ONE fine morning the collegiate assessor, Kirill Ivanovitch Babilonov, who had died of the two afflictions so widely spread in our country, a bad wife and alcoholism, was being buried. —-
某个晴朗的早晨，谢尔盖.彼德罗维奇.鲍比洛诺夫去世，他是一位带着两种在我国十分盛行的厄运——恶妻和酗酒——的大学评估员。 —-

As the funeral procession set off from the church to the cemetery, one of the deceased’s colleagues, called Poplavsky, got into a cab and galloped off to find a friend, one Grigory Petrovitch Zapoikin, a man who though still young had acquired considerable popularity. —-
在从教堂前往墓地的葬礼队伍启程时，一位叫做波普拉夫斯基的逝者的同事上了一辆马车，奔向找一个年轻却很受欢迎的朋友，叫格里戈里.彼得罗维奇.扎波金。 —-

Zapoikin, as many of my readers are aware, possesses a rare talent for impromptu speechifying at weddings, jubilees, and funerals. —-
正如我读者中的许多人所了解的，扎波金在婚礼、纪念日和葬礼上有着一种罕见的即兴演讲才能。 —-

He can speak whenever he likes: in his sleep, on an empty stomach, dead drunk or in a high fever. —-
他可以在任何时刻演讲：在睡梦中、空腹时、烂醉如泥或高烧中。 —-

His words flow smoothly and evenly, like water out of a pipe, and in abundance; —-
他的言辞流畅而均匀，如同水从水管中流出来一样，而且数量众多； —-

there are far more moving words in his oratorical dictionary than there are beetles in any restaurant. —-
他演讲的词汇库中比任何餐厅中的甲壳虫更富有感染力的言辞要多得多。 —-

He always speaks eloquently and at great length, so much so that on some occasions, particularly at merchants’ weddings, they have to resort to assistance from the police to stop him.
他总是雄辩而且演讲时间很长，以至于在某些场合，特别是在商人的婚礼上，他们不得不向警察寻求帮助来制止他。

“I have come for you, old man!” began Poplavsky, finding him at home. —-
“我是来找你的，老兄！”波普拉夫斯基找到他的家。 —-

“Put on your hat and coat this minute and come along. —-
“马上带上帽子和外套，跟我来。 —-

One of our fellows is dead, we are just sending him off to the other world, so you must do a bit of palavering by way of farewell to him. —-
我们的一个同事死了，我们正要送他到另一个世界，所以你必须演讲来为他道别。 —-

. . . You are our only hope. If it had been one of the smaller fry it would not have been worth troubling you, but you see it’s the secretary . —-
如果是小人物的话，我们不会麻烦你，但你看，这个人是秘书。 —-

. . a pillar of the office, in a sense. It’s awkward for such a whopper to be buried without a speech.”
在某种意义上可以说是办公室的支柱。这么一个伟人在没有演讲的情况下埋葬起来有点尴尬。”

“Oh, the secretary!” yawned Zapoikin. “You mean the drunken one?”
“哦，那个秘书！”扎波金打了一个哈欠。“你是说那个酒鬼？”

“Yes. There will be pancakes, a lunch . . . you’ll get your cab-fare. Come along, dear chap. —-
“没错。会有薄煎饼，午餐……你会得到你的车费。来吧，亲爱的伙计。 —-

You spout out some rigmarole like a regular Cicero at the grave and what gratitude you will earn!”
你在坟墓前大声说些莫名其妙的话，就像一个真正的西塞罗，你将得到多么感激啊！”

Zapoikin readily agreed. He ruffled up his hair, cast a shade of melancholy over his face, and went out into the street with Poplavsky.
扎波金欣然同意了。他拨乱了头发，脸上掠过一丝忧郁，与波普拉夫斯基一起走出了街道。

“I know your secretary,” he said, as he got into the cab. —-
“我认识你的秘书,”他上了出租车后说道。 —-

“A cunning rogue and a beast—the kingdom of heaven be his—such as you don’t often come across.”
“一个狡猾的混蛋和野兽——愿天堂保佑他——像他这样的你不经常遇到。”

“Come, Grisha, it is not the thing to abuse the dead.”
“来吧，格里沙，骂死人可不是好事。”

“Of course not, aut mortuis nihil bene, but still he was a rascal.”
“当然不是，死者无可指责，但他还是个恶棍。”

The friends overtook the funeral procession and joined it. —-
朋友们赶上了葬礼队伍并加入其中。 —-

The coffin was borne along slowly so that before they reached the cemetery they were able three times to drop into a tavern and imbibe a little to the health of the departed.
棺材缓缓地被抬着，以至于在到达墓地之前，他们能够三次进入酒馆稍微喝一杯为逝者祝福。

In the cemetery came the service by the graveside. —-
在墓地上进行了墓边的仪式。 —-

The mother-in-law, the wife, and the sister-in-law in obedience to custom shed many tears. —-
为了遵守习俗，婆婆、妻子和嫂子都流下了很多眼泪。 —-

When the coffin was being lowered into the grave the wife even shrieked “Let me go with him! —-
当棺材被放入坟墓里时，妻子甚至尖叫着说道：“让我和他一起去！”，但没有跟着她丈夫下坟，可能是想起了她的抚恤金。 —-

” but did not follow her husband into the grave probably recollecting her pension. —-
等一切恢复平静后，扎波金走上前，将目光投向在场的所有人，开始说话： —-

Waiting till everything was quiet again Zapoikin stepped forward, turned his eyes on all present, and began:
“我能相信自己的眼睛和耳朵吗？这不是可怕的梦境吗？这个坟墓，那些泪痕满面的面孔，那些呻吟和哀叹？

“Can I believe my eyes and ears? Is it not a terrible dream this grave, these tear-stained faces, these moans and lamentations? —-
“唉，这不是梦，我们的眼睛并没有欺骗我们！ —-

Alas, it is not a dream and our eyes do not deceive us! —-
我们不久前才见到的他，那么勇敢，那么年轻和纯净，就像一只不知疲倦的蜜蜂一样，为国家的福祉带来自己的蜜糖，他… —-

He whom we have only so lately seen, so full of courage, so youthfully fresh and pure, who so lately before our eyes like an unwearying bee bore his honey to the common hive of the welfare of the state, he who . —-
当然他并没有死，而是一只不知疲倦的蜜蜂，将蜜糖带给了我们这个国家的大家庭。” —-

. . he is turned now to dust, to inanimate mirage. —-
他现在变成了尘土，成了无生命的幻象。 —-

Inexorable death has laid his bony hand upon him at the time when, in spite of his bowed age, he was still full of the bloom of strength and radiant hopes. —-
不可抗拒的死神在他的身上留下了骨质的手，尽管他已迈入晚年，但仍然充满了力量的盈余和辉煌的希望。 —-

An irremediable loss! Who will fill his place for us? —-
无可挽回的损失！谁能取代他的位置？ —-

Good government servants we have many, but Prokofy Osipitch was unique. —-
我们有很多优秀的政府公务员，但普罗科菲·奥西匹奇是独一无二的。 —-

To the depths of his soul he was devoted to his honest duty; —-
他对光荣的责任全心全意地奉献着。 —-

he did not spare his strength but worked late at night, and was disinterested, impervious to bribes. . —-
他不遗余力地工作到深夜，无私无畏，不受贿赂的影响。 —-

. . How he despised those who to the detriment of the public interest sought to corrupt him, who by the seductive goods of this life strove to draw him to betray his duty! —-
他是多么的鄙视那些为了个人私利而试图腐化他的人，那些试图用诱人的物质来引诱他背叛职责的人！ —-

Yes, before our eyes Prokofy Osipitch would divide his small salary between his poorer colleagues, and you have just heard yourselves the lamentations of the widows and orphans who lived upon his alms. —-
是的，在我们看来，普罗科菲·奥西匹奇会把他微薄的薪水分给更穷的同事们，你们刚刚还听到了那些以他的施舍为生的寡妇和孤儿们的哀叹。 —-

Devoted to good works and his official duty, he gave up the joys of this life and even renounced the happiness of domestic existence; —-
他献身于善行和公务，放弃了这个世界的快乐，甚至放弃了家庭生活的幸福； —-

as you are aware, to the end of his days he was a bachelor. And who will replace him as a comrade? —-
正如你们所知，他一生都是单身。那么，谁会取代他成为伙伴呢？ —-

I can see now the kindly, shaven face turned to us with a gentle smile, I can hear now his soft friendly voice. —-
我现在可以看到他善良的剃须脸转向我们，带着温和的微笑，我现在可以听到他温柔友好的声音。 —-

Peace to thine ashes, Prokofy Osipitch! Rest, honest, noble toiler!”
愿你的灰烬安息，普罗科菲·奥西匹奇！休息吧，诚实而高尚的劳动者！

Zapoikin continued while his listeners began whispering together. —-
扎波金继续讲话，听众们开始窃窃私语。 —-

His speech pleased everyone and drew some tears, but a good many things in it seemed strange. —-
他的演讲令人满意，引起了一些人的泪水，但其中有很多事情似乎很奇怪。 —-

In the first place they could not make out why the orator called the deceased Prokofy Osipitch when his name was Kirill Ivanovitch. —-
首先，他们不明白为什么演讲者称已故的人为普罗科菲·奥西匹奇，而他的名字却是基里尔·伊万诺维奇。 —-

In the second, everyone knew that the deceased had spent his whole life quarelling with his lawful wife, and so consequently could not be called a bachelor; —-
在第二个故事中，每个人都知道那位已故者一生都在与他的合法妻子争吵，因此不能称之为单身汉； —-

in the third, he had a thick red beard and had never been known to shave, and so no one could understand why the orator spoke of his shaven face. —-
在第三个故事中，他有一把浓密的红胡须而且从未见过他刮胡子，因此没人能理解演说者为什么会说他有刮胡子的脸； —-

The listeners were perplexed; they glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
听众们感到困惑，他们相互看了看，耸了耸肩；

“Prokofy Osipitch,” continued the orator, looking with an air of inspiration into the grave, “your face was plain, even hideous, you were morose and austere, but we all know that under that outer husk there beat an honest, friendly heart!”
“普罗科菲·奥西皮奇，”演说者继续说着，带着一种灵感的神情看向坟墓，“你的脸平凡，甚至丑陋，你悍然而诚恳，但我们都知道，在那表面的残酷下，有一颗诚实友善的心在跳动！”

Soon the listeners began to observe something strange in the orator himself. —-
很快，听众开始觉察到演说者自身的一些奇怪之处； —-

He gazed at one point, shifted about uneasily and began to shrug his shoulders too. —-
他凝视着一个地方，不安地移动着，也开始耸肩； —-

All at once he ceased speaking, and gaping with astonishment, turned to Poplavsky.
突然，他停止了讲话，目瞪口呆地转向波普拉夫斯基；

“I say! he’s alive,” he said, staring with horror.
“我操！他还活着，”他吃惊地说道，恐惧地盯着；

“Who’s alive?”
“谁还活着？”

“Why, Prokofy Osipitch, there he stands, by that tombstone!”
“为什么，普罗科菲·奥西皮奇，他站在那个墓碑旁边！”

“He never died! It’s Kirill Ivanovitch who’s dead.”
“他从未死过！基里尔·伊万诺维奇才死了。”

“But you told me yourself your secretary was dead.”
“但你自己告诉我的你的秘书已经去世了。”

“Kirill Ivanovitch was our secretary. You’ve muddled it, you queer fish. —-
“基里尔·伊万诺维奇是我们的秘书。你搞混了，你奇怪的家伙。 —-

Prokofy Osipitch was our secretary before, that’s true, but two years ago he was transferred to the second division as head clerk.”
普罗科菲·奥西皮奇之前是我们的秘书，没错，但两年前他被调到第二科作为主管文员。”

“How the devil is one to tell?”
“到底怎么分辨？”

“Why are you stopping? Go on, it’s awkward.”
“你为什么停下来？继续说，这很尴尬。”

Zapoikin turned to the grave, and with the same eloquence continued his interrupted speech. —-
扎波金转向墓碑，用同样的雄辩继续他被打断的演讲。 —-

Prokofy Osipitch, an old clerk with a clean-shaven face, was in fact standing by a tombstone. —-
普罗科菲·奥西皮奇，一个脸上满是干净的胡须的老职员，实际上站在一个墓碑旁边。 —-

He looked at the orator and frowned angrily.
他看着演讲者，生气地皱了皱眉头。

“Well, you have put your foot into it, haven’t you! —-
“嗯，你可真是自讨没趣啊！” —-

” laughed his fellow- clerks as they returned from the funeral with Zapoikin. —-
当他们与扎波金一起从葬礼返回时，他们的同事们哈哈大笑。 —-

“Burying a man alive!”
“把人活埋了！”

“It’s unpleasant, young man,” grumbled Prokofy Osipitch. —-
“年轻人，这太不愉快了，”普罗科菲·奥西皮奇抱怨道。 —-

“Your speech may be all right for a dead man, but in reference to a living one it is nothing but sarcasm! —-
“你的演讲也许对一个死人来说没问题，但对一个活人来说纯粹就是嘲讽！ —-

Upon my soul what have you been saying? Disinterested, incorruptible, won’t take bribes! —-
基于我的灵魂，你到底说了什么？无私、廉洁、不受贿赂！ —-

Such things can only be said of the living in sarcasm. —-
这些话只能当作对活人的讽刺。 —-

And no one asked you, sir, to expatiate on my face. —-
没人让你，先生，在我的脸上细说啊。 —-

Plain, hideous, so be it, but why exhibit my countenance in that public way! —-
平凡的，丑陋的，随你怎么说，但为什么要公然展示我的脸！ —-

It’s insulting.”
这太侮辱人了。”