hundreds of eagles were attached to this ship, and it rose with the swiftness of an arrow up towards the sun.

大地很快就被远远地抛在了下面，它的山峦和树林看上去就像一块耕地，犁铧在其间耕出了一道道垄沟，把绿色的草地分隔开来；很快它看上去就只像一张有着模糊线条的地图了；最后它完全消失在了云雾之中。

the earth was soon left far below, and looked, with its mountains and woods, like a cornfield where the plough had made furrows which separated green meadows; soon it looked only like a map with indistinct lines upon it; and at last it entirely disappeared in mist and clouds.

老鹰越飞越高，直入云霄；这时上帝派了他无数天使中的一位来对付这艘船。

higher and higher rose the eagles up into the air; then God sent one of his numberless angels against the ship.

邪恶的王子向他射出了成千上万颗子弹，但子弹从他闪亮的翅膀上弹了回来，像普通的冰雹一样落了下来。

the wicked prince showered thousands of bullets upon him, but they rebounded from his shining wings and fell down like ordinary hailstones.

天使翅膀上的白色羽毛渗出了一滴血，仅仅一滴，落在了王子所坐的船上，烧穿了船身，并且像数千英担重的东西一样压在船上，迅速把船又拖向了地面；老鹰强健的翅膀支撑不住了，风在王子头顶呼啸，周围的云 —— 它们是由被烧毁城市升起的浓烟形成的吗？

one drop of blood, one single drop, came out of the white feathers of the angel’s wings and fell upon the ship in which the prince sat, burnt into it, and weighed upon it like thousands of hundredweights, dragging it rapidly down to the earth again; the strong wings of the eagles gave way, the wind roared round the prince’s head, and the clouds around — were they formed by the smoke rising up from the burnt cities?

—— 呈现出奇异的形状，像许多许多英里长的螃蟹，它们伸出爪子朝他抓来，又像巨大的岩石一样耸立起来，从上面滚落下来的巨石变成了喷火的巨龙。

— took strange shapes, like crabs many, many miles long, which stretched their claws out after him, and rose up like enormous rocks, from which rolling masses dashed down, and became fire-spitting dragons.

当船最终伴随着可怕的撞击声，沉入树林里一棵大树的树枝间时，王子已经半死不活地躺在船上了。

the prince was lying half-dead in his ship, when it sank at last with a terrible shock into the branches of a large tree in the wood.

“我要征服上帝！” 王子说。

“I will conquer God!” said the prince.

“我已经发过誓了：我的意愿必须实现！”

“I have sworn it: my will must be done!”

于是他花了七年时间建造能在空中航行的奇妙船只，还打造了用最坚硬的钢铁制成的飞镖，用来打破天堂的墙壁。

And he spent seven years in the construction of wonderful ships to sail through the air, and had darts cast from the hardest steel to break the walls of heaven with.

他从各国召集武士，人数多得他们并排站在一起能占好几英里的地方。

he gathered warriors from all countries, so many that when they were placed side by side they covered the space of several miles.

他们登上了船，王子正要走向自己的船时，上帝派来了一群蚋 —— 就是一群小小的蚋。

they entered the ships and the prince was approaching his own, when God sent a swarm of gnats — one swarm of little gnats.

它们围着王子嗡嗡叫，叮咬他的脸和手；他愤怒地拔出剑挥舞着，但只是砍到了空气，根本没碰到蚋。

they buzzed round the prince and stung his face and hands; angrily he drew his sword and brandished it, but he only touched the air and did not hit the gnats.

然后他命令仆人拿来贵重的遮盖物，把他裹在里面，这样蚋就再也够不着他了。

then he ordered his servants to bring costly coverings and wrap him in them, that the gnats might no longer be able to reach him.

仆人们执行了他的命令，但有一只蚋自己钻进了其中一块遮盖物里，爬进王子的耳朵并叮了他一下。

the servants carried out his orders, but one single gnat had placed itself inside one of the coverings, crept into the prince’s ear and stung him.

那个地方像着了火一样灼痛，毒液进入了血液。

the place burnt like fire, and the poison entered into his blood.

疼得发狂的他扯掉了遮盖物，也脱掉了衣服，把它们远远地扔开，在他那些凶残的士兵眼前手舞足蹈起来，那些士兵现在都嘲笑他，这个想和上帝开战却被一只小小的蚋打败的疯狂王子。

mad with pain, he tore off the coverings and his clothes too, flinging them far away, and danced about before the eyes of his ferocious soldiers, who now mocked at him, the mad prince, who wished to make war with God, and was overe by a single little gnat.