“Yes, yes,” he said, stroking its neck. “All in good time, when I say, we'll go. You and I don't run away.”
“好的，好的，”他说道，抚摸着它的脖子，“等时间一到，我发令的时候，我们就出发。我们不能随便跑开。”
He had better take off his cloak; while he spared a hand for the pin, he talked on to keep the horse in mind of him. “Remember who we are. Alexander and Boukephalas.” The black eye rolled round at him. “Easy, easy, now. I'll tell you when.”
他觉得该把斗篷脱掉。空出一只手松开别针时，他继续对马说话以吸引它的注意：“记住我们是谁，亚历山大和牛头。”黑眼珠乌溜溜地看着他。“放松，放松，等我的命令。”
With the reins looped in his left hand he grasped the arch of the 9)mane; with his right, its base between the shoulders. He could feel the horse 10)gather itself together. He ran a few steps with it to gain 11)momentum, then leaped, threw his right leg over; he was up.
他用圈着缰绳的左手抓住背上的鬃毛，用右手按住马肩中间。他感到马已蓄势待发。他随着马小跑了几步助力，然后一跃而上，把右腿翻过去；他上马了。
The horse felt the light weight on its back, compact of certainty; the mercy of 12)invincible hands, the 13)forbearance of immovable will; a nature it knew and shared, transfigured to divinity. Men had not mastered it; but it would go with the god.
这匹马感到背上轻微的重量，一个笃定的契约；一双充满仁慈而又战无不胜的手，一种百折不挠而又坚忍克制的意志；一种它懂得并愿意共享的天性。这一切变成了一股神奇的力量。凡人未能驾驭它，而它将跟随着天神。
The crowd was silent at first. They were men who knew horses, and had more sense than to startle this one. In a breathing 14)hush they waited for it to get its head, taking for granted the boy would be run away with, eager to applaud if he could only stick on and ride it to a standstill. But he had it in hand; it was waiting his sign to go. There was a hum of wonder; then, when they saw him lean forward and kick his heel with a shout, when boy and horse went racing down towards the water-meadows, the roar began. They vanished into the distance; only the rising clouds of wildfowl showed where they had gone.
起初人群都很安静。他们是懂马的人，都清楚知道不可惊扰这样一匹马。他们摒住呼吸等待着它回过神来，料想着这男孩会被甩下，所以即使他能在马上稳住一瞬间他们也准备喝彩。但是他掌控着一切，它正等待着他的命令。场上一阵窃窃的惊诧声，他们看见他身体前倾，脚后跟一踢并发出一声号令；当男孩骑着马驰向河边草地时，人群顿时沸腾起来。他们消失在远方中，只有沿路被惊起的野禽显示着他们的位置。
They came back at last with the sun behind them, their shadow thrown clear before. Like the feet of a carved 15)pharaoh treading his beaten enemies, the drumming 16)hooves trampled the shadow 17)triumphantly into the ground.
最后他们背向太阳回来了，影子清晰地投在前方。像法老雕像践踏着战败的敌人一般，鼓点般的马蹄得意地把影子踩在地上。
作者简介
玛丽·瑞瑙特：1905年生于伦敦，父亲是医师。从牛津大学毕业后，想当作家的瑞瑙特决心拓宽自己的人生经验，进入护士学校培训三年，写出首部小说《爱的意义》（Purposes of Love）。第二次世界大战期间，她从事伤兵护理工作，于业余时间创作的小说《归于夜晚》（Return to Night）获得米高梅奖。战后她移居南非，但多次到非洲、欧洲各国游历，踏足希腊本土及爱琴诸岛等古代文明发祥地。从1950年代中叶到1983年病逝前，瑞瑙特出版了八部以古希腊为背景的长篇历史小说，誉满欧美，是公认的历史小说大师。
