When the hour came for him to take his departure from the galleys, when Jean Valjean heard in his ear the strange words, Thou art free! —
当船长听到离开舰队的时刻到了，当让·瓦尔让耳边响起那奇异的语言：“你自由了！” —

the moment seemed improbable and unprecedented; —
这一刻似乎是匪夷所思且前所未有的； —

a ray of vivid light, a ray of the true light of the living, suddenly penetrated within him. —
一束强烈的光芒，真正活着的光芒，突然闯入他的内心。 —

But it was not long before this ray paled. Jean Valjean had been dazzled by the idea of liberty. —
但这束光很快就黯淡了。让·瓦尔让被自由的想法冲昏了头脑。 —

He had believed in a new life. He very speedily perceived what sort of liberty it is to which a yellow passport is provided.
他曾相信自己将迎来新生活。他很快就意识到，黄色护照所象征的所谓自由是什么。

And this was encompassed with much bitterness. —
这一切伴随着许多痛苦。 —

He had calculated that his earnings, during his sojourn in the galleys, ought to amount to a hundred and seventy-one francs. —
他曾推算，自己在船上的劳役所得，应该达到一百七十一法郎。 —

It is but just to add that he had forgotten to include in his calculations the forced repose of Sundays and festival days during nineteen years, which entailed a diminution of about eighty francs. —
但必须指出的是，他忽略了十九年间每个星期天和节日所带来的被迫休息，造成了约八十法郎的损失。 —

At all events, his hoard had been reduced by various local levies to the sum of one hundred and nine francs fifteen sous, which had been counted out to him on his departure. —
不管怎样，他在领取出狱金一百零九法郎十五便士后，满腹惆怅。 —

He had understood nothing of this, and had thought himself wronged. —
他对此一无所知，觉得自己受到了冤屈。 —

Let us say the word–robbed.
不妨直言——被抢劫了。

On the day following his liberation, he saw, at Grasse, in front of an orange-flower distillery, some men engaged in unloading bales. —
他在葛拉斯看到一些工人在一家橙花蒸馏厂前卸货。 —

He offered his services. Business was pressing; they were accepted. He set to work. —
他主动提出帮忙。大家正好手忙脚乱；他们接受了。他投入工作。 —

He was intelligent, robust, adroit; he did his best; the master seemed pleased. —
他聪明、强壮、灵巧；他尽了最大努力。老板似乎挺满意。 —

While he was at work, a gendarme passed, observed him, and demanded his papers. —
他辛勤工作时，一名宪兵路过，注意到了他，并要求看他的证件。 —

It was necessary to show him the yellow passport. That done, Jean Valjean resumed his labor. —
他必须出示黄色护照。这样做之后，让·瓦尔让恢复了工作。 —

A little while before he had questioned one of the workmen as to the amount which they earned each day at this occupation; —
不久之前，他询问了一名工人在这个工作中每天赚多少钱； —

he had been told thirty sous. When evening arrived, as he was forced to set out again on the following day, he presented himself to the owner of the distillery and requested to be paid. —
他被告知是三十便士。到了晚上，因为第二天又不得不出发，他去找酿酒厂的主人要工资。 —

The owner did not utter a word, but handed him fifteen sous. He objected. —
主人没有说话，只是给了他十五便士。他提出了异议。 —

He was told, “That is enough for thee.” He persisted. —
有人告诉他说：”这对你足够了。” 他继续坚持。 —

The master looked him straight between the eyes, and said to him “Beware of the prison.”
主人直视着他的眼睛，对他说：”当心监狱。”

There, again, he considered that he had been robbed.
在那里，他认为自己又被抢劫了。

Society, the State, by diminishing his hoard, had robbed him wholesale. —
社会，国家，通过减少他的积蓄，对他进行了全面抢劫。 —

Now it was the individual who was robbing him at retail.
现在，是个人在零售方式上抢夺他。

Liberation is not deliverance. One gets free from the galleys, but not from the sentence.
释放并不意味着解脱。一个人从劳改所中获释，但无法逃脱判决。

That is what happened to him at Grasse. We have seen in what manner he was received at D—-
这就是他在格拉斯发生的事情。我们已经看到他是如何在D——被接待的。