第一章

CHAPTER I

IN a narrow, darkened room, my father, dressed in a white and unusually long garment, lay on the floor under the window. The toes of his bare feet were curiously extended, and the fingers of the still hands, which rested peacefully upon his breast, were curved; his merry eyes were tightly closed by the black disks of two copper coins; the light had gone out of his still face, and I was frightened by the ugly way he showed his teeth.

在一间狭窄又黑暗的房间里，我的父亲，穿着奇长的白色外衣，躺在窗户下的地板上。他那裸露的脚趾好奇地向前伸着，纹丝不动的手指弯曲着，安静地放在胸口；他那双常常微笑的眼睛也紧闭着，像是被两枚黑黑的铜币压着一般；他那慈祥的面孔已经失去光泽，而且他那露出牙齿的丑陋样子也让我感到害怕。

My mother, only half clad in a red petticoat, knelt and combed my fathers long, soft hair, from his brow to the nape of his neck, with the same black comb which I loved to use to tear the rind of watermelons; she talked unceasingly in her low, husky voice, and it seemed as if her swollen eyes must be washed away by the incessant flow of tears.

我的母亲，只半裹着一件红色内裙，跪在父亲旁边，梳理着他柔软的长发，从前额到脖子；她用的那把木梳，就是我以前很喜欢用来削西瓜皮的黑木梳；她不停地说着什么，声音低沉沙哑，她那双水肿的眼睛看起来也要被不断流下的泪水冲走。

Holding me by the hand was my grandmother, who had a big, round head, large eyes, and a nose like a sponge：a dark, tender, wonderfully interesting person. She also was weeping, and her grief formed a fitting accompaniment to my mothers, as, shuddering the while, she pushed me towards my father; but I, terrified and uneasy, obstinately tried to hide myself against her. I had never seen grown：up people cry before, and I did not understand the words which my grandmother uttered again and again:

把我抱在怀里的是我的外祖母；她头很大，很圆，大眼睛，鼻子像一块海绵，一个皮肤黝黑、性格温和又很有趣的女人。她也在哭，跟母亲的哭声相称；她颤抖着，把我推向了我的父亲。但是，我因为害怕和不安，一个劲儿地想把自己藏在她的身后。我以前从来没有看过大人哭，而且我也不明白外祖母一遍又一遍地说着什么。

"Say good：by to daddy. You will never see him any more. He is dead：before his time. "

和父亲说再见。你永远都不会再见到他了。他要死了，不该这么早死啊。

I had been very ill, had only just left my bed in fact, and I remember perfectly well that at the beginning of my illness my father used to merrily bustle about me. Then he suddenly disappeared and his place was taken by my grandmother, a stranger to me.

之前我一直在生病，实际上刚刚离开病床；我还完全清楚地记得，在我生病初期，父亲总是在我的周围乐呵呵地忙碌着。然后他突然消失了，外祖母取而代之，那时对我来说她还是个陌生人。

"Where did you come from? " I asked her.

你从哪里来的？我问她。

"From up there, from Nijni, " she answered; "but I did not walk here, I came by boat. One does not walk on water, you little imp. "

我从尼日尼来，她回答，但我不是走来的，我是坐船来的。人不能在水上走，你这个小淘气。

This was ludicrous, incomprehensible, and untrue; upstairs there lived a bearded, gaudy Persian, and in the cellar an old, yellow Kalmuck who sold sheepskins. One could get upstairs by riding on the banisters, or if one fell that way, one could roll. I knew this by experience. But where was there room for water? It was all untrue and delightfully muddled.

这有些荒唐，无法理解，更不真实；楼上住着一位长满胡子穿着俗丽的波斯人；阁楼里住着一位上了年纪、黄色皮肤的卡尔梅克人，他以卖羊皮为生。人可以骑着栏杆上楼，一旦摔倒了，便会滚下来（尼日尼在俄语里有往下的意思）。我经历过，所以才知道。但是哪里会有水呢？真是瞎话，荒唐可笑。

"And why am I a little imp? "

而且为什么我是小淘气？

"Why? Because you are so noisy, " she said, laughing.

为什么？因为你很吵。她笑着说道。

She spoke sweetly, merrily, melodiously, and from the very first day I made friends with her; all I wanted now was for her to make haste and take me out of that room.

她说话时柔声细语，欢快悦耳；从见到她的第一天起，我就和她成为了朋友；我现在想要的只是让她快点带我离开那个房间。

My mother pressed me to her; her tears and groans created in me a strange feeling of disquietude. It was the first time I had seen her like this. She had always appeared a stern woman of few words; neat, glossy, and strongly built like a horse, with a body of almost savage strength, and terribly strong arms. But now she was swollen and palpitating, and utterly desolate. Her hair, which was always coiled so neatly about her head, with her large, gaily trimmed cap, was tumbled about her bare shoulders, fell over her face, and part of it which remained plaited, trailed across my fathers sleeping face. Although I had been in the room a long time she had not once looked at me; she could do nothing but dress my fathers hair, sobbing and choking with tears the while.

妈妈把我抱过去；她的泪水和哭声，使我感到了一种莫名的不安。这是我第一次看到她这样。她从来都是很严厉的样子，而且话也不多；干净整洁，健壮如牛，充满了几乎是野性力量的身体，和非常结实的胳膊。但是现在她眼睛红肿，浑身颤抖，很是凄惨。她的头发，以前总是很整齐地盘在头上，上面还戴一顶硕大华丽的修边女帽，而如今却披散在裸露的双肩上，遮住了脸。依然盘在头上的头发，偶尔还会掉下来，落在我父亲那张熟睡的脸上。虽然我在房间里呆了很久，但是她都没有看我一眼；她只是一个劲儿地梳理父亲的头发，一边哽咽着，泪水流个不停。

Presently some swarthy gravediggers and a soldier peeped in at the door.

不一会儿，一些黑黝黝的掘墓工人们和一个士兵在门口向里张望。

The latter shouted angrily: "Clear out now! Hurry up! "

那个士兵生气地大喊：马上清理！快点！

The window was curtained by a dark shawl, which the wind inflated like a sail. I knew this because one day my father had taken me out in a sailing：boat, and without warning there had come a peal of thunder. He laughed, and holding me against his knees, cried, "It is nothing. Dont be frightened, Luke! "

窗户上挂着一块黑色披肩，被风一吹，像是扬起的船帆。我知道船帆，因为我父亲有一天曾带我坐着帆船出游；还遭遇了一场电闪雷鸣，令人始料不及。他笑着紧紧地把我抱在他的膝盖上，喊道：这没有什么。不要害怕，卢克！

Suddenly my mother threw herself heavily on the floor, but almost at once turned over on her back, dragging her hair in the dust; her impassive, white face had become livid, and showing her teeth like my father, she said in a terrible voice, "Close the door!... Alexis... go away! "

突然妈妈把自己狠狠摔在地上，但是又马上面朝上转过来，头发在扬起的尘土中散开；她冷漠而苍白的脸已经变成了青紫色，像父亲那样露出牙齿；用可怕的声音喊道：把门关上！……亚历克西斯……走开！

Thrusting me on one side, grandmother rushed to the door crying:

外祖母把我推向一边，冲到门口喊道：

"Friends! Dont be frightened; dont interfere, but go away, for the love of Christ. This is not cholera but childbirth.... I beg of you to go, good people! "

朋友们！不用害怕；什么都别管，都走开，看在耶稣的份上。这不是霍乱，只是生孩子……我求你们了，走吧，好人们！

I hid myself in a dark corner behind a box, and thence I saw how my mother writhed upon the floor, panting and gnashing her teeth; and grandmother, kneeling beside her, talked lovingly and hopefully.

我躲藏在箱子后面一个黑暗的角落里，在那里看着母亲在地板上翻腾，牙关紧咬，呼吸急促；外祖母跪在她的旁边和她说话，语气充满爱意和希望。

"In the name of the Father and of the Son...! Be patient, Varusha! Holy Mother of God!... Our Defense...! "

看在父亲和儿子的份上……！有点耐心吧，瓦鲁撒！上帝的圣母！……保佑我们吧！

I was terrified. They crept about on the floor close to my father, touching him, groaning and shrieking, and he remained unmoved and actually smiling. This creeping about on the floor lasted a long time; several times my mother stood up, only to fall down again, and grandmother rolled in and out of the room like a large, black, soft ball. All of a sudden a child cried.

我很害怕。他们爬到父亲的身边，抚摸他，呻吟着，尖叫着，而他仍是纹丝不动，实际上还面带微笑。她们在地上爬了很长时间；有几次，我母亲站起来，但又倒下去；外祖母在房间里进进出出，好像是一个又黑又柔软的大球。突然，一个孩子哭了。

"Thank God! " said grandmother. "It is a boy! " And she lighted a candle.

感谢上帝！外祖母说道，是个男孩儿！她点燃一根蜡烛。

I must have fallen asleep in the corner, for I remember nothing more.

我肯定是在角落里睡着了，因为之后的事情我都不记得了。

The next impression which my memory retains is a deserted corner in a cemetery on a rainy day. I am standing by a slippery mound of sticky earth and looking into the pit wherein they have thrown the coffin of my father. At the bottom there is a quantity of water, and there are also frogs, two of which have even jumped on to the yellow lid of the coffin.

记忆中的下一个场景就是墓地里一个荒芜的角落，那天还淅淅沥沥地下着雨。我站在一个光滑的粘土堆旁，痴痴地看着他们安置父亲棺材的土坑。坑底有很多水，还有几只青蛙，有两只甚至跳到了棺材的黄色盖子上。

At the graveside were myself, grandmother, a drenched sexton, and two cross gravediggers with shovels.

坟墓旁，站着我、外祖母、一个湿透了的教堂司事，还有两个拿着铁锹相对而站的挖墓者。

We were all soaked with the warm rain which fell in fine drops like glass beads.

我们都被温热的雨水淋湿了。细小的雨滴像玻璃珠一样滴落。

"Fill in the grave, " commanded the sexton, moving away.

填土吧。司事命令道，后退了一步。

Grandmother began to cry, covering her face with a corner of the shawl which she wore for a head：covering. The gravediggers, bending nearly double, began to fling the lumps of earth on the coffin rapidly, striking the frogs, which were leaping against the sides of the pit, down to the bottom.

外祖母开始哭泣，扯起裹头的围巾的一角，遮住她的脸。挖墓者弯下腰，飞快地把土掷向棺材。粘土打到了那两只青蛙，于是它们沿着坑的两边往下跳，一直下到坑底。

"Come along, Lenia, " said grandmother, taking hold of my shoulder; but having no desire to depart, I wriggled out of her hands.

过来，莱尼雅。外祖母紧抱着我的肩膀说道；但是我没有离开的打算，所以从她的手里逃脱出来。

"What next, O Lord? " grumbled grandmother, partly to me, and partly to God, and she remained for some time silent, with her head drooping dejectedly.

哦，上帝啊，要做什么？外祖母咕哝着，也许是对我说，也许是对上帝说；她在那里站了一会儿，默默无声，沮丧地低着头。

The grave was filled in, yet still she stood there, till the gravediggers threw their shovels to the ground with a resounding clangor, and a breeze suddenly arose and died away, scattering the raindrops; then she took me by the hand and led me to a church some distance away, by a path which lay between a number of dark crosses.

坟墓填平了，她还是站在那里，直到挖墓者咣当一声把铁锹扔在地上；一阵微风一闪而过，吹散了雨滴；然后她牵起我的手，走过一条两边都是黑色十字架的小路，把我领到了远处的一个教堂。

"Why dont you cry? " she asked, as we came away from the burial：ground. "You ought to cry. "

你为什么不哭？当我们远离坟地的时候，她问道，你应该哭。

"I dont want to, " was my reply.

我不想哭。我回答道。

"Well, if you dont want to, you need not, " she said gently.

好吧，如果你不想哭，就不必哭了。她温和地说。

This greatly surprised me, because I seldom cried, and when I did it was more from anger than sorrow; moreover, my father used to laugh at my tears, while my mother would exclaim, "Dont you dare to cry! "

这让我非常惊讶，因为我很少哭泣，而且即使我哭了，也常常是因为生气而不是悲伤。另外，我父亲也经常嘲笑我哭鼻子，而我的母亲则会喊道：难道你不敢哭吗？

After this we rode in a droshky through a broad but squalid street, between rows of houses which were painted dark red.

后来，我们坐着一辆无棚的四轮马车，走在一条宽敞但很泥泞的街道上，两边是一排排粉刷成暗红色的房子。

As we went along, I asked grandmother, "Will those frogs ever be able to get out? "

路上，我问外祖母：那些青蛙能从里面出来吗？

"Never! " she answered. "God bless them! " I reflected that my father and my mother never spoke so often or so familiarly of God.

永远不会！她答道，上帝保佑它们！我认识到，我的父母从来都没有这么频繁或者这么亲切地提到上帝。

A few days later my mother and grandmother took me aboard a steamboat, where we had a tiny cabin.

几天之后，母亲和外祖母就把我带到了一条汽船上，我们有一间小船舱。

My little brother Maxim was dead, and lay on a table in the corner, wrapped in white and wound about with red tape. Climbing on to the bundles and trunks I looked out of the porthole, which seemed to me exactly like the eye of a horse. Muddy, frothy water streamed unceasingly down the pane. Once it dashed against the glass with such violence that it splashed me, and I involuntarily jumped back to the floor.

我的弟弟马克西姆死了，躺在角落里的一张桌子上，用白布裹着，还缠绕着红色的带子。我爬到箱子上的包裹上，透过舷窗向外看；对我来说，这个舷窗就像是马的眼睛。海水浑浊多泡，不停地沿着窗格流淌。偶尔它会凶猛地拍打玻璃，水花便溅到我身上；于是我极不情愿地跳回到地板上。

"Dont be afraid, " said grandmother, and lifting me lightly in her kind arms, restored me to my place on the bundles.

别害怕。外祖母把我抱起来，轻轻地搂在怀里说道；然后又把我放回到箱子上的包裹处。

A gray, moist fog brooded over the water; from time to time a shadowy land was visible in the distance, only to be obscured again by the fog and the foam. Everything about us seemed to vibrate, except my mother who, with her hands folded behind her head, leaned against the wall fixed and still, with a face that was grim and hard as iron, and as expressionless. Standing thus, mute, with closed eyes, she appeared to me as an absolute stranger. Her very frock was unfamiliar to me.

暗淡潮湿的雾气笼罩在水面上；偶尔可以看见远处模糊的陆地，但马上又在雾气和浪花中变得难以辨认了。周围所有的东西似乎都在颤动，唯独只有我的母亲，双手交叉，放在脑后。她一动不动地紧紧斜靠在墙上，脸上毫无表情，冷若冰霜。她就那样站着，双眼紧闭，一言不发。对我来说，她看起来完全是个陌生人。她穿的那件上衣我没怎么见过。

More than once grandmother said to her softly "Varia, wont you have something to eat? "

外祖母不止一次对她温柔地说：瓦里亚，不想吃点东西吗？

My mother neither broke the silence nor stirred from her position.

我的母亲既没有打破沉寂，也没有任何行动。

Grandmother spoke to me in whispers, but to my mother she spoke aloud, and at the same time cautiously and timidly, and very seldom. I thought she was afraid of her, which was quite intelligible, and seemed to draw us closer together.

外祖母和我说话时很小声，但是和母亲说话时声音很大，同时谨慎小心，话并不多。我想外祖母是害怕母亲，这是可以理解的。而且这也似乎把我们拉得更近了。

"Saratov! " loudly and fiercely exclaimed my mothe with startling suddenness. "Where is the sailor? " Strange, new words to me! Saratov? Sailor?

萨拉托夫！母亲突然大声疯狂地喊道，吓了我们一跳。那个水手在哪？奇怪，对我来说都是生词！萨拉托夫？水手？

A broad：shouldered, gray：headed individual dressed in blue now entered, carrying a small box which grand mother took from him, and in which she proceeded to place the body of my brother. Having done this she bore the box and its burden to the door on her out stretched hands; but, alas! being so stout she could only get through the narrow doorway of the cabir sideways, and now halted before it in ludicrous uncertainty.

一个身穿蓝色衣服，肩膀很宽、头发花白的人走了进来，拿着一个小箱子；外祖母把箱子接过去，然后把我弟弟的尸体放了进去。之后，她伸出双手，吃力地把箱子搬到门口；但是，哎！因为过胖，她只能在到达船舱旁边那狭窄的门口后停了下来，左右为难的样子十分滑稽。

"Really, Mama! " exclaimed my mother impatiently, taking the tiny coffin from her. Then they both disappeared, while I stayed behind in the cabir regarding the man in blue.

真是的，妈妈！我的母亲不耐烦地喊道，然后从她那里夺回了小棺材。然后，她们两个人就都不见了，而我还呆在船舱里，面对着那个穿蓝衣服的人。

"Well, mate, so the little brother has gone? " he said, bending down to me. "Who are you? " "I am a sailor. " "And who is Saratov? "

喂，小家伙，小弟弟已经死了？他俯身向我问道。你是谁？我是一个水手。谁是萨拉托夫？

"Saratov is a town. Look out of the window. There it is! "

萨拉托夫是一个城镇。看看窗户外面，这就是了！

Observed from the window, the land seemed to oscillate; and revealing itself obscurely and in a fragmentary fashion, as it lay steaming in the fog, it reminded me of a large piece of bread just cut off a hot loaf.

从窗户看去，陆地好像在晃动，笼罩在雾气之中，冒着蒸汽，时隐时现。这让我想起了刚切下的大片热面包。

"Where has grandmother gone to? "

外祖母去哪里了？

"To bury her little grandson. "

去埋她的外孙子了。

"Are they going to bury him in the ground? "

她们是要把他埋在地里吗？

"Yes, of course they are. "

是啊，当然啦。

I then told the sailor about the live frogs that had been buried with my father.

然后，我告诉了水手那两只和父亲一起被埋在土里的青蛙。

He lifted me up, and hugging and kissing me, cried, "Oh, my poor little fellow, you dont understand. It is not the frogs who are to be pitied, but your mother. Think how she is bowed down by her sorrow. "

他把我举了起来，抱着我吻了吻，说道：哦，我可怜的小家伙，你不明白。不是那两只青蛙应该受到同情，而是你的母亲。想想，她是怎样为悲伤所折磨。

Then came a resounding howl overhead. Having already learned that it was the steamer which made this noise, I was not afraid; but the sailor hastily set me down on the floor and darted away, exclaiming, "I must run! "

这时，头顶传来了一声轰响。我已经知道那是汽笛发出的声音，因而并不害怕；但是水手慌忙把我放下来，飞快地离去，一边喊道：我必须走了！

The desire to escape seized me. I ventured out of the door. The dark, narrow space outside was empty, and not far away shone the brass on the steps of the staircase. Glancing upwards, I saw people with wallets and bundles in their hands, evidently going off the boat. This meant that I must go off too.

我也有了逃跑的欲望。我冒险跑出了门。外面黑暗又狭窄，空荡荡的；不远处的楼梯的台阶上发出了铜的光亮。我抬头看，发现人们手里都拿着行囊和包裹，显然是在下船。这意味着我也要离开。

But when I appeared in front of the gangway, amidst the crowd of peasants, they all began to yell at me.

但是当我出现在通道前，夹杂在成群的农民中时，他们都开始冲我大声喊叫。

"Who does he belong to? Who do you belong to? "

他是谁家的孩子？你是谁家的孩子？

No one knew.

没有人知道。

For a long time they jostled and shook and poked me about, until the gray：haired sailor appeared and seized me, with the explanation:

他们不停地推挤，摇晃以及戳我，直到那个花白头发的水手出现在我面前，抱起我，并解释说：

"It is the Astrakhan boy from the cabin. "

这是船舱里的来自阿斯特拉罕的孩子。

And he ran off with me to the cabin, deposited me on the bundles and went away, shaking his finger at me, as he threatened, "I11 give you something! "

他抱着我跑回到了船舱，把我放在包裹上，向我挥动着手指，威胁我：我会给你教训的。然后就匆匆离开了。

The noise overhead became less and less. The boat had ceased to vibrate, or to be agitated by the motion of the water. The window of the cabin was shut in by damp walls; within it was dark, and the air was stifling. It seemed to me that the very bundles grew larger and began to press upon me; it was all horrible, and I began to wonder if I was going to be left alone forever in that empty boat.

头上的喧闹声渐渐消失了。船停止了颤动，也不再因为水的流动而晃动了。船舱的窗户被封闭在潮湿的墙角里。里面漆黑，空气也很沉闷。似乎那个包裹在变大，开始向我挤压过来；一切都那么恐怖，我开始怀疑是否我会永远被遗忘在这条空荡荡的船上。

I went to the door, but it would not open; the brass handle refused to turn, so I took a bottle of milk and with all my force struck at it. The only result was that the bottle broke and the milk spilled over my legs, and trickled into my boots. Crushed by this failure, I threw myself on the bundles crying softly, and so fell asleep.

我向门走去，但打不开；黄铜扶手不肯转动，于是我拿了一个奶瓶，使尽全身的力气向它砸去。结果奶瓶碎了，牛奶飞溅在我的腿上，还滴进了我的靴子里。这失败令人沮丧，我躺在包裹上，轻声地哭起来，就这样睡着了。

When I awoke the boat was again in motion, and the window of the cabin shone like the sun.

当我醒来的时候，船又在航行，而且船舱的窗户像太阳般闪耀。

Grandmother, sitting near me, was combing her hair and muttering something with knitted brow. She had an extraordinary amount of hair which fell over her shoulders and breast to her knees, and even touched the floor. It was blue：black. Lifting it up from the floor with one hand and holding it with difficulty, she introduced an almost toothless wooden comb into its thick strands. Her lips were twisted, her dark eyes sparkled fiercely, while her face, encircled in that mass of hair, looked comically small. Her expression was almost malignant, but when I asked her why she had such long hair she answered in her usual mellow, tender voice:

外祖母正坐在我旁边梳头，眉头紧锁，低声嘟哝着什么。她头发极多，从肩膀、胸前一直到垂到膝盖，甚至及地。头发是蓝黑色的。她用一只手吃力地把头发从地上举起来，然后把几乎没有了齿的木梳插进厚密的头发里。她咬着嘴唇，黑亮的眼睛闪烁着光芒，而她的脸，被包在浓密的头发里，显得特别小，有点滑稽。她的表情几乎充满恶意，但是当我问她为什么有这么长的头发时，她的回答还是和往常一样甜美温柔：

"Surely God gave it to me as a punishment.... Even when it is combed, just look at it!... When I was young I was proud of my mane, but now I am old I curse it. But you go to sleep. It is quite early. The sun has only just risen. "

当然了，上帝把它给了我是作为惩罚的……看看这又浓又密的头发！梳理起来很费力……当我年轻的时候，我为我的头发感到骄傲，但是现在，我诅咒它。你接着睡吧，天还很早呢，太阳才刚刚升起来。

"But I dont want to go to sleep again. "

但是我不想再睡了。

"Very well, then dont go to sleep, " she agreed at once, plaiting her hair and glancing at the berth on which my mother lay rigid, with upturned face. "How did you smash that bottle last evening? Tell me about it quietly. "

好吧，那么就不睡吧。她马上同意了，她扎好辫子，又看了看脸朝上躺在那里的母亲。昨天晚上，你怎么把瓶子打碎了？悄悄告诉我。

So she always talked, using such peculiarly harmonious words that they took root in my memory like fragrant, bright, everlasting flowers. When she smiled the pupils of her dark, luscious eyes dilated and beamed with an inexpressible charm, and her strong white teeth gleamed cheerfully. Apart from her multitudinous wrinkles and her swarthy complexion, she had a youthful and brilliant appearance. What spoiled her was her bulbous nose, with its distended nostrils, and red lips, caused by her habit of taking pinches of snuff from her black snuff：box mounted with silver, and by her fondness for drink. Everything about her was dark, but within she was luminous with an inextinguishable, joyful and ardent flame, which revealed itself in her eyes. Although she was bent, almost humpbacked, in fact, she moved lightly and softly, for all the world like a huge cat, and was just as gentle as that caressing animal.

她说起话来总是特别悦耳，这些话在我的记忆里扎了根，好像是芳香、鲜亮、永不衰败的花朵。她笑起来的时候，乌黑甜美的眼睛里，瞳孔便扩大了，闪着光，有一种无法表达的魅力，而且她的牙齿很白，也闪烁着令人愉悦的光芒。除了她满脸的皱纹和略黑的皮肤，她看起来很年轻，也很精明。让她的脸失色的是她的鼻子和嘴。那蒜头鼻有着扩张的鼻孔；她的嘴唇很红，因为她习惯从裱有白银的黑色鼻烟壶里吸食鼻烟，也因为她喜欢喝酒。她什么都黑，但是，她的内心却闪闪发亮，就像有不可磨灭、又热情洋溢的火焰，从她的眼睛里透露出来。虽然她身躯已经不再挺拔，几乎已经驼背，实际上，她行动起来灵活轻便，仿佛是一只肥猫，并和这种可爱的动物一样温柔。

Until she came into my life I seemed to have been asleep, and hidden away in obscurity; but when she appeared she woke me and led me to the light of day.

在她闯入我的生活之前，我好像一直都在沉睡，躲藏在阴暗之中；而她的出现唤醒了我，将我带入了光明。

Connecting all my impressions by a single thread, she wove them into a pattern of many colors, thus making herself my friend for life, the being nearest my heart, the dearest and best known of all; while her disinterested love for all creation enriched me, and built up the strength needful for a hard life.

她用一根线连接了我所有的记忆，将它们编织成缤纷的图案。于是，她成为我一生的挚友，是我内心最亲近、最珍贵、最重要的人。她的博爱影响着我，而且也为我在艰难的生活中树立了必要的勇气。

Forty years ago boats traveled slowly; we were a long time getting to Nijni, and I shall never forget those days almost overladen with beauty.

四十年前，船走得很慢；我们花了很长时间才到达尼日尼。我永远都不会忘记那些美丽的日子。

Good weather had set in. From morning till night I was on the deck with grandmother, under a clear sky, gliding between the autumn：gilded shores of the Volga, without hurry, lazily; and, with many resounding groans, as she rose and fell on the gray：blue water, a barge attached by a long rope was being drawn along by the bright red steamer. The barge was gray, and reminded me of a wood：louse.

天气变好了。我和外祖母从早到晚都呆在甲板上，头顶上的天空明朗干净，轮船悠闲懒散地穿梭于伏尔加河两边那染满秋色的河岸间；伴随着隆隆的马达声，船体在灰蓝色的河面上起伏有致，一艘驳船用一根长绳拴在了亮红色的轮船上，也被拉着前行。这条驳船是灰色的，这使我想起了土鳖虫。

Unperceived, the sun floated over the Volga. Every hour we were in the midst of fresh scenes; the green hills rose up like rich folds on earths sumptuous vesture; on the shore stood towns and villages; the golden autumn leaves floated on the water.

不知不觉中，太阳已经照耀着伏尔加河。每时每刻，我们都环抱在云蒸霞蔚的美景之中；绿色的山林高耸，好似大地华丽外衣的褶皱；两岸坐落着城镇和村落；金黄的秋叶漂流在河面上。

"Look how beautiful it all is! " grandmother exclaimed every minute, going from one side of the boat to the other, with a radiant face, and eyes wide with joy. Very often, gazing at the shore, she would forget me; she would stand on the deck, her hands folded on her breast, smiling and in silence, with her eyes full of tears. I would tug at her skirt of dark, sprigged linen.

看，这里的一切多么美丽！外祖母总会从船头走到另一头，大声感叹。她脸色红润，大大的眼睛里满是愉悦。她经常会盯着河岸，把我给忘了；她站在甲板上，双手合在胸前，默不作声，但脸上挂着微笑，眼里闪烁着泪花。我会用力拉她那带有枝条图案的黑色麻布裙子。

"Ah! " she would exclaim, starting. "I must have fallen asleep, and begun to dream. " "But why are you crying? "

啊！她开始喊道，我肯定睡着了，开始做梦了。但你为什么哭呢？

"For joy and for old age, my dear, " she would reply, smiling. "I am getting old, you know：sixty years have passed over my head. "

因为高兴，因为年老，我的宝贝儿。她会笑着回答，我老了，你知道，脑海里已经闪过六十个年头了。

And taking a pinch of snuff, she would begin to tell me some wonderful stories about kind：hearted brigands, holy people, and all sorts of wild animals and evil spirits.

吸了一下鼻烟之后，她会给我讲很多关于热心海盗，圣人的故事，还有各种各样的野兽和恶鬼的故事。

She would tell me these stories softly, mysteriously, with her face close to mine, fixing me with her dilated eyes, thus actually infusing into me the strength which was growing within me. The longer she spoke, or rather sang, the more melodiously flowed her words. It was inexpressibly pleasant to listen to her.

她讲这些故事时，声音轻柔、神秘。她的脸紧贴着我的脸，大大的眼睛紧盯着我。确实，她向我灌输了力一种量，这力量在我的心田滋长。她讲得越久，或是说唱得越久，她的声音就越发优美。听她说话唱歌，有一种难以言表的乐趣。

I would listen and beg for another, and this is what I got:

我会在听完后，再求她讲一个，这就是我当时听到的：

"In the stove there lives an old goblin; once he got a splinter into his paw, and rocked to and fro whimpering, Oh, little mice, it hurts very much; oh, little mice, I cant bear it! "

炉子里住着一个老鬼；有一次他的爪子里扎进去一块碎片，他前后摇晃地哀怨：噢，小东西，太疼了；噢，小东西，我受不了了！

Raising her foot, she took it in her hands and wagged it from side to side, wrinkling up her face so funnily, just as if she herself had been hurt.

外祖母抬起她的脚，把它拿在手里左右摇晃，一脸皱纹，很是滑稽，好像她自己受了伤似的。

The sailors who stood round：bearded, good：natured men：listening and laughing, and praising the stories, would say:

那些站在周围的海员们，他们个个都是长满胡子，脾气和善的人，边听边笑，说故事讲得好，还说：

"Now, Grandmother, give us another. "

现在，外祖母，再给我们讲一个吧。

Afterwards they would say:

之后，他们还会说：

"Come and have supper with us. "

来和我们吃晚饭吧。

At supper they regaled her with vodka, and me with water：melon; this they did secretly, for there went to and fro on the boat a man who forbade the eating of fruit, and used to take it away and throw it in the river. He was dressed like an official, and was always drunk; people kept out of his sight.

晚饭时，他们给她伏尔加酒，给我吃西瓜；这是他们偷偷给我的，因为在船上有人来回走动监察，不允许吃水果，通常会把它拿走扔到河里。那人穿得像一个军官，而且经常醉醺醺的；人们都不愿让他看见。

On rare occasions my mother came on deck, and stood on the side farthest from us. She was always silent. Her large, well：formed body, her grim face, her heavy crown of plaited, shining hair：all about her was compact and solid, and she appeared to me as if she were enveloped in a fog or a transparent cloud, out of which she looked unamiably with her gray eyes, which were as large as grandmothers.

我的母亲难得会来到甲板上，站在离我们最远的那一边。她总是沉默无语。她那高大有形的身体，严肃的面孔，紧锁的眉头，闪亮的头发，她的一切都是紧凑而坚固。在我看来，她好像是包裹在雾气里，或者是透明的云彩里，这让她看起来很不亲切，灰色的眼睛跟外祖母的一般大。

Once she exclaimed sternly:

有一次她严厉地喊道：

"People are laughing at you, Mama! "

人们在嘲笑你，妈妈！

"God bless them! " answered grandmother, quite unconcerned. "Let them laugh, and good luck to em. "

上帝保佑他们！外祖母毫不介意地回答道，让他们笑吧，祝他们好运。

I remember the childish joy grandmother showed at the sight of Nijni. Taking my hand, she dragged me to the side, crying:

我至今记得在看到尼日尼的时候，外祖母那孩子般的快乐。她拉起我的手，把我拽到身旁，喊道：

"Look! Look how beautiful it is! Thats Nijni, that is! Look at the church too! Theres something heavenly about it. Doesnt it seem to have wings? " And she turned to my mother, nearly weeping. "Varusha, look, wont you? Come here! You seem to have forgotten all about it. Cant you show a little gladness? "

看！它多美！那就是尼日尼，那就是！它好似天堂。再看看那个教堂，难道它不像是有翅膀吗？她转身面向我的母亲，几乎流泪。瓦鲁撒，看看，行吗？过来！你似乎把一切都忘记了。难道你不能表现得高兴点吗？

My mother, with a frown, smiled bitterly.

我的母亲，皱了一下眉头，痛苦地笑了笑。

When the boat arrived outside the beautiful town between two rivers blocked by vessels, and bristling with hundreds of slender masts, a large boat containing many people was drawn alongside it. Catching the boat：hook in the gangway, one after another the passengers came on board. A short, wizened man, dressed in black, with a red：gold beard, a bird：like nose, and green eyes, pushed his way in front of the others.

我们的船来到了那座夹在两条河之间的美丽的镇外的时候，看到河里到处都是有着细长桅杆的船，还有一艘大船，上面有很多乘客，也正在靠岸。艇钩挂在通道上后，乘客们一个接一个地上了船。一个小个子的瘦削男人，穿着黑色的衣服，留有金红色的胡子，长着鸟一样的鼻子和一双绿色的眼睛，挤出了一条路，冲在其他人的前面。

"Papa! " my mother cried in a hoarse, loud voice, as she threw herself into his arms; but he, taking her face in his little red hands and hastily patting her cheeks, cried:

爸爸！我的母亲用沙哑的声音大喊，然后就一头扑进他的怀里；而他，用他红色的小手捧起她的脸，急速地拍着她的脸颊，喊道：

"Now, silly! Whats the matter with you?... "

嗳，小傻瓜！你怎么了？

Grandmother embraced and kissed them all at once, turning round and round like a peg：top; she pushed me towards them, saying quickly:

外祖母一下子把他们两个抱住，亲吻着他们，像个陀螺一样转啊转；她把我推向他们，赶紧说道：

"Now：make haste! This is Uncle Michael, this is Jaakov, this is Aunt Natalia, these are two brothers both called Sascha, and their sister Katerina. This is all our family. Isnt it a large one? "

嗳，快点！这是迈克尔舅舅，这是扎科夫，这是娜塔莉亚舅妈，这是你的两位哥哥，都叫萨沙，还有他们的妹妹卡特里娜。这都是我们的家人。难道不是一大家子吗？

Grandfather said to her:

外祖父对她说道：

"Are you quite well, Mother? " and they kissed each other three times.

你还好吧，孩子妈？然后他们互相亲吻了三下。

He then drew me from the dense mass of people, and laying his hand on my head, asked:

然后，从密集的人群中，他把我拉过来，把他的手放在我的头上，问道：

"And who may you be? "

你能是谁呢？

"I am the Astrakhan boy from the cabin. "

我是从船舱里出来的，来自阿斯特拉罕。

"What on earth is he talking about? " Grandfather turned to my mother, but without waiting for an answer, shook me and said: "You are a chip of the old block. Get into the boat. "

他究竟在说什么？外祖父转向母亲，没有等到她回答，晃了晃我，说道：你跟你的爸爸长得一模一样。上船吧。

Having landed, the crowd of people wended its way up the hill by a road paved with rough cobblestones between two steep slopes covered with trampled grass.

登陆之后，人们都向山上走去。路上铺有粗糙的鹅卵石，两边是很陡的斜坡，上面的草都被践踏了。

Grandfather and mother went in front of us all. He was a head shorter than she was, and walked with little hurried steps; while she, looking down on him from her superior height, appeared literally to float beside him. After them walked dark, sleek：haired Uncle Michael, wizened like grandfather, bright and curly：headed Jaakov, some fat women in brightly colored dresses, and six children, all older than myself and all very, quiet. I was with grandmother and little Aunt Natalia. Pale, blue：eyed and stout, she frequently stood still, panting and whispering: "Oh, I cant go any farther! "

外祖父和外祖母走在最前面。他比她矮一头，而且步伐小而急促；高个头的她俯视他时，看起来像飘浮在他的身旁一样。他们后面跟着头发黑亮光滑的迈克尔舅舅，他和外祖父一样瘦削；头发油亮卷曲的扎科夫；一些穿着亮色裙子的胖女人，还有六个孩子，他们个个都比我大，而且都非常安静。我呆在外祖母和娜塔莉亚舅妈的旁边。她脸色苍白，长着一双蓝色眼睛，又矮又胖；她总是停下来，喘息着低声说：哦，我走不动了！

"Why did they trouble you to come? " grumbled grandmother angrily. "They are a silly lot! "

他们为什么还要麻烦你来呢？外祖母生气地咕哝着，真是一群傻瓜！

I did not like either the grown：up people nor the children; I felt myself to be a stranger in their midst：even grandmother had somehow become estranged and distant.

我既不喜欢这些大人，也不喜欢这些孩子；我感觉在他们中间我是一个陌生人，甚至连外祖母也变得冷漠和疏远。

Most of all I disliked my uncle; I felt at once that he was my enemy, and I was conscious of a certain feeling of cautious curiosity towards him.

我最不喜欢的是我的舅舅；我马上就意识到他是我的敌人，而且我也意识到，对他，我有一种既小心又好奇的感觉。

We had now arrived at the end of our journey.

现在我们的旅途已经到达终点。

At the very top, perched on the right slope, stood the first building in the street：a squat, one：storied house, decorated with dirty pink paint, with a narrow overhanging roof and bow：windows. Looked at from the street it appeared to be a large house, but the interior, with its gloomy, tiny rooms, was cramped. Everywhere, as on the landing：stage, angry people strove together, and a vile smell pervaded the whole place.

在最上面，右边的斜坡上，矗立着街道上的第一所建筑物，一个低矮的平房；房子外面粉刷着脏兮兮的粉色油漆，屋顶狭窄吊在上面，窗户外凸。从街道上看它，好像是一个大房子，但实际上，里面阴暗，房间小而狭窄。好像在码头上一样，到处都聚集着愤怒的人们，而且整个地方都弥漫着难闻的气味。

I went out into the yard. That also was unpleasant. It was strewn with large, wet cloths and lumbered with tubs, all containing muddy water, of the same hue, in which other cloths lay soaking. In the corner of a half：tumbled：down shed the logs burned brightly in a stove, upon which something was boiling or baking, and an unseen person uttered these strange words:

我走进出房子，来到院子里。那里也很不舒服。到处都挂着大块潮湿的布，而且堆满了盆，里面装着同样浑浊的水，浸泡着一些布块。在摇摇欲坠的棚子里的一个角落，炉子里的木头烧得火红，上面煮着或者烘烤着什么东西，还有一个没有看见的人在说着一些奇怪的话：

"Santaline, fuchsin, vitriol! "

紫檀色，品红，硫酸盐！

CHAPTER II