Chapter 7 Section 4 Treebeard-1

Meanwhile the hobbits made their way as far as they could at the foot of the gnarled old trees, following the waters of the brook towards the mountains to the west, and going deeper and deeper into Fangorn Forest.Gradually, their fear of the orcs subsided, and their footsteps also slowed down. They felt a strange feeling, as if the air here was too thin to breathe.Finally Merry stopped and said out of breath, "We can't keep going like this, I need some fresh air!" "Drink some water, at least," said Pippin. "I'm dying of thirst!" He climbed along the roots of a tree that led into the brook to the bank, and took a cup of water in his hands to drink.The stream water was very clear and cold, he drank several sips in a row, and Mei Li followed suit.The stream water not only relieved their thirst, but also seemed to give them new strength.The two sat by the river and soaked their feet easily, letting the river water release the soreness in their muscles, while looking at the silent surroundings, the rows of trees lined up one after another, it seems that each side extends so endlessly.

"I guess you haven't lost your way yet?" Pippin lay down against an old tree trunk that took several people to hug. Return to the place where you entered the forest." "As long as we can walk we'll be fine," Merry said, "and the air here is uncomfortable." "Yes, the air here seems to be very thin and stagnant," said Pippin. "For some reason, it reminds me of Took's Hall over there in the Great Tunnel. It's a big The burrow, the furniture over there has probably not been moved for decades. They say that old Took lived there year after year, watching the furniture and himself being gradually eroded by the years. Since he was a hundred years ago That room hasn't been touched since he passed away. Gerontis was my great-great-grandfather, that's what he told me, but there's nothing like the antiquated feel in there. Look at these floating around Soup, overgrown, overbearing moss! Almost every tree has a huge pile of dead leaves hanging on it, it doesn't look clean. It's hard to imagine what spring will look like here, even I can't imagine spring Will it come, let alone what it will be like to clean up here."

"But at least the sun shines in here once in a while," said Merry. "It looks nothing like Bilbo's description of Mirkwood. It's just scary. You can't even imagine animals living here, not even for a while." "Yes, hobbits are no exception," replied Pippin. "I can't imagine what it's like to go through this forest. I guess there is nothing to eat for a hundred or two miles. Our rations are still there." enough?" "Not enough," Merry said. "We only had a few pieces of [HTH] Lambas [HT] with us when we escaped, and the rest were left behind." Food, the pieces probably only lasted five days, and then there was nothing left. "And we don't have any blankets," Merry said. "Wherever we go, we're going to be wind chilled tonight."

"Well, we'd better decide where to go," said Pippin. "It's getting light." At this moment, they suddenly noticed a golden light appearing in the depths of the forest not far away. It was the warm sunlight penetrating through the dense forest cover. "Wow!" said Merry, "the sun must have been covered by clouds when we entered the forest just now, and now it has come out again, or it may have climbed into the air and can shine into the gap in the forest. It's not far away, let's go and see!" They found that it was actually farther than they thought, the terrain continued to rise, and there were more and more rocks on the surface.As they advanced, the surroundings became brighter and brighter, and soon they found a stone wall in front of them, which should be part of a hill, or an extension of a distant mountain range. There were no trees on the stone wall, and the sun It is shining on this rock wall.

The branches and roots of the trees seemed to stretch out, craving the warmth of the sun.The previously lifeless forest is now a reddish-brown beauty in the sun, the gray-black bark is as delicate as polished leather, and the trunks also reflect the soft green light like fresh grass. This may be Signs of early spring or vestiges of their long-gone vigor. There are a series of terraced terrain on the rock wall. Judging from its rugged shape, it may be a natural spectacle formed by rock cracking and rain erosion.On the stone wall, almost parallel to the top of the tree, there is an open space with nothing on it, only a few weeds growing on it.There is also the stump of an old tree left there, with only two bent branches left, which looks very much like an old man stretching in the morning light.

"Let's go up!" Merry said happily. "Finally we can breathe fresh air and see what it looks like here!" The two happily climbed the series of stairs.If these steps are really artificial, the people who are going to use them must have long thighs.However, because they were too excited, the two of them ignored the many scars on their bodies, why they had completely healed so quickly, and they only cared about climbing up with their heads sullen.At last the two climbed to the top of the rock face, right under the old stump.Then they leapt up, turned their backs to the hill, took a deep breath, and looked east.Only then did they realize that they had only entered the forest about three or four miles away, because the trees stretched a long distance on the slope, giving them the illusion that they had traveled a long way.Right at the edge of the forest, thick black smoke rose and drifted towards them.

"The wind has changed," said Merry, "to the east again, and it's so cool here." "Yes," said Pippin, "it's a pity it's only a short-lived moment, and I'm afraid everything will go back to the way it was again. What a pity! The old forest It looks so beautiful in the sun, I almost feel like I'm falling in love with this place." "Almost think you like this forest? Good! You are so kind!" said a strange voice, "Turn around and let me see your faces. I almost feel like I'm going to hate you both, It's best not to make a hasty decision, though. Turn around!" A pair of knobbly hands resting on their shoulders turned them gently but irresistibly; Lifted up.Merry and Pippin found themselves before a most unusual face, the face of a tall, almost humanoid, almost troll-like figure.He was at least fourteen feet tall, and he looked very strong, with his head so high that he seemed to have no neck, and it was difficult for either of them to deduce whether he was wearing the green-gray bark or if it was his skin.However, they can at least be sure that the hands some distance from the torso have no creases and are brown smooth skin.Each of his big feet has seven fingers, and the end of his long face is covered under dense moss. The gray moss fluttering in the wind looks a bit like the gray beard of an old man.At this moment, though, the only thing the hobbits noticed were the eyes; those deep eyes that looked at them slowly and gravely.His eyes are brown with a green glow in the center.Afterwards Pippin tried to describe his impression of those eyes. "People who see those eyes for the first time will feel that there seems to be a very deep ancient well behind it, full of memories and slow, firm thoughts from ancient times; but the surface of the well reflects the waves of the world, just like the reflection of sunlight On the branches and leaves of a big tree, or the feeling of the sun shining on the deep lake. I am not sure, but this feeling seems to be suddenly awakened by some power between the top of the tree and the roots, between the earth and the sky Come here, looking at the scene in front of you with the same slow motion that has been going on for billions of years."

"Hum, Hum," murmured the low, earth-rumbling voice, "strange! My motto is don't rush. But if I see you before I hear your voices—by the way, I love your little voices, it reminds me of things I can't remember... If I saw you before I heard your voices, I'd just walk over you like little goblins, I only found out afterward that I made a mistake. You are really weird, my old roots, really weird!" Pippin, though still surprised, was no longer afraid.Under those eyes, he felt only curiosity, but no fear. "Excuse me," he said, "but what is your origin? And what race?"

There was a strange light in those old eyes, which seemed to be a sense of wariness—the ancient well was covered. "Hum," the voice replied, "I'm a Treant, and that's what other people call me; yes, the word Treant. You can call me a Treant in your language, and some languages Call me [HTH] Fagon [HT], and others call me Treebeard... Calling me Treebeard should be enough." "The Ent?" Merry asked in surprise. "What is this? What do you call yourself? What is your real name?" "Oh, wait!" Treebeard replied, "Phew! This is going to take me a long time! Don't be so anxious. It's me who is asking you. You are in my sphere of influence, so I want Ask what the hell are you guys? I can't classify you guys, you don't seem to belong to the races I got on the list when I was young, but that's no wonder, it was a long, long time ago, maybe someone made a new list Maybe. Let me think about it! Let me think about it! What does the list say? Quickly learn about all kinds of creatures! First, there are four kinds of free people:

The oldest are the elves, Dwarves burrow and dwell in the dark depths; Treants born of the earth are as old as the mountains; Humans with finite lifespans are masters of horses. Um, hmm, hmm. Otters are workers, goats love to leap, Big bears love honey, wild boars are the most aggressive; Wild dogs can't get enough to eat, little rabbits are timid... uh-huh. The falcon in the sky, the buffalo in the meadow, The stag has horns, the falcon is the fastest, The swan is the whitest, the snake is the coldest... Hum, uh, Hum, uh.what's nextDoom, doom, doom, dong, ludi doot, the list is long!

Anyway, you are not on the list! " "Old stories and lists never seem to remember us," Merry said, "but we've been in the world Long live, we are hobbits. " Pippin said, "Why don't you make up a new sentence?" A half-tall hobbit that likes to live in caves. You can put us on the fourth row, right next to the humans (big guys) so you can't get it wrong. " "Well! yes, yes," said the Treebeard, "that will do. So you live in caves? Sounds very fitting and comfortable! But who the hell called you hobbits? That doesn't sound right." Like the work of the elves, the elves are the creators of the old sayings, and everything began with them." "Happy is not someone else's name, but our own name," replied Pippin. "Hum, hmm! Wait! Take it easy! You call yourselves hobbits? But you shouldn't go around telling people that. If you're not careful, you might accidentally tell someone your real name." "We're not so careful about that," Merry said. "Actually, I'm from the Brandybuck family, Meriadoc Brandybuck, but most people just call me Merry." "I'm a Took, Peregrine Took, though I'm commonly called Pippin, or even Pippin." "Well, you're a race of people in a hurry, I see," said the Treebeards, "I'm glad you trust me so much, but you shouldn't be so relieved all at once. There are some Ents in this world, and you should Yes; and creatures that look like Ents, but aren't. Well, I'll call you Merry and Pippin, nice names. Because, I am not ready to tell you my name yet, the time has not yet come. His eyes glowed green with half understanding, half humor. For a long time, my name has been like a story. My real name will tell you the story of my life in my language, which should be called tree language. It is a beautiful language, but every time I say it It must take a long time; for, unless something is worth a long time to say, and a long time to listen, we don't speak Treant." "But now," those eyes became very bright, suddenly returning to the world, sharper: "what the hell happened? What do you have to do with all this? I can see, hear (and smell) see and feel) many things from this...from this a-llalla-lalla-rumba-kamanda-lind-or-bur. Hug Sorry, it's part of my name, I don't know what the corresponding foreign language is.You know, where we are, where I stand, when I think of the sun in the morning, and the prairie beyond the forest, and those horses and the clouds and the change of the world.What exactly happened?What is Gandalf up to?These—Blaru," he made a low, trembling sound like some giant musical instrument: "what are these orcs, and that young Saruman of Isengard up to? I like news, but don't tell me too fast." "There's been a lot going on lately!" Merry said, "Even if we speak quickly, it will probably take a long time, but you tell us not to speak too quickly, should we tell you these things so quickly? Wouldn't it be rude if we asked first what you're going to do with us, and which side you're on? And, do you know Gandalf?" "Yes, I do know him, he is the only wizard who cares about trees," replied Treebeard, "do you know him too?" "Yes," replied Pippin mournfully, "we were honored to know him, he was our dear friend and our late guide." "Then I can answer your other question." Treebeard said, "I won't use you for anything, that is, I won't do anything to you without your consent. Maybe we'll do something together. I don't know what side or side, I'm usually to myself, but you may be with me for a while. But the way you mentioned Mr. Gandalf... as if he story is over." "You are right," said Pippin sadly, "the story goes on, but Gandalf is no longer a part of it." "Huh, ah!" said Treenut. "Hum, um, ah, well!" He paused for a moment, looking at the hobbit. "Hum, ah, I don't know what to say. Come on!" Merry said: "If you want to know more, we'll let you know, but it will take a while. Would you like to put us down first? Can we just sit in the sun and enjoy the weather? You've been You must be tired of holding us." "Um, tired? No, I'm not tired. I'm hardly tired, and I don't sit down; I'm not that, uh, bouncy. But, you're right, the sun is nice. , let's get out of this—what do you say you call this place?" "Hill?" Pippin guessed. "Stone wall? Stairs?" Meri followed to help. Treebeard thoughtfully repeated these words: "Small, that's right, that's the word. However, it's too hasty to use this short word to describe the terrain that has stood here for countless epochs! Forget it, Let's get out of here." "Where are you going?" Merry asked. "Go to my house, one of my dwellings," replied Treebeard. "is it far?" "I don't know, maybe you think it's far away, but what does it matter?" "Let's just say, you can see we've lost all our stuff," Merry said. "We don't have enough food." "Oh! Well! You don't need to worry about that," said Treebeard. "I can give you something to drink that will keep you green and grow fast and well. If you want to leave, I can always put you in Anywhere outside the forest, let's go!" Treebeard took hold of the two hobbits, and one by one, he lifted his big feet to the edge of the plateau; then, with his root-like toes, he grasped the edge of the cliff; Going down step by step, I finally came to the forest floor. Immediately he took great strides, weaving through the trees, getting deeper and deeper into the forest.His steps followed the river, climbing steadily toward the slopes of the mountains.Many trees seemed to be in a deep sleep and didn't react much to their passing. However, many trees began to tremble, covering their figures with their branches.When Treebeard moved quickly, he still muttered the language like music in his mouth. The hobbit was silent for a long time.It was very strange that in this dangerous situation, they actually felt safe and at ease.at last Pippin could not restrain himself from asking. "Excuse me, Treebeard," he said, "may I ask a question? Why did Seleporn warn us not to disturb your forest? He told us we had better not have anything to do with it." "Hmm, does he know?" muttered the Treebeard. "For my part, I'd probably tell you the same thing. Don't get involved with the Woods of Laurel Lindorian [HT]! The Elves of old That's what the forest was called, but now they've shortened it to Lothlorien. Maybe they were right to change the name, or maybe the forest is fading away Passed away, no longer continue to grow; there used to be the valley of gold that people sang, and now it has become a dream flower.Ah, well!It is indeed a special place, not for everyone.I'm surprised you got out safely, but it's even more incredible that you got in. No stranger has been in for years, and it's a really weird place.It's the same here, people will feel sad when they come here, yes, they will feel sad when they come here! Laurelindori nan lindelorendor malinornelion ornemalin..." He said to himself, "I think they are cut off from the world over there," he said, "Whether it is here or anywhere in the world, except the Golden Forest Besides, nothing is the same as when Sereporn was young. But: Taurelil—tumbalemorna Tumbaletaur, they used to say that things may change, but in some places they remain the same.” "What do you mean?" asked Pippin. "What is permanent?" "Trees and tree people," Treebeard replied, "I don't fully understand what's happening to me, so I can't fully explain it to you. Some of us still maintain the characteristics of tree people, from our point of view Still active; but some companions become drowsy, you can say that their "human" element is slowly withdrawn, leaving only the "tree" element. Of course, most trees are still trees, but, Some are already in a half-dream and half-awake state, and some are even quite awake, becoming a little-something like a treant, and all this is a cycle." Then the Treebeard said: "When some trees happen to be like this, When they change, you will find that their hearts are not good, it has nothing to do with their wood, Nor am I saying that their hearts are worm-bitten or sick.Yes, I also know some old oak trees in the lower reaches of the Shumu River, which are almost reduced to pieces, but still as sweet and silent as young leaves; of course, there are also some trees in the valley near the mountains, which jingle all day long , and the heart is very bad.This kind of situation seems to be contagious. There are some places nearby that are quite dangerous, and there are probably some places that are affected by this force. " "You mean the old woods in the north?" Merry asked. "Well, well, it's similar, but worse, I suspect some remnants of the darkness in the north are still there, and bad memories sometimes carry on. However, there is also darkness in this land from which Fresh valley untouched, some trees older than me. We'll do our best anyway, we'll keep strangers out, we'll keep the stupid ones out; we train and teach them, and when we walk It will also weed. We ancient tree people are tree shepherds, and there are not many tree people left. Sheep sometimes become like shepherds, and shepherds grow more like sheep. Trees and tree people The relationship between them is closer, and they also bear the changes of the years together. Tree people are like elves, not as interested in themselves as humans, but they are more able to penetrate into the essence of things; but, from a certain point of view, Tree people are more like humans, they are easier to change than elves, and it is easier to understand the outside of things. Or from a certain point of view, he is better at this than both, because tree people are more able to concentrate their spiritual will Here." "Some of my brethren look like trees, and it would take a great deal of movement to wake them up, and they can only talk in whispers. Many of my forests, however, are quite Be active and can talk to me. Of course, it all started with the elves, who awakened the trees and taught them their language.The old elves always wished to be able to talk to any creature, but then darkness fell, and they fled across the sea, some into faraway valleys, hiding their identities, and writing songs of dead generations; will come again.Alas, alas, all the way from Rune to here was once a great forest, and this area was only its eastern frontier.That was a broad era!I could sing and walk all day and hear nothing but the echo of the mountains.The woods here are like the forests of Lothlorien, only thicker and stronger and more alive.That fresh smell in the air!Ah, I often spend whole weeks taking deep breaths. " Treebeard fell silent and walked on, but his steps were almost silent.Soon after, he began humming again, slowly changing into a tone of reciting poetry.It was some time before the hobbits realized that he had read to them: Under the willow tree of Natasha Ruinan, I walked through the spring. what!That sight and that spring is in Nantasaryan! That's a really good feeling. In the elm grove of Osheriand I walked through summer. what!The light and the sweet music of the seven rivers of Oxy, It's a scene unique to summer. I thought it was the best view. I was again in the cypress woods of Nideris in autumn. what!The golden and dark red fallen leaves are all in In the beautiful autumn of Antanaido, I am already content. In the winter, I climbed the multicolored Nian's In a highland pine forest. what!That wind blowing, that snow, and that Olona song Black branches of winter! I let go of my throat and sang to the sky. These lands are now hidden under the waves, I can only walk in Ambalona, ​​Tarunmona, Adaromu, Walk in my land, in Fangorn Forest, The trees here have deep roots, Years are thicker than leaves, In Na Ta Rui Mon Lo Mu. After he finished chanting, he began to walk silently again, but there was no echo in the entire forest. It was getting dark, and twilight was beginning to fall on the branches of the trees.At last the hobbits saw a steep black slope ahead: at last they came to the foot of the mountain, the verdant Massidras Peak.The Shumu River, which is still a stream here, flows down the slope, and has just left the cold spring on the mountain.On the right side of the stream was a long slope covered with grass, gray in the twilight.There are no trees growing here, and you can directly see the sky above, and you can already see twinkling stars between the gaps in the clouds. Treebeard began to walk up the slope without any delay, and the hobbit noticed a wide opening in front of him, with tall trees on each side, like living gateposts.When the tree man approached, the two trees lifted their branches and their leaves began to shake. They were evergreen trees, and the leaves shone green in the setting sun.Behind the two branches is a flat open space, as if a hall has been carved out of the side of the mountain. The walls on both sides extend all the way up to the top of the cave fifty feet high; As they go deeper into the interior, they become taller and taller. At the other end of the room, the rock wall became very steep, but a concave hole was dug at the bottom, which became a small room with a dome. This is the only man-made roof in the hall except for the natural roof formed by branches and leaves. .In other parts of the hall, the branches and leaves of the trees blocked all the light sources from the outside, leaving only a gap in the center.A trickle broke away from the small river on the slope, and fell to the ground with a clear and pleasant sound, forming a transparent curtain in front of the vaulted hut.The flowing water was collected again in a stone basin among the trees, and flowed out along the entrance noisily again, converging with the Shumu River outside. "Well, we are here!" Treebeard broke the long silence: "This place is about 7,000 steps away from the previous position, but I don't know how far this is in your calculations. Anyway, we have reached the end Roots of the Mountains, the name of this place in your language should be Welling Hall. I like this place, and we will stay here tonight." He put the two of them down on the grass between two rows of trees. Pippin and Merry followed him up to the vaulted roof.The hobbit noticed that when he walked, his knees were hardly bent, but his legs could be spread wide.He will step on the ground first with his big toe (really big and wide), and then the other parts will follow.Treebeard just stood there in the falling spring water for a moment, then he took a deep breath and walked into the room laughing.There was a huge stone table inside, but no chairs of any kind.The back of the room is rather dark due to its position.Treebeard took two large containers and placed them on the table.The two containers seemed to be filled with water, but after Treebeard took the container and shook it, they began to glow, one was golden light, the other was full of green, and the whole room was covered by these two The mixed colors of the light are illuminated, as if the summer sun casts a scene through the green leaves.The hobbit looked back, and found that the trees in the whole cave began to glow, very faintly at first; but slowly, all the edges of the leaves were dyed with a circle of light, some were green, some were golden, Some are the color of copper, and the trunk itself looks like a stone pillar made of luminous stone. "Okay, okay, now we can have a good chat!" Treebeard said, "I think you should be thirsty, and most of you are tired, drink this!" He walked to the other end of the room, two People saw that there were several large urns with heavy lids.Treebeard opened one of the large urns, scooped up some of the liquid with a large ladle, and filled three bowls with it, one large and the other two a little smaller. "This is where the Ents live," he said, "so I'm afraid there's no place to sit. You can sit at the table, though." He grabbed the hobbit and set it on a stone slab six feet above the ground. , let them kick their little feet and drink their drinks.The drink tasted like water, just like the water they drank in the Shumu River by the forest, but there was an indescribable aroma in it: the taste was very weak, but it reminded them of the evening wind in the forest Blow to bring out the flavor.The effect of this drink starts from the toes, and slowly rises all the way, making their limbs feel full, and finally even the scalp feels full of energy.The hobbit felt like his hair stood up and began to blow in the wind.As for Treebeard, he soaked his feet in the stone basin in the center of the hall first, and then slowly drank the contents of the bowl with his head raised. The hobbit thought he would never finish this sip.Finally, he put down the bowl.He sighed contentedly: "Ah, ha, Hum, um, this is more suitable for chatting. You can sit on the floor, but let me lie down first, so as to avoid the thing I just drank straight into my head, making me think sleep." On the right side of the room was a rather low bed, not more than a few feet high, covered with hay and bark.Treebeard lay down on the bed slowly (with only a slight bend at the waist) until his whole body was on it.Then, resting his head on his hands, he watched the brilliant lights dance on the ceiling, while Merry and Pippin sat down on straw pillows beside him. "Now tell me your story, don't be too quick!" said Treebeard. The hobbit began when the group left Hobbiton, describing to him what happened throughout the journey.Their order is somewhat out of order, as the two would interrupt each other's descriptions, and Treebeard would often stop the speaker, asking for earlier details, or skipping to a later time to ask about the situation.They said nothing about the Lord of the Rings, nor did they tell him why or where he set out, Nor did he question it in particular.