THERE was the thud of horses’ hoofs on the wooden floor; —-
木地板上传来了马蹄的重击声； —-

they brought out of the stable the black horse, Count Nulin; then the white, Giant; —-
他们把黑马努林伯爵和白马巨人从马厩带出来； —-

then his sister Maika. They were all magnificent, expensive horses. —-
然后是他们的妹妹玛伊卡。它们都是华丽昂贵的马匹。 —-

Old Shelestov saddled Giant and said, addressing his daughter Masha:
谢列斯托夫给巨人上了鞍，对女儿玛莎说道：

“Well, Marie Godefroi, come, get on! Hopla!”
“玛丽·戈德弗劳，快上去！走！”

Masha Shelestov was the youngest of the family; —-
玛莎·谢列斯托夫是家里最小的孩子； —-

she was eighteen, but her family could not get used to thinking that she was not a little girl, and so they still called her Manya and Manyusa; —-
她十八岁了，但是家人还没有习惯认为她已经不是小女孩，所以他们还是叫她玛尼娅和玛纽莎； —-

and after there had been a circus in the town which she had eagerly visited, every one began to call her Marie Godefroi.
在镇上的马戏团来过之后，她兴致勃勃地去参观了，之后大家开始称呼她玛丽·戈德弗劳。

“Hop-la!” she cried, mounting Giant. Her sister Varya got on Maika, Nikitin on Count Nulin, the officers on their horses, and the long picturesque cavalcade, with the officers in white tunics and the ladies in their riding habits, moved at a walking pace out of the yard.
“走！”她骑在巨人身上喊道。她姐姐瓦利亚骑了玛伊卡，尼基廷骑在努林伯爵上，军官们也骑上了他们的马，美丽的行列缓缓走出院子。

Nikitin noticed that when they were mounting the horses and afterwards riding out into the street, Masha for some reason paid attention to no one but himself. —-
尼基廷注意到，当他们上马并且之后在街道上骑行时，玛莎似乎只关注他一个人。 —-

She looked anxiously at him and at Count Nulin and said:
她焦急地看着他和努林伯爵说道：

“You must hold him all the time on the curb, Sergey Vassilitch. —-
“塞尔盖·瓦西里奇，你必须一直拉着缰绳控制他。不要让他吓到。他只是装疯。” —-

Don’t let him shy. He’s pretending.”
可能是因为她的巨人和努林伯爵关系非常好，或者只是巧合，她一直骑在尼基廷旁边，就像前一天，前一天的那样。

And either because her Giant was very friendly with Count Nulin, or perhaps by chance, she rode all the time beside Nikitin, as she had done the day before, and the day before that. —-
他欣喜地看着她优雅的小身材骑在傲慢的白色野兽上，看着她纤细的轮廓，看着那顶一点也不适合她，并且让她显得比实际年龄更老的烟囱帽子-带着喜悦、温柔、狂喜地看着她； —-

And he looked at her graceful little figure sitting on the proud white beast, at her delicate profile, at the chimney-pot hat, which did not suit her at all and made her look older than her age—looked at her with joy, with tenderness, with rapture; —-
他欣赏着她的容貌时，感到快乐、温柔、狂喜； —-

listened to her, taking in little of what she said, and thought:
听着她的话，却没有多少理解，心里想着：

“I promise on my honour, I swear to God, I won’t be afraid and I’ll speak to her today.”
“我立誓以我的荣誉，我发誓上帝，我不会害怕，我会今天和她说话。”

It was seven o’clock in the evening—the time when the scent of white acacia and lilac is so strong that the air and the very trees seem heavy with the fragrance. —-
已经是晚上七点了，这是白合和丁香的香气最浓郁的时候，空气和树木都被芬芳弥漫。 —-

The band was already playing in the town gardens. —-
乐队已经开始在城市花园里演奏。 —-

The horses made a resounding thud on the pavement, on all sides there were sounds of laughter, talk, and the banging of gates. —-
马蹄在人行道上发出隆隆声，四周传来笑声、谈话声和门的砰砰声。 —-

The soldiers they met saluted the officers, the schoolboys bowed to Nikitin, and all the people who were hurrying to the gardens to hear the band were pleased at the sight of the party. —-
他们遇到的士兵向军官敬礼，学生们向尼基京鞠躬，所有前往花园听乐队的人都对这一行人表示满意。 —-

And how warm it was! How soft-looking were the clouds scattered carelessly about the sky, how kindly and comforting the shadows of the poplars and the acacias, which stretched across the street and reached as far as the balconies and second stories of the houses on the other side.
天气是多么温暖啊！天空中散乱地飘浮着柔软的云彩，毫不在意地点缀着白杨和丁香的阴影，阴影穿过街道，甚至延伸到对面的房屋的阳台和二楼。

They rode on out of the town and set off at a trot along the highroad. —-
他们继续驶出城镇，小跑着沿着大街走去。 —-

Here there was no scent of lilac and acacia, no music of the band, but there was the fragrance of the fields, there was the green of young rye and wheat, the marmots were squeaking, the rooks were cawing. —-
这里没有丁香和白合的香气，没有乐队的音乐，但是有田野的芬芳，有年轻的黑麦和小麦的绿色，土拨鼠在尖叫，乌鸦在呱呱叫。 —-

Wherever one looked it was green, with only here and there black patches of bare ground, and far away to the left in the cemetery a white streak of apple-blossom.
无论往哪里看，都是绿色的，只有零星的黑色裸地，远处左边的墓地上有一道苹果花的白色条纹。

They passed the slaughter-houses, then the brewery, and overtook a military band hastening to the suburban gardens.
他们经过屠宰场，然后是啤酒厂，追上了一个赶往郊外花园的军乐团。

“Polyansky has a very fine horse, I don’t deny that,” Masha said to Nikitin, with a glance towards the officer who was riding beside Varya. “But it has blemishes. —-
“波尔扬斯基有一匹非常好的马，我不否认。”玛莎对尼基京说，瞥了一眼骑在瓦里娅身边的军官。“但它有瑕疵。 —-

That white patch on its left leg ought not to be there, and, look, it tosses its head. —-
它左腿上的白斑不应该有，而且，你看，它无法训练不摇头。 —-

You can’t train it not to now; it will toss its head till the end of its days.”
你现在无法培养它不摇头，它会一直摇头到生命的尽头。”

Masha was as passionate a lover of horses as her father. —-
玛莎和她父亲一样是一个骑马的狂热爱好者。 —-

She felt a pang when she saw other people with fine horses, and was pleased when she saw defects in them. —-
当她看到别人有漂亮的马时，她会感到痛苦，当她看到它们有缺陷时，她会感到高兴。 —-

Nikitin knew nothing about horses; it made absolutely no difference to him whether he held his horse on the bridle or on the curb, whether he trotted or galloped; —-
尼基廷对马一无所知，他对自己是用缰绳还是勒缰无所谓，他是跑还是奔在他身上完全没有影响； —-

he only felt that his position was strained and unnatural, and that consequently the officers who knew how to sit in their saddles must please Masha more than he could. —-
他只觉得他的姿势很紧张和不自然，因此那些懂得怎样坐稳的军官们一定比他更能讨玛莎喜欢。 —-

And he was jealous of the officers.
他对那些军官们感到嫉妒。

As they rode by the suburban gardens some one suggested their going in and getting some seltzer-water. —-
当他们经过郊区花园时，有人建议他们进去喝些苏打水。 —-

They went in. There were no trees but oaks in the gardens; —-
他们进了去。花园里没有树，只有橡树； —-

they had only just come into leaf, so that through the young foliage the whole garden could still be seen with its platform, little tables, and swings, and the crows’ nests were visible, looking like big hats. —-
它们刚刚发了新叶，所以透过嫩叶还能看到整个花园，台子、小桌子和秋千，甚至乌鸦巢也能看到，它们看起来像一顶顶大帽子。 —-

The party dismounted near a table and asked for seltzer-water. —-
一行人在一张桌子旁下马并要了苏打水。 —-

People they knew, walking about the garden, came up to them. —-
他们认识的人在花园里走来走去，走到他们面前。 —-

Among them the army doctor in high boots, and the conductor of the band, waiting for the musicians. —-
其中有一位穿高筒靴的军队医生，还有等着乐队音乐家的指挥。 —-

The doctor must have taken Nikitin for a student, for he asked: —-
医生一定以为尼基廷是个学生，他问道： —-

“Have you come for the summer holidays?”
“你是来度暑假的吗？”

“No, I am here permanently,” answered Nikitin. “I am a teacher at the school.”
“不是，我是常驻这里的，”尼基廷回答说，”我是学校的老师。”

“You don’t say so?” said the doctor, with surprise. “So young and already a teacher?”
“你别这么说？”医生惊讶地说道，”这么年轻就当老师了？”

“Young, indeed! My goodness, I’m twenty-six!
“年轻，真是的！天哪，我已经二十六岁了！”

“You have a beard and moustache, but yet one would never guess you were more than twenty-two or twenty-three. —-
“你长了胡须和胡子，但人家肯定还以为你只有二十二、二十三岁。” —-

How young-looking you are!”
你看起来多年轻啊！

“What a beast!” thought Nikitin. “He, too, takes me for a whipper- snapper!”
“真是个野兽！”尼基京想。“他也以为我是个年轻小伙！”

He disliked it extremely when people referred to his youth, especially in the presence of women or the schoolboys. —-
尤其是在女人或学生面前，他极度讨厌有人提到他的年轻。 —-

Ever since he had come to the town as a master in the school he had detested his own youthful appearance. —-
自从他作为学校的一名教师来到这个城镇，他就讨厌自己年轻的外表。 —-

The schoolboys were not afraid of him, old people called him “young man,” ladies preferred dancing with him to listening to his long arguments, and he would have given a great deal to be ten years older.
学生们不怕他，老人们称他为“年轻人”，女士们更喜欢和他跳舞而不是听他长篇大论的，他多想年长十岁。

From the garden they went on to the Shelestovs’ farm. —-
他们从花园继续前往舍列斯托夫的农场。 —-

There they stopped at the gate and asked the bailiff’s wife, Praskovya, to bring some new milk. —-
他们在大门口停下，请求代为生下夫人帕什科维娅送些新鲜牛奶。 —-

Nobody drank the milk; they all looked at one another, laughed, and galloped back. —-
没人喝那牛奶，大家相互看了看后笑了起来，然后马上回去。 —-

As they rode back the band was playing in the suburban garden; —-
当他们骑回来时，郊区的花园里奏着乐队的音乐； —-

the sun was setting behind the cemetery, and half the sky was crimson from the sunset.
夕阳在墓地后方落下，半个天空因夕阳而变成深红色。

Masha again rode beside Nikitin. He wanted to tell her how passionately he loved her, but he was afraid he would be overheard by the officers and Varya, and he was silent. —-
玛莎再次骑在尼基京旁边。他想告诉她他是多么热烈地爱她，但他害怕被军官和瓦里娅听到，所以他沉默了。 —-

Masha was silent, too, and he felt why she was silent and why she was riding beside him, and was so happy that the earth, the sky, the lights of the town, the black outline of the brewery—all blended for him into something very pleasant and comforting, and it seemed to him as though Count Nulin were stepping on air and would climb up into the crimson sky.
玛莎也沉默着，他感受到她的沉默和她骑在他旁边的原因，他太开心了，以至于对他来说，土地、天空、城镇的灯光、酿酒厂的黑色轮廓融为一体，变成了令人愉悦和安慰的东西，他觉得应该是纳林伯爵踩在空中，将会爬到深红色的天空里去。

They arrived home. The samovar was already boiling on the table, old Shelestov was sitting with his friends, officials in the Circuit Court, and as usual he was criticizing something.
他们到了家，茶炊已经在桌上烧开了，老舍列斯托夫正和他的朋友们一起坐着，他们是地方法院的官员，他像往常一样在批评什么。

“It’s loutishness!” he said. “Loutishness and nothing more. Yes!”
“真是个傻瓜！”他说。“只不过是个傻瓜。没错！”

Since Nikitin had been in love with Masha, everything at the Shelestovs’ pleased him: —-
尼基京爱上玛莎后，舍列斯托夫家里的一切都让他感到满意。 —-

the house, the garden, and the evening tea, and the wickerwork chairs, and the old nurse, and even the word “loutishness,” which the old man was fond of using. —-
房子，花园，夜晚的茶会，柳条椅子，还有那个喜欢使用“粗鲁”一词的老人。 —-

The only thing he did not like was the number of cats and dogs and the Egyptian pigeons, who moaned disconsolately in a big cage in the verandah. —-
他唯一不喜欢的是那些猫狗和埃及鸽子，它们在阳台的一个大笼子里伤心地哀鸣。 —-

There were so many house- dogs and yard-dogs that he had only learnt to recognize two of them in the course of his acquaintance with the Shelestovs: —-
有那么多室内狗和院子里的狗，他在与谢列斯托夫一家交往的过程中只学会认识了其中两只狗： —-

Mushka and Som. Mushka was a little mangy dog with a shaggy face, spiteful and spoiled. —-
穆什卡和索姆。穆什卡是一只秃毛小狗，长着一张毛茸茸的脸，恶意且被宠坏了。 —-

She hated Nikitin: when she saw him she put her head on one side, showed her teeth, and began: —-
她讨厌尼基廷：当她看到他时，她会歪着头，露出牙齿，然后开始: —-

“Rrr . . . nga-nga-nga . . . rrr . . . ! —-
“嗯……呐呐呐……嗯……！” —-

” Then she would get under his chair, and when he would try to drive her away she would go off into piercing yaps, and the family would say: —-
然后她会钻到他的椅子下面，当他试图把她赶走时，她会发出尖锐的吠声，家人们会说： —-

“Don’t be frightened. She doesn’t bite. —-
“别害怕。她不会咬人。 —-

She is a good dog.”
她是一只好狗。”

Som was a tall black dog with long legs and a tail as hard as a stick. —-
索姆是一只又高又黑的狗，长着一双细长的腿和一条像树枝一样硬的尾巴。 —-

At dinner and tea he usually moved about under the table, and thumped on people’s boots and on the legs of the table with his tail. —-
晚饭和下午茶时，他经常在桌子下面乱撞，用尾巴敲击人们的靴子和桌子的腿。 —-

He was a good-natured, stupid dog, but Nikitin could not endure him because he had the habit of putting his head on people’s knees at dinner and messing their trousers with saliva. —-
他是一只心地善良但愚蠢的狗，但是尼基廷无法忍受他，因为他总是在晚饭时把头放在人们的膝盖上，用唾液弄脏他们的裤子。 —-

Nikitin had more than once tried to hit him on his head with a knife-handle, to flip him on the nose, had abused him, had complained of him, but nothing saved his trousers.
尼基廷曾经试图用刀柄打他的头，用手指在他的鼻子上翻转他，谩骂他，对他发牢骚，但是什么都没能拯救他的裤子。

After their ride the tea, jam, rusks, and butter seemed very nice. —-
骑完马后，茶、果酱、面包干和黄油都变得非常好吃。 —-

They all drank their first glass in silence and with great relish; —-
他们都静静地、津津有味地喝下第一杯， —-

over the second they began an argument. It was always Varya who started the arguments at tea; —-
在第二杯茶时，他们开始争论。茶时的争论总是由瓦里娅发起； —-

she was good-looking, handsomer than Masha, and was considered the cleverest and most cultured person in the house, and she behaved with dignity and severity, as an eldest daughter should who has taken the place of her dead mother in the house. —-
她很漂亮，比玛莎更美，被认为是家里最聪明、最有修养的人，她举止庄重、严肃，像一个已故母亲在家里的大女儿应有的样子。 —-

As the mistress of the house, she felt herself entitled to wear a dressing-gown in the presence of her guests, and to call the officers by their surnames; —-
作为女主人，她觉得自己有权在客人面前穿着一件睡袍，并用姓称呼军官们； —-

she looked on Masha as a little girl, and talked to her as though she were a schoolmistress. —-
她把玛莎视为一个小女孩，并像对待一个小学教师那样和她说话。 —-

She used to speak of herself as an old maid—so she was certain she would marry.
她经常把自己说成是一个老处女，所以她相信自己会结婚的。

Every conversation, even about the weather, she invariably turned into an argument. —-
每一个对话，即使是关于天气的，她总是抓住词句，挑剔矛盾，纠缠于措辞。 —-

She had a passion for catching at words, pouncing on contradictions, quibbling over phrases. —-
她对捕捉词语、揪住矛盾、争辩执迷不悟。 —-

You would begin talking to her, and she would stare at you and suddenly interrupt: —-
你开始和她说话，她盯着你看，突然插话说： —-

“Excuse me, excuse me, Petrov, the other day you said the very opposite!”
“对不起，对不起，彼得罗夫，前几天你却说了完全相反的话！”

Or she would smile ironically and say: “I notice, though, you begin to advocate the principles of the secret police. —-
或者她会讥讽地笑着说：“我注意到，你开始拥护秘密警察的原则了。我祝贺你。” —-

I congratulate you.”
如果你开玩笑或者说了双关语，你会立刻听到她的声音：

If you jested or made a pun, you would hear her voice at once: —-
“那已经过时了。”“那毫无意义。” —-

“That’s stale,” “That’s pointless. —-
如果一个军官冒险开玩笑，她会做出嗤之以鼻的鬼脸说：“一个军队的笑话！” —-

” If an officer ventured on a joke, she would make a contemptuous grimace and say, “An army joke!”
如果你讽刺或者嘲笑她，她会立刻打断你说：“别太聪明了。”

And she rolled the r so impressively that Mushka invariably answered from under a chair, “Rrr . —-
她滚动着“r”音，以至于慕什卡总是从椅子下回答：“儿……儿……儿……！” —-

. . nga-nga-nga . . . !”
这次茶会上，争论从尼基廷提到学校的考试开始。

On this occasion at tea the argument began with Nikitin’s mentioning the school examinations.
“对不起，瑟吉·瓦西拉维奇，”瓦尔雅打断他。

“Excuse me, Sergey Vassilitch,” Varya interrupted him. —-
“你说对男孩们来说很困难。那是谁的错，请问？ —-

“You say it’s difficult for the boys. And whose fault is that, let me ask you? —-
再说，你给八年级的男孩们出了一篇关于“普希金作为心理学家”的作文。 —-

For instance, you set the boys in the eighth class an essay on ‘Pushkin as a Psychologist. —-
首先，你不应该出那么难的题目； —-

’ To begin with, you shouldn’t set such a difficult subject; —-
其次，普希金根本不是心理学家。 —-

and, secondly, Pushkin was not a psychologist. —-
比如说，斯捷契林，或者嘛，嘿，道斯托耶夫斯基，那是另一回事，但普希金只是个伟大的诗人，什么也不是。” —-

Shtchedrin now, or Dostoevsky let us say, is a different matter, but Pushkin is a great poet and nothing more.”
“捷契林是一回事，普希金是另一回事，”尼基廷生闷气地回答道。

“Shtchedrin is one thing, and Pushkin is another,” Nikitin answered sulkily.
“我知道你们高中不觉得斯捷契林怎么样，但这不是重点。

“I know you don’t think much of Shtchedrin at the high school, but that’s not the point. —-
告诉我，普希金在什么意义上是心理学家？” —-

Tell me, in what sense is Pushkin a psychologist?”
“你是说他不是心理学家吗？要是你愿意，我可以给你举例子。”

“Why, do you mean to say he was not a psychologist? If you like, I’ll give you examples.”
尼基廷接着背诵了几段“奥涅金”和“鲍里斯·戈杜诺夫”。

And Nikitin recited several passages from “Onyegin” and then from “Boris Godunov.”
“我觉得那里面没有心理学。”瓦尔雅叹了口气。

“I see no psychology in that.” Varya sighed. —-
“我看不出来有什么心理学。”瓦尔雅叹了口气。 —-

“The psychologist is the man who describes the recesses of the human soul, and that’s fine poetry and nothing more.”
“心理学家是描述人类灵魂深处的人，这是一种美妙的诗歌，没有其他更多的含义。”

“I know the sort of psychology you want,” said Nikitin, offended. —-
“我知道你想要的那种心理学。”尼基廷生气地说道。 —-

“You want some one to saw my finger with a blunt saw while I howl at the top of my voice—that’s what you mean by psychology.”
“你想让人用钝锯子锯我的手指，同时我大声呼喊，这就是你所谓的心理学。”

“That’s poor! But still you haven’t shown me in what sense Pushkin is a psychologist?”
“很差劲！但你还没有告诉我普希金在哪种意义上是一位心理学家？”

When Nikitin had to argue against anything that seemed to him narrow, conventional, or something of that kind, he usually leaped up from his seat, clutched at his head with both hands, and began with a moan, running from one end of the room to another. —-
当尼基廷不得不反驳他认为狭隘、传统或类似的东西时，他通常会从座位上跳起来，双手抓住头，开始呻吟，并在房间里跑来跑去。 —-

And it was the same now: he jumped up, clutched his head in his hands, and with a moan walked round the table, then he sat down a little way off.
现在情况也一样：他跳了起来，双手抓住头，呻吟着绕桌子走了一圈，然后坐在稍远的地方。

The officers took his part. Captain Polyansky began assuring Varya that Pushkin really was a psychologist, and to prove it quoted two lines from Lermontov; —-
军官们支持他。波利安斯基上尉开始向瓦利娅保证，普希金确实是一位心理学家，并且为了证明这一点，引用了列尔蒙托夫的两句诗； —-

Lieutenant Gernet said that if Pushkin had not been a psychologist they would not have erected a monument to him in Moscow.
格涅特中尉说，如果普希金不是一位心理学家，莫斯科就不会给他立起一座纪念碑。

“That’s loutishness!” was heard from the other end of the table. —-
“这是下流！”从餐桌的另一端传来。 —-

“I said as much to the governor: ‘It’s loutishness, your Excellency,’ I said.”
“我对省长说了一样的话：‘这是下流，阁下，’我说。”

“I won’t argue any more,” cried Nikitin. “It’s unending. . . . Enough! —-
“我不想再争论了。”尼基廷喊道。“没完了. . . . 好了！” —-

Ach, get away, you nasty dog!” he cried to Som, who laid his head and paw on his knee.
“啊，走开，你这只恶狗！”他对着索姆喊道，索姆把头和爪子放在他的膝盖上。

“Rrr . . . nga-nga-nga!” came from under the table.
“呶呶呶. . . 嗯-嗯-嗯！”从桌子下面传来。

“Admit that you are wrong!” cried Varya. “Own up!”
“承认你错了！”瓦利娅喊道。“承认吧！”

But some young ladies came in, and the argument dropped of itself. —-
但是一些年轻女士进来了，争论自然而然地停止了。 —-

They all went into the drawing-room. Varya sat down at the piano and began playing dances. —-
他们都走进了客厅。娃仙坐在钢琴前弹奏舞曲。 —-

They danced first a waltz, then a polka, then a quadrille with a grand chain which Captain Polyansky led through all the rooms, then a waltz again.
他们首先跳了一支圆舞曲，然后是波尔卡，接着是一支带有长链的四方舞，由波里扬斯基上尉带领着穿过所有的房间，然后又跳了一支圆舞曲。

During the dancing the old men sat in the drawing-room, smoking and looking at the young people. —-
舞蹈期间，老人们在客厅里坐着，抽着烟，看着年轻人们。 —-

Among them was Shebaldin, the director of the municipal bank, who was famed for his love of literature and dramatic art. —-
其中有一个叫舍巴尔丁的人，他是市政银行的负责人，以其对文学和戏剧艺术的热爱而闻名。 —-

He had founded the local Musical and Dramatic Society, and took part in the performances himself, confining himself, for some reason, to playing comic footmen or to reading in a sing-song voice “The Woman who was a Sinner. —-
他成立了当地的音乐与戏剧协会，并亲自参与演出，不知为什么，他只扮演喜剧中的仆人角色，或者用平淡的声音朗读《有罪妇女》。 —-

” His nickname in the town was “the Mummy,” as he was tall, very lean and scraggy, and always had a solemn air and a fixed, lustreless eye. —-
他在镇上的绰号是“木乃伊”，因为他个子高，极其瘦削，总是带着庄严的神情和呆滞的眼神。 —-

He was so devoted to the dramatic art that he even shaved his moustache and beard, and this made him still more like a mummy.
他对戏剧艺术如此痴迷，甚至连胡子都剃掉了，这让他更像一具木乃伊。

After the grand chain, he shuffled up to Nikitin sideways, coughed, and said:
在长链舞结束后，他侧身走向尼基廷，咳嗽了一声，说道：

“I had the pleasure of being present during the argument at tea. I fully share your opinion. —-
“我有幸在茶会上听到了你们的争论。我完全同意你的观点。 —-

We are of one mind, and it would be a great pleasure to me to talk to you. —-
我们思想一致，能与你交谈将是我的极大愉快。 —-

Have you read Lessing on the dramatic art of Hamburg?”
你读过莱辛在汉堡的戏剧艺术吗？”

“No, I haven’t.”
“没读过。”

Shebaldin was horrified, and waved his hands as though he had burnt his fingers, and saying nothing more, staggered back from Nikitin. —-
舍巴尔丁感到非常震惊，像是触电了一样摆动着双手，然后默默地从尼基廷身边退了回去。 —-

Shebaldin’s appearance, his question, and his surprise, struck Nikitin as funny, but he thought none the less:
舍巴尔丁的外貌，他的问题，以及他的惊讶，让尼基廷觉得很好笑，但他心里也想着：

“It really is awkward. I am a teacher of literature, and to this day I’ve not read Lessing. —-
“这真是棘手。我是一名文学教师，直到今天我还没读过莱辛的作品。” —-

I must read him.”
“我必须读懂他。”

Before supper the whole company, old and young, sat down to play “fate. —-
在晚饭前，所有的人，老老少少，都坐下来玩“命运”。 —-

” They took two packs of cards: one pack was dealt round to the company, the other was laid on the table face downwards.
他们拿出两副牌：一副发给大家，另一副面朝下放在桌子上。

“The one who has this card in his hand,” old Shelestov began solemnly, lifting the top card of the second pack, “is fated to go into the nursery and kiss nurse.”
老谢列斯托夫庄重地开始说：“抓到这张牌的人，注定要去儿童室亲吻保姆。”

The pleasure of kissing the nurse fell to the lot of Shebaldin. —-
亲吻保姆的乐趣落到了谢巴尔丁的头上。 —-

They all crowded round him, took him to the nursery, and laughing and clapping their hands, made him kiss the nurse. —-
他们都围在他身边，带他去了儿童室，笑个不停，拍手叫好，让他亲吻保姆。 —-

There was a great uproar and shouting.
这引起了一阵喧嚣和欢呼。

“Not so ardently!” cried Shelestov with tears of laughter. “Not so ardently!”
“不要那么热情！”谢列斯托夫笑得泪流满面地叫道。“不要那么热情！”

It was Nikitin’s “fate” to hear the confessions of all. —-
聆听所有人的忏悔成为尼基廷的“命运”。 —-

He sat on a chair in the middle of the drawing-room. —-
他坐在客厅中间的一把椅子上。 —-

A shawl was brought and put over his head. —-
一条披肩被拿来罩在他的头上。 —-

The first who came to confess to him was Varya.
第一个来向他忏悔的是瓦利亚。

“I know your sins,” Nikitin began, looking in the darkness at her stern profile. —-
“我知道你的罪孽，”尼基廷目光在黑暗中盯着她严厉的侧面说道。 —-

“Tell me, madam, how do you explain your walking with Polyansky every day? —-
“告诉我，夫人，你如何解释你每天和波连斯基一起散步的事情？ —-

Oh, it’s not for nothing she walks with an hussar!”
哦，她和一个侍从一起散步，可不是无缘无故的！”

“That’s poor,” said Varya, and walked away.
“那真是太糟糕了”，瓦里亚说着，走了开去。

Then under the shawl he saw the shine of big motionless eyes, caught the lines of a dear profile in the dark, together with a familiar, precious fragrance which reminded Nikitin of Masha’s room.
随后，在头巾下，他看到了一双不动的大眼睛的闪光，以及在黑暗中捕捉到的亲切的轮廓线条，还有一个熟悉而珍贵的香气，它使尼基廷想起了玛莎的房间。

“Marie Godefroi,” he said, and did not know his own voice, it was so soft and tender, “what are your sins?”
“玛丽·戈特弗里”，他说着，他的声音是那么温柔和柔和，他自己都不认识了，“你都犯了些什么罪过？”

Masha screwed up her eyes and put out the tip of her tongue at him, then she laughed and went away. —-
玛莎皱着眉头，伸出舌尖对着他，然后笑着离开了。 —-

And a minute later she was standing in the middle of the room, clapping her hands and crying:
过了一分钟，她站在房间中央，拍着手喊道:

“Supper, supper, supper!”
“吃晚饭，吃晚饭，吃晚饭！”

And they all streamed into the dining-room. —-
于是他们都涌进了饭厅。 —-

At supper Varya had another argument, and this time with her father. —-
晚饭时，瓦里亚和她的父亲又争论了一次。 —-

Polyansky ate stolidly, drank red wine, and described to Nikitin how once in a winter campaign he had stood all night up to his knees in a bog; —-
波利安斯基顿吃得津津有味，喝着红酒，向尼基廷描述起了曾在一个冰雪覆盖的战役中整夜站在小溪里的经历; —-

the enemy was so near that they were not allowed to speak or smoke, the night was cold and dark, a piercing wind was blowing. —-
敌人离他们如此之近，他们不允许说话或抽烟，夜晚又冷又黑，还有一阵冰冷的风。 —-

Nikitin listened and stole side-glances at Masha. She was gazing at him immovably, without blinking, as though she was pondering something or was lost in a reverie. —-
尼基廷倾听着，偷偷对玛莎瞄了一眼。她凝视着他，没有眨眼，仿佛在沉思着什么或者陷入了幻想中。 —-

. . . It was pleasure and agony to him both at once.
…这对他来说既是愉悦又是痛苦。

“Why does she look at me like that?” was the question that fretted him. —-
“她为什么这样看着我？”这个问题使他苦恼不已。 —-

“It’s awkward. People may notice it. —-
“这很尴尬。可能会有人注意到。” —-

Oh, how young, how naïve she is!”
哦，她是多么年轻，多么天真啊！

The party broke up at midnight. When Nikitin went out at the gate, a window opened on the first-floor, and Masha showed herself at it.
派对在午夜结束。当尼基京走到门口时，一楼的窗户打开了，玛莎在窗户里露面。

“Sergey Vassilitch!” she called.
“谢尔盖·瓦西里奇！”她喊道。

“What is it?”
“怎么了？”

“I tell you what . . .” said Masha, evidently thinking of something to say. “I tell you what. —-
“我告诉你……”玛莎显然在想要说些什么。“我告诉你。 —-

. . Polyansky said he would come in a day or two with his camera and take us all. —-
“……波里安斯基说他会带相机过来，过几天给我们拍照。 —-

We must meet here.”
我们必须在这里见面。”

“Very well.”
“好。”

Masha vanished, the window was slammed, and some one immediately began playing the piano in the house.
玛莎消失了，窗户被关上，屋子里立刻响起了钢琴声。

“Well, it is a house!” thought Nikitin while he crossed the street. —-
“这真是一座房子！”尼基京走过马路时想道。 —-

“A house in which there is no moaning except from Egyptian pigeons, and they only do it because they have no other means of expressing their joy!”
“一座没有除了埃及鸽子之外的哀鸣的房子，它们只是因为没有其他表达喜悦的方式才这样做！”

But the Shelestovs were not the only festive household. —-
但舍列斯托夫家并不是唯一一个热闹的家庭。 —-

Nikitin had not gone two hundred paces before he heard the strains of a piano from another house. —-
尼基京走了不到两百步，就听到另一座房子的钢琴声。 —-

A little further he met a peasant playing the balalaika at the gate. —-
在更远一点的地方，他在门口碰到一个农民在弹奏着巴拉莱卡。 —-

In the gardens the band struck up a potpourri of Russian songs.
花园里的乐队开始演奏俄罗斯歌曲。

Nikitin lived nearly half a mile from the Shelestoys’ in a flat of eight rooms at the rent of three hundred roubles a year, which he shared with his colleague Ippolit Ippolititch, a teacher of geography and history. —-
尼基京离舍列斯托夫家近半英里，住在一个八间房的公寓里，年租金为三百卢布，他与他的同事伊波利特·伊波利特维奇，一位地理和历史教师一起分享。 —-

When Nikitin went in this Ippolit Ippolititch, a snub-nosed, middle-aged man with a reddish beard, with a coarse, good-natured, unintellectual face like a workman’s, was sitting at the table correcting his pupils’ maps. —-
当Nikitin走进伊波利特·伊波利特奇的房间时，一个红色胡子，粗糙的，好心肠的、不智的面孔像工人一样的中年人正坐在桌子旁边给他的学生批改地图。 —-

He considered that the most important and necessary part of the study of geography was the drawing of maps, and of the study of history the learning of dates: —-
他认为地理学最重要和必要的部分是绘制地图，而对于历史学来说，最重要的是学习日期。 —-

he would sit for nights together correcting in blue pencil the maps drawn by the boys and girls he taught, or making chronological tables.
他会整夜坐在那儿，用蓝色铅笔对他所教的男孩和女孩们绘制的地图进行修正，或者制作编年史表格。

“What a lovely day it has been!” said Nikitin, going in to him. —-
“今天天气真好！” Nikitin走进去对他说。 —-

“I wonder at you—how can you sit indoors?”
“我不明白你，你怎么能待在屋里？”

Ippolit Ippolititch was not a talkative person; —-
伊波利特·伊波利特奇不是一个健谈的人； —-

he either remained silent or talked of things which everybody knew already. —-
他要么保持沉默，要么谈一些每个人都已经知道的事情。 —-

Now what he answered was:
他现在的回答是：

“Yes, very fine weather. It’s May now; we soon shall have real summer. —-
“是的，天气很好。现在是五月，我们很快就会有真正的夏天了。 —-

And summer’s a very different thing from winter. —-
夏天和冬天是完全不同的。 —-

In the winter you have to heat the stoves, but in summer you can keep warm without. —-
冬天你必须烧暖炉，但夏天你可以不用。 —-

In summer you have your window open at night and still are warm, and in winter you are cold even with the double frames in.”
夏天你可以晚上开着窗子还是暖和的，而冬天即使有双层窗户，你也会感到冷。”

Nikitin had not sat at the table for more than one minute before he was bored.
Nikitin刚坐到桌子旁，不到一分钟他就觉得无聊了。

“Good-night!” he said, getting up and yawning. —-
“晚安！”他起身打了个呵欠。 —-

“I wanted to tell you something romantic concerning myself, but you are—geography! —-
“我本想告诉你一些关于我自己的浪漫事情，但你才是——地理学！” —-

If one talks to you of love, you will ask one at once, ‘What was the date of the Battle of Kalka? —-
如果有人与你谈论爱情，你会立刻问他：“Kalka战役是哪一天的？” —-

’ Confound you, with your battles and your capes in Siberia!”
“见鬼，你和你的战役以及西伯利亚的披风！”

“What are you cross about?”
“你为什么生气？”

“Why, it is vexatious!”
“哦，真让人烦恼！”

And vexed that he had not spoken to Masha, and that he had no one to talk to of his love, he went to his study and lay down upon the sofa. —-
他很生气，生气于自己没有和玛莎交谈，并且没有人可以谈论他的爱情，他就去书房躺在沙发上。 —-

It was dark and still in the study. Lying gazing into the darkness, Nikitin for some reason began thinking how in two or three years he would go to Petersburg, how Masha would see him off at the station and would cry; —-
书房里又黑又静。尼基廷不知为何盯着黑暗中的地方沉思，他开始想着两三年后他会去圣彼得堡的事情，想着玛莎会在车站给自己送行，并且会哭； —-

in Petersburg he would get a long letter from her in which she would entreat him to come home as quickly as possible. —-
他会在圣彼得堡收到她一封长信，信中她会恳求他尽快回家。 —-

And he would write to her. . . . He would begin his letter like that: —-
而他会给她写信……他会这样开头： —-

“My dear little rat!”
“我亲爱的小老鼠！”

“Yes, my dear little rat!” he said, and he laughed.
“是的，我亲爱的小老鼠！”他说，然后笑了起来。

He was lying in an uncomfortable position. —-
他躺在一种不舒服的姿势中。 —-

He put his arms under his head and put his left leg over the back of the sofa. —-
他把手放在脑袋下面，把左腿搭在沙发后背上。 —-

He felt more comfortable. Meanwhile a pale light was more and more perceptible at the windows, sleepy cocks crowed in the yard. —-
他感觉更舒服了。与此同时，窗户上透出越来越明亮的灯光，院子里的鸡咕咕地叫了起来。 —-

Nikitin went on thinking how he would come back from Petersburg, how Masha would meet him at the station, and with a shriek of delight would fling herself on his neck; —-
尼基廷继续思考他从圣彼得堡回来的情景，想着玛莎会在车站迎接他，并且高兴得尖叫着扑到他怀里； —-

or, better still, he would cheat her and come home by stealth late at night: —-
或者，更好的办法是他蒙蔽她，深夜偷偷回家： —-

the cook would open the door, then he would go on tiptoe to the bedroom, undress noiselessly, and jump into bed! —-
厨师会打开门，然后踮起脚尖走向卧室，无声地脱衣服，跳上床！ —-

And she would wake up and be overjoyed.
她醒来后会非常高兴。

It was beginning to get quite light. By now there were no windows, no study. —-
天开始变亮了，现在没有窗户，也没有书房了。 —-

On the steps of the brewery by which they had ridden that day Masha was sitting, saying something. —-
在他们今天骑过的酿酒厂的台阶上，玛莎坐在那里，说着什么。 —-

Then she took Nikitin by the arm and went with him to the suburban garden. —-
然后她拉着尼基京的胳膊，和他一起去郊外的花园。 —-

There he saw the oaks and, the crows’ nests like hats. One of the nests rocked; —-
在那里他看到了橡树和像帽子一样的乌鸦窝，其中一个窝晃动着； —-

out of it peeped Shebaldin, shouting loudly: —-
其中伸出头来的是谢巴尔丁，大声喊着： —-

“You have not read Lessing!”
“你没有读过莱辛！”

Nikitin shuddered all over and opened his eyes. —-
尼基京浑身一颤，睁开眼睛。 —-

Ippolit Ippolititch was standing before the sofa, and throwing back his head, was putting on his cravat.
伊波利特·伊波利特奇站在沙发前，抬起头，系上领带。

“Get up; it’s time for school,” he said. “You shouldn’t sleep in your clothes; —-
“起床了，该去上学了，”他说。“你不应该穿着衣服睡觉； —-

it spoils your clothes. You should sleep in your bed, undressed.”
这样会弄脏你的衣服。你应该脱掉衣服，躺在你的床上。”

And as usual he began slowly and emphatically saying what everybody knew.
照例他开始缓慢而有力地说出每个人都知道的事情。

Nikitin’s first lesson was on Russian language in the second class. —-
尼基京的第一节课是在二年级的俄语课上。 —-

When at nine o’clock punctually he went into the classroom, he saw written on the blackboard two large letters—M. S. That, no doubt, meant Masha Shelestov.
当他准时于九点钟走进教室时，他看到黑板上写着两个大字 —— M. S. 那肯定是指玛莎·谢列斯托夫。

“They’ve scented it out already, the rascals . . . —-
“他们已经嗅出了，这些恶棍们……” —-

” thought Nikitin. “How is it they know everything?”
尼基廷想。“他们怎么知道一切呢？”

The second lesson was in the fifth class. —-
第二节课在五年级上。 —-

And there two letters, M. S., were written on the blackboard; —-
黑板上写着两个字母M.S。 —-

and when he went out of the classroom at the end of the lesson, he heard the shout behind him as though from a theatre gallery:
在课结束时，当他走出教室时，他听到了从剧院楼座后面传来的呼喊声：

“Hurrah for Masha Shelestov!”
“为玛莎·舍列斯托夫欢呼！”

His head was heavy from sleeping in his clothes, his limbs were weighted down with inertia. —-
他因为穿着衣服睡觉而感到头重脚轻，四肢没有力气。 —-

The boys, who were expecting every day to break up before the examinations, did nothing, were restless, and so bored that they got into mischief. —-
孩子们每天都期待着考试前放学，所以什么事情也不做，坐立不安，无聊得想做坏事。 —-

Nikitin, too, was restless, did not notice their pranks, and was continually going to the window. —-
尼基廷也坐立不安，没有注意到他们的恶作剧，不停地朝窗外看。 —-

He could see the street brilliantly lighted up with the sun; —-
他能看见阳光照亮的街道； —-

above the houses the blue limpid sky, the birds, and far, far away, beyond the gardens and the houses, vast indefinite distance, the forests in the blue haze, the smoke from a passing train. . . .
在房屋上方是碧蓝晴朗的天空，鸟儿，远远的，在花园和房屋后面，广阔的无边无际的距离，蓝色的薄雾中的森林，一列经过的火车冒着烟……

Here two officers in white tunics, playing with their whips, passed in the street in the shade of the acacias. —-
两个穿着白色制服的军官在街上打着鞭子玩耍，走在槭树的阴影中。 —-

Here a lot of Jews, with grey beards, and caps on, drove past in a waggonette. . . . —-
一辆马车上坐着许多戴着灰色胡须和帽子的犹太人…… —-

The governess walked by with the director’s granddaughter. —-
家庭教师和校长的孙女一起走过。 —-

Som ran by in the company of two other dogs. . . . —-
萨姆和其他两只狗一起跑着…… —-

And then Varya, wearing a simple grey dress and red stockings, carrying the “Vyestnik Evropi” in her hand, passed by. —-
接着，瓦里娅穿着一件简单的灰色连衣裙和红色长筒袜，手里拿着《欧洲信使》走过。 —-

She must have been to the town library. . . .
她一定是去了镇上的图书馆……

And it would be a long time before lessons were over at three o’clock! —-
三点钟的课才结束，那要等很久呢！ —-

And after school he could not go home nor to the Shelestovs’, but must go to give a lesson at Wolf’s. —-
放学后他不能回家也不能去舍列斯托夫家，而是必须去沃尔夫那里上课。 —-

This Wolf, a wealthy Jew who had turned Lutheran, did not send his children to the high school, but had them taught at home by the high-school masters, and paid five roubles a lesson.
这个沃尔夫是一个富有的犹太人，后来改信了路德派，他的孩子们不上高中，而是由高中老师在家里教，每节课付五卢布。

He was bored, bored, bored.
他无聊极了，无聊得要命。

At three o’clock he went to Wolf’s and spent there, as it seemed to him, an eternity. —-
三点钟时他去了沃尔夫家，在那里度过了他看起来无尽的时间。 —-

He left there at five o’clock, and before seven he had to be at the high school again to a meeting of the masters —to draw up the plan for the viva voce examination of the fourth and sixth classes.
他五点钟离开那里，七点之前他必须再次去高中参加教员们的会议——起草四、六年级口试的计划。

When late in the evening he left the high school and went to the Shelestovs’, his heart was beating and his face was flushed. —-
晚上离开高中，去舍列斯托夫家时，他的心跳加快了，脸也涨红了。 —-

A month before, even a week before, he had, every time that he made up his mind to speak to her, prepared a whole speech, with an introduction and a conclusion. —-
一个月前，甚至一周前，每次他下定决心要和她说话时，他都准备好了一整段的演讲，有引言和结论。 —-

Now he had not one word ready; everything was in a muddle in his head, and all he knew was that today he would certainly declare himself, and that it was utterly impossible to wait any longer.
现在他一句话都没有准备好，心里一团糟，他只知道今天他一定要表白，再等下去是完全不可能的。

“I will ask her to come to the garden,” he thought; —-
“我会请她到花园里，”他想， —-

“we’ll walk about a little and I’ll speak.”
“我们会在那里散步一会儿，然后我再说。”

There was not a soul in the hall; he went into the dining-room and then into the drawing-room. . . —-
大厅里一个人也没有，他走进了餐厅，然后进了客厅…… —-

. There was no one there either. He could hear Varya arguing with some one upstairs and the clink of the dressmaker’s scissors in the nursery.
那里也没有人。他听到楼上瓦里娅在和别人争吵，以及裁缝在儿房里剪裁的声音。

There was a little room in the house which had three names: —-
房子里有一个小房间，有三个名字： —-

the little room, the passage room, and the dark room. —-
小房间，走廊房间和黑暗房间。 —-

There was a big cupboard in it where they kept medicines, gunpowder, and their hunting gear. —-
里面有一个大橱柜，里面放着药品、火药和他们的狩猎装备。 —-

Leading from this room to the first floor was a narrow wooden staircase where cats were always asleep. —-
通向一楼的是一座狭窄的木楼梯，猫儿们总是在那里睡觉。 —-

There were two doors in it—one leading to the nursery, one to the drawing-room. —-
里面有两扇门——一扇通向儿童房，一扇通向客厅。 —-

When Nikitin went into this room to go upstairs, the door from the nursery opened and shut with such a bang that it made the stairs and the cupboard tremble; —-
当尼基廷走进这个房间去楼上时，儿童房的门开了又关，发出巨响，让楼梯和橱柜都颤动起来； —-

Masha, in a dark dress, ran in with a piece of blue material in her hand, and, not noticing Nikitin, darted towards the stairs.
玛莎穿着一件黑色衣服，手里拿着一块蓝色的材料，没注意到尼基廷，朝楼梯冲了过去。

“Stay . . .” said Nikitin, stopping her. “Good-evening, Godefroi . . . . Allow me. . . .”
“等一下……”尼基廷说着，拦住了她。“晚上好，戈德弗鲁瓦……容我……”

He gasped, he did not know what to say; with one hand he held her hand and with the other the blue material. —-
他喘息着，不知道该说什么；一只手握着她的手，另一只手握着蓝色的材料。 —-

And she was half frightened, half surprised, and looked at him with big eyes.
她又惊又怕地看着他，眼睛大大的。

“Allow me . . .” Nikitin went on, afraid she would go away. —-
“让我……”尼基廷继续说着，生怕她会走掉。 —-

“There’s something I must say to you. . . . Only . . . it’s inconvenient here. —-
“有些事我必须对你说……只是……这里不方便。 —-

I cannot, I am incapable. . . . Understand, Godefroi, I can’t —that’s all . . . .”
我不能，我做不到……明白吗，戈德弗鲁瓦，我做不到——仅此而已……”

The blue material slipped on to the floor, and Nikitin took Masha by the other hand. —-
蓝色的材料掉在了地板上，尼基廷握住了玛莎的另一只手。 —-

She turned pale, moved her lips, then stepped back from Nikitin and found herself in the corner between the wall and the cupboard.
她脸色苍白，嘴唇动了动，然后从尼基廷身边退了回去，发现自己被堵在了墙和橱柜之间。

“On my honour, I assure you . . .” he said softly. “Masha, on my honour. . . .”
“以我的荣誉保证，我向您保证……”他轻声说道。“玛莎，以我的荣誉保证……”

She threw back her head and he kissed her lips, and that the kiss might last longer he put his fingers to her cheeks; —-
她仰起头，他亲吻她的嘴唇，为了延长接吻的时间，他用手指轻触她的脸颊； —-

and it somehow happened that he found himself in the corner between the cupboard and the wall, and she put her arms round his neck and pressed her head against his chin.
这样一来，他发现自己身在壁橱和墙之间的角落，她环抱着他的脖子，把头贴在他的下巴上。

Then they both ran into the garden. The Shelestoys had a garden of nine acres. —-
然后他们一起跑进了花园。舍列斯托伊家有一个九英亩的花园。 —-

There were about twenty old maples and lime-trees in it; —-
里面有大约二十颗古老的槭树和椴树； —-

there was one fir-tree, and all the rest were fruit-trees: —-
还有一棵杉树，其他都是果树： —-

cherries, apples, pears, horse-chestnuts, silvery olive-trees. —-
樱桃树、苹果树、梨树、七叶树。 —-

. . . There were heaps of flowers, too.
……还有很多鲜花。

Nikitin and Masha ran along the avenues in silence, laughed, asked each other from time to time disconnected questions which they did not answer. —-
尼基京和玛莎默默地沿着大道跑着，笑着，不时地问彼此一些毫无关联的问题，而又不去回答。 —-

A crescent moon was shining over the garden, and drowsy tulips and irises were stretching up from the dark grass in its faint light, as though entreating for words of love for them, too.
皓月在花园上空闪烁着，瞌睡的郁金香和鸢尾花在暗淡的光芒中从浓草中伸展出来，仿佛在央求有关爱情的言辞。

When Nikitin and Masha went back to the house, the officers and the young ladies were already assembled and dancing the mazurka. —-
当尼基京和玛莎回到屋子，军官们和年轻女士已经聚在一起跳着马祖尔卡舞。 —-

Again Polyansky led the grand chain through all the rooms, again after dancing they played “fate. —-
波兰斯基再次引领大家沿着所有房间串起的队列，再次跳舞后，他们玩起了“命运之舞”。 —-

” Before supper, when the visitors had gone into the dining-room, Masha, left alone with Nikitin, pressed close to him and said:
“晚餐前，当客人们走进餐厅时，玛莎独自留下与尼基京靠得很近，说道：

“You must speak to papa and Varya yourself; I am ashamed.”
“你必须亲自与爸爸和瓦琳娜说话，我感觉很害羞。”

After supper he talked to the old father. —-
晚餐后，他与老父亲谈了谈。 —-

After listening to him, Shelestov thought a little and said:
听完他说的话，谢莱斯托夫想了一会儿，然后说道：

“I am very grateful for the honour you do me and my daughter, but let me speak to you as a friend. I will speak to you, not as a father, but as one gentleman to another. —-
“非常感谢你对我和我的女儿的尊敬，但请让我以朋友的身份跟你说话。我要以一个绅士对另一个绅士的方式跟你交谈。 —-

Tell me, why do you want to be married so young? —-
请告诉我，你为什么想这么年轻就结婚？ —-

Only peasants are married so young, and that, of course, is loutishness. But why should you? —-
只有农民才这么年轻就结婚，而且那当然是粗鲁的。但是你为什么要这样做呢？ —-

Where’s the satisfaction of putting on the fetters at your age?”
在你这个年纪束缚自己有何满足之处呢？”

“I am not young!” said Nikitin, offended. “I am in my twenty-seventh year.”
“我已经不年轻了！”尼基京生气地说道。“我已经27岁了。”

“Papa, the farrier has come!” cried Varya from the other room.
“爸爸，铁匠来了！”瓦尔雅从另一个房间喊道。

And the conversation broke off. Varya, Masha, and Polyansky saw Nikitin home. —-
对话就这样中断了。瓦尔雅、玛莎和波利安斯基送尼基京回家。 —-

When they reached his gate, Varya said:
当他们到达他家的门口时，瓦尔雅说道：

“Why is it your mysterious Metropolit Metropolititch never shows himself anywhere? —-
“你神秘的梅特罗波利特·梅特罗波利特奇为什么从来不在任何地方露面？ —-

He might come and see us.”
他可以过来看看我们。”

The mysterious Ippolit Ippolititch was sitting on his bed, taking off his trousers, when Nikitin went in to him.
神秘的伊波利特·伊波利特奇正坐在床上脱裤子，尼基京走进去找他。

“Don’t go to bed, my dear fellow,” said Nikitin breathlessly. —-
“亲爱的，别上床睡觉，”尼基京上气不接下气地说道。 —-

“Stop a minute; don’t go to bed!”
“等一下，别上床睡觉！”

Ippolit Ippolititch put on his trousers hurriedly and asked in a flutter:
伊波利特·伊波利特奇匆忙穿上他的裤子，紧张地问道：

“What is it?”
“这是什么？”

“I am going to be married.”
“我要结婚了。”

Nikitin sat down beside his companion, and looking at him wonderingly, as though surprised at himself, said:
尼基京惊讶地坐在他的伙伴旁边，眼神迷惑地望着他，好像对自己感到惊讶，然后说道：

“Only fancy, I am going to be married! To Masha Shelestov! I made an offer today.”
“想想看，我要结婚了！和玛莎·谢列斯托娃结婚！我今天向她求婚了。”

“Well? She seems a good sort of girl. Only she is very young.”
“嗯？她似乎是个不错的姑娘。只是她很年轻。”

“Yes, she is young,” sighed Nikitin, and shrugged his shoulders with a careworn air. —-
“是的，她很年轻。”尼基京叹了口气，耸了耸肩，带着心神恍惚的神情。 —-

“Very, very young!”
“非常非常年轻！”

“She was my pupil at the high school. I know her. —-
“她是我在高中的学生。我了解她。 —-

She wasn’t bad at geography, but she was no good at history. —-
她在地理方面不错，但历史不行。 —-

And she was inattentive in class, too.”
而且她在课堂上也不专心。”

Nikitin for some reason felt suddenly sorry for his companion, and longed to say something kind and comforting to him.
不知为何，尼基京突然感到为他的伙伴感到难过，渴望对他说些温暖安慰的话。

“My dear fellow, why don’t you get married?” he asked. —-
“亲爱的朋友，你为什么不结婚呢？”他问道。 —-

“Why don’t you marry Varya, for instance? She is a splendid, first-rate girl! —-
“为什么不娶瓦琳娅呢？她是个出色的，一流的姑娘！ —-

It’s true she is very fond of arguing, but a heart . . . what a heart! —-
她确实喜欢争论，但是她的心……多么善良的心！ —-

She was just asking about you. Marry her, my dear boy! Eh?”
她刚刚问起你。娶她吧，亲爱的小伙子！嗯？”

He knew perfectly well that Varya would not marry this dull, snub-nosed man, but still persuaded him to marry her—why?
他非常清楚瓦莉娅不会嫁给这个呆板无趣、平凡的男人，但却仍然说服他娶她——为什么呢？

“Marriage is a serious step,” said Ippolit Ippolititch after a moment’s thought. —-
“结婚是一件严肃的事情，”伊波利特伊波利奇经过片刻思考后说道。 —-

“One has to look at it all round and weigh things thoroughly; it’s not to be done rashly. —-
“人们必须全面考虑，深思熟虑；这不是轻率之事。 —-

Prudence is always a good thing, and especially in marriage, when a man, ceasing to be a bachelor, begins a new life.”
审慎始终是件好事，尤其是在婚姻中，当一个人不再是单身，开始新的生活。”

And he talked of what every one has known for ages. —-
他谈论的是众所周知的事情。 —-

Nikitin did not stay to listen, said goodnight, and went to his own room. —-
尼基廷没有停下来听，他说晚安，走进自己的房间。 —-

He undressed quickly and quickly got into bed, in order to be able to think the sooner of his happiness, of Masha, of the future; —-
他迅速脱衣并迅速上床，为了能够更早地想着他的幸福、马莎、未来； —-

he smiled, then suddenly recalled that he had not read Lessing.
他微笑着，突然想起自己还没读莱辛。

“I must read him,” he thought. “Though, after all, why should I? Bother him!”
“我必须读他的书，”他想道。“虽然，毕竟，我为什么要读呢？让他见鬼去吧！”

And exhausted by his happiness, he fell asleep at once and went on smiling till the morning.
被幸福感耗尽，他立刻入睡，并一直笑到天亮。

He dreamed of the thud of horses’ hoofs on a wooden floor; —-
他梦见马蹄声在木地板上响起； —-

he dreamed of the black horse Count Nulin, then of the white Giant and its sister Maika, being led out of the stable. II
他梦见黑马努林伯爵，然后是白色巨人及其姐姐迈卡被领出马厩。

“It was very crowded and noisy in the church, and once some one cried out, and the head priest, who was marrying Masha and me, looked through his spectacles at the crowd, and said severely: —-
“教堂里非常拥挤和嘈杂，有人叫喊，主神父（Masha和我结婚的那位）透过眼镜严厉地看着人群，并严肃地说道： —-

‘Don’t move about the church, and don’t make a noise, but stand quietly and pray. —-
‘不要在教堂里乱动，不要大声喧哗，而应静静地站着祈祷。 —-

You should have the fear of God in your hearts.’
你们心中应当有对上帝的敬畏之心。’

“My best men were two of my colleagues, and Masha’s best men were Captain Polyansky and Lieutenant Gernet. —-
“我最好的男人是我的两个同事，而玛莎的最好的男人是波连斯基船长和格奈特中尉。 —-

The bishop’s choir sang superbly. The sputtering of the candles, the brilliant light, the gorgeous dresses, the officers, the numbers of gay, happy faces, and a special ethereal look in Masha, everything together—the surroundings and the words of the wedding prayers—moved me to tears and filled me with triumph. —-
主教的唱诗班唱得非常好。蜡烛的爆裂声，熠熠的光芒，华丽的礼服，军官们，众多快乐而幸福的面孔，还有玛莎身上那特殊的天使般的气质，所有这一切——周围的环境和婚礼祈祷词的文字——让我感动得流泪，充满了胜利感。 —-

I thought how my life had blossomed, how poetically it was shaping itself! —-
我在想着我的生活如何繁荣，如何以诗意的方式塑造着自己！ —-

Two years ago I was still a student, I was living in cheap furnished rooms, without money, without relations, and, as I fancied then, with nothing to look forward to. —-
两年前，我还是一个学生，住在廉价的出租房间里，没有钱，没有亲戚，而且，当时我以为，没有任何期待。 —-

Now I am a teacher in the high school in one of the best provincial towns, with a secure income, loved, spoiled. —-
现在我是一个高中的教师，工资稳定，在一个最好的省级城镇中，深受爱戴，备受宠爱。 —-

It is for my sake, I thought, this crowd is collected, for my sake three candelabra have been lighted, the deacon is booming, the choir is doing its best; —-
我想，这一切都是为了我，就是为了我，这群人聚集在这里，为了我，点亮了三个烛台，执事响亮地念诵，唱诗班全力以赴； —-

and it’s for my sake that this young creature, whom I soon shall call my wife, is so young, so elegant, and so joyful. —-
就是为了我，这个年轻的生物才会如此年轻、如此优雅、如此快乐，很快我就会称她为我的妻子。 —-

I recalled our first meetings, our rides into the country, my declaration of love and the weather, which, as though expressly, was so exquisitely fine all the summer; —-
我还记得我们的第一次见面，我们一起出城游玩，我对她表白和当时美丽的天气，整个夏天，天气美得好像是特意为我们安排的； —-

and the happiness which at one time in my old rooms seemed to me possible only in novels and stories, I was now experiencing in reality—I was now, as it were, holding it in my hands.
在我以前的房间里，幸福曾经在小说和故事中才可能发生，而现在，我正在现实中体验着幸福——它就像是我现在握在手中。

“After the ceremony they all crowded in disorder round Masha and me, expressed their genuine pleasure, congratulated us and wished us joy. —-
“仪式结束后，大家都乱糟糟地围在玛莎和我身边，表达着他们真诚的喜悦，祝贺我们并祝愿我们幸福。 —-

The brigadier-general, an old man of seventy, confined himself to congratulating Masha, and said to her in a squeaky, aged voice, so loud that it could be heard all over the church:
这位年过七旬的将军只祝贺了玛莎，并用一个尖锐而年老的声音对她说，声音在整个教堂都能听到：“‘亲爱的，我希望即使在你结婚后，你也能保持现在这朵玫瑰。’”

“‘I hope that even after you are married you may remain the rose you are now, my dear.’
“亲爱的，让玛莎保持她现在的美貌。”

“The officers, the director, and all the teachers smiled from politeness, and I was conscious of an agreeable artificial smile on my face, too. —-
“教官、主任和所有老师都面带微笑，而我也意识到自己脸上也挂着一种愉快、做作的笑容。 —-

Dear Ippolit Ippolititch, the teacher of history and geography, who always says what every one has heard before, pressed my hand warmly and said with feeling:
亲爱的伊波利特·伊波利特奇，历史和地理老师，总是重复别人听过的话，热情地握着我的手说：

“‘Hitherto you have been unmarried and have lived alone, and now you are married and no longer single.’
“‘迄今为止你一直是未婚，独自生活，现在你结婚了，不再是单身了。’

“From the church we went to a two-storied house which I am receiving as part of the dowry. —-
“教堂之后，我们去了一座两层楼的房子，这是作为嫁妆的一部分给我的。 —-

Besides that house Masha is bringing me twenty thousand roubles, as well as a piece of waste land with a shanty on it, where I am told there are numbers of hens and ducks which are not looked after and are turning wild. —-
除了那座房子，玛莎还给我带来了两万卢布，还有一块有一间棚屋的废地，那里据说有许多不受照顾、变得野性的母鸡和鸭子。 —-

When I got home from the church, I stretched myself at full length on the low sofa in my new study and began to smoke; —-
当我从教堂回到家，我舒服地躺在新书房的低沙发上，开始抽烟； —-

I felt snug, cosy, and comfortable, as I never had in my life before. —-
我感到温暖、舒适，这是我这辈子从未有过的感觉。 —-

And meanwhile the wedding party were shouting ‘Hurrah! —-
与此同时，在婚宴上，大家都在喊‘万岁！’ —-

’ while a wretched band in the hall played flourishes and all sorts of trash. —-
“同时，大厅里的一支可怜的乐队演奏着一些华彩和垃圾音乐。 —-

Varya, Masha’s sister, ran into the study with a wineglass in her hand, and with a queer, strained expression, as though her mouth were full of water; —-
玛莎的姐姐瓦利娅手持酒杯冲进书房，脸上带着一种奇怪而紧张的表情，好像嘴里满满地装着水； —-

apparently she had meant to go on further, but she suddenly burst out laughing and sobbing, and the wineglass crashed on the floor. —-
显然她本来打算说更多，但突然爆笑和哭泣起来，酒杯摔在地上。 —-

We took her by the arms and led her away.
我们拉着她的胳膊把她带走了。

“‘Nobody can understand!’ she muttered afterwards, lying on the old nurse’s bed in a back room. —-
“‘没有人能明白！’她后来喃喃自语，躺在后房的老护士的床上。 —-

‘Nobody, nobody! My God, nobody can understand!’
“没有人，没有人！天啊，没有人能明白！’

“But every one understood very well that she was four years older than her sister Masha, and still unmarried, and that she was crying, not from envy, but from the melancholy consciousness that her time was passing, and perhaps had passed. —-
“但是每个人都非常清楚，她比她妹妹玛莎大四岁，还是未婚，而且她哭泣，并不是因为嫉妒，而是因为对自己时光的流逝产生了忧郁的意识，或许已经过去了。” —-

When they danced the quadrille, she was back in the drawing-room with a tear-stained and heavily powdered face, and I saw Captain Polyansky holding a plate of ice before her while she ate it with a spoon.
当他们跳随四步舞时，她回到了带着泪痕和加了很多粉的客厅，我看到Polyansky船长拿着一盘冰递给她，她用勺子吃着。

“It is past five o’clock in the morning. —-
“现在已经是早上五点了。 —-

I took up my diary to describe my complete and perfect happiness, and thought I would write a good six pages, and read it tomorrow to Masha; —-
我拿起我的日记本，想要描述我完全而完美的幸福，计划写上六页，并且明天给玛莎读； —-

but, strange to say, everything is muddled in my head and as misty as a dream, and I can remember vividly nothing but that episode with Varya, and I want to write, ‘Poor Varya! —-
但是，奇怪的是，我头脑中一片混乱，像个梦一样模糊，我只记得与Varya的那个片段，我想写道，“可怜的Varya！ —-

’ I could go on sitting here and writing ‘Poor Varya! —-
“我可以坐在这里继续写‘可怜的Varya！ —-

’ By the way, the trees have begun rustling; it will rain. —-
“顺便说一句，树开始发出沙沙声，快要下雨了。 —-

The crows are cawing, and my Masha, who has just gone to sleep, has for some reason a sorrowful face.”
乌鸦在叫着，我刚刚入睡的玛莎莫名地有一张悲伤的脸。”

For a long while afterwards Nikitin did not write his diary. —-
在此后很长一段时间内，Nikitin都没有写他的日记。 —-

At the beginning of August he had the school examinations, and after the fifteenth the classes began. —-
八月初他参加了学校的考试，十五号后开始上课。 —-

As a rule he set off for school before nine in the morning, and before ten o’clock he was looking at his watch and pining for his Masha and his new house. —-
通常早上九点之前他就去上学了，十点之前他就开始渴望他的Masha和他的新房子。 —-

In the lower forms he would set some boy to dictate, and while the boys were writing, would sit in the window with his eyes shut, dreaming; —-
在较低年级他会让某个男生口述，而当男生们在写的时候，他会坐在窗户边闭上眼睛，做梦； —-

whether he dreamed of the future or recalled the past, everything seemed to him equally delightful, like a fairy tale. —-
无论是梦见未来还是回忆过去，对他来说都一样美妙，像个童话故事。 —-

In the senior classes they were reading aloud Gogol or Pushkin’s prose works, and that made him sleepy; —-
在高年级他们正在朗读Gogol或普希金的散文作品，那让他昏昏欲睡； —-

people, trees, fields, horses, rose before his imagination, and he would say with a sigh, as though fascinated by the author:
人、树、田野、马在他的想象中浮现，在他惊叹着的时候会叹息道：

“How lovely!”
“多么美好！”

At the midday recess Masha used to send him lunch in a snow-white napkin, and he would eat it slowly, with pauses, to prolong the enjoyment of it; —-
在中午休息时间，玛莎通常会用一块雪白的餐巾给他送午餐，他会慢慢地吃，停下来，延长享受的时间； —-

and Ippolit Ippolititch, whose lunch as a rule consisted of nothing but bread, looked at him with respect and envy, and gave expression to some familiar fact, such as:
而伊波利特·伊波利奇的午餐通常只有面包，他敬佩又羡慕地看着他，并表达了一些熟悉的事实，比如：

“Men cannot live without food.”
“人不能没有食物而生活。”

After school Nikitin went straight to give his private lessons, and when at last by six o’clock he got home, he felt excited and anxious, as though he had been away for a year. —-
放学后，尼基京直接去上他的私人课程，在六点钟回到家时，他感到兴奋焦虑，好像自己离家一年那样。 —-

He would run upstairs breathless, find Masha, throw his arms round her, and kiss her and swear that he loved her, that he could not live without her, declare that he had missed her fearfully, and ask her in trepidation how she was and why she looked so depressed. —-
他会气喘吁吁地跑上楼，找到玛莎，抱住她，亲吻她，并发誓他爱她，没有她他不能活，声称他非常想念她，并恐惧地问她为什么看起来如此沮丧。 —-

Then they would dine together. After dinner he would lie on the sofa in his study and smoke, while she sat beside him and talked in a low voice.
然后他们会一起吃晚饭。晚饭后，他会躺在书房的沙发上抽烟，而她坐在他旁边低声说话。

His happiest days now were Sundays and holidays, when he was at home from morning till evening. —-
他最幸福的日子是星期日和假日，那些日子他能从早到晚都在家里。 —-

On those days he took part in the naïve but extraordinarily pleasant life which reminded him of a pastoral idyl. —-
在那些日子里，他参加了天真但非常愉快的生活，让他想起牧歌般的田园生活。 —-

He was never weary of watching how his sensible and practical Masha was arranging her nest, and anxious to show that he was of some use in the house, he would do something useless— for instance, bring the chaise out of the stable and look at it from every side. —-
他从不厌倦地观察着他明智而实际的玛莎如何布置她的家，为了证明他对家里有所作为，他会做一些无用的事情，比如把马车从车库里拉出来，从各个角度看着它。 —-

Masha had installed a regular dairy with three cows, and in her cellar she had many jugs of milk and pots of sour cream, and she kept it all for butter. —-
玛莎建了一个常规的奶牛场，她的地窖里有许多罐装的牛奶和酸奶，她都留着做黄油。 —-

Sometimes, by way of a joke, Nikitin would ask her for a glass of milk, and she would be quite upset because it was against her rules; —-
有时，为了开个玩笑，尼基京会要求她倒一杯牛奶，她会很沮丧，因为那违背了她的规定； —-

but he would laugh and throw his arms round her, saying:
但他会笑着抱住她，说：

“There, there; I was joking, my darling! I was joking!”
“好了，好了；我在开玩笑，亲爱的！我在开玩笑！”

Or he would laugh at her strictness when, finding in the cupboard some stale bit of cheese or sausage as hard as a stone, she would say seriously:
或者，当他笑着看着她认真地在橱柜里找到一些变硬如石头的变质奶酪或香肠时，他会嘲笑她的严格，她会认真地说：

“They will eat that in the kitchen.”
“他们会在厨房吃掉那个。”

He would observe that such a scrap was only fit for a mousetrap, and she would reply warmly that men knew nothing about housekeeping, and that it was just the same to the servants if you were to send down a hundredweight of savouries to the kitchen. —-
他会觉得这样的残渣只适合放在老鼠夹里，她会热情地回答说男人对家务一窍不通，对仆人来说，你要是送一百斤糕点到厨房也没什么不同。 —-

He would agree, and embrace her enthusiastically. —-
他会表示同意，并热情地拥抱她。 —-

Everything that was just in what she said seemed to him extraordinary and amazing; —-
他觉得她所说的一切公正之处都让他感到非凡和惊奇； —-

and what did not fit in with his convictions seemed to him naïve and touching.
而与他的信念不符的，他觉得天真而令人感动。

Sometimes he was in a philosophical mood, and he would begin to discuss some abstract subject while she listened and looked at his face with curiosity.
有时候他会陷入哲学的思考中，开始讨论一些抽象的话题，而她则好奇地听着，注视着他的脸庞。

“I am immensely happy with you, my joy,” he used to say, playing with her fingers or plaiting and unplaiting her hair. —-
“与你在一起，我非常幸福，我的宝贝，”他经常这样说着，玩弄着她的手指或编织着解开她的头发。 —-

“But I don’t look upon this happiness of mine as something that has come to me by chance, as though it had dropped from heaven. —-
“但是我并不认为我的这份幸福仅仅是巧合得来的，好像它突然从天而降。 —-

This happiness is a perfectly natural, consistent, logical consequence. —-
这份幸福是完全自然、连贯、合乎逻辑的结果。 —-

I believe that man is the creator of his own happiness, and now I am enjoying just what I have myself created. —-
我相信人是自己幸福的创造者，现在我正享受着我自己创造的幸福。 —-

Yes, I speak without false modesty: I have created this happiness myself and I have a right to it. —-
是的，我并不虚伪地说：这份幸福是我自己创造的，我有权利享受它。 —-

You know my past. My unhappy childhood, without father or mother; —-
你知道我的过去。没有父母的不幸童年； —-

my depressing youth, poverty—all this was a struggle, all this was the path by which I made my way to happiness. . . .”
我饱受压抑的青年时期，贫困— 这一切都是一场奋斗，都是我通往幸福的道路……”

In October the school sustained a heavy loss: —-
十月份，学校遭受了沉重的损失： —-

Ippolit Ippolititch was taken ill with erysipelas on the head and died. —-
伊波利特·伊波利特维奇头上出现了红斑病，后来病逝了。 —-

For two days before his death he was unconscious and delirious, but even in his delirium he said nothing that was not perfectly well known to every one.
在他临死前的两天，他昏迷不醒，但即使在精神错乱的状态下，他所说的话对每个人都是非常熟悉的。

“The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. . . . Horses eat oats and hay. . . .”
“伏尔加河流入里海……马吃燕麦和干草……”

There were no lessons at the high school on the day of his funeral. —-
葬礼那天高中没有上课。 —-

His colleagues and pupils were the coffin-bearers, and the school choir sang all the way to the grave the anthem “Holy God.” Three priests, two deacons, all his pupils and the staff of the boys’ high school, and the bishop’s choir in their best kaftans, took part in the procession. —-
他的同事和学生们担任棺材扛手，学校合唱团在到坟墓的路上唱着“神圣的上帝”圣歌。三位神父、两位执事、所有的学生和男子高中的员工，以及主教合唱团都参加了这场队伍。 —-

And passers-by who met the solemn procession, crossed themselves and said:
遇到庄重的队伍走过的路人都十字手，并说道：

“God grant us all such a death.”
“愿上帝给我们大家这样的死亡。”

Returning home from the cemetery much moved, Nikitin got out his diary from the table and wrote:
从墓地回家的路上，尼基京从桌子上拿出他的日记本，写道：

“We have just consigned to the tomb Ippolit Ippolititch Ryzhitsky. —-
“我们刚刚把伊戈尔·伊夫洛维奇·里基茨基送入坟墓。 —-

Peace to your ashes, modest worker! Masha, Varya, and all the women at the funeral, wept from genuine feeling, perhaps because they knew this uninteresting, humble man had never been loved by a woman. —-
愿你的骨灰安息，谦逊的劳动者！玛莎、瓦尔亚和所有在葬礼上的妇女都因真情实感而哭泣，也许是因为她们知道这个平凡无趣的男人从未被任何女人爱过。 —-

I wanted to say a warm word at my colleague’s grave, but I was warned that this might displease the director, as he did not like our poor friend. —-
我想在同事的坟前说几句热情的话，但有人警告我这可能会惹恼院长，因为他不喜欢我们这个可怜的朋友。 —-

I believe that this is the first day since my marriage that my heart has been heavy.”
我相信这是我结婚以来第一次心情沉重的一天。”

There was no other event of note in the scholastic year.
学年中没有其他值得注意的事件。

The winter was mild, with wet snow and no frost; —-
这个冬天很温和，有湿雪而无霜冻； —-

on Epiphany Eve, for instance, the wind howled all night as though it were autumn, and water trickled off the roofs; —-
比如在主显节前夕，整晚风呼啸，如同秋天一般，屋顶上滴水； —-

and in the morning, at the ceremony of the blessing of the water, the police allowed no one to go on the river, because they said the ice was swelling up and looked dark. —-
在早晨的水祝福仪式上，警察不允许任何人走上河面，因为他们说冰面正在膨胀，并且看起来很暗。 —-

But in spite of bad weather Nikitin’s life was as happy as in summer. —-
但尽管天气不好，尼基廷的生活像夏天一样幸福。 —-

And, indeed, he acquired another source of pleasure; he learned to play vint. —-
事实上，他获得了另一种快乐的来源；他学会了玩鹰茵。 —-

Only one thing troubled him, moved him to anger, and seemed to prevent him from being perfectly happy: —-
只有一件事让他烦恼，引起他的愤怒，并似乎阻止他完全幸福： —-

the cats and dogs which formed part of his wife’s dowry. —-
那些组成他妻子嫁妆的猫和狗。 —-

The rooms, especially in the morning, always smelt like a menagerie, and nothing could destroy the odour; —-
房间，尤其是早上，总是闻起来像动物园，没有什么能消除这股气味； —-

the cats frequently fought with the dogs. The spiteful beast Mushka was fed a dozen times a day; —-
猫经常和狗打架。那只恶意的兽医猫天天吃十几次； —-

she still refused to recognize Nikitin and growled at him: —-
她仍然拒绝承认尼基廷，对他咆哮： —-

“Rrr . . . nga-nga-nga!”
“啊啊啊 . . . 嗯嗯嗯!”

One night in Lent he was returning home from the club where he had been playing cards. —-
一个禁食期的夜晚，他从打牌的俱乐部回家。 —-

It was dark, raining, and muddy. Nikitin had an unpleasant feeling at the bottom of his heart and could not account for it. —-
天黑下来，下着雨，泥泞不堪。尼基廷心底有一种不愉快的感觉，但他说不清是为什么。 —-

He did not know whether it was because he had lost twelve roubles at cards, or whether because one of the players, when they were settling up, had said that of course Nikitin had pots of money, with obvious reference to his wife’s portion. —-
他不知道是因为他在打牌时输掉了十二卢布，还是因为其中一位玩家在结账时说尼基廷肯定有一大笔钱，显然是指他妻子的嫁妆。 —-

He did not regret the twelve roubles, and there was nothing offensive in what had been said; —-
他不后悔那十二卢布，而且被说的话也没有冒犯之处； —-

but, still, there was the unpleasant feeling. —-
但是，还是有这种不愉快的感觉。 —-

He did not even feel a desire to go home.
他甚至不想回家。

“Foo, how horrid!” he said, standing still at a lamp-post.
“呸，好恶心！”他站在一个路灯旁边说道。

It occurred to him that he did not regret the twelve roubles because he got them for nothing. —-
他突然想到，他并不后悔那十二卢布，因为他是白拿的。 —-

If he had been a working man he would have known the value of every farthing, and would not have been so careless whether he lost or won. —-
如果他是个上班族，他会知道每一分钱的价值，不会对输赢如此漫不经心。 —-

And his good-fortune had all, he reflected, come to him by chance, for nothing, and really was as superfluous for him as medicine for the healthy. —-
他反思道，他的好运都是偶然而来的，是白白得来的，对他来说确实是多余的，就像是健康人需要药物一样。 —-

If, like the vast majority of people, he had been harassed by anxiety for his daily bread, had been struggling for existence, if his back and chest had ached from work, then supper, a warm snug home, and domestic happiness, would have been the necessity, the compensation, the crown of his life; —-
如果像大多数人一样，他为了温饱而焦虑不安，为了生存而奋斗，如果腰背酸痛因为劳作，那么晚餐、一个温暖舒适的家和家庭幸福将是必需品、补偿和生活的巅峰； —-

as it was, all this had a strange, indefinite significance for him.
而对他来说，这一切都有着奇怪而模糊的意义。

“Foo, how horrid!” he repeated, knowing perfectly well that these reflections were in themselves a bad sign.
“呸，太可怕了！”他重复着，他很清楚这种反思本身就是一个不好的迹象。

When he got home Masha was in bed: she was breathing evenly and smiling, and was evidently sleeping with great enjoyment. —-
当他回到家时，玛莎已经上床睡觉了：她平稳地呼吸着，微笑着，显然是在愉快地睡觉。 —-

Near her the white cat lay curled up, purring. —-
在她的旁边，白猫蜷缩着身子，发出呼噜声。 —-

While Nikitin lit the candle and lighted his cigarette, Masha woke up and greedily drank a glass of water.
当尼基京点亮蜡烛，点燃香烟时，玛莎醒来，狼吞虎咽地喝了一杯水。

“I ate too many sweets,” she said, and laughed. —-
“我吃了太多糖果，”她说着笑了起来。 —-

“Have you been home?” she asked after a pause.
“你回家了吗？”她停顿片刻后问道。

“No.”
“没有。”

Nikitin knew already that Captain Polyansky, on whom Varya had been building great hopes of late, was being transferred to one of the western provinces, and was already making his farewell visits in the town, and so it was depressing at his father-in-law’s.
尼基京已经知道，近来瓦利亚对波连斯基上尉抱有很大希望，但后者却被调到了西部省份，已经开始在城里进行告别访问，所以岳父家里气氛很沉闷。

“Varya looked in this evening,” said Masha, sitting up. —-
“瓦利亚今天晚上来看了，”玛莎说着坐了起来。 —-

“She did not say anything, but one could see from her face how wretched she is, poor darling! —-
“她什么也没说，但从她的脸上可以看出她有多么痛苦，可怜的亲爱的！” —-

I can’t bear Polyansky. He is fat and bloated, and when he walks or dances his cheeks shake. . . —-
我受不了波利安斯基。他又胖又浮肿，走路或跳舞时他的脸颊会晃动… —-

. He is not a man I would choose. But, still, I did think he was a decent person.”
他不是我会选择的人。但是，我之前还是认为他是个正派的人。”

“I think he is a decent person now,” said Nikitin.
“我现在认为他是个正派的人，”尼基廷说道。

“Then why has he treated Varya so badly?”
“那他为什么对瓦莉娅那么糟糕？”

“Why badly?” asked Nikitin, beginning to feel irritation against the white cat, who was stretching and arching its back. —-
“为什么糟糕？”尼基廷问道，开始对那只白猫感到恼火，它伸了个懒腰。 —-

“As far as I know, he has made no proposal and has given her no promises.”
“据我所知，他没有向她求婚，也没有给她任何承诺。”

“Then why was he so often at the house? —-
“那他为什么经常来她家？” —-

If he didn’t mean to marry her, he oughtn’t to have come.”
“如果他不打算娶她，就不应该来。”

Nikitin put out the candle and got into bed. But he felt disinclined to lie down and to sleep. —-
尼基廷关了蜡烛，上床睡觉。但他不想躺下去睡觉。 —-

He felt as though his head were immense and empty as a barn, and that new, peculiar thoughts were wandering about in it like tall shadows. —-
他感觉自己的头像仓库一样庞大而空虚，新的奇怪的思想像高大的影子在其中游荡。 —-

He thought that, apart from the soft light of the ikon lamp, that beamed upon their quiet domestic happiness, that apart from this little world in which he and this cat lived so peacefully and happily, there was another world. —-
他觉得除了对着安静的家庭幸福照射的柔和的圣像灯光，他和这只猫在其中过着如此平静幸福的小世界之外，还有另一个世界。 —-

. . . And he had a passionate, poignant longing to be in that other world, to work himself at some factory or big workshop, to address big audiences, to write, to publish, to raise a stir, to exhaust himself, to suffer. —-
…他对那个另一个世界充满了激情和切骨的渴望，在那里，他可以在工厂或大工作坊工作，向大众演讲，写作，出版，引起轰动，竭尽全力，受苦。 —-

. . . He wanted something that would engross him till he forgot himself, ceased to care for the personal happiness which yielded him only sensations so monotonous. —-
…他渴望着一些能让他全身心投入的事情，直到他忘记自己，不再在乎只带给他单调感觉的个人幸福。 —-

And suddenly there rose vividly before his imagination the figure of Shebaldin with his clean-shaven face, saying to him with horror: —-
突然，在他的想象中，谢巴尔丁的面庞清晰地浮现出来，他害怕地对他说道： —-

“You haven’t even read Lessing! You are quite behind the times! —-
“你甚至还没读过莱辛！你完全落伍了！ —-

How you have gone to seed!”
“真是成草了！”

Masha woke up and again drank some water. —-
玛莎醒来后又喝了些水。 —-

He glanced at her neck, at her plump shoulders and throat, and remembered the word the brigadier- general had used in church—“rose.”
他瞥了瞥她的脖子，她丰满的肩膀和喉咙，想起了准将在教堂里用过的那个词——“玫瑰”。

“Rose,” he muttered, and laughed.
“玫瑰，”他喃喃自语，笑了起来。

His laugh was answered by a sleepy growl from Mushka under the bed: —-
他的笑声被床下的慵倦咕噜声回应：“呣……嗯嗯嗯……！” —-

“Rrr . . . nga-nga-nga . . . !”
一股愤怒的沉重感像冰冷的重物压在他的心上，使他忍不住想对玛莎说些粗鲁的话，甚至跳起来打她；

A heavy anger sank like a cold weight on his heart, and he felt tempted to say something rude to Masha, and even to jump up and hit her; —-
他的心开始怦怦乱跳。 —-

his heart began throbbing.
“那么”，他克制着自己问道，“自从我去了你家，我就有责任娶你？”

“So then,” he asked, restraining himself, “since I went to your house, I was bound in duty to marry you?”
“当然。你很清楚。”

“Of course. You know that very well.”
“太好了。”一分钟后，他再次重复：“太好了。”

“That’s nice.” And a minute later he repeated: “That’s nice.”
为了缓解心脏的跳动，避免说得太多，尼基廷去了书房，躺在沙发上，没有枕头；

To relieve the throbbing of his heart, and to avoid saying too much, Nikitin went to his study and lay down on the sofa, without a pillow; —-
然后他躺在地板上的地毯上。 —-

then he lay on the floor on the carpet.
“这真是胡闹！”他安慰自己地说道。

“What nonsense it is!” he said to reassure himself. —-
“你是一名教师，从事最崇高的职业……” —-

“You are a teacher, you are working in the noblest of callings. . . . —-
Translated text: “你是一名教师，从事最崇高的职业……” —-

What need have you of any other world? What rubbish!”
你对其他世界有什么需要？真是胡说八道！

But almost immediately he told himself with conviction that he was not a real teacher, but simply a government employé, as commonplace and mediocre as the Czech who taught Greek. He had never had a vocation for teaching, he knew nothing of the theory of teaching, and never had been interested in the subject; —-
但几乎立刻，他坚定地告诉自己，他并不是一个真正的教师，而只是一个普通的政府雇员，就像那个教希腊语的捷克人一样平庸。他从来没有对教学有过职业的热情，他对教学理论一无所知，也从未对这个课题感兴趣； —-

he did not know how to treat children; he did not understand the significance of what he taught, and perhaps did not teach the right things. —-
他不知道如何对待孩子们；他不明白他所教授的内容的重要性，也许他教得并不对。 —-

Poor Ippolit Ippolititch had been frankly stupid, and all the boys, as well as his colleagues, knew what he was and what to expect from him; —-
可怜的伊波利特·伊波利特奇一直很愚蠢，所有的孩子们以及他的同事都知道他是什么样的人，能从他身上期望到什么； —-

but he, Nikitin, like the Czech, knew how to conceal his stupidity and cleverly deceived every one by pretending that, thank God, his teaching was a success. —-
但是，像捷克人一样，他，尼基廷，知道如何隐藏自己的愚蠢，巧妙地通过假装他的教学成功来欺骗每个人。 —-

These new ideas frightened Nikitin; he rejected them, called them stupid, and believed that all this was due to his nerves, that he would laugh at himself.
这些新思想吓倒了尼基廷；他摒弃了它们，称它们愚蠢，相信这一切都是由于他的神经紧张，他会嘲笑自己。

And he did, in fact, by the morning laugh at himself and call himself an old woman; —-
事实上，到了早上他嘲笑自己并自称是个老妇人； —-

but it was clear to him that his peace of mind was lost, perhaps, for ever, and that in that little two-story house happiness was henceforth impossible for him. —-
但是他明白，他的内心平静已经失去，也许永远失去了，在那座两层小楼里，幸福对他来说从此不可能了。 —-

He realized that the illusion had evaporated, and that a new life of unrest and clear sight was beginning which was incompatible with peace and personal happiness.
他意识到幻象已经烟消云散，一个不安和清晰的新生活开始了，这与平静和个人幸福是不相容的。

Next day, which was Sunday, he was at the school chapel, and there met his colleagues and the director. —-
第二天是星期天，他在学校礼拜堂遇到了同事和校长。 —-

It seemed to him that they were entirely preoccupied with concealing their ignorance and discontent with life, and he, too, to conceal his uneasiness, smiled affably and talked of trivialities. —-
他觉得他们完全专注于掩饰他们对生活的无知和不满，为了掩饰自己的不安，他也和蔼地微笑着谈论些琐事。 —-

Then he went to the station and saw the mail train come in and go out, and it was agreeable to him to be alone and not to have to talk to any one.
然后他去了火车站，看着邮递列车进进出出，独自一人感到愉快，不需要和任何人交谈。

At home he found Varya and his father-in-law, who had come to dinner. —-
回到家里，他看到了瓦里亚和他的岳父，他们来吃晚饭。 —-

Varya’s eyes were red with crying, and she complained of a headache, while Shelestov ate a great deal, saying that young men nowadays were unreliable, and that there was very little gentlemanly feeling among them.
瓦利亚的眼睛因哭泣而红肿，她抱怨头痛，而谢列斯托夫吃了很多，说现在的年轻人不可靠，在他们中间几乎没有绅士的情感。

“It’s loutishness!” he said. “I shall tell him so to his face: —-
“这是粗鲁！”他说，“我要当面告诉他：‘这是粗鲁，先生。’” —-

‘It’s loutishness, sir,’ I shall say.”
尼基廷亲切地笑了笑，并帮助玛莎照顾客人，但饭后他去了书房，关上了门。

Nikitin smiled affably and helped Masha to look after their guests, but after dinner he went to his study and shut the door.
三月的阳光从窗户照进来，在桌子上洒下温暖的光芒。

The March sun was shining brightly in at the windows and shedding its warm rays on the table. —-
才只是这个月的二十号，但车夫们已经用上了轮子，星雀在花园里吵闹不停。 —-

It was only the twentieth of the month, but already the cabmen were driving with wheels, and the starlings were noisy in the garden. —-
这正是玛莎会走进来，搂着他的脖子，告诉他马准备好了，或是马车已经在门口等着，然后问他应该穿什么保暖。 —-

It was just the weather in which Masha would come in, put one arm round his neck, tell him the horses were saddled or the chaise was at the door, and ask him what she should put on to keep warm. —-
春天开得像去年一样美好，它承诺着同样的快乐…… —-

Spring was beginning as exquisitely as last spring, and it promised the same joys. . . . —-
但是尼基廷想着，去莫斯科度个假，住在他在那里的旧公寓里，会很不错。 —-

But Nikitin was thinking that it would be nice to take a holiday and go to Moscow, and stay at his old lodgings there. —-
在隔壁房间里，他们正在喝咖啡，谈论波列安斯基上尉，而他努力不去听，并在他的日记中写道： —-

In the next room they were drinking coffee and talking of Captain Polyansky, while he tried not to listen and wrote in his diary: —-
“上帝啊，我在哪里？我被庸俗和庸俗包围。 —-

“Where am I, my God? I am surrounded by vulgarity and vulgarity. —-
烦人的，微不足道的人，酸奶罐，牛奶罐，蟑螂，愚蠢的女人…… —-

Wearisome, insignificant people, pots of sour cream, jugs of milk, cockroaches, stupid women. . . . —-
没有比庸俗更可怕、使人困扰和沮丧的了。 —-

There is nothing more terrible, mortifying, and distressing than vulgarity. —-
我必须从这里逃脱，我必须今天逃脱，否则我会发疯！” —-

I must escape from here, I must escape today, or I shall go out of my mind!”