When he was dressed, Stepan Arkadyevitch sprinkled some scent on himself, pulled down his shirt-cuffs, distributed into his pockets his cigarettes, pocketbook, matches, and watch with its double chain and seals, and shaking out his handkerchief, feeling himself clean, fragrant, healthy, and physically at ease, in spite of his unhappiness, he walked with a slight swing on each leg into the dining-room, where coffee was already waiting for him, and beside the coffee, letters and papers from the office.
当他穿好衣服后，斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇撒上一些香水，拉起衬衫袖口，把香烟、钱包、火柴和镶着双链和印章的手表分别放入口袋里，晃动手帕，感觉自己整洁、芳香、健康，并且身体舒适，尽管他不快乐。他轻快地摇晃着腿进入餐厅，那里已经有咖啡在等他，咖啡旁边摆着办公室的信件和文件。

He read the letters. One was very unpleasant, from a merchant who was buying a forest on his wife’s property. —
他读了那些信。其中一封非常不愉快，来自一个正在购买他妻子财产上的森林的商人。 —

To sell this forest was absolutely essential; —
出售这片森林是绝对必要的； —

but at present, until he was reconciled with his wife, the subject could not be discussed. —
但是，目前，在他与妻子和解之前，这个问题不能讨论。 —

The most unpleasant thing of all was that his pecuniary interests should in this way enter into the question of his reconciliation with his wife. —
最令人不快的是，在与妻子和解的问题上，他的财务利益要以这种方式牵扯其中。 —

And the idea that he might be let on by his interests, that he might seek a reconciliation with his wife on account of the sale of the forest–that idea hurt him.
他的兴趣可能让他继续追求，他可能因为森林的出售而寻求与妻子的和解的想法使他感到痛苦。

When he had finished his letters, Stepan Arkadyevitch moved the office-papers close to him, rapidly looked through two pieces of business, made a few notes with a big pencil, and pushing away the papers, turned to his coffee. —
当他写完信后，斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇把办公文件移到身边，迅速浏览了两份业务文件，用一支大铅笔做了几个笔记，然后把文件推开，转向咖啡。 —

As he sipped his coffee, he opened a still damp morning paper, and began reading it.
他边喝着咖啡，边打开一份仍然潮湿的早报开始阅读。

Stepan Arkadyevitch took in and read a liberal paper, not an extreme one, but one advocating the views held by the majority. —
斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇读的是一家自由派报纸，不是极端派的，而是主张多数人持有的观点的报纸。 —

And in spite of the fact that science, art, and politics had no special interest for him, he firmly held those views on all these subjects which were held by the majority and by his paper, and he only changed them when the majority changed them–or, more strictly speaking, he did not change them, but they imperceptibly changed of themselves within him.
尽管科学、艺术和政治对他来说没有特别的兴趣，但他坚定地持有多数人和他所看的报纸在这些问题上的观点，只有当多数人改变这些观点时，他才会改变（或者更准确地说，这些观点不是他主动改变的，而是在他内心悄然发生了变化）。

Stepan Arkadyevitch had not chosen his political opinions or his views; —
史蒂潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇没有选择他的政治观点或观点; —

these political opinions and views had come to him of themselves, just as he did not choose the shapes of his hat and coat, but simply took those that were being worn. —
这些政治观点和观点自己来到了他，就像他没有选择他的帽子和外套的形状一样，而只是选择了那些正在穿的。 —

And for him, living in a certain society–owing to the need, ordinarily developed at years of discretion, for some degree of mental activity–to have views was just as indispensable as to have a hat. —
对于他来说，生活在某个社会，由于在到达理智的岁月里，对一定程度的思维活动的需求而言，拥有观点和拥有帽子一样是必不可少的。 —

If there was a reason for his preferring liberal to conservative views, which were held also by many of his circle, it arose not from his considering liberalism more rational, but from its being in closer accordance with his manner of life. —
如果他更喜欢自由主义观点，而不是保守派观点（这些观点也被他的圈子中的许多人所持有），那是因为自由主义更符合他的生活方式。 —

The liberal party said that in Russia everything is wrong, and certainly Stepan Arkadyevitch had many debts and was decidedly short of money. —
自由主义派说，在俄罗斯一切都错了，而史蒂潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇肯定有很多债务并且明显缺钱。 —

The liberal party said that marriage is an institution quite out of date, and that it needs reconstruction; —
自由主义派说，婚姻是一个非常过时的制度，需要重建； —

and family life certainly afforded Stepan Arkadyevitch little gratification, and forced him into lying and hypocrisy, which was so repulsive to his nature. —
家庭生活无疑并未给斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇带来什么满足，反而迫使他说谎和虚伪，这与他的本性极为不相称。 —

The liberal party said, or rather allowed it to be understood, that religion is only a curb to keep in check the barbarous classes of the people; —
自由派党说，或者更确切地说，暗示着宗教只是为了约束那些野蛮阶级的人们。 —

and Stepan Arkadyevitch could not get through even a short service without his legs aching from standing up, and could never make out what was the object of all the terrible and high-flown language about another world when life might be so very amusing in this world. —
斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇甚至不能在一场短暂的仪式中站着不让腿疼，他始终不能理解为什么在另一个世界里会有关于生活如此有趣的可怕而夸张的言辞。 —

And with all this, Stepan Arkadyevitch, who liked a joke, was fond of puzzling a plain man by saying that if he prided himself on his origin, he ought not to stop at Rurik and disown the first founder of his family–the monkey. —
尽管如此，斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇喜欢开玩笑，他喜欢用谜语困扰平凡的人们，说如果他以自己的出身为荣，就不应该止步于鲁里克王朝，否认他家族的第一位创始人——猴子。 —

And so Liberalism had become a habit of Stepan Arkadyevitch’s, and he liked his newspaper, as he did his cigar after dinner, for the slight fog it diffused in his brain. —
因此，自由主义已经成为斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇的一种习惯，他喜欢他的报纸，就像他在晚餐后喜欢雾状物围绕在大脑中一样。 —

He read the leading article, in which it was maintained that it was quite senseless in our day to raise an outcry that radicalism was threatening to swallow up all conservative elements, and that the government ought to take measures to crush the revolutionary hydra; —
他读了那篇主要文章，文章中坚称，在今天这个时代，对激进主义正在威胁要吞噬所有保守势力的呼声大可无视，政府应采取措施来镇压这个革命的九头蛇； —

that, on the contrary, “in our opinion the danger lies not in that fantastic revolutionary hydra, but in the obstinacy of traditionalism clogging progress,” etc. —
相反，“我们认为，危险不在于那种荒唐的革命九头蛇，而在于顽固的传统主义阻碍进步”，等等。 —

, etc. He read another article, too, a financial one, which alluded to Bentham and Mill, and dropped some innuendoes reflecting on the ministry. —
等等。他还读了另一篇文章，是关于财经的，其中提到了本斯姆和密尔，并暗指了国政府。 —

With his characteristic quickwittedness he caught the drift of each innuendo, divined whence it came, at whom and on what ground it was aimed, and that afforded him, as it always did, a certain satisfaction. —
用他那敏锐的智慧，他抓住了每一处暗示的含义，猜出了它们是从何而来，瞄准了谁，以及所指之处的理由，这总能给他带来一定的满足感。 —

But today that satisfaction was embittered by Matrona Philimonovna’s advice and the unsatisfactory state of the household. —
但是今天，这种满足感被马特罗纳·菲利莫诺夫娜的建议和家庭的不满状态所激起，令他感到苦恼。 —

He read, too, that Count Beist was rumored to have left for Wiesbaden, and that one need have no more gray hair, and of the sale of a light carriage, and of a young person seeking a situation; —
他还读到，据说贝斯特伯爵已经去了维斯巴登，再也不会有一根灰发了，还有一辆轻便马车的出售，还有一个年轻人在寻找工作； —

but these items of information did not give him, as usual, a quiet, ironical gratification. —
但是，这些信息并没有给他以往那种宁静而讽刺的满足感。 —

Having finished the paper, a second cup of coffee and a roll and butter, he got up, shaking the crumbs of the roll off his waistcoat; —
在看完报纸、喝完第二杯咖啡和吃完一块面包和黄油后，他站起身来，甩掉面包屑，挺着宽阔的胸膛，喜悦地笑了起来： —

and, squaring his broad chest, he smiled joyously: —
他的喜悦笑容并非因为心里有什么特别愉快的事情，而是因为他消化得很好。 —

not because there was anything particularly agreeable in his mind–the joyous smile was evoked by a good digestion.
但是这喜悦的笑容让他立刻想起了一切，他变得沉思起来。

But this joyous smile at once recalled everything to him, and he grew thoughtful.
门外传来两个孩子的声音（斯捷潘·阿卡季耶维奇认出了是他年纪最小的儿子格里沙和他年长的女儿塔尼娅的声音）。

Two childish voices (Stepan Arkadyevitch recognized the voices of Grisha, his youngest boy, and Tanya, his eldest girl) were heard outside the door. —
他们正拿着什么东西，突然掉了下来。 —

They were carrying something, and dropped it.
“我告诉过你不要让乘客坐在屋顶上了，”小女孩用英语说道；

“I told you not to sit passengers on the roof,” said the little girl in English; —
“快，把它们捡起来！” —

“there, pick them up!”

“Everything’s in confusion,” thought Stepan Arkadyevitch; —
“一切都乱七八糟的，”斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇想道； —

“there are the children running about by themselves.” And going to the door, he called them. —
“孩子们自己乱跑乱闯的。”他走到门口，喊着他们。 —

They threw down the box, that represented a train, and came in to their father.
他们扔下象征列车的盒子，走进父亲的屋子。

The little girl, her father’s favorite, ran up boldly, embraced him, and hung laughingly on his neck, enjoying as she always did the smell of scent that came from his whiskers. —
这个小女孩，父亲的宠儿，大胆地跑上去，拥抱着他，扬声笑着贴在他的脖子上，总是喜欢他胡子上散发的香水味道。 —

At last the little girl kissed his face, which was flushed from his stooping posture and beaming with tenderness, loosed her hands, and was about to run away again; —
最后，小女孩亲吻了他的脸，由于他佝偻的姿势而发红的脸颊上洋溢着温情，松开双手，准备再跑开。 —

but her father held her back.
但她的父亲拉住了她。

“How is mamma?” he asked, passing his hand over his daughter’s smooth, soft little neck. —
“妈妈怎么样？”他问着，悄悄地在女儿光滑柔软的小脖子上轻轻抚摸着。 —

“Good morning,” he said, smiling to the boy, who had come up to greet him. —
“早上好，”他微笑着对着那个走上前来迎接他的男孩说。 —

He was conscious that he loved the boy less, and always tried to be fair; —
他有意识地感受到自己对这个男孩的爱少了一些，总是试图公平对待； —

but the boy felt it, and did not respond with a smile to his father’s chilly smile.
但男孩感觉到了，对父亲冷淡的微笑没有回以微笑。

“Mamma? She is up,” answered the girl.
“妈妈吗？她起来了，”女孩回答道。

Stepan Arkadyevitch sighed. “That means that she’s not slept again all night,” he thought.
斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇叹了口气。“这意味着她又一夜没睡好，”他想。

“Well, is she cheerful?”
“她高兴吗？”

The little girl knew that there was a quarrel between her father and mother, and that her mother could not be cheerful, and that her father must be aware of this, and that he was pretending when he asked about it so lightly. —
小女孩知道她爸爸和妈妈之间有争吵，知道妈妈不可能高兴，而爸爸肯定也知道，所以他询问的时候轻描淡写。 —

And she blushed for her father. He at once perceived it, and blushed too.
她为她的爸爸感到难为情。他立刻意识到了，并也脸红了。

“I don’t know,” she said. “She did not say we must do our lessons, but she said we were to go for a walk with Miss Hoole to grandmamma’s.”
“我不知道，”她说。”她没有说我们得做功课，但是她说我们要和霍尔小姐一起去外婆家散步。”

“Well, go, Tanya, my darling. Oh, wait a minute, though,” he said, still holding her and stroking her soft little hand.
“好吧，Tanya，亲爱的。哦，等一下，”他说着，仍然握着她的手，抚摸着她软软的小手。

He took off the matelpiece, where he had put it yesterday, a little box of sweets, and gave her two, picking out her favorites, a chocolate and a fondant.
他从壁炉架上拿下了一个小糖盒，也是他昨天放在那里的，然后他挑了两颗最喜欢的糖果给她，一颗巧克力和一颗软心太妃糖。

“For Grisha?” said the little girl, pointing to the chocolate.
“给格里沙吗？”小女孩指着那颗巧克力问。

“Yes, yes.” And still stroking her little shoulder, he kissed her on the roots of here hair and neck, and let her go.
“是的，是的。”他还在轻抚着她的肩膀，亲吻她的头发和脖颈，然后放开了她。

“The carriage is ready,” said Matvey; “but there’s some one to see you with a petition.”
“马车已经准备好了，”马特韦说道，”但是有人带着一份请愿书找你。”

“Been here long?” asked Stepan Arkadyevitch.
“等了多久了？”斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇问道。

“Half an hour.”
“半个小时了。”

“How many times have I told you to tell me at once?”
“我告诉你多少次了要立刻告诉我？”

“One must let you drink your coffee in peace, at least,” said Matvey, in the affectionately gruff tone with which it was impossible to be angry.
“至少要让您安心地喝咖啡，”马特韦以一种充满爱意的粗声细语说道，这样的口吻让人无法生气。

“Well, show the person up at once,” said Oblonsky, frowning with vexation.
“好吧，立刻让这个人进来，”奥布洛夫斯基生气地皱着眉头说。

The petitioner, the widow of a staff captain Kalinin, came with a request impossible and unreasonable; —
请求人是一个中尉遗孀卡利宁夫人，她提出了一个不可能而且不合理的要求。 —

but Stepan Arkadyevitch, as he generally did, made her sit down, heard her to the end attentively without interrupting her, and gave her detailed advice as to how and to whom to apply, and even wrote her, in his large, sprawling, good and legible hand, a confident and fluent little note to a personage who might be of use to her. —
但是斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇像往常一样，让她坐下，全神贯注地听完她说话，没有打断她，为她提供了详细的建议，告诉她应该向谁申请，甚至还亲自给她写了一封小而自信、流畅的便条，寄给了一个可能对她有帮助的人物。 —

Having got rid of the staff captain’s widow, Stepan Arkadyevitch took his hat and stopped to recollect whether he had forgotten anything. —
摆脱了参谋队长的寡妇之后，斯捷潘·阿尔卡季耶维奇带上帽子停下来回想着是否有什么事情忘记了。 —

It appeared that he had forgotten nothing except what he wanted to forget–his wife.
原来他忘记的只有一件事，那就是他想要忘记的妻子。

“Ah, yes!” He bowed his head, and his handsome face assumed a harassed expression. —
“啊，是的！”他低下头，他英俊的脸上露出了疲惫的表情。 —

“To go, or not to go!” he said to himself; —
“去，还是不去！”他自言自语地说道。 —

and an inner voice told him he must not go, that nothing could come of it but falsity; —
内心的声音告诉他不要去，这样做只会带来虚伪。 —

that to amend, to set right their relations was impossible, because it was impossible to make her attractive again and able to inspire love, or to make him an old man, not susceptible to love. —
修复他们的关系是不可能的，因为不可能再让她变得有魅力，能够激发爱情，也不可能让他成为一个不受感情影响的老人。 —

Except deceit and lying nothing could come of it now; —
除了欺骗和撒谎，现在什么也没法做了； —

and deceit and lying were opposed to his nature.
而且欺骗和撒谎与他的本性相悖。

“It must be some time, though: it can’t go on like this,” he said, trying to give himself courage. —
“虽然要等一段时间，但不能继续这样下去，”他说着，试图给自己鼓起勇气。 —

He squared his chest, took out a cigarette, took two whiffs at it, flung it into a mother-of-pearl ashtray, and with rapid steps walked through the drawing room, and opened the other door into his wife’s bedroom.
他挺胸收腹，拿出一支香烟，抽了两口，将它扔进一只珍珠母烟灰缸，然后快步穿过客厅，打开另一扇门，走进妻子的卧室。