paragraph 01
At the end of the Third Age the part played by the Hobbits in the great events that led to the inclusion of the Shire in the Reunited Kingdom awakened among them a more widespread interest in their own history; and many of their traditions, up to that time still mainly oral, were collected
and Written down. The greater families were also concerned with events in the Kingdom at large, and many of their members studied its ancient histories and legends. By the end of the first century of the Fourth Age there were already to be found in the Shire several libraries that contained many historical books and records.
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在第三纪元末期霍比特人在大事件中扮演的重要角色，直接导致了夏尔被并入联合王国的版图之中。而这样的角色使得夏尔的历史在这些人之中引起了广泛的兴趣，许多到那个时期为止还停留在口头的传统被收集并记录下来。一些大家族还对王国的事件有着浓厚的兴趣，许多家族成员会去研究这些古老的历史和传说。第四纪元第一世纪的末期，夏尔已经可以找到很多藏有许多历史和记录的图书馆。
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paragraph 02
The largest of these collections were probably at Undertowers, at Great Smials, and at Brandy Hall. This account of the end of the Third Age is drawn mainly from the Red Book of Westmarch. That most important source for the history of the War of the Ring was so called because it was long preserved at Undertowers, the home of the Fairbairns, Wardens of the Westmarch.1 It was in origin Bilbo's private diary, which he took with him to Rivendell. Frodo brought it back to the Shire, together with many loose leaves of notes, and during S.R. 1420-1 he nearly filled its pages with his account of the War. But annexed to it and preserved with it, probably m a single red case, were the three large volumes, bound in red leather, that Bilbo gave to him as a parting gift. To these four volumes there was added in Westmarch a fifth containing commentaries, genealogies, and various other matter concerning the hobbit members of the Fellowship.
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这些藏书的一大部分在底塔之中，这是在烈酒厅的一个长隧道。这些关于第三纪元末期的记录主要来自于西境红皮书。最重要的部分是关于所谓魔戒战争的历史，这些历史被保存在底塔之中，法尔贝恩的在西境灌木的家中。这些历史首先是在比尔博的私人日记中，他把日记带到了瑞文戴尔。在夏尔历1420年到1421年，佛罗多连同许多松散的笔记一起带回了夏尔，他的笔记中绝大部分是这场战争。和这个笔记一起的，还有三片额外的被红皮装裱的卷，这是比尔博给佛罗多的礼物。这四卷本在西境被加入了注释、宗谱还有一些关于护戒远征队中霍比特成员的其他事。
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paragraph 03
The original Red Book has not been preserved, but many copies were made, especially of the first volume, for the use of the descendants of the children of Master Samwise. The most important copy, however, has a different history. It was kept at Great Smials, but it was written in Condor, probably at the request of the great-grandson of Peregrin, and completed in S.R. 1592 (F.A. 172). Its southern scribe appended this note: Findegil, King's Writer, finished this work in IV 172. It is an exact copy in all details of the Thain's Book m Minas Tirith. That book was a copy, made at the request of King Elessar, of the Red Book of the Periannath, and was brought to him by the Thain Peregrin when he retired to Gondor in IV 64.
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红皮书的原本已经没有保存了，但是人们制作了很多副本。特别是第四卷的副本，这些副本是为了山姆卫斯的后代之用。最重要的副本有着不同的历史。这个副本在大隧道中保存着，是卡多写的这份副本。他在佩尔格林的请求下于夏尔历1592年（第四纪元172年）写成。这本书中关于南方的描述是芬德吉尔，国王书记官在第四纪元172年写就的。这个副本中的细节和在米纳斯·特勒斯的领主之书一模一样。这本书是在埃利萨王的要求下写作的副本，佩瑞安娜斯的红皮书。在第四纪元64年，培瑞安娜领主退休并前往刚铎之后，这本书被他带在身边。
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paragraph 04
The Thain's Book was thus the first copy made of the Red Book and contained much that was later omitted or lost. In Minas Tirith it received much annotation, and many corrections, especially of names, words, and quotations in the Elvish languages; and there was added to it an abbreviated version of those parts of The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen which lie outside the account of the War. The full tale is stated to have been written by Barahir, grandson of the Steward Faramir, some time after the passing of the King. But the chief importance of Findegil's copy is that it alone contains the whole of Bilbo's 'Translations from the Elvish'. These three volumes were found to be a work of great skill and learning in which, between 1403 and 1418, he had used all the sources available to him in Rivendell, both living and written. But since they were little used by Frodo, being almost entirely concerned with the Elder Days, no more is said of them here.
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因此领主之书是红皮书的第一本副本，包括了许多之后略去或丢失的部分。在米纳斯·特雷斯，它获得了许多评注和修改，特别是那些名字、单词还有那些精灵语的引用。而且也加入了一些简短的章节，关于亚拉贡和亚玟的故事，这些故事在战争之后很久了。完整的故事是巴拉海在国王过时后不久写就的，他是摄政王法拉墨的曾孙。但是芬德吉尔副本最重要的是只有他刊载了比尔博“精灵语翻译"的全文。这三卷本被看做是伟大的技巧和研究。在1403年到1418年，比尔博利用了在瑞文戴尔中能找到的所有资源，不仅是活着的还是写下来的。但是因为佛罗多已经很少用这个了，而且几乎全部是关于远古时期的事，所以这里便不再提到这个了。
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paragraph 05
Since Meriadoc and Peregrin became the heads of their great families, and at the same time kept up their connexions with Rohan and Gondor, the libraries at Bucklebury and Tuckborough contained much that did not appear in the Red Book. In Brandy Hall there were many works dealing with Eriador and the history of Rohan. Some of these were composed or begun by Meriadoc himself, though in the Shire he was chiefly remembered for his Herblore of the Shire, and for his Reckoning of Years m which he discussed the relation of the calendars of the Shire and Bree to those of Rivendell, Gondor, and Rohan. He also wrote a short treatise on Old Words and Names in the Shire, having special interest in discovering the kinship with the language of the Rohirrim of such 'shire-words' as mathom and old elements in place names.
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因为梅里雅达克和佩利亚斯是他们大家族的族长，同时也保持着与刚铎和洛汗的联系，在巴克尔伯利和图克镇所藏的记载很少出现在红皮书之中。在烈酒厅，这里有许多处理伊利亚德和洛汗历史的工作。这些之中的很多是由梅里雅达克自己开始的，即使在夏尔他的《夏尔烟草录》更常被人提起。同时被人提起的还有他对夏尔与布里以及瑞文戴尔、刚铎和洛汗的纪年对照表。他也写了一些关于旧世界和夏尔人名的论文，同时他对发现洛汗语还有夏尔词的关系保有浓厚的兴趣。就像马松，或者一些特殊的地名。
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paragraph 06
At Great Smials the books were of less interest to Shire-folk, though more important for larger history. None of them was written by Peregrin, but he and his successors collected many manuscripts written by scribes of Gondor: mainly copies or summaries of histories or legends relating to Elendil and his heirs. Only here in the Shire were to be found extensive materials for the history of N®menor and the arising of Sauron. It was probably at Great Smials that The Tale of Years1 was put together, with the assistance of material collected by Meriadoc. Though the dates given are often conjectural, especially for the Second Age, they deserve attention. It is probable that Meriadoc obtained assistance and information from Rivendell, which he visited more than once. There, though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel; but there is no record of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.
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大隧道中的书并没有引起夏尔人的兴趣，即使这些在更大的历史中非常重要。佩里格林没有参与这些书的写作，但是他成功的从刚铎的记载中收集了许多手稿： 很多是关于伊兰迪尔还有他后代的历史的副本和总结。在夏尔，只有这部分记载了努曼诺儿还有索伦崛起的额外史料。《古书纪》可能是在大隧道被汇集起来的，在梅里雅达克的资料的帮助下。但是尤其是第二纪元一些值得注意的事情中，日期是被推测出来的。这可能是梅伊亚达克从瑞文戴尔的记载中推测的日子，他去了瑞文戴尔很多次。即使埃隆已经离开了，他的子孙和一些高等精灵依然留在了这里。据说赛兰伯恩在凯兰崔尔离开后来到了这里，但是关于他何时前往灰港岸斌并没有确切的记录。在中土，他是最后一个保有远古时期记忆的人。
