THEN began and flowed on with astonishing rapidity an intense, varied, inexpressibly strange life. —
然后开始并以惊人的快速度流动,展现出多样化、无法言喻地奇异的生活。 —

It remindedme of a crude story, well told by a good-natured but irritatingly truthful genius. —
它让我想起一个粗糙的故事,由一个善良但令人恼人的真实天才讲述得很好。 —

Now, in recalling the past, Imyself find it difficult to believe, at this distance of time, that things really were as they were, and I have longedto dispute or reject the facts the cruelty of the drab existence of an unwelcome relation is too painful tocontemplate. —
现在,回忆过去,我自己发现很难相信,到这么远的时间距离,事实确实是那样,我渴望质疑或拒绝那些残酷的事实,不愿触及令人痛苦的无意中存在的亲戚。 —

But truth is stronger than pity, and besides, I am writing not about myself but about that narrow,stifling environment of unpleasant impressions in which lived aye, and to this day lives the average Russian ofthis class.
但真相比怜悯更强大,而且我写的不是关于我自己而是关于这个窄小、令人窒息的环境,充满了讨厌的印象,在这个层次的俄罗斯人 aye, 直到今天还生活着。

My grandfather’s house simply seethed with mutual hostility; —
我祖父的房子简直充满了相互的敌意; —

all the grown people were infected and even thechildren were inoculated with it. —
所有长大的人都受到了感染,甚至孩子们也被接种了疫苗。 —

I had learned, from overhearing grandmother’s conversation, that my motherarrived upon the very day when her brothers demanded the distribution of the property from their father. —
我从奶奶的谈话中听说,我的母亲回来的那一天,她的兄弟们要求父亲分配财产。 —

Herunexpected return made their desire for this all the keener and stronger, because they were afraid that my motherwould claim the dowry intended for her, but withheld by my grandfather because she had married secretly andagainst his wish. —
她意外地回来使他们渴望和强烈,因为他们担心我的母亲会要求为她准备的嫁妆,但因为她秘密结婚违背了祖父的意愿而被拒绝。 —

My uncles considered that this dowry ought to be divided amongst them all. —
我的叔叔们认为这份嫁妆应该平均分给他们。 —

Added to this, theyhad been quarreling violently for a long time among themselves as to who should open a workshop in the town,or on the Oka in the village of Kunavin.
除此之外,他们已经在很长时间里激烈地争吵,讨论谁应该在镇上或库纳文村的奥卡河边开设车间。

One day, very shortly after our arrival, a quarrel broke out suddenly at dinner-time. —
一天,我们刚到不久,午饭时突然爆发了一场争吵。 —

My uncles started to theirfeet and, leaning across the table, began to shout and yell at grandfather, snarling and shaking themselves likedogs; —
我的叔叔站起身来,趴在桌子上,开始对祖父大声喊叫,咆哮着像狗一样摇晃着自己; —

and grandfather, turning very red, rapped on the table with a spoon and cried in a piercing tone of voice,like the crowing of a cock: —
祖父脸色大变,拿汤匙敲桌子,尖声地呼喊,像公鸡啼叫一样: —

“I will turn you out of doors !”
“我要把你们赶出去!”

With her face painfully distorted, grandmother said : —
奶奶痛苦地扭曲着脸说: —

“Give them what they ask, Father; then you will have somepeace.”
“父亲,给他们要求的东西,然后你会有一些平静。”

“Be quiet, simpleton !” shouted my grandfather with flashing eyes; —
“闭嘴,傻瓜!”我的祖父怒目而视地喊道; —

and it was wonderful, seeing how small hewas, that he could yell with such deafening effect.
令人惊讶的是,他这么小,却能发出震耳欲聋的喊声。

  My mother rose from the table, and going calmly to the window, turned her back upon us all.
我母亲从桌子上站起来,平静地走到窗前,背对着我们所有人。

Suddenly Uncle Michael struck his brother on the face with the back of his hand. —
突然,迈克尔叔叔用手背打了他的哥哥的脸。 —

The latter, with a howl of rage,grappled with him; —
前者怒吼一声,和他扭打在一起; —

both rolled on the floor growling, gasping for breath and abusing each other. —
他们俩在地板上打成一团,咆哮着,喘着气,互相辱骂。 —

The childrenbegan to cry, and my Aunt Natalia, who was with child, screamed wildly; —
孩子们开始哭泣,我的婶婶纳塔莉亚,怀孕的她疯狂尖叫; —

my mother seized her round the bodyand dragged her somewhere out of the way; —
我母亲抱住她的身体,把她从人群中拉到一边; —

the lively little nursemaid, Eugenia, drove the children out of thekitchen; —
活泼的保姆尤金妮亚把孩子们赶出了厨房; —

chairs were knocked down; the young, broad-shouldered foreman, Tsiganok, sat on Uncle Michael’sback, while the head of the works, Gregory Ivanovitch, a bald-headed, bearded man with colored spectacles,calmly bound up my uncle’s hands with towels.
椅子被推倒;高大的年轻工头次加诺克坐在迈克尔叔叔的背上,而工厂负责人格雷戈里·伊万诺维奇,则冷静地用毛巾捆住了我叔叔的手。

Turning his head and letting his thin, straggly, black beard trail on the floor, Uncle Michael cursed horribly, andgrandfather, running round the table, exclaimed bitterly: —
驼背地转过头来,让他稀疏的黑胡须拖在地板上,迈克尔叔叔狠狠地诅咒着;祖父绕着桌子跑,痛苦地呼喊道: —

“And these are brothers! … Blood relations! —
“这就是兄弟! … 血缘关系! —

… Shameon you!”
… 你们的羞耻!”

At the beginning of the quarrel I had jumped on to the stove in terror; —
争吵开始时,我吓得跳到了炉子上。 —

and thence, with painful amazement, I hadwatched grandmother as she washed Uncle Jaakov’s battered face in a small basin of water, while he cried andstamped his feet, and she said in a sad voice: —
我痛苦地惊奇地看着奶奶用一只小盆里的水为叔叔雅科夫洗脸,他哭着直跺脚,奶奶用悲伤的声音说: —

“Wicked creatures! You are nothing better than a family of wildbeasts. —
“邪恶的家伙!你们不过是一群野兽而已。 —

When will you come to your senses’?”
你们什么时候才能醒悟呢?”

Grandfather, dragging his torn shirt over his shoulder, called out to her: —
爷爷拉着破烂的衬衫挂在肩上,对奶奶说: —

“So you have brought wild animals intothe world, eh, old woman?”
“你把野兽带进这个世界,是吗,老太婆?”

When Uncle Jaakov went out, grandmother retired to a corner and, quivering with grief, prayed : —
雅科夫叔叔走出去后,奶奶退到角落里,颤抖着悲伤地祈祷: —

“Holy Motherof God, bring my children to their senses.”
“圣母玛利亚,请让我的孩子们醒悟。”

  Grandfather stood beside her, and, glancing at the table, on which everything was upset or spilled, said softly :
爷爷站在她旁边,看向桌上一切都被推倒或洒出,轻声说道:

“When you think of them, Mother, and then of the little one they pester Varia about . —
“你想想他们,母亲,再想想他们一直纠缠瓦丽亚的小家伙. . 谁才是最善良的?” —

. . who has the bestnature?”
“闭嘴,求求你!脱下那件衬衫,我来修补. .”

“Hold your tongue, for goodness sake! Take off that shirt and I will mend it… . —
奶奶把手掌放在他的头上,在他的额头上亲了一下; —

” And laying the palms of herhands on his head, grandmother kissed his forehead; —
他那么小,比她矮小,把脸贴在她的肩膀上,说: —

and he so small compared to her pressing his face againsther shoulder, said:
“我们必须给他们他们的份额,母亲,这是明显的。”

  “We shall have to give them their shares, Mother, that is plain.”
“是的,父亲,这必须得做。”

  “Yes, Father, it will have to be done.”
“Father, it will have to be done.”

  Then they talked for a long time; amicably at first, but it was not long before grandfather began to scrape his feeton the floor like a cock before a fight, and holding up a threatening finger to grandmother, said in a fiercewhisper :
然后他们聊了很长时间;一开始友好地,但不久祖父就开始在地板上像一个打架的公鸡一样拖脚,并举起威胁性的手指指向祖母,用凶狠的低声说:

“I know you ! You love them more than me… . And what is your Mischka? a Jesuit ! —
“我知道你!你爱他们比爱我多……你的密斯卡是什么?一个耶稣会士! —

And Jaaschka aFreemason! And they live on me… . —
雅斯卡是共济会会员!他们在我身上过活…… —

Hangers-on ! That is all they are.”
徒弟!他们就是这样的。”

  Uneasily turning on the stove, I knocked down an iron, which fell with a crash like a thunder-clap.
不安地调整火炉时,我打下了一只铁器,像雷一样摔倒。

  Grandfather jumped up on the step, dragged me down, and stared at me as if he now saw me for the first time.
祖父跳上台阶,把我拉下来,盯着我看,仿佛他现在第一次看到我一样。

  “Who put you on the stove? Your mother?”
“是谁把你放到火炉上的?你妈妈吗?”

  “I got up there by myself.”
“我自己爬上去的。”

  “You are lying!”
“你在撒谎!”

  “No I ‘m not. I did get up there by myself. I was frightened.”
“不,我没有。我是自己爬上去的。我害怕。”

  He pushed me away from him, lightly striking me on the head with the palm of his hand.
他用手掌轻轻地敲了我一下头,把我推开。

  “Just like your father ! Get out of my sight !”
“就和你爸爸一样!滚出我的视线!”

  And I was only too glad to run out of the kitchen.
我非常高兴地跑出了厨房。

I was very well aware that grandfather’s shrewd, sharp green eyes followed me everywhere, and I was afraid ofhim. —
我深知祖父那双精明锐利的绿眼睛无处不在地注视着我,我很害怕他。 —

I remember how I always wished to hide myself from that fierce glance. —
我记得我总是希望躲避那狠厉的目光。 —

It seemed to me that grandfatherwas malevolent ; —
我觉得祖父是邪恶的; —

he spoke to every one mockingly and offensively, and, being provocative, did his best to putevery one else out of temper.
他对每个人都嘲笑和冒犯,挑衅地尽力让其他人心烦意乱。

  “Ugh! Tou!” he exclaimed frequently.
“咄!”他经常呼喊。

The long-drawn-out sound “U-gh !” always reminds me of a sensation of misery and chill. —
那个拖得很长的声音“咕——”总是让我想起悲伤和寒冷的感觉。 —

In the recreation hour,the time for evening tea, when he, my uncles and the workmen came into the kitchen from the workshop weary,with their hands stained with santaline and burnt by sulphuric acid, their hair bound with linen bands, all lookinglike the dark-featured icon in the corner of the kitchen in that hour of dread my grandfather used to sit opposite tome, arousing the envy of the other grandchildren by speaking to me oftener than to them. —
在休息时间,也就是晚茶时间,当他、我的叔叔和工人们从车间走进厨房时,他们双手被檀香素染黑、被硫酸烧伤,头发用亚麻布条固定,看起来像厨房角落的深色图标,在那可怕的时刻,我的祖父经常坐在我对面,比其他孙子更常跟我说话,引起其他孩子对我的嫉妒。 —

Everything about himwas trenchant and to the point. —
他的一切都锐利而直接。 —

His heavy satin waistcoat embroidered with silk was old; —
他沉重的缎子马甲上绣着丝绸已经旧了; —

his much-scrubbed shirtof colored cotton was crumpled ; —
他那件用多次擦拭的彩棉衬衫皱巴巴; —

great patches flaunted themselves on the knees of his trousers; —
他裤膝处大块的补丁张扬着; —

and yet heseemed to be dressed with more cleanliness and more refinement than his sons, who wore false shirtfronts andsilk neckties.
然而他的穿着似乎更干净更精致,比他那些戴假衬衫和丝绸领带的儿子更加体面。

Some days after our arrival he set me to learn the prayers. —
我们到达后几天,他让我学习祷文。 —

All the other children were older than myself, andwere already being taught to read and write by the clerk of Uspenski Church. —
其他所有孩子都比我大,已经由乌斯彭斯基教堂的书记教他们读写。 —

Timid Aunt Natalia used to teachme softly. —
胆怯的娜塔莉亚阿姨总是轻声教我。 —

She was a woman with a childlike countenance, and such transparent eyes that it seemed to me that,looking into them, one might see what was inside her head. —
她是一个长着孩子般面容,眼睛透明得让我觉得,透过它们可以看见她脑袋里的东西。 —

I loved to look into those eyes of hers withoutshifting my gaze and without blinking; —
我喜欢凝视她那双眼睛,不移开视线,也不眨眼; —

they used to twinkle as she turned her head away and said very softly,almost in a whisper: —
她转过头,眼睛闪烁着,几乎轻声地说: —

“That will do. … Now please say ‘Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. .
“就到这里吧…现在念‘我们在天上的父’。

. .’ ” And if I asked, “What does ‘hallowed be Thy name’ mean? —
’”如果我问,“‘愿祢的名受尊崇’是什么意思? —

” she would glance round timidly and admonishme thus: “Don’t ask questions. —
”她会胆怯地环顾四周,这样警告我:“不要问问题。 —

It is wrong. Just say after me ‘Our Father …’ ’
问问题是不对的。跟我念‘我们在天上的父…’”

Her words troubled me. Why was it wrong to ask questions’? —
她的话让我感到困扰。为什么问问题是错的? —

The words “hallowed be Thy name” acquired amysterious significance in my mind, and I purposely mixed them up in every possible way.
“愿祢的名受尊崇”在我的脑海中变得神秘起来,我故意把它们搅在一起。

But my aunt, pale and almost exhausted, patiently cleared her throat, which was always husky, and said, “No,that is not right. —
但是,我瘦弱的姑姑耐心地清了清总是沙哑的喉咙,说,“不,那不对。 —

Just say fallowed be Thy name.’ It is plain enough.”
只是念‘尊崇祢的名。’很容易理解。”

  But my aunt, pale and almost exhausted, patiently irritated me, and hindered me from remembering the prayer.
但是,我那瘦弱、几乎筋疲力尽的姑姑让我感到烦躁,阻止我记住祷文。

  One day my grandfather inquired:
有一天,我的祖父问道:

“Well, Oleysha, what have you been doing today? ,. Playing? —
“唔,奥列夏,你今天做了什么?玩吗? —

The bruises on your forehead told me as much.
额头上的淤青告诉我这一点。

  Bruises are got cheaply. And how about ‘Our Father? Have you learnt it?”
淤青是容易得到的。‘我们在天上的父’学会了吗?”

  “He has a very bad memory,” said my aunt softly.
“他的记性很差,”姑姑轻声说。

Grandfather smiled as if he were glad, lifting his sandy eyebrows. —
祖父微笑着,好像很高兴,扬起那沙色的眉毛。 —

“And what of it? He must be whipped ; that ‘sall.”
“那又怎样?他必须受到鞭打;就这样。”

  And again he turned to me.
然后他又转向我。

  “Did your father ever whip you?”
“你父亲有没有打过你?”

  As I did not know what he was talking about, I was silent, but my mother replied:
我不知道他在说什么,所以保持沉默,但我母亲回答道:

  “No, Maxim never beat him, and what is more, forbade me to do so.”
“没有,马克西姆从来没有打过他,而且更重要的是,还禁止我这样做。”

  “And why, may I ask?”
“那么,我可以问问为什么吗?”

  “He said that beating is not education.”
“他说,打人不是教育。”

“He was a fool about everything that Maxim. May God forgive me for speaking so of the dead! —
“在所有事情上他都是个傻瓜。愿上帝原谅我对逝者如此说! —

” exclaimedgrandfather distinctly and angrily. He saw at once that these words enraged me. —
“祖父愤怒地说道。他立刻意识到这些话激怒了我。 —

“What is that sullen face for?’ heasked. “Ugh! … Ton! … —
“你那副阴沉的脸是怎么回事?”他问道。“啊!…咚!…” —

” And smoothing down his reddish, silver-streaked hair, he added: —
然后平抚着自己那红褐色、夹杂着银色线条的头发,他补充道: —

’ “And this verySaturday I am going to give Sascha a hiding.”
“这个星期六,我打算让萨沙挨一顿打。”

  “What is a hiding?” I asked.
“什么是挨打?”我问道。

  They all laughed, and grandfather said: “Wait a bit, and you shall see.”
他们都笑了,祖父说:“等一会儿,你就会看到。”

In secret I pondered over the word “hiding. —
暗中我苦思“隐藏”这个词。 —

” Apparently it had the same meaning as to whip and beat. —
显然它有鞭打和殴打的意思。 —

I had seenpeople beat horses, dogs and cats, and in Astrakhan the soldiers used to beat the Persians; —
我见过人们鞭打马、狗和猫,在阿斯特拉罕士兵们也鞭打波斯人; —

but I had never beforeseen any one beat little children. —
但我从未见过有人殴打小孩。 —

Yet here my uncles hit their own children over the head and shoulders, and theybore it without resentment, merely rubbing the injured part; —
然而,这里我的叔叔们打自己的孩子的头和肩膀,他们都默默忍受,只是揉揉受伤的地方; —

and if I asked them whether they were hurt, theyalways answered bravely :
如果我问他们有没有受伤,他们总是勇敢地回答:

  “No, not a bit.”
“没有,一点也没有。”

  Then there was the famous story of the thimble.
然后是那个著名的顶针故事。

In the evenings, from tea-time to supper-time, my uncles and the head workman used to sew portions of dyedmaterial into one piece, to which they affixed tickets. —
每天傍晚,从茶时间到晚餐时间,我的叔叔们和主工人会把染色材料缝在一起,还会贴标签。 —

Wishing to play a trick on half-blind Gregory, UncleMichael had told his nine-year-old nephew to make his thimble red-hot in the candle-flame. —
叔叔米哈伊尔想捉弄老花眼的格里戈里,告诉他九岁的侄子把他的顶针在烛光里烧得通红。 —

Sascha heated thethimble in the snuffers, made it absolutely red-hot, and contriving, without attracting attention, to place it close toGregory’s hand, hid himself by the stove; —
萨沙用燃灭器把顶针加热到通红,偷偷把它放在格里戈里手边,然后躲在炉子旁; —

but as luck would have it, grandfather himself came in at that verymoment and, sitting down to work, slipped his finger into the red-hot thimble.
但不巧的是,就在那时,爷爷走进来,坐下来工作时,手指碰到了烫人的顶针。

  Hearing the tumult, I ran into the kitchen, and I shall never forget how funny grandfather looked nursing hisburnt finger as he jumped about and shrieked:
听到骚动声,我跑进厨房,我永远不会忘记爷爷揉着烫伤的手指跳来跳去尖叫的滑稽样子:

  “Where is the villain who played this trick?”
“是哪个恶棍玩这个把戏的?”

Uncle Michael, doubled up under the table, snatched up the thimble and blew upon it; —
叔叔米哈伊尔蜷缩在桌子下,拿起顶针吹了一口。 —

Gregory unconcernedlywent on sewing, while the shadows played on his enormous bald patch. —
格里高立顿然继续缝纫,而影子在他那秃头上跳动。 —

Then Uncle Jaakov rushed in, and,hiding himself in the corner by the stove, stood there quietly laughing; —
接着雅各伯叔叔匆匆走进来,躲在火炉旁的角落里,静静地笑着; —

grandmother busied herself with gratingup raw potatoes.
奶奶忙着磨生土豆。

  “Sascha Jaakov did it!” suddenly exclaimed Uncle Michael.
“是萨沙·雅各伯干的!”突然大叔米哈伊尔喊道。

  “Liar!” cried Jaakov, darting out from behind the stove.
“说谎!”雅各伯从火炉后闪出来。

  But his son, from one of the corners, wept and wailed :
但是他的儿子在角落里哭泣着:

  “Papa! don’t believe him. He showed me how to do it himself.”
“爸爸!别相信他。是他自己教我的。”

  My uncles began to abuse each other, but grandfather all at once grew calm, put a poultice of grated potatoes onhis finger, and silently went out, taking me with him.
我的叔叔开始相互辱骂,但爷爷突然变得镇定,用磨碎的土豆做了个药膏贴在他的手指上,默默地带着我出去。

They all said that Uncle Michael was to blame. —
他们都说米哈伊尔叔叔有错。 —

I asked naturally if he would be whipped, or get a hiding.
我自然地问他会被鞭笞或被打吗。

  “He ought to,” answered grandfather, with a side-long glance at me.
“他本该被打,”爷爷斜眼看着我回答道。

Uncle Michael, striking his hand upon the table, bawled at my mother : —
米哈伊尔叔叔拍着桌子,对着我妈妈嚷道: —

“Varvara, make your pup hold his jawbefore I knock his head off.”
“瓦尔瓦拉,让你的小狗闭嘴,要不然我敲烂他的脑袋。”

“Go on, then; try to lay your hands on him! —
“试试看,来动动手吧!”我妈妈回答道。然后大家都不再说话。 —

” replied my mother. And no one said another word.
“别扯淡了,争论有什么用!”爷爷突然插嘴说道。

She had a gift of pushing people out of her way, brushing them aside as it were, and making them feel very smallby a few brief words like these. —
她有一种能力,可以将人们推开,将他们推开,让他们感到自己很渺小,就像用这样几句简短的话。 —

It was perfectly clear to me that they were all afraid of her; —
我很清楚,他们都害怕她; —

even grandfatherspoke to her more quietly than he spoke to the others. —
连爷爷也比对其他人更轻声地与她说话。 —

It gave me great satisfaction to observe this, and in mypride I used to say openly to my cousins : —
看到这一切,我感到非常满意,我曾经在堂兄弟姐妹面前公开说: —

“My mother is a match for all of them. —
“我的母亲与他们所有人相提并论。 —

” And they did not deny it.
“ 他们没有否认。

  But the events which happened on Saturday diminished my respect for my mother.
但周六发生的事件减少了我对母亲的尊敬。

By Saturday I also had had time to get into trouble. —
在周六,我也有时间惹上麻烦。 —

I was fascinated by the ease with which the grown-up peoplechanged the color of different materials; they took something yellow, steeped it in black dye, and it came outdark blue. —
我被成年人如何轻松地改变不同材料的颜色所迷住;他们拿了一些黄色的东西,浸在黑色的染料中,它变成了深蓝色。 —

They laid a piece of gray stuff in reddish water and it was dyed mauve. —
他们把一块灰色的布放进红色的水中,被染成淡紫色。 —

It was quite simple, yet to meit was inexplicable. —
虽然很简单,但对我来说无法解释。 —

I longed to dye something myself, and I confided my desire to Sascha Yaakovitch, athoughtful boy, always in favor with his elders, always good-natured, obliging, and ready to wait upon everyone.
我渴望自己染东西,于是我向萨莎·雅科维奇倾诉,他是一个周到的男孩,一直受到长辈们的青睐,总是好脾气、乐于助人,随时准备侍奉他人。

  The adults praised him highly for his obedience and his cleverness, but grandfather looked on him with nofavorable eye, and used to say:
成年人对他的服从和聪明赞不绝口,但爷爷却不看好他,常常说:

  “An artful beggar that!”
“一个狡猾的乞丐!”

Thin and dark, with prominent, watchful eyes, Sascha Yaakov used to speak in a low, rapid voice, as if his wordswere choking him, and all the while he talked he glanced fearfully from side to side as if he were ready to runaway and hide himself on the slightest pretext. —
瘦小而黑暗,眼睛突出、警惕的萨沙·雅科夫总是低声快速地说话,好像他的话让他感到窒息一样,而且他谈话的时候总是从一边瞥眼看着别人,好像随时准备逃跑并找个借口藏起来。 —

The pupils of his hazel eyes were stationary except when he wasexcited, and then they became merged into the whites. —
他那双榛色眼睛的瞳孔平静地停留着,除非他兴奋起来,那时它们就会和白色融为一体。 —

I did not like him. I much preferred the despised idler,Sascha Michailovitch. —
我不喜欢他。我更喜欢被人鄙视的闲散之徒,萨沙·米哈伊洛维奇。 —

He was a quiet boy, with sad eyes and a pleasing smile, very like his kind mother. —
他是一个安静的男孩,眼神悲苦,笑容悦人,很像他善良的母亲。 —

He hadugly, protruding teeth, with a double row in the upper jaw; —
他拥有难看凸出的牙齿,上颚有一排又一排的牙齿; —

and being very greatly concerned about this defect, heconstantly had his fingers in his mouth, trying to loosen his back ones, very amiably allowing any one who choseto inspect them. —
非常关心这个缺陷,他经常把手指放进嘴里,试图松动他的后面牙齿,很亲切地让任何人检查。 —

But that was the only interesting thing about him. —
但这是关于他唯一有趣的事情。 —

He lived a solitary life in a house swarmingwith people, loving to sit in the dim corners in the daytime, and at the window in the evening; —
他在熙熙攘攘的人群中过着孤独的生活,白天喜欢坐在昏暗的角落里,在晚上则坐在窗前; —

quite happy if hecould remain without speaking, with his face pressed against the pane for hours together, gazing at the flock ofjackdaws which, now rising high above it, now sinking swiftly earthwards, in the red evening sky, circled roundthe dome of Uspenski Church, and finally, obscured by an opaque black cloud, disappeared somewhere, leavinga void behind them. —
如果能够保持沉默,脸贴在窗玻璃上数个小时,凝视着成群的寒鸦,洋溢在红晚空中,时而高高上升,时而急速坠落,绕着乌斯潘斯基教堂的圆顶盘旋,最终,在一团不透明的黑云中消失在某处,他会非常开心。 —

When he had seen this he had no desire to speak of it, but a pleasant languor took possessionof him.
当他看到这一切,他没有想要谈论它,但一种愉快的懒散感占据了他。

Uncle Jaakov’s Sascha, on the contrary, could talk about everything fluently and with authority, like a grown-upperson. —
相反,亚科夫叔叔的萨沙却能像大人般流畅而有权威地谈论一切。 —

Hearing of my desire to learn the process of dyeing, he advised me to take one of the best whitetablecloths from the cupboard and dye it blue.
听说我想学习染色的过程,他建议我从橱柜里拿出一块最好的白桌布,将它染成蓝色。

  “White always takes the color better, I know,” he said very seriously.
「我知道白色更容易上色,」他非常认真地说。

  I dragged out a heavy tablecloth and ran with it to the yard, but I had no more than lowered the hem of it into thevat of dark-blue dye when Tsiganok flew at me from somewhere, rescued the cloth, and wringing it out with hisrough hands, cried to my cousin, who had been looking on at my work from a safe place:
我拎起一块沉重的桌布,跑到院子里,但还没有将它的褶边浸入深蓝染料缸中,吉普赛人就从某处朝我扑来,救出了布料,用粗糙的手把它拧干,对着躲在安全地方观看我工作的表弟大声喊道:

  “Call your grandmother quickly.”
「快去叫你的祖母。」

  And shaking his black, dishevelled head ominously, he said to me:
摇着他那黑色凌乱的头,他对我说:

  “You’ll catch it for this.”
你会因为这件事受到惩罚的。

  Grandmother came running on to the scene, wailing, and even weeping, at the sight, and scolded me in herludicrous fashion:
祖母跑过来,哭叫着,甚至啜泣着,看到这一幕,用她滑稽可笑的方式责备我:

  “Oh, you young pickle ! I hope you will be spanked for this.”
“哦,你这个调皮的小家伙!希望你会因为这个受到打屁股。”

Afterwards, however, she said to Tsiganok: —
然后,她对Tsiganok说: —

“You needn’t say anything about this to grandfather, Vanka. I’llmanage to keep it from him. —
“你不必告诉祖父这件事,Vanka。我会设法不让他知道。 —

Let us hope that something will happen to take up his attention.”
希望会有一些事情发生分散他的注意力。”

  Vanka replied in a preoccupied manner, drying his hands on his multi-colored apron :
Vanka带着一个心不在焉的神情回答道,用他五颜六色的围裙擦着手:

  “Me? I shan’t tell: but you had better see that that Sascha doesn’t go and tell tales.”
“我不会说的:不过你最好看着让Sascha别去打小报告。”

  “I will give him something to keep him quiet,” said grandmother, leading me into the house.
“我会给他点东西让他保持安静的。”祖母说道,把我领进屋子。

On Saturday, before vespers, I was called into the kitchen, where it was all dark and still. —
在周六的晚祷之前,我被叫进了厨房,那里一片黑暗和寂静。 —

I remember the closelyshut doors of the shed and of the room, and the gray mist of an autumn evening, and the heavy patter of rain.
我记得棚屋和房间的门紧闭着,秋天傍晚的灰雾,稠密的下雨声。

Sitting in front of the stove on a narrow bench, looking cross and quite unlike himself, was Tsiganok; —
坐在炉子前的窄长板凳上,看起来板着脸,一点也不像平常的Tsiganok; —

grandfather, standing in the chimney corner, was taking long rods out of a pail of water, measuring them, puttingthem together, and flourishing them in the air with a shrill whistling sound. —
祖父站在烟囱角落里,从一个水桶里取出长棍,测量着,把它们组合在一起,并用高声的尖叫声在空中挥舞着。 —

Grandmother, somewhere in theshadows, was taking snuff noisily and muttering:
在阴影中的某处,祖母边大声地打喷嚏边喃喃自语着:

  “Now you are in your element, tyrant!”
“现在你感到舒畅了,暴君!”

  Sascha Jaakov was sitting in a chair in the middle of the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, and whininglike an old beggar in a voice quite unlike his usual voice:
  萨沙·雅科夫坐在厨房中间的椅子上,用拳头揉着眼睛,声音和平常完全不同,像一个老乞丐那样哀叫道:

  “Forgive me, for Christ’s sake… . !”
  “求求你们,为基督的缘故……!”

  Standing by the chair, shoulder to shoulder, like wooden figures, stood the children of Uncle Michael, brotherand sister.
  站在椅子旁,肩并肩站着迈克尔叔叔的孩子,一对兄妹像木偶一样。

  “When I have flogged you I will forgive you,” said grandfather, drawing a long, damp rod across his knuckles.
  “在我鞭打过你之后我会原谅你的,”爷爷说着,用一根湿漉漉的竹条划过自己的指关节。

  “Now then … take down your breeches !”
  “好了……把裤子脱下来!”

  He spoke very calmly, and neither the sound of his voice nor the noise made by the boy as he moved on thesqueaky chair, nor the scraping of grandmother’s feet, broke the memorable stillness of that almost dark kitchen,under the low, blackened ceiling.
  他说得很平静,他的声音,男孩在吱吱作响的椅子上移动的声音,或者奶奶走路的摩擦声,既不会打破那近乎黑暗的厨房里那令人难忘的宁静,也不会打破这些低矮、被烟熏得发黑的屋顶。

Sascha stood up, undid his trousers, letting them down as far as his knees, then bending and holding them upwith his hands, he stumbled to the bench. —
  萨沙站了起来,解开裤子,将它们拉到膝盖处,弯腰用手托住,手忙脚乱地走到长凳跟前。 —

It was painful to look at him, and my legs also began to tremble.
  看着他真是令人心痛,我的腿也开始颤抖。

  But worse was to come, when he submissively lay down on the bench face downwards, and Vanka, tying him toit by means of a wide towel placed under his arms and round his neck, bent under him and with black handsseized his legs by the ankles.
  但更糟糕的事情还在后头,他顺从地俯伏在长凳上,面朝下,范卡拿着一块宽毛巾绕在他胳膊下和脖子周围,低头在他下面,黑手按着他的脚踝。

“Lexei!” called grandfather. “Come nearer! Come! —
 “列克谢!”爷爷喊道。“靠近点!快点! —

Don’t you hear me speaking to you? Look and see what aflogging is. … One !”
  你没听见我在跟你说话吗?看看鞭打是什么感觉……一!”

  With a mild flourish he brought the rod down on the naked flesh, and Sascha set up a howl.
  他轻轻挥动,向赤裸的皮肤猛击,萨沙发出长长的哭声。

“Rubbish!” said grandfather. “That’s nothing! … —
  “废话!”爷爷说。“这不算什么!…… —

But here ‘s something to make you smart.”
  但这才是让你疼痛的东西。”

  And he dealt such blows that the flesh was soon in a state of inflammation and covered with great red weals, andmy cousin gave a prolonged howl.
  然后他狠狠地抽打,很快肉体就发炎了,布满了一道道红肿的痕迹,我的表弟发出持续的哭声。

“Isn’t it nice?” asked grandfather, as his hand rose and fell. —
“爷爷问:“不是挺好的吗?”他的手上下摆动。 —

“You don’t like it? … That’s for the thimble!”
“你不喜欢?……那是给针插用的!”

  When he raised his hand with a flourish my heart seemed to rise too, and when he let his hand fall somethingwithin me seemed to sink.
当他挥手作势时,我的心也似乎一起升起,当他让手下落时,我内心也似乎一起下沉。

“I won’t do it again,” squealed Sascha, in a dreadfully thin, weak voice, unpleasant to hear. —
“我不会再这么做了,”萨沙尖细、虚弱的声音尖叫着,令人难以听闻。 —

“Didn’t I tell didn’t Itell about the tablecloth?”
“我没告诉过吗?我没告诉过有关桌布的事吗?”

  Grandfather answered calmly, as if he were reading the “Psalter” :
爷爷平静地回答,仿佛在诵读《诗篇》:

“Tale-bearing is no justification. —
“说别人的坏话也不能成为正当理由。 —

The informer gets whipped first, so take that for the tablecloth.”
告密者先挨打,所以拿这个当作告诉桌布的惩罚吧。”

Grandmother threw herself upon me and seized my hand, crying: —
奶奶扑到我身上,抓住我的手,哭道: —

“I won’t allow Lexei to be touched! I won’tallow it, you monster! —
“我不允许人碰莱克西!我不允许你这个怪物碰他!” —

” And she began to kick the door, calling: —
她开始踢门,呼喊着: —

“Varia! Varvara!”
“瓦丽娅!瓦尔巴拉!”

Grandfather darted across to her, threw her down, seized me and carried me to the bench. —
爷爷飞奔过去,将奶奶推倒,抓住我,抱到长椅上。 —

I struck at him with myfists, pulled his sandy beard, and bit his fingers. —
我挥拳打他,拽他的金黄胡须,咬他的手指。 —

He bellowed and held me as in a vice. In the end, throwing medown on the bench, he struck me on the face.
他怒吼着将我固定住。最后,将我摔在长椅上,打在我的脸上。

I shall never forget his savage cry: “Tie him up! I ‘m going to kill him ! —
我永远不会忘记他那野蛮的呼喊:“把他捆起来!我要杀了他!” —

” nor my mother’s white face and greateyes as she ran along up and down beside the bench, shrieking:
以及我母亲苍白的脸和睁大的眼睛,当她在长凳旁上下奔跑的时候,尖叫着:

  “Father ! You mustn’t ! Let me have him !”
“爸爸!你不能这样!让我来处理他!”

Grandfather flogged me till I lost consciousness, and I was unwell for some days, tossing about, face downwards,on a wide, stuffy bed, in a little room with one window and a lamp which was always kept burning before thecase of icons in the corner. —
爷爷抽打我直到我失去意识,之后我病倒了几天,在一间只有一个窗户的小房间里的一张宽阔、闷热的床上翻来覆去,床角有一个常年点着灯的圣像柜。 —

Those dark days had been the greatest in my life. —
那些黑暗的日子是我一生中最苦难的日子。 —

In the course of them I haddeveloped wonderfully, and I was conscious of a peculiar difference in myself. —
在那段时间里,我有了极大的成长,意识到自己有了一种独特的变化。 —

I began to experience a newsolicitude for others, and I became so keenly alive to their sufferings and my own that it was almost as if myheart had been lacerated, and thus rendered sensitive.
我开始对别人表现出了新的关切,我变得对他人的痛苦和自己的痛苦如此敏感,几乎感觉到自己的心被撕裂,从而变得异常敏感。

  For this reason the quarrel between my mother and grandmother came as a great shock to me when grandmother,looking so dark and big in the narrow room, flew into a rage, and pushing my mother into the corner where theicons were, hissed :
正因为这个原因,母亲和祖母之间的争吵对我来说是一个巨大的冲击,祖母在狭小的房间里看起来如此阴郁和巨大,她勃然大怒,把母亲推到有圣像的角落,嘶声说道:

  “Why didn’t you take him away?”
“你为什么不带他走?”

  “I was afraid.”
“我害怕。”

“A strong, healthy creature like you! —
“像你这样强壮健康的人!你应该为自己感到羞耻,瓦尔瓦拉!” —

You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Varvara! —
“我是个老妇人,我不怕。羞耻!” —

I am an old woman and Iam not afraid. For shame !”
“停止吧,妈妈;我对整个事情都感到厌烦。”

  “Do leave off, Mother; I am sick of the whole business.”
“不,你不爱他!你对这个可怜的孤儿一点同情心都没有!”

  “No, you don’t love him! You have no pity for the poor orphan!”
“不,你不爱他!你对这个可怜的孤儿一点同情心都没有!”

  “I have been an orphan all my life,” said my mother, speaking loudly and sadly.
“我一生都是个孤儿,”母亲哀伤地大声说道。

  After that they both cried for a long time, seated on a box in a corner, and then my mother said :
之后他们俩坐在角落的一个箱子上,哭了很长时间,然后母亲说:

“If it were not for Alexei, I would leave this place and go right away. —
“如果不是为了亚历克谢,我早就离开这里走了。 —

I can’t go on living in this hell, Mother, Ican’t! I haven’t the strength.”
我无法继续在这个地狱中生活下去,妈妈,我无法!我没有力量。”

  “Oh ! My own flesh and blood !” whispered grandmother.
“哦!我的亲骨肉!”奶奶低声说道。

I kept all this in my mind. Mother was weak, and, like the others, she was afraid of grandfather, and I waspreventing her from leaving the house in which she found it impossible to live. —
我把这一切都记在心里。母亲很脆弱,像其他人一样,她害怕祖父,而我又阻止她离开这个她无法生存的地方。 —

It was very unfortunate. Beforelong my mother really did disappear from the house, going somewhere on a visit.
这是非常不幸的。不久之后,我的母亲确实从房子里消失了,去了别处作客。

  Very soon after this, as suddenly as if he had fallen from the ceiling, grandfather appeared, and sitting on thebed, laid his ice-cold hands on my head.
就在这之后不久,祖父突然出现,如同从天花板上坠落,坐在床上,把冰冷的手放在我的头上。

“How do you do, young gentleman? Come! answer me. —
“小绅士,你好!来!回答我。 —

Don’t sulk! Well”? What have you to say?”
不要生气!好吗?你有什么话要说?”

I had a great mind to kick away his legs, but it hurt me to move. —
我很想踢开他的腿,但动一下就会受伤。 —

His head, sandier than ever, shook from side toside uneasily ; —
他头发更加花白,颤动不安地摇摆; —

his bright eyes seemed to be looking for something on the wall as he pulled out of his pocket agingerbread goat, a horn made of sugar, an apple and a cluster of purple raisins, which he placed on the pillowunder my very nose.
他明亮的眼睛看似在墙上找寻着什么,同时从口袋里掏出一个姜饼山羊、一个糖制的号角、一个苹果和一串紫葡萄干,放在我面前的枕头上。

  “There you are ! There ‘s a present for you.”
“给你!这是给你的礼物。”

  And he stooped and kissed me on the forehead.
然后他弯腰在我额头上亲了一下。

  Then, stroking my head with those small, cruel hands, yellow-stained about the crooked, claw-like nails, hebegan to speak.
然后,他用那双枯瘦的手轻轻地抚摸着我的头,手指弯曲,指甲泛黄,开始讲话。

“I left my mark on you then, my friend. You were very angry. —
“那时我在你身上留下了印记,我的朋友。你当时非常生气。 —

You bit me and scratched me, and then I lost mytemper too. —
你咬我,抓我,我也失去了控制。 —

However, it will do you no harm to have been punished more severely than you deserved. —
尽管你受到的惩罚比你应得的要严厉,但对你也不会有害处。 —

It will gotowards next time. You must learn not to mind when people of your own family beat you. —
这将有助于下一次。你必须学会不在乎自己家人打你。 —

It is part of yourtraining. It would be different if it came from an outsider, but from one of us it does not count. —
这是你训练的一部分。如果是外人打你就另当别论,但来自我们中的一个人并不重要。 —

You must notallow outsiders to lay hands on you, but it is nothing coming from one of your own family. —
你不能让外人对你动手,但家族成员打你没什么。 —

I suppose you think Iwas never flogged? Oleysha! —
你大概认为我从来没有挨过鞭子吧?欧列夏! —

I was flogged harder than you could ever imagine even in a bad dream. —
我被殴打得比你在梦中能想象到的都要严重。 —

I wasflogged so cruelly that God Himself might have shed tears to see it. And what was the result? —
我曾经被残酷地鞭打,以至于连上帝自己都可能为此流泪。结果如何? —

I an orphan, theson of a poor mother have risen in my present position the head of a guild, and a master workman.”
我一个孤儿,一个贫穷母亲的儿子,如今站在一个行会的领导位置,成为一名工匠大师。

Bending his withered, well-knit body towards me, he began to tell me in vigorous and powerful language, with afelicitous choice of words, about the days of his childhood. —
他把干瘪而精练的身体弯向我,以有力而生动的语言,用恰如其分的词语,讲述他儿时的日子。 —

His green eyes were very bright, and his golden hairstood rakishly on end as, deflecting his high-pitched voice, he breathed in my face.
他的绿色眼睛闪闪发光,金色的头发顽皮地竖立着,高亢的声音转向,直吹在我的脸上。

“You traveled here by steamboat … steam will take you anywhere now; —
“你乘坐了轮船来到这里……现在蒸汽会把你带到任何地方; —

but when I was young I had to tow abarge up the Volga all by myself. —
但我年轻时不得不独自拖着一艘驳船上伏尔加河。” —

The barge was in the water and I ran barefoot on the bank, which was strewnwith sharp stones… . —
驳船在水中,我赤脚跑在铺满尖石的河岸上…… —

Thus I went from early in the morning to sunset, with the sun beating fiercely on the backof my neck, and my head throbbing as if it were full of molten iron. —
于是,从清晨到日落,太阳炽热地晒在我的脖子上,我的头疼得仿佛装满了熔化的铁。 —

And sometimes I was overcome by threekinds of ill-luck … —
有时我被三种不幸所困扰…… —

my poor little bones ached, but I had to keep on, and I could not see the way; —
我的瘦小骨骼疼痛,但我必须继续前行,却看不见前路; —

and then myeyes brimmed over, and I sobbed my heart out as the tears rolled down. —
眼泪滚滚而下,眼眶溢满泪水,我痛哭流涕。 —

Ah ! Oleysha ! it won’t bear talkingabout.
啊!奥列沙!这种事说不出口。

“I went on and on till the towing-rope slipped from me and I fell down on my face, and I was not sorry for iteither! —
“我继续前行,一路上拖曳绳从我手中滑落,我跌倒在地,却并不为此感到抱歉! —

I rose up all the stronger. If I had not rested a minute I should have died.
我重新站起来,更加坚强。如果我没有休息一分钟,我可能就会死去。

“That is the way we used to live then in the sight of God and of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. —
“那时我们是这样活着,站在上帝和我们蒙福的主耶稣基督的面前。 —

This is the way Itook the measure of Mother Volga three times, from Simbirsk to Ribinsk, from there to Saratov, as far asAstrakhan and Markarev, to the Fair more than three thousand versts. —
这就是我三次量过伏尔加河的方法,从辛比尔斯克到里宾斯克,再到萨拉托夫,一直到阿斯特拉罕和马尔卡列夫,全程三千多公里。 —

And by the fourth year I had become a freewaterman. —
而到了第四年,我已成为一名自由拖船工。 —

I had shown my master what I was made of.”
我向主人展示了我的本色。”

As he spoke he seemed to increase in size like a cloud before my very eyes, being transformed from a small,wizened old man to an individual of fabulous strength. —
他说话时,仿佛在我眼前变得庞大如同一朵云,从一个瘦小老人变成一个传奇般强壮的人物。 —

Had he not pulled a great gray barge up the river all byhimself? —
他难道不是独自一人把一艘巨大的灰色驳船拖上河去? —

Now and again he jumped up from the bed and showed me how the barges traveled with the towing-rope round them, and how they pumped water, singing fragments of a song in a bass voice; —
偶尔他跳起床,向我展示驳船是如何被拖曳绳绕着,如何抽水,以低沉的嗓音唱着歌曲的片段; —

then, youthfullyspringing back on the bed, to my ever-increasing astonishment, he would continue hoarsely and impressively.
然后,年轻地弹回到床上,使我越来越惊讶的是,他会继续沙哑而令人印象深刻地讲述故事。

“Well, sometimes, Oleysha, on a summer’s evening when we arrived at Jigulak, or some such place at the foot ofthe green hills, we used to sit about lazily cooking our supper while the boatmen of the hill-country used to singsentimental songs, and as soon as they began the whole crew would strike up, sending a thrill through one, andmaking the Volga seem as if it were running very fast like a horse, and rising up as high as the clouds; —
“嗯,有时候,Oleysha,在夏日傍晚,当我们抵达吉古拉克或其他靠近青山的地方,我们常常懒散地围坐着煮晚餐,而山区的船夫们会唱着感伤的歌曲,一开始整个船员就会加入进去,让人感到一阵冲动,让伏尔加河看起来像一匹飞马般飞快,冲向云层; —

and allkinds of trouble seemed as nothing more than dust blown about by the wind. —
而所有的烦恼似乎都不过是风吹起的尘土。 —

They sang till the porridge boiledover, for which the cook had to be flicked with a cloth. —
他们唱到粥煮沸为止,这时厨师就得被布条抽打。 —

‘Play as much as you please, but don’t forget your work,’
“尽情玩耍吧,但别忘了你的工作,”

  we said.”
我们说。”

  Several times people put their heads in at the door to call him, but each time I begged him not to go.
几次人们探头进门召唤他,但每次我都请求他不要走。

  And he laughingly waved them away, saying, “Wait a bit.”
他笑着挥手把他们打发走,说:“等一会儿。”

He stayed with me and told me stories until it was almost dark, and when, after an affectionate farewell, he leftme, I had learned that he was neither malevolent nor formidable. —
他陪我待到天将黑,讲了好几个故事,温馨告别后离开时,我了解到他既不恶意也不可怕。 —

It brought the tears into my eyes to rememberthat it was he who had so cruelly beaten me, but I could not forget it.
想到他曾残忍地殴打过我,眼泪涌上了我的眼眶,但我无法忘记。

This visit of my grandfather opened the door to others, and from morning till night there was always somebodysitting on my bed, trying to amuse me; —
我的祖父的这次访问打开了其他人的大门,从早到晚总有人坐在我的床上,试图取悦我; —

I remember that this was not always either cheering or pleasant.
我记得这并不总是令人振奋或愉快的。

Oftener than any of them came my grandmother, who slept in the same bed with me. —
最常来的是奶奶,她和我同床睡觉。 —

But it was Tsiganok wholeft the clearest impression on me in those days. —
但在那些日子里留下最深刻印象的是Tsiganok。 —

He used to appear in the evenings square-built, broad-chested,curly headed, dressed in his best clothes a gold-embroidered shirt, plush breeches, boots squeaking like aharmonium. —
他每天晚上都会出现,身材魁梧,胸部宽阔,头发卷曲,穿着他最好的衣服,一件镶金的衬衣,绒布裤子,靴子发出的尖叫声像风琴一样。 —

His hair was glossy, his squinting, merry eyes gleamed under his thick eyebrows, and his white teethunder the shadow of his young mustache ; —
他的头发光泽,他眯起的开心眼睛在浓密的眉毛下闪闪发光,他嘴里的白牙在年轻的小胡子的阴影下闪闪发亮; —

his shirt glowed softly as if reflecting the red light of the image-lamp.
他的衬衫柔和地发光,好像反射着影像灯的红光。

“Look here !” he said, turning up his sleeve and displaying his bare arm to the elbow. —
“瞧这儿!”他说着,卷起袖子,露出肘部的裸臂。 —

It was covered with redscars. “Look how swollen it is; —
上面布满了红色的伤疤。“看看它多肿; —

and it was worse yesterday it was very painful. —
昨天更糟糕它疼的很厉害。 —

When your grandfather flew intoa rage and I saw that he was going to flog you, I put my arm in the way, thinking that the rod would break, andthen while he was looking for another your grandmother or your mother could take you away and hide you. —
当你爷爷发火准备打你时,我把我的手臂挡在中间,以为鞭子会断,那时你奶奶或者你妈妈可以把你带走藏起来。 —

I aman old bird at the game, my child.”
我是这个游戏的老手。”

  He laughed gently and kindly, and glancing again at the swollen arm, went on :
他温和而仁慈地笑了笑,再次看着肿胀的胳膊,继续说道:

“I was so sorry for you that I thought I should choke. —
“我很为你难过,简直感到喘不过气来。 —

It seemed such a shame! … But he lashed away at you!”
看起来太可恶了!… 但是他却狠狠地向你抽打!”

Snorting and tossing his head like a horse, he went on speaking about the affair. —
他像马一样打着响鼻,继续谈论这件事。 —

This childish simplicity seemedto draw him closer to me. —
这种孩子般的简单看来让他更加亲近我。 —

I told him that I loved him very much, and he answered with a simplicity which alwayslives in my memory.
我告诉他我非常爱他,他用一种始终停留在我记忆中的简单方式回答。

“And I love you too ! That is why I let myself be hurt because I love you. —
“我也爱你!这就是为什么我让自己受伤因为我爱你。 —

Do you think I would have done it forany one else”? —
你觉得为了其他人我也会这样做吗?” —

I should be making a fool of myself.”
我应该是在丢脸。

Later on he gave me whispered instructions, glancing frequently at the door. —
后来他悄声地给我指示,频频瞥向门。 —

“Next time he beats you don’t try toget away from him, and don’t struggle. —
“下次他打你的时候,不要试图挣脱,也不要挣扎。 —

It hurts twice as much if you resist. If you let yourself go he will deallightly with you. —
如果你反抗的话会更疼两倍。如果你放松自己,他会对你轻一点。 —

Be limp and soft, and don’t scowl at him. —
要软弱柔软,不要对他皱眉。 —

Try and remember this; it is good advice.”
要记住这些,这是个好建议。”

  “Surely he won’t whip me again !” I exclaimed.
“他不会再鞭打我了吧!”我惊呼道。

“Why, of course!” replied Tsiganok calmly. —
“为什么,当然会!”Tsiganok平静地回答说。 —

“Of course he will whip you again, and often too!”
“当然他会再次鞭打你,而且经常!”

  “But why?”
“但是为什么?”

“Because grandfather is on the watch for you.” And again he cautiously advised me: —
“因为爷爷在盯着你。”然后他小心地劝告我: —

“When he whips you hebrings the rod straight down. —
“当他打你时,他会直接将鞭子往下摆。 —

Well, if you lie there quietly he may possibly hold the rod lower so that it won’tbreak your skin. . —
如果你安静地躺在那里,他可能会把鞭子放得更低,这样就不会打破你的皮肤。 —

. . Now, do you understand? Move your body towards him and the rod, and it will be all thebetter for you.”
现在你明白了吗?把身体靠近他和鞭子,对你会更有好处。”

Winking at me with his dark, squinting eyes, he added: —
他用他那双深邃的斜视眼向我眨眼示意。 —

“I know more about such matters than a policeman even.
“我对这类事情的了解甚至比警察还要多。

  I have been beaten on my bare shoulders till the skin came off, my boy !”
我被打到光着的肩膀皮都磨破了,我的孩子!”

  I looked at his bright face and remembered grandmother’s story of Ivan-Czarevitch and Ivanoshka-dourachka.
我看着他明亮的脸,想起了奶奶讲的伊凡沙皮奇和伊凡傻瓜的故事。