It was the Dover road that lay, on a Friday night late in November, before the first of the persons with whom this history has business.
11月最后一个星期五的深夜，在历史故事中关系密切的人还没有出现时， —

The Dover road lay, as to him, beyond the Dover mail, as it lumbered up Shooter’s Hill. He walked uphill in the mire by the side of the mail, as the rest of the passengers did;
多佛路躺在前面。在多佛邮车缓慢爬上射手山时，他走在邮车旁边的泥泞小路上。其他乘客也是这样做的， —

not because they had the least relish for walking exercise, under the circumstances, but because the hill, and the harness, and the mud, and the mail, were all so heavy that the horses had three times already come to a stop, beside once drawing the coach across the road, with the mutinous intent of taking it back to Blackheath.
不是因为他们喜欢在这种情况下步行锻炼，而是因为山路、马具、泥泞和邮车都太重了，三次马匹已经停下来了，还有一次是故意把马匹拉车停在路中间，打算把邮车拉回布莱克希思。然而，缰绳、鞭子、马车夫和卫士的组合触动了那篇禁止其他情况下坚决主张的“一篇兵法”， —

Reins and whip and coachman and guard, however, in combination, had read that article of war which forbad a purpose otherwise strongly in favour of the argument, that some brute animals are endued with Reason;
即一些畜生具有理性的论据，队伍只好罢黜投降，回到了履行职责的岗位上。下垂的脑袋和颤抖的尾巴，他们一路挤过浓厚的泥泞，时而浑身摇晃、踉跄，仿佛关节处正在脱落。驾驶员每次休息马匹，让它们停下来， —

and the team had capitulated and returned to their duty.
小心翼翼地喊：“哦，嗬！然后是嗬一声！”

With drooping heads and tremulous tails, they mashed their way through the thick mud, floundering and stumbling he between whiles, as if they were falling to pieces at the large joints.
然后马又开始前进了。当他们再次停下来时，驾驶员会小心地用一根缰绳把它们停下来， —

As often as the driver rested them and brought them to a stand, with a wary ‘Wo-ho! so-ho then!
大声喊：“好了！停！好了！停！” —

’ the near leader violently shook his head and everything upon it–like an unusually emphatic horse, denying that the coach could be got up the hill.
那个近的领导激动地摇了摇头，头上的一切都像一匹异常强烈的马一样晃动，否认马车可以开上山。 —

Whenever the leader made this rattle, the passenger started, as a nervous passenger might, and was disturbed in mind.
每当领导发出这种声音时，乘客都会像个神经兮兮的乘客那样惊慌失措，心神不宁。

There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it hat roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none.
每一个低洼处都有一层蒸气薄雾，它无助地在山上游荡，像个邪恶的灵魂，寻求安息却找不到。 —

A clammy and intensely cold mist, made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do.
一股湿漉漉而且极冷的雾气，如同不健康的海浪一样，缓慢地在空气中蔓延，一波接一波。它足够浓密， —

It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings and a few yards of road;
能够将马车灯的光线完全遮挡，除了揭示出它自己的存在，以及几码的道路， —

and the reek of the labouring horse steamed into it, as if they had made it all.
还有马的沉重气息，仿佛是马造成的。

Two other passengers, besides the one, were plodding up the hill by the side of the mail.
除了一个乘客以外，还有两个人在马车旁边艰难地爬上山。三个人都裹得严实， —

All three were wrapped to the cheek-bones and over the ears, and wore jack-boots.
脸颊和耳朵都被遮住，还穿着高筒靴。 —

Not one of the three could have said, from anything he saw, what either of the other two was like;
从任何一个人看到的东西来说，三个人中的任意一个都无法描述出其他两个人长什么样子。 —

and each was hidden under almost as many wrappers from the eyes of the mind, as from the eyes of the body, of his two companions.
每个人都用几乎和身体一样多的披风把自己藏在同伴眼中和脑海中的视线之外。在那个年代， —

In those days, travellers were very shy of being confidential on short notice, for anybody on the road might be a robber or in league with robbers.
旅行者们在短时间内都不愿意透露私密信息，因为路上的任何人都可能是强盗或者与强盗串通的。 —

As to the latter, when every posting-house and ale-house could produce somebody in ‘the Captain’s’ pay, ranging from the landlord to the lowest stable nondescript, it was the likeliest thing upon the cards.
就后者而言，当每个驿站和酒馆都能找出“船长”的手下，从店主到最低级的马房工人都为此付出努力，那是可能的事情。 —

So the guard of the Dover mail thought to himself, that Friday night in November, one thousand seven hundred andseventy-five, lumbering up Shooter’s Hill, as he stood on his own particular perch behind the mail, beating his feet, and keeping an eye and a hand on the arm-chest before him, where a loaded blunderbuss lay at the top of six or eight loaded horse-pistols, deposited on a substratum of cutlass.
摩天邮件车的车夫在11月的那个星期五晚上，一千七百七十五年，咕噜咕噜地爬上了射手山，他站在自己特别的位置上，脚踏着地面，眼睛和手放在他面前的武器箱上，箱子顶上放着一只装满弹药的火铳，下面摆放着六到八支带有子弹的马枪，而刀剑则铺在它们下面。他心想着，那个11月的星期五晚上，千七百七十五年，当时他站在邮件车的后面，脚踏着地面，一只眼睛和一只手放在面前的武器箱上，箱子顶上放着一支装满弹药的火铳，下面面摆放着六到八支装满子弹的马枪，而刀剑则铺在它们下面。

The Dover mail was in its usual genial position that the guard suspected the passengers, the passengers suspected one another and the guard, they all suspected everybody else, and the coachman was sure of nothing but the horses;
多佛邮车站在它通常友好的位置，卫兵怀疑乘客，乘客互相怀疑，卫兵怀疑大家。而车夫除了对马匹有确定的把握以外， —

as to which cattle he could with a clear conscience have taken his oath on the two Testaments that they were not fit for the journey.
对其他事情一无所知；至于他诚实的行为产生的果断否定，他可以发誓说那两个马匹不适合这次旅行。

‘Wo-ho!’ said the coachman. ‘So, then One more pull and you’re at the top and be damned to you, for I have had trouble enough to get you to it–Joe!’
“嗨！”马车夫说。“那么，还有一扯绳就到山顶了，该死的，我够费劲地扯你们了，乔！”

‘Halloa’ the guard replied.
“喂！”护卫回答。

‘What o’clock do you make it, Joe?’
“你看几点钟，乔？”

‘Ten minutes, good, past eleven.’
“十分好，十一点过十分。”

‘My blood’ ejaculated the vexed coachman, ‘and not atop of Shooter’s yet!
“我的天啊！”激动的车夫说，“还没有到射手山顶！够了！ —

Tst! Yah! Get on with you!’
嗯！快一点！”

The emphatic horse, cut short by the whip in a most decided negative, made a decided scramble for it, and the three other horses followed suit. Once more, the Dover mail struggled on, with the jack-boots of its passengers squashing along by its side.
一匹强调性格的马，被马鞭狠狠地刺激后，决然拼命地往前冲，而另外三匹马也纷纷效仿。多佛邮车再一次艰难地前进，其乘客的长统靴沿路踩着声响。 —

They had stopped when the coach stopped, and they kept close company with it.
他们在邮车停下时也停了下来，他们与邮车紧密地并列行走。 —

If any one of the three had had the hardihood to propose to another to walk on a little ahead into the mist and darkness, he would have put himself in a fair way of getting shot instantly as a highwayman.
如果其中任何一个人胆敢建议另外一个人走在前面，走入雾气和黑暗中，他会自寻死路成为抢劫的走私者。

The last burst carried the mail to the summit of the hill.
最后一次冲刺将邮车推到了山顶。 —

The horses stopped to breathe again, and the guard got down to skid the wheel for the descent, and open the coach-door to let the passengers in.
马停下来喘息，守卫下来为下坡打滑车轮，并打开车门让乘客上车。

‘Tst Joe!’ cried the coachman in a warning voice, looking down from his box.
‘嘘！乔！’车夫警告地大声叫道，从马车上往下看。

What do you say, Tom?’
“你说什么，汤姆?”

They both listened.
他们都听着。

‘I say a horse at a canter coming up, Joe.’
‘我说，一匹马在一个小跑的速度上来了，乔。’

‘I say a horse at a gallop, Tom,’ returned the guard, leaving his hold of the door, and mounting nimbly to his place.
‘我说，一匹马在飞奔，汤姆，’守卫回答道，松开车门的手，敏捷地爬上他的位置。 —

‘Gentlemen! In the king’s name, all of you!’
‘先生们！代表国王，你们都站住！’

With this hurried adjuration, he cocked his blunderbuss, and stood on the offensive.
他匆忙地警告道，扣动了他手中的火铳，摆出攻击的姿势。

The passenger booked by this history, was on the coach-step:
这个故事的乘客正在上邮车的车台； —

getting in; the two other passengers were close behind him, and about to follow. He remained on the step, half in the coach and half out of it;
另外两个乘客就在他的后面，准备跟随。他站在台阶上，一半在车厢内，一半在车外； —

they remained in the road below him.
而他们则停留在他下面的路上。 —

They all looked from the coachman to the guard, and from the guard to the coachman, and listened.
他们都望着车夫，再看看卫兵，然后听着。车夫看向后方， —

The coachman looked back and the guard looked back, and even the emphatic leader pricked up his ears and looked back, without contradicting.
卫兵也看向后方，甚至那匹强调性格的马也竖起耳朵回望着，但并没有反驳。 —

The stillness consequent on the cessation of the rumbling and labouring of the coach, added to the stillness of he night made it very quiet indeed.
邮车停止辗破和劳作后，所带来的寂静，再加上夜晚的寂静，使它变得异常安静。 —

The panting of the horses communicated a tremulous motion to the coach, as if it were in a state o] agitation.
马匹喘气将福车带动起颤动，好像它处于一种不安的状态。 —

The hearts of the passengers beat loud enough perhaps to be heard;
乘客们的心跳声或许足够响亮，以至于可以听到； —

but at any rate, the quiet pause was audibly expressive of people out of breath, and holding the breath, an’ having the pulses quickened by expectation.
但无论如何，这片宁静的暂停显然表达了人们因期待而气喘吁吁、屏息凝神的感觉。

The sound of a horse at a gallop came fast and furiously up the hill.
马飞快地奔上了山坡，发出急促的声音。

‘So-ho!’ the guard sang out, as loud as he could roar.
‘嘿！’守卫尽可能地大声喊叫着，‘停！ —

‘Yo there! Stand! I shall fire!’
否则我就开枪！’

The pace was suddenly checked, and, with much splashing and floundering, a man’s voice called from the mist, ‘Is that the Dover mail’
速度突然减缓，然后在一片飞溅和挣扎中，一个人的声音从雾中传来，’ 那是多佛邮车吗？’

‘Never you mind what it is?’ the guard retorted. ‘Wham are you’
‘你管那是什么？’ 守卫反驳道，‘你是谁？’

‘Is that the Dover mail’
‘那是多佛邮车吗？’

‘Why do you want to know’
‘你为什么想知道？’

‘I want a passenger, if it is.’
‘如果是的话，我想要一个乘客。’

‘What passenger’,
‘什么乘客？’

‘Mr. Jarvis Lorry.’
‘杰维斯·洛瑞先生。’

Our booked passenger showed in a moment that it was his name. The guard, the coachman, and the two other passengers eyed him distrustfully.
我们这次的乘客立刻表现出那是他的名字。车夫、车夫和其他两个乘客都不信任地盯着他。

‘Keep where you are,’ the guard called to the voice in the mist, ‘because, if I should make a mistake, it could never be set right in your lifetime.
“站在你原地不要动。”守卫对迷雾中的声音喊道，“因为如果我犯了个错误，在你有生之年都无法弥补。 —

Gentleman of the name of Lorry answer straight.’
名叫洛里的绅士，请迅速回答。”

‘What is the matter’ asked the passenger, then, with mildly quavering speech.
“怎么了，”乘客问道，声音微微颤抖，“谁找我？ —

‘Who wants me? Is it Jerry’
是杰瑞吗？”

(‘I don’t like Jerry’s voice, if it is Jerry,’ growled the guard to himself.
（“如果是杰瑞的话，我可不喜欢他的声音，”守卫咕哝着， —

‘He’s hoarser than suits me, is Jerry.‘)
“他比我愿意的更沙哑。”）

‘Yes, Mr. Lorry.’
“是的，洛里先生。”

‘What is the matter’
“怎么了？”

‘A despatch sent after you from over yonder. T. and Co.’
“从那边寄给您的一封急件，T.公司。”

‘I know this messenger, guard,’ said Mr. Lorry, getting down into the road–assisted from behind more swiftly than politely by the other two passengers, who immediately scrambled into he coach, shut the door, and pulled, up the window.
“我认识这位信使，守卫，”洛里先生说着走下了马车——被其他两位乘客从后面推得比礼貌要迅速——他们立刻乘上马车，关上车门，拉上车窗。“他可以靠近些； —

‘He may come close; there’s nothing wrong.’
没有什么问题。”

‘I hope there ain’t, but I can’t make so ‘Nation sure of that,’ said the guard, in gruff soliloquy.
“我希望如此，但我不能对此完全放心，”守卫以粗鲁的口气自言自语道，“喂， —

‘Hallo you!’
你！”

‘Well! And hallo you!’ said Jerry, more hoarsely than before.
“嗨！还有你！”杰瑞嘶哑地说道。

‘Come on at a footpace! d’ye mind me?
“慢慢来！听明白了吗？ —

And if you’ve got holsters to that saddle o’ yourn, don’t let me see your hand go nigh ‘em.
如果你有马鞍上的手枪套，别让我看见你碰它们。因为我在犯错误上是个魔鬼， —

For I’m a devil at a quick mistake, and when I make one it takes the form of Lead. So now let’s look at you.’
而当我犯错时会采取来自导火索的形式。所以现在让我看看你。”

The figures of a horse and rider came slowly through the eddying mist, and came to the side of the mail, where the passenger stood.
一个骑马的人和骑手缓缓从旋转的雾中走来，来到邮车的一侧，乘客就站在那里。 —

The rider stooped, and, casting up his eyes at the guard, handed the passenger a small folded paper.
骑手弯下腰，向警卫抬起眼睛，递给乘客一张小折叠纸。 —

The rider’s horse was blown, and both horse and rider were covered with mud, from the hoofs of the horse to the hat of the man.
骑手的马喘着粗气，马和骑手都被泥巴覆盖，从马蹄到男子的帽子都是。

‘Guard!’ said the passenger, in a tone of quiet business confidence.
“守卫！”乘客以一种平静的商业信心的口吻说道。

The watchful guard, with his right hand at the stock of his raised blunderbuss, his left at the barrel, and his eye On the horseman, answered curtly, ‘Sir.’
警惕的守卫，右手握着举起来的旧式火铳枪托，左手握着枪管，眼睛盯着骑士，简洁地回答道，“先生。”

‘There is nothing to apprehend.
“没有什么可担心的。 —

I belong to Tellson’s Bank. You must know Tellson’s Bank in London.
我属于泰尔森银行。你一定听说过伦敦的泰尔森银行。 —

I am going to Paris on business.
我去巴黎办事。请喝杯酒。 —

A crown to drink. I may read this’
我可以读一下吗？”

‘If so be as you’re quick, sir.’
“如果您快一点，先生。”

He opened it in the light of the coach-lamp on that side, and read–first to himself and then aloud:
在车灯的光线下，他把纸打开，先是自己读了一遍，然后大声朗读： —

‘”Wait at Door for Mam’selle.” It’s not long, you see, guard. Jerry, say that my answer was, RECALLED TO LIFE.’
“‘在门口等候小姐。’你看，不长，守卫。杰瑞，告诉他我的回答是，复活。”

Jerry started in his saddle.
杰瑞在马鞍上一惊。 —

‘That‘s a Blazing strange answer, too,’ said he, at his hoarsest.
“那真是个令人惊异的奇怪回答，”他沙哑地说道。

‘Take that message back, and they will know that I received this, as well as if I wrote. Make the best of your way.
“把这个消息还给他们，他们将知道我收到了这个消息，就像我亲自写的一样。尽快走吧。 —

Good night.’
晚安。”

With those words the passenger opened tile coach-door and got in;
乘客打开马车门，上了车；其他乘客并没有帮忙， —

not at all assisted by his fellow-passengers, who had expeditiously secreted their watches and purses in their boots, and were now making a general pretence of being asleep.
他们迅速地把手表和钱包藏在靴子里，现在假装大家都在睡觉，目的无外乎是避免引发任何其他形式的行动。马车又开始行驶了，雾气更浓了，封闭在车里。 —

With no more definite purpose than to escape the hazard of originating any other kind of action.
警卫把他的火铳放回架子上，检查了其他东西，还检查了自己腰带上挂着的备用手枪。

The coach lumbered on again, with heavier wreaths of mist closing round it as it began the descent.
他又检查了一下他座位下面的一个小柜子， —

The guard soon replaced his blunderbuss in his arm-chest, and, having looked to the rest of its contents, and having looked to the supplementary pistolsthat he wore in his belt, looked to a smaller chest beneath his seat, in which there were a few smith’s tools, a couple of torches, and a tinder-box.
里面有几个铁匠工具，两杆火炬和一个火石盒。他的装备十分齐全，如果车灯被吹灭了，这种情况偶尔发生，他只需要关好车门，在柴草离火花远一点的地方打火，如果运气好的话，大概五分钟内就能点亮灯火。 —

For he was furnished with that completeness that if the coach-lamps had been blown and stormed out, whichdid occasionally happen, he had only to shut himself up inside, keep the flint and steel sparks well off the straw, and get a light with tolerable safety and ease (if he were lucky) in five minutes.
“这也太巧了，”警卫哀叹道，”我自己也有同样的感觉。”杰瑞独自一人呆在雾和黑暗中，与此同时下了马，不仅是为了给筋疲力尽的马歇歇脚，还为了擦掉脸上的泥巴，摇晃帽檐上的湿气，这个帽子似乎可以装约半加仑的水。他一直把缰绳挂在被浓浊泥水覆盖的胳膊上，直到邮车的轮子声不再听见，夜晚再度变得寂静后，他转身走下山坡。

‘Tom!’ softly over the coach-roof.
在马车的车顶上，汤姆轻声说道：“汤姆！你好。”

‘Hallo, Joe.’
“哈喽，乔。”

‘Did you hear the message’
“你听到那个消息了吗？”

‘I did, Joe.’
“听到了，乔。”

‘What did you make of it, Tom’
“你对此有何看法，汤姆？”

‘Nothing at all, Joe.’
“一点都没有，乔。”

‘That’s a coincidence, too,’ the guard mused, ‘for I made the same of it myself Jerry, left alone in the mist and darkness, dismounted meanwhile, not only to ease his spent horse, but to wipe the mud from his face, and shake the wet out of his hat-brim, which might be capable of holding about half a gallon.
“这也太巧了，”警卫自言自语道，” 我也是这么想的。” 杰瑞独自一人呆在雾中和黑暗中，与此同时下了马，不仅是为了给筋疲力尽的马喘口气，还为了擦掉脸上的泥巴，摇晃帽檐上的湿气，这个帽子似乎足够装半加仑的水。 —

After standing with the bridle over his heavily-splashed arm, until the wheels of the mail were no longer within hearing and the night was quite still again, he turned to walk down the hill.
他一直把缰绳挂在溅满污泥的胳膊上，直到邮车的车轮声不再听见，夜晚再度变得静谧，他转身走下山坡。

‘After that there gallop from Temple Bar, old lady, I won’t trust your fore-legs till I get you on the level,’ said this hoarse messenger, glancing at his mare. ‘”Recalled to life.” That’s a Blazing strange message.
‘从那之后，老太太，当我将你带到平地时，我不会再相信你的前腿了，’这个嘶哑的使者说道，他瞥了一眼自己的母马。“‘被召回到生活中。’”‘这是一个奇怪的信息。 —

Much of that wouldn’t do for you Jerry! I say, Jerry!
大部分对你来说都不合适，杰瑞！我说，杰瑞！ —

You’d be in a Blazing bad way, if recalling to life was to come into fashion, Jerry!’
如果”被召回到生活中”成为潮流，那你会处境非常糟糕，杰瑞！’