I NEED no great effort of memory to recall, in every detail, the rainy autumn evening when I stood with my father in one of the more frequented streets of Moscow, and felt that I was gradually being overcome by a strange illness. —-
在下雨的秋天的一个晚上，我与父亲站在莫斯科一条较为繁华的街道上，感到自己逐渐被一种奇怪的疾病所侵袭，并不需要费力地记起每一个细节。 —-

I had no pain at all, but my legs were giving way under me, the words stuck in my throat, my head slipped weakly on one side . —-
我一点痛苦都没有，但是我的腿开始软弱无力，喉咙里塞满了话语，头颅软绵绵地垂在一边。 —-

. . It seemed as though, in a moment, I must fall down and lose consciousness.
仿佛我马上就会倒下并失去意识。

If I had been taken into a hospital at that minute, the doctors would have had to write over my bed: —-
如果在那一刻我被带进医院，医生们不得不在我的床上写上： —-

Fames, a disease which is not in the manuals of medicine.
法梅斯，一种医学手册中没有的疾病。

Beside me on the pavement stood my father in a shabby summer overcoat and a serge cap, from which a bit of white wadding was sticking out. —-
在人行道上，我的父亲站在我旁边，身穿一件破烂的夏季大衣和一顶带有一小块白棉絮的无檐帽子。 —-

On his feet he had big heavy goloshes. Afraid, vain man, that people would see that his feet were bare under his goloshes, he had drawn the tops of some old boots up round the calves of his legs.
他穿着一双笨重的大鞋套在脚上。这个害怕、虚荣的人怕别人看到他的鞋套下面是赤脚，所以把一双旧靴子的筒子拉到小腿上。

This poor, foolish, queer creature, whom I loved the more warmly the more ragged and dirty his smart summer overcoat became, had come to Moscow, five months before, to look for a job as copying-clerk. —-
这个可怜、愚蠢、古怪的人，越是他那身破旧且脏兮兮的夏季大衣越爱他，五个月前来到莫斯科找个抄写员工作。 —-

For those five months he had been trudging about Moscow looking for work, and it was only on that day that he had brought himself to go into the street to beg for alms.
在这五个月里，他一直在莫斯科四处跑找工作，直到那天他才自己走出去乞讨施舍。

Before us was a big house of three storeys, adorned with a blue signboard with the word “Restaurant” on it. —-
在我们之前是一座有三层的大楼，上面装饰着一块蓝色的招牌，上面写着“餐厅”。 —-

My head was drooping feebly backwards and on one side, and I could not help looking upwards at the lighted windows of the restaurant. —-
我的头软弱地向后倾斜并且向一侧，我不由自主地抬头看向餐厅的亮着灯的窗户。 —-

Human figures were flitting about at the windows. —-
有人的身影在窗户里晃动。 —-

I could see the right side of the orchestrion, two oleographs, hanging lamps . . . . —-
我能看到音乐器械的右侧，两幅临摹的油画，挂着的灯…… —-

Staring into one window, I saw a patch of white. —-
凝视着一个窗户，我看到了一个白色的补丁。 —-

The patch was motionless, and its rectangular outlines stood out sharply against the dark, brown background. —-
这个补丁是静止的，它的矩形轮廓与深棕色的背景鲜明地对比出来。 —-

I looked intently and made out of the patch a white placard on the wall. —-
我凝视着，从那个补丁上可以看出墙上有一个白色牌匾。 —-

Something was written on it, but what it was, I could not see. . .
上面写着一些东西，但我无法看清是什么……

For half an hour I kept my eyes on the placard. —-
我紧盯着那个牌匾看了半个小时。 —-

Its white attracted my eyes, and, as it were, hypnotised my brain. —-
它的白色吸引了我的眼睛，好像催眠了我的大脑。 —-

I tried to read it, but my efforts were in vain.
我试图阅读它，但我的努力是徒劳的。

At last the strange disease got the upper hand.
最终，这种奇怪的疾病占了上风。

The rumble of the carriages began to seem like thunder, in the stench of the street I distinguished a thousand smells. —-
马车的隆隆声开始听起来像是雷声，在街道的臭味中我分辨出了无数的气味。 —-

The restaurant lights and the lamps dazzled my eyes like lightning. —-
餐厅的灯光和灯笼像闪电一样让我的眼睛眩晕。 —-

My five senses were overstrained and sensitive beyond the normal. —-
我的五官被过度紧张，超出了正常范围。 —-

I began to see what I had not seen before.
我开始看到以前没有看到的东西。

“Oysters . . .” I made out on the placard.
“生蚝……”我在牌匾上看到了。

A strange word! I had lived in the world eight years and three months, but had never come across that word. —-
一个奇怪的词！我在这个世界上生活了八年零三个月，但从未遇到过这个词。 —-

What did it mean? Surely it was not the name of the restaurant-keeper? —-
它是什么意思呢？它肯定不是餐厅老板的名字，吧？ —-

But signboards with names on them always hang outside, not on the walls indoors!
但挂有名字的招牌通常是放在室外的墙上，而不是室内！

“Papa, what does ‘oysters’ mean?” I asked in a husky voice, making an effort to turn my face towards my father.
“爸爸，‘生蚝’是什么意思？”我用嘶哑的声音问道，努力地把脸转向父亲。

My father did not hear. He was keeping a watch on the movements of the crowd, and following every passer-by with his eyes. —-
我父亲没有听到。他在密切注视着人群的动态，用眼睛追随着每一个路人。 —-

. . . From his eyes I saw that he wanted to say something to the passers-by, but the fatal word hung like a heavy weight on his trembling lips and could not be flung off. —-
从他的眼神中，我看出他想对途人说些什么，但致命的词语像一块沉重的负担悬在他颤抖的嘴唇上，无法甩开。 —-

He even took a step after one passer-by and touched him on the sleeve, but when he turned round, he said, “I beg your pardon,” was overcome with confusion, and staggered back.
甚至有一次他追着一个路人走了几步，碰了碰他的袖子，但当那个人转过身来，他却说：“请你原谅”，被困惑所压倒，摇摇晃晃地退了回去。

“Papa, what does ‘oysters’ mean?” I repeated.
“爸爸，’oysters’是什么意思？”我重复着问。

“It is an animal . . . that lives in the sea.”
“它是一种……生活在海里的动物。”

I instantly pictured to myself this unknown marine animal. . . . —-
我立刻在脑海中想象出这个未知的海洋生物…… —-

I thought it must be something midway between a fish and a crab. —-
我认为它一定是某种鱼和螃蟹之间的东西。 —-

As it was from the sea they made of it, of course, a very nice hot fish soup with savoury pepper and laurel leaves, or broth with vinegar and fricassee of fish and cabbage, or crayfish sauce, or served it cold with horse- radish. —-
由于它是来自海洋的，当然会用它来做一道非常美味的热鱼汤，加上可口的胡椒和月桂叶，或者加上醋和鱼和卷心菜的炖肉，或者用龙虾酱冷盘，或者搭配辣根吃冷的。 —-

. . . I vividly imagined it being brought from the market, quickly cleaned, quickly put in the pot, quickly, quickly, for everyone was hungry . —-
我生动地想象着它从市场上被带回来，迅速清洗，快速放进锅里，快快快，因为每个人都饿了。 —-

. . awfully hungry! From the kitchen rose the smell of hot fish and crayfish soup.
非常饿！从厨房传来了热腾腾的鱼和龙虾汤的味道。

I felt that this smell was tickling my palate and nostrils, that it was gradually taking possession of my whole body. —-
我感觉到这种味道在刺激我的味蕾和鼻孔，慢慢地占据了我整个身体。 —-

. . . The restaurant, my father, the white placard, my sleeves were all smelling of it, smelling so strongly that I began to chew. —-
……餐厅、我的父亲、白色告示牌、我的袖子都闻起来了，闻起来的味道如此浓烈，以至于我开始咀嚼。 —-

I moved my jaws and swallowed as though I really had a piece of this marine animal in my mouth . . .
我咬动着下颌，咽下去，仿佛真的嘴里有一块这种海洋生物……

My legs gave way from the blissful sensation I was feeling, and I clutched at my father’s arm to keep myself from falling, and leant against his wet summer overcoat. —-
我感到双腿无力，被这种愉悦的感觉所震撼，靠在父亲湿漉漉的夏季外套上，以免摔倒。 —-

My father was trembling and shivering. He was cold . . .
我父亲颤抖着，发抖着。他冷……

“Papa, are oysters a Lenten dish?” I asked.
“爸爸，牡蛎是斋戒餐吗？”我问道。

“They are eaten alive . . .” said my father. —-
“它们是活着吃的……”我的父亲说。 —-

“They are in shells like tortoises, but . —-
“它们像乌龟一样有壳, 但是……” —-

. . in two halves.”
“… 它们有两半。”

The delicious smell instantly left off affecting me, and the illusion vanished. —-
那美味的气味立刻不再影响我，幻觉消失了。 —-

. . . Now I understood it all!
… 现在我都明白了！

“How nasty,” I whispered, “how nasty!”
“多么恶心啊，”我低声说，“多么恶心！”

So that’s what “oysters” meant! I imagined to myself a creature like a frog. —-
所以“牡蛎”指的就是这个！我在脑海中想象着一个像青蛙一样的生物。 —-

A frog sitting in a shell, peeping out from it with big, glittering eyes, and moving its revolting jaws. —-
一个坐在壳里，从中露出大而闪亮的眼睛，嘴巴张开的令人作呕的生物。 —-

I imagined this creature in a shell with claws, glittering eyes, and a slimy skin, being brought from the market. —-
我想象着这个带有爪子、闪亮的眼睛和湿滑皮肤的生物，被从市场上带回来。 —-

. . . The children would all hide while the cook, frowning with an air of disgust, would take the creature by its claw, put it on a plate, and carry it into the dining-room. —-
… 孩子们都会躲起来，而厨师皱着眉头厌恶地用爪子拿起这个生物，放在盘子上，然后把它带到餐厅里。 —-

The grown-ups would take it and eat it, eat it alive with its eyes, its teeth, its legs! —-
成年人们会把它拿起来吃掉，活生生地吃掉它的眼睛、牙齿和腿！ —-

While it squeaked and tried to bite their lips. . . .
它尖叫着，努力咬他们的嘴唇……

I frowned, but . . . but why did my teeth move as though I were munching? —-
我皱起眉头，但是……但为什么我咀嚼时牙齿动了起来？ —-

The creature was loathsome, disgusting, terrible, but I ate it, ate it greedily, afraid of distinguishing its taste or smell. —-
这个生物令人讨厌、恶心、可怕，但我贪婪地吃掉了它，害怕辨别它的味道或气味。 —-

As soon as I had eaten one, I saw the glittering eyes of a second, a third . . . I ate them too. . —-
我一吃完一个，立刻就看见第二个、第三个……我也把它们吃掉了。 —-

. . At last I ate the table-napkin, the plate, my father’s goloshes, the white placard . . . —-
最后我连桌布，盘子，我父亲的雨靴，白底的广告牌……都吃掉了。 —-

I ate everything that caught my eye, because I felt that nothing but eating would take away my illness. —-
我吃下了一切引起我注意的东西，因为我感觉只有吃才能让我的病情好转。 —-

The oysters had a terrible look in their eyes and were loathsome. —-
牡蛎的眼神令人恐惧且令人讨厌。 —-

I shuddered at the thought of them, but I wanted to eat! To eat!
我想到它们我就不寒而栗，但我的渴望只有吃！吃！

“Oysters! Give me some oysters!” was the cry that broke from me and I stretched out my hand.
“牡蛎！给我一些牡蛎！”我大喊着，伸出我的手。

“Help us, gentlemen!” I heard at that moment my father say, in a hollow and shaking voice. —-
“各位，请帮帮我们！”我听到我父亲那一刻颤抖空洞的声音。 —-

“I am ashamed to ask but—my God!—I can bear no more!”
“我很不好意思再请求，但是——天哪！——我再也受不了了！”

“Oysters!” I cried, pulling my father by the skirts of his coat.
“牡蛎！”我拉着我父亲外套的下摆喊道。

“Do you mean to say you eat oysters? A little chap like you!” I heard laughter close to me.
“你是说你会吃牡蛎？像你这样的小年轻！”我听到近旁传来的嘲笑声。

Two gentlemen in top hats were standing before us, looking into my face and laughing.
两个穿着高顶礼帽的绅士站在我们面前，盯着我的脸笑个不停。

“Do you really eat oysters, youngster? That’s interesting! How do you eat them?”
“你真的会吃牡蛎，小家伙？有意思！你是怎么吃的？”

I remember that a strong hand dragged me into the lighted restaurant. —-
我记得有一只强壮的手将我拽到亮着灯的餐厅里。 —-

A minute later there was a crowd round me, watching me with curiosity and amusement. —-
一分钟后，围着我的人群好奇而又享受地观看着我。 —-

I sat at a table and ate something slimy, salt with a flavour of dampness and mouldiness. —-
我坐在桌子前吃着一些难以下咽，咸得带着湿气和发霉味道的东西。 —-

I ate greedily without chewing, without looking and trying to discover what I was eating. —-
我贪婪地吃完了食物，而不咀嚼，也不看也不尝试去发现我在吃什么。 —-

I fancied that if I opened my eyes I should see glittering eyes, claws, and sharp teeth.
我认为如果我睁开眼睛的话，我应该会看到闪闪发光的眼睛、爪子和锋利的牙齿。

All at once I began biting something hard, there was a sound of a scrunching.
突然间我开始咬一些硬的东西，有一声嘎吱的声音。

“Ha, ha! He is eating the shells,” laughed the crowd. —-
“哈哈！他在吃壳啦。”人群笑道。 —-

“Little silly, do you suppose you can eat that?”
“小傻瓜，你以为你能吃下那个吗？”

After that I remember a terrible thirst. —-
之后，我记得有一种可怕的口渴。 —-

I was lying in my bed, and could not sleep for heartburn and the strange taste in my parched mouth. —-
我躺在床上，因为胃灼热和嘴里干燥的奇怪味道而无法入睡。 —-

My father was walking up and down, gesticulating with his hands.
父亲来回走动，用双手做着手势。

“I believe I have caught cold,” he was muttering. —-
“我感觉自己感冒了。”他喃喃自语道。 —-

“I’ve a feeling in my head as though someone were sitting on it. . . . —-
“我头上有一种感觉，好像有人坐在上面…” —-

Perhaps it is because I have not . . . er . . . eaten anything to-day. . . . —-
也许是因为我今天..嗯..什么也没吃..。 —-

I really am a queer, stupid creature. . . . I saw those gentlemen pay ten roubles for the oysters. —-
“我真是个奇怪、愚蠢的家伙…我看见那些先生们为牡蛎付了十卢布。” —-

Why didn’t I go up to them and ask them . . . —-
“我为什么不上前去问他们借点…” —-

to lend me something? They would have given something.”
“他们会给我一些东西的。”

Towards morning, I fell asleep and dreamt of a frog sitting in a shell, moving its eyes. —-
清晨，我睡着了，梦见一只坐在贝壳里的青蛙，眼睛转动着。 —-

At midday I was awakened by thirst, and looked for my father: —-
中午我醒来时口渴了，我找了找我的父亲： —-

he was still walking up and down and gesticulating.
他仍然在来回走动着，并做手势。