke in the dead of night, to the sound of a hymn.

一声哼唱，在深夜中将她唤醒。

Now Rowan was brave and kind, but the words creaked and moaned like a beetle-filled log, and rustled like the branches of an old, dead willow, and soon enough her fear returned to her. Her father’s warning did echo in her ears, warning of a vicious thing, and so Rowan cried out, “Art thou the spirit of Copperwood Glade?”

虽然萝菀是个勇敢善良的孩子，但这个声音粗哑含糊，如同一根蛀满甲虫的树干在呻吟，好似一棵枯死的柳树在风中摩挲枝条，她的恐惧马上就回来了。父亲的叮嘱回荡在耳边，绝非善类，性情暴戾，于是萝菀大声喊，“敢问您是铜树坪坝的灵怪吗？”

And for a while the hymn continued, as if to answer the question.

那个哼唱的声音又持续了一阵，似乎是在向她答话。

Then the logs and the moss and the branches and the trees grew still, and the hymn ceased, and a strange, misshapen apparition did appear at the edges of the glade. Its arms hung low, and ended in sharpened blades, and its head turned unnaturally against its strange wooden body, and it looked at Rowan without expression.

然后树干、青苔、柳条和树林全都静止了，那个哼唱的声音也停住了，随后一个奇怪、扭曲的鬼影出现在空地的边缘。它两条手臂垂得很低，两把锋利的刀刃从腕际向下突出，而它的头则不可思议地拗向它奇形怪状的木质身躯，它面无表情地看向萝菀。

“Hwæt þú gewilnunge mædencild?” said the spirit, its voice creaking like rotten timber.

“ㄖㄨㄎㄜㄕㄍㄜㄈㄨㄓ∣ㄙㄨㄣ？”那个灵怪开口说道，它的声音迸裂如朽木。

But this was the old tongue, older by far even than Rowan’s great-grandfather, and she could not understand it.

它说的是古语，甚至比萝菀的曾祖父还古老，所以她听不懂。

“Ah,” said the spirit, “it has been many years since thy ancestor lent me his aid. Forgive me, for time does not pass for us as it does for thee, and often I confuse the mortal tongues. I am called Nocturne, and I am the spirit you seek. What dost thou desire, child? I wish to hear thy words. But speak not falsely, or I will cut thy soul away, and thy body will rot in the glade with those others who have aimed to trick a creature such as I.”

“啊，”那个灵怪说，“你的祖先施救于我已是许久之前。莫见笑，我们的时间和你们不一样，故而凡人之语常常令我混淆。我叫魔腾，我就是你要找的灵怪。孩童，你所欲者为何？我愿闻其详。不过请勿虚言妄语，否则我就将割走你的灵魂，让你的肉身同那些人一起烂在这片坪坝上，任何妄图愚弄我的人都是这个下场。”

Yet the spirit did not draw closer, and Rowan’s fear would not subside.

灵怪并没有靠近，然而萝菀的恐惧却无法消退。

“O, Nocturne,” she said. “One-hundred-and-one years have passed since ye blessed my house, and this year will be the last. We have always honored thy will, and the will of the Elderwood, and from this we will never falter. But a lord named Brín now threatens us with death, and we entreat thee for protection.”

“噢，魔腾！”她说，“自从您护佑我的家族，已过去一百又一年，今年将是末一年。我们始终谨遵您的意愿，永恒之森的意愿，此情久长，无悔不渝。可现如今，一个名叫布粦的国王要来灭门抄家，故此我们乞求您的庇护。”

“Ah,” said Nocturne, drawing closer. Rowan saw that he floated above the ground, and scraped his long blades across it as he went, and the bones beneath them were sliced clean in twain as though they were made from air. “I have heard of this Brín, and his lands to the west, where the air is warm and the forest thin. Should he slay thy family and steal thy treasures, I promise to take his life in return.”

“啊，”魔腾说着，靠近几步。萝菀这才看清，他凭空飘浮着，前行的同时两把长刀在地面上刮擦，刀刃划过那些骸骨，将其一分为二，如同切割烟丝雾缕。“这个布粦，我有所耳闻。他的土地在西边，气候温热，树木稀疏。他若敢斩你族人，盗你宝物，我定将取他性命，血债血偿。”

“O, Nocturne,” replied Rowan, “we are unlike spirits of the wood. We have but a single life, and when it is spent go from this world hence, and do not return. Couldst thou act against him now? Would that I could offer something to a spirit such as thee, in payment...”

“噢，魔腾，”萝菀说，“我们不同于林中灵怪。我们仅有一次生命，逝者即失，一去而不返。可否恳请您即刻处置此人？不知我该向您进献何物，作为酬劳……”

“Ah,” said Nocturne, drawing closer still. His hands trembled in excitement, and his blades clicked as they cut the stones and armor and paltry belongings scattered before him, and Rowan did feel within him a thirst for violence. “Perhaps if I had something fresh to eat, and something warm to wear, then I could make the journey westward.”

“啊，”魔腾说着，又靠近了一些。他的双手激动地颤抖，他的双刃一路切开地上的石块、铠甲和杂物，萝菀可以察觉到他对暴行的渴求。“如果我有新鲜食粮，再加上御寒衣物，就能向西巡行。”

And Rowan did give Nocturne her bindle of foodstuffs, and her warm clothes, despite his body of bark and blades.

于是萝菀向魔腾交出了干粮袋和御寒的厚衣，虽然他身上全是树皮和刀刃。

“Ah,” said Nocturne, rising up before Rowan, his carved face peering into her eyes. “But are thy words true? I wonder, what is the content of thy heart?”

“啊，”魔腾说着在萝菀面前高高挺起身，木雕的面庞盯着她的双眼，“可是你所言皆为真否？我未得知，你的心窍究竟如何？”

And he sank a blade deep inside her chest, and raised her body high above his head. Yet Rowan was silent, and resolute, for she knew her fate when she saw the bones scattered about Copperwood Glade, and had accepted it gladly.

于是他用一把刀深深插入她的胸膛，然后把她高高举过头顶。但萝菀一言不发，面不改色，因为早在她看到铜树坪坝上四散的骸骨时，她就已经知晓了自己的命运，而她坦然接受。

Nocturne then lowered Rowan, and placed her before him, and her wounds were healed. “Your words are spoken truly, and your offerings are given freely, and your heart is kind. You will not die upon this day. Go back to your home, and live your life, and the lord Brín will never trouble thee again.”

然后魔腾慢慢放下萝菀，把她放到自己面前，然后她的伤口愈合了。“你话语属实，贡物虔切，心地良善。你不会死在今日。回家去吧，安心活到老，布粦国王再也不会叨扰你。”

And Rowan did thank the spirit, and when she awoke she returned to her home at the edge of the Elderwood, and her family went on to take the final tree and then lived happily for many generations until they became one with the forest, as was the agreement they had struck so many years before.

于是萝菀拜谢了那个灵怪，她醒来后回到了永恒之森边缘的家里，她的父母继续伐下最后一棵树，他们快乐的生活延续了世世代代，最后他们都与森林合而为一，正如他们多年前约定的那样。

As for Lord Brín, he and his knights were slain by a vicious spirit while they rested, and his kingdom fell into a dark slumber from which it never awakened. The Elderwood grew quickly towards these lands, and consumed them utterly within the year, with nary a soul escaping. One can still find their ruins in the place now known as Somberwood, where it is said the spirit Nocturne visits from time-to-time, to admire his handiwork.

至于布粦国王嘛，他和他的骑士们在休息的时候被一个恶毒的灵怪弑杀，他的王国陷入黑暗的沉眠，永世不醒。永恒之森很快蔓延到这片土地，一年不到的光景，就将这里整个吞没，一个灵魂都没逃掉。如今人们依然可以找到那片废墟，就在那个被称为昏沉之林的地方，据说灵怪魔腾会偶尔造访那里，欣赏自己的佳作。