DURING my stay in the district of S. I often used to go to see the watchman Savva Stukatch, or simply Savka, in the kitchen gardens of Dubovo. —
在S区逗留期间，我经常去看守人萨瓦·斯图卡奇，或简称萨夫卡，位于杜博沃的菜园里。 —

These kitchen gardens were my favorite resort for so-called “mixed” fishing, when one goes out without knowing what day or hour one may return, taking with one every sort of fishing tackle as well as a store of provisions. —
这些菜园是我最喜欢去的地方，进行所谓的“混合”钓鱼，不知何时何日返回，带上各种钓具和一些食物。 —

To tell the truth, it was not so much the fishing that attracted me as the peaceful stroll, the meals at no set time, the talk with Savka, and being for so long face to face with the calm summer nights. —
说实话，并不是钓鱼吸引了我，而是那宁静的漫步、无固定时间的用餐、和萨夫卡的交谈，以及长时间面对宁静的夏夜。 —

Savka was a young man of five-and-twenty, well grown and handsome, and as strong as a flint. —
萨瓦是一个二十五岁的年轻人，身材高大俊秀，强壮如燧石。 —

He had the reputation of being a sensible and reasonable fellow. —
他有一个明智和理性的名声。 —

He could read and write, and very rarely drank, but as a workman this strong and healthy young man was not worth a farthing. —
他会读会写，很少喝酒，但作为一个强壮健康的年轻人，他却一文不值。 —

A sluggish, overpowering sloth was mingled with the strength in his muscles, which were strong as cords. —
他强壮的肌肉中掺杂着令人厌恶的慵懒，肌肉坚实得像绳子。 —

Like everyone else in his village, he lived in his own hut, and had his share of land, but neither tilled it nor sowed it, and did not work at any sort of trade. —
像村子里的每个人一样，他住在自己的小屋里，有自己的一块地，但不耕种也不播种，也不从事任何行业。 —

His old mother begged alms at people’s windows and he himself lived like a bird of the air; —
他的老母亲在人们的窗口行乞，而他自己像空中的飞鸟一样生活; —

he did not know in the morning what he would eat at midday. —
他早上不知道中午要吃什么。 —

It was not that he was lacking in will, or energy, or feeling for his mother; —
并不是缺乏意愿，努力或对母亲的感情; —

it was simply that he felt no inclination for work and did not recognize the advantage of it. —
他只是没有工作的兴趣，也不认识工作的好处。 —

His whole figure suggested unruffled serenity, an innate, almost artistic passion for living carelessly, never with his sleeves tucked up. —
他整个形象都展现出平静无忧、一种与生俱来的、几乎是艺术般的对轻松生活的热爱，从不挽起袖子。 —

When Savka’s young, healthy body had a physical craving for muscular work, the young man abandoned himself completely for a brief interval to some free but nonsensical pursuit, such as sharpening skates not wanted for any special purpose, or racing about after the peasant women. —
当萨瓦年轻、健康的身体渴望做一些肌肉劳动时，这位年轻人就会完全放纵自己一段时间，进行一些自由但毫无意义的追求，比如磨不需要特殊用途的冰刀，或者在农民妇女后面奔跑。 —

His favorite attitude was one of concentrated immobility. —
他最喜欢的姿势就是全神贯注的静止。 —

He was capable of standing for hours at a stretch in the same place with his eyes fixed on the same spot without stirring. —
他能够连续几个小时站在同一地方，目不转睛地盯着同一点，一动不动。 —

He never moved except on impulse, and then only when an occasion presented itself for some rapid and abrupt action: —
他只会在冲动的时候才移动，而且只在出现一些需要快速和突然动作的场合下才会行动： —

catching a running dog by the tail, pulling off a woman’s kerchief, or jumping over a big hole. —
比如抓住一只奔跑的狗的尾巴，拽下一个女人的头巾，或者跳过一个大洞。 —

It need hardly be said that with such parsimony of movement Savka was as poor as a mouse and lived worse than any homeless outcast. —
可以毫不夸张地说，Savka几乎不动，活得比任何无家可归的流浪汉还苦。 —

As time went on, I suppose he accumulated arrears of taxes and, young and sturdy as he was, he was sent by the commune to do an old man’s job—to be watchman and scarecrow in the kitchen gardens. —
随着时间的推移，我想他的税款积欠可能越来越多，虽然他年轻强壮，但他却被公社派去做一个老人的工作——看守和担当菜园的稻草人。 —

However much they laughed at him for his premature senility he did not object to it. —
尽管他因年老而提前衰老引来他人的嘲笑，他也并不介意。 —

This position, quiet and convenient for motionless contemplation, exactly fitted his temperament.
这个安静且方便静止思考的位置完全契合他的性情。

It happened I was with this Savka one fine May evening. —
在一个美好的五月傍晚，我跟Savka在一起。 —

I remember I was lying on a torn and dirty sackcloth cover close to the shanty from which came a heavy, fragrant scent of hay. —
我记得我躺在离小屋不远的一个破旧而肮脏的麻布上，空气中飘来沉重而芬芳的干草香味。 —

Clasping my hands under my head I looked before me. At my feet was lying a wooden fork. —
我双手交握在脑后，望着眼前。在我的脚边放着一个木头叉子。 —

Behind it Savka’s dog Kutka stood out like a black patch, and not a dozen feet from Kutka the ground ended abruptly in the steep bank of the little river. —
在叉子后面，Savka的狗库特卡显得像一个黑色斑点，库特卡不到十二英尺的地方，地势骤降，就是小河的陡崖。 —

Lying down I could not see the river; I could only see the tops of the young willows growing thickly on the nearer bank, and the twisting, as it were gnawed away, edges of the opposite bank. —
躺下来我看不见河流，只能看到茂密生长的近岸柳树顶端，以及对岸如被啃咬般蜿蜒不直的边缘。 —

At a distance beyond the bank on the dark hillside the huts of the village in which Savka lived lay huddling together like frightened young partridges. —
在对岸黑暗的山坡上，Savka所在的村庄的房屋像惊惶的小鹧鸪一样拥挤在一起。 —

Beyond the hill the afterglow of sunset still lingered in the sky. —
在山坡的彼岸，晚霞仍在天空中挥之不去。 —

One pale crimson streak was all that was left, and even that began to be covered by little clouds as a fire with ash.
只剩下一道苍白的深红色光辉，而甚至这道光辉开始被逐渐覆盖的乌云所掩盖。

A copse with alder-trees, softly whispering, and from time to time shuddering in the fitful breeze, lay, a dark blur, on the right of the kitchen gardens; —
一片灌木丛，长满了桤木树，柔声细语，不时在风中颤动，在厨园的右边成为了一团黑暗模糊的景象； —

on the left stretched the immense plain. —
在左边延伸着无边无际的平原。 —

In the distance, where the eye could not distinguish between the sky and the plain, there was a bright gleam of light. —
在远处，眼睛无法分辨天空和平原之间的界限，闪现着一道明亮的光芒。 —

A little way off from me sat Savka. With his legs tucked under him like a Turk and his head hanging, he looked pensively at Kutka. Our hooks with live bait on them had long been in the river, and we had nothing left to do but to abandon ourselves to repose, which Savka, who was never exhausted and always rested, loved so much. —
离我稍远的地方坐着萨夫卡。他像土耳其人一样叉着腿，头垂着，凝视着库特卡。我们的鱼钩上已经装上了活鱼，早就投入了河中，我们已经没有其他事可做，只能尽情放松，而总是不知疲倦并且爱歇息的萨夫卡更是如此。 —

The glow had not yet quite died away, but the summer night was already enfolding nature in its caressing, soothing embrace.
余霞未尽，夏夜已经向大自然展开了抚慰温存的怀抱。

Everything was sinking into its first deep sleep except some night bird unfamiliar to me, which indolently uttered a long, protracted cry in several distinct notes like the phrase, “Have you seen Ni-ki-ta? —
万物正沉入初睡之中，除了一只我不熟悉的夜鸟外，它慵懒地发出一声连续的长鸣，分明有几个音符，像是在说，“你见过尼-基-塔吗？” —

” and immediately answered itself, “Seen him, seen him, seen him!”
紧接着自己回答，“见过了，见过了，见过了！”

“Why is it the nightingales aren’t singing tonight?” I asked Savka.
“今晚为什么没有夜莺在唱歌呢？”我问萨夫卡。

He turned slowly towards me. His features were large, but his face was open, soft, and expressive as a woman’s. —
他缓慢转向我。他的五官粗大，但脸庞开朗，温和，表情丰富，有点像女人。 —

Then he gazed with his mild, dreamy eyes at the copse, at the willows, slowly pulled a whistle out of his pocket, put it in his mouth and whistled the note of a hen- nightingale. —
然后他用梦幻般的温和眼神凝视着灌木丛，柳树，慢慢地从口袋里掏出一个口哨，放到嘴里，吹响了母夜莺的音符。 —

And at once, as though in answer to his call, a landrail called on the opposite bank.
顿时，在回应他的召唤之下，对岸的田鸡也发出叫声。

“There’s a nightingale for you…” laughed Savka. “Drag-drag! drag-drag! —
“这就是夜莺的风格啊…” 萨夫卡笑着说道。“拽-拽！拽-拽！” —

just like pulling at a hook, and yet I bet he thinks he is singing, too.”
像拉拽鱼钩一样，然而我敢打赌它也认为自己在唱歌。

“I like that bird,” I said. “Do you know, when the birds are migrating the landrail does not fly, but runs along the ground? —
“我喜欢这只鸟。” 我说。“你知道吗，当鸟类迁徙时，田鸡不飞，而是沿着地面奔跑？ —

It only flies over the rivers and the sea, but all the rest it does on foot.”
它只在河流和海洋上飞行，其他时候都靠步行。”

“Upon my word, the dog…” muttered Savka, looking with respect in the direction of the calling landrail.
“我说真的，那只狗…” 萨夫卡嘟囔道，尊敬地看着呼唤着的田鹧。

Knowing how fond Savka was of listening, I told him all I had learned about the landrail from sportsman’s books. —
知道萨夫卡喜欢倾听，我告诉他我从猎人书籍中了解到的关于田鹧的一切。 —

From the landrail I passed imperceptibly to the migration of the birds. —
我从田鹧悄然地转移到了鸟能的迁徙。 —

Savka listened attentively, looking at me without blinking, and smiling all the while with pleasure.
萨夫卡认真地倾听着，不眨眼地看着我，一直带着愉悦的微笑。

“And which country is most the bird’s home? Ours or those foreign parts?” he asked.
“那么鸟能更认为哪个国家是它的家？我们这里还是那些外国地方？” 他问道。

“Ours, of course. The bird itself is hatched here, and it hatches out its little ones here in its native country, and they only fly off there to escape being frozen.”
“当然是我们这里。鸟能自己在这里孵化，它在自己的祖国孵出小鸟能，它们只是飞到那里以免被冻死。”

“It’s interesting,” said Savka. “Whatever one talks about it is always interesting. —
“这很有趣，” 萨夫卡说。“无论谈论什么都很有趣。 —

Take a bird now, or a man… or take this little stone; —
拿一个鸟能来比喻，或者一个人…或者拿这块小石头； —

there’s something to learn about all of them. —
对于它们，都有很多可以学习的。 —

… Ah, sir, if I had known you were coming I wouldn’t have told a woman to come here this evening. —
“啊，先生，如果我知道你要来，我就不会让一个女人今晚来这里了。 —

… She asked to come to-day.”
“她要求今天过来。”

“Oh, please don’t let me be in your way,” I said. “I can lie down in the wood….”
“哦，请别让我妨碍你们，”我说。“我可以躺在树林里….”

“What next! She wouldn’t have died if she hadn’t come till to-morrow. —
“胡说八道！如果她明天才来也不会死。 —

… If only she would sit quiet and listen, but she always wants to be slobbering. —
“要是她安静地坐着听就好了，但她总是想要发呆。 —

… You can’t have a good talk when she’s here.”
“她在场的时候，就谈不上有一个好的交谈。”

“Are you expecting Darya?” I asked, after a pause.
“你在等达丽娅吗？”我问道，停顿片刻后。

“No… a new one has asked to come this evening… Agafya, the signalman’s wife.”
“不是… 有个新面孔要来今晚… 信号工的妻子阿加菲娅。”

Savka said this in his usual passionless, somewhat hollow voice, as though he were talking of tobacco or porridge, while I started with surprise. —
Savka说这番话时一如往常，他带着些许空洞的声音，好像在谈论烟草或粥，而我惊讶地回答道。 —

I knew Agafya…. She was quite a young peasant woman of nineteen or twenty, who had been married not more than a year before to a railway signalman, a fine young fellow. —
我认识阿加菲娅…. 她是一个十九岁或二十岁的年轻农妇，结婚时间还不到一年，嫁给了一位信号工，一个英俊的年轻人。 —

She lived in the village, and her husband came home there from the line every night.
她住在村里，她的丈夫每晚都会从铁路线上回家。

“Your goings on with the women will lead to trouble, my boy,” said I.
“你和女人们的来往会惹上麻烦的，我这个小伙子，”我说。

“Well, may be….”
“也许吧….”

And after a moment’s thought Savka added:
然后萨夫卡思索片刻后补充道：

“I’ve said so to the women; they won’t heed me. —
“我已经对女人们说过了；她们不会听我的。 —

…They don’t trouble about it, the silly things!”
….她们都不在乎，这些蠢货！”

Silence followed…. Meanwhile the darkness was growing thicker and thicker, and objects began to lose their contours. —
之后陷入了沉默…. 同时，黑暗越来越浓，物体开始失去轮廓。 —

The streak behind the hill had completely died away, and the stars were growing brighter and more luminous. —
山后的光带已完全消逝，星星变得更加明亮和璀璨。 —

… The mournfully monotonous chirping of the grasshoppers, the call of the landrail, and the cry of the quail did not destroy the stillness of the night, but, on the contrary, gave it an added monotony. —
…. 蚱蜢的哀婉单调的鸣叫声，田鸾的叫声以及鹧鸪的叫声并没有破坏夜晚的宁静，反而增添了一份单调。 —

It seemed as though the soft sounds that enchanted the ear came, not from birds or insects, but from the stars looking down upon us from the sky….
就好像耳中令人陶醉的轻柔声响并非来自鸟儿或昆虫，而是从天空上凝视我们的星星发出来似的….

Savka was the first to break the silence. He slowly turned his eyes from black Kutka and said:
萨夫卡率先打破沉默。他从黑色的库特卡那里慢慢转开目光说：

“I see you are dull, sir. Let’s have supper.”
“我看你挺木讷的，先生。咱们来吃晚饭吧。”

And without waiting for my consent he crept on his stomach into the shanty, rummaged about there, making the whole edifice tremble like a leaf; —
他没有等待我的同意，便匍匐进入板屋，东翻西找，整座房子都像叶子一样颤抖； —

then he crawled back and set before me my vodka and an earthenware bowl; —
然后又爬回来，在我面前摆好了我的伏特加和一个陶罐碗； —

in the bowl there were baked eggs, lard scones made of rye, pieces of black bread, and something else. —
碗里有烤鸡蛋，用黑麦制成的猪油馒头，黑面包片，还有别的东西。 —

… We had a drink from a little crooked glass that wouldn’t stand, and then we fell upon the food…. Coarse grey salt, dirty, greasy cakes, eggs tough as india-rubber, but how nice it all was!
我们从一个摇晃不稳的小弯曲玻璃杯中喝了一口，然后开始大快朵颐……粗灰色的盐，脏兮兮的油腻饼，像印度橡胶一样的鸡蛋，但一切都是那么美味！

“You live all alone, but what lots of good things you have,” I said, pointing to the bowl. —
“你一个人住，但却有那么多好东西，”我指着碗说。 —

“Where do you get them from?”
“这些是哪里来的？”

“The women bring them,” mumbled Savka.
“女人们给我带来的。”萨夫卡嘟囔着。

“What do they bring them to you for?”
“她们为什么要给你带来这些？”

“Oh… from pity.”
“哦……出于怜悯。”

Not only Savka’s menu, but his clothing, too, bore traces of feminine “pity. —
不仅萨夫卡的菜单，就连他的衣服也带有女性的“怜悯”的痕迹。 —

” Thus I noticed that he had on, that evening, a new woven belt and a crimson ribbon on which a copper cross hung round his dirty neck. —
于是我注意到他那天晚上穿着新编的腰带，脏兮兮的脖子上挂着一个铜十字架的朱红丝带。 —

I knew of the weakness of the fair sex for Savka, and I knew that he did not like talking about it, and so I did not carry my inquiries any further. —
我知道女性对萨夫卡的喜爱，也知道他不喜欢谈论这个话题，所以我没有继续追问。 —

Besides there was not time to talk…. Kutka, who had been fidgeting about near us and patiently waiting for scraps, suddenly pricked up his ears and growled. —
再加上也没有时间闲谈……在我们附近不安地蠕动着，耐心等着吃剩菜的库特卡突然竖起耳朵开始低吼。 —

We heard in the distance repeated splashing of water.
我们听到远处传来水花的重复声响。

“Someone is coming by the ford,” said Savka.
“有人要从浅滩过来了”，萨夫卡说。

Three minutes later Kutka growled again and made a sound like a cough.
三分钟后，库特卡又咕噜着，像咳嗽一样发出声音。

“Shsh!” his master shouted at him.
“嘘！”他的主人冲他喊道。

In the darkness there was a muffled thud of timid footsteps, and the silhouette of a woman appeared out of the copse. —
在黑暗中，传来了胆怯脚步的闷响声，一个女人的轮廓出现在丛林中。 —

I recognized her, although it was dark—it was Agafya. —
我认出她了，虽然天色已晚——那是阿加夫娅。 —

She came up to us diffidently and stopped, breathing hard. —
她拘谨地走近我们，停下来，呼吸急促。 —

She was breathless, probably not so much from walking as from fear and the unpleasant sensation everyone experiences in wading across a river at night. —
她是喘不过气来，可能不只是因为走路，更是因为恐惧以及每个人在夜间涉水过河时的不愉快感觉。 —

Seeing near the shanty not one but two persons, she uttered a faint cry and fell back a step.
看到小屋附近不止一个人，她发出了一声微弱的哭声，向后退了一步。

“Ah… that is you!” said Savka, stuffing a scone into his mouth.
“啊…是你啊！”萨夫卡说着，往嘴里塞了一块烤饼。

“Ye-es… I,” she muttered, dropping on the ground a bundle of some sort and looking sideways at me. —
“是…我，”她嘟囔着，把一捆东西放在地上，斜眼看着我。 —

“Yakov sent his greetings to you and told me to give you. —
“雅科夫向你问好，并让我给你带来一些东西。” —

.. something here….”
“别来这套了，雅科夫！”萨夫卡笑着说。“没必要撒谎；

“Come, why tell stories? Yakov!” laughed Savka. “There is no need for lying; —
这位绅士知道你为什么来了！坐下来； —

the gentleman knows why you have come! Sit down; —
你要和我们一起吃晚饭。” —

you shall have supper with us.”
“我应该好好补偿你，因为我的西装现在非常潮湿。”

Agafya looked sideways at me and sat down irresolutely.
阿加费娅斜眼看着我，犹豫不定地坐了下来。

“I thought you weren’t coming this evening,” Savka said, after a prolonged silence. —
“我以为你今晚不会来了，”萨夫卡在一个漫长的沉默后说道。 —

“Why sit like that? Eat! Or shall I give you a drop of vodka?”
“为什么坐得那样？吃吧！还是我给你点伏特加？”

“What an idea!” laughed Agafya; “do you think you have got hold of a drunkard?…”
“真是个好主意！”阿加费娅笑着说道，“你以为你找到一个酗酒的人了吗？…”

“Oh, drink it up…. Your heart will feel warmer…. There!”
“喝了吧…. 你的心会感到温暖….”

Savka gave Agafya the crooked glass. She slowly drank the vodka, ate nothing with it, but drew a deep breath when she had finished.
萨夫卡递给阿加费娅弯曲的玻璃杯。她缓慢地喝了伏特加，没有搭配任何食物，但喝完后深深地吸了口气。

“You’ve brought something,” said Savka, untying the bundle and throwing a condescending, jesting shade into his voice. —
“你带了些什么，”萨夫卡解开捆绑着轻蔑地开玩笑的声音。 —

“Women can never come without bringing something. Ah, pie and potatoes. —
“女人永远不能空手而来。啊，派和土豆。” —

… They live well,” he sighed, turning to me. —
“…他们过得不错，”他对我说。 —

“They are the only ones in the whole village who have got potatoes left from the winter!”
“他们是村子里唯一留下冬季剩余土豆的人！”

In the darkness I did not see Agafya’s face, but from the movement of her shoulders and head it seemed to me that she could not take her eyes off Savka’s face. —
在黑暗中我看不到阿加费娅的脸，但从她肩膀和头的动作看来，她似乎无法移开目光，盯着萨夫卡的脸。 —

To avoid being the third person at this tryst, I decided to go for a walk and got up. —
为了避免成为这场密会的第三者，我决定出去走走，站了起来。 —

But at that moment a nightingale in the wood suddenly uttered two low contralto notes. —
但就在那时，树林中一只夜莺突然发出两个低沉的女低音音符。 —

Half a minute later it gave a tiny high trill and then, having thus tried its voice, began singing. —
半分钟后，它发出一个微小的高音颤音，然后，试过了声音后，开始歌唱。 —

Savka jumped up and listened.
萨夫卡跳了起来，倾听着。

“It’s the same one as yesterday,” he said. “Wait a minute.”
“昨天的还是那个，”他说。“等一下.”

And, getting up, he went noiselessly to the wood.
他无声地站了起来，走向树林。

“Why, what do you want with it?” I shouted out after him, “Stop!”
“喂，你要干嘛？”我大声喊道，“停下！”

Savka shook his hand as much as to say, “Don’t shout,” and vanished into the darkness. —
Savka摇摇手，好像在说“别喊”，然后消失在黑暗中。 —

Savka was an excellent sportsman and fisherman when he liked, but his talents in this direction were as completely thrown away as his strength. —
Savka是一个出色的运动员和钓鱼爱好者，但他在这方面的才能与他的力量一样白白浪费。 —

He was too slothful to do things in the routine way, and vented his passion for sport in useless tricks. —
他懒洋洋的，不按常规做事，而是把他对运动的热情发泄在没用的把戏上。 —

For instance, he would catch nightingales only with his hands, would shoot pike with a fowling piece, he would spend whole hours by the river trying to catch little fish with a big hook.
比如，他只用手捉夜莺，用猎枪射狗鱼，他会在河边花几个小时，试图用大钩子抓小鱼。

Left alone with me, Agafya coughed and passed her hand several times over her forehead. —
与我单独在一起时，阿加菲娅咳嗽了几次，手多次擦过额头。 —

… She began to feel a little drunk from the vodka.
… 喝了伏特加后，她开始感觉有点醉了。

“How are you getting on, Agasha?” I asked her, after a long silence, when it began to be awkward to remain mute any longer.
“你好吗，阿加莎？”我在长时间的沉默之后问她，不再保持沉默开始感到尴尬。

“Very well, thank God…. Don’t tell anyone, sir, will you?” she added suddenly in a whisper.
“非常好，感谢上帝。不要告诉任何人，先生，可以吗？”她突然压低声音说。

“That’s all right,” I reassured her. —
“没事，”我安慰她。 —

“But how reckless you are, Agasha!… What if Yakov finds out?”
“但你好大胆，阿加莎！如果雅科夫发现了怎么办？”

“He won’t find out.”
“他不会知道的。”

“But what if he does?”
“如果他知道了呢？”

“No… I shall be at home before he is. —
“不，我会比他回家早。” —

He is on the line now, and he will come back when the mail train brings him, and from here I can hear when the train’s coming….”
“他现在在电话那头，等邮车送他回来，从这里我可以听见火车的声音……”

Agafya once more passed her hand over her forehead and looked away in the direction in which Savka had vanished. —
Agafya再次用手揉了揉额头，朝Savka消失的方向望去。 —

The nightingale was singing. Some night bird flew low down close to the ground and, noticing us, was startled, fluttered its wings and flew across to the other side of the river.
夜莺在歌唱着。一只夜鸟低低地飞近地面，注意到我们后吃惊地振动着翅膀，飞过河对岸。

Soon the nightingale was silent, but Savka did not come back. —
不久夜莺停止了歌声，但Savka却没有回来。 —

Agafya got up, took a few steps uneasily, and sat down again.
Agafya站起来，走了几步不安地又坐了下来。

“What is he doing?” she could not refrain from saying. —
“他在干什么？”她忍不住说道。 —

“The train’s not coming in to-morrow! —
“明天火车不会到来！” —

I shall have to go away directly.”
“我得立刻离开。”

“Savka,” I shouted. “Savka.”
“Savka，”我喊道。“Savka。”

I was not answered even by an echo. Agafya moved uneasily and sat down again.
我连回声都没有听到。Agafya不安地移动着坐下。

“It’s time I was going,” she said in an agitated voice. —
“我该走了，”她声音激动地说道。 —

“The train will be here directly! I know when the trains come in.”
“火车马上就要到了！我知道火车什么时候开过来。”

The poor woman was not mistaken. Before a quarter of an hour had passed a sound was heard in the distance.
不出一个刻钟，贫穷的女人的话没有错。远处传来了声音。

Agafya kept her eyes fixed on the copse for a long time and moved her hands impatiently.
Agafya长时间地凝视着树丛，不耐烦地挥动着手。

“Why, where can he be?” she said, laughing nervously. —
“为什么，他去哪里了呢？”她神经兮兮地笑着说。 —

“Where has the devil carried him? I am going! —
“魔鬼把他带到哪里去了？我要走了！ —

I really must be going.”
我真的必须要走了。”

Meanwhile the noise was growing more and more distinct. —
与此同时，噪音变得越来越清晰。 —

By now one could distinguish the rumble of the wheels from the heavy gasps of the engine. —
现在可以分辨出车轮的隆隆声和引擎的沉重喘息声。 —

Then we heard the whistle, the train crossed the bridge with a hollow rumble. —
然后我们听到了汽笛声，火车带着一阵空洞的辘辘声穿过桥梁。 —

.. another minute and all was still.
又过了一分钟，一切又恢复了宁静。

“I’ll wait one minute more,” said Agafya, sitting down resolutely. —
“我再等一分钟，”阿加夫娅坚决地坐了下来。 —

“So be it, I’ll wait.”
“那就这样，我会等的。”

At last Savka appeared in the darkness. He walked noiselessly on the crumbling earth of the kitchen gardens and hummed something softly to himself.
最后，萨夫卡出现在黑暗中。他在菜园里的松软泥土上无声无息地走着，并轻声哼着什么。

“Here’s a bit of luck; what do you say to that now?” he said gaily. —
“这可真是碰上好事了；你看如何？”他开心地说。 —

“As soon as I got up to the bush and began taking aim with my hand it left off singing! —
“当我走向灌木丛，伸手瞄准时，它停止了歌唱！ —

Ah, the bald dog! I waited and waited to see when it would begin again, but I had to give it up.”
啊，这只秃顶的狗！我等啊等，想看它什么时候会再开始唱，但我只好放弃了。”

Savka flopped clumsily down to the ground beside Agafya and, to keep his balance, clutched at her waist with both hands.
萨夫卡笨拙地跌坐在阿加夫娅身旁的地上，为了保持平衡，他用双手抓住她的腰。

“Why do you look cross, as though your aunt were your mother?” he asked.
“你为什么看起来生气，就像你的姑姑是你的母亲一样呢？”他问到。

With all his soft-heartedness and good-nature, Savka despised women. —
尽管萨夫卡心地善良，性情温和，但他鄙视女人。 —

He behaved carelessly, condescendingly with them, and even stooped to scornful laughter of their feelings for himself. —
他对她们态度放肆，居高临下，甚至会轻蔑地嘲笑她们对自己的感情。 —

God knows, perhaps this careless, contemptuous manner was one of the causes of his irresistible attraction for the village Dulcineas. —
天知道，也许正是这种漫不经心、轻蔑的态度是他在村庄里对那些杜尔奇内亚女人们无法抗拒的原因之一。 —

He was handsome and well-built; in his eyes there was always a soft friendliness, even when he was looking at the women he so despised, but the fascination was not to be explained by merely external qualities. —
他英俊而健壮；他的眼中总是带着柔和的友好，即使当他看着他如此鄙视的女人们，但这种魅力并不仅仅是外在品质。 —

Apart from his happy exterior and original manner, one must suppose that the touching position of Savka as an acknowledged failure and an unhappy exile from his own hut to the kitchen gardens also had an influence upon the women.
除了他快乐的外表和独特的举止外，我们必须假定，萨夫卡这位别墅里被公认的失败者、从自己的小屋流放到菜园中的不幸命运也对这些女人们产生了影响。

“Tell the gentleman what you have come here for! —
“告诉这位先生你来这里做什么了！ —

” Savka went on, still holding Agafya by the waist. —
” 萨夫卡说着，仍然搂着阿加费娅的腰。 —

“Come, tell him, you good married woman! Ho-ho! —
“来，告诉他，你这个善良的已婚女人！嘿嘿！ —

Shall we have another drop of vodka, friend Agasha?”
我们来喝另一口伏特加，朋友阿加莎？”

I got up and, threading my way between the plots, I walked the length of the kitchen garden. —
我站起来，在菜园的地块间穿行。 —

The dark beds looked like flattened-out graves. —
那些黑暗的地块看起来像是被展平的坟墓。 —

They smelt of dug earth and the tender dampness of plants beginning to be covered with dew. —
它们散发着挖开土地和开始被露水覆盖的植物微妙的潮湿气息。 —

… A red light was still gleaming on the left. —
…左侧仍然闪烁着一抹红光。 —

It winked genially and seemed to smile.
它友好地眨眼，似乎在微笑。

I heard a happy laugh. It was Agafya laughing.
我听到一阵快乐的笑声。那是阿加菲娅在笑。

“And the train?” I thought. “The train has come in long ago.”
“火车呢？”我想。“火车早就进站了。”

Waiting a little longer, I went back to the shanty. —
再等一会儿，我回到了板屋。 —

Savka was sitting motionless, his legs crossed like a Turk, and was softly, scarcely audibly humming a song consisting of words of one syllable something like: —
萨夫卡静静地坐着，像土耳其人一样盘腿，轻轻地哼着一个由单音节词组成的歌曲，类似于： —

“Out on you, fie on you… I and you.” Agafya, intoxicated by the vodka, by Savka’s scornful caresses, and by the stifling warmth of the night, was lying on the earth beside him, pressing her face convulsively to his knees. —
“妈妈呀，该死的…我和你。” 阿加夫娅被伏特加、萨夫卡蔑视的爱抚以及酷热的夜晚所迷醉，躺在他身边的地上，痉挛地把脸挤在他膝盖上。 —

She was so carried away by her feelings that she did not even notice my arrival.
她被自己的感情席卷，甚至没有注意到我的到来。

“Agasha, the train has been in a long time,” I said.
“阿加沙，火车早就进站了，”我说。

“It’s time—it’s time you were gone,” Savka, tossing his head, took up my thought. —
“该走了—该走了，”萨夫卡颤动着头，接过了我的话。 —

“What are you sprawling here for? You shameless hussy!”
“你为什么在这里躺着？你这个无耻的婊子！”

Agafya started, took her head from his knees, glanced at me, and sank down beside him again.
阿加夫娅吃惊地抬起头，从他的膝盖上移开，看了看我，又沉下去靠在他身边。

“You ought to have gone long ago,” I said.
“你早就应该走了，”我说。

Agafya turned round and got up on one knee…. She was unhappy. —
阿加夫娅转过身，单膝跪起….她很不幸。 —

… For half a minute her whole figure, as far as I could distinguish it through the darkness, expressed conflict and hesitation. —
……有半分钟，她整个身体，至少我透过黑暗可以看出的部分，都表现出冲突和犹豫。 —

There was an instant when, seeming to come to herself, she drew herself up to get upon her feet, but then some invincible and implacable force seemed to push her whole body, and she sank down beside Savka again.
有一刻，她似乎清醒过来，试图站起来，但然后某种无法抗拒和无情的力量似乎推动她整个身体，她又沉到萨夫卡身边。

“Bother him!” she said, with a wild, guttural laugh, and reckless determination, impotence, and pain could be heard in that laugh.
“去他的！”她说，带着一种狂野的、喉咙低沉的笑声，那笑声中可以听到无能、痛苦和决心。

I strolled quietly away to the copse, and from there down to the river, where our fishing lines were set. —
我悠然地走向小树林，然后沿着河流走下去，我们的钓鱼线就设置在那里。 —

The river slept. Some soft, fluffy- petalled flower on a tall stalk touched my cheek tenderly like a child who wants to let one know it’s awake. —
河水静静地入睡了。一朵柔软、蓬松的花朵，长在高高的茎上，像一个想要让别人知道它醒了的孩子般温柔地触碰着我的脸颊。 —

To pass the time I felt for one of the lines and pulled at it. —
为打发时间，我摸索着找到一根渔线，轻轻拉扯着它。 —

It yielded easily and hung limply—nothing had been caught. —
它很容易就被拉了起来，没有什么东西被钓到。 —

… The further bank and the village could not be seen. —
…对岸和村子的身影已经看不见了。 —

A light gleamed in one hut, but soon went out. —
一间小屋里闪烁着一点光，但很快就熄灭了。 —

I felt my way along the bank, found a hollow place which I had noticed in the daylight, and sat down in it as in an arm-chair. —
我摸索着沿着河岸走，找到一个在白天就注意到的凹处，坐下来就像坐在一把扶手椅上一样。 —

I sat there a long time…. I saw the stars begin to grow misty and lose their brightness; —
我在那里坐了很长时间….我看着星星开始变得朦胧失去了它们的光辉； —

a cool breath passed over the earth like a faint sigh and touched the leaves of the slumbering osiers….
一股凉爽的气息掠过大地，仿佛是轻轻叹息，触摸到沉睡的柳枝叶….

“A-ga-fya!” a hollow voice called from the village. “Agafya!”
“阿加菲娅！”一个空洞的声音从村子里喊道。“阿加菲娅！”

It was the husband, who had returned home, and in alarm was looking for his wife in the village. —
那是丈夫，已经回到家，惊慌地在村子里寻找他的妻子。 —

At that moment there came the sound of unrestrained laughter: —
此时传来了无节制的笑声： —

the wife, forgetful of everything, sought in her intoxication to make up by a few hours of happiness for the misery awaiting her next day.
妻子在酒醉中忘记了一切，试图通过几个小时的快乐来弥补第二天等待她的不幸。

I dropped asleep.
我不知不觉地睡着了。

When I woke up Savka was sitting beside me and lightly shaking my shoulder. —
当我醒来时，萨夫卡坐在我旁边，轻轻摇晃着我的肩膀。 —

The river, the copse, both banks, green and washed, trees and fields—all were bathed in bright morning light. —
河水、小树林、两岸、郁郁葱葱的绿色、树木和田野，一切都被明亮的晨光洗礼着。 —

Through the slim trunks of the trees the rays of the newly risen sun beat upon my back.
透过树木细长的树干，新升起的阳光射在我的背上。

“So that’s how you catch fish?” laughed Savka. “Get up!”
“这就是你钓鱼的方法？”萨夫卡笑着说。“起来！”

I got up, gave a luxurious stretch, and began greedily drinking in the damp and fragrant air.
我站起来，舒展了一下，贪婪地呼吸着潮湿芬芳的空气。

“Has Agasha gone?” I asked.
“阿加莎走了吗？”我问。

“There she is,” said Savka, pointing in the direction of the ford.
“她在那儿呢，”萨夫卡指着渡口的方向说。

I glanced and saw Agafya. Dishevelled, with her kerchief dropping off her head, she was crossing the river, holding up her skirt. —
我看了一眼，看到了阿加菲娅。头巾散乱，裙子提得高高的，她正渡河。 —

Her legs were scarcely moving….
她的腿几乎没动……

“The cat knows whose meat it has eaten,” muttered Savka, screwing up his eyes as he looked at her. —
“猫知道吃的是谁的肉，”萨夫卡眯着眼睛说着，看着她。 —

“She goes with her tail hanging down…. They are sly as cats, these women, and timid as hares. —
“她尾巴都耷拉着了…女人们跟猫一样狡猾，像兔子一样胆小。 —

… She didn’t go, silly thing, in the evening when we told her to! —
..她真笨，晚上我们让她走她没走！ —

Now she will catch it, and they’ll flog me again at the peasant court. —
现在她要倒霉了，他们会在乡村法庭再次鞭打我。 —

.. all on account of the women….”
..都是因为这些女人….”

Agafya stepped upon the bank and went across the fields to the village. —
阿加菲娅踏上岸边，穿过田野向村庄走去。 —

At first she walked fairly boldly, but soon terror and excitement got the upper hand; —
起初她走得相当大胆，但很快恐惧和兴奋占了上风； —

she turned round fearfully, stopped and took breath.
她惊恐地转过头，停下来喘口气。

“Yes, you are frightened!” Savka laughed mournfully, looking at the bright green streak left by Agafya in the dewy grass. —
“是的，你害怕了！” 萨夫卡悲伤地笑着，看着阿加夫娅在泥泞的草地上留下的明亮的绿色痕迹。 —

“She doesn’t want to go! Her husband’s been standing waiting for her for a good hour. —
“她不想走！她的丈夫已经站在那里等她好几个小时了。 —

… Did you see him?”
… 你看见他了吗？”

Savka said the last words with a smile, but they sent a chill to my heart. —
萨夫卡微笑着说出最后几句话，但这让我的心中一阵寒意。 —

In the village, near the furthest hut, Yakov was standing in the road, gazing fixedly at his returning wife. —
在村子里，靠近最远的小屋，亚科夫站在路中，凝视着回来的妻子。 —

He stood without stirring, and was as motionless as a post. —
他站在那里一动不动，像一根柱子一样。 —

What was he thinking as he looked at her? What words was he preparing to greet her with? —
他在看她的时候在想些什么？他准备用什么话语来迎接她？ —

Agafya stood still a little while, looked round once more as though expecting help from us, and went on. —
阿加夫娅站了一会儿不动，又看了一眼，仿佛在期待我们的帮助，然后继续走去。 —

I have never seen anyone, drunk or sober, move as she did. —
我从未见过有人无论醉酒还是清醒，像她那样行动。 —

Agafya seemed to be shrivelled up by her husband’s eyes. —
阿加夫娅似乎被丈夫的眼光压缩了。 —

At one time she moved in zigzags, then she moved her feet up and down without going forward, bending her knees and stretching out her hands, then she staggered back. —
她时而蜿蜒前行，然后起伏地踏着脚步而不前行，弯曲着膝盖，伸出双手，然后又摇摇晃晃地后退。 —

When she had gone another hundred paces she looked round once more and sat down.
当她又走了一百步时，又看了一眼，然后坐了下来。

“You ought at least to hide behind a bush…” I said to Savka. “If the husband sees you…”
“至少应该躲在灌木后面…” 我对萨夫卡说。“如果丈夫看见你的话…”

“He knows, anyway, who it is Agafya has come from. —
“无论如何，他知道阿加夫娅是从谁那里来的。 —

… The women don’t go to the kitchen garden at night for cabbages—we all know that.”
… 女人们不会在夜里去菜园摘白菜的—我们都知道这点。”

I glanced at Savka’s face. It was pale and puckered up with a look of fastidious pity such as one sees in the faces of people watching tortured animals.
我瞥了一眼萨夫卡的脸。它苍白，皱巴巴的，带着一种看待被折磨动物时所见的过分怜悯的表情。

“What’s fun for the cat is tears for the mouse…” he muttered.
“对猫来说有趣，对老鼠来说却是眼泪…” 他喃喃道。

Agafya suddenly jumped up, shook her head, and with a bold step went towards her husband. She had evidently plucked up her courage and made up her mind.
阿加夫娅突然跳起来，摇了摇头，大步走向她丈夫。她显然鼓起了勇气，做出了决定。