Chapter 8 Section 4 Treebeard-2

He was very interested in everything, the Black Knight, Elrond, Rivendell, Old Forest, Tom Bombardier, the Mine of Moria, Lothlorien, and Galadriel.He asked them to describe the Shire and their surroundings over and over again.At this point he made a strange remark: "You never see, um, any Ents around?" He asked, "Well, no, it should be Ents." "Tree wives?" asked Pippin. "Are they like you?" "Yeah, well, not really. I'm really not sure right now," said Treebeard thoughtfully, "but I think they'd like your hometown, so that's why I wanted to ask."

Treebeard was very curious about all the deeds of Gandalf, and asked about Saruman's actions in detail.The hobbit regrets that he doesn't know enough about him, and the only clue is Sam's recitation of what Gandalf described him at the meeting.However, at least they were sure that Ebony and his subordinates were from Isinger, and they respected Saruman as their master. "Well, Humm!" said the Treebeard, when their story finally came to a battle between the Hussars of Rohan and the Goblins. "Yes, yes! That's a lot of news. But Well, you haven't told me the whole story, and I'm afraid it's a long way off, but I know what you're doing is in line with Gandalf's ideas. I can see something big is going on, and maybe I might have a chance of knowing. O Name of Roots and Branches, strange things these things are, for two little fellows that were not on the old list popped up before my eyes! Nay, nine forgotten knights haunted these again, and hunted them down; Gandalf led They embarked on a difficult journey, Galadriel sheltered them in Calas Galadon, and half-orcs tracked thousands of miles in the wasteland to find them... These little ones must have been caught in a terrible storm, I hope they can Stay safe!"

"And what about yourself?" Merry asked. "Hum, well, I have no responsibility in this great war," said Treebeard. "Mostly it has to do with elves and humans, and most of it is the work of wizards. Wizards always like to worry about the future. I don't care. Likes to worry about the future, I'm not on anyone's side because there's no one on my side either. If you know what I mean, no one cares about trees as much as I do, not even elves nowadays However, I still have a fondness for elves than any other race. They gave us wisdom a long time ago, and even if we part ways later, this gift must not be easily forgotten. And there are some people and things that I absolutely Wouldn't agree. In fact, I'm against them through and through, these Braru," he snorted again in disgust, "these goblins and their masters."

"When the darkness invaded Mirkwood, I was nervous for a while, but when it came back to Mordor, I relaxed. Mordor is far away after all, but it seems that this evil wind is blowing again To the east, the time for all the trees to wither may be approaching. There is no way for the old tree man alone to stop the storm. He must support the storm or break it. But now even Saruman has fallen! Luman is near us, and I can't underestimate him. I think I must do something, and lately I've been thinking a lot about how to deal with Saruman." "Who is Saruman?" asked Pippin : "Do you know his past?"

"Saruman is a wizard," replied Treebeard, "other than that I don't know, I don't know the past of wizards, I only know that they came with the ship when it crossed the sea, but I don't know Did they come to this continent in great ships. Saruman was high among them, and afterward he no longer went about or meddled in the affairs of men and elves ──You may say that it was a long time ago, he settled in Anglinoster, and the people of Rohan also called that place Isinger.He started out very low-key, but his reputation spread like wildfire.They said he had accepted the chairmanship of the Holy White Council, but the results did not seem to be very good, and I wondered if Saruman had fallen into evil by then.At any rate, he hadn't caused any trouble to the neighbors before; I had spoken to him once, and he had been wandering in my woods for some time.He was always polite then, always asking my permission (at least when he met me), always willing to listen; I told him many things he would never have known in his own power, but He never reciprocated me with the same attitude.I don't recall him telling me anything, and it's getting worse.His face, the face I hadn't seen for a long time, was closed like a window on a stone wall, with the sills drawn inside. "

"I think, I just now understand what he's up to. He's planning to be a force to be reckoned with. His head is spinning like gears, and he doesn't care about other creatures unless they can, right now. Help him take over the world. Now, again, I'm sure he's fallen for the Dark Way, and he's taken in a lot of orcs and evil creatures! Uh huh, hoom! Worse, he seems to have done something dangerous to them , because these soldiers of Isengard look more like evil humans. Orcs under the command of darkness are afraid of the sun, which is their characteristic; but Saruman's subordinates, although they hate the sun, can bear it. Don't know What the hell has he done? Are they tainted humans, or has he mixed the two races, orcs and humans? That is a wicked crime!"

Treebeard muttered for a moment, as if reciting some old Ent proverb: "A while ago, I began to wonder why orcs were so comfortable walking through my woods," he went on, "Until recently, I wondered Saruman is the black hand behind this, long ago he was in the forest spying on the secrets, planning the way, he and his evil minions are creating a lot of chaos. They cut down many trees on the border, many good trees, some trees even It is the evil deed of orcs to be cut down on the ground and left to rot; however, most of the trees are transported to Orthanc Tower as fuel for the fire. These days, Isengard's There's a lot of smoke all the time. Damn, this guy with rotten roots and leaves! Many of the trees are my friends, old friends I know from branch to leaf; many have their own unique voice , Just like that, it is lost forever. Many once dense and lush forests have also become ruins of broken branches. I have stood by for too long, and I have to sit by and watch this cruel evil, and I must stop it!"

Treebeard jumped up from the bed, walked to the table, and tapped his fingers on the table.The bright container vibrated violently, sparking two flames.There was green anger in his eyes and the bristling of his beard testified to his agitation. "I will stop this!" he growled. "Come with me, and you may be able to help me. In this way, you are actually helping your friends; if you don't stop Saruman, Gondor And Rohan will face the dilemma of being attacked from both sides. Our direction is the same—Isengard!" "We'd love to go with you," Merry said, "and we'll do what we can to help."

"Yes!" said Pippin, "I'll be glad to see the Whitehand overthrown, and even if I'm not of much use, I'll be glad to be there to see it. I'll never forget Ebony and beyond Rohan that nightmare." "Very good! Very good!" Shuhu said: "But I was too impatient, we must not act too hastily, I was too excited just now, I must calm down and think. Because I shouted [HTH] Stop [HT]! It's easier than actually doing it." He went to the arch, and pondered a moment longer in the falling water; then he laughed and shook himself, and the drops that swirled about him looked like red and green sparks.He walked back, lay back on the bed again, and fell silent.

After some time the hobbit heard him muttering to himself again, and he seemed to be counting on his fingers: "Fagon, Fingglass, Frareef, ah, ah..." He sighed: " The trouble is that we are few in number!" He turned to the hobbit and said, "There are but three Ents who were born in this forest before the dark, Fangorn, that is me; Fraref, that's our elf name, you can call them Leaf Bush and Bark, it's easier to remember. Of the three of us, Leaf Bush and Bark probably won't help much, Leaf Bush has become too It's like a tree, drowsy all day long; he stood there all summer last year, the grass around him grew up to his knees, and the leaves on his head were so lush! He used to wake up in winter Come, but lately he has become too dull to go very far even then. Bark lives on the hillside west of Essinger, and is the most troublesome area. He was injured by Orcs, and many of them His companions and trees were also killed or destroyed. He hid in a higher place, hiding in his favorite birch forest and dare not come down. However, I think I should still find many Young Ents, if only I could convince them of the magnitude of the danger, if I could make their blood boil; we are not naturally aggressive creatures. Too bad we are so few in number!"

"Since you have lived here so long, why are there so few?" asked Pippin. "Have many died?" "Oh, no!" said the Treefool, "no one dies of longevity. Of course, many died at the hand of the Darkness in the evil ages past, but many more Treants became trees. But , our number was not many, and there was no increase in the middle; we have not had a little tree person, our little baby, for many years. You know, our tree wives have disappeared." "Poor thing!" said Pippin, "how can they all be dead?" "They're not dead!" Treebeard protested. "I didn't say they were dead at all. I meant the tree wives disappeared. And when they disappeared, we couldn't find them again." He sighed: "I thought most people knew this. There are many songs about Ents looking for Ents' wives. Men and Elves from Mirkwood to Gondor sang these songs. They are not so easy. be forgotten." "Well, I'm afraid none of these songs have crossed the mountains and come to the Shire," said Merry. "Would you tell us the story, or sing some of these songs?" "Okay, I will," said Treebeard, seeming very pleased with the request, "but I can't describe the story in detail, I can only briefly explain it, and then we must rest. Tomorrow I will call meeting, there is still a lot of work to be done, even a journey to start.” "It's a very sad and strange story," he said after a moment's pause. "When the world was not so old, the forests were all over the land, and the Ents and Ents' wives, who were Ents - ah! I remember The loveliness of Fenberhill, the light steps of the Wind-branch, the joyous times of our youth! They moved together, lived together. But our thoughts did not always go in the same direction: The Ents gave their love to but the tree wife turned her thoughts to other things. Because the tree people love big trees, wild forests, and steep slopes of high mountains. They drink from mountain springs and eat what the trees naturally fall. Fruit, they learn Elvish, and talk to the trees; but the tree-wives give their care to the smaller plants, to the herbaceous plants at the foot of the forest, who love the wild berries and the wild apples and cherries of the spring, And the herbs that grow on the heath in summer, and the thistles that take root in the earth in autumn. They don't want to talk to these plants, but to make them obey the orders given to them, and grow fruit and leaves as they like; trees The tree wives like order, abundance, and peace (in this case, peace means everything stays where the tree wives arranged it), so the tree wives began to build gardens that became their dwellings. But we tree people but wandered about, and came to these gardens only now and then. Then the darkness of the North came, and the Treewives crossed the river, and planted new gardens there, and tamed new plants, and we saw them less .After the darkness was overthrown, the land owned by the tree wife began to harvest, and it was full of corn fruits. Human beings I learned this skill from the tree wives, and have great respect for them; but we are mere legends to humans, only the mysterious will of the forest.But when the tree wife's garden was all destroyed, we were still standing here.Humans now call the garden where Tree Wife used to be Brownfield. " "I remember it was a long time ago, in the past when Sauron fought with the humans from the sea. I suddenly wanted to see Finberhill again. She was still very beautiful in my eyes, but, When I last saw her, she had changed a lot from the tree girls of the past. Because of their years of hard work, the tree wives were hunched over, their skin turned brown, and their hair was in the sun. They were the yellow of ripe corn, their cheeks were as red as ripe apples, and their eyes were still the eyes of my people. We crossed the Anduin to their land, and found a desert ;everything was burnt and wrecked, and the fire had done a great deal of damage to the place, but the tree wives were not there. We searched and called and called and asked everyone we met; some said they never Having seen tree wives, some say they go west, some say north, some say south or east, but no matter how we look, we can't find them. We are very, very sad, but the forest Called us again, we had no choice but to return here. After many, many years, we will still leave this place, looking for tree wives, calling their beautiful names all over the world, but as time goes by, slowly we give up this place The tree wives are now a faint memory in our minds, and our beards are gray and falling. The elves have made many songs about the tree people, and some songs have even been translated into human languages. But we have not To make any song, it is enough to sing their beautiful names when we are lonely. We believe that one day we will meet them again, and maybe we can find a place to spend the rest of our lives with them, but we have a hunch that it is only possible when we This dream will only be fulfilled when everything is lost. Maybe this doomsday is coming soon, because if the ancient Sauron destroyed the tree wife’s garden, the current devil may make all the trees die. There is an elf song that describes The story I have just related, at least so far as I know it, was that at one time the song was sung up and down the great river. Make no mistake, it is not the song of the Ents; It's a very long song! However, each of us Treant memorizes this song, and occasionally hums it softly. Translated into your language, it looks like this: Treant: When spring blows the young beech leaves, when the sap overflows; When the light shines in the brooks of the wild woods, When the wind blows by the stream; When the steps are light and the breaths are deep, when the mountain wind is cold; Come back to me!come back to me, Praise my country for its beauty! Tree Wife: When spring comes to the meadow, When the corn is full of fruit; When the flowers are like the first unmelted snow on the orchid treetops; When showers and sunshine cover the earth When the air is full of fragrance; I will stay here and not come to your place, For my country is as beautiful as poetry. Treant: When summer falls into the world, When shrouded in a golden shadow, Dreams of trees under sleeping leaves slowly become real; When the woodlands are green and cool, When the west wind blows, Come back to me!come back to me, Praise be to my domain that never erodes! tree wife: When summer flames warm the fruit of the treetops When wild berries are roasted; When the straw is golden and the ears of corn are white, When the harvest in the village is full; When honey overflows and apples ripen, When the west wind blows, I will linger in the sun, for my land Tired and strong! Treant When winter comes, the cold wind blows When hills and woods lie low; When the trees fall, the starless night instead of sunless daytime; When the deadly east wind blows, when it rains bitterly; I will seek you, call you; I will no longer Let you get lost! tree wife: When winter comes, the singing ends; When darkness finally falls; When a branch breaks, the light and the season of labor is past; I'll look for you and wait for you until When we meet again: We will work together to shed the bitter rain! Tree man and tree wife: we will walk together The road to the West. In the far side will find The continent where we both can rest in peace. Treebeard finished singing. "That's what the song is," he said. "Of course, it's in Elvish, so it's light, fast, and it's over very quickly. I think it's poignant. But the Ents might have more if they had time." I want to express my opinions! But now I have to stand up and get a good night's sleep. Are you going to sleep standing there?" "We usually have to lie down to sleep," Merry said. "This side should be fine." "Lie down and sleep!" repeated Treebeard. "Of course, I forgot. Well, Hum, my memory is a bit bad. What I just sang filled my head with old memories. I almost thought I was Talking to the young Ent. Ah, you lie down here, I'm going to sleep standing in the rain. Good night!" Merry and Pippin climbed into bed and curled up in the soft moss and dry grass.The bed smelled fresh and was perfectly warm.Slowly the light around them dimmed, and the light from the trees faded with it; but they could still see Treebeard standing outside the room, standing motionless with his hands raised to his head.The stars in the sky were shining brightly, illuminating the raindrops that fell on him.The hobbits listened to the reassuring sound of dripping water, and finally fell asleep. As soon as the two woke up, they found that the sun was shining in this huge cave, and the ground was covered with golden yellow.Sparse clouds could be seen overhead, drifting with the east wind.Treebeard was not near, but as Merry and Pippin were washing at the stone basin, they heard Treebeard come in, humming. "Huh, huh! Good morning, Merry and Pippin!" Treebeard said hello in a low voice when he found them up. "You have slept a long time. I have walked hundreds of steps since morning .We'll have a drink first, and then we'll go to the Treant meeting." He poured another bowlful of drink for them both, but this time from a different urn.The taste is also different from the previous bowl, it feels more mellow and filling, more like food.While the hobbits sat at the edge of the bed drinking their drinks and munching on small pieces of elf bait (because they felt they must have something for breakfast, not because they were hungry), Treebeard stood by. , muttering to himself in Treant language, Elvish language and some strange languages, looking at the clear blue sky. "Where is the Ent Council?" Pippin asked boldly. "Huh? Uh? Treebeard meeting?" Treebeard turned around and said, "The treebeard is not a place, but a meeting where the tree people gather. This is a rare thing, but I have persuaded many tree people to let They promised to come. The place where we meet is the same as before, the place that the humans call Dedingo. It is south of here, and we must be there before Zhongshi." Not long after, they set off.Like yesterday, Treebeard hugged the two hobbits.At the entrance of the cave, he turned to the right, stepped over the spring, and walked south along the sparsely wooded slope.Along the way the hobbits saw clumps of birch and rowan, and behind them towering black conifers.Soon, Treebeard turned around and rushed into the dense forest.Here the trees were bigger and taller, and the thickest forest a hobbit had ever seen.At first, they still felt the stuffy and crowded feeling when they first entered Fangorn Forest, but this feeling passed quickly.Treebeard didn't talk to them, he hummed a low tune, as if he was thinking about something; to Merry and Pippin, it seemed that what came out of his mouth was just the rhythm of humming, whooping, humming, but Notes and melodies change from time to time.Now and then they heard an answer from within the forest, perhaps a hum or trill, as if from the ground, or the branches and leaves above their heads; but the Treebeard did not slow down at all, nor did he look either way. They walked for a long time, and Pippin tried to count how many steps the Ent had taken in all, but got confused at about three thousand; and at exactly the same time Treebeard slowed down.Suddenly he stopped, put the hobbit down, and cupped his hand to his mouth; then he didn't know whether he blew or yelled, and there was a great booming sound, as if unique to the forest. The ear-shattering horn sounded, and the aftertaste was still returning to the soup in the forest.There were also huge bangs, bangs, and bangs from far away, responding to his call. Treebeard then took Merry and Pippin on his shoulders, and began to walk on again, pausing now and then to sound the same trumpet; each time the answer came closer and louder.In this way they came at last to a high wall which seemed to be formed of thick evergreens, such vegetation as no hobbit had ever seen.Branching from the base, they have dark green leaves that look a bit like thornless holly, and the tree has many straight flower stems arching emerald green buds. Treebeard walked to the left, bypassed the huge fence, and after a few steps, he entered a narrow entrance. After passing through the entrance, there was a long and steep slope in front of him.The hobbit noticed that they were walking into a huge hollow, a bowl-shaped terrain, very wide, and surrounded by the fence at the edge.The inside is full of green grass, except for three tall and handsome silver birch trees, there are no other trees on the grass.Two other passages from the east and west also lead to this depression. A few Ents had arrived first, and many Ents entered by other entrances, and others followed Treebeard.The hobbit watched them carefully as they drew near.At first they expected to see Ents not much different from Treebeards (just as hobbits appear to outsiders), but they were surprised to find how wrong they were.They look like the same kind of tree, but due to the growth process, their appearance is very different, and some are even as different as different kinds of trees.Among them were a few older Ents, covered with moss and burrs, but none of them were as virtuous as Treebeard; in addition, there were many tall and strong Ents, The branches and bark were clean, as if they were trees in their prime. However, there were no tree men present.When they arrived, there were already about thirty treants standing on the grass in the valley, and many more were entering the arena. At first, Merry and Pippin were amazed at the diversity among the Ents, who differed in bark, foliage, color, shape, length of arms and feet (even fingers and toes, difference from three to nine).A few Ents seem to have something to do with treebeards, making them think of birches or oaks; however, there are other types of trees in the field, some of which remind them of chestnuts: the skin of these Ents is dark brown, The fingers are large and long, and the legs are short and thick; some Treants remind them of aspen: tall and straight, with delicate and graceful fingers, and long arms and legs; others remind them of fir (the tallest tree people), others include ginkgo, basswood, cypress and so on.However, when all the treants arrived, lowered their heads, talked in a musical language, and looked at the two strangers, he realized clearly that this group of creatures of different shapes belonged to the same race ; they all have the same eyes.Not every Treant's eyes were as deep and ancient as Treebeard's; but all had the same slow, steady, brooding expression, and the same green glow. After all the people gathered around Treebeard, they began a series of incomprehensible conversations.One by one the Ents began to murmur, until all joined in the long, rising and falling rhythm.Sometimes the sound would be particularly strong on one side, and other times it would subside on one side and then reappear as a roar on the other side.Although Pippin could not understand the other's language, he surmised that it was Entspeak, which sounded pleasant to him at first; The murmur shows no sign of slowing down), and he found himself wondering: Since Treant is a slow language, have these guys finished saying "Good morning" at all?If Treebeard wants to roll their names, how long will it take to finish reading the names of these guys? "I don't know how [HTH] is [HT] or [HTH] is not [HT] in Treant?" he thought, yawning. Treebeard recognized his transformation at once: "Well, ha, hey, my sweet Pippin!" he said, and the other Ents immediately stopped chanting, "I forgot that you were anxious creatures, and It's tiring to listen to a language you don't understand at all, you can come down now. I just told the Ent Council your names, and they have seen you, and they all agree that you are not half-orcs, and they agree that your A line of ballads added to the old list. We haven't discussed the rest of the place yet, but that's pretty quick for a meeting of the Ents! You and Merry can hang out nearby if you want a drink, Take a shower, there is a well on the north bank of the river. We still have a lot to talk about before the meeting officially starts, and I will come back to you and let you know how things are going.” He put the hobbit down, and the two bowed deeply before they walked away.Judging from the cadence of their murmurs and the blinking of their eyes, the movement seemed to interest the Ents.Merry and Pippin walked back along the road they had come down before, and looked at the scene outside from the entrance. The pine trees in the distance set off the tall mountains in the distance.Looking to the south, they could see the forest stretching all the way to the sky, and beyond that they could see a green shadow, which Merry guessed was probably the grasslands of Rohan. "Wonder where Isinger is?" said Pippin. "I don't even know where I am now," said Merry, "but that mountain is probably Masidra, and as far as I can remember, Isinger seems to be in a valley at the end of the mountain, probably Just behind a mountain. It looks like there's some kind of thick smoke to the left of that mountain, you see, am I right?" "Isengard wonders what it will be like?" said Pippin, "what the Ents will do to them?" "I'm also curious," Merri said, "I remember that Isengard is a circle of rocks and hills, with a flat land in the middle, and then there is an isolated island or a tower in the middle, called Orthank. , Saruman built a tower on it. There was a gate in the high wall all around, and there seemed to be more than one. I remember that there was a river in the middle, which flowed out of the mountain, and flowed through the pass of Rohan. Not like a place where Ents can easily invade. However, I have a strange feeling about these Ents, for some reason, I don't think they are as safe and funny as they look. They seem to move slowly and creepy , and patient, almost to the point of feeling sorry for them; but I believe they can be inspired, and if that happens, I wish I were not in a hostile situation with them." "That's right!" said Pippin. "I know what you mean. A bull grazing slowly in a meadow may look safe, but he can suddenly gallop wildly. It is not known whether a treebeard can Can't wake up these sleeping Ents? Treebeard became very agitated last night, and then calmed down." The hobbit walked back again, the voice of the tree man still rising and falling in their meeting room.The sun was now high in the air, shining on the groves all around: the sun fell on these birches, and cast a warm yellow light on the north side of the valley, and in that direction they found a trickle of water.The two of them walked together to the water stream at the foot of the evergreen tree, and it felt really comfortable to be able to step on the green grass with bare feet again, without having to travel or worry about time.They went to the stream and drank a long draft of the cold water; they sat down on a mossy rock and looked at the sunlight streaming down on the grass, and the shadows cast by the clouds in the blue sky.The treant's murmur melted into the background, and the whole valley seemed to turn into a distant paradise, making them forget everything that had happened.They began to miss the voices and faces of their companions, especially the presence of Frodo, Sam, and the Strider. Finally the Ent's voice stopped, and they looked up to find that Treebeard was leading another Ent towards them. "Well, Hum, here I go again!" Treebeard said. "Are you tired or impatient? I hope you are not impatient, because we just finished the first round of meetings. I have to say something to those who live to the Ents who were very far away, those who were very far from Essinger, or whom I did not have time to call before the meeting to explain all this; It has explained the facts of everything that happened. For the Ents, it will not take too long to make up their minds and implement a certain resolution. I don't want to deny that the meeting will still take a long time, and it may take several days. Therefore, I brought you a companion. He has a residence nearby, and Brigalad is his Elvish name. He said that he has made up his mind and does not need to stay in the venue. Well, he is a tree Someone whose personality barely fits your definition of impatience, you should get on well. Goodbye!" Treebeard turned away from them.Brigallard stood there, taking some time to look at the hobbit seriously; the two stared back at him, wondering when they might see him show his 'hot' personality.He was tall, as one of the younger Ents, with smooth skin on his arms and legs; otherwise, he had red lips and gray-green hair.A Brigarad can sway like a lithe sapling in the wind.Finally, he spoke, his voice was higher frequency than Treebeard's, and it was clearer. "Ha, er, my friends, let's go for a walk!" he said, "I'm Brigalad, which means Quick Branch in your language, but, of course, that's just my nickname That's all. They've been calling me that ever since I answered a good question before an old tree man finished speaking. Also, I drink water fast, when the others just wet their lips , I finished drinking and went out. Come with me!" He held out both hands and took the two hobbits.All day long they walked with him in the forest, singing and laughing.Kuaizhi is a tree man who loves to laugh. If the sun pokes his head out from behind the clouds, he will laugh. creek , he laughed too, and put his head and feet in the water to splash; and he laughed at every sound he heard in the woods.Whenever he saw a rowan tree on the road, he would stop, shake his body with outstretched hands, and sing aloud.In the evening he took them both to his house, which was no more than a great moss-covered rock in a rough shelter under a tree.There are rowan trees growing all around, like all treant houses, and there is a spring coming out of the mountain wall next to the house.As darkness fell, they continued to chat. They could hear the sound of the Ents meeting in the distance, but their voices seemed to become more serious.Occasionally a loud voice grew quicker and quicker, and the others dropped in volume; but Brigalad remained beside them, murmuring in their language. 哈比人们稍后知道他是树皮的同胞，而他们所居住的地方就正是首当其冲遭到破坏的森林，两人才明白，为什么他在对付半兽人的这个话题上，会这么的急躁。 「在我的家园中有很多的花楸树，」布理加拉德幽幽地说：「在我还是小树人的时候，这些花楸树就已经落地生根。最早的花楸树是树人种下，用来取悦树妻们的；但她们看著这些树，微笑著说她们知道哪里还有更白的花朵和更饱满的果实，不过，在我眼中，全天下没有任何比它们更美丽的植物了！这些树木一直不停地生长著，每株树都俨然长成一座巨大的绿色厅堂，在秋天时，它们的红色梅子会变成它们的负担、美丽与骄傲。以前有许多的飞鸟聚集该处，我喜欢小鸟，即使它们会吱喳乱叫也不会改变我的想法，而且那时的花楸树也多得可以和任何人共享。但是，慢慢的那些鸟儿变得贪婪，它们单纯地抓下那些果实，甚至不吃它们；然后，半兽人带著斧头来了，他们砍倒我的树木。我呼唤著它们的名字，但它们听不见，也无法回应，它们躺在地上，死了。」 喔，欧络法恩，雷沙米塔，卡里密力！ 美哉花楸树，满树的白色花苞更衬托你的美丽， 我的花楸树，我看见你沐浴在金黄的阳光里， 你的树皮光滑，树叶清飘，声音柔软清冽： 金红色的皇冠是你头上的一切！ 亡矣花楸树，你的秀发乾裂灰败； 你的皇冠粉碎，声音如花凋谢。 喔，欧络法恩，雷沙米塔，卡里密力！ 哈比人在布理加拉德的温柔歌声中缓缓睡去，在梦中，彷佛也一同哀悼这许多逝去的美丽树木。 第二天他们也和他一起度过，但这次三人并没有远离他的「屋子」。大多数的时间他们坐在岩石下，因为风儿变得更加冰冷，云朵变灰，更为靠近，而远处的树人说话声音依旧不停地抑扬顿挫，有时强而有力，有时低回忧伤，有时快，有时则慢得让人感伤。夜色降临， 树人会议依旧在满天星斗之下继续进行著。 第三天破晓的时候，风强而冷冽。天一亮，树人的声音就突然变强，随后又减弱到几乎无声的地步。随著晨光渐渐展露，风停云止，空气中充满了期待的气氛。哈比人注意到布理加拉德正专注地倾听著树人会议中的任何声响。 到了当天下什，太阳渐渐往西方偏移，云朵空隙间的稀疏阳光是照亮大地的唯一光源。突然间，众人意识到一切的吵杂声响都停止下来，整个森林陷入沈寂之中，树人的声音早就停息。这代表著什么意思？布理加拉德站得又高又挺，回头看著树人聚集的地方。 突然间在一声巨响中，传来了让人热血沸腾的叫声：啦─轰，啦！整座森林随著这声音摇摆低头，彷佛被一阵飓风吹袭。又经过了片刻的沈静，激昂雄壮的进行曲伴随著树人低沈、有力的声音和节拍声传了过来。 出发，出发，伴随著鼓声前进：哒隆哒─隆达─隆达─轰！ 树人们越走越近，歌声越来越激昂： 出发，出发，伴随著战鼓、号角前进：哒隆哒─隆达─隆达─轰！ 布理加拉德抱起哈比人，从房子中走了出来。 不久之后，他们就看见行进的队伍渐渐靠近，树人们跨著大步朝向他们走来。树胡站在最前方，大约有五十名树人两两并肩紧跟在后，他们的脚步齐一，手还同时打著拍子。当他们逐渐靠近的时候，双眼中的光芒也越来越明显。 「呼姆，轰！我们终于来了，我们终于来了！」当树胡看见布理加拉德和哈比人的时候，他大声喊道：「来吧，加入我们！我们要出发了，我们要前往艾辛格！」 「前往艾辛格！」树人们异口同声地大喊， 「前往艾辛格！」 攻入艾辛格！无论它是否被坚不可破的 磐石包围； 纵使艾辛格是铜墙铁壁，易守难攻 插翅也难飞， 我们冲，我们撞，我们终于要宣战，敲破那石头 打开它城门； 只要邪恶的炉火不停息，我们就会不停往前进！ 战鼓雷鸣，大地哀嚎，誓不破城绝不返， 前进，前进； 艾辛格的末日在眼前！ 艾辛格的末日在眼前，艾辛格的末日在眼前！ 他们就这么唱著战歌，一路往南而去。 布理加拉德的双眼闪动著火光，在树胡的身边走著。老树人现在把哈比人抱起来，将他们放回肩膀上，因此，他们可以抬头挺胸，血脉沸腾地跟著队伍前进。虽说他们本来就预料到会有惊天动地的变化，但他们对于这些树人的转变还是感到十分惊讶。他们的怒气彷 佛山洪爆发一样的突然，势不能挡。 「树人们毕竟还是很快下定了决心，对吧？」皮聘过了不久之后，趁著歌声暂歇，四周只有踏步声和挥手声的时候问道。 「快吗？」树胡回答道：「呼姆！的确很快，比我想像得快多了。我已经有很多很多年没有看过他们这么激动了。我们树人通常不喜欢情绪上的波动，除非认知到我们的性命和树群陷入极端的危险，否则我们是不能采取行动的。自从索伦和渡海的人类宣战以来，这座森林就没有这样过了。是那些半兽人肆无忌惮的砍伐激怒了我们，而且，本来应该协助我们的邻居竟然出了我们。巫师们应该知道不能犯下这种致命的错误，他们应该知道的。不管是精灵语、树人与或是人类的语言，都没有办法描述这种恶行。我们要推翻萨鲁曼！」 「你们真的会打破艾辛格的城门吗？」梅里问道。 「呵，嗯，我们真的可以！或许你还不知道我们有多强壮。你们听过食人妖吗？它们拥有一身可怕的怪力。但是，食人妖只是天魔王在黑暗时代里模仿树人所做出的仿冒品， 在古老的星光第一纪元中，天魔王马尔寇创造了一种凶猛、强悍，却毫无智慧的食人生物，这些黑血的巨人被称为食人妖。据说马尔寇是模仿树人们强而有力的体魄，才创造出这个种族。不过，它们的智能极度低落，几乎不会任何的语言，大部分只能用半兽人之间的方言交谈。它们的身材几乎是一般人类的两倍高，皮肤则是绿色的鳞甲，可以抵挡刀剑的攻击；不过，它们有一个最大的缺陷，就是畏光。由于创造它们的法术是在黑暗中施展的，如果光亮照到它们身上，这个法术就会被破除，它们的外壳就会开始往内生长，将它们化成石像。因此，它们在黑夜出没，或是待在隧道或洞穴中等猎物上门。 当第二纪元索伦崛起的时候，他赐给这些愚蠢的生物相当的智力，让它们有了学习和制造工具的能力，也成为更恐怖和危险的生物。 正如同半兽人是精灵的仿制品一样。我们是大地的骨干所孕育，我们可以像树根一样轻易地断山裂石，只要我们一激动起来，那速度可是快多了！只要我们没有被砍倒，或是被火焰、魔法给摧毁，我们可以将艾辛格撕成两半，甚至将它的铜墙铁壁都化成废墟。 " 「但萨鲁曼会试著阻止你们，对吧？」 「嗯，啊，是的，的确是如此，我并没有忘记这一点，我的确为此思索了很久。但是，许多的树人都比我要年轻很多，他们现在都已经被唤醒了，脑海中只有一个念头：摧毁艾辛格！不过，不久之后他们的情绪就会比较平复，在我们停下脚步喝水的时候，他们会开始仔细思考这个问题，啊，到时候我们一定会很口渴的。我们还有很长的路要走，还有很长的时间可以利用，这些问题都可以在这段时间里面好好的想。」 树胡和其他人一起唱著歌，继续往前进。在过了一段时间之后，他的声音化成呢喃，最后甚至沉默下来。皮聘看见他的双眉紧锁在一起。最后，他抬起头，皮聘看见他的眼中有著哀伤的光芒，但那并非是不快乐的情绪，他眼中的光芒彷佛沈陷得更深了些。 「当然，吾友，也是有这个可能，」他缓缓地说：「我们可能迈向的是我们自己的末日，这是树人最后一次的进军。但是，如果我们待在家中袖手旁观，迟早末日会找上我们。其实我们自己也都意识到了这件事情，这也是为什么我们会下定决心的原因之一。这并不是仓促的决定，至少，树人的最后一战或许可以换取后人的歌颂，啊……」他叹气道：「我们在彻底消失之前，或许可以对这世界作出最后的贡献。不过，我还是很希望在有生之年，能够看到我们和树妻的歌谣成真，我实在很想念芬伯希尔！好吧，这么说吧，歌曲就像树木一样，它们结实的方式和时机不是外人可以预料的，有些时候，它们会就这样枯萎凋谢。」 树人们继续大步前进，他们此时已经走到一块往南方攀升的斜坡上，他们不停地往上爬，来到了西边的高地。众人离开了森林，来到了只有稀疏桦木生长的空旷高地，然后是只有几株苍老松树的荒地。太阳缓缓地落入眼前的山脉背后，暮色笼罩大地。皮聘回头看著队伍，他发现树人的数量增加了──还是他看错了？原先光秃秃的斜坡上现在长满了树木，但它们都在移动著，难道是法贡森林整个苏醒过来，越过山丘准备开战了吗？ 他揉揉眼睛，怀疑是否睡意让他看到了幻影？但那些灰色的身影依旧继续往前移动，许多的枝枒中都传来了如同刺耳风声一般的声响。树人们越来越靠近高地边缘，所有的歌声也都停了下来。夜色降临，四野一片寂静，只有大地在树人脚下微微颤动和枝叶骚动的声音。最后，他们走到了高地边缘，低头看著一个幽深的黑洞：那是山脉边缘的裂谷，捻苦路纳，萨鲁曼之谷。 「夜色笼罩艾辛格！」树胡说。