THE twilight of evening. Big flakes of wet snow are whirling lazily about the street lamps, which have just been lighted, and lying in a thin soft layer on roofs, horses’ backs, shoulders, caps. —
傍晚的黄昏。大片湿雪悠闲地在刚刚点亮的路灯周围打转，薄薄地软软地覆盖在房顶上，马背上，肩膀上和帽子上。 —

Iona Potapov, the sledge-driver, is all white like a ghost. —
伊奥纳·波塔波夫，那个驾驶雪橇的人，像个鬼一样全身被白雪覆盖。 —

He sits on the box without stirring, bent as double as the living body can be bent. —
他弯着腰坐在车前，仿佛能够弯曲到活着的身体所能弯曲的最大程度。 —

If a regular snowdrift fell on him it seems as though even then he would not think it necessary to shake it off. —
如果一团规则的雪花落在他身上，似乎他也不会认为有必要将其甩掉。 —

… His little mare is white and motionless too. —
…他的小母马也是白色的，一动不动。 —

Her stillness, the angularity of her lines, and the stick-like straightness of her legs make her look like a halfpenny gingerbread horse. —
她的静止，线条的角度和笔直的腿使她看起来像半分钱的姜饼马。 —

She is probably lost in thought. Anyone who has been torn away from the plough, from the familiar gray landscapes, and cast into this slough, full of monstrous lights, of unceasing uproar and hurrying people, is bound to think.
她可能在想什么。任何被拔离耕种地，从熟悉的灰色景观中被扔进这个充满怪异的灯光、不停的吵闹和匆忙人群的泥潭的人，都会开始思考。

It is a long time since Iona and his nag have budged. —
伊奥纳和他的马好像很久没动了。 —

They came out of the yard before dinnertime and not a single fare yet. —
他们在吃晚饭之前就离开了院子，但还没有拿到一单乘客。 —

But now the shades of evening are falling on the town. —
但现在夜色笼罩了城市。 —

The pale light of the street lamps changes to a vivid color, and the bustle of the street grows noisier.
路灯的苍白光线变成了鲜艳的颜色，街道的喧闹声也变得更大声。

“Sledge to Vyborgskaya!” Iona hears. “Sledge!”
“去维堡高街！” 伊奥纳听到有人喊道。 “雪橇！”

Iona starts, and through his snow-plastered eyelashes sees an officer in a military overcoat with a hood over his head.
伊奥纳动了一下，透过被雪堵住的睫毛，看见一个戴头巾的军官。

“To Vyborgskaya,” repeats the officer. “Are you asleep? To Vyborgskaya!”
“去维堡高街，”军官重复道。“你在睡觉吗？去维堡高街！”

In token of assent Iona gives a tug at the reins which sends cakes of snow flying from the horse’s back and shoulders. —
作为同意的表示，伊奥纳用缰绳拽了一下，雪块从马背和肩膀上飞起。 —

The officer gets into the sledge. The sledge-driver clicks to the horse, cranes his neck like a swan, rises in his seat, and more from habit than necessity brandishes his whip. —
警官上了雪橇。雪橇夫啧啧一声唤马，伸长脖颈像天鹅一样，坐直了身子，挥舞鞭子，这不是必须，而是出于习惯。 —

The mare cranes her neck, too, crooks her stick-like legs, and hesitatingly sets of….
母马也伸长脖颈，弯曲细长的腿，犹豫地开始跑起来……

“Where are you shoving, you devil?” Iona immediately hears shouts from the dark mass shifting to and fro before him. —
“你这个魔鬼往哪儿挤？”便有人从他面前那一团黑影中喊起来。 —

“Where the devil are you going? Keep to the r-right!”
“你到底往哪儿去？往往右边开！”

“You don’t know how to drive! Keep to the right,” says the officer angrily.
“你不会开车！靠右开，”警官生气地说。

A coachman driving a carriage swears at him; —
驾驶马车的车夫对他大骂； —

a pedestrian crossing the road and brushing the horse’s nose with his shoulder looks at him angrily and shakes the snow off his sleeve. —
一个横穿马路的行人顶到马的鼻子，生气地看着他，甩掉衣袖上的雪。 —

Iona fidgets on the box as though he were sitting on thorns, jerks his elbows, and turns his eyes about like one possessed as though he did not know where he was or why he was there.
伊奥纳坐在马车上像坐在荆棘上一样躁动，摇动双肘，眼睛四下乱转，好像不知道自己在哪里或者为什么在那里。

“What rascals they all are!” says the officer jocosely. —
“他们都是些混蛋！”警官开玩笑地说。 —

“They are simply doing their best to run up against you or fall under the horse’s feet. —
“他们就是全心全意要去撞你或者让马踩到他们。 —

They must be doing it on purpose.”
他们肯定是故意的。”

Iona looks as his fare and moves his lips. —
伊奥纳看了看车费，嘴唇动了动。 —

… Apparently he means to say something, but nothing comes but a sniff.
…… 显然是有话要说，但是只是闻到了一声。

“What?” inquires the officer.
“什么？”警官问道。

Iona gives a wry smile, and straining his throat, brings out huskily: —
伊奥纳扭曲着微笑，伸长嗓子，嘶哑地说出： —

“My son… er… my son died this week, sir.”
“先生，我的儿子……呃……我的儿子本周去世了。”

“H’m! What did he die of?”
“嗯！他是怎么死的？”

Iona turns his whole body round to his fare, and says:
伊奥纳把整个身体转向乘客，说道：

“Who can tell! It must have been from fever. —
“谁知道呢！一定是因为发烧。 —

… He lay three days in the hospital and then he died. —
他在医院躺了三天，然后就去世了。 —

… God’s will.”
这是上帝的意愿。”

“Turn round, you devil!” comes out of the darkness. —
“你这个老家伙，转过来！”从黑暗中传过来。 —

“Have you gone cracked, you old dog? Look where you are going!”
“你疯了吗，老家伙？看看你往哪走！”

“Drive on! drive on!…” says the officer. —
“赶紧走！赶紧走！”军官说。 —

“We shan’t get there till to- morrow going on like this. Hurry up!”
“这样下去我们明天也到不了那里。快点！”

The sledge-driver cranes his neck again, rises in his seat, and with heavy grace swings his whip. —
雪橇夫再次伸出脖子，站起身来，沉重而优雅地挥动鞭子。 —

Several times he looks round at the officer, but the latter keeps his eyes shut and is apparently disinclined to listen. —
他几次看向军官，但后者闭着眼睛，似乎不愿倾听。 —

Putting his fare down at Vyborgskaya, Iona stops by a restaurant, and again sits huddled up on the box. —
在维堡斯卡亚下客后，伊奥纳停在一家餐馆旁，又蜷缩在马车上。 —

… Again the wet snow paints him and his horse white. —
…湿雪再次把他和他的马染成了白色。 —

One hour passes, and then another….
一个小时过去了，又一个小时过去了….

Three young men, two tall and thin, one short and hunchbacked, come up, railing at each other and loudly stamping on the pavement with their goloshes.
三个年轻男子，两个高瘦，一个矮小驼背，他们互相责骂着，大声在人行道上用防水套鞋踩踏。

“Cabby, to the Police Bridge!” the hunchback cries in a cracked voice. —
“车夫，去警察桥！”驼背用嘶哑声音喊道。 —

“The three of us,… twenty kopecks!”
“我们三个人……二十戈比!”

Iona tugs at the reins and clicks to his horse. —
依奥纳拉紧缰，催促着马儿前行。 —

Twenty kopecks is not a fair price, but he has no thoughts for that. —
二十戈比并不是公平的价格，但此时他没心思考虑这些。 —

Whether it is a rouble or whether it is five kopecks does not matter to him now so long as he has a fare. —
现在，只要有客人，无论是一卢布还是五戈比对他来说都无关紧要。 —

… The three young men, shoving each other and using bad language, go up to the sledge, and all three try to sit down at once. —
……那三个年轻人互相推搡，口出秽语，向雪橇走去，全都试图一齐坐下。 —

The question remains to be settled: Which are to sit down and which one is to stand? —
问题仍未解决：哪个人坐下，哪个人站着? —

After a long altercation, ill-temper, and abuse, they come to the conclusion that the hunchback must stand because he is the shortest.
经过漫长的争吵、坏脾气和辱骂，他们得出结论：驼背必须站着，因为他个子最矮。

“Well, drive on,” says the hunchback in his cracked voice, settling himself and breathing down Iona’s neck. —
“好了，上路吧，”驼背用嘶哑声音说，坐定后把脸凑到依奥纳的脖子旁。 —

“Cut along! What a cap you’ve got, my friend! —
“快走！你这是什么帽子，我的朋友! —

You wouldn’t find a worse one in all Petersburg….”
在全圣彼得堡找不到比这更糟的……”

“He-he!… he-he!…” laughs Iona. “It’s nothing to boast of!”
“呵呵！呵呵！”依奥纳笑道。“算不得什么好帽子!”

“Well, then, nothing to boast of, drive on! —
“那好吧，算不得好帽子，继续开车！ —

Are you going to drive like this all the way? Eh? —
你打算一路这么开下去吗？嗯？ —

Shall I give you one in the neck?”
“我要不要给你一记狠一点的？”

“My head aches,” says one of the tall ones. —
“我的头疼。”高个子中的一个说道。 —

“At the Dukmasovs’ yesterday Vaska and I drank four bottles of brandy between us.”
“昨天在杜克马索夫家，瓦斯卡和我两人喝掉了四瓶白兰地。”

“I can’t make out why you talk such stuff,” says the other tall one angrily. —
“我搞不明白你为什么说这种废话，”另一个高个子生气地说。 —

“You lie like a brute.”
“你像畜生一样撒谎。”

“Strike me dead, it’s the truth!…”
“打死我，这是真的！…”

“It’s about as true as that a louse coughs.”
“这跟虱子咳嗽一样真实。”

“He-he!” grins Iona. “Me-er-ry gentlemen!”
“嘿嘿！”依奥纳傻笑着。“愉快的绅士们！”

“Tfoo! the devil take you!” cries the hunchback indignantly. —
“见鬼，该死你！”驼背生气地喊道。 —

“Will you get on, you old plague, or won’t you? Is that the way to drive? —
“你这老瘟神，上不上车？是这么开车的吗？ —

Give her one with the whip. Hang it all, give it her well.”
用鞭子抽她一下。该死，好好打她。”

Iona feels behind his back the jolting person and quivering voice of the hunchback. —
依奥纳感觉到背后驼背人的颠簸和颤动的声音。 —

He hears abuse addressed to him, he sees people, and the feeling of loneliness begins little by little to be less heavy on his heart. —
他听到对他的辱骂，看到周围的人，孤独感开始渐渐减轻他的心头负担。 —

The hunchback swears at him, till he chokes over some elaborately whimsical string of epithets and is overpowered by his cough. —
驼背因为被他咳嗽住而被些炫耀的怪诞搭配词脱口而出的咒骂所压倒。 —

His tall companions begin talking of a certain Nadyezhda Petrovna. Iona looks round at them. —
他的高个伴侣开始谈论一个叫纳季兹妮娅·彼得罗夫娜的人。依奥纳看了一眼他们。 —

Waiting till there is a brief pause, he looks round once more and says:
等到稍有停顿，他再次四处看了看，说道：

“This week… er… my… er… son died!”
“这个星期… 呃… 我的… 呃… 儿子去世了！”

“We shall all die,…” says the hunchback with a sigh, wiping his lips after coughing. —
“我们都会死的，”驼背的人叹了口气，咳嗽后擦拭嘴唇。 —

“Come, drive on! drive on! My friends, I simply cannot stand crawling like this! —
“走吧，加快速度！加快速度！我的朋友们，我简直无法忍受这样爬行！ —

When will he get us there?”
他什么时候才会把我们带到那里呢？”

“Well, you give him a little encouragement… one in the neck!”
“好了，给他些鼓励… 给他一下脖子！”

“Do you hear, you old plague? I’ll make you smart. —
“你听见没有，你这老瘟疫？我要让你难受。 —

If one stands on ceremony with fellows like you one may as well walk. —
对于像你这样的家伙，如果拘泥于礼节，还不如步行。 —

Do you hear, you old dragon? Or don’t you care a hang what we say?”
你听见了吗，你这老龙？你根本不在乎我们说什么吗？”

And Iona hears rather than feels a slap on the back of his neck.
然后，约纳感觉到颈后传来一记耳光。

“He-he!…” he laughs. “Merry gentlemen…. God give you health!”
“呵呵！”他笑了，“欢乐的绅士们…. 上帝保佑你们的健康！”

“Cabman, are you married?” asks one of the tall ones.
“车夫，你结婚了吗？”其中一位高个子问道。

“I? He he! Me-er-ry gentlemen. The only wife for me now is the damp earth…. He-ho-ho!. —
“我？呵呵！我—欢乐的绅士们。现在对我来说，唯一的妻子是那湿润的大地…. 呵-呵-呵！” —

… The grave that is!… Here my son’s dead and I am alive. —
“… 墓穴啊！… 这里我的儿子已经去世了，而我还活着。 —

… It’s a strange thing, death has come in at the wrong door. —
… 这是一件奇怪的事，死神走错了门。 —

… Instead of coming for me it went for my son….”
而不是来找我，而是去找我的儿子….

And Iona turns round to tell them how his son died, but at that point the hunchback gives a faint sigh and announces that, thank God! —
而且尤瓦转过身来告诉他们他儿子是怎么死的，但在那时，驼背竟然轻轻叹了口气并宣布，谢天谢地！ —

they have arrived at last. After taking his twenty kopecks, Iona gazes for a long while after the revelers, who disappear into a dark entry. —
他们终于到了。收了他的二十戈比后，尤瓦长时间地凝视着那些走进黑暗通道的狂欢者。 —

Again he is alone and again there is silence for him. —
再一次，他独自一人，再一次，他陷入寂静之中。 —

… The misery which has been for a brief space eased comes back again and tears his heart more cruelly than ever. —
….那曾经短暂减轻的苦难又再次回来，比以往更残酷地撕扯着他的心。 —

With a look of anxiety and suffering Iona’s eyes stray restlessly among the crowds moving to and fro on both sides of the street: —
焦虑和痛苦的眼神使尤瓦的目光在街上来来往往的人群中不安地游移： —

can he not find among those thousands someone who will listen to him? —
他难道找不到在这成千上万人中谁会倾听他吗？ —

But the crowds flit by heedless of him and his misery…. His misery is immense, beyond all bounds. —
但人群匆匆而过，对他和他的苦难视而不见….他的苦难是无尽的，超越所有界限。 —

If Iona’s heart were to burst and his misery to flow out, it would flood the whole world, it seems, but yet it is not seen. —
如果尤瓦的心爆裂，他的苦难流出，似乎将淹没整个世界，但它却不可见。 —

It has found a hiding-place in such an insignificant shell that one would not have found it with a candle by daylight….
它找到了一个如此微不足道的壳作为藏身之处，白天用蜡烛也找不到….

Iona sees a house-porter with a parcel and makes up his mind to address him.
尤瓦看到一个拿着包裹的门卫，决定跟他搭话。

“What time will it be, friend?” he asks.
“朋友，现在几点了？”他问。

“Going on for ten…. Why have you stopped here? Drive on!”
“快十点了…. 你为什么停在这里？开车吧！”

Iona drives a few paces away, bends himself double, and gives himself up to his misery. —
尤瓦开了几步车，俯身弯腰，陷入苦难之中。 —

He feels it is no good to appeal to people. —
他觉得向人们求助是没有用的。 —

But before five minutes have passed he draws himself up, shakes his head as though he feels a sharp pain, and tugs at the reins. —
但是在五分钟过去之前，他突然挺直身子，摇摇头，仿佛感到一阵剧痛，然后拉了马缰。 —

… He can bear it no longer.
…他再也无法忍受了。

“Back to the yard!” he thinks. “To the yard!”
“回到马厩！”他想。“回到马厩！”

And his little mare, as though she knew his thoughts, falls to trotting. —
小母马仿佛知道他的想法，开始小跑起来。 —

An hour and a half later Iona is sitting by a big dirty stove. —
一个半小时后，约纳坐在一个又脏又大的火炉旁边。 —

On the stove, on the floor, and on the benches are people snoring. —
炉子上，地板上，长椅上都躺着人在打呼。 —

The air is full of smells and stuffiness. —
空气中弥漫着各种气味和闷热。 —

Iona looks at the sleeping figures, scratches himself, and regrets that he has come home so early….
约纳看着那些睡着的人，挠了挠自己，后悔自己回家得太早了….

“I have not earned enough to pay for the oats, even,” he thinks. —
“我连为马买燕麦的钱都没挣够，”他想。 —

“That’s why I am so miserable. A man who knows how to do his work,. —
“这就是为什么我这么痛苦。一个知道怎么做工作的人， —

.. who has had enough to eat, and whose horse has had enough to eat, is always at ease….”
…吃饱了，他和他的马也吃饱了，总是感到轻松自在….”

In one of the corners a young cabman gets up, clears his throat sleepily, and makes for the water-bucket.
在一个角落里，一个年轻的马车夫起床，打了一个小呵欠，走向水桶。

“Want a drink?” Iona asks him.
“想喝口水吗？”约纳问他。

“Seems so.”
“似乎需要。”

“May it do you good…. But my son is dead, mate…. Do you hear? —
“愿它对你有好处….但是我的儿子死了，伙计….听到了吗? —

This week in the hospital…. It’s a queer business….”
在医院里的这一周…. 这是一件奇怪的事情….

Iona looks to see the effect produced by his words, but he sees nothing. —
伊奥纳期待着他话语产生的效果，但他看不到任何回应。 —

The young man has covered his head over and is already asleep. —
年轻人已经蒙上头盖，已经入睡。 —

The old man sighs and scratches himself. —
老人叹了口气，挠了挠自己。 —

… Just as the young man had been thirsty for water, he thirsts for speech. —
…就像年轻人渴望水一样，他渴望言谈。 —

His son will soon have been dead a week, and he has not really talked to anybody yet. —
他的儿子很快就要去世一周了，但他还没和任何人真正交谈过。 —

… He wants to talk of it properly, with deliberation. —
…他想要好好谈谈这件事，要慎重地说。 —

… He wants to tell how his son was taken ill, how he suffered, what he said before he died, how he died. —
…他想要描述儿子生病的情况，他如何受苦，临终前说了什么，以及如何去世。 —

… He wants to describe the funeral, and how he went to the hospital to get his son’s clothes. —
…他想要描述葬礼，以及他去医院拿儿子的衣服。 —

He still has his daughter Anisya in the country…. And he wants to talk about her too. —
他现在还有女儿阿妮丝亚在乡下…他也想谈论她。 —

… Yes, he has plenty to talk about now. His listener ought to sigh and exclaim and lament. —
…是的，他现在有很多可以谈论的事情。他的听众应该会叹息、惊叹和悲伤。 —

… It would be even better to talk to women. —
…最好是和女性谈话。 —

Though they are silly creatures, they blubber at the first word.
尽管她们是愚蠢的生物，但他们一开口就哭成泪人。

“Let’s go out and have a look at the mare,” Iona thinks. —
“让我们出去看看母马吧”，伊奥纳想。 —

“There is always time for sleep…. You’ll have sleep enough, no fear….”
“总是有睡眠的时间…. 你会足够的睡眠，不用担心….”

He puts on his coat and goes into the stables where his mare is standing. —
他穿上大衣，走进马厩，他的母马正在那里站着。 —

He thinks about oats, about hay, about the weather. —
他想着燕麦，干草，天气。 —

… He cannot think about his son when he is alone. —
……当他独自一人时，他无法想起他的儿子。 —

… To talk about him with someone is possible, but to think of him and picture him is insufferable anguish….
……与某人谈论他是可能的，但思念他并想象他是无法忍受的痛苦……

“Are you munching?” Iona asks his mare, seeing her shining eyes. —
“你在嚼吗？”依奥纳问他的母马，看着她闪亮的眼睛。 —

“There, munch away, munch away…. Since we have not earned enough for oats, we will eat hay. —
“好，继续吃，继续吃……因为我们赚不到够买燕麦的钱，我们就吃干草。 —

… Yes,… I have grown too old to drive. —
……是的，……我已经太老不能开车了。 —

… My son ought to be driving, not I…. He was a real cabman. —
……应该是我儿子在开车，而不是我……他是个真正的车夫。 —

… He ought to have lived….”
……他本该活下去……”

Iona is silent for a while, and then he goes on:
依奥纳沉默片刻，然后继续说道：

“That’s how it is, old girl…. Kuzma Ionitch is gone…. He said good- by to me. —
“事情就是这样，老伙计……库兹马·尤里耶维奇走了……他跟我说再见了。 —

… He went and died for no reason…. Now, suppose you had a little colt, and you were own mother to that little colt. —
……如果你有一匹小马驹，而你是那匹小马驹的母亲。 —

… And all at once that same little colt went and died. —
……而突然那匹小马驹就走了。 —

… You’d be sorry, wouldn’t you?…”
……你会伤心的，对吧？…”

The little mare munches, listens, and breathes on her master’s hands. —
小母马在嚼食，倾听着，并呼出主人的手。 —

Iona is carried away and tells her all about it.
约娜被带走并告诉她所有关于这件事。