I HAVE sad and ludicrous reasons for remembering the burdensomehumiliations, insults, and alarms which my swiftly developed passion forreading brought me.
我记得那些沉重的羞辱、侮辱和警报，是因为我的阅读激情迅速发展，而带给我悲伤和荒谬的原因。

　　The books of the tailor’s wife looked as if they were terribly expensive,and as I was afraid that the old mistress might burn them in the stove, I triednot to think of them, and began to buy small colored books from the shopwhere I bought bread in the mornings.
裁缝妻子的书看起来似乎非常昂贵，我担心老太太可能会把它们烧在火炉里，于是我尽量不去想它们，开始在早晨买面包的店里买小本色彩图书。

The shopkeeper was an ill-favored fellow with thick lips. —-
店主是个相貌不佳的家伙，嘴唇厚厚的。 —-

He was given tosweating, had a white, wizen face covered with scrofulous scars and pimples,and his eyes were white. —-
他爱流汗，脸色苍白，布满淋巴结炎疮痂和粉刺，眼睛是白的。 —-

He had short, clumsy fingers on puffy hands. —-
他手指短而笨拙，手上肿胀。 —-

Hisshop took the place of an evening club for grown-up people; —-
他的店取代了晚上成年人的俱乐部； —-

also for thethoughtless young girls living in the street. —-
也为街上那些轻率的年轻女孩。 —-

My master’s brother used to gothere every evening to drink beer and play cards. —-
我师傅的兄弟每晚去那里喝啤酒打牌。 —-

I was often sent to call himto supper, and more than once I saw, in the small, stuffy room behind theshop, the capricious, rosy wife of the shopkeeper sitting on the knee ofVictorushka or some other young fellow. —-
我经常被派去叫他们吃饭，不止一次我看到，在店后面那个小小而闷热的房间里，店主的任性红润的妻子坐在Victorushka或其他年轻小伙子的膝上。 —-

Apparently this did not offend theshop-keeper ; —-
显然这并没有触怒店主； —-

nor was he offended when his sister, who helped him in theshop, warmly embraced the drunken men, or soldiers, or, in fact any onewho took her fancy. —-
当他的姐姐，帮忙在店里的女人，热情拥抱醉酒的男人，或士兵，或者任何激起她兴趣的人时，他也没有生气。 —-

The business done at the shop was small. —-
店铺的生意不多。 —-

He explainedthis by the fact that it was a new business, al — though the shop had beenopen since the autumn. —-
他解释说这是因为这是一家新业务，尽管店开业已经有一阵子了。 —-

He showed obscene pictures to his guests andcustomers, allowing those who wished to copy the disgraceful verses beneaththem.
他向客人展示淫秽的图片，允许那些想要的人抄写下面的可耻的诗句。

I read the foolish little books of Mischa Evstignev, paying so manycopecks for the loan of them. —-
我读了米斯查·揭夫斯蒂格涅夫的愚蠢小书，花了许多钱来借阅它们。 —-

This was dear, and the books afforded me nopleasure at all. —-
这些书对我来说是昂贵的，却一点也没有给我带来快乐。 —-

“Guyak, or, the Unconquerable Truth,” “Franzl, the Venitian,”
“盖亚克，或者，不可战胜的真理”，“弗兰兹尔，威尼斯人”，

“The Battle of the Russians with the Kabardines,” or “The BeautifulMahomedan Girl, Who Died on the Grave of her Husband,” — all that kind ofliterature did not interest me either, and often aroused a bitter irritation. —-
“俄罗斯人与卡巴尔人的战斗”，或者“美丽的摩尔妇人，在丈夫坟墓上死去”，——这类文学作品也没有引起我的兴趣，常常让我感到一种刻骨的愤怒。 —-

Thebooks seemed to be laughing at me, as at a fool, when they told in dull wordssuch improbable stories.
这些书似乎在用平淡的语言讲述那些不太可能的故事时在嘲笑我，就像嘲笑一个傻瓜一样。

“The Marksmen,” “Youri Miloslavski,” “Monks’ Secrets,” “Yapacha, theTatar Freebooter,” and such books I like better. —-
“射手们”，“尤里·米洛斯拉夫斯基”，“修道士的秘密”，“塔塔尔掠夺者亚帕查”，以及这类书我更喜欢。 —-

I was the richer for readingthem; but what I liked better than all was the lives of the saints. —-
读了这些书，我变得更富有；但最喜欢的还是读圣人的生平事迹。 —-

Here wassomething serious in which I could believe, and which at times deeply stirredme. —-
这里有一些认真的东西，我能相信，有时还会深深地触动我。 —-

All the martyrs somehow reminded me of “Good Business,” and thefemale martyrs of grandmother, and the holy men of grandfather in his bestmoments.
所有的烈士在某种程度上都让我想起“善良的事业”，女烈士让我想起奶奶，圣人们让我想起祖父在他最好的时刻。

I used to read in the shed when I went there to chop wood, or in the attic,which was equally uncomfortable and cold. —-
我常常在去劈柴的棚子里或者同样不舒适冰冷的阁楼里阅读。 —-

Sometimes, if a book interestedme or I had to read it quickly, I used to get up in the night and light thecandle; —-
有时候，如果一本书引起我的兴趣或者我需要快速阅读，我会在夜间起床点蜡烛； —-

but the old mistress, noticing that my candle had grown smallerduring the night, began to measure the candles with a piece of wood, whichshe hid away somewhere. —-
但是老女仆注意到我晚上用掉的蜡烛变小了，便用一根木头来量蜡烛，然后把木头藏起来。 —-

In the morning, if my candle was not as long as themeasure, or if I, having found the measure, had not broken it to the length ofthe burned candle, a wild cry arose from the kitchen. —-
早上，如果我的蜡烛不及标准长度，或者我，找到了那个标准长度，却还没有把它砍到与燃烧过的蜡烛长度相同，厨房里就会传来一阵野蛮的喊叫。 —-

Sometimes Victorushkacalled out loudly from the loft :
有时候，维克托鲁什卡从阁楼上大声喊道：

“Leave off that howling, Mamasha! You make life unbearable. —-
“别再那么吵了，妈妈！你让人无法忍受。 —-

Of coursehe burns the candles, because he reads books. —-
当然他要烧蜡烛，因为他在看书。 —-

He gets them from the shop. Iknow. Just look among his things in the attic.”
他是从商店买来的。我知道。只需要在阁楼里找他的东西看一看。

　　The old woman ran up to the attic, found a book, and burned it to ashes.
老太太跑上阁楼，找到一本书，并将其烧成了灰烬。

This made me very angry, as you may imagine, but my love of readingincreased. —-
这让我非常生气，你可以想象，但我对阅读的热爱增加了。 —-

I understood that if a saint had entered that household, myemployers would have set to work to teach him, tried to set him to their owntune. —-
我明白了，如果一个圣人进入那个家庭，我的雇主会着手教导他，试图使他按照他们的调子行事。 —-

They would have done this for something to do. —-
他们这样做只是为了找事情做。 —-

If they had left offjudging people, scolding them, jeering at them, they would have forgottenhow to talk, would have been stricken with dumbness, and would not havebeen themselves at all. —-
如果他们不再评判人，责骂他们，嘲笑他们，他们会忘记如何说话，会变得哑口无言，将不再是自己。 —-

When a man is aware of himself, it must be throughhis relations with other people. —-
当一个人意识到自己，只能通过与他人的关系。 —-

My employers could not behave themselvestoward those about them otherwise than as teachers, always ready tocondemn; —-
我的雇主不能向周围的人表现得与教师不同，总是准备谴责； —-

and if they had taught somebody to live exactly as they livedthemselves, to think and feel in the same way, even then they would havecondemned him for that very reason. —-
即使他们教导某人像他们自己一样生活，思考和感受，他们也会因为这个理由谴责他。 —-

They were that sort of people.
他们就是那种人。

I continued to read on the sly. The old woman destroyed books severaltimes, and I suddenly found my — self in debt to the shopkeeper for theenormous amount of forty-seven copecks. —-
我继续偷偷阅读。老太太曾多次烧毁书籍，我突然发现自己欠书店主四十七戈比的巨额金额。 —-

He demanded the money, andthreatened to take it from my employers’ money when they sent me to makepurchases.
他要求还钱，并威胁说如果他们派我去购物，他会从我的雇主那里拿。

　　“What would happen then?” he asked jeeringly.
“那会发生什么？”他讥讽地问道。

To me he was unbearably repulsive. Apparently he felt this, and torturedme with various threats from which he derived a peculiar enjoyment. —-
对我来说，他无法忍受。显然他感觉到了这一点，用各种威胁折磨我，从中获得某种特殊的乐趣。 —-

When Iwent into the shop his pimply face broadened, and he would ask gently :
当我走进店里，他满脸疙瘩的脸扩大，然后温和地问道：

　　“Have you brought your debt?”
“你带来了你的债务吗？”

　　“No.”
“没有。”

　　This startled him. He frowned.
这使他吃了一惊。他皱起了眉头。

“How is that? Am I supposed to give you things out of charity? —-
“怎么回事？我应该施舍给你吗？—-

I shallhave to get it from you by sending you to the reformatory.”
我只好把你送去教养院来讨债了。”

I had no way of getting the money, my wages were paid to grandfather. —-
我没有办法得到这笔钱，我的工资都给了祖父。

Ilost my presence of mind. What would happen to me? —-
我失去了理智。我会怎么样呢？ —-

And in answer to myentreaty that he wait for settlement of the debt, the shopkeeper stretched outhis oily, puffy hand, like a bladder, and said:
在我请求他等候债务清偿时，店主伸出了他油腻、浮肿的手，像个气球，说道： —-

　　“Kiss my hand and I will wait.”
“亲吻我的手，我就等等你。”

　　But when I seized a weight from the counter and brandished it at him, heducked and cried :
但当我从柜台上拿起一个砝码对着他挥舞时，他低下了头说：

　　“What are you doing? What are you doing? I was only joking.”
“你在做什么？你在做什么？我只是开玩笑而已。”

Knowing well that he was not joking, I resolved to steal the money to getrid of him. —-
明知他并不是在开玩笑，我决定偷钱来摆脱他。

In the morning when I was brushing the master’s clothes, moneyjingled in his trousers’ pockets, and sometimes it fell out and rolled on thefloor. —-
第二天早上我在为主人刷衣服时，他的裤子口袋里响起了钱币的声音，有时会掉下来，在地板上滚动。 —-

Once some rolled into a crack in the boards under the staircase. —-
有一次有些钱掉进了楼梯下面板缝隙中。 —-

Iforgot to say anything about this, and remembered it only several daysafterward when I found two greven between the boards. —-
我忘记告诉别人，几天后才想起，当我在板缝中发现了两个古尔文。 —-

When I gave it backto the master his wife said to him :
当我把钱还给主人的时候，他的妻子对他说：

　　“There, you see! You ought to count your money when you leave it inyour pockets.”
“你看看！你应该记得数数你把钱放在口袋里的时候。”

　　But my master, smiling at me, said:
但我的主人微笑着对我说：

　　“He would not steal, I know.”
“他不会偷的，我知道。”

Now, having made up my mind to steal, I remembered these words andhis trusting smile, and felt how hard it would be for me to rob him. —-
现在，决定要偷的时候，我记起了这些话和他信任的微笑，感到很难剥夺他。 —-

Severaltimes I took silver out of the pockets and counted it, but I could not take it.
有好几次我从口袋里拿出银币数着，但我却拿不走。

For three days I tormented myself about this, and suddenly the whole affairsettled itself quickly and simply. —-
三天来我为此煎熬自己，突然事情解决得迅速而简单。 —-

The master asked me unexpectedly:
主人突然问我：

　　“What is the matter with you, Pyeshkov? You have become dull lately.
“你怎么了，皮什科夫？最近你变得木讷了。

　　Aren’t you well, or what?”
你不舒服吗？还是怎么了？”

　　I frankly told him all my troubles. He frowned.
我坦率地告诉了他我的烦恼。他皱起了眉头。

　　“Now you see what books lead to! From them, in some way or another,trouble always comes.”
“你现在看到书籍导致的结果了！总是会带来麻烦。”

　　He gave me half a ruble and admonished me sternly :
他给了我半卢布，严厉地训斥我：

　　“Now look here; don’t you go telling my wife or my mother, or there willbe a row.”
“现在你听着；不要告诉我妻子或者我母亲，否则会有麻烦的。”

　　Then he smiled kindly and said :
然后他慈祥地笑了笑，说：

　　“You are very persevering, devil take you! Never mind; it is a good thing.
你十分坚持，可恶的家伙！没事；这是件好事。

　　Anyhow, give up books. When the New Year comes, I will order a goodpaper, and you can read that.”
不管怎样，放下书吧。新年来临时，我会订购一份好报纸，你可以读那个。

　　And so in the evenings, from tea-time till supper-time, I read aloud tomy employers “The Moscow Gazette,” the novels of Bashkov, Rokshnin,Rudinskovski, and other literature, for the nourishment of people whosuffered from deadly dullness.
所以在晚上，从茶点到晚餐时间，我给我的雇主朗读《莫斯科公报》，巴什科夫、罗克什宁、鲁金斯科斯基等作家的小说，为那些深受枯燥困扰的人提供精神食粮。

I did not like reading aloud, for it hindered me from understanding whatI read. —-
我不喜欢朗读，因为这妨碍了我理解所读之物。 —-

But my employers listened attentively, with a sort of reverentialeagerness, sighing, amazed at the villainy of the heroes, and saying proudlyto one another :
但我的雇主们却专心听着，带着一种虔诚的热切，叹息着，惊诧于英雄的恶行，并自豪地对彼此说：

　　“And we live so quietly, so peacefully; we know nothing of such things,thank God!”
“我们过着如此宁静、和平的生活；感谢上帝，我们对这种事一无所知！”

They mixed up the incidents, ascribed the deeds of the famous brigandChurkin to the post-boy Thoma Kruchin, and mixed the names. —-
他们混淆了故事情节，将著名强盗丘尔金的行为归于驿站车夫托马·克鲁钦，并搞错了名字。 —-

When Icorrected their mistakes they were surprised.
我纠正他们的错误时，他们很惊讶。

　　“What a memory he has!”
“他记性真好！”

Occasionally the poems of Leonide Grave appeared in “The MoscowGazette. —-
偶尔《莫斯科公报》上会刊登莱奥尼德·格雷夫的诗歌。 —-

” I was delighted with them. I copied several of them into a notebook,but my employers said of the poet:
我喜欢这些诗歌。我把其中几首抄在笔记本里，但我的雇主们却说这位诗人：

“He is an old man, you know; so he writes poetry. —-
“他是位老人，你知道；所以他写诗。” —-

” “A drunkard or animbecile, it is all the same.”
“一个酒鬼或白痴，都一样。”

　　I liked the poetry of Strujkin, and the Count Memento Mori, but both thewomen said the verses were clumsy.
我喜欢斯特鲁金和切吉诺侯爵的诗歌，但两位女性说这些诗歌拙劣。

　　“Only the Petrushki or actors talk in verse.”
“只有彼得鞋匠或演员们说话时用韵文。”

It was a hard life for me on winter evenings, under the eyes of myemployers, in that close, small room. —-
冬天的晚上，我在那个狭小的房间里，在雇主的注视下，过着艰苦的生活。 —-

The dead night lay outside the window,now and again the ice cracked. —-
外面是死一般的黑夜，时不时地会传来冰裂的声音。 —-

The others sat at the table in silence, likefrozen fish. —-
其他人坐在桌子旁一言不发，像冻僵的鱼。 —-

A snow-storm would rattle the windows and beat against thewalls, howl down the chimney, and shake the flue-plate. —-
一场暴风雪会使窗户格格作响，猛烈地敲打着墙壁，从烟囱怒号而下，摇晃着烟道现蓄。 —-

The children criedin the nursery. I wanted to sit by myself in a dark corner and howl like a wolf.
孩子们在寝室里哭泣。我想独自坐在一个黑暗的角落里，像狼一样嚎叫。

At one end of the table sat the women, knitting socks or sewing. —-
桌旁坐着的女人们，一边织袜子一边缝纫。 —-

At theother sat Victorushka, stooping, copying plans unwillingly, and from time totime calling out :
另一边，维克托鲁什卡弯着身子无奈地抄写着设计图，不时大声喊道：

　　“Don’t shake the table! Goats, dogs, mice!”
“别晃桌子！山羊，狗，老鼠！”

At the side, behind an enormous embroidery-frame, sat the master,sewing a tablecloth in cross-stitch. —-
一旁，巨大的刺绣架后面，主人坐着，十字绣着一块桌布。 —-

Under his fingers appeared red lobsters,blue fish, yellow butterflies, and red autumn leaves. —-
红色的龙虾，蓝色的鱼，黄色的蝴蝶和红色的秋叶在他手指下逐渐成形。 —-

He had made the designhimself, and had sat at the work for three winters. —-
这个设计是他自己做的，他已经连续三个冬天坐在这工作。 —-

He had grown very tiredof it, and often said to me in the daytime, when I had some spare time :
他已经非常疲倦了，白天时经常对我说：

　　“Come along, Pyeshkov; sit down to the tablecloth and do some of it!”
“来吧，皮什科夫；坐下来绣一些！”

　　I sat down, and began to work with the thick needle.
我坐下来，用粗针开始工作。

I was sorry for my master, and always did my best to help him. —-
我很心疼我的主人，总是尽力帮助他。 —-

I had anidea that one day he would give up drawing plans, sewing, and playing atcards, and begin doing something quite different, something interesting,about which he often thought, throwing his work aside and gazing at it withfixed, amazed eyes, as at something unfamiliar to him. —-
我曾经有个想法，他有一天会放下绘制计划、缝纫和打牌，开始做一些完全不同的事情，一些他经常想到的、让他把工作抛在一旁并用惊奇的眼光凝视的有趣的事情，就像看到一个对他来说陌生的东西。 —-

His hair fell over hisforehead and cheeks ; —-
头发垂在他的额头和脸颊上； —-

he looked like a laybrother in a monastery.
他看起来像修道院里的一个传教士。

　　“What are you thinking of?” his wife would ask him.
“你在想什么？” 他的妻子会问他。

　　“Nothing in particular,” he would reply, returning to his work.
“没有特别的事情，” 他会回答，然后继续他的工作。

I listened in dumb amazement. Fancy asking a man what he wasthinking of. —-
我目瞪口呆地听着。竟然问一个人在想什么。 —-

It was a question which could not be answered. —-
这是一个无法回答的问题。 —-

One’s thoughtswere always sudden and many, about all that passed before one’s eyes, ofwhat one saw yesterday or a year ago. —-
一个人的思绪总是突然而多样的，关于眼前所见的一切，关于昨天或一年前所看到的一切。 —-

It was all mixed up together, elusive,constantly moving and changing.
所有这一切交织在一起，难以捉摸，不断地变化和移动。

The serial in “The Moscow Gazette” was not enough to last the evening,and I went on to read the journals which were put away under the bed in thebedroom. —-
“莫斯科公报”上的连载不足以消磨一个晚上，于是我开始阅读放在卧室床底下的期刊。 —-

The young mistress asked suspiciously:
年轻的女主人怀疑地问道：

　　“What do you find to read there? It is all pictures.”
“你在那里找到什么好看的？那都是图片。”

But under the bed, besides the “Painting Review,” lay also “Flames,” andso we read “Count Tyatin-Baltiski,” by Saliass. —-
但在床下，除了“绘画评论”之外，还有《火焰》，于是我们就读了Saliass的“泰坦-巴尔蒂斯基伯爵”。 —-

The master took a great fancyto the eccentric hero of the story, and laughed mercilessly, till the tears randown his cheeks, at the mel — ancholy adventures of the hero, crying:
主人非常喜欢这个古怪英雄，对这个故事中英雄悲惨的冒险笑得毫不留情，直到眼泪流过脸颊，说道：

　　“Really, that is most amusing!”
“真的，太有趣了！”

　　“Piffle!” said the mistress to show her independence of mind.
“废话！”女主人说，表现她独立的思想。

The literature under the bed did me a great service. —-
床底下的文学书籍给了我很大的帮助。 —-

Through it, I hadobtained the right to read the papers in the kitchen, and thus made itpossible to read at night.
通过它，我得到了在厨房里阅读文件的权利，从而使我能够在夜晚阅读。

To my joy, the old woman went to sleep in the nursery for the nurse hada drunken fit. —-
令我高兴的是，老妇人去了婴儿室睡觉，因为保姆喝醉了。 —-

Victorushka did not interfere with me. As soon as thehousehold was asleep, he dressed himself quietly, and disappearedsomewhere till morning. —-
Victorushka没有干涉我。家里的人都睡着了，他悄悄地穿好衣服，然后消失到早上。 —-

I was not allowed to have a light, for they took thecandles into the bedrooms, and I had no money to buy them for myself; —-
我不允许点灯，因为他们把蜡烛拿到卧室，我也没有钱自己买蜡烛; —-

so Ibegan to collect the tallow from the candlesticks on the quiet, and put it in asardine tin, into which I also poured lamp oil, and, making a wick with somethread, was able to make a smoky light. —-
所以我开始偷偷地从烛台上收集牛油，放入一只沙丁鱼罐头里，还倒入灯油，用一些线做一根灯芯，就可以发出冒烟的光。 —-

This I put on the stove for the night.
我把它放在炉子上过夜。

When I turned the pages of the great volumes, the bright red tongue offlame quivered agitatedly, the wick was drowned in the burning, evil-smelling fat, and the smoke made my eyes smart. —-
当我翻动厚厚的书页时，火红的火舌颤抖不安地，灯芯淹没在燃烧的臭脂肪中，烟让我的眼睛发痛。 —-

But all this unpleasantnesswas swallowed up in the enjoyment with which I looked at the illustrationsand read the description of them. —-
但所有这些不愉快都在我欣赏插图和阅读它们的描述时消失了。 —-

These illustrations opened up be — fore mea world which increased daily in breadth — a world adorned with towns, justlike the towns of story-land. —-
这些插图在我面前展开了一个日益扩展的世界——一个和故事里的城镇一样的精美世界。 —-

They showed me lofty hills and lovely sea —shores. Life developed wonderfully for me. —-
它们向我展示了高耸的山丘和可爱的海岸线。生活对我发展得很奇妙。 —-

The earth became morefascinating, rich in people, abounding in towns and all kinds of things. —-
地球对我变得更加迷人，丰盛的人群，各种城镇和各种事物充斥着其中。 —-

Nowwhen I gazed into the distance beyond the Volga, I knew that it was not spacewhich lay beyond, but before that, when I had looked, it used to make me feeloddly miserable. —-
现在当我凝视伏尔加河的远处时，我知道那不是远方，而是我曾经看到时，它让我感到奇怪地悲伤。 —-

The meadows lay flat, bushes grew in clumps, and wherethe meadows ended, rose the indented black wall of the forest. —-
草地平坦，灌木丛生，而草地的尽头，是起伏不平的黑色森林墙。 —-

Above themeadows it was dull, cold blue. —-
在它们上面的草地上是冷淡的、冷蓝色。 —-

The earth seemed an empty, solitary place.
地球似乎是一个空荡荡的、孤独的地方。

And my heart also was empty. A gentle sorrow nipped it; —-
我的心也是空空的。一种温和的悲伤抓住了它； —-

all desires haddeparted, and I thought of nothing. All I wanted was to shut my eyes. —-
所有的欲望都消失了，我什么都不想。我只想闭上眼睛。 —-

Thismelancholy emptiness promised me nothing, and sucked out of my heart allthat there was in it.
这种忧郁的空虚给了我什么希望也没有，并把我心中所有的东西都吸干了。

The description of the illustrations told me in language which I couldunderstand about other countries, other peoples. —-
描绘的插图向我用我能理解的语言讲述了其他国家、其他民族。 —-

It spoke of variousincidents of the past and present, but there was a lot which I did notunderstand, and that worried me. —-
它讲述了过去和现在的各种事件，但有很多我不理解的地方，这让我感到烦恼。 —-

Sometimes strange words stuck in mybrain, like “metaphysics,” “chiliasm,” “chartist. —-
有时奇怪的词汇像“形而上学”、“千年主义”、“人民憲章主義”这样卡在我脑海中，给我带来巨大的焦虑，似乎变成了阻碍我视野的怪物。 —-

” They were a source of greatanx — iety to me, and seemed to grow into monsters obstruct — ing myvision. —-
我觉得我永远也听不懂什么。 —-

I thought that I should never under — stand anything. —-
我没有成功地找到这些词的意义。 —-

I did notsucceed in finding out the meaning of those words. —-
事实上，它们就像站在所有秘密知识门槛上的哨兵。 —-

In fact, they stood likesentries on the threshold of all secret knowledge. —-
经常整个短语像刺在我的记忆中很长时间，妨碍我去想其他事情。 —-

Often whole phrases stuckin my memory for a long time, like a splinter in my finger, and hindered mefrom thinking of anything else.
我记得读过这些奇怪的诗句：

　　I remembered reading these strange verses:
“全副武装，穿过无人居住的土地，沉默而阴郁如坟墓，匈奴之主阿提拉。

“All clad in steel, through the unpeopled land, Silent and gloomy as thegrave, Rides the Czar of the Huns, Attilla. —-
“All clad in steel, through the unpeopled land, Silent and gloomy as the grave, Rides the Czar of the Huns, Attilla. —-

Behind him comes a black mass ofwarriors, crying, ‘Where, then, is Rome ; —-
他身后跟着一群黑衣战士，高喊着，“罗马何处；罗马之威在何处？” —-

where is Rome the mighty ? ”
我知道罗马是一个城市；但谁是匈奴呢？我必须弄清楚这一点。

　　That Rome was a city, I knew; but who on earth were the Huns? I simplyhad to find that out.
在一个适当的时机，我问了我的主人。

　　Choosing a propitious moment, I asked my master.
“匈奴？”他惊讶地喊道，“鬼才知道他们是谁。肯定是些无足轻重的家伙。”

　　“The Huns?” he cried in amazement. “The devil knows who they are.
然后不赞成地摇着头说：

　　Some trash, I expect.”
“一帮废物罢了。”

　　And shaking his head disapprovingly, he said:
我必须找出匈奴是谁。

　　“That head of yours is full of nonsense. That is very bad, Pyeshkov.”
你这脑袋里装的都是废话。Pyeshkov，这很糟糕。

　　Bad or good, I wanted to know.
好的还是坏的，我想知道。

I had an idea that the regimental chaplain. —-
我有一个主意，团里的牧师Soloviev应该知道匈人是谁，当我在院子里碰到他时，我问他。 —-

Soloviev, ought to know whothe Huns were, and when I caught him in the yard, I asked him. —-
苍白、病弱、总是令人讨厌的人，带着红眼睛，没有眉毛，黄色胡须，把他的黑手杖插入土中，对我说： —-

The pale,sickly, always disagreeable man, with red eyes, no eyebrows, and a yellowbeard, pushing his black staff into the earth, said to me :
“那和你有什么关系，呵？”

　　“And what is that to do with you, eh?”
中尉Nesterov凶猛地回答了我的问题：

　　Lieutenant Nesterov answered my question by a ferocious :
「我想知道匈人是谁？」

　　“What-a-t?”
“什么？”

Then I concluded that the right person to ask about the Huns was thedispenser at the chemist’s. —-
接着我得出结论，询问匈奴人的最佳人选是药店里的配药员。 —-

He always looked at me kindly. He had a cleverface, and gold glasses on his large nose.
他总是和蔼地看着我。他长有一个聪明的面孔，大鼻子上戴着金边眼镜。

“The Huns,” said the dispenser, “were a nomad race, like the people ofKhirgiz. —-
“匈奴人，”配药员说，“是游牧民族，就像柯尔克孜人一样。 —-

There are no more of these people now. They are all dead.”
这些人现在已经不存在。他们都已经死了。”

　　I felt sad and vexed, not because the Huns were dead, but because themeaning of the word that had worried me for so long was quite simple, andwas also of no use to me.
我感到悲伤和烦躁，并不是因为匈奴人已经死了，而是因为那个让我烦恼了很久的词的含义很简单，对我也没有用处。

　　But I was grateful to the Huns after my collision with the word ceased toworry me so much, and thanks to Attilla, I made the acquaintance of thedispenser Goldberg.
但是，在与那个词发生碰撞之后不再让我如此担忧，我对匈奴人感到感激，多亏了阿提拉，我结识了配药员戈德堡。

This man knew the literal meaning of all words of wisdom. He had thekeys to all knowledge. —-
这个人知道所有智慧词汇的字面含义。他拥有一切知识的钥匙。 —-

Setting his glasses straight with two fingers, he lookedfixedly into my eyes and said, as if he were driving small nails into myforehead:
用两根手指把眼镜调正，他凝视着我的眼睛说道，仿佛在把小钉子钉进我的额头一样：

“Words, my dear boy, are like leaves on a tree. —-
“亲爱的孩子，词语就像树上的叶子。 —-

If we want to find out whythe leaves take one form instead of another, we must learn how the treegrows. —-
如果我们想弄清楚为什么叶子取某种形式而不是另一种，我们必须了解树是如何生长的。 —-

We must study books, my dear boy. Men are like a good garden inwhich everything grows, both pleasant and profitable.”
我们必须研究书籍，我亲爱的孩子。人们像一个好的花园，里面所有的东西都会生长，既令人愉悦又有益。”

　　I often had to run to the chemist’s for soda-water and magnesia for theadults of the family, who were continually suffering from heartburn, and forcastor-oil and purgatives for the children.
我经常被迫跑去药店给家里的成年人买苏打水和镁剂，因为他们经常胃灼热，还有给孩子买蓖麻油和泻药。

　　The short instructions which the dispenser gave me instilled into mymind a still deeper regard for books.
“配药员给我的简短指示让我更加尊重书籍。

　　They gradually became as necessary to me as vodka to the drunkard.
它们逐渐变得对我像酗酒者对伏特加一样必不可少。”

They showed me a new life, a life of noble sentiments and strong desireswhich incite people to deeds of heroism and crimes. —-
他们向我展示了一种新的生活,一种激发人们进行英雄主义行为和犯罪的高尚情感和强烈欲望。 —-

I saw that the peopleabout me were fitted for neither heroism nor crime. —-
我看到我周围的人既不适合英雄主义，也不适合犯罪。 —-

They lived apart fromeverything that I read about in books, and it was hard to imagine what theyfound interesting in their lives. —-
他们生活在书中描述的一切之外，很难想象他们的生活中有什么有趣的东西。 —-

I had no desire to live such a life. I was quitedecided on that point. I would not.
我无心过这种生活。我对此坚决决定。我不会。

From the letterpress which accompanied the drawings I had learned thatin Prague, London, and Paris there are no open drains in the middle of thecity, or dirty gulleys choked with refuse. —-
通过附有图解的文字，我了解到在布拉格、伦敦和巴黎都没有城市中间的开放排水沟或堆满垃圾的肮脏巷道。 —-

There were straight, broad streets,and different kinds of houses and churches. —-
那里是笔直、宽阔的街道，不同种类的房屋和教堂。 —-

There they did not have a sixmonths-long winter, which shuts people up in their houses, and no greatfast, when only fermenting cabbage, pickled mushrooms, oatmeal, andpotatoes cooked in disgusting vegetable oil can be eaten. —-
那里没有六个月的寒冷冬季，让人们蜷缩在自己的房子里，也没有长时间的斋戒，只能吃发酵的卷心菜、泡菜蘑菇、燕麦片以及在令人作呕的植物油中煮的土豆。 —-

During the greatfast books are forbidden, and they took away the “Review of Painting” fromme, and that empty, meager life again closed about me. —-
在大斋戒期，书被禁止，他们把“绘画评论”从我手中拿走，那种空洞而贫乏的生活又再次包围了我。 —-

Now that I couldcompare it with the life pictured in books, it seemed more wretched and uglythan ever. —-
现在我能将其与书籍中所描绘的生活相比较，它似乎比以往更加悲惨而丑陋。 —-

When I could read I felt well and strong; I worked well andquickly, and had an object in life. —-
当我能够阅读时，我感觉良好且有活力；我工作得很出色且迅速，并有了生活目标。 —-

The sooner I was finished, the more time Ishould have for reading. —-
我越早完成，就有更多时间阅读。 —-

Deprived of books, I became lazy, and drowsy, andbecame a victim to forgetfulness, to which I had been a stranger before.
失去了书籍，我变得懒散、昏昏欲睡，并沦为以前从未有过的遗忘之受害者。

I remember that even during those dull days something mysterioushappened. —-
我记得即使在那些沉闷的日子里也发生了一些神秘的事情。 —-

One evening when we had all gone to bed the bell of the cathedralsuddenly rang out, arousing every one in the house at once. —-
一天晚上，我们都已经上床睡觉时，大教堂的钟突然响起，立刻惊醒了房子里的每个人。 —-

Half-dressedpeople rushed to the windows, asking one another :
半裸的人们冲向窗户，互相问着：

　　“Is it a fire? Is that the alarm-bell?”
这是火吗？那是警报钟吗？

In the other flats one could hear the same bustle going on. Doorsslammed; —-
在其他公寓里也听到同样的喧嚣声。门砰地一声关上； —-

some one ran across the yard with a horse ready saddled. —-
有人在院子里跑着，已经备好了鞍鞯的马。 —-

The oldmistress shrieked that the cathedral had been robbed, but the masterstopped her.
老太太尖叫说大教堂被抢了，但是先生制止了她。

　　“Not so loud, Mamasha! Can’t you hear that that is not an alarm-bell?”
“别这么大声，妈妈! 你没听见那不是警报钟声吗？”

　　“Then the archbishop is dead.”
“那么大主教去世了。”

　　Victorushka climbed down from the loft, dressed himself, and muttered :
维克托鲁什卡从阁楼爬了下来，穿好衣服，嘀咕着：

　　“I know what has happened. I know!”
“我知道发生了什么事。我知道!”

The master sent me to the attic to see if the sky was red. —-
先生派我到阁楼去看看天上是否红了。 —-

I ran upstairsand climbed to the roof through the dormer-window. There was no red lightin the sky. —-
我跑上楼，通过天窗爬上屋顶。天空没有红光。 —-

The bell tolled slowly in the quiet frosty air. The town lay sleepilyon the earth. —-
钟在寒冷的空气中缓缓敲响。城镇安静地躺在大地上。 —-

In the darkness invisible people ran about, scrunching the snowunder their feet. —-
在黑暗中，看不见的人们四处奔忙，踩着雪发出嘎吱声。 —-

Sledges squealed, and the bell wailed ominously. —-
雪橇的摩擦声和钟声中带有哀怨。 —-

I returnedto the sitting-room.
我回到客厅。

　　“There is no red light in the sky.”
“天空没有红光。”

“Foo, you! Good gracious!” said the master, who had on his greatcoatand cap. —-
“主人穿着大衣和帽子说：“傻瓜，天啊！” —-

He pulled up his collar and began to put his feet into his goloshesunde — cidedly.
他拉起领子，开始穿上他的防水鞋。

　　The mistress begged him:
女主人请求他：“不要出去！不要出去！”

　　“Don’t go out! Don’t go out!”
“胡说八道！”

　　“Rubbish!”
维克托鲁什卡也穿好衣服，逗他们玩。

　　Victorushka, who was also dressed, teased them all.
“我知道发生了什么事。”

　　“I know what has happened.”
兄弟们走出街道时，妇女们已经让我准备好热水壶，冲向窗口。

When the brothers went out into the street the women, having sent meto get the samovar ready, rushed to the window. —-
但主人几乎立即按响了街门铃，默默地跑上楼梯，关上门，并说道： —-

But the master rang thestreet door-bell almost directly, ran up the steps silently, shut the door, andsaid thickly:
“沙皇被谋杀了！”

　　“The Czar has been murdered!”
“被谋杀了？”老太太惊呼道。

　　“How murdered?” exclaimed the old lady.
“他被谋杀了。一名军官告诉我的。现在会发生什么？”

　　“He has been murdered. An officer told me so. What will happen now?”
维克托鲁什卡按铃，当他不情愿地脱掉外套时，生气地说：

　　Victorushka rang, and as he unwillingly took off his coat said angrily:
“我还以为是战争呢！”

　　“And I thought it was war!”
然后他们都坐下来喝茶，平静地交谈，但声音低沉谨慎。

Then they all sat down to drink tea, and talked together calmly, but inlow voices and cautiously. —-
他们都坐下来喝茶，平静地交谈，但声音低沉谨慎。 —-

The streets were quiet now, the bells had given uptolling. —-
现在街上安静了，钟声已经停止了鸣响。 —-

For two days they whispered together mysteriously, and went to andfro. —-
他们神秘地耳语了两天，来回走动。 —-

People also came to see them, and related some event in detail. —-
还有一些人前来看他们，并详细讲述了一些事件。 —-

I triedhard to understand what had happened, but they hid the news — papersfrom me. —-
我努力想弄明白发生了什么事，但他们把报纸都藏起来不让我看。 —-

When I asked Sidorov why they had killed the Czar he answered,softly:
当我问希多洛夫为什么要杀掉沙皇时，他轻声回答道：

　　“It is forbidden to speak of it.”
“这是禁止谈论的。”

　　But all this soon wore away. The old empty life was resumed, and I soonhad a very unpleasant experience.
但这一切很快就过去了。旧日的空虚生活又恢复了，不久我就经历了一次非常不愉快的经历。

On one of those Sundays when the household had gone to early mass Iset the samovar ready and turned my attention to tidying the rooms. —-
在一个全家人去早晨弥撒的那个星期天，我准备好了热水壶，然后开始整理房间。 —-

While Iwas so occupied the eldest child rushed into the kitchen, removed the tapfrom the samovar, and set himself under the table to play with it. —-
当我忙碌的时候，大孩子冲进厨房，拧下热水壶的龙头，然后躲到桌子下玩耍。 —-

There wasa lot of charcoal in the pipe of the samovar, and when the water had alltrickled away from it, it came unsoldered. —-
热水壶的管子里有很多木炭，当水全部流干后，管子脱焊了。 —-

While I was doing the otherrooms, I heard an unusual noise. —-
我正在整理其他房间的时候，听到了一种不同寻常的声音。 —-

Going into the kitchen, I saw with horrorthat the samovar was all blue. —-
进入厨房后，我惊恐地看到热水壶变成了全蓝色。 —-

It was shaking, as if it wanted to jump fromthe floor. —-
它在颤抖，好像想从地板上跳下来。 —-

The broken handle of the tap was drooping miserably, the lid wasall on one side, the pewter was melted and running away drop by drop. —-
热水壶的把手断掉垂了下来，盖子偏向一侧，锡材融化了，一滴一滴地流走。 —-

Infact the purplish blue samovar looked as if it had drunken shivers. —-
事实上，那个泛着紫蓝色的热水壶看起来就像喝醉了一样在打颤。 —-

I pouredwater over it. It hissed, and sank sadly in ruins on the floor.
我把水泼在上面。它发出嘶嘶声，悲伤地在地板上垮了下来。

The front door-bell rang. I went to open the door. —-
门铃响了。我去开门。 —-

In answer to the oldlady’s question as to whether the samovar was ready, I replied briefly :
回答老太太关于热水瓶是否准备好的问题，我简短地回答说：

　　“Yes; it is ready.”
“是的；它已经准备好了。”

These words, spoken, of course, in my confusion and terror, were takenfor insolence. —-
当然，我在混乱和恐惧中说出这些话，被视为傲慢。 —-

My punishment was doubled. They half killed me. —-
我的惩罚倍增。他们几乎把我打死。 —-

The old ladybeat me with a bunch of fir-twigs, which did not hurt much, but left underthe skin of my back a great many splinters, driven in deeply. —-
老太太用一捆松树枝打我，虽然并不疼痛，但皮肤下留下了许多深深钉入的刺。 —-

Before night myback was swollen like a pillow, and by noon the next day the master wasobliged to take me to the hospital.
晚上之前，我的背部肿得像一个枕头，第二天中午时分主人不得不把我送到医院。

　　When the doctor, comically tall and thin, examined me, he said in acalm, dull voice :
当医生，一个又高又瘦可笑的人，检查我时，他用平静而沉闷的声音说：

　　“This is a case of cruelty which will have to be investigated.”
“这是一起必须进行调查的虐待案。”

　　My master blushed, shuffled his feet, and said something in a low voiceto the doctor, who looked over his head and said shortly:
我的主人变得羞愧，挠着脚，低声对医生说了些话，医生则俯视他的头，说：

　　“I can’t. It is impossible.”
“我不能。这是不可能的。”

　　Then he asked me :
然后他问我：

　　“Do you want to make a complaint?”
“你想提出投诉吗？”

　　I was in great pain, but I said :
虽然我疼得厉害，但我说：

　　“No, make haste and cure me.”
不，赶快治好我。

They took me into another room, laid me on a table, and the doctorpulled out the splinters with pleasantly cold pincers. —-
他们带我到另一个房间，放在桌子上，医生用令人愉快的凉钳子拔除木屑。 —-

He said, jestingly:
他开玩笑说：

　　“They have decorated your skin beautifully, my friend; now you will bewaterproof.”
“他们把你的皮肤装饰得很漂亮，我的朋友；现在你将是防水的。”

　　When he had finished his work of pricking me unmercifully, he said:
当他完成了残忍地扎我的工作后，他说：

“Forty-two splinters have been taken out, my friend. Remember that. —-
“我的朋友，这次取出了42根木屑。记住这一点。这是值得夸耀的！明天同一时间回来换药。” —-

Itis something to boast of! Come back at the same time tomorrow to have thedressing replaced. —-
他们经常打你吗？ —-

Do they often beat you?”
我想了一会儿，然后说：

　　I thought for a moment, then said :
“不像过去那样频繁。”

　　“Not so often as they used to.”
医生发出沙哑的笑声。

　　The doctor burst into a hoarse laugh.
“这都是为了好，我的朋友，都是为了好。”

　　“It is all for the best, my friend, all for the best.”
当他把我送回给主人时，对他说：

　　When he took me back to my master he said to him:
“我把他交给你，他已经修复好了。明天一定要带他回来。祝贺你。你那里有一个滑稽的家伙。”

“I hand him over to you; he is repaired. Bring him back tomorrowwithout fail. —-
I hand him over to you; he is repaired. Bring him back tomorrow without fail. —-

I congratulate you. He is a comical fellow you have there.”
I congratulate you. He is a comical fellow you have there.

　　When we were in the cab my master said to me :
　　当我们在出租车上时，我的主人对我说：

“They used to beat me too, Pyeshkov. What do you think of that? —-
　　“皮什科夫，他们过去也打我。你觉得怎么样？ —-

Theydid beat me, my lad! And you have me to pity you; —-
　　他们打我了，小伙子！你有我同情你； —-

but I had no one, no one.
　　而我没有任何人，没有任何人。

　　People are very hard everywhere ; but one gets no pity — no, not from anyone. Ekh! Wild fowl!”
　　人们哪里都很严酷；但是一个人都得不到同情 —— 不，从任何人那里都得不到。呃！野禽！”

　　He grumbled all the way home. I was very sorry for him, and grateful tohim for treating me like a man.
　　他一路发牢骚。我很为他难过，也很感激他像对待一个男人一样对待我。

They welcomed me at the house as if it had been my name-day. —-
　　他们在家里欢迎我，就像今天是我的名字日一样。 —-

Thewomen insisted on hearing in detail how the doctor had treated me and whathe had said. —-
　　女人们坚持要听我详细描述医生对我的治疗和他说了什么。 —-

They listened and sighed, then kissed me tenderly, wrinklingtheir brows. —-
　　他们倾听着叹息，然后柔情地亲吻我，皱着眉头。 —-

This intense interest in illness, pain, and all kinds ofunpleasantness always amazed me.
对疾病、痛苦和各种不愉快事物的浓厚兴趣总是让我吃惊。

I saw that they were pleased with me for not complaining of them, and Itook advantage of the mo — ment to ask if I might have some books from thetail — or’s wife. —-
我看到他们为我不抱怨而感到高兴，于是我趁机问是否可以从裁缝的妻子那里借一些书。 —-

They did not have the heart to refuse me. —-
他们没舍得拒绝我。 —-

Only the old ladycried in surprise:
只有那位老太太惊讶地哭了起来：

　　“What a demon he is!”
　　“他是个恶魔！”

　　The next day I stood before the tailor’s wife, who said to me kindly:
第二天我站在裁缝的妻子面前，她友好地对我说：

　　“They told me that you were ill, and that you had been taken to hospital.
“他们告诉我你病了，被送去医院了。

　　You see what stories get about.”
“你看，这样的故事传得多快。”

I was silent. I was ashamed to tell her the truth. —-
我保持沉默。告诉她真相让我感到羞愧。 —-

Why should she know ofsuch sad and coarse things? —-
她为什么要知道这些悲伤、低俗的事情呢？ —-

It was nice to think that she was different fromother people.
想到她和其他人不同，感觉很好。

Once more I read the thick books of Dumas pere, Ponson de Terraille,Montepaine, Zakonier, Gaboriau, and Bourgobier. —-
我再次阅读了大仲马、庞松·德·特莱、蒙泰潘、扎科尼尔、加博里奥和布尔戈比埃这些厚书。 —-

I devoured all these booksquickly, one after the other, and I was happy. —-
我迅速地阅读了所有这些书籍，一个接一个，我很快乐。 —-

I felt myself to be part of a lifewhich was out of the ordinary, which stirred me sweetly and aroused mycourage. —-
我觉得自己是一个与众不同，能激发我甜蜜并唤醒我的勇气的生活的一部分。 —-

Once more I burned my improvised candle, and read all through thenight till the morning, so that my eyes began to hurt me a little. —-
我再次点燃我的临时蜡烛，整夜读书直到早晨，以至于我的眼睛开始有点疼痛。 —-

The oldmistress said to me kindly :
老师对我友好地说：

　　“Take care, bookworm. You will spoil your sight and grow blind!”
“小书虫，小心点。你会毁了你的视力，变瞎哦！”

However, I soon realized that all these interestingly complicated books,despite the different incidents, and the various countries and town? —-
然而，我很快意识到所有这些有趣复杂的书籍，尽管情节不同，发生在不同的国家和城市？ —-

aboutwhich they were written, had one common theme: —-
他们写的地方有一个共同的主题： —-

good people madeunhappy and oppressed by bad people, the latter were always moresuccessful and clever than the good, but in the end something unexpectedalways overthrowing the wicked, and the good winning. —-
善良的人被坏人悲惨的压迫，后者总是比善良的人更成功、更聪明，但最后总有意想不到的事情推翻了坏人，善良者取得胜利。 —-

The “love,” of whichboth men and women spoke in the same terms, bored me. —-
男女都以同样的方式谈论的那种“爱”让我感到厌烦。 —-

In fact, it was notonly uninteresting to me, but it aroused a vague contempt.
事实上，对我来说，这不仅令人无聊，而且引起了一种隐约的蔑视。

Sometimes from the very first chapters I began to wonder who wouldwin or who would be vanquished, and as soon as the course of the storybecame clear, I would set myself to unravel the skein of events by the aid ofmy own fancy. —-
有时从一开始的章节，我就开始想知道谁会胜出，谁会被打败，一旦故事的走向变得清晰，我就会通过自己的幻想来解开事件的莫固。 —-

When I was not reading I was thinking of the books I had onhand, as one would think about the problems in an arithmetic. —-
当我不看书的时候，我会想着手头上有哪些书，就像思考算术问题一样。 —-

I becamemore skilful every day in guessing which of the characters would enter intothe paradise of happiness and which would be utterly confounded.
我每天在猜测哪些角色会进入幸福的天堂，哪些会被彻底击溃方面变得更加娴熟。

But through all this I saw the glimmer of living and, to me, significanttruths, the outlines of another life, other standards. —-
但在这一切中，我看到了活生生、对我来说重要的真理的微光，另一种生活、其他标准的轮廓。 —-

It was clear to me that inParis the cabmen, working men, soldiers, and all “black people” 4 were not atall as they were in Nijni, Kazan, or Perm. They dared to speak to gentlefolk,and behaved toward them more simply and independently than our people.
对我来说很清楚，巴黎的车夫、工人、士兵以及所有的“黑人”在涅日尼、喀山或彼尔姆并不是那样。他们敢和绅士们说话，对待他们更加简单和独立，比我们的人更是如此。

　　Here, for example, was a soldier quite unlike any I had known, unlikeSidorov, unlike the Viatskian on the boat, and still more unlike Ermokhin.
例如，这里有一名士兵，完全不同于我认识的任何人，不像斯多罗夫，不像船上的维亚特斯克人，更不像耶尔莫欣。

He was more human than any of these. —-
他比这一切都更像一个人。 —-

He had something of Smouri abouthim, but he was not so savage and coarse. —-
他有一些斯莫尔的特质，但不像那样野蛮和粗鲁。 —-

Here was a shopkeeper, but he wasmuch better than any of the shopkeepers I had known. —-
这里有一个小商贩，但比我认识的任何一个小商贩都要好。 —-

And the priests inbooks were not like the priests I knew. —-
且书中的祭司并不像我所认识的祭司。 —-

They had more feeling, and seemed toenter more into the lives of their flocks. —-
他们更有感情，似乎更能融入信徒的生活。 —-

And in general it seemed to me thatlife abroad, as it appeared in books, was more interesting, easier, better thanthe life I knew. —-
总的来说，在书中展现的国外生活看起来更有趣，更容易，更好过我知道的生活。 —-

Abroad, people did not behave so brutally. —-
在国外，人们不会如此残忍地嘲笑其他人类，也从未像维亚特斯克士兵那样被嘲笑，也从未像那位年老的女主人那样恳求上帝。 —-

They never jeeredat other human creatures as cruelly as the Viatskian soldier had been jeeredat, nor prayed to God as importunately as the old mistress did. —-
他们对人类的其他生物没有如此残忍地嘲笑，也从没那样苦苦哀求上帝。 —-

What Inoticed particularly was that, when villains, misers, and low characters weredepicted in books, they did not show that incomprehensible cruelty, thatinclination to jeer at humanity, with which I was ac — quainted, and whichwas often brought to my notice. —-
我特别注意到的是，当书中描绘恶棍、守财奴和卑鄙角色时，他们并没有展现出我所熟悉的那种无法理解的残忍，那种嘲笑人性的倾向，而这种情况经常引起我的注意。 —-

There was method in the cruelty of thesebookish villains. —-
书中的恶棍们的残忍是有条不紊的。 —-

One could almost always understand why they were cruel ; —-
几乎总能理解他们为什么会残忍； —-

but the cruelty which I witnessed was aimless, senseless, an amusementfrom which no one ex — pected to gain any advantage.
但我见到的残忍是毫无目的、毫无意义的，一种从中没有人指望获得任何好处的娱乐。

　　4 The common people.
普通人。

　　With every book that I read this dissimilarity between Russian life andthat of other countries stood out more clearly, causing a perplexed feeling ofirritation within me, strengthening my suspicion of the veracity of the old,well-read pages with their dirty “dogs’-ears.”
随着我阅读的每一本书，俄罗斯生活与其他国家的生活之间的这种不同越来越明显，引发了一种困扰的烦躁感，加强了我对陈旧的、常读的、带有脏脏的“狗耳朵”的页面真实性的怀疑。

And then there fell into my hands Goncourt’s novel, “The BrothersZemganno. —-
然后，我手里拿到了冈古尔小说《兄弟泽姆甘诺》。 —-

” I read it through in one night, and, surprised at the newexperience, read the simple, pathetic story over again. —-
我一个晚上读完了整本书，对这种新的体验感到惊讶，又读了一遍这个简单而动人的故事。 —-

There was nothingcomplicated about it, nothing interesting at first sight. —-
一开始看起来并不复杂，一开始看起来也没有什么有趣的地方。 —-

In fact, the first pagesseemed dry, like the lives of the saints. —-
实际上，最初的几页看起来很枯燥，就像圣人的生活一样。 —-

Its language, so precise and strippedof all adornment, was at first an unpleasant surprise to me; —-
它的语言，如此精确而剥离了所有装饰，一开始让我感到不快； —-

but the paucity ofwords, the strongly constructed phrases, went straight to the heart. —-
但是单词的缺乏、构思精巧的短语直戳内心。 —-

It soaptly described the drama of the acrobat brothers that my hands trembledwith the enjoyment of reading the book. —-
书中如此巧妙地描绘了杂技演员兄弟的戏剧，使我手颤抖着享受阅读这本书。 —-

I wept bitterly as I read how theunfortunate artist, with his legs broken, crept up to the loft where his brotherwas secretly engaged in his favorite art.
当我看到那个不幸的艺术家因为断腿爬到阁楼，发现他的兄弟在那里秘密进行他喜欢的艺术时，我哭得很伤心。

　　When I returned this glorious book to the tailor’s wife I begged her togive me another one like it.
当我把这本精彩的书还给裁缝的妻子时，我请求她给我再找一本类似的书。

　　“How do you mean like that?” she asked, laughing.
“你是什么意思？”她笑着问道。

　　This laugh confused me, and I could not explain what I wanted. Then shesaid :
她的笑声让我感到困惑，我无法解释我的想法。然后她说：

　　“That is a dull book. Just wait! I will give you another more interesting.”
“那是一本乏味的书。等等！我会给你一本更有趣的。”

　　In the course of a day or two she gave me Greenwood’s “The TrueHistory of a little Waif.” The title of the book at first turned me agairieTit,but the first pages called up a smile of joy, and still smiling, I read it frombeginning to end, rereading some of the pages two or three times.
在接下来的一两天里，她给了我格林伍德的《一个小流浪儿的真实历史》。起初书名让我有些恼火，但前几页却让我脸上露出了笑容，我边笑边读完了从头到尾，有些页面还重复读了两三遍。

So in other countries, also, boys lived hard and harassing lives! —-
在其他国家，男孩也过着艰难而烦扰的生活！ —-

After all,I was not so badly off; I need not complain.
毕竟，我并没有过得那么糟糕，不必抱怨。

　　Greenwood gave me a lot of courage, and soon after that I was given a“real” book, “Eugenie Grandet.”
“格林伍德给了我很多勇气，不久之后我被给了一本‘真实’的书，是《尤热尼·格朗代》。”

Old Grandet reminded me vividly of grandfather. —-
老格朗代鲜明地让我想起了祖父。 —-

I was annoyed that thebook was so small, and surprised at the amount of truth it contained. —-
书的大小让我有些恼火，也让我惊讶于它所包含的真相。 —-

Truthswhich were familiar and boring to me in life were shown to me in a differentlight in this book, without malice and quite calmly. —-
这本书中的一些真相在我的生活中既熟悉又乏味，但在这本书中以不带恶意、冷静的方式呈现给我。 —-

All the books which I hadread before Greenwood’s, condemned people as severely and noisily as myemployers did, often arousing my sympathy for the villain and a feeling ofirritation with the good people. —-
所有在读格林伍德之前的书，都像我的雇主一样严厉地谴责人们，经常让我同情恶棍，对善良的人感到恼火。 —-

I was always sorry to see that despiteenormous expenditure of intelligence and will-power, a man still failed toobtain his desires. —-
我总是遗憾地看到，尽管付出了巨大的智慧和意志力，一个人仍然无法实现自己的愿望。 —-

The good characters stood awaiting events from first tolast page, as immovable as stone pillars, and although all kinds of evil plotswere formed against these stone pillars, stones do not arouse sympathy. —-
好人角色从头到尾都在等待事件的发生，像石柱一样固定不动，无论对这些石柱如何策划恶意阴谋，石头并不引起同情。 —-

Nomatter how beautiful and strong a wall may be, one does not love it if onewants to get the apple on the tree on the other side of it. —-
无论墙多么美丽强壮，如果你想要得到墙另一边树上的苹果，你不会喜欢它。 —-

It always seemed tome that all that was most worth having, and vigorous was hidden behind the“good” people.
对我来说，所有最值得拥有和强大的东西都隐藏在“好人”背后。

In Goncourt, Greenwood, and Balzac there were no villains, but justsimple people, wonderfully alive. —-
在冈古尔、格林伍德和巴尔扎克的作品中，没有恶棍，只有简单的人物，活灵活现。 —-

One could not doubt that, whatever theywere alleged to have said and done, they really did say and do, and theycould not have said and done anything else.
无论他们被指控说过什么，做过什么，没有人会怀疑，他们确实说过，做过，也不可能有其他可能。

In this fashion I learned to understand what a great treat a “good andproper” book can be. —-
这样我学会了理解一本“好书”是何等的珍贵。 —-

But how to find it? The tailor’s wife could not help mein this.
但如何寻找呢？裁缝的妻子在这方面帮不了我。

“Here is a good book,” she said, laying before me Arsene Huissier’s“Hands full of Roses, Gold, and Blood.” She also gave me the novels of Beyle,Paul de Kock and Paul Feval, and I read them all with relish. —-
“这是一本好书，”她说着，在我面前放下了亚森·吉西埃的《手握玫瑰、金子和血的手》。她还给了我贝尔、保罗·德科克和保罗·菲瓦尔的小说，我都很喜欢读。 —-

She liked thenovels of Mariette and Vernier, which to me appeared dull. —-
她喜欢马里耶特和维尔尼尔的小说，而我觉得它们平淡无奇。 —-

I did not care forSpielhagen, but I was much taken with the stories of Auer — bach. —-
我对施皮尔汉根没有兴趣，但对奥尔巴赫的故事却很感兴趣。 —-

Sue andHuga, also, I did not like, preferring Walter Scott. I wanted books whichexcited me, and made me feel happy, like wonderful Balzac.
苏和雨果也不是我的菜，我更喜欢沃尔特·司各特。我想要那种让我兴奋，让我感到快乐的书，就像令人惊叹的巴尔扎克的作品。

　　I did not care for the porcelain woman as much as I had done at first.
我对瓷娃娃的喜爱并没有一开始那么强烈。

When I went to see her, I put on a clean shirt, brushed my hair, and tried toappear good-looking. —-
当我去看她的时候，我换上了干净的衬衣，梳理了头发，尽力显得好看。 —-

In this I was hardly successful. I always hoped that,seeing my good looks, she would speak to me in a simple and friendlymanner, without that fish-like smile on her frivolous face. —-
但我并不怎么成功。我总是希望，她看到我的好看，会简单友好地和我交谈，不再露出那种空洞的笑容。 —-

But all she did wasto smile and ask me in her sweet, tired voice :
但她所做的只是微笑，并用她那甜美疲惫的声音问道：

　　“Have you read it? Did you like it?”
“你看过了吗？喜欢吗？”

　　“No.”
“没有。”

　　Slightly raising her eyebrows, she looked at me, and, drawing in herbreath, spoke through her nose.
她微微抬起眉毛，看着我，吸了口气，通过鼻子说话。

　　“But why?”
“但为什么呢？”

　　“I have read about all that before.”
“我以前读过这些东西。”

　　“Above what?”
“在上面什么？”

　　“About love.”
“关于爱情。”

　　Her eyes twinkled, as she burst out into her honeyed laugh.
她眼睛闪闪发光，发出她那甜蜜的笑声。

　　““Ach, but you see all books are written about love!”
“啊，但你知道所有的书都是关于爱情的！”

Sitting in a big arm-chair, she swung her small feet, incased in furslippers, to and fro, yawned, wrapped her blue dressing-gown around her,and drummed with her pink fingers on the cover of the book on her knee. —-
坐在大扶手椅上，她摇摇晃晃地摆动着她裹着毛皮拖鞋的小脚，打了个哈欠，围上她的蓝色睡袍，用粉红色的手指敲击她膝盖上的书的封面。 —-

Iwanted to say to her:
我想对她说：

　　“Why don’t you leave this flat? The officers write letters to you, and laughat you.”
“为什么你不离开这个公寓呢？军官们给你写信，还嘲笑你。”

　　But I had not the audacity to say this, and went away, bearing with me athick book on “Love,” a sad sense of disenchantment in my heart.
但我没有胆量说这些话，只是默默地走开，心中带着一本厚厚的“爱情”书，心中却充满了失望的感觉。

They talked about this woman in the yard more evilly, derisively, andspitefully than ever. —-
他们在院子里对这个女人说的话比以往更加邪恶、嘲笑和恶毒。 —-

It offended me to hear these foul and, no doubt, lyingstories. —-
听到这些肮脏的、毫无疑问是虚假的故事让我感到不快。 —-

When I was away from her, I pitied the woman, and suffered for her ; —-
当我远离她时，我为这个女人感到同情，为她痛苦； —-

but when I was with her, and saw her small, sharp eyes, the cat-likeflexibility of her small body, and that always frivolous face, pity and feardisappeared, vanished like smoke.
但当我和她在一起时，看到她那双尖利的眼睛，她那猫般的灵活身姿，以及总是轻浮的面庞，同情和恐惧就会消失，像烟一样消失。

　　In the spring she suddenly went away, and in a few days her husbandmoved to new quarters.
春天来临时，她突然离开了，几天后，她的丈夫搬到了新房子。

While the rooms stood empty, awaiting a new tenant, I went to look atthe bare walls, with their square patches where pictures had hung, bent nails,and wounds made by nails. —-
房间空无一人，等待着新的租客。我走近审视着光秃秃的墙壁，上面留下方形的画挂痕、弯曲的钉子和被钉子留下的伤痕。 —-

Strewn about the stained floor were pieces ofdifferent-colored cloth, balls of paper, broken boxes from the chemist, emptyscent-bottles. —-
地板上散落着不同颜色的布片、纸团、来自药店的破盒子以及空空的香水瓶。 —-

A large brass pin gleamed in one spot.
一枚大铜别针在一处闪着光。

　　All at once I felt sad and wished that I could see the tailor’s little wifeonce more to tell her how grateful I was to her.
突然间我感到悲伤，希望能再次见到裁缝的小妻子，告诉她我是多么感激她。