Chapter One While they were talking so cordially, The fed pigs also walked back to the low dwelling in the face of the setting sun, Reluctantly burrowed into their respective pens, While yelling and groaning in dissatisfaction. Pope's "Odyssey" [Note: Alexander.Pope, an important poet of British classicism.The "Iliad" and "Odyssey" he translated are rewritings of Homer's original poems according to his aesthetic concepts. 】 In a pleasant part of merry England there is the River Don, whose banks were formerly covered by a great forest, which covered most of the beautiful hills and valleys between Sheffield and bustling Doncaster.Remnants of this vast forest can still be seen in the noble estates around Wentworth, Worncliffe Park and Rotherham.Here used to be the legendary Ventley Dragon [Note: An evil dragon in an English folk song, later killed by a warrior. 】Where it haunts; the War of the Red and White Roses 【Note: British 1455 | A large-scale feudal civil war that occurred in 1485. Many life-and-death battles were fought here; in the past, many green forest heroes fell into bandits here, and their deeds became well-known stories in English folk songs.

Our story mainly takes place in this area, and it involves Richard I. He was detained in Austria on his way home. ] Towards the end of his reign, when he had just returned from a long captivity, this was something his desperate subjects had been waiting for in dire straits but could not hope to achieve.The power of the feudal aristocracy rests with Stephen [Note: Fourth Norman monarch, 1135 | 1154 reign. ] During the reign, it has become very hot, Henry II [Note: The first generation of the Plantagenet monarch, the father of Richard I. ]'s prudence can only make them subject to the king to a certain extent, and now they have returned to their old habits and raised the power they once enjoyed to the highest level; , recruiting surrenders and accepting rebels, expanding the number of vassals, and turning all surrounding areas into their sphere of influence; they tried every means to expand their strength and recruit troops in order to become prominent figures in the coming national turmoil.

Those so-called small landowners who were not of feudal aristocratic origin, according to the provisions and spirit of the British Constitution, originally enjoyed autonomy independent of the feudal autocratic system, but now their status has deteriorated and become endangered.As far as the general situation is concerned, most of them have to place themselves under the protection of a local emperor, assume the feudal obligations of his court, or guarantee support for all his activities according to an agreement of mutual cooperation and assistance; Temporary peace, but that must be at the expense of the independence that every Englishman cherishes, and inevitably at the risk of war disasters that may be brought to them by the ambitions of their protectors.On the other hand, the great aristocrats hold various powers of life and death, and it is not difficult for them to find excuses to persecute and torture any of their neighbors at will, and even drive them to the brink of destruction, as long as these people dare to get rid of their Power, trying to pin their safety on the protection of the law and law-abiding in that crisis-ridden era.

William, Duke of Normandy [Note: William I, originally the Duke of Normandy in France, conquered England in 1066 and established the Norman Dynasty, known as William the Conqueror. 】The consequences of the conquest of the feudal aristocracy greatly intensified the tyrannical rule of the feudal aristocracy and the suffering of the lower classes.Now four generations have passed, and it has not been enough to reconcile the hatred between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons, or to bring two hostile peoples into harmony, one of which is still fighting for victory, through a common language and common interests. Complacent, the other is still groaning under all the consequences of defeat.Battle of Hastings [Note: William fought a fierce battle with the Saxon King Harold II in the town of Hastings in October 1066, and Harold II died in battle.The Saxon dynasty was completely destroyed. ] has put the dominion entirely in the hands of the Norman nobles, a hand that, as our history books tell, was cruel and merciless.The entire Saxon nation, with few or no exceptions, was exterminated or disinherited, with few or no exceptions, of the princes and nobles; the few who still possessed land on their ancestral lands, even second and third class proprietors, were few in number.The government policy of the imperial court has long been to do everything possible to use legal or illegal means to weaken that part of the people who really harbors deep-rooted hatred of the victor.Every Norman king made no secret of his favoritism towards his Norman subjects; the hunting law [Note: Entering the forest in violation of the forest regulations to hunt is punishable by death. ] and many other laws, unknown to the milder spirit of liberty in the political tradition of the Saxon peoples, were now imposed upon the conquered Chain pressure.Norman French was the only common language at court, in the ostentation and grand aristocratic castles that outshone it; in court, pleadings and trials were conducted in this language.In short, French is the noble, chivalrous, and even just language, while the far more mature and expressive Anglo-Saxon is cast aside and used only by vulgar low-classes, who know only this. languages.But between the masters of the land and the oppressed inferiors who cultivated the land, there had to be means of communicating with each other, and this gradually developed a dialect, a mixture of French and Anglo-Saxon, by which they could understand each other ; It is precisely from this need that the English we use today slowly came into being, in which the languages ​​of the victors and the conquered were skillfully combined, and later it relied on the introduction of classical languages ​​and the languages ​​of southern European countries. Language has acquired a very rich expressive force.

These circumstances, which I think are necessary prerequisites for the general reader to understand this book, may have been forgotten, even though William II [Note: Son of William I, 1087 | 1100 reigned. After their reign, no major historical event of war or rebellion indicated the existence of the Anglo-Saxons as a separate people, yet the national differences between them and their conquerors were enormous; Reminiscence, dissatisfaction with the humiliating position in which they are now, until Edward III. ] still left the wounds of the Norman Conquest unhealed, and thus maintained a gulf between the descendants of the victorious Normans and the defeated Saxons.

We were in the forest mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, and now the setting sun was shining on a grassy clearing.Thousands of oaks, broad-topped, thick-bodied, and with far-reaching branches, stood about them, trees which might have seen the march of Roman armies. Army occupation. ], with their gnarled arms covering the thick, verdant greenery; in places they intersect with beech, holly, and undergrowth of every description, so close to each other that they cut off the flat rays of the setting sun. in other places, they give way to each other, opening up a long and narrow avenue among the intricate gaps, which makes people feel happy and dreamy at first glance, as if it is a path leading to more remote forest depths. .Here the reddish rays of the sun appeared intermittent, varying shades, and lingering on the rickety branches and moss-covered trunks;In the middle of the meadow there is a rather large open space which seems to have been formerly reserved for Druids [Note: Ancient Celtic wizards. ] The place where the sacrificial rituals were performed; for on the top of a neat, as if man-made hillock, there was a ring of uncarved, large and rough stones, but they were incomplete, only seven of which were still upright, and the rest Some of them left their original positions. This may be done by some people out of religious piety after they converted to Christianity. Now some of them are lying near their original positions, and some have rolled onto the hillside.Only one boulder fell below, and fell into a small stream flowing slowly around the foot of the mountain. Because of it, this quiet stream, which was not even audible in some places, gave out some faint murmurs. Voice.

The landscape is dotted with two figures, in their dress and appearance, inhabitants of the ancient West End of Yorkshire woods, with the rough and rustic temperament of that region.The older of them had a stern, rough, tough countenance.His clothes couldn't have been simpler, just a close-fitting, sleeved tunic of tanned animal hides that were originally woolly, but which had been buffed in many places so that the few remaining pieces had been It was hard to see what kind of beast this fur belonged to.This primitive dress extends from the throat to the knees, and solves all the usual requirements of the jacket at one stroke; there is only a small opening in the collar, so that the head can just pass through, so it can be seen that it is from the head and the neck. The shoulders are put into the body, somewhat like our undershirts today, or the chain mail in ancient times.The shoes had no uppers, but were fastened to the feet with a few boar-hide straps to protect the soles; the lower legs were bandaged in thin leather up to the calf, leaving the knees exposed, as in the Highlanders.To make the coat fit better around the body, he wore a wide leather belt around his waist, fastened with steel buckles; on one side of the belt was fastened a small bag, and on the other side fastened a goat's horn with a blowing horn. mouth.Also in the belt was a broad and long pointed double-edged knife with a ram's horn hilt, a type of knife forged in this neighbourhood, which even in that ancient period was called the Sheffield butcher's knife.The man didn't wear anything on his head, and he could only rely on his thick hair to protect the top of his head. The hair was messy and tangled. After long-term exposure to the sun, it had a rusty reddish-red color. formed a stark contrast.There is only one item in his costume that has not been mentioned, but it is too startling to ignore, and that is a brass ring around his neck. It is similar to a dog's collar, only without any opening, but around the His neck was welded tight, just big enough not to impede his breathing, yet impossible to remove from his head without breaking it off with a file.On this peculiar throat-guard were engraved words, in Saxon, to the following effect: Geths, son of Beowulf, born slave to Lord Cedric, Squire of Rotherwood.

Except for the swineherd, for that was Ge Si's identity, on a fallen Druid wizard's stone, sat another man who seemed to be ten years younger than the former, and whose clothes were of the same style as his companion's. The clothes are almost the same, but the texture is better, and the colors are more fancy and changeable.His coat was dyed a bright purple, and upon the purple were painted grotesque patterns with various paints.Over the tunic was a short cape, reaching almost halfway to the thigh; it was of red cloth, but much dirty, with a buff lining on the reverse; as he could drape it from one shoulder to the The other shoulder can cover the whole body at will, so although it is not long, it must be very wide; it looks like a strange curtain.On his arms were thin silver bracelets, and around his neck a collar of the same metal, with the inscription WANGBA, Son of Fools, Servant of Lord Cedric, Squire of Rotherwood.The man's shoes were the same as those of his companion, except that instead of thin leather the calf was wrapped in a sort of leggings, one of them was red and the other yellow.He also wore a hat, and around it hung little bells about the size of those on a falcon, which tinkled when he turned his head; , so the bell always rings non-stop.Around the brim of his hat was a stiff leather belt with a carved top, somewhat like a duke's diadem, and from the middle of the belt hung a long pouch, which fell over one shoulder, like a sort of old-fashioned nightcap, or juice-sack , or the headgear of modern light motorcycle soldiers [Note: Light motorcycle soldiers are known for their gorgeous costumes. 】.The bells hung on this side of the hat.The bells, the pattern of the hat, and his own silliness, were enough to show that he belonged to the family jester, or jester, that kind of buffoon who is kept in the houses of the rich, and when the masters are obliged to stay at home and be bored, A servant who gave them jokes and amusements to pass the time.At his girdle, like his companion, hung a small pouch, but neither a horn nor a knife, perhaps because it was dangerous to entrust sharp implements to such persons.In their place he hung a wooden sword, like a clown would hold on stage today. 【Note】

Perhaps no difference in the appearance of the two men was more marked than in their manner and manner.The serf or domestic servant looked melancholy or pessimistic; his face was always turned toward the ground, with a sullen dejection, and if it had not been for the spark that sometimes flashed from the red eyes, it would show that beneath the surface of despondency, If there is a lurking sense of oppression and a tendency to rebel, his demeanor may be read as a sign of indifference.On the contrary, Wang Ba's expression was the same as that of people like him, showing a kind of unconscious curiosity. He was always fidgeting, couldn't be quiet for a moment, and seemed to be complacent about his status and his attire.The conversation between them was in the Anglo-Saxon language which, as we have said, was spoken by all the lower classes, except the Norman soldiers and the valets of the great feudal nobles.But if they are recorded as they are, modern readers will find it difficult to understand, so we have to rely on translation and record these words below.

St. Vysolthe, let disaster befall these stupid pigs!The pig-herder said that he picked up the horn and blew for a while, trying to gather the scattered pigs together, but they were indifferent to his melodious and ups and downs. Command, give up the rich feast of beech and acorns that can fatten them, leave the overgrown stream, and some lie half comfortably in the mud, ignoring their caretakers at all.Let the damned things and I suffer!Ge Si said.I'm not a man if they don't get a few of them for two-legged wolves before dark!Hey, Fons, Fons!He straightened his throat and yelled at a mangy dog, which looked ferocious, somewhat like a wolf, a hunting dog that looked half like a police dog, half like a greyhound. It ran with a limp, as if it wanted to carry out its master's orders. , to drive the disobedient grunting pigs together, but in fact, because it misunderstood the master's signal, did not understand its own task, or took pleasure in other's misfortune, it drove them to pieces instead, making it seem like it wanted to The embarrassing situation of recovery has become even more out of hand.The dog-gnawing forest ranger [Note: The official who enforces the forest law], I hope the devil will pull out his teeth. Ge Si said again, he actually cut off our dogs' front paws, making them unable to perform their duties. duty!Wang Ba, get up, help me like a real man, go around the back of the mountain, and block their way; as long as you have the upper hand, they will have nothing to do but obey you obediently, like a flock of sheep , where you want them to go.

That's right, said Wang Ba, but sitting there didn't move, but I've consulted with my legs, and they agreed that running into those muddy places in my fine clothes would be bad for my lord and me. I and my splendid attire are a great disrespect; therefore, Ge Si, I advise you to call Fance away, and let those pigs go wherever they like, even if they fall into the hands of stragglers, forest robbers, or charlatans , that's what they are supposed to do, it's no different from being transformed into Normans in the morning, it will be less worrying and more comfortable for you. These pigs turned into Normans, and I'm still comfortable!Ge Si said, I don't understand what you mean, Jiang Ba, because my mind is too dull and my mood is so irritable, I can't figure out your charade. Why, what do you call these grunting, four-legged beasts?Wang Ba asked him. Swine (pig), fool, swine, said the pig-herder, every fool knows this. Handsome, the swine is very Saxon, said the jester, and what do you call it when it's disemboweled, gutted, dismembered, and hung upside down like a traitor? Pork (pork), replied the pig herder. That's right, that's what every fool knows, too, said Wangba. Pork is, I think, very Norman French; A Saxon name, but as soon as it was sent to the castle and served on the table of the lord, it became Norman and was called pork.Old friend Ge Si, you said that was the case, didn't you? Yes, it makes sense, Wang Ba, my friend, I didn't expect that you really have two brains like a fool. Don't worry, I haven't finished talking yet, Wang Ba continued in the same tone, when our bull master is under the care of slaves and servants like you, it uses a Saxon name, but once it is sent to the noble mouth, it will be used for the sake of the bull. When he chewed it, it became the fashionable Frenchie called beef.And so, too, our calf brother becomes sir veau, which is Saxon when it needs tending, but Norman when it's turned into a savory dish. My St. Dunstan, replied Ge, you have told the sad truth that all that is left to us now is the air we breathe, and would hate to have to give it to us, just to make us work for them. , had to be left to us.Delicious food is prepared for their tables, beautiful women are for their wives, and the best and brave armies are for foreign masters, and their bones are heaped on foreign battlefields. Willing and powerless to protect the unfortunate Saxons.May God bless our master Cedric, only he dares to stand up in the face of difficulties, without flinching; but the bull-faced general Reginald will come to this area in person, how much can Cedric not be afraid of danger? , will soon be known.Hey, hey, he cried again, raising his voice, that's it, that's it, well done, Fance!You've got them all at last, boy, be brave and lead them home. Ge Si, said the clown, I know you think I'm a fool, or else you wouldn't be so reckless, sticking your head in my mouth.Those rebellious words you speak against the Normans, once given to General Reginald or Philip P.Malvorshin hears, you pig companion is going to die, you'll be hanged from these trees, and you'll teach a lesson to anyone who tries to cause trouble and demagoguery. You running dog, you deliberately lied to me to say these illegal things, can you betray me?Ge Si said. betray you!The clown replied, no, this is a trick played by smart people, and fools don't have such great ability.But don't shout, watch out, who's coming?He said, listening to the sound of some horses' hoofs that had just appeared in the distance. Well, whoever he is, replied Ge, who had rounded up the herd and was about to drive, with the help of Fance, down one of those long dark forest paths we have described. No, I must see who these riders are, Wang Ba replied, they may have come from the fairyland, and brought King Oberon Here comes the story. 】What about the news? You lifeless thing!The pig-herder replied, the terrible storm is not far away, and there will be thunder and lightning soon, do you think it will be fun?Listen, the rumbling thunder is ringing!The summer rains are more dreadful than ever, pouring down from the clouds in torrential downpours; and though there is no wind now, the thick branches of the hazel trees rustle as if to herald a thunderstorm. coming.You are sensible, if you will; hear me this time, and may we be home before the storm begins, for it is dreadful in the night. Wang Ba seemed to admit the reasonableness of this advice, and saw that his companion had already taken the big iron-headed wooden stick at his feet, and followed him away.That Eumaeus [Note: The pig herder in the Odyssey. 】Second also quickly walked down the forest glade, and with the help of Fang Si, drove back the noisy herd of pigs.