So with the lamps all put out, the moon sunk, and a thin rain drummingon the roof a downpouring of immense darkness began. —
所有的灯都熄灭了，月亮落下，屋顶上响起了轻柔的雨声，一场浩大黑暗的倾盆大雨开始了。 —

Nothing, itseemed, could survive the flood, the profusion of darkness which, creepingin at keyholes and crevices, stole round window blinds, came intobedrooms, swallowed up here a jug and basin, there a bowl of red andyellow dahlias, there the sharp edges and firm bulk of a chest of drawers.
似乎没有什么能抵挡这场洪水般的黑暗，悄无声息地渗入钥匙孔和缝隙，绕过窗帘，进入卧室，吞没了这里的一只水瓶和盆，那里一盆红黄色的大丽花，还有那里一个尖角和坚实的抽屉。

Not only was furniture confounded; there was scarcely anything left ofbody or mind by which one could say, “This is he” or “This is she.” —
几乎再也找不到任何身体或思维的痕迹来确认”这是他”或”这是她”。 —

Sometimesa hand was raised as if to clutch something or ward off something,or somebody groaned, or somebody laughed aloud as if sharing a jokewith nothingness.
有时会有一只手探出来仿佛要抓住什么或挡住什么，或有人呻吟，或有人大声笑，仿佛与虚无分享了一个笑话。

Nothing stirred in the drawing-room or in the dining-room or on thestaircase. —
书房里、饭厅里、楼梯间里，一动不动。 —

Only through the rusty hinges and swollen sea-moistenedwoodwork certain airs, detached from the body of the wind (the housewas ramshackle after all) crept round corners and ventured indoors. —
只有从生锈的合页和海水浸湿的木制品之间滑出来的一些空气，从风的身体中分离出来 (毕竟这幢房子很破败)，绕过角落悄然进入室内。 —

Almostone might imagine them, as they entered the drawing-room questioningand wondering, toying with the flap of hanging wall-paper, asking,would it hang much longer, when would it fall? —
他们进入书房时几乎可以想像出来，他们在疑惑和思考，拨弄着挂在墙纸上的翻折，问着，它还能多久挂住，什么时候会掉下来。 —

Then smoothlybrushing the walls, they passed on musingly as if asking the red and yellowroses on the wall-paper whether they would fade, and questioning(gently, for there was time at their disposal) the torn letters in thewastepaper basket, the flowers, the books, all of which were now open tothem and asking, Were they allies? —
然后平滑地刷过墙壁，旁若无人地走过，仿佛在问墙纸上的红黄玫瑰，它们是否会凋谢，以轻轻的方式，时机充裕地询问废纸篓里的撕裂字母、花朵、书籍，现在一切都对他们敞开，问着，它们是盟友吗？它们是敌人吗？ —

Were they enemies? How long wouldthey endure?
它们会持续多久？

So some random light directing them with its pale footfall upon stairand mat, from some uncovered star, or wandering ship, or the Lighthouseeven, with its pale footfall upon stair and mat, the little airs mountedthe staircase and nosed round bedroom doors. —
于是，伴随着某个无遮掩的星星或是流浪的船只，或者甚至灯塔，任何一丝微弱的光照亮楼梯和地垫，那些微风沿着楼梯去卧室门处。 —

But here surely, theymust cease. Whatever else may perish and disappear, what lies here issteadfast. —
但是在这里，它们必须停止。 —

Here one might say to those sliding lights, those fumbling airsthat breathe and bend over the bed itself, here you can neither touch nor
无论其他事物可能会毁灭消失，这里所在的是坚定的。

destroy. Upon which, wearily, ghostlily, as if they had feather-light fingersand the light persistency of feathers, they would look, once, on theshut eyes, and the loosely clasping fingers, and fold their garments wearilyand disappear. —
在这里你无法触碰也无法摧毁。疲倦地像鬼魂般，仿佛有着轻飘飘的手指和羽毛般的轻盈，它们一边摸索着床边，一边目不转睛地看着闭着的眼睛和松松地交叉着的手指，然后疲惫地折叠衣裳消失了。 —

And so, nosing, rubbing, they went to the window onthe staircase, to the servants’ bedrooms, to the boxes in the attics; —
于是，它们又去楼梯上的窗口，去仆人的卧室，去阁楼上箱子; —

descending,blanched the apples on the dining-room table, fumbled thepetals of roses, tried the picture on the easel, brushed the mat and blew alittle sand along the floor. —
下降，吓白了饭桌上的苹果，摸索着玫瑰花瓣，试着画架上的画，刷了一下垫子，吹了一点沙子到地上。 —

At length, desisting, all ceased together,gathered together, all sighed together; —
最终，停止了，所有人一起停下来，聚集在一起，一起叹息； —

all together gave off an aimlessgust of lamentation to which some door in the kitchen replied; —
一起发出一阵毫无目标的悲叹，厨房里的某扇门回应了这声叹息； —

swungwide; admitted nothing; and slammed to.
摇摇晃晃地打开；什么也没放进来；然后砰地关上。

[Here Mr Carmichael, who was reading Virgil, blew out his candle. Itwas past midnight.]
【这时，正在读维吉尔的卡迈克尔先生吹灭了蜡烛。夜已深。】