IT was approaching nightfall. The sexton, Savely Gykin, was lying in his huge bed in the hut adjoining the church. —
黑暗降临之际。教堂附近的坟墓管理员萨维里·吉金躺在巨大的床上。 —

He was not asleep, though it was his habit to go to sleep at the same time as the hens. —
尽管一般是与母鸡们一起入睡的，他却没有入睡。 —

His coarse red hair peeped from under one end of the greasy patchwork quilt, made up of coloured rags, while his big unwashed feet stuck out from the other. —
他粗糙的红发从油腻的拼布被子一端露出来，而他那双大而未洗的脚伸出被子另一端。 —

He was listening. His hut adjoined the wall that encircled the church and the solitary window in it looked out upon the open country. —
他在倾听。他的小屋毗邻环绕教堂的围墙，小屋里唯一的窗户朝向开阔的乡间。 —

And out there a regular battle was going on. —
外面正在进行一场激烈的厮杀。 —

It was hard to say who was being wiped off the face of the earth, and for the sake of whose destruction nature was being churned up into such a ferment; —
很难说是谁正在被抹去，以及自然被搅成这样大混乱是为了谁的毁灭； —

but, judging from the unceasing malignant roar, someone was getting it very hot. —
但根据持续恶毒的咆哮声来判断，有人受到了重击。 —

A victorious force was in full chase over the fields, storming in the forest and on the church roof, battering spitefully with its fists upon the windows, raging and tearing, while something vanquished was howling and wailing. —
一支胜利的力量在田野上全力追击，猛烈地攻击着树林、教堂屋顶，在窗户上恶狠狠地拳打脚踢，暴怒而凶猛，而被击败的东西在呼号和哭泣。 —

… A plaintive lament sobbed at the window, on the roof, or in the stove. —
…一声悲伤的哀叹在窗户外、屋顶上或火炉里响起。 —

It sounded not like a call for help, but like a cry of misery, a consciousness that it was too late, that there was no salvation. —
它听起来不像是求救，而像是悲惨的呐喊，一种意识到为时已晚、无法拯救的绝望感。 —

The snowdrifts were covered with a thin coating of ice; tears quivered on them and on the trees; —
雪堆上覆盖着一层薄冰，泪珠颤抖在它们和树木上； —

a dark slush of mud and melting snow flowed along the roads and paths. —
一团黑色的泥浆和融化的雪混合流淌在道路和小径上。 —

In short, it was thawing, but through the dark night the heavens failed to see it, and flung flakes of fresh snow upon the melting earth at a terrific rate. —
简而言之，正在融化但黑夜里天空却看不到，毫不留情地向融化的大地投掷新雪片。 —

And the wind staggered like a drunkard. It would not let the snow settle on the ground, and whirled it round in the darkness at random.
风像醉汉一样蹒跚。它不让雪在地面上停留，而在黑暗中随意地将雪团团转动。

Savely listened to all this din and frowned. —
萨维里听着所有这些噪音，皱起了眉头。 —

The fact was that he knew, or at any rate suspected, what all this racket outside the window was tending to and whose handiwork it was.
事实是，他知道，或者至少怀疑，窗外这一切喧嚣是朝着什么方向发展，是谁的杰作。

“I know!” he muttered, shaking his finger menacingly under the bedclothes; —
“我知道！”他喃喃自语，在被窝下面威胁地摇着手指； —

“I know all about it.”
“我什么都知道。”

On a stool by the window sat the sexton’s wife, Raissa Nilovna. —
在窗子旁边的凳子上坐着教堂的妻子，蕾莎·尼洛芙娜。 —

A tin lamp standing on another stool, as though timid and distrustful of its powers, shed a dim and flickering light on her broad shoulders, on the handsome, tempting-looking contours of her person, and on her thick plait, which reached to the floor. —
一只锡灯站在另一只凳子上，仿佛对自己的能力感到胆怯和不信任，为她宽广的肩膀，诱人的轮廓和厚实的辫子上，洒下微弱而颤动的光芒，楼到地板。 —

She was making sacks out of coarse hempen stuff. —
她正在用粗麻布做袋子。 —

Her hands moved nimbly, while her whole body, her eyes, her eyebrows, her full lips, her white neck were as still as though they were asleep, absorbed in the monotonous, mechanical toil. —
她的手灵活地动着，而全身，她的眼睛，她的眉毛，她饱满的嘴唇，她的白脖子都像睡着了一样静止着，全神贯注于单调的机械劳作。 —

Only from time to time she raised her head to rest her weary neck, glanced for a moment towards the window, beyond which the snowstorm was raging, and bent again over her sacking. —
只有偶尔她抬起头来休息疲惫的脖子，瞥一眼窗外，窗外正在刮风下雪，然后再弯下腰继续缝袋子。 —

No desire, no joy, no grief, nothing was expressed by her handsome face with its turned-up nose and its dimples. —
她漂亮的脸上没有表现出任何欲望、喜悦或悲伤，她那翘起的鼻子和酒窝。 —

So a beautiful fountain expresses nothing when it is not playing.
所以美丽的喷泉在不在喷水时也不表达任何东西。

But at last she had finished a sack. She flung it aside, and, stretching luxuriously, rested her motionless, lack-lustre eyes on the window. —
但最后她完成了一个袋子。她把它扔到一边，舒展身体，让毫无表情的眼睛在窗户上休息。 —

The panes were swimming with drops like tears, and white with short-lived snowflakes which fell on the window, glanced at Raissa, and melted….
窗格上挂满了像眼泪一样的水滴，白色的短命雪花落在窗户上，看了看蕾莎，然后融化……

“Come to bed!” growled the sexton. Raissa remained mute. —
“快上床！” 坟场看守发出低沉的声音。蕾莎保持沉默。 —

But suddenly her eyelashes flickered and there was a gleam of attention in her eye. —
但突然她的睫毛眨动了，眼中有一丝关注的闪光。 —

Savely, all the time watching her expression from under the quilt, put out his head and asked:
萨维利一直在被窗帘下观察她的表情，探出头问道：

“What is it?”
“这是什么？”

“Nothing…. I fancy someone’s coming,” she answered quietly.
“没什么……我觉得有人来了，” 她轻声回答。

The sexton flung the quilt off with his arms and legs, knelt up in bed, and looked blankly at his wife. —
坐在床上的六厅长用手脚将被子甩开，跪了起来，茫然地看着他的妻子。 —

The timid light of the lamp illuminated his hirsute, pock-marked countenance and glided over his rough matted hair.
灯光腼腆地照在他多毛、布满麻点的面庞上，洒在他粗糙的乱发上。

“Do you hear?” asked his wife.
“你听见了吗？” 他的妻子问。

Through the monotonous roar of the storm he caught a scarcely audible thin and jingling monotone like the shrill note of a gnat when it wants to settle on one’s cheek and is angry at being prevented.
在风暴的单调咆哮声中，他听见了一种几乎听不见的细微的、叮当作响的单调声音，像一只蚊子想落在脸颊上，却因为被阻止而生气的尖叫声。

“It’s the post,” muttered Savely, squatting on his heels.
“是邮差，” 萨维利蹲着说。

Two miles from the church ran the posting road. —
教堂离着的宾馆有两英里的距离。 —

In windy weather, when the wind was blowing from the road to the church, the inmates of the hut caught the sound of bells.
风起的时候，当风从马路吹向教堂时，小屋的居民就能听见钟声。

“Lord! fancy people wanting to drive about in such weather,” sighed Raissa.
“天哪！真没想到人们居然要在这种天气里出去兜风，” 莱莎叹了口气。

“It’s government work. You’ve to go whether you like or not.”
“这是政府工作。不管你喜不喜欢，你都得去。”

The murmur hung in the air and died away.
谈话的声音挂在空气中，然后渐渐消失了。

“It has driven by,” said Savely, getting into bed.
“已经走了，” 萨维利说着，爬进床里。

But before he had time to cover himself up with the bedclothes he heard a distinct sound of the bell. The sexton looked anxiously at his wife, leapt out of bed and walked, waddling, to and fro by the stove. —
但当他准备用被子盖住自己之前，他听见了清晰的钟声。六厅长焦急地看了看妻子，跳下床，蹒跚地靠炉子走来走去。 —

The bell went on ringing for a little, then died away again as though it had ceased.
钟声响了一会儿，然后又停了，就好像消失了一样。

“I don’t hear it,” said the sexton, stopping and looking at his wife with his eyes screwed up.
“我听不到，”神父停下脚步，眯着眼睛看着妻子说道。

But at that moment the wind rapped on the window and with it floated a shrill jingling note. —
但就在那时风吹打着窗户，伴随着一声尖锐的叮当声。 —

Savely turned pale, cleared his throat, and flopped about the floor with his bare feet again.
萨维利脸色苍白，清了清嗓子，光着脚又在地板上翻滚起来。

“The postman is lost in the storm,” he wheezed out glancing malignantly at his wife. —
“邮递员在暴风雪中迷路了，”他喘着气，恶狠狠地瞅着妻子。 —

“Do you hear? The postman has lost his way!… I… I know! —
“你听到了吗？邮递员迷路了！我…我知道！ —

Do you suppose I… don’t understand?” he muttered. —
你以为我…不明白吗？”他喃喃自语。 —

“I know all about it, curse you!”
“我知道一切，见鬼！”他说。

“What do you know?” Raissa asked quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the window.
“你知道什么？”莱莎平静地问道，眼睛始终盯着窗户。

“I know that it’s all your doing, you she-devil! Your doing, damn you! —
“我知道一切都是你干的，你这个恶魔！你干的，该死的！ —

This snowstorm and the post going wrong, you’ve done it all—you!”
这场暴风雪和邮件出了问题，都是你搞的—你！”

“You’re mad, you silly,” his wife answered calmly.
“你疯了，愚蠢的，”他的妻子平静地回答。

“I’ve been watching you for a long time past and I’ve seen it. —
“我一直盯着你很久了，我看到了。 —

From the first day I married you I noticed that you’d bitch’s blood in you!”
从我娶你的第一天起我就注意到了，你身上有狐狸精的血液！”

“Tfoo!” said Raissa, surprised, shrugging her shoulders and crossing herself. —
“弥撒！”被莱莎吓了一跳，耸耸肩膀，交叉了自己。 —

“Cross yourself, you fool!”
“自己神助！”

“A witch is a witch,” Savely pronounced in a hollow, tearful voice, hurriedly blowing his nose on the hem of his shirt; —
“女巫就是女巫，”萨维利用空洞、泪流满面的声音宣称，在他的衬衣下把鼻涕擤了出去； —

“though you are my wife, though you are of a clerical family, I’d say what you are even at confession. —
“虽然你是我的妻子，虽然你出自神职家庭，我会在忏悔时说出你的真相。 —

… Why, God have mercy upon us! Last year on the Eve of the Prophet Daniel and the Three Young Men there was a snowstorm, and what happened then? —
…天啊，怜悯我们！去年在先知但以理和三少年前夕下雪了，那时发生了什么？ —

The mechanic came in to warm himself. Then on St. Alexey’s Day the ice broke on the river and the district policeman turned up, and he was chatting with you all night. —
机械师进来取暖。然后在圣亚力士日河里结冰了，地区警察出现了，他和你通宵聊天。 —

.. the damned brute! And when he came out in the morning and I looked at him, he had rings under his eyes and his cheeks were hollow! —
..可恶的畜生！早晨他出去时，我看着他，眼睛下面有黑圈，腮帮子凹陷！ —

Eh? During the August fast there were two storms and each time the huntsman turned up. —
嗯？在八月斋期期间有两次风暴，每次猎人都出现。 —

I saw it all, damn him! Oh, she is redder than a crab now, aha!”
我全都看见了，该死的！哦，她现在脸红得像只螃蟹，哈哈！”

“You didn’t see anything.”
“你什么都没看见。”

“Didn’t I! And this winter before Christmas on the Day of the Ten Martyrs of Crete, when the storm lasted for a whole day and night—do you remember? —
“我没看见吗！还有去年圣诞节前的这个冬天，在克里特十殉道者日，暴风雨持续了一整天一整夜—你还记得吗？ —

—the marshal’s clerk was lost, and turned up here, the hound…. Tfoo! —
—元帅的文书迷路了，然后出现在这里，那个混蛋….呸！ —

To be tempted by the clerk! It was worth upsetting God’s weather for him! —
为了那个文书而动心！值得为他弄乱上帝的天气！ —

A drivelling scribbler, not a foot from the ground, pimples all over his mug and his neck awry! —
一个胡说八道的文人，脸上满是疙瘩，脖子歪得厉害！ —

If he were good-looking, anyway—but he, tfoo! —
即便他长得好看点也行—但他！呸！ —

he is as ugly as Satan!”
他丑得像撒旦！”

The sexton took breath, wiped his lips and listened. —
堂吏喘了口气，擦了擦嘴，倾听着。 —

The bell was not to be heard, but the wind banged on the roof, and again there came a tinkle in the darkness.
钟声听不见了，但风在房顶上响着，黑暗中又传来了一阵叮当声。

“And it’s the same thing now!” Savely went on. “It’s not for nothing the postman is lost! —
“现在也是一样的！”萨维利继续说道。“圣诞老人不是白费力气迷路了！ —

Blast my eyes if the postman isn’t looking for you! Oh, the devil is a good hand at his work; —
妈的眼睛，邮差肯定是在找你！哦，魔鬼真是手段高明； —

he is a fine one to help! He will turn him round and round and bring him here. I know, I see! —
他肯定会把他转来转去，把他带到这里。我知道，我看见了！ —

You can’t conceal it, you devil’s bauble, you heathen wanton! —
你别想隐藏，你这魔鬼的东西，你这个异教淫妇！ —

As soon as the storm began I knew what you were up to.”
暴风雨一起来我就知道你在搞什么鬼。”

“Here’s a fool!” smiled his wife. “Why, do you suppose, you thick-head, that I make the storm?”
“这个傻瓜！”他的妻子笑着说。“你想当然了，你这个呆子，我能制造暴风雨吗？”

“H’m!… Grin away! Whether it’s your doing or not, I only know that when your blood’s on fire there’s sure to be bad weather, and when there’s bad weather there’s bound to be some crazy fellow turning up here. —
“哼!…笑吧！不管是你搞的还是别人，我只知道你心情激动的时候肯定会有坏天气，而有坏天气的时候肯定会有个疯子跑来这里。 —

It happens so every time! So it must be you!”
这种事每次都这样！所以一定是你！”

To be more impressive the sexton put his finger to his forehead, closed his left eye, and said in a singsong voice:
为了更有威严，教堂司事用手指戳了戳额头，闭上左眼，用吟诵的声音说道：

“Oh, the madness! oh, the unclean Judas! —
“哦，疯狂！哦，不洁的犹大！ —

If you really are a human being and not a witch, you ought to think what if he is not the mechanic, or the clerk, or the huntsman, but the devil in their form! —
如果你真的是个人而不是女巫，你应该考虑他不是机械工、或文员、或猎人，而是以他们的形象出现的魔鬼！ —

Ah! You’d better think of that!”
啊！你最好考虑一下！”

“Why, you are stupid, Savely,” said his wife, looking at him compassionately. —
“你真是愚蠢，萨维利，”他的妻子怜悯地看着他说。 —

“When father was alive and living here, all sorts of people used to come to him to be cured of the ague: —
“在父亲还活着并且住在这里的时候，各种各样的人都会来找他求治疗疟疾： —

from the village, and the hamlets, and the Armenian settlement. —
从村庄、小村庄，和亚美尼亚人定居点而来。 —

They came almost every day, and no one called them devils. —
他们几乎每天都来，没人称他们为恶魔。 —

But if anyone once a year comes in bad weather to warm himself, you wonder at it, you silly, and take all sorts of notions into your head at once.”
但是如果有人一年之中在恶劣天气里来取暖，你们会对此感到惊讶，你们这些愚蠢的人，立刻就会产生各种想法。”

His wife’s logic touched Savely. He stood with his bare feet wide apart, bent his head, and pondered. —
他妻子的逻辑触动了萨维尔。他双脚裸露，站着，头低着，思考着。 —

He was not firmly convinced yet of the truth of his suspicions, and his wife’s genuine and unconcerned tone quite disconcerted him. —
他还没有完全确定他的怀疑是真实的，而他妻子的真诚而不关心的口气完全使他不知所措。 —

Yet after a moment’s thought he wagged his head and said:
然而经过片刻的思考，他摇了摇头，说:

“It’s not as though they were old men or bandy-legged cripples; —
“他们又不是老人或者腿脚残废的人; —

it’s always young men who want to come for the night…. Why is that? —
他们总是一些年轻人想要在夜里过夜…为什么呢? —

And if they only wanted to warm themselves——But they are up to mischief. No, woman; —
如果他们只是想取暖——但他们在图谋着什么。不，女人; —

there’s no creature in this world as cunning as your female sort! —
在这个世界上没有什么生物像你这种女性这样狡猾! —

Of real brains you’ve not an ounce, less than a starling, but for devilish slyness—oo-oo-oo! —
你们真正的头脑里没有一丝，比麻雀还少，但阴险劲儿全都在—oo-oo-oo! —

The Queen of Heaven protect us! There is the postman’s bell! —
天上的圣母保佑我们! 邮递员的铃声响了! —

When the storm was only beginning I knew all that was in your mind. —
当风暴才刚刚开始的时候，我就已经知道你脑子中的一切了。 —

That’s your witchery, you spider!”
那是你的妖术，你这只蜘蛛!”

“Why do you keep on at me, you heathen? —
“你为什么总是冲着我发火，你这异教徒? —

” His wife lost her patience at last. “Why do you keep sticking to it like pitch?”
他的妻子终于失去了耐心。“你为什么像松香一样坚持不懈呢？”

“I stick to it because if anything—God forbid—happens to-night… do you hear?. —
“我坚持不懈是因为如果今晚发生什么意外… 你听见了吗？ —

.. if anything happens to-night, I’ll go straight off to-morrow morning to Father Nikodim and tell him all about it. —
如果今晚发生什么意外，明天早上我会直接去找尼科底姆神父，把一切告诉他。 —

‘Father Nikodim,’ I shall say, ‘graciously excuse me, but she is a witch.’ ‘Why so? —
“尼科底姆神父，”我会说，“请原谅我，但她是个女巫。” “为什么？ —

’ ‘H’m! do you want to know why?’ ‘Certainly….’ And I shall tell him. —
“嗯！你想知道为什么吗？” “当然….” 然后我会告诉他。 —

And woe to you, woman! Not only at the dread Seat of Judgment, but in your earthly life you’ll be punished, too! —
你这个女人，你将受到惩罚！不仅在可怕的审判座前，也在你的人生中你将受到惩罚！ —

It’s not for nothing there are prayers in the breviary against your kind!”
圣经中有反对你这种人的祷告，这不是无缘无故的！

Suddenly there was a knock at the window, so loud and unusual that Savely turned pale and almost dropped backwards with fright. —
突然间，窗外响起了一声敲门声，声音如此响亮而又不寻常，萨维里吓得脸色苍白，差点向后倒退。 —

His wife jumped up, and she, too, turned pale.
他的妻子跳了起来，她也变得苍白。

“For God’s sake, let us come in and get warm! —
“求求你，让我们进来暖和一下！ —

” they heard in a trembling deep bass. “Who lives here? —
”他们听到一个颤抖的低沉的男低音。“谁住在这里？ —

For mercy’s sake! We’ve lost our way.”
天啊！我们迷路了。”

“Who are you?” asked Raissa, afraid to look at the window.
“你们是谁？”莱萨问道，不敢看窗外。

“The post,” answered a second voice.
“邮政局的，”第二个声音回答。

“You’ve succeeded with your devil’s tricks,” said Savely with a wave of his hand. —
“你用你的恶魔伎俩得逞了，”萨维里挥手说。 —

“No mistake; I am right! Well, you’d better look out!”
“毫无疑问；我是对的！嗯，你最好小心！”

The sexton jumped on to the bed in two skips, stretched himself on the feather mattress, and sniffing angrily, turned with his face to the wall. —
墓守跳上床，踱翻羽绒床垫，生气地闻了闻，转身面朝墙壁。 —

Soon he felt a draught of cold air on his back. —
很快他感到了背后的一阵冷风。 —

The door creaked and the tall figure of a man, plastered over with snow from head to foot, appeared in the doorway. —
门吱呀一声响，一个从头到脚被雪覆盖的高个子男人出现在门口。 —

Behind him could be seen a second figure as white.
他身后还能看到第二个同样被白雪覆盖的身影。

“Am I to bring in the bags?” asked the second in a hoarse bass voice.
“我要把袋子拿进来吗？”第二人用嘶哑的低沉声音问道。

“You can’t leave them there.” Saying this, the first figure began untying his hood, but gave it up, and pulling it off impatiently with his cap, angrily flung it near the stove. —
“你不能把它们留在那里。”说着，第一个身影开始解开头巾，但放弃了，生气地摘下帽子，愤怒地扔到火炉附近。 —

Then taking off his greatcoat, he threw that down beside it, and, without saying good-evening, began pacing up and down the hut.
随后脱下他的大衣，把它放在旁边，然后，没有说晚安，他开始在小屋里踱来踱去。

He was a fair-haired, young postman wearing a shabby uniform and black rusty-looking high boots. —
他是一位金发的年轻邮递员，穿着破旧的制服和黑色生锈的高筒靴子。 —

After warming himself by walking to and fro, he sat down at the table, stretched out his muddy feet towards the sacks and leaned his chin on his fist. —
在来回踱步取暖后，他坐在桌子旁，把灰脏的脚伸向麻袋，下巴搁在拳头上。 —

His pale face, reddened in places by the cold, still bore vivid traces of the pain and terror he had just been through. —
他苍白的脸，部分因寒冷而泛红，仍然清楚地显示出他刚刚经历的痛苦和恐惧。 —

Though distorted by anger and bearing traces of recent suffering, physical and moral, it was handsome in spite of the melting snow on the eyebrows, moustaches, and short beard.
虽然因愤怒而扭曲，痕迹仍在肉体和道德上受到最近苦难的影响，但尽管眉毛、胡须和短胡子上覆盖着融化的雪，它依然很英俊。

“It’s a dog’s life!” muttered the postman, looking round the walls and seeming hardly able to believe that he was in the warmth. —
“这简直就是狗一样的生活！”邮递员自言自语，环顾四周的墙壁，似乎很难相信自己置身温暖之中。 —

“We were nearly lost! If it had not been for your light, I don’t know what would have happened. —
“我们几乎丧命了！如果不是你的灯光，我不知道会发生什么。 —

Goodness only knows when it will all be over! There’s no end to this dog’s life! —
只有天晓得这一切何时才会结束！这狗一样的生活永无止境！ —

Where have we come?” he asked, dropping his voice and raising his eyes to the sexton’s wife.
我们到了哪里？”他问，压低声音，抬起眼睛看着教堂司事的妻子。

“To the Gulyaevsky Hill on General Kalinovsky’s estate,” she answered, startled and blushing.
“到了卡林诺夫斯基将军庄园的古廖耶夫斯基山，”她答道，受到惊吓，脸红。

“Do you hear, Stepan?” The postman turned to the driver, who was wedged in the doorway with a huge mail-bag on his shoulders. —
“斯捷潘，你听见了吗？”邮递员转向司机，在门口挤着肩膀上扛着一个巨大的邮袋。 —

“We’ve got to Gulyaevsky Hill.”
“我们到了古廖耶夫斯基山。”

“Yes… we’re a long way out.” Jerking out these words like a hoarse sigh, the driver went out and soon after returned with another bag, then went out once more and this time brought the postman’s sword on a big belt, of the pattern of that long flat blade with which Judith is portrayed by the bedside of Holofernes in cheap woodcuts. —
“是的…我们走了很远。”司机喘息般地说出这些话后，走了出去，不久之后又带回另一个包裹，然后再次出去，这次带回了邮递员的一把剑，挂在一条与《侯罗亚赶走刀兵》中侯罗亚床边描绘的那个长而平的刀身的同样图案的大腰带上。 —

Laying the bags along the wall, he went out into the outer room, sat down there and lighted his pipe.
把邮袋靠在墙边后，他走进外间，在那里坐下来点燃了烟斗。

“Perhaps you’d like some tea after your journey?” Raissa inquired.
“旅途辛苦了，要喝点茶吗？”莱萨询问。

“How can we sit drinking tea?” said the postman, frowning. —
“我们怎么能坐在这里喝茶呢？”邮递员皱着眉头说道。 —

“We must make haste and get warm, and then set off, or we shall be late for the mail train. —
“我们必须赶快取暖，然后出发，否则我们会误了邮车。 —

We’ll stay ten minutes and then get on our way. —
“我们会呆十分钟然后上路。 —

Only be so good as to show us the way.”
“请你告诉我们路怎么走。”

“What an infliction it is, this weather!” sighed Raissa.
“这天气真是个煎熬！”蕾萨叹了口气说。

“H’m, yes…. Who may you be?”
“嗯，是的…. 你们是谁？”

“We? We live here, by the church…. We belong to the clergy…. There lies my husband. —
“我们？我们住在这里，靠近教堂…. 我们属于教士…. 那就是我丈夫的坟墓。 —

Savely, get up and say good-evening! This used to be a separate parish till eighteen months ago. —
“萨维利，快起来跟他们说晚安！这个地方在十八个月前还是个独立的教区。 —

Of course, when the gentry lived here there were more people, and it was worth while to have the services. —
当然，以前有上流社会在这里才会有更多人，能举行弥撒也就有意义。 —

But now the gentry have gone, and I need not tell you there’s nothing for the clergy to live on. —
但现在上流社会已经离开了，我不用告诉你们教士没有什么收入来源。 —

The nearest village is Markovka, and that’s over three miles away. —
最近的村庄是马尔科夫卡，那有三英里远。 —

Savely is on the retired list now, and has got the watchman’s job; —
萨维利已经退休了，现在做了个看门人的工作； —

he has to look after the church….”
他要看守教堂….”

And the postman was immediately informed that if Savely were to go to the General’s lady and ask her for a letter to the bishop, he would be given a good berth. —
邮递员立刻被告知，如果萨维利去找将军夫人，请求她写信给主教，他就会得到一个好职位。 —

“But he doesn’t go to the General’s lady because he is lazy and afraid of people. —
“但他不去将军夫人那，因为他懒惰怕人。 —

We belong to the clergy all the same…” added Raissa.
“我们都属于教士……” 莱莎补充道。

“What do you live on?” asked the postman.
“你们靠什么生活？” 邮递员问道。

“There’s a kitchen garden and a meadow belonging to the church. —
“有一个属于教堂的菜园和草地。 —

Only we don’t get much from that,” sighed Raissa. —
但我们从那里得不到什么。” 莱莎叹了口气。 —

“The old skinflint, Father Nikodim, from the next village celebrates here on St. Nicolas’ Day in the winter and on St. Nicolas’ Day in the summer, and for that he takes almost all the crops for himself. —
“隔壁村庄的吝啬鬼尼科蒂姆神父冬天和夏天的圣尼古拉节在这里庆祝，他几乎拿走了所有庄稼。 —

There’s no one to stick up for us!”
没有人来为我们说话！”

“You are lying,” Savely growled hoarsely. —
“你在撒谎，” 萨维利嘶哑地低声说。 —

“Father Nikodim is a saintly soul, a luminary of the Church; —
“尼科迪姆神父是一个圣洁的灵魂，是教会的光辉； —

and if he does take it, it’s the regulation!”
如果他拿走了，那就是规定！”

“You’ve a cross one!” said the postman, with a grin. “Have you been married long?”
“你真是个难缠的！”邮递员笑着说。“你们结婚多久了？”

“It was three years ago the last Sunday before Lent. My father was sexton here in the old days, and when the time came for him to die, he went to the Consistory and asked them to send some unmarried man to marry me that I might keep the place. —
“那是三年前在斋戒前最后一个星期日。我父亲在这里曾经是一个随事通，当他去世的时候，他去了教廷，请求他们派一个未婚男子和我结婚，这样我可以继续保留这个职位。 —

So I married him.”
所以我嫁给了他。”

“Aha, so you killed two birds with one stone! —
“啊哈，你一箭双雕了！”邮递员看着萨维利的背影说。 —

” said the postman, looking at Savely’s back. —
“娶了妻子还有了工作。” —

“Got wife and job together.”
萨维利不耐烦地动了动腿，靠近墙。

Savely wriggled his leg impatiently and moved closer to the wall. —
邮递员移开了桌子，伸了伸懒腰，坐在邮袋上。 —

The postman moved away from the table, stretched, and sat down on the mail- bag. —
思考片刻后，他用手握住邮袋，把剑移到另一侧，然后躺下，一只脚碰到地板。 —

After a moment’s thought he squeezed the bags with his hands, shifted his sword to the other side, and lay down with one foot touching the floor.
“这是狗的一生，”他喃喃自语，把手放在头后合上眼睛。

“It’s a dog’s life,” he muttered, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. —
“我可不愿意让一个狂野的鞑靼人过这样的生活。” —

“I wouldn’t wish a wild Tatar such a life.”
很快一切都安静下来。除了萨维利的鼻子哼哼声和已经入睡的邮递员的慢慢呼吸声外，什么也听不见了，他每次呼吸都发出深长的“呼-呼-呼”的声音。

Soon everything was still. Nothing was audible except the sniffing of Savely and the slow, even breathing of the sleeping postman, who uttered a deep prolonged “h-h-h” at every breath. —
他的喉咙里有时会传出像车轮在响的声音，他翘动的脚在袋子上发出沙沙声。 —

From time to time there was a sound like a creaking wheel in his throat, and his twitching foot rustled against the bag.
不时地发出像响轮的声音。

Savely fidgeted under the quilt and looked round slowly. —
萨维利在被子下烦躁地扭动着，慢慢转过头来看了一圈。 —

His wife was sitting on the stool, and with her hands pressed against her cheeks was gazing at the postman’s face. —
他的妻子坐在凳子上，双手压在脸颊上，凝视着邮递员的脸。 —

Her face was immovable, like the face of some one frightened and astonished.
她的脸像是受惊和惊讶的人一样不动。

“Well, what are you gaping at?” Savely whispered angrily.
“你瞪什么眼？” 萨维利生气地低声说。

“What is it to you? Lie down!” answered his wife without taking her eyes off the flaxen head.
“你管我？”他的妻子不移开目光，回答道，“躺下！”

Savely angrily puffed all the air out of his chest and turned abruptly to the wall. —
萨维利生气地把所有的气都喷出来，突然转身朝墙上。 —

Three minutes later he turned over restlessly again, knelt up on the bed, and with his hands on the pillow looked askance at his wife. —
三分钟后，他再次不安地翻了个身，跪在床上，双手搭在枕头上斜眼看着妻子。 —

She was still sitting motionless, staring at the visitor. —
她依然静静地坐着，凝视着客人。 —

Her cheeks were pale and her eyes were glowing with a strange fire. —
她的脸颊苍白，眼中闪烁着一种奇怪的火焰。 —

The sexton cleared his throat, crawled on his stomach off the bed, and going up to the postman, put a handkerchief over his face.
墓穹郎清了清嗓子，匍匐下床，走到邮递员跟前，给他脸上盖上手帕。

“What’s that for?” asked his wife.
“这是干什么？” 他的妻子问道。

“To keep the light out of his eyes.”
“挡住光线。”

“Then put out the light!”
“那就灭了灯！”

Savely looked distrustfully at his wife, put out his lips towards the lamp, but at once thought better of it and clasped his hands.
萨维利怀疑地看着妻子，朝灯伸出嘴唇，但立刻改变主意，交握双手。

“Isn’t that devilish cunning?” he exclaimed. “Ah! —
“这不是特别狡猾吗？” 他惊叹道。“啊！” —

Is there any creature slyer than womenkind?”
“有什么比女人更狡猾的生物吗？”

“Ah, you long-skirted devil!” hissed his wife, frowning with vexation. “You wait a bit!”
“啊，你这个长裙的恶魔！”他的妻子嘀咕着，皱着眉头生气地说。“你等一等！”

And settling herself more comfortably, she stared at the postman again.
然后，她舒服地坐下来，再次盯着邮递员看。

It did not matter to her that his face was covered. —
他脸部被遮盖并不重要。 —

She was not so much interested in his face as in his whole appearance, in the novelty of this man. —
她对他的脸不太感兴趣，而是对他整体外表感兴趣，对这个男人的新奇感兴趣。 —

His chest was broad and powerful, his hands were slender and well formed, and his graceful, muscular legs were much comelier than Savely’s stumps. —
他的胸部宽阔有力，手指修长、造型优美，优雅有力的腿比Savely那截断的要好看得多。 —

There could be no comparison, in fact.
实际上无法进行比较。

“Though I am a long-skirted devil,” Savely said after a brief interval, “they’ve no business to sleep here. —
“虽然我是一个长裙的恶魔，”Savely在短暂的间隔后说，“他们不该在这里睡觉。 —

… It’s government work; we shall have to answer for keeping them. —
……这是政府的事情；我们必须对让他们呆在这里负责。 —

If you carry the letters, carry them, you can’t go to sleep…. Hey! you! —
如果你送信，那就送信，你不能睡觉……喂！你！ —

” Savely shouted into the outer room. “You, driver. What’s your name? —
” Savely朝外边的房间喊道。“你，车夫。你叫什么名字？ —

Shall I show you the way? Get up; postmen mustn’t sleep!”
我带你去吧？起床吧；邮递员不能睡觉！”

And Savely, thoroughly roused, ran up to the postman and tugged him by the sleeve.
而Savely，完全激动起来，跑到邮递员跟前，并拽了一下他的袖子。

“Hey, your honour, if you must go, go; and if you don’t, it’s not the thing. —
“喂，阁下，如果你必须走，那就走吧；如果你不想，这可不好。 —

… Sleeping won’t do.”
……睡觉是不行的。”

The postman jumped up, sat down, looked with blank eyes round the hut, and lay down again.
邮递员跳了起来，坐下，茫然地环顾着小屋，然后又躺了下去。

“But when are you going?” Savely pattered away. —
“那你什么时候走？”萨维利不停地说着。 —

“That’s what the post is for—to get there in good time, do you hear? —
“这就是邮件的作用 —— 及时到达，听明白了吗？ —

I’ll take you.”
“我会带你去的。”

The postman opened his eyes. Warmed and relaxed by his first sweet sleep, and not yet quite awake, he saw as through a mist the white neck and the immovable, alluring eyes of the sexton’s wife. —
邮递员睁开眼睛。第一次甜美睡眠的温暖和轻松让他感觉良好，但还没完全清醒，他看到了像透过薄雾一样的六分仪妻子白皙的脖子和那双动也不动的迷人眼睛。 —

He closed his eyes and smiled as though he had been dreaming it all.
他闭上眼睛，微笑起来，仿佛刚才一切都是在做梦。

“Come, how can you go in such weather!” he heard a soft feminine voice; —
“来吧，这么糟的天气怎么能走！”他听到柔和的女声说道； —

“you ought to have a sound sleep and it would do you good!”
“你应该好好睡一觉，对你有好处！”

“And what about the post?” said Savely anxiously. —
“那邮件怎么办？”萨维利焦虑地说道。 —

“Who’s going to take the post? Are you going to take it, pray, you?”
“谁去送邮件呢？难道你会送吗？”你呢？

The postman opened his eyes again, looked at the play of the dimples on Raissa’s face, remembered where he was, and understood Savely. —
邮递员再次睁开眼睛，看着赖莎脸上皱纹的玩耍，想起自己在哪里，明白了萨维利的意思。 —

The thought that he had to go out into the cold darkness sent a chill shudder all down him, and he winced.
想到自己要出去在寒冷的黑暗中走时，他感到一阵寒意，不禁打了个寒颤。

“I might sleep another five minutes,” he said, yawning. “I shall be late, anyway….”
“我或许能再睡五分钟吧，”他打着呵欠说道。“不管怎样，我都会迟到的….”

“We might be just in time,” came a voice from the outer room. —
“我们或许时间刚好呢，”外间传来一声声音。 —

“All days are not alike; the train may be late for a bit of luck.”
“不是每天都一样；火车也许稍微晚点了好运气。”

The postman got up, and stretching lazily began putting on his coat.
邮递员起床，慵懒地伸了个懒腰，开始穿上他的外套。

Savely positively neighed with delight when he saw his visitors were getting ready to go.
萨维利高兴地像马一样发出尖叫，因为他看到来访者正在准备离开。

“Give us a hand,” the driver shouted to him as he lifted up a mail-bag.
“帮个手啊，”司机将一个邮袋举了起来，向他喊道。

The sexton ran out and helped him drag the post-bags into the yard. —
教堂管理员跑出去帮助他把邮袋拖进院子里。 —

The postman began undoing the knot in his hood. —
邮递员开始解开头巾上的结。 —

The sexton’s wife gazed into his eyes, and seemed trying to look right into his soul.
教堂管理员的妻子凝视着他的眼睛，似乎试图直视他的灵魂。

“You ought to have a cup of tea…” she said.
“你应该来杯茶…” 她说道。

“I wouldn’t say no… but, you see, they’re getting ready,” he assented. —
“我不介意…但是你知道，他们正在准备着。” 他同意道。 —

“We are late, anyway.”
“反正我们晚了。”

“Do stay,” she whispered, dropping her eyes and touching him by the sleeve.
“请留下来，”她轻声耳语着，垂下眼睛并轻轻拉了拉他的袖子。

The postman got the knot undone at last and flung the hood over his elbow, hesitating. —
邮递员最终把结打开了，把头巾甩到他的手肘上，犹豫不定。 —

He felt it comfortable standing by Raissa.
站在莱莎旁边，他感到很舒服。

“What a… neck you’ve got!…” And he touched her neck with two fingers. —
“你的脖子怎么这么…” 他用两根手指碰了碰她的脖子。 —

Seeing that she did not resist, he stroked her neck and shoulders.
见她没有反抗，他抚摸着她的脖子和肩膀。

“I say, you are…”
“我说，你是…”

“You’d better stay… have some tea.”
“你最好留下…喝点茶。”

“Where are you putting it?” The driver’s voice could be heard outside. “Lay it crossways.”
“你把它放在哪里？”司机的声音可以在外面听到。“横向放。”

“You’d better stay…. Hark how the wind howls.”
“你最好留下….听风声如何凄厉。”

And the postman, not yet quite awake, not yet quite able to shake off the intoxicating sleep of youth and fatigue, was suddenly overwhelmed by a desire for the sake of which mail-bags, postal trains. —
而那邮递员，尚未完全清醒，仍然沉浸在青春和疲惫带来的迷醉中，突然被一种渴望所淹没，邮袋、邮车。 —

.. and all things in the world, are forgotten. —
..以及世界上所有事物，都被遗忘。 —

He glanced at the door in a frightened way, as though he wanted to escape or hide himself, seized Raissa round the waist, and was just bending over the lamp to put out the light, when he heard the tramp of boots in the outer room, and the driver appeared in the doorway. —
他惊恐地看着门口，仿佛想逃跑或者藏起来，抱住莱莎的腰，刚刚弯下腰去熄灯，就听到外面屋子里脚步声刺耳起来，司机出现在门口。 —

Savely peeped in over his shoulder. The postman dropped his hands quickly and stood still as though irresolute.
萨维利在他肩上偷偷看了看。邮递员迅速放下双手，站在那里犹豫不定。

“It’s all ready,” said the driver. The postman stood still for a moment, resolutely threw up his head as though waking up completely, and followed the driver out. —
“全都准备好了，”司机说。邮递员站了一会儿，果断地抬起头，仿佛彻底醒来，紧随司机出去。 —

Raissa was left alone.
莱莎独自一人留在屋子里。

“Come, get in and show us the way!” she heard.
“快上车，给我们指路！” 她听到有人说。

One bell sounded languidly, then another, and the jingling notes in a long delicate chain floated away from the hut.
一枚铃声悠长地响起，然后又是另一枚，长长的轻柔的叮当声在小屋外飘荡。

When little by little they had died away, Raissa got up and nervously paced to and fro. —
当它们逐渐消失时，莱莎站了起来，神经质地来回走动。 —

At first she was pale, then she flushed all over. —
最开始她苍白，然后满脸通红。 —

Her face was contorted with hate, her breathing was tremulous, her eyes gleamed with wild, savage anger, and, pacing up and down as in a cage, she looked like a tigress menaced with red-hot iron. —
她的脸上满是愤怒，呼吸颤抖，眼睛里闪烁着狂野、凶猛的怒火，像一只被逼上绝路的老虎。 —

For a moment she stood still and looked at her abode. —
她停下来，看着她的住所。 —

Almost half of the room was filled up by the bed, which stretched the length of the whole wall and consisted of a dirty feather-bed, coarse grey pillows, a quilt, and nameless rags of various sorts. —
房间几乎一半都被床占据，床沿着整面墙延伸，由一个肮脏的羽绒床、粗糙的灰色枕头、一床被子和各种不知名的破烂物品组成。 —

The bed was a shapeless ugly mass which suggested the shock of hair that always stood up on Savely’s head whenever it occurred to him to oil it. —
这床是一个毫无形状的丑陋的庞然大物，总是让Savely想起需要梳油的头发一样。 —

From the bed to the door that led into the cold outer room stretched the dark stove surrounded by pots and hanging clouts. —
从床到通往寒冷外间的门延伸着黑暗的火炉，四周围绕着锅和悬挂的破布。 —

Everything, including the absent Savely himself, was dirty, greasy, and smutty to the last degree, so that it was strange to see a woman’s white neck and delicate skin in such surroundings.
一切都肮脏、油腻、满是烟灰，甚至连缺席的Savely本人都是如此，因此，在这样的环境中见到一个女人的美丽白皙的脖子和细嫩的肌肤显得格外奇怪。

Raissa ran up to the bed, stretched out her hands as though she wanted to fling it all about, stamp it underfoot, and tear it to shreds. —
Raissa跑向床，伸出手好像想把一切都扔来扔去，踩在脚下，撕成碎片。 —

But then, as though frightened by contact with the dirt, she leapt back and began pacing up and down again.
但随后，仿佛被肮脏吓坏了，她跳回去，重新开始来回走动。

When Savely returned two hours later, worn out and covered with snow, she was undressed and in bed. —
当Savely两个小时后疲惫不堪地被雪覆盖着回来时，她已被脱衣躺在床上。 —

Her eyes were closed, but from the slight tremor that ran over her face he guessed that she was not asleep. —
她的双眼闭着，但从她脸上微微颤抖的情形来看，他猜想她并没有睡着。 —

On his way home he had vowed inwardly to wait till next day and not to touch her, but he could not resist a biting taunt at her.
在回家的路上，他心里发誓要等到第二天才动手，不去碰她，但他忍不住对她说出了一句刻薄的讥讽。

“Your witchery was all in vain: he’s gone off,” he said, grinning with malignant joy.
“你的巫术都白费了：他走了，”他笑着带着恶毒的快乐说道。

His wife remained mute, but her chin quivered. —
他的妻子保持沉默，但下巴颤抖了。 —

Savely undressed slowly, clambered over his wife, and lay down next to the wall.
Savely慢慢脱衣服，翻过妻子躺在墙边。

“To-morrow I’ll let Father Nikodim know what sort of wife you are! —
“明天我会告诉尼科丁神父你是什么样的妻子！”他嘟囔着，蜷缩着身子。 —

” he muttered, curling himself up.
Raissa转过脸看着他，眼睛闪闪发亮。

Raissa turned her face to him and her eyes gleamed.
当Savely回到床上时，他紧靠在墙边。

“The job’s enough for you, and you can look for a wife in the forest, blast you!” she said. —
“‘这份工作对你来说已经足够了，你可以去森林里找个妻子，该死的！’她说。 —

“I am no wife for you, a clumsy lout, a slug-a- bed, God forgive me!”
“我不配做你的妻子，一个笨手笨脚的家伙，一个床上懒汉，愿上帝宽恕我！”

“Come, come… go to sleep!”
“来，来…去睡吧！”

“How miserable I am!” sobbed his wife. —
“我是多么痛苦啊！”他的妻子抽泣道。 —

“If it weren’t for you, I might have married a merchant or some gentleman! —
“如果不是因为你，我或许早就嫁给了一个商人或绅士！ —

If it weren’t for you, I should love my husband now! —
“如果不是因为你，我现在会爱我的丈夫！ —

And you haven’t been buried in the snow, you haven’t been frozen on the highroad, you Herod!”
“你根本没有被雪埋葬，你没有在大路上冻死，你这个暴君！”

Raissa cried for a long time. At last she drew a deep sigh and was still. —
莱莎哭了很长一段时间。最后她深深地叹了口气，一言不发。 —

The storm still raged without. Something wailed in the stove, in the chimney, outside the walls, and it seemed to Savely that the wailing was within him, in his ears. —
外面暴风依旧。有些声音在火炉里，在烟囱里，墙外哀鸣，萨夫利似乎觉得这哀鸣源自他自己，回荡在他的耳中。 —

This evening had completely confirmed him in his suspicions about his wife. —
今晚完全让他对妻子的怀疑加剧。 —

He no longer doubted that his wife, with the aid of the Evil One, controlled the winds and the post sledges. —
他再不怀疑，妻子借助邪恶力量控制着风和马拉着的雪橇。 —

But to add to his grief, this mysteriousness, this supernatural, weird power gave the woman beside him a peculiar, incomprehensible charm of which he had not been conscious before. —
但更令他痛苦的是，这种神秘主义，这种超自然，奇异的力量赋予了站在他身旁的女人一种他以前没有意识到的莫名魅力。 —

The fact that in his stupidity he unconsciously threw a poetic glamour over her made her seem, as it were, whiter, sleeker, more unapproachable.
他愚蠢地不知不觉地将她描绘成一个诗意光环，使她看起来更加苍白，更加光滑，更加难以接近。

“Witch!” he muttered indignantly. “Tfoo, horrid creature!”
“巫婆！”他愤愤地嘟囔道。“呸，可怕的生物！”

Yet, waiting till she was quiet and began breathing evenly, he touched her head with his finger. —
然而，等到她安静下来，呼吸均匀起来后，他用手指触摸了她的头。” —

.. held her thick plait in his hand for a minute. —
他一分钟内抓住了她浓密的长辫。 —

She did not feel it. Then he grew bolder and stroked her neck.
她并没有感觉到。然后他变得更加大胆，抚摸她的脖子。

“Leave off!” she shouted, and prodded him on the nose with her elbow with such violence that he saw stars before his eyes.
“别碰我！”她大声喊道，并用胳膊肘狠狠戳了他的鼻子，使他眼前一片星花。

The pain in his nose was soon over, but the torture in his heart remained.
鼻子的疼痛很快就过去了，但心中的痛苦依然存在。