IMPERCEPTIBLY, like a little star at dawn, my brother Kolia faded away.
我哥哥科里亚悄无声息地像黎明的一颗小星星消失了。

Grandmother, he, and I slept in a small shed on planks covered with variousrags. —
我们和奶奶挤在一间小棚里，铺着各种各样的破布。 —

On the other side of the chinky wall of the out-house was the familypoultry-house. —
在厕所的墙的另一侧是家里的鸡舍。 —

We could hear the sleepy, overfed fowls fluttering andclucking in the evening, and the golden, shrill-voiced cock awoke us in themorning.
傍晚我们能听到饱食的小鸡飞扑着、咕咕叽叽，而清晨金色、尖声的公鸡叫声把我们叫醒。

　　“Oh, I should like to tear you to pieces!” grandmother would grumblewhen they woke her.
“啊，我好想撕碎你！”奶奶抱怨着当它们把她吵醒时。

I was already awake, watching the sunbeams falling through the chinksupon my bed, and the silver specks of dust which danced in them. —
我此时已经醒了，看着阳光透过缝隙照在床上，金色的灰尘粒在阳光中飞舞。 —

Theselittle specks seemed to me just like the words in a fairy-tale. —
这些小灰尘粒对我来说就像童话故事中的文字一样。 —

Mice hadgnawed the planks, and red beetles with black spots ran about there.
老鼠啃过木板，红色带黑点的甲虫在那里跑来跑去。

Sometimes, to escape from the stifling fumes which arose from the soilin the fowl-house, I crept out of the wooden hut, climbed to the roof, andwatched the people of the house waking up, eyeless, large, and swollen withsleep. —
为了躲避从鸡舍里冒出的难闻的烟气，我爬出木屋，爬到屋顶上，看着屋子里的人们醒来，无眼，蓬头垢面。 —

Here appeared the hairy noddle of the boatman Phermanov, a surlydrunkard, who gazed at the sun with blear, running eyes and grunted like abear. —
这时划船工费尔曼诺夫的毛头出现了，一个脾气暴躁的酒鬼，眼睛泛着酒意，像熊一样咕哝着望着太阳。 —

Then grandfather came hurrying out into the yard and hastened to thewash-house to wash himself in cold water. —
然后爷爷匆匆走出院子，赶去洗衣房用冷水洗脸。 —

The garrulous cook of the land —lord, a sharp-nosed woman, thickly covered with freckles, was like a cuckoo.
地主家那个多嘴的厨师，个子高大鼻子尖尖，密密麻麻的雀斑，像杜鹃一样。

The landlord himself was like an old fat dove. —
地主本人像一只老肥鸽子。 —

In fact, they were all like somebird, animal, or wild beast.
其实，他们都像某种鸟、动物或野兽。

　　Although the morning was so pleasant and bright, it made me feel sad,and I wanted to get away into the fields where no one came, for I had alreadylearned that human creatures always spoil a bright day.
尽管早晨如此愉快明亮，但我感到悲伤，想逃到无人涉足的田野，因为我已经明白人类总是败坏美好的一天。

　　One day when I was lying on the roof grandmother called me, and said ina low voice, shaking her head as she lay on her bed :
有一天，我躺在屋顶上时，奶奶拿着低声说道，摇着头躺在床上：

　　“Kolia is dead.”
“科利亚死了。”

The little boy had slipped from the pillow, and lay livid, lanky on the feltcover. —
小男孩从枕头上滑了下来，躺在毡子上脸色苍白而瘦削。 —

His night-shirt had worked itself up round his neck, leaving bare hisswollen stomach and crooked legs. —
他的睡衣滑到脖子上，露出了肿胀的肚子和弯曲的腿。 —

His hands were curiously folded behindhis back, as if he had been trying to lift himself up. —
他的手奇怪地叠在背后，好像他试图要站起来。 —

His head was bent on oneside.
他的头歪向一边。

“Thank God he has gone!” said grandmother as she did her hair. —
“感谢上帝他走了！”奶奶一边整理头发一边说。 —

“Whatwould have become of the poor little wretch had he lived?”
“如果他活着会怎样？”

　　Treading almost as if he were dancing, grandfather made hisappearance, and cautiously touched the closed eyes of the child with hisfingers.
来回摆动着，祖父出现了，小心翼翼地用手指触摸孩子闭着的眼睛。

　　Grandmother asked him angrily:
“你伸脏手碰他做什么？”奶奶生气地问道。

　　“What do you mean by touching him with unwashen hands?”
他嘟囔道：

　　He muttered:
“看看！他出生，生活，进食，一切都是徒劳的。”

　　“There you are! He gets born, lives, and eats, and all for nothing.”
“你半睡半醒的。”奶奶打断他。

　　“You are half asleep,” grandmother cut him short.
他茫然地看着她，走出院子，说：

　　He looked at her vacantly, and went out in the yard, saying :
“终归是这样！他出生，活着，进食，一切都是枉然。”

　　“I am not going to give him a funeral; you can do what you like about it.”
我不会给他举行葬礼；你们可以为此做任何你们想做的事情。

　　“Phoo! you miserable creature!”
呸！你这个可怜虫！

I went out, and did not return until it was close upon evening. —
我出去了，直到傍晚才回来。 —

Theyburied Kolia on the morning of the following day, and during the mass I satby the reopened grave with my dog and Yaz’s father. —
他们在第二天早上埋葬了科利亚，弥撒期间我坐在重新打开的坟边，带着我的狗和Yaz的父亲。 —

He had dug the gravecheaply, and kept praising himself for it before my face.
他便宜地挖了这个坟墓，并且在我面前不停地夸耀自己。

“I have only done this out of friendship; —
“我这么做只是出于友谊； —

for any one else I should havecharged so many rubles.”
对于其他人，我本应该收取一定数量的卢布。”

Looking into the yellow pit, from which arose a heavy odor, I saw somemoist black planks at one side. —
看着那个黄色的坑，从中升起一种沉重的气味，我看到一侧有一些潮湿的黑色木板。 —

At my slightest movement the heaps of sandaround the grave fell to the bottom in a thin stream, leaving wrinkles in thesides. —
只要我轻微移动一下，坟墓周围的一堆沙就会像细流般落到底部，留下沟槽。 —

I moved on purpose, so that the sand would hide those boards.
我故意移动，这样沙子会掩盖那些木板。

　　“No larks now!” said Yaz’s father, as he smoked.
“现在没有云雀了！”Yaz的父亲边抽烟边说。

Grandmother carried out the little coffin. —
奶奶拿着小棺材出去了。 —

The “trashy peasant” spranginto the hole, took the coffin from her, placed it beside the black boards, and,jumping out of the grave, began to hurl the earth into it with his feet and hisspade. —
“贱农”跳进坑里，从她手里接过棺材，把它放在黑板旁，然后跳出坟墓，用他的脚和铁锹把泥土往里填。 —

Grandfather and grandmother also helped him in silence. —
爷爷和奶奶也在沉默中帮他。 —

There wereneither priests nor beggars there ; only we four amid a dense crowd ofcrosses. —
那里没有神父也没有乞丐；只有我们四个人，在一大群十字架中。 —

As she gave the sexton his money, grandmother said reproachfully:
当奶奶把钱交给教堂管理员时，她责备地说：

　　“But you have disturbed Varina’s coffin.”
“但是你扰乱了瓦里娜的棺材。”

“What else could I do? If I had not done that, I should have had to takesome one else’s piece of ground. —
“我还能怎么办呢？如果不这样做，我就得拿走其他人的地方， —

But there’s nothing to worry about.”
但没什么好担心的。”

　　Grandmother prostrated herself on the grave, sobbed and groaned, andwent away, followed by grandfather, his eyes hidden by the peak of his cap,clutching at his worn coat.
奶奶跪倒在坟墓上，啜泣着，呻吟着，然后离开，爷爷跟在后面，眼睛被帽檐遮住，攥着陈旧的外衣。

　　“They have sown the seed in unplowed ground,” he said suddenly,running along in front, just like a crow on the plowed field.
“他们在未耕种的土地上播种了种子，”爷爷突然说着，像乌鸦在耕地上一样奔跑着。

　　“What does he mean?” I asked grandmother.
“他是什么意思？”我问奶奶。

　　“God bless him! He has his thoughts,” she answered.
“天佑他！他有他的想法，”奶奶回答道。

　　It was hot. Grandmother went heavily; her feet sank in the warm sand.
天气很热。奶奶走得沉重，脚陷在温暖的沙子里。

　　She halted frequently, mopping her perspiring face with her handkerchief.
她经常停下来，用手绢擦拭着满是汗水的脸。

　　“That black thing in the grave,” I asked her, “was it mother’s coffin?”
“坟墓里的那个黑东西，是母亲的棺材吗？”我问奶奶。

“Yes,” she said angrily. “Ignorant dog! —
“是的，”她生气地说。“无知的家伙！ —

It is not a year yet, and our Variais already decayed! It is the sand that has done it; —
还不到一年，我们的瓦拉已经腐烂了！是沙子搞的鬼， —

it lets the water through. Ifthat had to happen, it would have been better to — ”
它会让水透过去。如果那是注定的结果，最好是 — ”

　　“Shall we all decay?”
“难道我们都会腐烂吗？”

　　“All. Only the saints escape it.”
“所有人。只有圣人能逃脱。”

　　“You — you will not decay!”
“你——你不会腐烂！”

　　She halted, set my cap straight, and said to me seriously :
她停下来，整理了我的帽子，认真地对我说：

　　“Don’t think about it; it is better not. Do you hear?’
“别想这个，最好还是不要。听明白了吗？”

　　But I did think of it. How offensive and revolting death was! How odious!
“但我确实想到了。死是多么讨厌和可憎啊！”

　　I felt very badly about itWhen we reached home grandfather had already prepared the samovarand laid the table.
“我对此感到非常难受。”我们回到家时，爷爷已经准备好了茶具，摆好了桌子。

“Come and have some tea. I expect you are hot,” he said. —
“来喝杯茶吧。我猜你们热了。”他说。 —

“I have put inmy own tea as well. This is for us all.”
“我还泡了一些我的茶。这是给我们全部人的。”

　　He went to grandmother and patted her on the shoulder.
他走到了奶奶那里，拍了拍她的肩膀。

　　“Well, Mother, well?”
“好了，母亲，好了？”

　　Grandmother held up her hands.
奶奶举起双手。

　　“Whatever does it all mean?”
“这到底是什么意思？”

“This is what it means: God is angry with us; —
“这就是意味着：上帝对我们生气了； —

He is tearing everythingaway from us bit by bit. —
他正在一点点地把一切从我们手中夺走。 —

If families lived together in unity, like fingers on ahand —”
如果家庭像一只手上的手指那样团结在一起——”

It was long since he had spoken so gently and peaceably. —
他很久没有这样温和平静地说话了。 —

I listened,hoping that the old man would extinguish my sense of injury, and help me toforget the yellow pit and the black moist boards in protuberance in its side.
我听着，希望那位老人会消除我的伤害感，帮助我忘记那个黄色的坑和凸起着黑色潮湿木板的地方。

　　But grandmother cut him short harshly :
但是奶奶断然打断了他：

“Leave off, Father! You have been uttering words like that all your life,and I should like to know who is the better for them? —
“够了，父亲！你一生都在说这样的话，我想知道这样做有谁受益呢？ —

All your life you haveeaten into every one as rust corrodes iron.”
你一生都像锈蚀铁一样侵蚀别人。”

　　Grandfather muttered, looked at her, and held his tongue.
祖父嘟囔了一声，看着她，闭上了嘴。

　　In the evening, at the gate, I told Ludmilla sorrowfully about what I hadseen in the morning, but it did not seem to make much impression on her.
傍晚，在大门口，我悲伤地告诉了露德米拉我早上看到的事情，但似乎她并没有太在意。

“Orphans are better off. If my father and mother were to die, I shouldleave my sister to look after my brother, and I myself would go into a conventfor the rest of my life. —
“孤儿会过得更好。如果我父母去世了，我会让姐姐照顾弟弟，我自己会去修道院度过余生。 —

Where else should I go? I don’t expect to get married,being lame and unable to work. —
我还能去哪里呢？我不指望结婚，因为我一瘸一拐，无法工作。 —

Besides, I might bring crippled children intothe world.”
而且，我可能会生下残疾的孩子。”

She spoke wisely, like all the women of our street, and it must have beenfrom that evening that I lost interest in her. —
她像我们街上所有的女人一样明智地说着，从那天晚上起，我对她失去了兴趣。 —

In fact, my life took a turn whichcaused me to see her very seldom.
实际上，我的生活发生了变化，导致我很少见到她。

　　A few days after the death of my brother, grandfather said to me :
我弟弟去世几天后，祖父对我说：

“Go to bed early this evening, while it is still light, and I will call you. —
“今晚天还亮着就早点睡吧，我会叫你的。 —

Wewill go into the forest and get some logs.”
我们要去森林里砍些木头。”

　　“And I will come and gather herbs,” declared grandmother.
“我要去采草药，”祖母宣布道。

The forest of fir — and birch — trees stood on a marsh about three verstsdistant from the village. —
松树和桦树的森林矗立在离村庄三公里远的沼泽地上。 —

Abounding in withered and fallen trees, it stretchedin one direction to the Oka, and in the other to the high road to Moscow.
这片充斥着枯萎和倒下的树木的森林一边延伸至奥卡河，另一边延伸至通往莫斯科的高速公路。

　　Beyond it, with its soft, black bristles looking like a black tent, rose the fir-thicket on the “Ridge of Savelov.”
在远处，像黑色帐篷一样，给“沙维洛夫山脊”的松树灌木丛形成了一道险恶的障碍。

　　All this property belonged to Count Shuvalov, and was badly guarded.
这些财产都属于舒瓦洛夫伯爵，但防卫不力。

The inhabitants of Kunavin regarded it as their own, carried away the fallentrees and cut off the dried wood, and on occasion were not squeamish aboutcutting down living trees. —
库纳温村的居民们认为这片地是他们自己的，他们搬走倒下的树木，削去枯木，有时甚至不放过活木。 —

In the autumn, when they were laying in a stock ofwood for the winter, people used to steal out here by the dozen, with hatchetsand ropes on their backs.
秋天采集冬季用木时，人们会带着斧头和绳子，成群结队前往这里。

And so we three went out at dawn over the silver-green, dewy fields. —
于是我们三人在银绿色的田野上的露水草地上，在黎明时分出发了。 —

Onour left, beyond the Oka, above the ruddy sides of the Hill of Dyatlov, abovewhite Nijni-Novgorod, on the hillocks in the gardens, on the golden domesof churches, rose the lazy Russian sun in its leisurely manner. —
在我们的左边，超过奥卡河，在迪亚特洛夫山的红边，高高挂在白色的下诺夫哥罗德上，在花园里的小山上，在教堂的金顶上，俄罗斯的太阳在那慵懒的波浪上升起。 —

A gentle windblew sleepily from the turbid Oka; —
一阵和煦的微风从浑浊的奥卡河里吹来； —

the golden buttercups, bowed down by thedew, sway to and fro; —
被露水压弯的金黄色的毛茛花摇摆不定； —

lilac-colored bells bowed dumbly to the earth; —
淡紫色的钟形花默默地俯伏在地上； —

everlasting flowers of different colors stuck up dryly in the barren turf; —
不同颜色的常青花枯枝地竖立着； —

theblood-red blossoms of the flower called “night beauty” opened like stars. —
叫做“夜美人”的鲜红色小花开得像星星一样。 —

Thewoods came to meet us like a dark army; the fir-trees spread out their wingslike large birds; —
树木像一支黑暗的军队迎面而来；冷杉展开它们的翅膀像大鸟一样； —

the birches looked like maidens. The acrid smell of themarshes flowed over the fields. —
白桦树看起来像少女一样。苦苣草沼泽的刺鼻气味弥漫在田间。 —

My dog ran beside me with his pink tonguehanging out, often halting and snuffing the air, and shaking his fox-like head,as if in perplexity. —
我的狗跑在我身边，粉红的舌头外伸，经常停下来嗅一下空气，摇着狐狸般的脑袋，仿佛困惑一般。 —

Grandfather, in grand — mother’s short coat and an oldpeakless cap, blinking and smiling at something or other, walked ascautiously as if he were bent on stealing. —
祖父穿着祖母的短大衣和一顶旧帽子，眨巴着眼睛对着一些东西微笑着，走得非常小心，仿佛他要偷东西一样。 —

Grandmother, wearing a blueblouse, a black skirt, and a white handkerchief about her head, waddledcomfortably. —
奶奶穿着蓝色的衬衣，黑色的裙子，头上系着一块白色的手帕，脚步舒缓而有力。 —

It was difficult to hurry when walking behind her.
跟在她后面走时很难加快脚步。

The nearer we came to the forest, the more animated grandfatherbecame. —
我们越来越接近森林，爷爷变得更加兴奋。 —

Walking with his nose in the air and muttering, he began to speak,at first disjointedly and inarticulately, and afterward happily and beautifully,almost as if he had been drinking.
他仰着脑袋，嘴里喃喃自语，开始讲话，一开始支离破碎，语无伦次，后来开始愉快而优美，几乎像是喝醉了一样。

“The forests are the Lord’s gardens. —
“森林是主的花园。 —

No one planted them save the windof God and the holy breath of His mouth. —
除了神之风和祂口中的神圣气息，没人种植过它们。 —

When I was working on the boatsin my youth I went to Jegoulya. —
当我年轻时在船上工作，我去过雅谷利亚。 —

Oh, Lexei, you will never have theexperiences I have had! —
哦，莱克西，你永远不会有我曾经经历过的事！ —

There are forests along the Oka, from Kasimov toMouron, and there are forests on the Volga, too, stretching as far as theUrals. Yes; —
奥卡河流域到穆龙，沿着富尔加河一直延伸到乌拉尔山上都有森林。是的； —

it is all so boundless and wonderful.”
这一切如此辽阔而神奇。”

　　Grandmother looked at him askance, and winked at me, and he,stumbling over the hillocks, let fall some disjointed, dry words that haveremained forever fixed in my memory.
奶奶斜眼看着他，冲我眨了眨眼，而他跌跌撞撞地绊倒的时候，说出了一些支离破碎的干瘪的话，永远留在了我的记忆中。

“We were taking some empty oil-casks from Saratov to Makara on theYamarka, and we had with us as skipper Kyril of Poreshka. —
“我们正从萨拉托夫将一些空的油桶运往雅马尔卡，船长是来自波列什卡的基里尔。 —

The mate was aTatar — Asaph, or some such name. —
副船长是一个鞑靼人，名字像是阿萨夫。 —

When we reached Jegulia the wind wasright in our faces, blowing with all its force; —
当我们到达叶古利亚时，逆风直吹，势头汹涌； —

and as it remained in the samequarter and tossed us about, we went on shore to cook some food forourselves. —
由于风向不变，船只颠簸不已，我们上岸烹饪食物。 —

It was Maytime. The sea lay smooth around the land, and thewaves just floated on her, like a flock of birds — like thousands of swanswhich sport on the Caspian Sea. The hills of Jegulia are green in thespringtime; —
那是五月时节。海面平静，波浪轻轻飘动，像一群鸟，像成千上万只在里海嬉戏的天鹅。叶古利亚的山丘在春天翠绿； —

the sun floods the earth with gold. We rested; we becamefriendly; —
太阳泛着金色的光芒照耀大地。我们休息了；我们变得友好； —

we seemed to be drawn to one another. It was gray and cold on theriver, but on shore it was warm and fragrant. —
我们似乎被彼此吸引。河岸阴冷，但岸上却温暖而芬芳。 —

At eventide our Kyril — he wasa harsh man and well on in years — stood up, took off his cap, and said :
黄昏时分，我们的基里尔——他是个脾气暴躁的老人——站起身来，摘下帽子，说：

‘Well, children, I am no longer either chief or servant. —
‘孩子们，我再也不是你们的领袖或仆从了。 —

Go away byyourselves, and I will go to the forest.’ We were all startled. —
你们自己走开，我去树林里。’我们都吃惊。 —

What was it thathe was saying? We ought not to be left without some one responsible to bemaster. —
他在说什么？我们不应该没有一个负责任的人做主人。 —

You see, people can’t get on without a head, although it is only on theVolga, which is like a straight road. —
你看，人们离不开头领，即使只是在似乎一条笔直的伏尔加河上。 —

It is possible to lose one’s way, for peoplealone are only like a senseless beast, and who cares what becomes of them?
会迷路，因为人只是像一只没有头脑的野兽，有谁会在乎他们呢？

We were frightened; but he — he had made up his mind. —
我们感到恐惧；但他——他已下定决心。 —

T have no desire togo on living as your shepherd; I am going into the forest. —
‘我不想再活在你们的牧羊人身份下；我去树林里。’” —

’ Some of us hadhalf a mind to seize and keep him by force, but the others said, ‘Wait! —
我们中有些人设法强行将他抓住留下来，但其他人说：“等等！ —

’ Thenthe Tatar mate set up a cry: T shall go, too!’ It was very bad luck. —
然后鞑靼人的同伴大声喊道：“我也要去！”这太倒霉了。 —

The Tatarhad not been paid by the proprietors for the last two journeys; —
这位鞑靼人已经两次旅行没有得到业主们的支付； —

in fact, he haddone half of a third one without pay, and that was a lot of money to lose inthose days. —
事实上，他做了半个第三次旅行却没有报酬，那在那个年代算是一大笔钱。 —

We wrangled over the matter until night, and then seven of ourcompany left us, leaving only sixteen or fourteen of us. —
我们为此争执到了晚上，然后我们的队伍中有七个人离开了我们，只剩下十六或十四个人。 —

That’s what yourforests do for people! —
这就是你们的森林对人们的影响！ —

” “Did they go and join the brigands?”
“他们去加入强盗了吗？”

　　“Maybe, or they may have become hermits. We did not inquire into thematter then.”
“也许，或者他们可能成为隐士。我们那时并没有深究这个问题。”

　　Grandmother crossed herself.
祖母交叉了自己的信。

　　“Holy Mother of God! When one thinks of people, one cannot help beingsorry for them.”
“圣母玛利亚！当人们想起他们时，就禁不住为他们感到悲伤。”

　　“We are all given the same powers of reason, you know, where the devildraws.”
“你知道的，我们都拥有同样的理智能力，但魔鬼会引人入彀。”

We entered the forest by a wet path between marshy hillocks and frailfir-trees. —
我们通过一条潮湿的小道进入了森林，两侧是沼泽小山丘和纤弱的冷杉。 —

I thought that it must be lovely to go and live in the woods as Kyrilof Poreshka had done. —
我想如果像波列什卡的基里洛夫那样去森林里生活一定很美好。 —

There are no chattering human creatures there, nofights or drunkenness. —
那里没有啰嗦的人类，没有争吵或醉酒。 —

There I should be able to forget the repulsivegreediness of grandfather and mother’s sandy grave, all of which things hurtme, and weighed on my heart with an oppressive heaviness. —
在那里我应该能忘记祖父的可憎贪婪和母亲的沙地坟墓，这一切伤害了我，使我心情沉重压抑。 —

When we cameto a dry place grandmother said:
当我们来到一个干燥的地方时，祖母说：

　　“We must have a snack now. Sit down.”
“我们现在必须吃点零食。坐下。”

In her basket there were rye bread, onions, cucumbers, salt, and curdswrapped in a cloth. —
在她的篮子里有黑麦面包，洋葱，黄瓜，盐，还有用布包着的干酪。 —

Grandfather looked at all this in confusion and blinked.
祖父看着这一切感到困惑，眨了眨眼。

　　“But I did not bring anything to eat, good Mother.”
“但我没有带任何吃的，好母亲。”

　　“There is enough for us all.”
“我们所有人都有足够。”

We sat down, leaning against the mast-like trunk of a fir-tree. —
我们坐下，靠在一棵杉树般粗壮的树干上。 —

The airwas laden with a resinous odor; from the fields blew a gentle wind; —
空气中弥漫着松香味；从田野传来一阵微风； —

theshave-grass waved to and fro. Grandmother plucked the herbs with her darkhands, and told me about the medicinal properties of St. John’s-wort,betony, and rib-wort, and of the secret power of bracken. —
奶奶用她的黑色手掐拔草药，告诉我关于圣约翰草，地榆和蹄形草的药用特性，以及蕨类植物的秘密力量。 —

Grandfather hewedthe fallen trees in pieces, and it was my part to carry the logs and put themall in one place; —
祖父将倒下的树木砍成小块，而我的任务就是搬运木柴，把它们都放在一个地方； —

but I stole away unnoticed into the thicket aftergrandmother. —
但我在祖母不注意的情况下溜进了丛林。 —

She looked as if she were floating among the stout, hardy tree-trunks, and as if she were diving when she stooped to the earth, which wasstrewn with fir-cones. —
她看起来就像漂浮在壮硕坚韧的树干间，当她俯身至洒满松果的土地时，仿佛是潜水。 —

She talked to herself as she went along.
她边走边自言自语。

　　“We have come too early again. There will be hardly any mushrooms.
“我们又来得太早了。几乎不会有蘑菇。

　　Lord, how badly Thou lookest after the poor! Mushrooms are the treat of thepoor.”
主啊，你看顾穷人太差了！蘑菇是穷人的享受。”

I followed her silently and cautiously, not to attract her attention. —
我默默地谨慎地跟随她，不想引起她的注意。 —

I didnot wish to interrupt her conversation with God, the herbs, and the frogs.
我不愿打断她与上帝、药草和青蛙的对话。

　　But she saw me.
但她看到了我。

“Have you run away from grandfather? —
“你是从爷爷那里逃走了吗？” —

” And stooping to the black earth,splendidly decked in flowered vestments, she spoke of the time when God,enraged with mankind, flooded the earth with water and drowned all livingcreatures. —
掉头看向那片黑土，华丽地穿着花岗石衣服的她讲述了当上帝因人类而愤怒时，用水淹没了整个地球，淹死了所有生物。 —

“But the sweet Mother of God had beforehand collected the seedsof everything in a basket and hidden them, and when it was all over, shebegged the sun: —
“但甜蜜的上帝之母提前收集了所有事物的种子放在篮子里藏起来，等一切结束后，她请求太阳： —

‘Dry the earth from end to end, and then will all the peoplesing thy praises. —
‘将地球从一端到另一端都擦干，那时所有的人都会歌颂你。 —

’ The sun dried the earth, and she sowed the seed. Godlooked. —
’ 太阳烘干了地球，她播下了种子。上帝看了看。 —

Once more the earth was covered with living creatures, herbs, cattle,and people. —
地球再次覆盖着生物、草药、牛群和人类。 —

‘Who has done this against My will?’ He asked. —
‘谁违背了我的意愿？’ 他问道。 —

And here sheconfessed, and as God had been sorry Himself to see the earth bare, He saidto her, ‘You have done well.’ ”
在这里她坦白了，因为上帝他自己看到地球荒凉而感到懊恼，所以他对她说：“你做得很好。”

　　I liked. this story, but it surprised me, and I said very gravely :
我喜欢这个故事，但我感到吃惊，我认真地说：

　　“But was that really so? The Mother of God was born long after theflood.”
“但真的是这样吗？上帝之母在洪水之后才出生。”

　　It was now grandmother’s turn to be surprised.
这时轮到祖母感到吃惊了。

　　“Who told you that?’
“谁告诉你的？”

　　“It was written in the books at school.”
这是在学校的书里写的。

　　This reassured her, and she gave me the advice:
这让她感到 gerlai 平静，她给了我一个建议：

“Put all that aside; forget it. It is only out of books; they are lies, thosebooks. —
将所有这些放在一边；忘掉它。它只是书里写的；那些书是谎言。 —

” And laughing softly, gayly, “Think for a moment, silly! God was; —
“她轻轻地笑了起来，开心地说，“想一想，傻瓜！上帝是； —

andHis Mother was not? Then of whom was He born?”
他的母亲不是？那么他是从谁那里出生的呢？

　　“I don’t know.”
我不知道。

　　“Good! You have learned enough to be able to say 1 don’t know.’ ”
好！你已经学会足够说‘我不知道’了。”

　　“The priest said that the Mother of God was bom of Joachim and Anna.”
“神父说上帝之母是由犹太支派约阿基姆和亚纳所生。”

　　Then grandmother was angry. She faced about, and looked sternly intomy eyes.
接着奶奶生气了。她转过身来，严厉地看着我的眼睛。

“If that is what you think, I will slap you. —
“如果你这么认为的话，我会打你的。” —

” But in the course of a fewminutes she explained to me. —
但在几分钟后，她向我解释了。 —

“The Blessed Virgin always existed before anyone and anything. —
“圣母在任何人和任何事物之前都已存在。 —

Of Her was God born, and then — ”
上帝是从她而生的，然后—”

　　“And Christ, what about Him?”
“耶稣呢，关于他呢？”

　　Grandmother was silent, shutting her eyes in her confusion.
奶奶沉默了，迷茫中闭上了眼睛。

　　“And what about Christ ? Eh? thVI saw that I was victor, that I had caused the divine mysteries to be asnare to her, and it was not a pleasant thought.
“基督又怎么样？嗯？”我看到我是胜利者，我已经使神秘成为了她的陷阱，这不是一个愉快的想法。

We went farther and farther into the forest, into the dark-blue hazepierced by the golden rays of the sun. —
我们越走越远进入森林，深蓝色的雾笼罩着金色的阳光。 —

There was a peculiar murmur, dreamy,and arousing dreams. —
有一种奇特的嗡嗡声，梦幻般的，唤醒着梦境。 —

The crossbill chirped, the titmouses uttered their bell-like notes, . —
松雀鸟叽叽喳喳，山雀发出铃铛般的声音。 —

the goldfinch piped, the cuckoo laughed, the jealous song of thechaffinch was heard unceasingly, and that strange bird, the hawfinch, sangpensively. —
金翅雀啁啾，布谷鸟笑声盈盈，金翅雀嫉妒的歌声不停歇，而那种奇特的鸟啄木鸟深思着歌唱。 —

Emerald-green frogs hopped around our feet; —
翡翠绿的青蛙在我们脚边跳动着； —

among the roots,guarding them, lay an adder, with his golden head raised; —
在根部之间，一条蛇躺着，金黄色的头抬起来； —

the squirrelcracked nuts, his furry tail peeping out among the fir-trees. —
松鼠啃着坚果，毛茸茸的尾巴在杉树间露出来。 —

The deeper onewent into the forest, the more one saw.
进入森林的深处，就越看越多。

Among the trunks of the fir-trees appeared transparent, aerial figures ofgigantic people, which dis appeared into the green mass through which theblue and silver sky shone. —
在冷杉树干之间，出现了透明、空灵的巨人形象，通过绿色的密林，蓝色和银色的天穿了过来。 —

Under one’s feet there was a splendid carpet ofmoss, sown with red bilberries, and moor-berries shone in the grass likedrops of blood. —
脚下是一片华丽的苔藓地毯，点缀着红色的越橘，草地上的泥橘子像血滴般闪光。 —

Mushrooms tantalized one with their strong smell.
蘑菇用其浓烈的气味引诱人。

　　“Holy Virgin, bright earthly light,” prayed grandmother, drawing a deepbreath.
“圣母玛利亚，明亮的地上之光，”奶奶祈祷着，深深地吸一口气。

In the forest she was like the mistress of a house with all her familyround her. —
在森林里，她就像一个家中的女主人，周围都是她的家人。 —

She ambled along like a bear, seeing and praising everything andgiving thanks. —
她像熊一样蹒跚而行，看到并赞美着一切，感恩着。 —

It seemed as if a certain warmth flowed from her through theforest, and when the moss, crushed by her feet, raised itself and stood up inher wake, it was peculiarly pleasing to me to see it.
她似乎身上散发出一股温暖之气，穿过森林，当她的脚踩过的苔藓被压扁时，站立起来，那种景象让我感到特别愉悦。

As I walked along I thought how nice it would be to be a brigand; —
当我沿着小路走时，我想象着成为一个土匪会是多么美好； —

to robthe greedy and give the spoil to the poor; —
抢夺贪婪者，把赃物分给穷人； —

to make them all happy andsatisfied, neither envying nor scolding one another, like bad-tempered curs.
让他们都幸福满足，不再嫉妒或相互责骂，像一群坏脾气的杂种。

It was good to go thus to grand — mother’s God, to her Holy Virgin, and tellthem all the truth about the bad lives people led, and how clumsily andoffensively they buried one another in rubbishy sand. —
像这样去见外婆的上帝，去见她的圣母，告诉她们人们过着的坏生活，以及他们多么笨拙和令人反感地把彼此埋葬在破烂的沙土中，这真好。 —

And there was so muchthat was un necessarily repulsive and torturing on earth! —
地球上有太多令人难以接受和折磨的事情！ —

If the Holy Virginbelieved what I said, let her give me such an intelligence as would enable meto construct everything differently and improve the condition of things. —
如果圣母相信我所说的，让她赐予我一个智慧，使我能够重新构建一切，改善事物的状况。 —

Itdid not matter about my not being grown-up. —
我还没长大并不重要。 —

Christ had been only a yearolder than I was when the wise men listened to Him.
当年智者们听从耶稣的时候，他只比我大一岁。

Once in my preoccupation I fell into a deep pit, hurting my side andgrazing the back of my neck. —
我一心一意地走着，掉进了一个深坑，撞伤了侧边，擦伤了脖子后面。 —

Sitting at the bottom of this pit in the cold mud,which was as sticky as resin, I realized with a feeling of intense humiliationthat I should not be able to get out by myself, and I did not like the idea offrightening grandmother by calling out. —
坐在这个坑底的冰冷泥浆中，黏性如松香，我意识到自己惭愧之极，我自己爬不出来，也不喜欢打扰外婆叫喊。 —

However, I had to call her in the end.
然而，最终我还是不得不叫她过来。

　　She soon dragged me out, and, crossing herself, said:
她很快把我拉了出来，画了一个十字，说:

　　“The Lord be praised! It is a lucky thing that the bear’s pit was empty.
“感恩上主！这个坑是空的，真是幸运。如果主人躺在里面会发生什么事呢？

What would have happened to you if the master of the house had been lyingthere? —
如果主人躺在里面会发生什么事呢？ —

” And she cried through her laughter.
“她笑着哭了起来。

　　Then she took me to the brook, washed my wounds and tied them upwith strips of her chemise, after laying some healing leaves upon them, andtook me into the railway signal-box, for I had not the strength to get all theway home.
然后她带我到小溪边，清洗我的伤口，用她的衬衫布条包扎，之后敷上一些治愈叶子，然后带我进了铁路信号箱，因为我没有力气走完回家的全部路程。

　　And so it happened that almost every day I said to grandmother :
所以几乎每一天我对奶奶说：

　　“Let us go into the forest.”
“让我们去森林里。”

She used to agree willingly, and thus we lived all the summer and far intothe autumn, gathering herbs, berries, mushrooms, and nuts. —
她总是很乐意同意，于是我们度过了整个夏天，一直到深秋，采集草药、浆果、蘑菇和坚果。 —

Grandmothersold what we gathered, and by this means we were able to keep ourselves.
奶奶卖掉我们采集的东西，这样我们可以自己维持生活。

　　“Lazy beggars!” shrieked grandfather, though we never had food fromhim.
“懒鬼！”爷爷尖声叫道，尽管我们从来没有从他那里得到食物。

The forest called up a feeling of peace and solace in my heart, and in thatfeeling all my griefs were swallowed up, and all that was unpleasant wasobliterated. —
森林在我心中唤起了一种平静与安慰的感觉，在那种感觉中，我所有的悲伤都被吞噬，所有不愉快的事情都被抹去。 —

During that time also my senses acquired a peculiar keenness,my hearing and sight became more acute, my memory more retentive, mystorehouse of impressions widened.
在那段时间里，我的感官变得异常敏锐，听觉和视觉变得更加灵敏，记忆力更强，印象库也扩大了。

And the more I saw of grandmother, the more she amazed me. —
而且我看到的奶奶越多，她就越让我惊讶。 —

I hadbeen accustomed to regard her as a higher being, as the very best and thewisest creature upon the earth, and she was continually strengthening thisconviction. —
我习惯于把她视为一个更高贵的生物，视她为这个地球上最好最聪明的生物，而她不断地加强了这种信念。 —

For instance, one evening we had been gathering whitemushrooms, and when we arrived at the edge of the forest on our way homegrandmother sat down to rest while I went behind the tree to see if therewere any more mushrooms. —
例如，有一天晚上我们在采集白蘑菇，当我们在回家的路上到达森林边缘时，奶奶坐下休息，而我去树后看看是否还有蘑菇。 —

Suddenly I heard her voice, and this is what Isaw : —
突然我听到她的声音，我看到的是： —

she was seated by the footpath calmly putting away the root of amushroom, while near her, with his tongue hanging out, stood a gray,emaciated dog.
她坐在小径旁静静地整理蘑菇的根部，而在她附近，一只灰色的憔悴的狗站着，舌头伸出。

　　“You go away now! Go away!” said grandmother. “Go, and God be withyou!”
“你现在走开！快走开！”奶奶说。“走吧，上帝与你同在！””

Not long before that Valek had poisoned my dog, and I wanted verymuch to have this one. —
不久之前瓦雷克给我的狗下了毒，我非常想把这只毒狗抓住。 —

I ran to the path. The dog hunched himself strangelywithout moving his neck, and, looking at me with his green, hungry eyes,leaped into the forest, with his tail between his legs. —
我跑向小路。那只狗以一种奇怪的方式驼背着，没有动他的脖子，用他绿色、饥饿的眼睛看着我，跳进了森林，尾巴夹在腿间。 —

His movements were notthose of a dog, and when I whistled, he hurled himself wildly into the bushes.
他的动作不像狗，当我吹口哨时，他疯狂地扑向灌木丛。

“You saw?” said grandmother, smiling. “At first I was deceived. I thoughtit was a dog. —
“你看见了？”奶奶笑着说，“一开始我被欺骗了。我以为它是一只狗。” —

I looked again and saw that I was mistaken. He had the fangs ofa wolf, and the neck, too. —
再次看时，我发现自己错了。他有狼的尖牙，还有颈部。 —

I was quite frightened. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘if you are awolf, take yourself off! —
我吓坏了。“好吧，”我说，“如果你是狼，赶紧走开！ —

’ It is a good thing that wolves are not dangerous in thesummer.”
“夏天狼不危险，这是好事。”

She was never afraid in the forest, and always found her way homeunerringly. —
奶奶在森林中从不害怕，总是准确无误地找到回家的路。 —

By the smell of the grass she knew what kind of mushroomsought to be found in such and such a place, what sort in another, and oftenexamined me in the subject.
凭着草的气味，奶奶知道在这种地方应该找到什么样的蘑菇，在另一种地方应该找到什么样的蘑菇，经常在这个问题上考验我。

“What sort of trees do this and that fungus love? —
“这种树喜欢这样或那样的菌子？ —

How do you distinguishthe edible from the poisonous?”
怎样辨别可食的和有毒的？”

By hardly visible scratches on the bark of a tree she showed me wherethe squirrel had made his home in a hollow, and I would climb up and ravagethe nest of tlie animal, robbing him of his winter store of nuts. —
她用树皮上几乎看不见的划痕向我展示松鼠是如何在树洞里安家的，我爬上去，抢劫动物的巢穴，把松鼠的冬季坚果库夺去。 —

Sometimesthere were as many as ten pounds in one nest. —
有时候一个巢穴里会有十磅的坚果。 —

And one day, when I was thusengaged, a hunter planted twenty-seven shot in the right side of my body.
有一天，当我这样做的时候，一名猎人在我右侧身体里打了27发子弹。

　　Grandmother got eleven of them out with a needle, but the rest remainedunder my skin for many years, coming out by degrees.
奶奶用针挑出了其中的十一颗，但剩下的在我的皮肤下多年，逐渐流出。

　　Grandmother was pleased with me for bearing pain patiently.
　　祖母因为我能够耐心地忍受疼痛而感到高兴。

　　“Brave boy!” she praised me. “He who is most patient will be thecleverest.”
　　“勇敢的孩子！”她称赞我。“最有耐心的人将是最聪明的。”

　　Whenever she had saved a little money from the sale of mushrooms andnuts, she used to lay it on window-sills as “secret alms,” and she herself wentabout in rags and patches even on Sundays.
　　每当她从卖蘑菇和坚果中存下一点钱时，她就会将它放在窗台上作为“秘密的施舍”，她自己甚至在星期天也衣衫褴褛地四处走动。

　　“You go about worse than a beggar. You put me to shame,” grumbledgrandfather.
　　“你比乞丐还不如。你让我羞愧，”祖父抱怨道。

　　“What does it matter to you? I am not your daughter. I am not lookingfor a husband.”
　　“那关你什么事？我不是你的女儿。我不需要寻找丈夫。”

　　Their quarrels had become more frequent.
　　他们的争吵变得越来越频繁。

　　“I am not more sinful than others,” cried grandfather in injured tones,“but my punishment is greater.”
　　“我并不比别人更邪恶，”祖父以受伤的口气喊道，“但是我的惩罚却更大。”

　　Grandmother used to tease him.
　　祖母常取笑他。

“The devils know what every one is worth.” And she would say to meprivately: —
　　“魔鬼知道每个人的价值。”她私下对我说： —

“My old man is frightened of devils. See how quickly he is aging! —
　“我的老伴怕鬼。看看他是多么快地变老！” —

Itis all from fear; eh, poor man!”
　　这一切都来自恐惧；噢，可怜的人！

I had become very hardy during the summer, and quite savage throughliving in the forest, and I had lost all interest in the life of mycontemporaries, such as Ludmilla. —
　　在夏天里，我变得非常强壮，因为住在森林里已经变得相当野蛮，我对于我的同龄人，比如露德米拉的生活失去了所有兴趣。 —

She seemed to me to be tiresomelysensible.
　　她对我来说看起来太过乏味而理性。

One day grandfather returned from the town very wet. —
　　一天，祖父从城里回来时湿透了。 —

It was autumn,and the rains were falling. —
　　那是秋天，雨水纷纷。 —

Shaking himself on the threshold like a sparrow,he said triumphantly:
像麻雀一样在门槛上摇晃着，他得意地说道：

　　“Well, young rascal, you are going to a new situation tomorrow.”
“好了，小家伙，你明天就要去一个新地方了。”

　　“Where now?” asked grandmother, angrily.
“现在又是哪里？”奶奶生气地问道。

　　“To your sister Matrena, to her son.”
“去你妹妹玛特丽娜那儿，去她儿子那里。”

　　“O Father, you have done very wrong.”
“哦，父亲，你做错了。”

　　“Hold your tongue, fool! They will make a man of him.”
“闭嘴，傻瓜！他们会让他变成个男人。”

　　Grandmother let her head droop and said nothing more.
奶奶垂下头，什么也没说。

　　In the evening I told Ludmilla that I was going to live in the town.
傍晚，我告诉露德米拉我要搬到城里去住。

　　“They are going to take me there soon,” she informed me, thoughtfully.
“他们会很快带我去那儿，”她若有所思地告诉我。

　　“Papa wants my leg to be taken off altogether. Without it I should get well.”
“爸爸想让我的腿整个截掉。失去它我就能恢复健康。”

She had grown very thin during the summer; —
整个夏天她变得很瘦； —

the skin of her face hadassumed a bluish tint, and her eyes had grown larger.
她脸上的皮肤呈现出一种蓝色，眼睛变大了。

　　“Are you afraid?” I asked her.
“你怕吗？”我问她。

　　“Yes,” she replied, and wept silently.
“是的，”她回答，并默默地哭了。

I had no means of consoling her, for I was frightened myself at theprospect of life in town. —
我无法安慰她，因为我自己对在城里生活感到害怕。 —

We sat for a long time in painful silence, pressedclose against each other. —
我们在痛苦的沉默中坐着很长时间，紧紧地挨在一起。 —

If it had been summer, I should have askedgrandmother to come begging with me, as she had done when she was a girl.
如果是夏天的话，我本来会请祖母和我一起乞讨，就像她年轻时所做的。

We might have taken Ludmilla with us; I could have drawn her along in alittle cart. —
我们本可以带上卢德米拉；我可以把她用小车拉着。 —

But it was autumn. A damp wind blew up the streets, the sky washeavy with rain-clouds, the earth frowned. —
但是当时是秋天。一阵潮湿的风吹过街道，天空乌云密布，大地看起来很愁眉苦脸。 —

It had begun to look dirty andunhappy.
风开始显得肮脏而不快乐。