As the weather was very fine, the people on the farm had hurried through their dinner and had returned to the fields.
天气非常好，农场上的人们匆忙吃完晚饭，回到了田地里。

The servant, Rose, remained alone in the large kitchen, where the fire was dying out on the hearth beneath the large boiler of hot water.
仆人罗斯独自留在宽敞的厨房里，炉子上的火正渐渐熄灭，在大锅下面烧着热水。 —

From time to time she dipped out some water and slowly washed her dishes, stopping occasionally to look at the two streaks of light which the sun threw across the long table through the window, and which showed the defects in the glass.
她不时舀一些水，慢慢洗碗，偶尔停下来看看太阳透过窗户照在长桌上的两道光线，显露出玻璃上的瑕疵。

Three venturesome hens were picking up the crumbs under the chairs, while the smell of the poultry yard and the warmth from the cow stall came in through the half-open door, and a cock was heard crowing in the distance.
三只胆大的母鸡正在椅子下面啄食碎屑，家禽场的气味和牛棚里的温暖通过半开着的门传进来，远处还能听到一只公鸡在啼叫。

When she had finished her work, wiped down the table, dusted the mantelpiece and put the plates on the high dresser close to the wooden clock with its loud tick-tock, she drew a long breath, as she felt rather oppressed, without exactly knowing why.
当她完成了工作，擦干了桌子，擦了擦壁炉，把盘子放到靠近木制钟表的高餐具橱柜上时，她深吸一口气，感到有些压抑，却不知道原因。 —

She looked at the black clay walls, the rafters that were blackened with smoke and from which hung spiders’ webs, smoked herrings and strings of onions, and then she sat down, rather overcome by the stale odor from the earthen floor, on which so many things had been continually spilled and which the heat brought out.
她望着黑色的黏土墙壁，被烟熏黑的横梁上挂着蛛网、熏鱼和串洋葱，然后她坐下来，有些不适的闻到了那块地上陈旧的气味，那里漏洒了很多东西，而热量又使其更加散发出来。 —

With this there was mingled the sour smell of the pans of milk which were set out to raise the cream in the adjoining dairy.
其中混杂着邻近的奶房里放置的牛奶罐发出的酸味。

She wanted to sew, as usual, but she did not feel strong enough, and so she went to the door to get a mouthful of fresh air, which seemed to do her good.
她想像往常一样做些缝纫工作，但感觉身体不够健壮，于是她走到门口呼吸了一口新鲜空气，感觉好多了。

The fowls were lying on the steaming dunghill;
那些鸡正躺在冒着蒸汽的粪堆上， —

some of them were scratching with one claw in search of worms, while the cock stood up proudly in their midst.
有些在用一只爪子搜寻着虫子，而公鸡则自豪地站在它们中间。 —

When he crowed, the cocks in all the neighboring farmyards replied to him, as if they were uttering challenges from farm to farm.
当它啼鸣时，周围农场的公鸡们都回应着它，仿佛在进行一场农场之间的挑战。

The girl looked at them without thinking, and then she raised her eyes and was almost dazzled at the sight of the apple trees in blossom.
女孩没有思考，看着它们，然后抬起眼睛，几乎被开满花的苹果树刺眼的景象所迷住。 —

Just then a colt, full of life and friskiness, jumped over the ditches and then stopped suddenly, as if surprised at being alone.
就在那时，一匹生机勃勃而活泼的小马跳过沟渠，然后突然停下来，仿佛对独处感到惊讶。

She also felt inclined to run;
她也感觉到想跑； —

she felt inclined to move and to stretch her limbs and to repose in the warm, breathless air.
她感觉到想运动，伸展四肢，陷入温暖而酷热的空气中休息。 —

She took a few undecided steps and closed her eyes, for she was seized with a feeling of animal comfort, and then she went to look for eggs in the hen loft.
她迈出几步犹豫不决地闭上眼睛，因为她感到一种动物般的舒适感，然后她去鸡窝里找鸡蛋。 —

There were thirteen of them, which she took in and put into the storeroom;
里面有十三个，她把它们拿进来放进储藏室； —

but the smell from the kitchen annoyed her again, and she went out to sit on the grass for a time.
但厨房里的气味再次让她感到恼火，于是她出去坐在草地上一会儿。

The farmyard, which was surrounded by trees, seemed to be asleep.
被树木包围的农家院子似乎正在酣睡。 —

The tall grass, amid which the tall yellow dandelions rose up like streaks of yellow light, was of a vivid, fresh spring green.
那些撑起高高的黄蒲公英一样的条纹的高草，呈现出鲜艳而新鲜的春绿色。 —

The apple trees cast their shade all round them, and the thatched roofs, on which grew blue and yellow irises, with their sword-like leaves, steamed as if the moisture of the stables and barns were coming through the straw.
苹果树为周围提供了遮荫，茅草屋顶上长着蓝色和黄色的鸢尾花，带着剑状的叶子，仿佛稻草中透出了马厩和谷仓的湿气。 —

The girl went to the shed, where the carts and buggies were kept.
女孩走向棚子，那里存放着车和马车。 —

Close to it, in a ditch, there was a large patch of violets, whose fragrance was spread abroad, while beyond the slope the open country could be seen, where grain was growing, with clumps of trees in places, and groups of laborers here and there, who looked as small as dolls, and white horses like toys, who were drawing a child’s cart, driven by a man as tall as one’s finger.
靠近棚子，在沟壑里有一大片紫罗兰花，芬芳扑鼻，而山坡的另一边可以看到郊外，有些地方种着庄稼，树丛点缀其中，还有一些小人儿那般渺小的劳动者，拉着一个孩子的手推车的白马就像玩具，驾车的男人只有像手指那么高。

She took up a bundle of straw, threw it into the ditch and sat down upon it.
她拿起一捆稻草，扔进了沟里，然后坐在上面。 —

Then, not feeling comfortable, she undid it, spread it out and lay down upon it at full length on her back, with both arms under her head and her legs stretched out.
然后，感觉不舒服，她把稻草解开，摊开来，仰卧在上面，双臂枕着头，腿伸直。

Gradually her eyes closed, and she was falling into a state of delightful languor.
慢慢地，她的眼睛闭上了，她陷入了一种令人愉快的倦怠状态。 —

She was, in fact, almost asleep when she felt two hands on her bosom, and she sprang up at a bound.
事实上，她几乎要睡着了，就在这时她感觉到两只手在她的胸口上，她一个跳跃就站了起来。 —

It was Jacques, one of the farm laborers, a tall fellow from Picardy, who had been making love to her for a long time.
那是雅克，农场工人之一，一个来自皮卡迪地区的高个子家伙，他已经向她表白很长时间了。 —

He had been herding the sheep, and, seeing her lying down in the shade, had come up stealthily and holding his breath, with glistening eyes and bits of straw in his hair.
他一直在放羊，看到她在树荫下躺着，就悄悄地走了过去，屏住呼吸，眼睛闪闪发光，头发里还有几根稻草。

He tried to kiss her, but she gave him a smack in the face, for she was as strong as he, and he was shrewd enough to beg her pardon;
他试图亲吻她，但她给了他一记耳光，因为她和他一样强壮，他聪明地请求她原谅； —

so they sat down side by side and talked amicably.
于是他们并肩坐下来友好地聊了起来。 —

They spoke about the favorable weather, of their master, who was a good fellow, then of their neighbors, of all the people in the country round, of themselves, of their village, of their youthful days, of their recollections, of their relations, who had left them for a long time, and it might be forever.
他们谈到了宜人的天气，他们的主人，他是个好人，然后是他们的邻居，乡间的人们，他们自己，他们的村庄，他们的年少时光，他们的回忆，他们的离散的亲人，他们可能已经离开他们很久，甚至可能永远吧。 —

She grew sad as she thought of it, while he, with one fixed idea in his head, drew closer to her.
当她想到这件事时，她变得很伤心，而他却心中只有一个执念，走近了她。

“I have not seen my mother for a long time,” she said.
“我很久没有见到我妈妈了，” —

“It is very hard to be separated like that, ” and she directed her looks into the distance, toward the village in the north which she had left.
她说道, “像这样被分开很难受” 她的目光朝着远方，向着她曾离开的北方村庄看去。

Suddenly, however, he seized her by the neck and kissed her again, but she struck him so violently in the face with her clenched fist that his nose began to bleed, and he got up and laid his head against the stem of a tree.
突然，他却抓住她的脖子又吻了她一次，但她用紧握的拳头重重地打在他脸上，他的鼻子开始流血，然后他站起来，把头靠在一棵树干上。 —

When she saw that, she was sorry, and going up to him, she said: “Have I hurt you?” He, however, only laughed. “No, it was a mere nothing;
她见状，感到很抱歉，走到他跟前说：“我伤到你了吗？”然而，他只是笑了。“没有，只是小伤而已； —

only she had hit him right on the middle of the nose.
只是她正好击中了他鼻子正中间。 —

What a devil!
真让人恼火！” —

” he said, and he looked at her with admiration, for she had inspired him with a feeling of respect and of a very different kind of admiration which was the beginning of a real love for that tall, strong wench.
“他说，并且欣赏地看着她，因为她激发了他一种尊重和完全不同的欣赏的感觉，这是对那个高大而强壮的女人真正爱情的开始。 —

When the bleeding had stopped, he proposed a walk, as he was afraid of his neighbor’s heavy hand, if they remained side by side like that much longer;
当出血停止后，他提议散散步，因为他担心如果两人再这样肩并肩走太久，邻居会动粗鲁。 —

but she took his arm of her own accord, in the avenue, as if they had been out for an evening’s walk, and said:
但她主动挽起他的胳膊，仿佛他们晚上出去散步一样，在大道上走着，并说道： —

“It is not nice of you to despise me like that, Jacques.” He protested, however.
“你这样看不起我，雅克，真不好。”然而他对此进行了反驳。 —

No, he did not despise her.
不，他并不鄙视她。 —

He was in love with her, that was all.
他只是爱她而已。

“So you really want to marry me?” she asked.
“所以你真的愿意娶我吗？”她问道。

He hesitated and then looked at her sideways, while she looked straight ahead of her. She had fat, red cheeks, a full bust beneath her cotton jacket;
他犹豫了一下，然后从侧面望着她，而她则直视前方。她有着肥胖红润的脸颊，在她的棉质外衣下面有丰满的胸部； —

thick, red lips; and her neck, which was almost bare, was covered with small beads of perspiration.
浓密的红唇；她几乎露出的脖颈上满是细密的汗珠。 —

He felt a fresh access of desire, and, putting his lips to her ear, he murmured: “Yes, of course I do.”
他感到一阵新的欲望袭上心头，将嘴唇贴近她的耳边，低声说道：“是的，当然愿意。”

Then she threw her arms round his neck and kissed him till they were both out of breath.
然后她将双臂搂住他的脖子，亲吻到两人都喘不过气来。 —

From that moment the eternal story of love began between them.
从那一刻起，他们之间开始了永恒的爱情故事。 —

They plagued one another in corners;
他们在角落里困扰着对方； —

they met in the moonlight beside the haystack and gave each other bruises on the legs, under the table, with their heavy nailed boots.
他们在月光下在干草堆旁相遇，用他们沉重的铁靴互相撞伤，脚下留下淤青； —

By degrees, however, Jacques seemed to grow tired of her;
然而，渐渐地，雅克似乎对她厌倦了； —

he avoided her, scarcely spoke to her, and did not try any longer to meet her alone, which made her sad and anxious;
他回避她，几乎不跟她说话，也不再尝试单独见面，这让她感到伤心和焦虑； —

and soon she found that she was enceinte.
很快，她发现自己怀孕了；

At first she was in a state of consternation, but then she got angry, and her rage increased every day because she could not meet him, as he avoided her most carefully.
一开始，她感到惊慌，但随后她生气了，她的愤怒每天都在增加，因为她无法见到他，他非常小心地避开她； —

At last, one night, when every one in the farmhouse was asleep, she went out noiselessly in her petticoat, with bare feet, crossed the yard and opened the door of the stable where Jacques was lying in a large box of straw above his horses.
最后，一天晚上，农舍里的每个人都睡着了，她轻手轻脚地穿着裙子，光着脚，穿过院子，打开了雅克躺在马上方的一大箱草堆的稳定门； —

He pretended to snore when he heard her coming, but she knelt down by his side and shook him until he sat up.
听到她来的声音时，他装睡，但她跪在他身边并摇动他直到他坐起来。

“What do you want?” he then asked her.
“你想要什么？”他问道。 —

And with clenched teeth, and trembling with anger, she replied:
她咬紧牙关，怒颤地回答道： —

“I want—I want you to marry me, as you promised.
“我想要——我想要你和我结婚，就像你答应过的。 —

” But he only laughed and replied: “Oh!
”但他只是笑了笑，回答道：“哦！ —

if a man were to marry all the girls with whom he has made a slip, he would have more than enough to do.”
“如果一个男人要娶他与之有过一些关系的女孩，那可得费不少时间。”

Then she seized him by the throat, threw him or his back, so that he could not get away from her, and, half strangling him, she shouted into his face:
然后她抓住他的喉咙，将他摔倒在地，使他无法逃脱，紧紧掐住他的脖子，对着他的脸大喊：

“I am enceinte, do you hear? I am enceinte!”
“我怀孕了，听到了吗？我怀孕了！”

He gasped for breath, as he was almost choked, and so they remained, both of them, motionless and without speaking, in the dark silence, which was only broken by the noise made by a horse as he, pulled the hay out of the manger and then slowly munched it.
他气喘吁吁，几乎被憋得透不过气来，于是他们两个都保持着静止不动的姿势，沉默着，只有一匹马在拉着干草，慢慢地嚼动的声音打破了黑暗中的寂静。

When Jacques found that she was the stronger, he stammered out: “Very well, I will marry you, as that is the case.
当雅克发现她力量更大时，他结结巴巴地说：“好吧，既然这样，我会娶你。” —

” But she did not believe his promises.
但她并不相信他的承诺。她说： —

“It must be at once,” she said.
“必须立刻办理，你必须公布结婚通告。 —

“You must have the banns put up.
”他回答道： —

” “At once,” he replied.
“当然，立刻办理。” —

“Swear solemnly that you will.
“你必须庄严发誓。 —

” He hesitated for a few moments and then said:
”他犹豫了一会儿，然后说：“我发誓， —

“I swear it, by Heaven!”
天为证！”

Then she released her grasp and went away without another word.
然后她松开了握住的手，默默地离开了。

She had no chance of speaking to him for several days; and, as the stable was now always locked at night, she was afraid to make any noise, for fear of creating a scandal.
她好几天没有机会和他交谈，而且马厩现在在晚上总是锁上，她害怕发出任何声音，以免引起风言风语。 —

One morning, however, she saw another man come in at dinner time, and she said:
但有一天早上，她看见另一个男人在午饭时间进来，她问道： —

“Has Jacques left?” “Yes;
“杰克离开了吗？”“是的”， —

” the man replied; “I have got his place.”
那人回答说，“我顶替了他的位置。”

This made her tremble so violently that she could not take the saucepan off the fire;
这让她颤抖得厉害，她甚至无法将锅从火上拿下来； —

and later, when they were all at work, she went up into her room and cried, burying her head in the bolster, so that she might not be heard.
后来，当大家都在工作时，她走进自己的房间，把头埋进枕头里哭了起来，以免被听到。 —

During the day, however, she tried to obtain some information without exciting any suspicion, but she was so overwhelmed by the thoughts of her misfortune that she fancied that all the people whom she asked laughed maliciously.
在白天的时候，她试图获取一些信息而不引起任何怀疑，但她因为自己的不幸而感到不知所措，她认为所有她询问的人都在恶意地笑。 —

All she learned, however, was that he had left the neighborhood altogether.
然而，她所了解的只是他已经完全离开了这个地区。