前言
最近在讀冰與火之歌原版小說（慚愧，三年前買的全套英文版，現在才開始看），小說這種藝術形式和影視劇的區別就是，它通過細致的描繪來表現場景和人物神態。比如第一節序曲中，馬丁在小說中花了很多筆墨來描寫夜色寒冷，以及老兵will感覺到情況異樣時寒毛倒立。
這兩種東西在影視劇中都是無聲呈現的，如果你看美劇是那種囫圇吞棗，過把癮類型的，很可能就忽略了這些重要而有趣的細節。我就是這樣的人（囧），現在已經完全忘了第一集竟然還出現過異鬼。
所以我打算把當年囫圇吞棗時遺漏的精彩補回來。同時開一個小說領讀的連載，帶你領略與影視劇不同的精彩，學習原汁原味的英文表達。如果你沒有時間看原版書的話，就來聽聽我的解讀吧。
第一節 序曲（PROLOGUE）
序曲是第一本小說的開篇，主要講了年輕的守夜人長官Ser Waymar Royce和兩個守夜人士兵gared、will在長城外追捕野人，結果遭遇異鬼的故事。
“We should start back,” “The wildlings are dead.” 天色漸暗，老兵Gared嚷嚷要撤
他們三人離開長城，追趕一幫野人已經整整八天了。疲憊和不安的情緒逐漸縈繞在Gared頭上，可惜一點也沒影響到長官Royce。
“Do the dead frighten you？” “Are they dead？” “What proof have we？”長官Royce年輕氣盛，第一次出任務，不帶點戰利品回去太沒面子。
“Will saw them, ” "If he says they are dead, that's proof enough for me" Gared說道。
[ 野人死了，是will出去打探情報時看見的。關于will的出身有一段交代 ]
Will had been a hunter before he joined the Night`s Watch. Well, a poacher(偷獵者) in truth. Mallister freeriders(自由騎士) had caught him red-handed(人贓并獲) in the in the Mallister's own woods, skinning one of the Mallisters's own bucks(雄鹿), and it had been a choice of putting on the black or losing a hand. No one could move through the woods as Will, and it had not taken the black brothers long to discover his talent.
Will 不想把爭吵的戰火燒到自己，于是補了一句 “My mother told me that dead man sing no songs.”
長官Royce不以為然“My wet nurse said the same thing，Will” ?“Never believe anything you hear at a woman`s tit，There are things to be learned even from the dead.” [真是一語成讖，很快這個不知天高地厚的小伙子就從要死人那里學到一些東西了]
"We have a long ride before us," "Eight days, mabe nine. And night is falling." Gared強調。
Ser Waymar Royce glanced at the sky with disinterest."It does that every day about this time. Are you unmanned by the dark, Gared?" 長官取笑Gared
Gared在守夜人待了40年，從一個boy到man，這種資歷可不是隨便讓人尋開心的，但是他現在不僅僅是憤怒，Will從這個老頭身上感受到了其他的東西，一種本能的對危險的恐懼。
Will加入守夜人4年了，他想起第一次到長城外時，腦海里那些古老傳說不斷閃回，嚇得他渾身發軟。事后想起難免莞爾，如今他已經是擁有上百次巡邏經驗的老手，被南方人稱作鬼影森林的無盡黑暗的荒原，他早已無所畏懼。
但是今夜有點不同尋常，用馬丁的話來說
There was an edge to this darkness that made his hackles rise(汗毛豎立). Nine days they had been riding, north and northwest and then north again, farther and farther from the Wall, hard on the track of a band of wildling raiders(野人). Each day had been worse than the day that had come before it. Today was the worst of all. A cold wind was blowing out of the north, and it made the trees rustle(沙沙作響) like living things. All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him, something cold and implacable that loved him not. Gared had felt it too. Will wanted nothing so much as to ride hellbent(拼命地) for the safety of the Wall, but that was not a feeling to share with their commander.
老兵們都想趕緊離開這鬼地方，可惜這種心情Ser Waymar Royce一點都不能感受到。
[年輕的長官一方面是沒有體會過死亡的恐怖，另一方面是太看重面子]
馬丁對Royce有兩段描述，我想從中應該能看出他為何堅持
Ser Waymar Royce was the youngest son of an ancient house with too many heirs.?
1.Royce是一個古老家族眾多子嗣中的一個，也許他是來黑城堡歷練的，和胖子sam一樣，有家族繼承人的競爭壓力，所以需要取得軍功
His cloak was his crowning glory; sable, thick and black and soft as sin. "Bet ht killed them all himself, he did," Gared told barracks over wine, "twisted their little heads off, our mighty warrior." They had all shared the laugh.
It is hard ti take orders from a man you laughed at in your cups, Will reflected as he sat shivering atop his garron. Gared must have felt the same
2. Will回憶起一樁往事，Royce的斗篷是他最引以為傲的東西，那是一件厚重卻又柔軟驚人的黑貂皮斗篷。Gared曾經在酒后對營房里的伙計們開玩笑說，“我打賭這（黑貂）肯定是他親手殺的。我們最強的勇士，扭下那些小腦袋。”營房頓時笑成一片。
你很難讓人服從一個他在酒桌上取笑過的人，因此Royce想要在黑城堡吃得開，必須拿出點能夠震懾人的事情來
Royce讓Will講述了一遍他所看到的情形，Leave nothing out.
Will回答，那是在一個山坡避風面，有8個野人，那里有一個小披屋來躲避風雪，沒有生火，野人趴在地上一動不動。看起來應該是死了，但是地上沒有血跡。武器散落在地上。[原著這里說的是趴在地上不動，影視劇里面直接就是分尸的慘烈場面]
Royce似乎不太相信野人就這么死了，轉頭問Gared會是什么東西殺了他們
Gared認為是寒冷，他是經歷過北境的冬天的人，知曉寒冷的可怕
"I saw men freeze last winter, and the one before, when I was half a boy. Everyone talks about snows forty foot deep, and how the ice wind comes howling out of the north, but the real enemy is the cold. It steals up on you quieter than Will, and a first you shiver and your teeth chatter and you stamp your feet and dream of mulled like the cold. But only for a while. Then it gets inside you and starts to fill you up, and after a while you don`t have the strength to fight it. It`s easier just to sit down or go to sleep. They say you don`t feel any pain toward the end. First you go weak and drowsy(半睡的), and everything starts to fade, and then it`s like sinking into a sea of warm milk. Peaceful, like."
Gared講述完后，Royce卻無動于衷，反倒諷刺他口才好。"I never suspected you had it in you." (一個很地道的表達：我從來沒想到你還會這個)
兩人互撕一會，Royce雖然年輕氣盛，可并不傻，他問Will最近有沒有站崗
"Have you drawn any watches this past week, Will?"(最近有沒有站崗)
"Yes, m`lord."There never was a week when he did not draw a dozen bloody watches. What was the man driving at?"(哪個星期沒收到這該死的站崗簽，這家伙想說什么？)
"And how did you find the Wall?"(你覺得長城現在怎么樣？)
"Weeping," Will said, frowning. He saw it clear enough, now that the lordling had pointed it out. "They couldn't have froze. Not if the Wall was weeping. It wasn't cold enough."
長城還滴著水呢，Will心里很清楚，只是他沒想到Royce會指出這個，看來長官沒那么好蒙混過去。
Royce下令讓Will帶路，他一定要親眼看看那些死人。
The order had been given, and honor bound then to obey. 兩個老兵很無奈，只好走向明知不妙的死地。
快接近野人領地時，Will讓Royce下馬步行靠近，Royce不太情愿的下來了。樹枝茂密，長劍容易被擋住，Will建議帶小刀前行，Royce不耐煩被一個士兵指手畫腳。"If I need instruction, I will ask for it,"
Royce接著下令Gared在這里看守馬匹，Gared正要去找東西生活，Royce嚴詞厲色"How big a fool are you, old man? If there are enemies in this wood, a fire is the last thing we want."
接下來又是一陣互懟，最終士兵還是不得不服從軍令，其中有一個小細節描寫的非常好
Gared's hood shadowed his face, but Will could see the hard glitter(閃光) in his eyes as he started at the knight. For a moment he was afraid the older man would go for his sword. It was a short, ugly thing, its grip(劍柄) discolored by sweat, its edge nicked from hard use, but Will would not have given an iron bob for the lording's life if Gared pulled it from its scabbard.(若蓋瑞真的拔劍，Will知道那公子哥必死無疑)
Will帶領著Royce繼續向前摸進，終于看到野人領地前面那塊高地，還有那個哨兵樹(sentinel).
Will幾乎是貼著雪地匍匐爬上那塊高地，將下面的情景收入眼底，頓時他的心臟好像停止跳動了一般
Moonlight shone down on the clearing, the ashes of the firepit, the snow-covered lean-to(依靠山坡搭建的披屋), the great rock, the little half-frozen steam. Everything was just as it had been a few hours ago.
They were gone. All the bodies were gone.
Will腦子一片空白，說不出話來。Royce的在旁邊戲謔說看來死人轉移到其他營地去了。
Royce可不想第一次出巡就以失敗告終，立刻對Will說，快爬到樹上看看那些家伙跑到哪去了
Will只好找一顆哨兵樹爬上去，一邊爬一遍害怕"Fear filled his gut like a meal he could not digest."他把匕首抽出來銜在嘴里，空出兩只手向上爬，鋼鐵的冰冷透過舌頭傳入身體，倒讓他感覺舒服了點。
“是誰在那？”樹下的長官突然喝道，Will停止攀爬，豎起耳朵，往下面張望，卻什么都沒看到。
他的余光掃到一抹白色影子向樹林里飄去，他轉過頭，瞥見黑暗中好像有個白色的影子，就一瞬間，又消失不見了。這里有一段對Will內心活動的描述
Will opened his mouth to call down a warning, and the words seemed to freeze in his throat. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps it had only been a bird, a reflection on the snow, some trick of the moonlight. What had he seen, after all?
"Will, where are you?" "Can you see anything?" Royce在樹下焦慮地轉圈圈，手中緊緊地握著長劍。"Answer me! Why is it so cold?"
是啊，為什么這么冷，Will戰戰發抖，他緊貼著樹干，臉都被樹干分泌的汁液黏住了。
一個身影從黑暗的樹林中顯現出來，站在Royce面前。它體型高大，像一幅堅硬的枯骨，肉體蒼白得如同牛奶。它的鎧甲看起來會隨著他的移動改變顏色，現在白得像剛下的雪，而之前卻暗得如同陰影。
Will heard the breath go out of Ser Waymar Royce in a long hiss(倒吸一口冷氣)."Come no farther," the lordling warned. His voice cracked like a boy's.
對方無視Royce的警告，一步一步地向他逼近。這里有一段對異鬼之劍的描寫
In its hand was a longsword like none that Will had ever seen. No human mental had gone into the forging(鍛造) of that blade. It was alive with moonlight, translucent(透亮的), a shard of crystal so thin was a faint blue shimmer(閃閃發光) to the thing, a ghost-light that played around its edges, and somehow Will knew it was sharper than any razor.
Ser Waymar 鼓起了勇氣"來跟我戰斗吧。" 他將長劍舉過頭頂，作出挑戰的姿態。他的手因長劍的重量微微有些顫抖，也可能是因為寒冷。至少在此刻，Will覺得他不再是個boy，而是man of Night's Watch.
對方突然停住腳，Will看到它的眼睛，那是一雙比任何人類的眼睛都更深的藍色眼睛，像是冰。它的眼睛停留在空中顫抖著的長劍上，注視著那流轉在金屬上的月光。那一刻，Will覺得或許還有轉機。(For a heartbeat he dared to hope.)
它們靜悄悄地從陰影中出現，兩個，三個，四個，五個……Ser Waymar所感覺到的寒冷就來自于它們，但是他從來沒見過也沒聽過它們。Will想出聲警告Royce，這是他的義務。但是一旦這樣做，他也死定了。他顫抖著，抱緊大樹，沉默下去。
短兵交接，卻沒有聽到金屬撞擊的鏗鏘聲，只聽見一個音調極高的，接近人類聽覺邊緣的，如同動物痛苦的嘶鳴聲。Royce且戰且退。
在他的四周，其他的異鬼面無表情的冷眼旁觀。
Royce躲閃不及，被長劍從腋下貫穿了護甲，年輕的長官痛的喊出了聲。鮮血涌出，灑在雪地上像火焰一樣。Royce伸出手按住，他的鼴鼠皮手套立刻被鮮血浸濕。
其他異鬼用一種Will聽不懂的語言交談著，他們的聲音像是冬天結冰的湖面破碎的聲音，言語中充滿了嘲弄。
Ser Waymar終于憤怒了，他大喊著"為了羅伯特國王！"，雙手揮舞這那把布滿冰霜的長劍，用盡力氣側身削去。對方卻好像懶得躲避。
兩刃乍一接觸，鋼鐵之劍被擊碎了。
一個刺耳的聲音響徹森林的夜晚，長劍碎做上百片，四散飛射猶如針雨。Royce跪在地上，閉著眼睛尖叫著，鮮血涌上雙手。
其他異鬼一擁而上，手中的長劍起起落落，動作安靜的可怕。這是一場屠殺，蒼白得利刃輕而易舉的洞穿護甲，就像劃破絲綢一樣。Will閉上眼睛，屏住呼吸，他只能聽見他們的聲音，笑的十分刺耳，好像冰柱在撞擊。
當他終于有勇氣睜眼時，已經過去很長一段時間，下面的山脊上已經空無一人。他待在樹上，仍然不敢喘口氣，月亮慢慢地爬上漆黑的夜空。直到他的肌肉都抽經了，手指凍得發麻，他才從樹上爬下來。
Royce面朝下趴在雪中，一條胳膊向外翻。那件厚厚的貂皮大衣被削成了碎片。他就這樣躺在那里，看起來那么年輕，像個孩子。
他在幾尺之外找到斷劍的殘骸，扭曲的像一顆被閃電擊中的樹干。Will跪在地上，警惕地環顧四周，撿起那把劍作為他的證據。Gared會知道怎么做，就算他不知道，熊老莫爾蒙或者伊蒙學士也一定知道。Gared是不是還在等著他呢？他得抓緊了
Will起身，Ser Waymar Royce正站在他面前！[變成異鬼了！]
他原本好好地衣服變得像破布條，整個臉也面目全非。他左眼的瞳孔被長劍的碎片刺穿。右眼是睜開的，瞳孔里看起來像是燃燒著藍色火焰。
殘劍從Will無力的手指見掉落，他閉上眼睛祈禱著，過了很久，一雙優雅的手拂過他的臉頰，然后緊緊地掐住他的喉嚨。那是一雙裹著鮮血的精美的鼴鼠皮手套，但是卻像冰一樣冷酷。
[序曲 完]
天哪，我生生把一篇領讀變成了原文翻譯，原本打算一天寫完，結果用了一周時間。
為了彌補印象中序曲的空白，專門又看了一遍權利的游戲第一季第一集，發現在劇中序曲只占了20分鐘。情節嚴重被壓縮，一邊感慨HBO節奏快，一邊欣慰，看原版還能加戲！
下面是Bran視角，下一期就來講講冰與火之歌獨特的多視角敘事手法吧。
