主题：天龙八部 第26回 赤手屠熊搏虎 (全章完)

　　他一放手，拍的一声，一件物落下地来，竟是一座色作深黄的小小木鼎。

He let go the purse and out fell an object with a thud. It was a small wooden tripod of dark yellow color.

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Out fell an object wrapped in some sort of shiny material. “What is that?” asked the small goat man.

The envelope dropped with a thud, the lid banged shut and I felt a sudden panic.

Behind them is a wall of solid color that flashes in neon shades of orange, pink, blue, and green.

13

　　萧峰叹了口气，俯身拾起，放在桌上。木鼎雕琢甚是精细，木质坚润似玉，木理之中隐隐约约的泛出红丝。萧峰知道是星宿派修炼“化-功娃哈哈”之用，心生厌憎，只看了两眼，也便不加理会，心想：“这小姑娘当真狡狯，口口声声说这神木王鼎已交了给我，哪知却系在自己裙内。料得好同门一来相信确是在我手中，二来也不便搜及她的裙子，是以始终没有发觉。唉，今日她性命难保，要这身外之物何用？”

With a sigh he bent to pick it up, placing it on the table. The carving itself was most delicate, and that the wood was of the highest quality -- solid and smooth like jade. Thin red lines showed faintly through the fine wood grain. Knowing that it was used by the Constellation
         School to practice their Solveria Fortis, he gave it a loathing look and paid no more attention to it,. He said to himself, “This girl is so cunning. She repeatedly claimed that the tripod was given to me, and all the while hid it under her skirt. She had it all figured out: Her fellow disciples were led to believe that I had it and, besides, they wouldn’t search her skirt. So no one had discovered it. Gee, what good would this worldly possession do now that she is so closed to death?”

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“化功大-法” Solveria Fortis。在上一章誤譯為
       Absorbia Fortis (吸星大-法) 。

14

　　当下招呼店主进来，命他持银两去买酒买肉，自己继续以内力保住阿紫的性命。

He then summoned the innkeeper and asked him to buy some liquor and meat, while he continued to sustain Violet’s life with his inner power.
  

15

　　到第四日早上，实在支持不住了，只得双手各握阿紫一只手掌，将她搂在怀里，靠在自己的胸前，将内力从她掌心传将过去，过不多时，双目再也睁不开来迷迷糊糊终于合眼睡着了。但总是挂念着阿紫的生死，睡不了片刻，便又惊醒，幸她他入睡之后，真气一般的流动，只要手掌不与阿紫手掌相离，她气息便不断绝。

2006年11月5日星期日

On the fourth morning, Xiao could not keep it up any longer. He took Violet in his arms, facing her back, gently holding her close to his chest. He held her hands in his, and, through her palms, infused her with his inner power. He was so dead tired that he could hardly keep his eyes open, and fell asleep before long. He was so concerned with her life that he woke up with a start only after a brief sleep. Luckily his qi never ceased to flow while he was dozingd off. She would continue to breathe as long as their hands did not separate.

16

　　这般又过了两天，眼见阿紫一口气虽得勉强吊住，伤势却没半点好转之象，如此困居于这家小客店中，如何了局？阿紫偶尔睁开眼来，目光迷茫无神，显然仍是人事不知，更是一句话也不会说。萧峰苦思无策，心道：“只得抱了她上路，到道上碰碰运气，在这小客店中苦耽下去，终究不是法子。”

2006年11月5日星期日

Two days went by without any improvement on Violet’s condition. She was barely holding on to her last breath. She was unconscious. Occasionally she would open her glazed eyes briefly, but could not speak at all. Xiao asked himself, “How is this going to end, if I continue to stay at this small inn helplessly?” He was at his wit’s end, and decided that he would leave things to luck and take her on the road.

17

　　当下左手抱了阿紫，右手拿了她衣囊塞在怀中，见到桌上那木鼎，寻思：“这等害人的物事，打碎了吧！”待要一掌击出，转念又想：“阿紫千辛万苦的盗得此物。眼看她的伤是好不了啦。临死之时回光返照，会有片刻时分的神智清醒，定会问起此鼎，那时我取出来给她瞧上一瞧，让她安心而死，胜于抱恨而终。”




当下﹕即刻、立刻
转念﹕临时转变念头、想法。
2006年11月5日星期日

He tucked her purse in his breast pocket with one hand while carrying Violet with the other. He then saw the tripod on the table and thought, “This confounded thing! Let me smash it to smithereens.” He was about to demolish it when he had a second thought, “Poor Violet went through untold hardship to steal this thing. It looks that she isn’t going to recover. When she returns to consciousness before her death, she is most likely to ask about this tripod. I’ll then show it to her and let her go without any regret.”


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to smash something to smithereens: Always like this expression J

18

　　于是伸手取过木鼎，鼎一入手，便觉内中有物蠕蠕而动，他好生奇怪，凝神一看，只鼎侧有五个铜钱大的圆孔，木鼎齐颈处有一道细缝，似乎分为两截。以小指与无名指挟住鼎身，以大拇指与中指挟住上截木鼎向左一旋，果然可以转动。转了几转，旋开鼎盖，向鼎中瞧去，不禁又是惊奇，又有些恶心，原来鼎中有两只毒虫正在互相咬啮，一只是蝎子，另一只是蜈蚣，翻翻滚滚，斗得着实厉害。


2006年11月5日星期日

As he took the tripod in his hand, he felt something crawl inside. He was curious and took a close look There were five holes the size of a coin on its side. There was also a thin line around the neck, seemingly separating the pot into two halves. He gave the top a twist and it turned. He turned it open. Looking inside, he was both surprised and disgusted to find a scorpion and a centipede.  Twisting and rolling, the two poisonous insects were engaged in a fierce fight.

19

　　数日前将大鼎放到桌上时，鼎内显然并无毒虫，这蜈蚣与蝎子自是不久之前爬入鼎中的。萧峰料知这是星宿派收集毒虫毒物的古怪法门，将木鼎一侧，把蜈蚣和蝎子倒在地下，一脚踏死，然后旋上鼎盖，包入衣囊。结算了店帐，抱着阿紫，冲风冒雪的向北行走。


2006年11月5日星期日

They must have crawled into the pot fairly recently, for it was apparently empty when he placed it on the table. Xiao figured this was the queer way the Constellation disciples collected their poisonous creatures. He emptied the pot on the floor and stamped the insects to death. He put the top back on and placed it in Violet’s purse. After paying the bill, he braved the snow storm and started trekking north, carrying Violet in his arms.

20

    他与中原豪杰结仇已深，却又不愿改装易容，这一路向北，越行越近大宋京城汴梁，非与中上武林人物相遇不可，一来不愿再结怨杀人，二来这般抱着阿紫，与人动手着实不便，是以避开了大路，尽拣荒僻的山野行走。这般奔行数百里，居然平安无事。




2006年11月5日星期日

中原Central Plains (comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Huanghe River) the “central plains” of China, actually the Yellow River valley.

豪杰 person of exceptional ability; hero

结仇  v. t., become enemies with, invite the enmity of﹔ start a feud; become enemies; breed enmity with; incur hatred of

His northern journey took him closer and closer to Bianliang (汴梁), the capital of the Song dynasty. And he was bound to run into some martial people, whom he had incurred hatred. He was too proud to disguise himself, and yet was unwilling to fight and kill again lest he’d deepen the enmity. Besides, he’d be at a disadvantage, having to carry Violet all the time. So he stayed off the main roads and took the out-of-the-way mountain paths. He was thus able to travel several hundred li without any incidence.

26.21

这一日来到一个大市镇，见一家药材店外挂着“世传儒医王通治赠诊”的木牌，寻思：“小地方也不会有什么名医，但也不妨去请教一下。”于是抱了阿紫，入内求医。

2006年11月5日星期日

One day he came to a town and saw a sign “Pro Bono Practice -- Scholar-Doctor Wang” on a medicine shop. He thought, “I don’t think there’s any famous doctor in a small town like this. But it won’t hurt to ask for an opinion.” He then carried Violet into the shop to see the doctor. 

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儒醫: scholar-doctor (想不出更好的譯法) 。

贈診﹕義診 pro bono service/practice

l           pro bono: (Latin: "for the good") Provided for free

l           pro bono public: for the good of the public 公益

l           pro bono public service 義工

王通治: 非關鍵名稱﹐不譯