I WAS lying in a wide bed, with a thick blanket folded four times around me, listening to grandmother, who wassaying her prayers. —
我躺在一张宽敞的床上，身上裹着四层厚厚的毯子，听着奶奶在念她的祷文。 —

She was on her knees; and pressing one hand against her breast, she reverently crossedherself from time to time with the other. —
她跪着，一只手压在胸前，时不时用另一只手虔诚地在自己身上划十字。 —

Out in the yard a hard frost reigned ; a greenish moonlight peepedthrough the ice patterns on the window-panes, falling flatteringly on her kindly face and large nose, and kindlinga phosphorescent light in her dark eyes. —
外面院子里结了厚厚的霜；透过窗玻璃上的冰花，一缕绿色月光洒在她慈祥的脸庞和宽大的鼻子上，眼睛里闪烁着磷光。 —

Her silky, luxuriant tresses were lit up as if by a furnace; —
她那滑腻且丰盈的秀发仿佛被火炉点亮一般； —

her dark dressrustled, falling in ripples from her shoulders and spreading about her on the floor.
她深色的裙摆沙沙作响，从肩膀上飘落下来，铺散在地板上。

When she had finished her prayers grandmother undressed in silence, carefully folding up her clothes andplacing them on the trunk in the corner. —
祷文念完后，奶奶静静地脱衣服，把衣物仔细地叠好，放在角落的箱子上。 —

Then she came to bed. I pretended to be fast asleep.
然后她上床了，我假装睡着了。

“You are not asleep, you rogue, you are only making believe,” she said softly. —
“你这个淘气鬼，你没睡着，只是假装罢了。”她轻声说。 —

“Come, my duck, let ‘s have somebedclothes !”
“来，我的宝贝，来盖些被子！”

Foreseeing what would happen, I could not repress a smile, upon seeing which she cried: —
预料到发生的事情，我忍不住笑了，她看到后说： —

“So this is how youtrick your old grandmother? —
“原来你这样骗你老奶奶吗？” —

” And taking hold of the blanket she drew it towards her with so much force and skillthat I bounced up in the air, and turning over and over fell back with a squash into the soft feather bed, while shesaid with a chuckle : —
她抓住毯子用力往自己这边拉，我被甩到半空中打了几个翻身，最终跌进柔软的羽绒床里，她笑着说： —

“What is it, little Hop o’ my Thumb? —
“小罗宾汉，你怎么了？是被蚊子叮到了吗？” —

Have you been bitten by a mosquito?”
但有时她祷文念得太久，我真的入睡了，没听到她上床的声音。

　　But sometimes she prayed for such a long time that I really did fall asleep, and did not hear her come to bed.
在这柔软的床上，我渐渐进入梦乡。

The longer prayers were generally the conclusion of a day of trouble, or a day of quarreling and fighting; —
更长的祈祷通常是一天烦恼的结束，或者是一天争吵和斗争的结束; —

and itwas very interesting to listen to them. —
听他们祷告真是很有趣。 —

Grandmother gave to God a circumstantial account of all that hadhappened in the house. —
奶奶向上帝详细描述了家里发生的一切。 —

Bowed down, looking like a great mound, she knelt, at first whispering rapidly andindistinctly, then hoarsely muttering:
弯下身子，看起来像一座大土墩，她跪下，开始急促而不清楚地低语，然后嘶哑地喃喃自语：

“O Lord, Thou knowest that all of us wish to do better. —
“主啊，你知道我们都希望做得更好。 —

Michael, the elder, ought to have been set up in the townit will do him harm to be on the river; —
Michael，长子，本应在城里安家，待在河边对他不好; —

and the other is a new neighborhood and not overdone. I don’t know whatwill come of it all ! —
而另一个地方是一个新社区，不那么拥挤。我不知道这一切会怎样！ —

There ‘s father now. Jaakov is his favorite. —
父亲来了。雅各布是他的最爱。 —

Can’t it be right to love one child more than theothers’? —
爱一个孩子胜过其他孩子有错吗？ —

He is an obstinate old man; do Thou, O Lord, teach him!”
他是个固执的老头；求你，主啊，教导他！”

　　Gazing at the dark-featured icon, with her large, brilliant eyes, she thus counseled God :
凝视着那张黑色面孔的圣像，用她那双明亮的大眼睛，她这样规劝上帝：

　　“Send him a good dream, O Lord, to make him understand how he ought to treat his children !”
“主啊，给他一个好梦，让他明白他应该如何对待他的孩子！”

　　After prostrating herself and striking her broad forehead on the floor, she again straightened herself, and saidcoaxingly:
俯身跪拜，将她宽广的额头重重地敲在地板上后，她再次挺直身子，柔声说道：

“And send Varvara some happiness ! How has she displeased Thee”? —
“也求主赐给瓦尔瓦拉一些幸福！她得罪了你吗？” —

Is she more sinful than the others’? Whyshould a healthy young woman be so afflicted? —
“她比其他人更有罪吗？为什么一个健康的年轻女人这么受苦？” —

And remember Gregory, O Lord! His eyes are getting worse andworse. —
请记得格雷戈里，主啊！他的眼睛越来越糟糕了。 —

If he goes blind he will be sent adrift. That will be terrible! —
如果他失明了，他将会被遗弃。那将是可怕的！ —

He has used up all his strength for grandfather,but do you think it likely that grandfather will help him? O Lord! Lord!”
他已经为祖父用尽了所有力气，但你认为祖父会帮助他吗？主啊！主啊！”

　　She remained silent for a long time, with her head bowed meekly, and her hands hanging by her sides, as still asif she had fallen asleep, or had been suddenly frozen.
她沉默了很长时间，谦卑地低着头，手静静地垂在身旁，就像是睡着了，或者突然冻结了一样。

　　“What else is there?” she asked herself aloud, wrinkling her brows.
“还有什么呢？”她大声自问，皱着眉头。

“O Lord, save all the faithful! Pardon me accursed fool as I am ! —
“主啊，拯救所有的信徒！原谅我这可恶的傻瓜！ —

Thou knowest that I do not sin out of malice butout of stupidity. —
你知道我不是出于恶意而犯罪，而是出于愚蠢。 —

” And drawing a deep breath she would say lovingly and contentedly: —
”她深吸一口气，充满爱意和满足地说： —

“Son of God, Thouknowest all! Father, Thou seest all things.”
“上帝之子，你知道一切！父啊，你看着一切。”

　　I was very fond of grandmother’s God Who seemed so near to her, and I often said:
我非常喜欢祖母所信仰的上帝，祂似乎对她来说是如此亲近，我经常说：

　　“Tell me something about God.”
“告诉我一些有关上帝的事。”

She used to speak about Him in a peculiar manner very quietly, strangely drawing out her words, closing hereyes; —
她常以一种特殊的方式谈论祂，非常安静，奇怪地拉长着词语，闭上眼睛； —

and she made a point of always sitting down and arranging her head-handkerchief very deliberately beforeshe began.
她总是坚持坐下来，很从容地整理头巾，然后才开始说话。

“God’s seat is on the hills, amidst the meadows of Paradise ; —
“上帝的座位在山上，坐落在乐园的草地之间； —

it is an altar of sapphires under silver linden treeswhich flower all the year round, for in Paradise there is no winter, nor even autumn, and the flowers neverwither, for joy is the divine favor. —
那是一座蓝宝石祭坛，在银白色的菩提树下，那里的花一年四季盛开，因为在乐园里没有冬天，甚至没有秋天，花朵永不凋谢，因为喜乐是神圣的恩赐。 —

And round about God many angels fly like flakes of snow; —
在神的周围，许多天使飞舞，像雪花一样飘落； —

and it may be eventhat bees hum there, and white doves fly between Heaven and earth, telling God all about us and everybody. —
或许那里也有蜜蜂嗡嗡飞舞，白鸽往来于天地之间，把我们和每个人的情况告诉上帝。 —

Andhere on earth you and I and grandfather each has been given an angel. God treats us all equally. —
在地球上，你、我和祖父每个人都被赋予了一个天使。上帝平等地对待我们所有人。 —

For instance,your angel will go and tell God: ‘Lexei put his tongue out at grandfather. —
比如，你的天使会去告诉上帝：“莱克西向祖父吐舌头了。” —

’ And God says : ‘All right, let the oldman whip him.’ And so it is with all of us ; —
上帝说：“好吧，让老人惩罚他。”对于我们大家都是这样的； —

God gives to all what they deserve to some grief, to others joy. —
上帝把每个人应得的分给了他们，有的是忧伤，有的是喜悦。 —

Andso all is right that He does, and the angels rejoice, and spread their wings and sing to Him without ceasing:
这样，上帝所做的一切都是正确的，天使们欢欣鼓舞，展开翅膀，不停地向祂歌唱：

‘Glory be unto Thee, O God ; Glory be unto Thee.’ And He just smiles on them, and it is enough for them andmore. —
“荣耀归于你，上帝；荣耀归于你。”祂只是微笑着看着他们，这对他们来说就足够了，甚至更多。 —

” And she would smile herself, shaking her head from side to side.
然后她会微笑着摇着头。

　　“Have you seen that?”
“你看见了吗？”

　　“No, I have not seen it, but I know.”
“我没有看见，但我知道。”

When she spoke about God, or Heaven, or the angels, she seemed to shrink in size; —
当她谈到上帝、天堂或天使时，她似乎变得更小了； —

her face grew younger, andher liquid eyes emitted a curious warm radiance. —
她的脸变得更年轻，她的液体眼睛散发出一种奇特而温暖的光辉。 —

I used to take her heavy, satiny plait in my hands, and wind itround my neck as I sat quite still and listened to the endless but never tedious story.
当我把她沉重、光滑的辫子拿在手里，围在我的脖子上，坐在那里静静地听着永无止境但从不乏味的故事。

“It is not given to men to see God their sight is dim! —
“人类无法看到上帝，他们的视力有限！” —

Only the saints may look upon Him face to face. But I haveseen angels myself; —
只有圣徒才能亲眼看见他。但我自己见过天使； —

they reveal themselves sometimes to souls in a state of grace. —
他们有时会显现给处在恩宠状态的灵魂。 —

I was standing in church at anearly Mass, and I saw two moving about the altar like clouds. —
我站在清晨弥撒中，看到两个在祭坛周围移动，像云一样。 —

One could see everything, through them, growingbrighter and brighter, and their gossamer-like wings touched the floor. —
通过它们，一切都可以看见，越来越明亮，它们纤细如薄纱的翅膀触及地面。 —

They moved about the altar, helping oldFather Elia, and supporting his elbows as he raised his feeble hands in prayer. —
他们在祭坛周围移动，帮助年迈的Elia神父，并在他祈祷时支撑着他的肘部。 —

He was very old, and being almostblind, stumbled frequently; —
他非常老了，几乎失明，经常绊倒； —

but that day he got through the Mass quickly, and was finished early. —
但那天他很快完成弥撒，提前结束。 —

When I sawthem I nearly died of joy. My heart seemed as if it would burst ; —
当我看到它们时，我几乎因为快乐而死去。我的心似乎要裂开； —

my tears ran down. Ah, how beautiful it was!
我的眼泪流下来。啊，那是多么美丽啊！

　　Oh, Lenka, dear heart, where God is whether in Heaven or earth all goes well.”
　　哦，亲爱的Lenka，在上帝所在之处，无论在天堂还是地球，一切都会好起来。”

　　“But you don’t mean to say that everything goes well here in our house?”
　　“但你不是要说我们家里一切都很顺利吗？”

　　Making the sign of the cross grandmother answered :
　　奶奶划十字架回答：

　　“Our Lady be praised everything goes well.”
　　感谢圣母，一切都运转良好。”

This irritated me. I could not agree that things were going well in our household. —
这激怒了我。我无法认同在我们家里一切都发展得很顺利。 —

From my point of view theywere becoming more and more intolerable.
从我的角度来看，事情越来越不可容忍。

　　One day, as I passed the door of Uncle Michael’s room I saw Aunt Natalia, not fully dressed, with her handsfolded on her breast, pacing up and down like a creature distraught, and moaning, not loudly, but in a tone ofagony :
有一天，当我经过迈克尔叔叔房门时，看到娜塔莉亚阿姨穿得不整，双手交叠于胸前，像一只心神恍惚的动物一样上下踱步，轻声呻吟着，但声音充满了痛苦：

　　“My God, take me under Thy protection ! Remove me from here !”
“我的上帝，庇佑我吧！把我从这里带走！”

　　I could sympathize with her prayer as well as I could understand Gregory when he growled:
我能同情她的祈祷，也能理解格里高利低声咆哮时的心情：

　　“As soon as I am quite blind they will turn me out to beg; it will be better than this, anyhow.”
“等我彻底失明，他们就会把我赶出去讨饭；无论如何，那都会比这强。

And I wished that he would make haste and go blind, for I meant to seize the opportunity to go away with him sothat we could start begging together. —
我希望他能赶紧变瞎，这样我就可以抓住机会跟他一起走，开始一起讨饭。 —

I had already mentioned the matter to Gregory, and he had replied, smilingin his beard :
我已经跟格里高利提过这事，他笑着说：

“That ‘s right ! We will go together. But I shall show myself in the town. —
“对！我们会一起走。但我要在城里显露身份。 —

There ‘s a grandson of VassiliKashmirin’s there his daughter’s son; —
那里有瓦西里·卡什米林的孙子，他女儿的儿子； —

he may give me something to do.”
或许能给我一点活干。”

More than once I noticed a blue swelling under the sunken eyes of Aunt Natalia; —
不止一次我注意到娜塔莉亚阿姨凹陷的眼睛下出现了一块蓝色肿胀； —

and sometimes a swollen lipwas thrown into relief by her yellow face.
有时黄脸上一块肿胀的嘴唇更加凸显出来。

　　“Does Uncle Michael beat her, then?” I asked grandmother. And she answered with a sigh :
“那么，迈克尔叔叔打她吗？”我问祖母。她叹了口气回答说：

“Yes, he beats her, but not very hard the devil! —
“是的，他打她，但不是很狠的老家伙！ —

Grandfather does not object so long as he does it at night. —
只要他是在夜晚打，祖父就不介意。 —

He isill-natured, and she she is like a jelly!
他脾气坏，她她像一块果冻！

“But he does not beat her as much as he used to,” she continued in a more cheerful tone. —
“但现在他打她的次数没以前那么多了，”她以更加愉快的口气继续说道。 —

“He just gives her ablow on the mouth, or boxes her ears, or drags her about by the hair for a minute or so; —
“他只是在嘴巴上来一下，或者抓耳朵，或者拽她头发大概一两分钟； —

but at one time he used totorture her for hours together. —
但以前他会折磨她好几个小时。 —

Grandfather beat me one Easter Day from dinner-time till bed-time. He kept on; —
爷爷在一个复活节的日子里从晚饭到睡觉时间一直打我。他一直打， —

hejust stopped to get his breath sometimes, and then started again. —
有时停下来喘口气，然后又开始。 —

And he used a strap too!”
他还用皮带！”

　　“But why did he do it?”
“但他为什么要这样做呢？”

“I forget now. Another time he knocked me about till I was nearly dead, and then kept me without food for fivehours. —
“我忘记了。还有一次他打我打到我快要死，然后又把我饿了五个小时。 —

I was hardly alive when he had finished with me.”
在他折磨完我之后，我几乎已经不知道自己还活着没有。”

　　I was thunderstruck. Grandmother was twice as big as grandfather, and it was incredible that he should be able toget the better of her like this.
我目瞪口呆。奶奶比爷爷大两倍，难以置信他竟然能这样对待她。

　　“Is he stronger than you, then?” I asked.
“那他比你厉害吗？”我问道。

“Not stronger, but older. Besides, he is my husband, he has to answer for me to God; —
“不是更强壮，而是更老。再说，他是我的丈夫，他要对我负责， —

but my duty is to sufferpatiently.”
但我的责任是耐心忍受。”

It was an interesting and pleasing sight to see her dusting the icon and cleaning its ornamentation ; —
看到她在擦拭圣像并清理它的装饰是一个有趣而令人愉悦的场景； —

it was richlyadorned with pearls, silver and colored gems in the crown, and as she took it gently in her hands she gazed at itwith a smile, and said in a tone of feeling :
它的皇冠上镶嵌着珍珠、银和有色宝石，当她轻轻拿在手中时，她微笑着凝视着它，并带着一种感动的口气说道：

“See what a sweet face it is !” And crossing herself and kissing it, she went on : —
“看这张多么甜美的脸庞！”她叉手亲吻了一下，然后继续说道： —

“Dusty art thou, and be-grimed,Mother, Help of Christians, Joy of the Elect! —
“你满身灰尘，又脏兮兮的，圣母玛利亚，信徒的喜乐！ —

Look, Lenia, darling, how small the writing is, and what tinycharacters they are ; —
“看，Lenia，亲爱的，字迹有多小，字体有多细小； —

and yet it is all quite distinct. It is called The Twelve Holy-Days,’ and in the middle you seethe great Mother of God by predestination immaculate ; —
“然而一切清晰可辨。这是‘十二主节’，中间是以处女圣母的不玷之身； —

and here is written : ‘Mourn not for me, Mother, becauseI am about to be laid in the grave.’ ”
“这里写着：‘母亲，不要为我悲伤，因为我就要被安葬在坟墓中。’”

　　Sometimes it seemed to me as if she played with the icon as earnestly and seriously as my Cousin Ekaterina withher doll.
我有时觉得她对这尊圣像的态度就像我的表妹Ekaterina对待她的洋娃娃一样认真而严肃。

　　She often saw devils, sometimes several together, sometimes one alone.
她经常看到恶魔，有时是几个一起，有时是单独一个。

“One clear moonlight night, during the great Fast, I was passing the Rudolphovs’ house, and looking up I saw,on the roof, a devil sitting close to the chimney! —
“有一天晴朗的月光之夜，在大斋期间，我经过Rudolphovs家，抬头一看，看见屋顶上有一个恶魔！他全身乌黑，正紧贴烟囱坐在那里！” —

He was all black, and he was holding his horned head over thetop of the chimney and sniffing vigorously.
“他一直用角硬灼的头顶顶着烟囱，并用力地嗅气。

There he sat sniffing and grunting, the great, unwieldy creature, with his tail on the roof, scraping with his feetall the time. —
“他就这样坐着，嗅着，咕哝着，那个庞大难对付的家伙，尾巴放在屋顶上，一边不停地扒着轻挠。 —

I made the sign of the Cross at him and said : —
我对着他做了一个十字的手势，说： —

‘Christ is risen from the dead, and His enemies arescattered. —
“‘基督从死里复活，他的仇敌都会四散。’ —

’ At that he gave a low howl and slipped head over heels from the roof to the yard so he was scattered !
“说完，他低声暴吼一声，从屋顶上倒头跌下到院子里，所以他也四散了！

　　They must have been cooking meat at the Rudolphovs’ that day, and he was enjoying the smell of it.”
他们那天恐怕在Rudolphovs家里烤肉，他正享受着那香气。”

　　I laughed at her picture of the devil flying head over heels off the roof, and she laughed too as she said:
我对她形象化恶魔从屋顶上倒头跌下的情景哈哈大笑，她也笑着说。

“They are as fond of playing tricks as children. —
他们像孩子一样喜欢捉弄人。 —

One day I was doing the washing in the washhouse and it wasgetting late, when suddenly the door of the little room burst open and in rushed lots of little red, green and blackcreatures like cockroaches, and all sizes, and spread themselves all over the place. —
有一天，我在洗衣间洗衣服，时间已经很晚了，突然小屋的门砰的一声打开，一大群小小的红色、绿色和黑色的生物像蟑螂一样冲进来，各种大小，四处乱窜。 —

I flew towards the door, but Icould not get past; —
我冲向门口，但却无法通过； —

there I was unable to move hand or foot amongst a crowd of devils ! —
我身边挤满了一群魔鬼，手脚都动弹不得！ —

They filled the wholeplace so that I could not turn round. —
他们填满了整个地方，让我无法转身。 —

They crept about my feet, plucked at my dress, and crowded round me sothat I had not even room to cross myself. —
他们在我脚下爬来爬去，拽我的裙子，挤在我周围，让我甚至没地方做十字架。 —

Shaggy, and soft, and warm, somewhat resembling cats, though theywalked on their hind legs, they went round and round me, peering into everything, showing their teeth like mice,blinking their small green eyes, almost piercing me with their horns, and sticking out their little tails they werelike pigs’ tails. —
他们又蓬松、又软、又温暖，有点像猫，尽管他们是用后腿走路的，他们围着我打转，窥视一切，露出牙齿像老鼠，眨着他们的小绿眼睛，几乎用他们的角刺穿我，露出他们的小尾巴，就像猪尾巴一样。 —

Oh, my dear ! I seemed to be going out of my mind. And didn’t they push me about too ! —
哦，我的亲爱！我觉得我要发疯了。他们还推来推去！ —

Thecandle nearly went out, the water in the copper became luke-warm, the washing was all thrown about the floor.
蜡烛差点灭了，洗衣池里的水变得温了，洗的衣服都被扔在地板上。

　　Ah! your very breath was trouble and sorrow.”
哎呀，你的呼吸都是烦恼和悲伤。

Closing my eyes, I could visualize the threshold of the little chamber with its gray cobble-stones, and the uncleanstream of shaggy creatures of diverse colors which gradually filled the washhouse. —
闭上眼睛，我可以想象小屋的门槛上那些灰色鹅卵石，以及逐渐充满洗衣间的各种颜色的脏兮兮的生物。 —

I could see them blowing outthe candle and thrusting out their impudent pink tongues. —
我可以看到他们吹灭蜡烛，伸出他们无礼的粉红色的舌头。 —

It was a picture both comical and terrifying.
这是一个既滑稽又可怕的画面。

　　Grandmother was silent a minute, shaking her head, before she burst out again :
奶奶沉默了一会儿，摇了摇头，然后再次爆发：

“And I saw some fiends too, one wintry night, when it was snowing. —
“我在一个下雪的冬夜也看到了一些魔鬼。 —

I was coming across the Dinkov Causewaythe place where, if you remember, your Uncle Michael and your Uncle Jaakov tried to drown your father in anice-hole and I was just going to take the lower path, when there came the sounds of hissing and hooting, and Ilooked up and saw a team of three raven-black horses tearing towards me. —
我正经过丁科夫大道，那个地方，如果你还记得，你叔叔米哈伊尔和叔叔雅科夫曾试图把你父亲溺死在一个冰洞里，我正要走下面的小路，突然听到嘶嘶声和呼哧声，我抬头一看，只见一支由三匹乌黑的马拉着的马车冲向我。 —

On the coachman’s place stood a greatfat devil, in a red nightcap, with protruding teeth. —
马车上站着一个戴着红色便帽的肥胖恶魔，长着突出的牙齿。 —

He was holding the reins, made of forged iron chains, withoutstretched arms, and as there was no way round, the horses flew right over the pond, and were hidden by acloud of snow. —
他握着用锻造的铁链制成的缰绳，伸开双臂，旁边没有路可走，马匹飞跃过池塘，被一团雪花掩盖。 —

All those sitting in the sledge behind were devils too; —
那辆雪橇后面坐着的人全都是恶魔； —

there they sat, hissing and screaming andwaving their nightcaps. —
他们坐在那里，嘶嘶声和尖叫声不绝于耳，挥舞着便帽。 —

In all, seven troikas like this tore by, as if they had been fire-engines, all with blackhorses, and all carrying a load of thoroughbred devils. —
总共有七辆这样的马车飞驰而过，就像消防车一样，全都是黑马，均载着一车纯种恶魔。 —

They pay visits to each other, you know, and drive aboutin the night to their different festivities. —
他们互相拜访，你知道，他们在夜里穿梭畅游，前往不同的节日。 —

I expect that was a devil’s wedding that I saw.”
我觉得我看到的是恶魔的婚礼。”

　　One had to believe grandmother, because she spoke so simply and convincingly.
必须相信奶奶，因为她说话如此简单而有说服力。

But the best of all her stories was the one which told how Our Lady went about the suffering earth, and how shecommanded the woman-brigand, or the “Amazon-chief” Engalichev, not to kill or rob Russian people. —
但她最好的故事却是关于圣母如何走遍备受苦难的大地，如何命令女劫匪，或者“亚马逊首领”恩加利切夫，不要杀害或抢劫俄罗斯人。 —

And afterthat came the stories about Blessed Alexei ; —
接着是关于受祝福的亚力克谢的故事； —

about Ivan the Warrior, and Vassili the Wise ; of the Priest Kozlya,and the beloved child of God; —
关于战士伊凡和智者瓦西里的故事；牧师科兹利亚，和神之爱子的故事； —

and the terrible stories of Martha Posadnitz, of Baba Ustye the robber chief, ofMary the sinner of Egypt, and of sorrowing mothers of robber sons. —
还有关于玛莎·波萨兹尼茨，抢劫首领巴巴·乌斯蒂耶，埃及的罪人玛丽，以及悲伤的盗贼之母们的可怕故事。 —

The fairy-tales, and stories of old times, andthe poems which she knew were without number.
她知道的童话，古老的故事和诗歌数不胜数。

She feared no one neither grandfather, nor devils, nor any of the powers of evil; —
她不惧怕任何人，无论是爷爷，魔鬼，还是任何邪恶的力量。 —

but she was terribly afraid ofblack cockroaches, and could feel their presence when they were a long way from her. —
但她非常害怕黑色的蟑螂，即使它们距离她很远，她也能感觉到它们的存在。 —

Sometimes she wouldwake me in the night whispering :
有时她会在夜里把我叫醒，轻声说道：

“Oleysha, dear, there is a cockroach crawling about. —
“亲爱的，有只蟑螂在爬。” —

Do get rid of it, for goodness’ sake.”
“快把它弄走，求你了。”

　　Half-asleep, I would light the candle and creep about on the floor seeking the enemy a quest in which I did notalways succeed at once.
醒来一半的我会点亮蜡烛，在地板上悄悄寻找那只敌人，有时并不会立刻找到。

“No, there’s not a sign of one,” I would say; —
“不，一点迹象都没有，”我会说。 —

but lying quite still with her head muffled up in the bed-clothes, shewould entreat me in a faint voice :
但她整夜躲在被窝里，头包裹在被子里，用微弱的声音请求我：

“Oh, yes, there is one there ! Do look again, please. —
“哦，是的，那里有只蟑螂！再看一次吧，求求你。” —

I am sure there is one about somewhere.”
我敢肯定哪里有一只。”

And she was never mistaken. Sooner or later I found the cockroach, at some distance from the bed; —
她从不会错。迟早我总会找到那只蟑螂，离床有些距离； —

and throwingthe blanket off her she would breathe a sigh of relief and smile as she said :
我掀开她的毯子，她松了一口气，微笑着说道：

　　“Have you killed it? Thank God! Thank you.”
“你把它弄死了吗？谢天谢地！谢谢你。”

If I did not succeed in discovering the insect, she could not go to sleep again, and I could feel how she trembledin the silence of the night; —
如果没有成功找到那只昆虫，她就无法再入睡，我能感觉到在夜晚的寂静中她在颤抖； —

and I heard her whisper breathlessly :
我听见她气喘吁吁地低声说：

　　“It is by the door. Now it has crawled under the trunk.”
“它在门边。现在它爬到箱子下面了。”

　　“Why are you so frightened of cockroaches’?”
“你为什么如此害怕蟑螂？”

“I don’t know myself,” she would answer, reasonably enough. —
“我自己也不知道，”她会很合理地回答。 —

“It is the way the horrid black things crawl about.
“这些可恶黑色生物爬来爬去的方式。

God has given a meaning to all other vermin : woodlice show that the house is damp ; —
“上帝赋予了其他害虫特定的含义：土鳖表明房子潮湿； —

bugs mean that the wallsare dirty; lice foretell an illness, as every one knows ; —
“臭虫意味着墙壁肮脏；虱子预示着疾病，正如每个人都知道的； —

but these creatures ! who knows what powers they possess,or what they live on?”
“但这些生物！谁知道它们具有什么能力，或者它们靠什么生存？”

　　One day when she was on her knees, conversing earnestly with God, grandfather, throwing open the door,shouted hoarsely :
有一天，当她跪在地上，与上帝进行着认真交谈时，爷爷大声喊道：

　　“Well, Mother, God has afflicted us again. We are on fire.”
“嗯，母亲，上帝再次降祸于我们。我们失火了。”

“What are you talking about?” cried grandmother, jumping up from the floor; —
“你在说什么？”祖母从地板上跳起来大叫； —

and they both rushed into the largeparlor, making a great noise with their feet. —
“他们俩都冲进了大客厅，用脚发出巨大的噪音。 —

“Eugenia, take down the icons. Natalia, dress the baby.”
“尤金娜，把圣像取下来。娜塔莉娅，给婴儿穿衣。”

　　Grandmother gave her orders in a stern voice of authority, but all grandfather did was to mutter: Ug h!”
“祖母用权威的严厉声音下达命令，但爷爷所做的只是喃喃自语：呃！”

　　I ran into the kitchen. The window looking on to the yard shone like gold, and yellow patches of light appearedon the floor, and Uncle Jaakov, who was dressing, trod on them with his bare feet, and jumped about as if theyhad burned him, shrieking :
我跑进了厨房。朝向院子的窗户闪闪发光，地板上出现了黄色斑块，雅科夫叔叔正在穿衣，光脚踩上去，像是被烧伤了一样跳起来尖叫：

　　“This is Mischka’s doing. He started the fire, and then went out.”
“这是弥斯卡做的。他放火然后溜了。”

　　“Peace, cur!” said grandmother, pushing him towards the door so roughly that he nearly fell.
“闭嘴，杂种！”祖母粗暴地将他推向门口，几乎让他摔倒。

Through the frost on the window-panes the burning roof of the workshop was visible, with the curling flamespouring out from its open door. —
透过窗玻璃上的霜，燃烧的车间屋顶可见，火焰从敞开的门口喷涌而出。 —

It was a still night, and the color of the flames was not spoiled by any admixtureof smoke; —
这是一个寂静的夜晚，火焰的颜色没有被任何烟雾所破坏； —

while just above them hovered a dark cloud which, however, did not hide from our sight the silverstream of the Mlethchna Road. The snow glittered with a livid brilliance, and the walls of the house tottered andshook from side to side, as if about to hurl themselves into that burning corner of the yard where the flamesdisported themselves so gaily as they poured through the broad red cracks in the walls of the workshop, draggingcrooked, red-hot nails out with them. —
正上方漂浮着一朵黑云，然而并没有遮住我们眼中Mlethchna Road 上的银色流动。雪在静静地闪耀着，房子的墙壁一侧摇摆不定，仿佛随时要将自己投入院子那燃烧的角落，火焰在车间墙壁的宽大红色裂缝中流淌着，拖出扭曲的红热钉子。 —

Gold and red ribbons wound themselves about the dark beams of the roof,and soon enveloped it entirely ; —
金色和红色的丝带缠绕在黑色屋顶的梁上，很快将其完全包裹； —

but the slender chimney-pot stood up straight in the midst of it all, belching forthclouds of smoke. A gentle crackling sound like the rustle of silk beat against our windows, and all the time theflames were spreading till the workshop, adorned by them, as it were, looked like the iconostasis in church, andbecame more and more attractive to me.
细长的烟囱笔直地耸立在其中央，喷出滚滚烟尘。一种轻柔的沙沙声像丝绸的沙沙声敲击着我们的窗，与此同时，火焰正在蔓延，车间被它们装饰，仿佛是教堂里的分隔圣像屏风，越来越吸引我。

Throwing a heavy fur coat over my head and thrusting my feet into the first boots that came handy, I ran out tothe porch and stood on the steps, stupefied and blinded by the brilliant play of light, dazed by the yells of mygrandfather, and uncles, and Gregory, and alarmed by grandmother’s behavior, for she had wrapped an emptysack round her head, enveloped her body in a horse-cloth, and was running straight into the flames. —
我将一件厚重的毛皮大衣盖在头上，随意穿上手边找到的第一双靴子，跑出门廊站在台阶上，被灿烂的灯光眩晕，被爷爷、伯父们以及格雷戈里的叫喊声所震慑，被祖母的举动所震惊，因为她用一个空麻袋包裹头部，用马毛围巾包裹身体，直奔火焰而去。 —

Shedisappeared, crying, “The vitriol, you fools! —
她消失了，大喊：“蠕虫，你们这些蠢货！ —

It will explode!”
会爆炸！”

　　“Keep her back, Gregory!” roared grandfather. “Aie ! she’s done for !”
“把她拉回来，格雷戈里！” 爷爷大声喊道，“唉！她完了！”

　　But grandmother reappeared at this moment, blackened with smoke, half — fainting, bent almost double over thebottle of vitriolic oil which she was carrying in her stretched-out hands.
但在这时，祖母又出现了，被烟熏得漆黑，半昏迷地弯腰弯腰，手里伸着装有硫酸油的瓶子。

　　“Father, get the horse out!” she cried hoarsely, coughing and spluttering, “and take this thing off my shoulders.
“父亲，把马拉出来！”她沙哑地喊道，咳嗽着，痰里带着硫酸味，“把这玩意从我肩膀上拿开。

　　Can’t you see it is on fire?”
你难道看不见它正在着火吗？”

Gregory dragged the smoldering horse-cloth from her shoulders, and then, working hard enough for two men,went on shoveling large lumps of snow into the door of the workshop. —
格雷戈里从她肩膀上扯下闷烧着的马毛围巾，然后，他不停劳作，一个人工作足了两个人，把大块的雪铲进车间的门口。 —

My uncle jumped about him with an ax inhis hands, while grandfather ran round grandmother, throwing snow over her ; —
我叔叔手里拿着一把斧头在他身旁乱跳，而爷爷绕着祖母跑，往她身上扔雪； —

then she put the bottle into asnowdrift, and ran to the gate, where there were a great many people gathered together. —
然后她把瓶子放到雪堆里，跑向大门口，那里聚集了许多人。 —

After greeting them, shesaid:
问候他们后，她说道：

“Save the warehouse, neighbors ! If the fire fastens upon the warehouse and the hay-loft, we shall be burnt out; —
“救救仓库，邻居们！如果火苗蔓延到仓库和干草堆上，我们就会被烧毁； —

and it will spread to your premises. Go and pull off the roof and drag the hay into the garden! —
并且会波及到你们的财产。去撬掉屋顶，把干草拖到花园里去！ —

Gregory, whydon’t you throw some of the snow on top, instead of throwing it all on the ground? —
格里高利，你干嘛不把一些雪扔到上面，而不是都扔在地上呢？ —

Now, Jaakov, don’t dawdleabout! Give some axes and spades to these good folk. —
现在，雅各夫，别在那拖拖拉拉！给这些好人一些斧头和铁锹。 —

Dear neighbors, behave like true friends, and may Godreward you !”
亲爱的邻居们，表现得像真正的朋友，愿上帝赏赐你们！”

She was quite as interesting to me as the fire. —
她对我来说和那场大火一样令人感兴趣。 —

Illuminated by those flames which had so nearly devoured her, sherushed about the yard a black figure, giving assistance at all points, managing the whole thing, and lettingnothing escape her attention.
被那些几乎将她吞噬的火焰照亮着，她在院子里来来回回，身披黑色，到处提供帮助，管理整个事情，没有一点遗漏。

Sharapa ran into the yard, rearing and nearly throwing grandfather down. —
沙拉帕跑进院子，扰乱地几乎把爷爷推倒。 —

The light fell on his large eyes whichshone expressively; —
光线照在他那双发光富有表现力的大眼睛上； —

he breathed heavily as his forefeet pawed the air, and grandfather let the reins fall, andjumping aside called out: —
他喘着粗气，前蹄挥舞着空气，爷爷放开缰绳，跳到一边喊道： —

“Catch hold of him, Mother!”
“妈妈抓住他！”

She threw herself almost under the feet of the rearing horse, and stood in front of him, with outstretched arms inthe form of a cross; —
她几乎扑到那匹后腿直立的马前，站在他面前，双手伸开呈交叉形状； —

the animal neighed pitifully and let himself be drawn towards her, swerving aside at theflames.
那动物可怜地嘶鸣着，让自己被她拽向她，绕开了火焰。

“Now, you are not frightened,” said grandmother in a low voice, as he patted his neck and grasped the reins, “Doyou think I would leave you when you are in such a state? —
“现在，你不害怕了吧，”奶奶低声说着，一边拍着他的脖子，握住缰绳，“你以为我会在你处于这种状态下离开你吗？ —

Oh, you silly little mouse !”
“哦，你这只可爱的小老鼠！”

　　And the little “mouse,” who was twice as large as herself, submissively went to the gate with her, snuffling, andgazing at her red face.
那只比她自己还大一倍的“老鼠”，顺从地跟着她走向大门，抽泣着，盯着她的红脸。

　　Nyanya Eugenia had brought some muffled-up youngsters, who were bellowing in smothered tones, from thehouse.
Nyanya Eugenia 带来了一些裹得严严实实、用闷声喊叫的孩子们从屋子里走出来。

　　“Vassili Vassilitch,” she cried, “we can’t find Alexei anywhere !”
“瓦西里·瓦西里奇，我们找不到亚列克谁都没有！” 她喊道。

　　“Go away ! Go away !” answered grandfather, waving his hands, and I hid myself under the stairs so thatNyanya should not take me away.
“走开！走开！” 爷爷挥动着手说道，我躲在楼梯下面，不让 Nyanya 把我带走。

The roof of the workshop had fallen in by this time, and the stanchions, smoking, and glittering like golden coal,stood out against the sky. —
车间的屋顶此时已经倒塌了，燃烧的棍子在天空中映出金色的光辉。 —

With a howl and a crash a green, blue and red tornado burst inside the building, and theflames threw themselves with a new energy on the yard and on the people who were gathered round andthrowing spadefuls of snow on the huge bonfire.
一个绿、蓝、红三色的龙卷风猛然撞进了建筑物内部，火焰又带着新的能量投向院子里和围在周围往巨大篝火上扔雪铲的人们。

The heat caused the vats to boil furiously; —
火热让桶槽猛烈地沸腾； —

a thick cloud of steam and smoke arose, and a strange odor, whichcaused one’s eyes to water, floated into the yard. —
一团厚重的蒸汽和烟雾升腾起来，一种奇怪的气味飘进了院子。 —

I crept out from beneath the stairs and got under grandmother’sfeet.
我从楼梯下爬了出来，躲到了奶奶脚下。

　　“Get away !” she shrieked. “You will get trampled on. Get away!”
“走开！” 她尖叫道，“你会被踩到的，走开！”

At this moment a man on horseback, with a copper helmet, burst into the yard. —
就在这时，一个戴铜头盔骑在马上的男人冲进了院子。 —

His roan-colored horse wascovered with froth, and he raised a whip high above his head and shouted threateningly :
他骑着栗色的马被白沫覆盖着，高举着鞭子，威胁地大喊道：

　　“Make way there !”
“让开！”

　　Bells rang out hurriedly and gaily; it was just as beautiful as a festival day.
铃声匆匆地欢快地响起；这就像一个节日一样美丽。

　　Grandmother pushed me back towards the steps.
祖母把我推回到台阶上。

　　“What did I tell you ? Go away !”
“我告诉过你什么？走开！”

I could not disobey her at such a time, so I went back to the kitchen and glued myself once more to the window; —
在这样的时候我不能不听从她的话，于是我回到厨房，再次贴在窗户前； —

but I could not see the fire through that dense mass of people I could see nothing but the gleam of copper helmetsamongst the winter caps of fur.
但我无法透过那密密麻麻的人群看到火灾，我什么都看不见，只能看到毛皮帽子间闪耀的铜制头盔。

In a short time the fire was got under, totally extinguished, and the building submerged. —
很快，火势被控制住，彻底扑灭，建筑物被淹没。 —

The police drove theonlookers away, and grandmother came into the kitchen.
警察驱赶旁观者，祖母走进厨房。

“Who is this”? Oh, it is you! Why aren’t you in bed? Frightened, eh? —
“谁在这儿？哦，是你！你怎么不在床上？害怕了，是吗？” —

There ‘s nothing to be frightened about ; —
没有什么可害怕的； —

itis all over now.”
这一切都已经结束了。”

She sat beside me in silence, shaking a little. —
她安静地坐在我旁边，微微颤抖。 —

The return of the quiet night with its darkness was a relief.
宁静的夜晚回来了，黑暗是一种解脱。

　　Presently grandfather came in, and standing in the doorway said :
过了一会儿，祖父进来，站在门口说：

　　“Mother?”
“母亲？”

　　“Yes?”
“什么？”

　　“Were you burned?”
“你被烧伤了吗？”

　　“A little nothing to speak of.”
“几乎无足轻重。”

　　He lit a brimstone match, which lit up his soot-be-grimed face, looked for and found the candle on the table, andthen came over swiftly and sat beside grandmother.
他点燃了一根硫磺火柴，照亮了被煤灰弄脏的脸，找到了桌子上的蜡烛，然后迅速走过来坐在奶奶旁边。

　　“The best thing we can do is to wash ourselves,” she said, for she was covered with soot too, and smelt of acridsmoke.
“我们最好的办法是洗个澡，”她说，因为她也被煤灰覆盖着，闻起来像是刺激性烟雾。

　　“Sometimes,” said grandfather, drawing a deep breath, “God is pleased to endue you with great good-sense.”
祖父深吸了口气，说：“有时候，上帝愿意赐予你很好的常识。”

And stroking her shoulder he added with a grin: —
他抚摸着她的肩膀，笑着说： —

“Only sometimes, you know, just for an hour or so; —
“只是有时候，你知道，可能只有一个小时； —

but there itis all the same.”
但无论如何都在那里。”

　　Grandmother smiled too, and began to say something, but grandfather stopped her, frowning :
奶奶也微笑着开始说些什么，但祖父皱着眉头制止了她：

“We shall have to get rid of Gregory. —
“我们必须摆脱格里高利。 —

All this trouble has been caused by his neglect. —
所有这些麻烦都是由他的疏忽引起的。 —

His working days are over.
他的工作日已经结束了。

He is worn out. That fool Jaaschka is sitting on the stairs crying; —
他筋疲力尽。那个傻瓜亚什卡正坐在楼梯上哭泣； —

you had better go to him.”
你最好去看看他。”

She stood up and went out, holding her hand up to her face and blowing on her fingers; —
她站起来走出去，把手放在脸上吹了吹指头； —

and grandfather, withoutlooking at me, asked softly :
祖父不看我，轻声问道：

“You saw it all from the beginning of the fire, didn’t you”? —
“你从火灾一开始就看到了是吧”？ —

Then you saw how grandmother behaved, didn’tyou? And that is an old woman, mind you ! —
然后你看到奶奶的举止了，对吧？而且她可是个老人！ —

crushed and breaking-up and yet you see ! —
被压迫和破碎，但你还看到了！ —

U ugh, youTAfter a long silence, during which he sat huddled up, he rose and snuffed the candle, as he asked me :
哦，你…在长时间的沉默后，他蜷缩着身体坐起来，点灭了蜡烛，问我：

　　“Were you frightened?”
“你害怕了吗？”

　　“No.”
“不。”

　　“Quite right! There was nothing to be frightened about.”
“很对！没什么可害怕的。”

　　Irritably dragging his shirt from his shoulder, he went to the washstand in the corner, and I could hear him in thedarkness stamping his feet as he exclaimed :
他不耐烦地从肩膀上脱下衬衫，走到角落的洗手台，我能听见他在黑暗中跺脚的声音，他说：

“A fire is a silly business. The person who causes a fire ought to be beaten in the market-place. —
“火是件愚蠢的事。引起火灾的人应该在市场上受到鞭打。 —

He must be eithera fool or a thief. If that was done there would be no more fires. —
他要么是个傻瓜要么是个小偷。如果那样做了，就不会再有火灾了。 —

Go away now, and go to bed! What are yousitting there for?”
现在走开，去睡觉！你还坐在那里干什么？”

I did as he told me, but sleep was denied to me that night. —
我照他说的做了，但那晚我无法入睡。 —

I had no sooner laid myself down when an unearthlyhowl greeted me, which seemed to come from the bed. —
我刚躺下时，一声奇怪的嚎叫传来，似乎是从床上发出的。 —

I rushed back to the kitchen, in the middle of which stoodgrandfather, shirtless, holding a candle which flickered violently as he stamped his feet on the floor, crying:
我冲回厨房，而在中间站着半裸的祖父，手里拿着一支摇曳不定的蜡烛，他在地板上跺脚，大声呼喊：

　　“Mother ! Jaakov ! What is that?”
“妈！雅各！那是什么？”

I jumped on the stove and hid myself in a corner, and the household was once more in a state of wild commotion; —
我跳上炉子，躲在角落里，家庭再次陷入了狂乱状态； —

a heartrending howl beat against the ceiling and walls, increasing in sound every moment.
一声让人心碎的嚎叫声敲击着天花板和墙壁，声音越来越大；

It was all just the same as it had been during the fire. —
就像火灾期间一样，一切都如故； —

Grandfather and uncle ran about aimlessly; —
爷爷和叔叔胡乱地跑来跑去； —

grandmothershouted as she drove them away from one place to another; —
奶奶大声喊着把他们从这里赶到那里； —

Gregory made a great noise as he thrust logs into thestove and filled the iron kettle with water. He went about the kitchen bobbing his head just like an Astrakhancamel.
格雷戈里嘈杂地往炉子里扔木头，往铁水壶里倒水。他在厨房里走来走去，头像一只阿斯特拉罕骆驼一样上下颠簸；

　　“Heat the stove first,” said grandmother in a tone of authority.
“先把炉子烧热，”奶奶颇有威严地说道。

　　He rushed to do her bidding, and fell over my legs.
他匆忙地去执行她的命令，结果绊倒在我的腿上。

“Who is there?” he cried, greatly flustered. “Phew! —
“谁在那里？”他大为慌乱地喊道。“呸！ —

How you frightened me! You are always where you oughtnot to be.”
你吓了我一跳！你总是在不该出现的地方。”

　　“What has happened?”
“发生了什么事？”

　　“Aunt Natalia has had a little baby born to her,” he replied calmly, jumping down to the floor.
“娜塔利亚姨妈生了一个小宝宝,”他平静地回答，跳下地面。

　　I remembered that my mother had not screamed like that when her little baby was born.
我记得我母亲在我小宝宝出生时并没有尖叫。

　　Having placed the kettle over the fire, Gregory climbed up to me on the stove, and drawing a long pipe from hispocket, showed it to me.
把水壶放在火上后，格雷戈里爬到火炉上来，从口袋里拿出一根长烟斗，向我展示。

“I am taking to a pipe for the good of my eyes,” he explained. —
“我为了眼睛好，开始抽烟斗了，”他解释道。 —

“Grandmother advised me to take snuff, but Ithink smoking will do me more good.”
“祖母建议我用鼻烟，但我认为抽烟会对我更有好处。”

He sat on the edge of the stove with his legs crossed, looking down at the feeble light of the candle; —
他坐在火炉边缘，双腿交叉，看着烛光微弱的地方； —

his ears andcheeks were smothered in soot, one side of his shirt was torn, and I could see his ribs as broad as the ribs of acask. —
他的耳朵和脸颊被煤灰覆盖，衬衫的一侧破了，我能看到他宽如酒桶的肋骨。 —

One of his eyeglasses was broken; almost half of the glass had come out of the frame, and from the emptyspace peered a red, moist eye, which had the appearance of a wound.
他的眼镜有一只碎了；近乎半个玻璃脱离了镜框，空隙中露出一只红色、湿润的眼睛，看起来像是一处伤口。

　　Filling his pipe with coarse-cut tobacco, he listened to the groans of the travailing woman, and murmureddisjointedly, like a drunken man :
他用条状烟草给烟斗装满后，听着产难的女人的呻吟，咕哝着像个醉汉：

“That grandmother of yours has burned herself so badly that I am sure I don’t know how she can attend to thepoor creature. —
“你那位祖母把自己烧伤得那么严重，我真不知道她怎么照料那个可怜娇娃。 —

Just hear how your aunt is groaning. You know, they forgot all about her. —
听听你姨妈在呻吟。你知道，他们全都忘了她。” —

She was taken bad whenthe fire first broke out. It was fright that did it. —
她一开始就感到不舒服，火一开始燃起就吓到她了。 —

You see what pain it costs to bring children into the world, and yetwomen are thought nothing of! —
你看到为了把孩子带到这个世界上需要多么大的痛苦，然而妇女们却被认为毫不起眼！ —

But, mark my words women ought to be thought a lot of, for they are the mothers”
但是，记住我的话，妇女们应该倍加珍视，因为她们是母亲。

Here I dozed, and was awakened by a tumult: —
这时我打了个盹，被一阵骚动惊醒： —

a banging of doors, and the drunken cries of Uncle Michael ; —
门突然被砰地一声关上，醉醺醺的迈克尔大叔大声呼喊着； —

thesestrange words floated to my ears :
这些奇怪的话飘到我的耳里：

　　“The royal doors must be opened !”
“皇家的门必须打开！”

　　“Give her holy oil with rum, half a glass of oil, half a glass of rum, and a tablespoonful of soot ”
“拿点圣油和朗姆酒，一半油，一半朗姆酒，还有一汤匙煤灰。”

　　Then Uncle Michael kept asking like a tiresome child: ioo“Let me have a look at her !”
然后迈克尔大叔像一个烦人的孩子那样不停地询问：“让我看看她！”

　　He sat on the floor with his legs sprawling, and kept spitting straight in front of him, and banging his hands onthe floor.
他坐在地上，两腿摊开，不停地往前吐痰，用手拍打地面。

　　I began to find the stove unbearably hot, so I slid down, but when I got on a level with uncle he seized and heldme by the legs, and I fell on the back of my head.
我开始觉得炉子无法忍受的热，于是我滑下去，但当我和大叔齐平时，他抓住我的腿，我摔到头后部。

　　“Fool !” I exclaimed.
“傻瓜！”我喊道。

　　He jumped to his feet, grabbed me again, and roared :
他跳了起来，又抓住我，大声喊道：

　　“I’ll smash you against the stove ”
“我要把你摔到炉子上！”

I escaped to a corner of the best parlor, under the image, and ran against grandfather’s knees; —
我逃到客厅最好的一个角落，躲在圣像下面，撞到了祖父的膝盖； —

he put me aside,and gazing upwards, went on in a low voice :
他把我推到一边，抬头凝视着天空，用低沉的声音继续说道：

　　“There is no excuse for any of us ”
“我们没有任何借口”

　　The image-lamp burned brightly over his head, a candle stood on the table in the middle of the room, and thelight of a foggy winter’s morning was already peeping in at the window.
头顶上的图像灯亮着，桌子上放着一支蜡烛，屋子里已经透进了一个雾蒙蒙的冬日早晨的光线。

　　Presently he bent towards me, and asked :
过了一会儿，他朝我弯身过来，问道：

　　“What’s the matter with you?”
“你怎么了？”

Everything was the matter with me my head was clammy, my body sorely weary; —
我什么问题都有，我的头发发湿，身体也非常疲惫； —

but I did not like to say sobecause everything about me was so strange. —
但我不想说因为我周围的一切都那么陌生。 —

Almost all the chairs in the room were occupied by strangers; —
房间里几乎所有的椅子都坐了陌生人； —

therewere a priest in a lilac-colored robe, a gray-headed old man with glasses, in a military uniform, and many otherpeople who all sat quite still like wooden figures, or figures frozen, as it were, in expectation of something, andlistened to the sound of water splashing somewhere near. —
有一个穿着丁香色长袍的神父，一个戴着眼镜的满头白发老人穿着军装，以及许多其他人，他们像木偶一样静静地坐着，仿佛在等待着什么，听着从某个地方传来的水声。 —

By the door stood Uncle Jaakov, very upright, with hishands behind his back. —
门口站着叔叔雅科夫，背挺得笔直。 —

“Here!” said grandfather to him, “take this child to bed.”
“来！”祖父对他说，”把这孩子送到床上去。”

　　My uncle beckoned me to follow him, and led the way on tiptoe to the door of grandmother’s room, and when Ihad got into bed he whispered :
叔叔示意我跟着他，踮着脚尖走到外婆的房门口，当我躺到床上后，他低声说：

　　“Your Aunt Natalia is dead.”
“你的婶婶娜塔莉娅去世了。”

　　I was not surprised to hear it. She had not been visible for a long time, either in the kitchen or at meals.
听到这个消息我并不感到惊讶。她很长一段时间既不在厨房里也不在饭桌上露面。

　　“Where is grandmother?” I asked.
“外婆在哪里？”我问道。

　　“Down there,” he replied, waving his hand, and went out of the room, still going softly on his bare feet.
“那边。”他回答道，挥动着手，然后走出房间，仍然赤脚轻轻地走着。

I lay in bed and looked about me. I seemed to see hairy, gray, sightless faces pressed against the window-pane,and though I knew quite well that those were grandmother’s clothes hanging over the box in the corner, Iimagined that some living creature was hiding there and waiting. —
在床上躺着，四处看着。我似乎看到毛茸茸、灰色、看不见的脸贴在窗玻璃上，虽然我很清楚那只是挂在角落箱子上的奶奶的衣服，但我幻想着有生物藏在那里等着。 —

I put my head under the pillow, leaving one eyeuncovered so that I could look at the door, and wished that I dared jump out of bed and run out of the room. —
我把头埋在枕头下，留着一只眼睛露出来看着门口，希望我敢跳下床跑出房间。 —

Itwas very hot, and there was a heavy, stifling odor which reminded me of the night when Tsiganok died, and thatrivulet of blood ran along the floor.
房间非常炎热，有一种沉闷的气味，使我想起切根诺克死去的那个晚上，还有那条血河沿着地面流淌。

Something in my head or my heart seemed to be swelling; —
我的头或者心里似乎在膨胀； —

everything that I had seen in that house seemed tostretch before my mind’s eye, like a train of winter sledges in the street, and to rise up and crush me.
我在那所房子里看到的每一样东西似乎在我的脑海中向我涌来，像街上的一列冬季雪橇，压得我喘不过气。

The door opened very slowly, and grandmother crept into the room, and closing the door with her shoulder, cameslowly forward ; —
门很慢地打开，奶奶悄悄爬进房间，用肩膀把门关上，然后慢慢走过来； —

and holding out her hand to the blue light of the image-lamp, wailed softly, pitifully as a child:
伸出手，向着图画灯的蓝光，像个孩子一样轻轻地哀求着：

　　“Oh, my poor little hand! My poor hand hurts me so !”
“哦，我的可怜的小手！我的手好痛！”