CHRISTMAS came and except for the High Mass, the solemn and wearisome congratulations to neighbours and house-serfs, and the new gowns donned by every one, nothing special happened to mark the holidays, though the still weather with twenty degrees of frost, the dazzling sunshine by day and the bright, starlit sky at night seemed to call for some special celebration of the season.
圣诞节来了，除了举行庄严沉闷的大弥撒、向邻居和佣人表示节日祝贺，以及每个人穿上新礼服外，没有什么特别的事情来标志假期，尽管寒冷的天气有二十度的霜冻，白昼炫目的阳光和夜晚明亮的星空似乎呼唤着某种特殊庆祝。

On the third day of Christmas week, after dinner, all the members of the household had separated and gone to their respective rooms. —
圣诞节的第三天，在晚饭后，家里的人都各自回到了自己的房间。 —

It was the dullest time of the day. Nikolay, who had been calling on neighbours in the morning, was asleep in the divan-room. —
这是一天中最乏味的时间。尼古拉早上去拜访了邻居，现在在躺椅室里睡觉。 —

The old count was resting in his own room. —
老伯爵正在自己的房间休息。 —

In the drawing-room Sonya was sitting at a round table copying a design for embroidery. —
索尼娅坐在一个圆桌旁复制一幅绣花图案。 —

The countess was playing patience. Nastasya Ivanovna, the buffoon, with a dejected countenance, was sitting in the window with two old ladies. —
伯爵夫人在玩接龙。Nastasya Ivanovna,这个滑稽角色，一脸沮丧地坐在窗边与两位老太太在一起。 —

Natasha came into the room, went up to Sonya, looked at what she was doing, then went up to her mother and stood there mutely.
娜塔莎走进房间，走到索尼娅跟前，看着她在做什么，然后走到她妈妈跟前站在那里默默不语。

“Why are you wandering about like an unquiet spirit?” said her mother. “What do you want?”
“你为什么像个不安宁的灵魂一样游荡？”她妈妈说。“你想要什么？”

“I want him…I want him at once, this minute,” said Natasha, with a gleam in her eyes and no smile on her lips. —
“我想要他…我想要他立刻，现在就要，”娜塔莎说，眼中闪动着光芒，嘴唇上没有微笑。 —

The countess raised her head and looked intently at her daughter.
伯爵夫人抬起头，目不转睛地看着她的女儿。

“Don’t look at me, mamma; don’t look at me like that; I shall cry in a minute.”
“别这样看着我，妈妈；别这样看着我，我马上要哭了。”

“Sit down; come and sit by me,” said the countess.
“坐下来，来坐在我旁边，”伯爵夫人说。

“Mamma, I want him. Why should I be wasting time like this, Mamma? —
“妈妈，我想要他。我为什么要像这样浪费时间，妈妈？” —

”…Her voice broke, tears gushed into her eyes, and to hide them, she turned quickly and went out of the room. —
“……她的声音断了，泪水涌入她眼中，为了掩饰住它们，她迅速转身走出了房间。 —

She went into the divan-room, stood there, thought a moment and went to the maids’ room. —
她走进了休息室，站在那里，思考了一会儿，然后走进了女仆的房间。 —

There an old maid-servant was scolding a young girl who had run in breathless from the cold outside.
那里有一位老女仆在责骂一名从外面喘着气跑进来的年轻姑娘。

“Give over playing,” said the old woman; “there is a time for everything.”
“别再玩了，”老婆婆说，“凡事都有时机。”

“Let her off, Kondratyevna,” said Natasha. “Run along, Mavrusha, run along.”
“让她走吧，孔德拉捷夫娜，”娜塔莎说。“跑吧，马夫鲁夏，赶快走。”

And after releasing Mavrusha, Natasha crossed the big hall and went to the vestibule. —
释放了马夫鲁夏后，娜塔莎穿过大厅，走到门厅里。 —

An old footman and two young ones were playing cards. —
一个老仆人和两个年轻的仆人正在玩牌。 —

They broke off and rose at the entrance of their young mistress. —
当年轻的女主人走进来的时候，他们停了下来站了起来。 —

“What am I to do with them?” Natasha wondered.
“我该怎么办呢？”娜塔莎想。

“Yes, Nikita, go out, please…Where am I to send him? —
“尼基塔，出去一下，请问我该把他送到哪儿？ —

…Yes, go to the yard and bring me a cock, please; —
“……是的，请到院子里给我带只公鸡来； —

and you, Misha, bring me some oats.”
“还有你，米沙，请给我拿点燕麦。”

“Just a few oats, if you please?” said Misha, with cheerful readiness.
“请稍微多拿一点燕麦好吗？”米沙高兴地答道。

“Run along; make haste,” the old man urged him.
“赶快，快点，”老人催促他。

“Fyodor, you get me some chalk.”
“费奥多尔，给我找点粉笔。”

As she passed the buffet she ordered the samovar, though it was not the right time for it.
当她经过自助餐台时，她点了一个烧水壶，尽管现在不是喝茶的时间。

The buffet-waiter, Foka, was the most ill-tempered person in the house. —
自助餐台服务员福卡是这家里，态度最坏的人。 —

Natasha liked to try her power over him. —
娜塔莎喜欢试探他的底线。 —

He did not believe in her order, and went to inquire if it were really wanted.
他不相信她的命令，并去打听是否真的需要。

“Ah, you’re a nice young lady!” said Foka, pretending to frown at Natasha.
“啊，你是个好姑娘！”福加假装皱眉看着娜塔莎说道。

No one in the house sent people on errands and gave the servants so much work as Natasha. —
在这个家里，没有人像娜塔莎一样给仆人们派任务，让他们忙个不停。 —

She could not see people without wanting to send them for something. —
她见到人就想让他们去做事。 —

She seemed to be trying to see whether one of them would not be cross or sulky with her; —
她似乎试图看是否有人会对她生气或发脾气； —

but no one’s orders were so readily obeyed by the servants as Natasha’s. “What am I to do? —
但是没有谁的命令像娜塔莎的那样容易被仆人们执行。“我该怎么办？ —

Where am I to go?” Natasha wondered, strolling slowly along the corridor.
我该去哪里？”娜塔莎疑惑地走在走廊上。

“Nastasya Ivanovna, what will my children be? —
“纳斯塔西娅·伊万诺夫娜，我的孩子们将会成为什么样的人？ —

” she asked the buffoon, who came towards her in his woman’s jacket.
”她问着穿着女人外套的小丑。

“Fleas, and dragon-flies, and grasshoppers,” answered the buffoon.
“跳蚤，蜻蜓和蚱蜢，”小丑回答道。

“My God! my God! always the same. Oh, where am I to go? What am I to do with myself? —
“我的上帝！我的上帝！总是一样。哦，我该去哪里？我该怎么办？ —

” And she ran rapidly upstairs, tapping with her shoes, to see Vogel and his wife, who had rooms on the top floor. —
”她迅速跑上楼，用鞋子轻敲着，去看住在顶楼的沃格尔和他的妻子。 —

The two governesses were sitting with the Vogels and on the table were plates of raisins, walnuts, and almonds. —
两位家庭教师坐在沃格尔一家人旁边，桌子上摆着葡萄干、核桃和杏仁。 —

The governesses were discussing the question which was the cheaper town to live in, Moscow or Odessa. —
家庭教师们正在讨论莫斯科和敖德萨哪个城市更便宜生活。 —

Natasha sat down, listened to their talk with a serious and dreamy face, and got up. —
娜塔莎坐下来，用认真而梦幻的表情听着他们的谈话，然后站起来。 —

“The island Madagascar,” she said. “Mada-ga-scar,” she repeated, articulating each syllable distinctly; —
“马达加斯加岛”，她说道。“马-达-加-斯加”，她重复着，清晰地发音每个音节； —

and making no reply to Madame Schoss’s inquiry into her meaning, she went out of the room.
对于莎夫人询问其意思，她没有回答，径直走出房间。

Petya, her brother, was upstairs too. He was engaged with his tutor making fireworks to let off that night.
她的弟弟彼得也在楼上。他正和家庭教师一起制作那天晚上要燃放的焰火。

“Petya! Petya!” she shouted to him, “carry me downstairs. —
“彼得！彼得！”她向他大喊，“把我背下楼。 —

” Petya ran to her and offered her his back, and he pranced along with her. “No, enough. —
”彼得跑向她，把背给了她，然后他带着她扭动起来。“不，够了。 —

The island Madagascar,” she repeated, and jumping off his back she went downstairs.
“马达加斯加岛”，她重复道，然后从他的背上跳下楼梯去了。

Having as it were reviewed her kingdom, tried her power, and made sure that all were submissive, but yet that she was dull, Natasha went into the big hall, took up the guitar, and sat down with it in a dark corner behind a bookcase. —
仿佛审视了她的王国，试验了她的力量，并确认所有人都屈服了，但她仍感到乏味，娜塔莎走进大厅，拿起吉他，坐在一个黑暗的角落，在书架后面。 —

She began fingering the strings in the bass, picking out a phrase she recalled from an opera she had heard in Petersburg with Prince Andrey. —
她开始用手指拨动低音弦，唤起她在圣彼得堡与安德烈王子一起听到的一部歌剧中的乐句。 —

For other listeners the sounds that came from her guitar would have had no sort of meaning, but these sounds called up in her imagination a whole series of reminiscences. —
对于其他听众来说，从吉他传出的声音没有任何意义，但这些声音在她的想象中唤起了一系列回忆。 —

She sat behind the bookcase with her eyes fixed on a streak of light that fell from the crack in the pantry door, and listened to herself and recalled the past. —
她坐在书架后面，眼睛盯着从餐具室门缝中透进来的一道光线，倾听着自己的声音，回忆起过去的事情。 —

She was in the mood for brooding over memories.
她的心情适合沉思回忆。

Sonya crossed the hall, and went into the pantry with a glass in her hand. —
索尼娅拿着一个玻璃杯穿过大厅，进入了餐具室。 —

Natasha glanced at her through the crack in the pantry door, and it seemed to her that she remembered the light falling through the crack in the pantry door, and Sonya passing with the glass in just the same way. —
娜塔莎透过食品储藏室门的缝隙看了她一眼，她觉得她记得曾经灯光透过食品储藏室门的缝隙照进来，索尼娅也是这样走过，手里拿着玻璃。 —

“Yes, and it was exactly the same in every detail,” thought Natasha.
“是的，每一个细节都完全一样，”娜塔莎想道。

“Sonya, what is this?” called Natasha, twanging the thick cord with her fingers.
“索尼娅，这是什么？”娜塔莎用手指拨动着厚绳子。

“Oh, are you there?” said Sonya starting, and she came up and listened. —
“哦，你在那儿？”索尼娅惊讶地说，然后走过来倾听。 —

“I don’t know. A storm?” she said timidly, afraid of being wrong.
“我不知道。是暴风雨吗？”她小心翼翼地说，怕自己说错了。

“Why, she started in just the same way, and came up and smiled the same timid smile when it all happened before,” thought Natasha; —
“她以前也是这样开始的，当一切发生之前，她走过来就是带着同样胆怯的微笑，”娜塔莎想道； —

“and just in the same way, too.…I thought there was something wanting in her.”
“而且也是以同样的方式……我觉得她缺少一些东西。”

“No, it’s the chorus from the ‘Water Carrier,’ listen. —
“不，这是《水柜》的合唱队，听着。 —

” And Natasha hummed the air of the chorus, so that Sonya might catch it. —
“然后娜塔莎哼着合唱队的旋律，让索尼娅能够听到。 —

“Where were you going?” asked Natasha.
“你要去哪儿？”娜塔莎问道。

“To change the water in my glass. I am just finishing colouring the design.”
“换杯水。我正在完成设计上的染色。”

“You always find something to do, but I can’t, you know,” said Natasha. —
“你总是能找到事情做，而我不行，你知道的，”娜塔莎说道。 —

“And where’s Nikolenka?”
“尼科连卡在哪里？”

“I think he’s asleep.”
“我想他在睡觉。”

“Sonya, do go and wake him,” said Natasha. “Tell him I want him to sing with me.”
“索尼娅，去叫醒他，”娜塔莎说道。“告诉他我想让他和我一起唱歌。”

She sat a little longer, pondering on what was the meaning of its all having happened before, and not solving that question, and not in the least chagrined at being unable to do so, she passed again in her imagination to the time when she was with him, and he gazed at her with eyes of love.
她坐了一会儿，思索着这一切发生的意义是什么，对于这个问题没有解答，却丝毫不为无法解答而烦恼。她的想象再次回到了与他在一起的时光，以及他用爱的眼神看着她的情景。

“Oh, if he would come quickly! I’m so afraid it will never come! —
“哦，如果他能快点来！我好怕它永远不会到来！ —

And worst of all, I’m getting older, that’s the thing. —
而且最糟糕的是，我正在变老，这就是问题所在。 —

There won’t be in me what there is in me now. —
“以后我不会再有现在我所拥有的那些东西了。 —

Perhaps he is coming to-day, will be here immediately. —
也许他今天来，马上就会到这里。 —

Perhaps he has come, and is sitting there in the drawing-room. —
也许他已经来了，在客厅里坐着。 —

Perhaps he did come yesterday, and I have forgotten. —
也许他昨天来了，我却忘记了。 —

” She got up, put down her guitar, and went into the parlour. —
她起身，放下吉他，进入客厅。 —

All their domestic circle, tutors, governesses, and guests were sitting at the tea-table. —
他们所有的家庭成员，家教，家庭教师和客人都坐在茶几旁。 —

The servants were standing round the table. —
仆人们站在桌子周围。 —

But Prince Andrey was not there, and the same old life was still going on.
但安德烈亲王不在那里，相同的老生活仍在继续。

“Here she is,” said the count, seeing Natasha coming in. “Come, sit by me. —
“她来了，”伯爵说，看到娜塔莎进来。“来，坐在我旁边。” —

” But Natasha stayed by her mother, looking about her as though seeking for something.
但娜塔莎留在妈妈身边，四处张望，仿佛在寻找着什么。

“Mamma!” she said. “Give me him, give me him, mamma, quickly, quickly,” and again she could hardly suppress her sobs. —
“妈妈！”她说。“快给我他，快给我他，妈妈，快点，快点”，她几乎忍不住抽泣。 —

She sat down to the table and listened to the talk of the elders and Nikolay, who had come in to tea. —
她坐到桌旁，倾听着长辈们和尼古拉的聊天，尼古拉已经进来喝茶了。 —

“My God, my God, the same people, the same talk, papa holding his cup, and blowing it just the same as always,” thought Natasha, feeling with horror an aversion rising up in her for all her family, because they were always the same.
“天哪，天哪，同样的人，同样的谈论，爸爸拿着杯子，按照过去一样吹着”，娜塔莎心想，由于他们永远都是一样的，她感到一种恐惧的厌恶情绪涌上心头，包括了她的整个家人。

After tea Nikolay, Sonya, and Natasha went into the divan-room to their favourite corner, where their most intimate talks always began.
喝完茶后，尼古拉、索尼娅和娜塔莎走进了他们最喜欢的角落，那里总是开始他们最亲密的谈话。