段十：刺蝟重建、蒼鷺與狐狸寓言

梅林的預言

呢段預言係全書最出名嘅動物寓言之一：溫徹斯特廢墟由「載滿蘋果嘅刺蝟」重建，之後一隻蒼鷺引來群鳥啄盡穀物，最後一巢三蛋孵出狐狸、狼同熊嘅離奇故事。以下為公有領域英譯（Sebastian Evans 1904 譯）原文節錄。

原文（公有領域英譯）

'…Woe unto the perjured race, for by reason of them shall the renowned city fall into ruin.' The ships shall be glad at the greatness of increase, and out of two shall one be made. The Hedgehog that is loaden with apples shall rebuild her, and unto the smell of the apples the fowls of many forests shall fly together. He shall add thereunto a mighty palace, and wall it around with six hundred towers. London shall behold it with envy and trebly increase her walls. The Thames river shall compass her round on every side, and the report of that work shall pass beyond the Alps. … In that day shall stones speak, and the sea whereby men sail into Gaul shall be narrowed into a straiter channel. … Thereafter shall a Heron issue forth of the forest Calaterium, and shall fly around the island for a space of two years. By her cries at night shall she call the fowls of the air together and all winged things shall she assemble in her company. They shall fall upon the tillage of mortal men and every grain of the harvests shall they devour. A famine shall follow the people, and a baleful mortality the famine. And when this sore calamity hath come to an end, then shall the accursed fowl go unto the Valley Galabes, and uplift it so that it shall be a high mountain. Upon the top thereof, moreover, shall she plant an oak and build her nest in the branches thereof. Three eggs shall be laid in the nest, wherefrom shall issue forth a fox, a wolf and a bear.'

白話解說

呢段講咩？ 開頭先講一座名城（溫徹斯特）因為「發假誓嘅種族」而毀於一旦，然後「載滿蘋果嘅刺蝟」出手重建，起咗一座六百座塔嘅宏偉宮殿，令倫敦都妒忌到要三倍加高城牆。呢隻「刺蝟」學者多比附為某位有遠見嘅君主或建築者，佢令城市復興並名震歐洲（阿爾卑斯山以外都聽聞）。

「石頭會說話、海峽收窄」： 原文話嗰日石頭會講嘢、通往高盧嘅海峽會收窄到兩岸可以互相聽到——呢啲係「天翻地覆」嘅反常意象，表達時代劇變。

蒼鷺寓言： 跟住一隻蒼鷺由「卡拉泰里姆森林」飛出，盤旋全島兩年，夜晚叫齊空中所有鳥，一齊啄盡人間穀物，令饑荒同瘟疫接住嚟。之後蒼鷺去「加拉貝斯谷」，將谷升高成山，喺山頂橡樹築巢，生咗三隻蛋——孵出狐狸、狼同熊。呢段係「農田被毀→饑荒」嘅寓言，蒼鷺代表一個掠奪者／災難。

狐狸、狼、熊： 下文（段十一）會講呢三隻獸點樣互相殘殺、爾虞我詐。呢個係全書最複雜嘅動物寓言，學者多解作三個政治勢力（或三兄弟／三王朝）之間嘅權鬥。狐狸代表狡猾、狼代表掠奪、熊代表暴力，象徵當時嘅權力角力。

客觀睇： 呢段屬純文學寓言，用動物界嘅行為講政治與災難，冇直接點名任何國王。具體比附眾說紛紜，讀者宜視為中世紀政治寓言嘅代表作。