I do not believe that there is anything sweeter in the world than the ideas which awake in a mother’s heart at the sight of her child’s tiny shoe; —
我不相信世界上有什么比母亲看到孩子小鞋时在心中觉醒的想法更甜蜜； —

especially if it is a shoe for festivals, for Sunday, for baptism, the shoe embroidered to the very sole, a shoe in which the infant has not yet taken a step. —
尤其是如果是节日穿的鞋子，礼拜天穿的鞋子，洗礼时的鞋子，鞋子上绣有图案，孩子甚至还没有迈出一步； —

That shoe has so much grace and daintiness, it is so impossible for it to walk, that it seems to the mother as though she saw her child. —
那鞋子有着如此优美和精致，它是如此不可能行走，对母亲来说，就仿佛看到了她的孩子； —

She smiles upon it, she kisses it, she talks to it; —
她微笑着看着它，亲吻着它，与它交谈； —

she asks herself whether there can actually be a foot so tiny; —
她自问是否还会有如此娇小的脚， —

and if the child be absent, the pretty shoe suffices to place the sweet and fragile creature before her eyes. —
而如果孩子不在身边，这漂亮的鞋子就足以让她眼前浮现出这甜蜜而易碎的生物。 —

She thinks she sees it, she does see it, complete, living, joyous, with its delicate hands, its round head, its pure lips, its serene eyes whose white is blue. —
她觉得自己看到了它，她确实也看见了它，完全的、活泼的，带着娇嫩的手，圆润的头颅，纯净的嘴唇，蔚蓝的清澈眼睛。 —

If it is in winter, it is yonder, crawling on the carpet, it is laboriously climbing upon an ottoman, and the mother trembles lest it should approach the fire. —
如果是冬天，它在那里爬在地毯上，费力地爬上脚凳，母亲担心它会走到火炉旁。 —

If it is summer time, it crawls about the yard, in the garden, plucks up the grass between the paving-stones, gazes innocently at the big dogs, the big horses, without fear, plays with the shells, with the flowers, and makes the gardener grumble because he finds sand in the flower-beds and earth in the paths. —
如果是夏天，它在院子里、花园里爬，拔起石板间的草，天真地凝视着大狗、大马，毫不害怕，玩弄着贝壳、花朵，让园丁抱怨在花坛里发现沙子，路径上发现泥土。 —

Everything laughs, and shines and plays around it, like it, even the breath of air and the ray of sun which vie with each other in disporting among the silky ringlets of its hair. —
一切都笑了，闪耀着，围绕着它玩耍，就像它一样，甚至连微风和阳光的光芒也在它柔软的卷发中嬉戏。 —

The shoe shows all this to the mother, and makes her heart melt as fire melts wax.
这只鞋子把这一切展示给母亲，使她的心如蜡般融化。

But when the child is lost, these thousand images of joy, of charms, of tenderness, which throng around the little shoe, become so many horrible things. —
但当孩子失踪时，围绕这只小鞋的所有快乐、魅力、温柔的千种形象，都变成了可怕的东西。 —

The pretty broidered shoe is no longer anything but an instrument of torture which eternally crushes the heart of the mother. —
这漂亮的绣花鞋不再是幸福的图案，而是一种永远折磨着母亲心灵的工具。 —

It is always the same fibre which vibrates, the tenderest and most sensitive; —
它总是震动着同一根最娇嫩、最敏感的纤维； —

but instead of an angel caressing it, it is a demon who is wrenching at it.
但不再是天使抚摸，而是魔鬼在扭曲着。

One May morning, when the sun was rising on one of those dark blue skies against which Garofolo loves to place his Descents from the Cross, the recluse of the Tour-Roland heard a sound of wheels, of horses and irons in the Place de Grève. —
在一个五月的早晨，当太阳升起时，天空是那种深蓝色的，对比之下，加罗福洛喜欢把他的《基督受难图》放在那样的天空下，Tour-Roland修道院的隐士听到了在Grève广场传来的车轮声、马蹄声和铁链声。 —

She was somewhat aroused by it, knotted her hair upon her ears in order to deafen herself, and resumed her contemplation, on her knees, of the inanimate object which she had adored for fifteen years. —
她被这声音稍稍惊醒，捆起头发以堵住耳朵，然后跪着，重新凝视着那个她已经崇拜了十五年的不生命物体。 —

This little shoe was the universe to her, as we have already said. —
这双小鞋对她来说就是整个宇宙，正如我们已经说过的。 —

Her thought was shut up in it, and was destined never more to quit it except at death. —
她的思想被封存在其中，注定再也不会在死亡之前离开它。 —

The sombre cave of the Tour-Roland alone knew how many bitter imprecations, touching complaints, prayers and sobs she had wafted to heaven in connection with that charming bauble of rose-colored satin. —
似乎从未有哪个更苦涩的诅咒、令人伤感的抱怨、祈祷和叹息涌向上天与这双迷人的粉红色缎子小鞋相比。 —

Never was more despair bestowed upon a prettier and more graceful thing.
从未有哪个更绝望的东西被赐予一个更漂亮更优雅的物体。

It seemed as though her grief were breaking forth more violently than usual; —
看来她的悲伤似乎比往常更加剧烈； —

and she could be heard outside lamenting in a loud and monotonous voice which rent the heart.
她的哀怨之声在外面响彻，声音高亢而单调，撕裂了人心。

“Oh my daughter!” she said, “my daughter, my poor, dear little child, so I shall never see thee more! It is over! —
“哦，我的女儿！”她说道，“我的女儿，我可怜的小孩，我再也见不到你了！全都结束了！ —

It always seems to me that it happened yesterday! My God! my God! —
这件事似乎就在昨天！我的上帝！我的上帝！ —

it would have been better not to give her to me than to take her away so soon. —
将她夺走这么快，倒不如不把她交给我。 —

Did you not know that our children are part of ourselves, and that a mother who has lost her child no longer believes in God? —
你不知道我们的孩子是我们自己的一部分，失去孩子的母亲已不再相信上帝吗？ —

Ah! wretch that I am to have gone out that day! Lord! Lord! to have taken her from me thus; —
噢！我该是多么可恨啊，那一天竟然出门！主啊！主啊！把她从我身边带走； —

you could never have looked at me with her, when I was joyously warming her at my fire, when she laughed as she suckled, when I made her tiny feet creep up my breast to my lips? —
你怎么没看见她，当我愉悦地把她抱在火炉旁时，当她吮吸着笑时，当我让她微小的脚顺着我的胸膛爬到我的唇边？ —

Oh! if you had looked at that, my God, you would have taken pity on my joy; —
噢！如果你看见了那幅情景，我的上帝，你会怜悯我的欢乐； —

you would not have taken from me the only love which lingered, in my heart! —
你就不会把我心中唯一残留的爱夺走！ —

Was I then, Lord, so miserable a creature, that you could not look at me before condemning me? —
那么，主啊，我究竟是多么悲惨一个人，你才不肯在定罪前看看我？ —

–Alas! Alas! here is the shoe; where is the foot? where is the rest? Where is the child? —
–哀哉！哀哉！这是鞋子，那是脚？那是其余部分？那是孩子？ —

My daughter! my daughter! what did they do with thee? Lord, give her back to me. —
我的女儿！我的女儿！他们把你怎么了？主啊，把她还给我。 —

My knees have been worn for fifteen years in praying to thee, my God! Is not that enough? —
我双膝已因祈祷你而磨损了十五年，我的上帝！这还不够吗？ —

Give her back to me one day, one hour, one minute; one minute, Lord! —
把她还给我一天，一个小时，一分钟；一分钟，主啊！ —

and then cast me to the demon for all eternity! Oh! —
然后把我永远扔给恶魔！哦！ —

if I only knew where the skirt of your garment trails, I would cling to it with both hands, and you would be obliged to give me back my child! —
如果我知道您的衣裙拖在哪里，我会紧紧抓住，您将不得不归还我的孩子！ —

Have you no pity on her pretty little shoe? —
对她漂亮的小鞋您就没有一点怜悯吗？ —

Could you condemn a poor mother to this torture for fifteen years? Good Virgin! —
难道您能让一个可怜的母亲受这十五年的折磨吗？圣母！ —

good Virgin of heaven! my infant Jesus has been taken from me, has been stolen from me; —
天上的圣母！我的婴儿耶稣被带走了，被偷走了； —

they devoured her on a heath, they drank her blood, they cracked her bones! —
他们在荒地上吃掉了她，喝了她的血，折断了她的骨头！ —

Good Virgin, have pity upon me. My daughter, I want my daughter! —
圣母，怜悯我吧。我的女儿，我要我的女儿！ —

What is it to me that she is in paradise? I do not want your angel, I want my child! —
她在天堂对我有什么意义？我不要你的天使，我要我的孩子！ —

I am a lioness, I want my whelp. Oh! I will writhe on the earth, I will break the stones with my forehead, and I will damn myself, and I will curse you, Lord, if you keep my child from me! —
我是母狮，我要我的幼崽。哦！我会在地上扭曲，用额头击碎石头，我会诅咒自己，诅咒你，主，如果你不把我的孩子还给我！ —

you see plainly that my arms are all bitten, Lord! Has the good God no mercy?–Oh! —
你清楚地看到我的手臂都被咬了，主！天主岂无怜悯？–哦！ —

give me only salt and black bread, only let me have my daughter to warm me like a sun! Alas! —
只给我咸盐和黑面包，只让我有我的女儿来温暖我像太阳！哎哟！ —

Lord my God. Alas! Lord my God, I am only a vile sinner; but my daughter made me pious. —
上帝我的主啊。哎哟！上帝我的主啊，我只是一个可鄙的罪人；但我的女儿让我虔诚。 —

I was full of religion for the love of her, and I beheld you through her smile as through an opening into heaven. —
因为她的爱，我充满了宗教信仰，透过她的微笑，我看见了你像是天堂的一扇开口。 —

Oh! if I could only once, just once more, a single time, put this shoe on her pretty little pink foot, I would die blessing you, good Virgin. —
噢！如果我能再一次，只一次，给她漂亮的小粉脚穿上这只鞋，我会感恩万分地去世，好圣母。 —

Ah! fifteen years! she will be grown up now! –Unhappy child! what! —
啊！十五年了！她现在已经长大了！–可怜的孩子！什么！ —

it is really true then I shall never see her more, not even in heaven, for I shall not go there myself. —
这是真的吗？那么我再也见不到她了，甚至不会在天堂见到她，因为我自己也不会去那里。 —

Oh! what misery to think that here is her shoe, and that that is all!”
哦！真是可怜，想到这里只剩下她的鞋子了！

The unhappy woman flung herself upon that shoe; —
那个不幸的女人扑倒在那只鞋子上； —

her consolation and her despair for so many years, and her vitals were rent with sobs as on the first day; —
多年来她的安慰和绝望，她的内心被啜泣所扯成碎片，就像第一天一样； —

because, for a mother who has lost her child, it is always the first day. —
因为对于一个失去孩子的母亲来说，永远都是第一天。 —

That grief never grows old. The mourning garments may grow white and threadbare, the heart remains dark.
那种悲伤永远不会变旧。丧服可能已经变得皱白和破烂，但心灵仍然阴暗。

At that moment, the fresh and joyous cries of children passed in front of the cell. —
就在那时，一阵儿童的欢快叫声从牢房前传来。 —

Every time that children crossed her vision or struck her ear, the poor mother flung herself into the darkest corner of her sepulchre, and one would have said, that she sought to plunge her head into the stone in order not to hear them. —
每当孩子们进入她的视线或耳中时，这位可怜的母亲就会扑向坟墓的最黑暗角落，人们会说，她试图将头部深埋在石头中以免听到他们。 —

This time, on the contrary, she drew herself upright with a start, and listened eagerly. —
这一次，相反地，她猛地跳起，迫不及待地倾听。 —

One of the little boys had just said,–
一个小男孩刚刚说道：–

“They are going to hang a gypsy to-day.”
“今天他们要吊起一个吉普赛人。”

With the abrupt leap of that spider which we have seen fling itself upon a fly at the trembling of its web, she rushed to her air-hole, which opened as the reader knows, on the Place de Grève. —
在这只蜘蛛突然跳起的瞬间，她冲到她的通气孔前面，就像读者所知道的那样，这个孔通向了格雷夫广场。 —

A ladder had, in fact, been raised up against the permanent gibbet, and the hangman’s assistant was busying himself with adjusting the chains which had been rusted by the rain. —
事实上，一架梯子已经架在了永久吊刑架边，刽子手的助手正在忙着调整被雨水锈蚀的锁链。 —

There were some people standing about.
周围有一些人站着。

The laughing group of children was already far away. —
那群笑闹的孩子已经远远地走开了。 —

The sacked nun sought with her eyes some passer-by whom she might question. —
被褫夺的修女用眼睛寻找着路人，以便向他们询问。 —

All at once, beside her cell, she perceived a priest making a pretext of reading the public breviary, but who was much less occupied with the “lectern of latticed iron,” than with the gallows, toward which he cast a fierce and gloomy glance from time to time. —
她一下子就在牢房旁边认出了一位假装在看公共诗篇的神父，但他更多地目不转睛地盯着绞刑架，不时向那里投去狰狞而阴沉的目光。 —

She recognized monsieur the archdeacon of Josas, a holy man.
她认出了若萨斯的大主教，一个圣洁的人。

“Father,” she inquired, “whom are they about to hang yonder?”
“神父，他们要在那儿吊谁？”她询问道。

The priest looked at her and made no reply; she repeated her question. Then he said,–
神父看着她，并未回答；她重复了问题。然后他说，

“I know not.”
“我不知道。”

“Some children said that it was a gypsy,” went on the recluse.
“一些孩子说是一个吉普赛人,“隐士继续说。

“I believe so,” said the priest.
“我相信是的,“神父说。

Then Paquette la Chantefleurie burst into hyena-like laughter.
那时派奎特·拉尚特菲尔里突然发出鬣狗一般的笑声。

“Sister,” said the archdeacon, “do you then hate the gypsies heartily?”
“姐妹,“大主教说，”那么你真的非常恨吉普赛人吗？”

“Do I hate them!” exclaimed the recluse, “ they are vampires, stealers of children! —
“我恨他们！”隐士尖叫道，”他们是吸血鬼，抢夺孩子！ —

They devoured my little daughter, my child, my only child! —
他们吞食了我的小女儿，我的孩子，我唯一的孩子！ —

I have no longer any heart, they devoured it!”
我再也没了心，他们把我的心也吞掉了！”

She was frightful. The priest looked at her coldly.
她令人恐惧。神父冷冷地看着她。

“There is one in particular whom I hate, and whom I have cursed,” she resumed; —
“有一个我特别恨的，并且我曾经诅咒过的,“她继续说； —

“it is a young one, of the age which my daughter would be if her mother had not eaten my daughter. —
“那是一个年轻人，如果她的母亲没有吃掉我的女儿的话，她的年龄应当与我的女儿是相同的。” —

Every time that that young viper passes in front of my cell, she sets my blood in a ferment.”
每当那只年轻的毒蛇经过我的牢房前时，我的血液就会沸腾起来。

“Well, sister, rejoice,” said the priest, icy as a sepulchral statue; —
“嗯，姐妹，欢欣吧，”僧侣冷冷地说，就像一座冰冷的雕像一样； —

“that is the one whom you are about to see die.”
“你即将看到她死去的那个人就是她。”

His head fell upon his bosom and he moved slowly away.
他低下头，慢慢地走开。

The recluse writhed her arms with joy.
修女摇曳着胳膊，感到欢欣。

“I predicted it for her, that she would ascend thither! Thanks, priest!” she cried.
“我就预言过她会升到那里！谢谢，神父！”她喊道。

And she began to pace up and down with long strides before the grating of her window, her hair dishevelled, her eyes flashing, with her shoulder striking against the wall, with the wild air of a female wolf in a cage, who has long been famished, and who feels the hour for her repast drawing near.
她开始在窗户的铁栅前迈着长长的步子来回走动，头发凌乱，眼睛闪烁，肩膀撞击着墙壁，犹如笼子里的一只饥饿已久的雌狼，在感觉到自己的进餐时间已经临近时。