A FLOCK of sheep was spending the night on the broad steppe road that is called the great highway. —
一群羊夜里在被称为大道的宽阔草原上过夜。 —

Two shepherds were guarding it. One, a toothless old man of eighty, with a tremulous face, was lying on his stomach at the very edge of the road, leaning his elbows on the dusty leaves of a plantain; —
两个牧羊人在看守着。一个是没牙齿的八旬老人，颤抖的脸朝下躺在路边，用尘土覆盖的植物叶子做着枕头； —

the other, a young fellow with thick black eyebrows and no moustache, dressed in the coarse canvas of which cheap sacks are made, was lying on his back, with his arms under his head, looking upwards at the sky, where the stars were slumbering and the Milky Way lay stretched exactly above his face.
另一个是一位年轻人，厚密的黑眉毛，没有胡须，穿着便宜麻袋做的粗布衣服，仰卧着，双臂枕在头下仰望着天空，星星打盹，银河正好横跨在他的脸上。

The shepherds were not alone. A couple of yards from them in the dusk that shrouded the road a horse made a patch of darkness, and, beside it, leaning against the saddle, stood a man in high boots and a short full- skirted jacket who looked like an overseer on some big estate. —
牧羊人并不孤单。在他们离他几步远的路旁的黑暗里，一匹马使地面显得更黑，靠着鞍的一个人，穿着高靴和短短的短外套，看上去像是某大庄园中的监工。 —

Judging from his upright and motionless figure, from his manners, and his behaviour to the shepherds and to his horse, he was a serious, reasonable man who knew his own value; —
从他直立不动的身姿，从他的举止，以及对牧羊人和马的态度，可以看出他是个认真，明智的人，对自己的价值了如指掌； —

even in the darkness signs could be detected in him of military carriage and of the majestically condescending expression gained by frequent intercourse with the gentry and their stewards.
即使在黑暗中也可以看到他身上军人的仪态和常与贵族及其管家交往所得到的崇高傲慢表情。

The sheep were asleep. Against the grey background of the dawn, already beginning to cover the eastern part of the sky, the silhouettes of sheep that were not asleep could be seen here and there; —
羊在睡觉。在凌晨开始笼罩东方天空的灰色背景下，可以看到这里那里还未入眠的羊的轮廓； —

they stood with drooping heads, thinking. —
它们低垂着头，沉思。 —

Their thoughts, tedious and oppressive, called forth by images of nothing but the broad steppe and the sky, the days and the nights, probably weighed upon them themselves, crushing them into apathy; —
它们的想法，沉闷乏味，仅源自于对草原，天空，白昼和黑夜的想象，可能压在它们自己身上，将它们压成冷漠； —

and, standing there as though rooted to the earth, they noticed neither the presence of a stranger nor the uneasiness of the dogs.
站在那里，仿佛扎根于土地，它们既没有注意到陌生人的存在，也没有注意到狗的不安。

The drowsy, stagnant air was full of the monotonous noise inseparable from a summer night on the steppes; —
昏昏欲睡，停滞不前的空气充满了夏夜在草原上不可分割的单调声音； —

the grasshoppers chirruped incessantly; the quails called, and the young nightingales trilled languidly half a mile away in a ravine where a stream flowed and willows grew.
蚱蜢不停地鸣叫；鹌鹑叫着，年幼的夜莺们在半英里外的一条小溪沟中慵懒地啁啾，那里有水流动，柳树生长。

The overseer had halted to ask the shepherds for a light for his pipe. —
监工停下来向牧羊人要火种烟斗。 —

He lighted it in silence and smoked the whole pipe; —
他无言地点燃了烟斗，吸完全程； —

then, still without uttering a word, stood with his elbow on the saddle, plunged in thought. —
然后，依然不言不语，伸手肘靠在鞍前陷入沉思。 —

The young shepherd took no notice of him, he still lay gazing at the sky while the old man slowly looked the overseer up and down and then asked:
年轻的牧羊人没理会他，他仍然躺着凝视着天空，而老人则慢慢地打量着监工，然后问道：

“Why, aren’t you Panteley from Makarov’s estate?”
“你不就是马卡洛夫庄园的潘特莱吗？”

“That’s myself,” answered the overseer.
监工回答：“正是我。”

“To be sure, I see it is. I didn’t know you—that is a sign you will be rich. —
“没错，我看到了。我不认识你，这说明你会发财。 —

Where has God brought you from?”
神把你从哪里带来了？”

“From the Kovylyevsky fields.”
“从科维列夫斯基的田地来的。”

“That’s a good way. Are you letting the land on the part-crop system?”
“那是个好地方。你们是不是按照分成的方式租地？”

“Part of it. Some like that, and some we are letting on lease, and some for raising melons and cucumbers. —
“部分是。有些是这样，还有些我们是出租的，有些则是用来种西瓜和黄瓜。 —

I have just come from the mill.”
我刚从磨坊那儿回来。”

A big shaggy old sheep-dog of a dirty white colour with woolly tufts about its nose and eyes walked three times quietly round the horse, trying to seem unconcerned in the presence of strangers, then all at once dashed suddenly from behind at the overseer with an angry aged growl; —
一只有着脏白色毛发和鼻子眼睛周围有绒毛的又大又蓬松的老羊狗悄悄地绕着马匹走了三圈，试图在陌生人面前显得不在意，然后突然从后面向监工狠狠地扑过去，发出愤怒的老态咆哮； —

the other dogs could not refrain from leaping up too.
其他狗也控制不住地跃起来。

“Lie down, you damned brute,” cried the old man, raising himself on his elbow; —
“给我躺下，该死的畜生,”老人抬起手肘喊道； —

“blast you, you devil’s creature.”
“该死，你这个恶魔的家伙。”

When the dogs were quiet again, the old man resumed his former attitude and said quietly:
等到其他狗再次安静下来，老人恢复了之前的姿势，静静地说：

“It was at Kovyli on Ascension Day that Yefim Zhmenya died. —
“在升天节的时候，叶菲姆·日莫尼亚在科维利去世了。 —

Don’t speak of it in the dark, it is a sin to mention such people. —
在黑暗中不要提及这件事，提及这样的人是一种罪过。 —

He was a wicked old man. I dare say you have heard.”
他是一个邪恶的老人。我敢说你已经听说过。

“No, I haven’t.”
“不，我没有。”

“Yefim Zhmenya, the uncle of Styopka, the blacksmith. The whole district round knew him. —
“叶菲姆·日蒙亚，斯季奥普卡的叔叔。周围整个区都知道他。 —

Aye, he was a cursed old man, he was! I knew him for sixty years, ever since Tsar Alexander who beat the French was brought from Taganrog to Moscow. —
啊，他是一个可恨的老人，是的！我认识他有六十年了，自从亚历山大沙皇打败法国人被从塔甘罗格带到莫斯科的时候起。 —

We went together to meet the dead Tsar, and in those days the great highway did not run to Bahmut, but from Esaulovka to Gorodishtche, and where Kovyli is now, there were bustards’ nests—there was a bustard’s nest at every step. —
我们一起去迎接死去的沙皇，当时大路并没有通往巴胡姆，而是从埃萨乌洛夫卡到戈罗迪什切，现在科维利所在的地方有鸨巢，每一步都有一个鸨巢。 —

Even then I had noticed that Yefim had given his soul to damnation, and that the Evil One was in him. —
我已经观察到叶菲姆从年轻时就让他的灵魂陷入了灾难，并且邪恶的力量在他身上。 —

I have observed that if any man of the peasant class is apt to be silent, takes up with old women’s jobs, and tries to live in solitude, there is no good in it, and Yefim from his youth up was always one to hold his tongue and look at you sideways, he always seemed to be sulky and bristling like a cock before a hen. —
我注意到如果有农民阶层的人爱沉默寡言，喜欢做老太太的事，尝试独居，那就不妙了，叶菲姆从青年时代起就总是闷闷不乐地、斜眼看着你，总是像母鸡面对母鸡前面的屄毛一样充满怒火。 —

To go to church or to the tavern or to lark in the street with the lads was not his fashion, he would rather sit alone or be whispering with old women. —
去教堂或酒馆或与伙计们在街上嬉戏对他来说都不合适，他宁愿独自一人或者与老太太们低声交谈。 —

When he was still young he took jobs to look after the bees and the market gardens. —
他还年轻时就开始照看蜜蜂和菜园。 —

Good folks would come to his market garden sometimes and his melons were whistling. —
有好心人有时会来到他的菜园，他的甜瓜会发出哨声。 —

One day he caught a pike, when folks were looking on, and it laughed aloud, ‘Ho-ho-ho-ho!’”
有一天他抓到一条狗鳖，当人们在旁边看着时，它大笑着说，“嘿嘿嘿嘿！”

“It does happen,” said Panteley.
“这种事情确实会发生，”彭特乐说。

The young shepherd turned on his side and, lifting his black eyebrows, stared intently at the old man.
年轻的牧羊人转过身来，抬起黑色的眉毛，专注地盯着老人。

“Did you hear the melons whistling?” he asked.
“你听到甜瓜在哨声吗？”他问道。

“Hear them I didn’t, the Lord spared me,” sighed the old man, “but folks told me so. —
“我没听到它们，主保佑了我，” 老人叹息道，“但人们告诉过我。 —

It is no great wonder… the Evil One will begin whistling in a stone if he wants to. —
“这并不奇怪……邪恶者会在石头里吹口哨，如果他想的话。 —

Before the Day of Freedom a rock was humming for three days and three nights in our parts. —
在自由的那天之前，在我们这里的某个地方一块石头哼唱了三天三夜。 —

I heard it myself. The pike laughed because Yefim caught a devil instead of a pike.”
我亲耳听到了。鳕鱼笑了，因为叶菲姆捉住了一个恶魔而不是一条鳕鱼。”

The old man remembered something. He got up quickly on to his knees and, shrinking as though from the cold, nervously thrusting his hands into his sleeves, he muttered in a rapid womanish gabble:
老人想起了某事。他迅速跪到膝上，像冻寒一样缩了起来，紧张地把手伸进袖子里，口齿不清地喃喃自语着：

“Lord save us and have mercy upon us! I was walking along the river bank one day to Novopavlovka. —
“主啊，救救我们，怜悯我们吧！有一天我走在往诺沃帕夫洛夫卡的河岸上。 —

A storm was gathering, such a tempest it was, preserve us Holy Mother, Queen of Heaven. —
一场风暴正在酝酿，那是多么可怕的暴风雨啊，保佑我们吧，圣母玛丽亚，天堂的女王。 —

… I was hurrying on as best I could, I looked, and beside the path between the thorn bushes—the thorn was in flower at the time—there was a white bullock coming along. —
……我尽量快地走着，我看到了路旁，夹竹桃丛中间—那时夹竹桃正在开花—有一头白色的牛朝这边而来。 —

I wondered whose bullock it was, and what the devil had sent it there for. —
我想知道这是谁的牛，魔鬼为何派它来这里。 —

It was coming along and swinging its tail and moo-oo-oo! —
它朝这边走来，摇摆着尾巴，哞-哞-哞！ —

but would you believe it, friends, I overtake it, I come up close—and it’s not a bullock, but Yefim—holy, holy, holy! —
但你们相信吗，朋友们，我赶上了它，靠近了一些—并不是一头牛，而是叶菲姆—圣洁啊，圣洁啊，圣洁！ —

I make the sign of the cross while he stares at me and mutters, showing the whites of his eyes; —
我做了十字架的记号，而他盯着我，喃喃唧唧的，露出白眼珠； —

wasn’t I frightened! We came alongside, I was afraid to say a word to him—the thunder was crashing, the sky was streaked with lightning, the willows were bent right down to the water—all at once, my friends, God strike me dead that I die impenitent, a hare ran across the path. —
我吓坏了！我们并排而行，我不敢对他说一句话—雷声隆隆，天空闪烁着闪电，柳树弯曲到水边—突然间，朋友们，我一生发誓，我要死在无悔的罪孽上，一只野兔跑过道路。 —

.. it ran and stopped, and said like a man: ‘Good-evening, peasants.’ Lie down, you brute! —
.. 它跑过了并停下来，像人说道：“晚上好，农民们。” 躺下去,你畜生！ —

” the old man cried to the shaggy dog, who was moving round the horse again. —
”老人对着绕着马匍匐的毛茸茸的狗喊道。 —

“Plague take you!”
“鼠疫把你带走！”

“It does happen,” said the overseer, still leaning on the saddle and not stirring; —
监工仍然靠在马鞍上不动弹地说道； —

he said this in the hollow, toneless voice in which men speak when they are plunged in thought.
他用一种空洞、无感情的声音说这番话，就像是被沉思所困扰。

“It does happen,” he repeated, in a tone of profundity and conviction.
“这确实会发生。”他深沉而坚定地重复道。

“Ugh, he was a nasty old fellow,” the old shepherd went on with somewhat less fervour. —
“呃，他是个讨厌的老家伙，”老牧羊人开始说话时语气稍微缓和了一些。 —

“Five years after the Freedom he was flogged by the commune at the office, so to show his spite he took and sent the throat illness upon all Kovyli. —
“自由运动后的五年，他被公社在办公室进行鞭刑，所以他出于恶意，便用喉咙疾病降祸于全科维利。 —

Folks died out of number, lots and lots of them, just as in cholera….”
人们大量死亡，死了好多，就像是在霍乱时期一样……”

“How did he send the illness?” asked the young shepherd after a brief silence.
“他是如何传播这种疾病的？”年轻的牧羊人在短暂的沉默后问道。

“We all know how, there is no great cleverness needed where there is a will to it. —
“我们都知道怎么传播，只要有心要做，便无需太大的聪明才智。 —

Yefim murdered people with viper’s fat. —
叶菲姆用蝰蛇脂毒害人。 —

That is such a poison that folks will die from the mere smell of it, let alone the fat.”
那是一种毒物，人们闻到它的气味就会死，更别说脂了。”

“That’s true,” Panteley agreed.
“说的没错，”潘特列赞同道。

“The lads wanted to kill him at the time, but the old people would not let them. —
“当时年轻伙计们想杀了他，但老人们不让。 —

It would never have done to kill him; he knew the place where the treasure is hidden, and not another soul did know. —
杀了他可不行；他知道宝藏埋藏的地方，而其他人一无所知。 —

The treasures about here are charmed so that you may find them and not see them, but he did see them. —
这附近的宝藏被施了魔法，你可能会找到它们但看不见，但他看到了。” —

At times he would walk along the river bank or in the forest, and under the bushes and under the rocks there would be little flames, little flames. —
有时他会沿着河岸散步，或者在森林中，灌木丛和岩石下会有一些小火焰，小火焰。 —

.. little flames as though from brimstone. I have seen them myself. —
.. 像硫磺的小火焰。我自己也见过。 —

Everyone expected that Yefim would show people the places or dig the treasure up himself, but he—as the saying is, like a dog in the manger—so he died without digging it up himself or showing other people.”
每个人都预料到叶菲姆会向人们展示地方或自己挖出宝藏，但是他——俗话说，像是防止别人的狗——所以他死了，没有自己挖出宝藏或向其他人展示。

The overseer lit a pipe, and for an instant lighted up his big moustaches and his sharp, stern-looking, and dignified nose. —
管工点燃了一支烟斗，灯光照亮了他浓密的胡须和他尖锐、严肃的鼻子。 —

Little circles of light danced from his hands to his cap, raced over the saddle along the horse’s back, and vanished in its mane near its ears.
小小的光圈从他的手上舞动到他的帽子上，在马背上奔跑，然后在马的鬃毛附近灭失。

“There are lots of hidden treasures in these parts,” he said.
“这些地方有很多隐藏的宝藏，”他说。

And slowly stretching, he looked round him, resting his eyes on the whitening east and added:
向四周缓缓伸展身体，他的目光落在了日渐变白的东方，接着说道：

“There must be treasures.”
“一定有宝藏。”

“To be sure,” sighed the old man, “one can see from every sign there are treasures, only there is no one to dig them, brother. —
“当然，”老人叹了口气，“从每个迹象都可以看到有宝藏，只是没有人来挖掘，弟兄。 —

No one knows the real places; besides, nowadays, you must remember, all the treasures are under a charm. —
没有人知道真正的位置；而且，如今，你必须记住，所有的宝藏都被施加了魔法。 —

To find them and see them you must have a talisman, and without a talisman you can do nothing, lad. —
要找到宝藏并看到它们，你必须有一个护身符，没有护身符，你什么也做不了，小伙子。 —

Yefim had talismans, but there was no getting anything out of him, the bald devil. —
叶菲姆有护身符，但是却拿不到他那该死的秃头。 —

He kept them, so that no one could get them.”
他把它们藏起来，以便别人拿不到。”

The young shepherd crept two paces nearer to the old man and, propping his head on his fists, fastened his fixed stare upon him. —
年轻的牧羊人往老人靠近两步，扶着头撑在拳头上，凝视着他。 —

A childish expression of terror and curiosity gleamed in his dark eyes, and seemed in the twilight to stretch and flatten out the large features of his coarse young face. —
他那双深邃的眼睛里闪过一丝恐惧和好奇的童真表情，在黄昏中似乎拉伸和拉平了他粗糙的年轻脸庞的大特征。 —

He was listening intently.
他在认真地倾听着。

“It is even written in the Scriptures that there are lots of treasures hidden here,” the old man went on; —
“甚至经文里写着这里隐藏着许多宝藏，”老人继续说道； —

“it is so for sure… and no mistake about it. —
“这是肯定的… 毫无疑问。 —

An old soldier of Novopavlovka was shown at Ivanovka a writing, and in this writing it was printed about the place of the treasure and even how many pounds of gold was in it and the sort of vessel it was in; —
一位诺沃帕夫洛夫卡的老兵在伊万诺夫卡被展示了一篇文章，文章中印刷着宝藏的位置，甚至有多少磅黄金在里面，以及容器的种类； —

they would have found the treasures long ago by that writing, only the treasure is under a spell, you can’t get at it.”
他们早就根据那篇文章找到了宝藏，只是宝藏受到了咒语的约束，你无法接触它。”

“Why can’t you get at it, grandfather?” asked the young man.
“为什么无法接触它，爷爷？”年轻人问道。

“I suppose there is some reason, the soldier didn’t say. —
“我想肯定有原因，老兵没有说。 —

It is under a spell… you need a talisman.”
它受到咒语的约束… 你需要护身符。”

The old man spoke with warmth, as though he were pouring out his soul before the overseer. —
老人热情地说着，仿佛在监工面前倾吐心声。 —

He talked through his nose and, being unaccustomed to talk much and rapidly, stuttered; —
他说话的时候鼻音重，不习惯讲话，讲起来就结巴； —

and, conscious of his defects, he tried to adorn his speech with gesticulations of the hands and head and thin shoulders, and at every movement his hempen shirt crumpled into folds, slipped upwards and displayed his back, black with age and sunburn. —
他意识到自己的缺陷，试图用手和头以及瘦弱的肩膀的姿势来装饰言辞，在每个动作中，他的麻布衬衫都褶皱成几层，向上滑动，露出年代久远和被太阳晒黑的背部。 —

He kept pulling it down, but it slipped up again at once. —
他不停地拉下来，但它立刻又向上滑了。 —

At last, as though driven out of all patience by the rebellious shirt, the old man leaped up and said bitterly:
最后，好像被桑不胜防的衬衫逼疯了，老人跳了起来，痛苦地说道：

“There is fortune, but what is the good of it if it is buried in the earth? —
“这里有财富，可是如果它埋在地里有何用处呢？ —

It is just riches wasted with no profit to anyone, like chaff or sheep’s dung, and yet there are riches there, lad, fortune enough for all the country round, but not a soul sees it! —
这只是白白地浪费了财富，没有给任何人带来利益，像是碎屑或者羊粪，然而那里有财富，小伙子，足够让整个国家受益，但却没有人看见！” —

It will come to this, that the gentry will dig it up or the government will take it away. —
事情将会变成这样，地主会挖掘宝藏，或者政府会将其带走。 —

The gentry have begun digging the barrows…. They scented something! —
地主们已经开始挖掘古墓……他们嗅到了一些东西！ —

They are envious of the peasants’ luck! The government, too, is looking after itself. —
他们对农民的好运感到羡慕！政府也在自己打算着。 —

It is written in the law that if any peasant finds the treasure he is to take it to the authorities! —
法律规定，如果任何农民找到宝藏，他应该把宝藏交给当局！ —

I dare say, wait till you get it! There is a brew but not for you!”
我敢说，等你得到它！这不是为你准备的！

The old man laughed contemptuously and sat down on the ground. —
老人轻蔑地笑了笑，坐在地上。 —

The overseer listened with attention and agreed, but from his silence and the expression of his figure it was evident that what the old man told him was not new to him, that he had thought it all over long ago, and knew much more than was known to the old shepherd.
督察听得津津有味，表示同意，但从他的沉默和表情看来，老人告诉他的并不新鲜，他在以前就已经仔细考虑过，并且知道的比老牧羊人知道的更多。

“In my day, I must own, I did seek for fortune a dozen times,” said the old man, scratching himself nervously. —
“在我的年代，我必须承认，我找过命运有十几次了，”老人紧张地挠了挠自己。 —

“I looked in the right places, but I must have come on treasures under a charm. —
“我找对了地方，但我必须碰到了被施术的宝藏。 —

My father looked for it, too, and my brother, too—but not a thing did they find, so they died without luck. —
我父亲也找过，我的兄弟也找过，但他们一无所获，所以他们没有好运而死去。 —

A monk revealed to my brother Ilya—the Kingdom of Heaven be his—that in one place in the fortress of Taganrog there was a treasure under three stones, and that that treasure was under a charm, and in those days—it was, I remember, in the year ‘38—an Armenian used to live at Matvyeev Barrow who sold talismans. —
一个僧侣向我兄弟Ilya透露，他（上帝可能保佑他）在塔甘罗格堡垒中的某个地方有一个在三块石头下的宝藏，而那个宝藏是被施上了魔法的，那些日子——我记得，是在‘38年的时候——有个亚美尼亚人曾住在马特维耶夫古墓那里，他出售护身符。 —

Ilya bought a talisman, took two other fellows with him, and went to Taganrog. —
Ilya买了一个护身符，找了另外两个家伙，一起去了塔甘罗格。 —

Only when he got to the place in the fortress, brother, there was a soldier with a gun, standing at the very spot….”
可是当他到达堡垒的地方时，兄弟，那里站着一个手持枪的士兵，就在那个地点……”

A sound suddenly broke on the still air, and floated in all directions over the steppe. —
突然，一声声在寂静的空气中响起，飘荡在大草原上。 —

Something in the distance gave a menacing bang, crashed against stone, and raced over the steppe, uttering, “Tah! —
远处的某物发出威胁的声响，撞击在石头上，疾驰而过草原，发出“啪！ —

tah! tah! tah!” When the sound had died away the old man looked inquiringly at Panteley, who stood motionless and unconcerned.
“嘭！嘭！嘭！”声音消失后，老人疑惑地看着潘特莱，后者站在那里一动不动，毫不关心。

“It’s a bucket broken away at the pits,” said the young shepherd after a moment’s thought.
“是矿井里的一个桶坏了，”年轻的牧羊人想了一会儿说道。

It was by now getting light. The Milky Way had turned pale and gradually melted like snow, losing its outlines; —
此时已经有些亮了。银河变得苍白，逐渐消融如雪，失去了轮廓； —

the sky was becoming dull and dingy so that you could not make out whether it was clear or covered thickly with clouds, and only from the bright leaden streak in the east and from the stars that lingered here and there could one tell what was coming.
天空变得暗淡沉闷，你看不出是晴朗的还是云层密布，只有东方的明亮铅色条和那些零星的星星可以告诉你即将发生的事情。

The first noiseless breeze of morning, cautiously stirring the spurges and the brown stalks of last year’s grass, fluttered along the road.
清晨的第一缕无声微风轻轻吹动着路边的大戟和去年干枯的草秆。

The overseer roused himself from his thoughts and tossed his head. —
督工从思绪中清醒过来，摇了摇鞍，拍了一下马鞍固定带，仿佛下不了决心骑上马，又站在那里犹豫。 —

With both hands he shook the saddle, touched the girth and, as though he could not make up his mind to mount the horse, stood still again, hesitating.
他用双手摇动着鞍子，检查了马鞍，仿佛下不了决心骑上马，又停了下来，犹豫不决。

“Yes,” he said, “your elbow is near, but you can’t bite it. —
“是的，”他说，“你的手肘很近，但你咬不到它。” —

There is fortune, but there is not the wit to find it.”
有财富，却找不到智慧。

And he turned facing the shepherds. His stern face looked sad and mocking, as though he were a disappointed man.
他转向牧羊人。他严肃的脸色看起来既悲伤又嘲讽，就像一个失望的人。

“Yes, so one dies without knowing what happiness is like. —
“是的，一个人死去时，不知道幸福是什么样子。” —

..” he said emphatically, lifting his left leg into the stirrup. —
“..”他强调地说，把左腿抬到马镫上。 —

“A younger man may live to see it, but it is time for us to lay aside all thought of it.”
“年轻人可能会活着看到它，但是我们时候已到，该放下所有对它的期望了。”

Stroking his long moustaches covered with dew, he seated himself heavily on the horse and screwed up his eyes, looking into the distance, as though he had forgotten something or left something unsaid. —
抚摸着浸满露水的长胡子，他沉重地坐在马上，皱起眉头，望着远方，好像忘记了什么或者留下了遗憾。 —

In the bluish distance where the furthest visible hillock melted into the mist nothing was stirring; the ancient barrows, once watch-mounds and tombs, which rose here and there above the horizon and the boundless steppe had a sullen and death-like look; —
在稍显蓝色的远处，最远可见的小山丘融入了薄雾，并无动静；那些曾经是岗哨和墳堆的古老土丘，在地平线上和无边无际的大草原上隐约显露出愁闷而死寂的模样； —

there was a feeling of endless time and utter indifference to man in their immobility and silence; —
在它们的不动和沉默中，透露出无尽的时光和对人的绝对漠不关心； —

another thousand years would pass, myriads of men would die, while they would still stand as they had stood, with no regret for the dead nor interest in the living, and no soul would ever know why they stood there, and what secret of the steppes was hidden under them.
又过上千年，无数人将会死去，而它们仍会屹立不倒，不为死者悲伤也不关心生者，没有一个灵魂会明白它们为何屹立不倒，这些草原的秘密又藏在其中。

The rooks awakening, flew one after another in silence over the earth. —
惊醒的乌鸦静静地飞过大地。 —

No meaning was to be seen in the languid flight of those long-lived birds, nor in the morning which is repeated punctually every twenty-four hours, nor in the boundless expanse of the steppe.
长寿鸟矫健的飞行中看不到任何意义，早晨的重复每隔二十四小时准时出现，无边的草原一片静寂。

The overseer smiled and said:
工头微笑着说：

“What space, Lord have mercy upon us! You would have a hunt to find treasure in it! —
“这空间啊，天啊！要找到其中的财宝可得费一番功夫！ —

Here,” he went on, dropping his voice and making a serious face, “here there are two treasures buried for a certainty. —
“在这里，”他接着说，声音降低，一脸认真，“这里肯定埋着两个宝藏。” —

The gentry don’t know of them, but the old peasants, particularly the soldiers, know all about them. —
绅士们并不知道它们，但老农民，特别是士兵，都知道这些事。 —

Here, somewhere on that ridge [the overseer pointed with his whip] robbers one time attacked a caravan of gold; —
在这里，就在那个山脊上的某处[管理员用鞭子指着]，一次强盗曾袭击了一队黄金的商队； —

the gold was being taken from Petersburg to the Emperor Peter who was building a fleet at the time at Voronezh. —
那批金子是从彼得堡运往当时在沃洛涅茨克造舰队的沙皇彼得那里的。 —

The robbers killed the men with the caravan and buried the gold, but did not find it again afterwards. —
强盗杀了商队里的人，埋藏了金子，但之后再也没有找回来。 —

Another treasure was buried by our Cossacks of the Don. In the year ‘12 they carried off lots of plunder of all sorts from the French, goods and gold and silver. —
另一批宝藏是由我们顿河的哥萨克人埋藏的。在‘12年他们从法国人那里抢走了大量的战利品，有货物、金子和银子。 —

When they were going homewards they heard on the way that the government wanted to take away all the gold and silver from them. —
当他们返回家乡的时候，途中听说政府想要从他们那里拿走所有的金子和银子。 —

Rather than give up their plunder like that to the government for nothing, the brave fellows took and buried it, so that their children, anyway, might get it; —
这些勇敢的家伙宁可把抢来的东西埋藏起来，也不愿毫无所得地把它们交给政府；这样他们的孩子，总归会得到一些财产； —

but where they buried it no one knows.”
但他们埋藏金子的地方没人知道。

“I have heard of those treasures,” the old man muttered grimly.
“我听说过那些宝藏。”老人沉声说道。

“Yes…” Panteley pondered again. “So it is….”
“是的…” 潘特列再次考虑了一下。“就是这样….”

A silence followed. The overseer looked dreamily into the distance, gave a laugh and pulled the rein, still with the same expression as though he had forgotten something or left something unsaid. —
接着是一阵沉默。管理员目视远方，笑了笑，拉了缰绳，表情依旧，仿佛忘了什么，或者有话未尽。 —

The horse reluctantly started at a walking pace. —
马有些不情愿地缓步启程。 —

After riding a hundred paces Panteley shook his head resolutely, roused himself from his thoughts and, lashing his horse, set off at a trot.
前行百步后，潘特列果断地摇了摇头，从思绪中回过神来，抽打着马，开始奔跑。

The shepherds were left alone.
牧羊人们独自一人留在原地。

“That was Panteley from Makarov’s estate,” said the old man. —
“那是马卡罗夫庄园的潘特列。”老人说道。 —

“He gets a hundred and fifty a year and provisions found, too. —
“他年薪一百五十块，还有提供吃喝。 —

He is a man of education….”
他是受过教育的人……”

The sheep, waking up—there were about three thousand of them—began without zest to while away the time, nipping at the low, half-trampled grass. —
那些羊醒来了——大约有三千只——开始慢慢地度过时间，啃咬着被踩踏过的低矮草地。 —

The sun had not yet risen, but by now all the barrows could be seen and, like a cloud in the distance, Saur’s Grave with its peaked top. —
太阳还没有升起，但现在所有的古墩都可以看到，而且像远处的一团云一样，索尔的坟墓矗立在那里，尖尖的顶端。 —

If one clambered up on that tomb one could see the plain from it, level and boundless as the sky, one could see villages, manor-houses, the settlements of the Germans and of the Molokani, and a long-sighted Kalmuck could even see the town and the railway-station. —
如果有人爬上那座墓，就可以从那里看到平原，广袤得像天空一样，还能看到村庄、庄园、德国人和摩洛卡尼人的聚居地，还有一位远见卓识的卡尔穆克人甚至还能看到城镇和火车站。 —

Only from there could one see that there was something else in the world besides the silent steppe and the ancient barrows, that there was another life that had nothing to do with buried treasure and the thoughts of sheep.
“只有从那里才能看清楚，世界上不仅仅有寂静的草原和古老的坟墩，还有与埋藏宝藏和羊群无关的另一种生活。”

The old man felt beside him for his crook—a long stick with a hook at the upper end—and got up. —
老人摸着一根长棍子，顶端有一个钩子，慢慢站起来。 —

He was silent and thoughtful. The young shepherd’s face had not lost the look of childish terror and curiosity. —
他沉默着，陷入沉思。年轻牧羊人的脸上依旧保留着一丝幼稚可怖和好奇。 —

He was still under the influence of what he had heard in the night, and impatiently awaiting fresh stories.
他仍然受到昨晚听到的事情的影响，急不可耐地等待着新的故事。

“Grandfather,” he asked, getting up and taking his crook, “what did your brother Ilya do with the soldier?”
“爷爷，”他站起身拿起自己的长棍，“伊利亚爷爷和那个士兵做了些什么？”

The old man did not hear the question. He looked absent-mindedly at the young man, and answered, mumbling with his lips:
老人没有听到问题。他心不在焉地看着年轻男子，嘟囔着回答：“我一直在想，桑卡，关于伊万诺夫卡给那个士兵看的文字。

“I keep thinking, Sanka, about that writing that was shown to that soldier at Ivanovka. —
我没告诉潘特列——愿上帝保佑他——但你知道，在那篇文字中，地点都标记得非常清楚，就算是个女人也能找到。 —

I didn’t tell Panteley—God be with him—but you know in that writing the place was marked out so that even a woman could find it. —
你知道它在哪里吗？在博加塔别洛基那个地方，你知道，那个沟壑分叉成三条小溪的地方； —

Do you know where it is? At Bogata Bylotchka at the spot, you know, where the ravine parts like a goose’s foot into three little ravines; —
它就在中间那条。” —

it is the middle one.”
长老的回答让年轻人惊讶不已，他认真地听着，用钩子勾住羊羔的脖子把它交给别的羊羔。

“Well, will you dig?”
“那么，你会挖吗？”

“I will try my luck…”
“我会试试运气……”

“And, grandfather, what will you do with the treasure when you find it?”
“爷爷，如果找到宝藏，您会怎么处理呢？”

“Do with it?” laughed the old man. “H’m!… If only I could find it then. —
“处理？”老人笑了。“呵……如果我能找到的话。然后我会展示给他们看……呵……我会知道该怎么做……” —

… I would show them all…. H’m!… I should know what to do….”
老人找到宝藏后会怎么处理，他自己也说不清楚。

And the old man could not answer what he would do with the treasure if he found it. —
老人无法回答如果找到宝藏会怎么处理。 —

That question had presented itself to him that morning probably for the first time in his life, and judging from the expression of his face, indifferent and uncritical, it did not seem to him important and deserving of consideration. —
这个问题对他来说可能是今生第一次遇到，看他冷漠并且无所谓的表情，这个问题似乎对他来说不重要，也不值得考虑。 —

In Sanka’s brain another puzzled question was stirring: —
在桑卡的脑海里另一个困惑问题浮现： —

why was it only old men searched for hidden treasure, and what was the use of earthly happiness to people who might die any day of old age? —
为什么只有老人去寻找隐藏的宝藏，对那些可能随时会死于老年的人来说，世俫幸福有什么用呢？ —

But Sanka could not put this perplexity into words, and the old man could scarcely have found an answer to it.
但桑卡无法用言语表达这个困惑，老人也几乎找不到一个答案。

An immense crimson sun came into view surrounded by a faint haze. —
一轮巨大的绯红太阳出现在视野中，被淡淡的薄雾环绕。 —

Broad streaks of light, still cold, bathing in the dewy grass, lengthening out with a joyous air as though to prove they were not weary of their task, began spreading over the earth. —
宽广的光线，冷冽而仍然沐浴在露水的草地上，充满欢乐的气息，似乎在证明它们对任务还没有厌倦，开始在大地上蔓延开来。 —

The silvery wormwood, the blue flowers of the pig’s onion, the yellow mustard, the corn-flowers—all burst into gay colours, taking the sunlight for their own smile.
白色的艾蒿，蓝色的韭菜花，黄色的芥菜，矢车菊——所有花朵都变得绚烂多彩，仿佛将阳光当成了自己的微笑。

The old shepherd and Sanka parted and stood at the further sides of the flock. —
老牧羊人和桑卡离开，站在羊群的两边。 —

Both stood like posts, without moving, staring at the ground and thinking. —
两人像木桩一样站着，不动地盯着地面思考。 —

The former was haunted by thoughts of fortune, the latter was pondering on what had been said in the night; —
前者被财富的想法困扰，后者在思考着夜晚所说的话； —

what interested him was not the fortune itself, which he did not want and could not imagine, but the fantastic, fairy-tale character of human happiness.
他感兴趣的并不是财富本身，他不想要也无法想象，而是人类幸福的神奇童话般特性；

A hundred sheep started and, in some inexplicable panic as at a signal, dashed away from the flock; —
一百只羊开始，仿佛受到信号一样的不可理解的恐慌，从群羊中冲出； —

and as though the thoughts of the sheep—tedious and oppressive—had for a moment infected Sanka also, he, too, dashed aside in the same inexplicable animal panic, but at once he recovered himself and shouted:
就好像羊的琐碎而压抑的想法暂时也影响着桑卡一样，他也突然在同样无法理解的动物恐慌中迈开了脚步，但他立刻控制住了自己，然后大喊：

“You crazy creatures! You’ve gone mad, plague take you!”
“你们这些疯狂的家伙！你们都疯了，该死的！”

When the sun, promising long hours of overwhelming heat, began to bake the earth, all living things that in the night had moved and uttered sounds were sunk in drowsiness. —
当太阳开始炙烤大地，预示着漫长的酷热时，夜间活动并发出声音的一切生物都陷入了昏昏欲睡中。 —

The old shepherd and Sanka stood with their crooks on opposite sides of the flock, stood without stirring, like fakirs at their prayers, absorbed in thought. —
老牧羊人和桑卡用手杖站在群羊的相反方向，静静地站着，就像祈祷中的苦行僧一样，陷入了沉思之中。 —

They did not heed each other; each of them was living in his own life. —
他们互不关注彼此；他们每个人都活在自己的生活中。 —

The sheep were pondering, too.
羊也在思考着。