宴会开始了

指环王翻译

引用部分来自台版翻译，以大师之文自勉

前情回顾

比尔博宣布将要举办一百一十一岁的宴会，大家正在紧张的忙碌.

paragraph 01

The next day more carts rolled up the Hill, and still more carts. There might have been some grumbling about 'dealing locally', but that very week orders began to pour out of Bag End for every kind of provision, commodity, or luxury that could be obtained in Hobbiton or Bywater or anywhere in the neighbourhood. People became enthusiastic; and they began to tick off the days on the calendar; and they watched eagerly for the postman, hoping for invitations.

Before long the invitations began pouring out, and the Hobbiton post-office was blocked, and the Bywater post-office was snowed under, and voluntary assistant postmen were called for. There was a constant stream of them going up the Hill, carrying hundreds of polite variations on Thank you, I shall certainly come.

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第二天，越来越多的马车开到了山上，一点也没有见少的趋势。<u>这也许给当地人带来了一些麻烦</u>，但是这几天袋底洞涌出了很多订单，从哈比屯、临水路或者夏尔的其他地方买光各种供给、日用品还有奢侈品。人们开始兴奋起来，在日历上一天天划着日子。他们也眼巴巴的盼着邮差，希望能得到宴会的请柬。

不久之后，请柬就分发开来。哈比屯的邮局都被填满了，临水路的邮局也被雪花一样的信件淹没。一些志愿者被号召作为代理邮差帮忙。他们接连不断的上山，带着几百份各种各样的回执，就像"谢谢你，我一定会来的。“

note

1. pour out 倒出、倾诉
2. Before long 不久之后
3. snowed under 忙的不可开交

第二天，越来越多的马车开上了小山，后面还有更多的要来。或许有些人会抱怨“怎么不从本地买”。但当周的订单几乎买光了邻近区域所有的食物、调味料和奢侈品。人们开始越来越期待，在日历上作着记号；当邮差到来时，每个人都露出期待的眼神，希望这次会有邀请函送到手中。

不久之后，邀请函就开始如雪片般的寄出。哈比屯的邮局几乎瘫痪，临水区的邮局则差点被信件埋了起来。一看事态不对，自愿者们立刻开始协助邮局的运作。随后每天都有川流不息的邮差送回大量的回函，每封上面都写着“多谢邀请，在下必定赴约。”

paragraph 02

A notice appeared on the gate at Bag End: NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON PARTY BUSINESS. Even those who had, or pretended to have Party Business were seldom allowed inside. Bilbo was busy: writing invitations, ticking off answers, packing up presents, and making some private preparations of his own. From the time of Gandalf's arrival he remained hidden from view.

One morning the hobbits woke to find the large field, south of Bilbo's front door, covered with ropes and poles for tents and pavilions. A special entrance was cut into the bank leading to the road, and wide steps and a large white gate were built there. The three hobbit-families of Bagshot Row, adjoining the field, were intensely interested and generally envied. Old Gaffer Gamgee stopped even pretending to work in his garden.

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袋底洞的大门外写出了”非公莫入“的告示。即使那些有或者假装有公事的人也很少能进去。比尔博忙着写邀请，标记答复，挑选礼物，还有为他自己做些准备。甘道夫来之后，他就一直消失在大家的视野中。

一天早晨，醒来的霍比特人发现比尔博前门南边的一块空地上堆着很多绳索和用来搭大小帐篷的杆子。一个特殊的入口从货物中切出，通向大马路。那里正在修建一些宽阔的台阶和白色的大门。袋边路的三个霍比特家族紧邻这块空地，大家都很羡慕这三家人。詹吉老家伙甚至都不在花园里假装工作了，只顾看这块空地。

note

1. no admittance except on business 闲人免进
2. ticking off 列举、标出、责备
3. From the time of 从...时候起
4. cut into 切入、切成

袋底洞的门口也挂出了启事：“非宴会工作人员请勿进入”。即使真的是宴会工作人员或假扮的家伙，也几乎都无法进入屋内。比尔博忙的团团转，他忙着写邀请函、统计回函、打包礼物，同时还秘密的为自己的计划作准备。自从甘道夫来了之后，他就躲着不见人。

某天早晨，大家一醒来就发现比尔博家南边的一块大空地上放满了各种各样搭建帐棚所需的绳索和材料。路旁还特别为此开了一个出口，盖了一座白色的大门和宽大的阶梯。大家都很羡慕场地旁袋边路上的三户人家。老詹吉甚至还假装在自己的花园里面做事，只为了多看它几眼。

比尔博的冒险

paragraph 03

The tents began to go up. There was a specially large pavilion, so big that the tree that grew in the field was right inside it, and stood proudly near one end, at the head of the chief table. Lanterns were hung on all its branches. More promising still (to the hobbits' mind): an enormous open-air kitchen was erected in the north corner of the field. A draught of cooks, from every inn and eating-house for miles around, arrived to supplement the dwarves and other odd folk that were quartered at Bag End. Excitement rose to its height.

Then the weather clouded over. That was on Wednesday the eve of the Party. Anxiety was intense. Then Thursday, September the 22nd, actually dawned. The sun got up, the clouds vanished, flags were unfurled and the fun began.

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帐篷们一个个建起来了。中间有一个特别大以至于包住了一棵树的帐篷，就在首席的头边上。这棵树的枝丫上都挂着灯笼。更好（霍比特人认为）的是空地的北角建起了一个巨大的露天厨房。来自数英里内的旅馆和饭店的厨师前来帮忙，<u>供给那些在袋底洞寄宿着的矮人和其他怪人</u>。兴奋到达了一个新的顶点。

随后乌云密布，这是宴会前夜的周三。大家都很紧张。随后在周四，九月二十二日的黎明。太阳升了起来，乌云也散去了。旗帜迎风招展，大家也兴奋起来。

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帐棚慢慢的搭建起来。其中有个特别大的圆顶帐棚，大到足以让该处生长的一颗大树完全收纳在其中。这颗树现在就位在场地的另一头，主桌的旁边。工作人员在树枝上挂满了油灯。更让人兴奋的是（这最对哈比人的胃口），场地的北边角落还设置了一座庞大的露天厨房。从附近几哩方圆内聘来的厨师川流不息的前来支援，协助矮人和其他的工作人员在袋底洞作准备。众人的期待已经达到了最高点。

然后天气变得有些多云。那天是星期三，宴会的前一天。众人十分的紧张。然后，九月二十二日，星期四，太阳升起，乌云消失了。旗帜迎风招展，有趣的节目开始了。

paragraph 04

Bilbo Baggins called it a party, but it was really a variety of entertainments rolled into one. Practically everybody living near was invited. A very few were overlooked by accident, but as they turned up all the same, that did not matter. Many people from other parts of the Shire were also asked; and there were even a few from outside the borders. Bilbo met the guests (and additions) at the new white gate in person. He gave away presents to all and sundry - the latter were those who went out again by a back way and came in again by the gate. Hobbits give presents to other people on their own birthdays. Not very expensive ones, as a rule, and not so lavishly as on this occasion; but it was not a bad system. Actually in Hobbiton and Bywater every day in the year it was somebody's birthday, so that every hobbit in those parts had a fair chance of at least one present at least once a week. But they never got tired of them.

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比尔博称之为聚会，但是这其实将很多娱乐融为了一体。事实上，住在附近的所有人都被邀请了。一些人不小心被遗忘，但是他们依旧会来，一点也不会影响什么。许多住在夏尔其他地区的人也被邀约了，还有一些住在边界外面的人。比尔博一个人在新修的白色大门前面迎接客人（还有那些额外的人）。他给所有人赠送了礼物，包括那些从后门溜走又从前门再过一遍的人。霍比特人会在他们的生日那天给别人送礼物。按规矩来说，并不是什么值钱的东西，也不是很丰厚，但这并不是一个坏习惯。事实上，在哈比屯和临水路，一年之中的每一天都是某个人的生日，所以每个霍比特人至少每周都能得到至少一个礼物。但是他们一点不会厌倦拿礼物的把戏。

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比尔博把这叫作“宴会”，但这实际上是集合各种娱乐的嘉年华会。几乎附近的所有人都被邀请来参加。有几个人被意外的漏掉了，不过，反正他们还是照样到场，所以没有太大的影响。夏尔其它地区也有许多人被邀请来参加，甚至有几个是从边界外赶来的。比尔博亲自在新盖的白色大门接待宾客（和他们带来的跟班）。所有前来参加的人都获得礼物，甚至还有偷溜出场地外，再悄悄的从大门进来贪小便宜的家伙。哈比人在过生日的时候会送礼物给亲朋好友。照惯例不需要是很贵的东西，也不会像这次一样见人就给。不过，这倒是个不错的习俗。事实上，在哈比屯和临水区一年中的每一天都有人过生日，所以这附近的人几乎一个礼拜至少可以收到一次礼物。他们一向乐此不疲。

五军之战

paragraph 05

On this occasion the presents were unusually good. The hobbit-children were so excited that for a while they almost forgot about eating. There were toys the like of which they had never seen before, all beautiful and some obviously magical. Many of them had indeed been ordered a year before, and had come all the way from the Mountain and from Dale, and were of real dwarf-make.

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这次的礼物好的异乎寻常。霍比特小孩激动到忘了吃饭。这里有一些他们很喜欢的礼物，甚至之前都没有见过。所有的都很漂亮，有些甚至看起来像是有魔法。很多礼物都是一年前就订好了的，一路从孤山和河谷镇运过来，这些是真正的矮人制作的东西。

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这次的礼物却好的超乎寻常，孩子们看到礼物，几乎兴奋的忘记吃饭。有许多玩具是他们从来没有见过的，每样都很漂亮，有些甚至是魔法玩具。这其中有许多玩具是一年以前就订好的，远从孤山和谷地那边运过来，全都货真价实的出自矮人之手。