《哑书》，1851 年
the dumb book, 1851
在穿过一片树林的大路上，孤零零地立着一座农舍；实际上，大路正好从农舍的院子中间穿过。
In the high-road which led through a wood stood a solitary farm-house; the road, in fact, ran right through its yard.
阳光明媚，所有的窗户都敞开着；屋里的人们都在忙碌着。
the sun was shining and all the windows were open; within the house people were very busy.
在院子里，一个由盛开的丁香花丛构成的凉棚下，放着一口敞开的棺材；他们已经把一个死人抬到了那里，当天下午就要把他埋葬。
In the yard, in an arbour formed by lilac bushes in full bloom, stood an open coffin; thither they had carried a dead man, who was to be buried that very afternoon.
没有人为他掉一滴眼泪；他的脸被一块白布盖着，在他头下，他们放了一本又大又厚的书，书页是用折叠起来的吸墨纸做成的，书页间还夹着枯萎的花朵；这是他在各地采集的植物标本集，按照他自己的意愿，要和他一起埋葬。
Nobody shed a tear over him; his face was covered over with a white cloth, under his head they had placed a large thick book, the leaves of which consisted of folded sheets of blotting-paper, and withered flowers lay between them; it was the herbarium which he had gathered in various places and was to be buried with him, according to his own wish.
标本集里的每一朵花都和他人生的某个篇章相关联。
Every one of the flowers in it was connected with some chapter of his life.
“死者是谁？” 我们问道。
“who is the dead man?” we asked.
“那个老学生，” 有人回答说。“他们说他曾经是个精力充沛的年轻人，学习过古代语言，还唱歌，甚至创作了很多歌曲；后来他遭遇了一些变故，结果就身心都沉溺于饮酒了。当他最终搞垮了自己的身体后，他们就把他带到了乡下，在那里有人为他支付食宿费用。只要他不陷入阴郁的情绪，他就温顺得像个孩子；但一旦情绪低落，他就会变得很凶，力大如巨人，在树林里跑来跑去，就像一只被追赶的鹿。”
“the old student,” was the reply. “they say that he was once an energetic young man, that he studied the dead languages, and sang and even posed many songs; then something had happened to him, and in consequence of this he gave himself up to drink, body and mind. when at last he had ruined his health, they brought him into the country, where someone paid for his board and residence. he was gentle as a child as long as the sullen mood did not e over him; but when it came he was fierce, became as strong as a giant, and ran about in the wood like a chased deer.
但当我们设法把他带回家，并说服他打开那本夹着干枯植物的书时，他有时会坐上一整天，看着这朵或那朵植物，眼泪常常从他脸颊滑落。
but when we succeeded in bringing him home, and prevailed upon him to open the book with the dried-up plants in it, he would sometimes sit for a whole day looking at this or that plant, while frequently the tears rolled over his cheeks.
天知道他心里在想些什么；但他请求我们把这本书放进他的棺材里，现在他就躺在那儿。
God knows what was in his mind; but he requested us to put the book into his coffin, and now he lies there.
再过一会儿，棺盖就要盖到棺材上了，他将在坟墓里安息了！
In a little while the lid will be placed upon the coffin, and he will have sweet rest in the grave!”
盖在他脸上的布被掀开了；死者的脸上露出安详的神情 —— 一道阳光洒在上面。
the cloth which covered his face was lifted up; the dead man’s face expressed peace — a sunbeam fell upon it.
一只燕子像箭一样迅速地飞进凉棚，在飞行中转弯，在死者头顶叽叽喳喳叫着。
A swallow flew with the swiftness of an arrow into the arbour, turning in its flight, and twittered over the dead man’s head.
翻阅我们年轻时的旧信件，这是一种多么奇怪的感觉啊 —— 我们肯定都有过这种感觉 —— 仿佛一种不同的生活从过去浮现出来，带着所有的希望和悲伤。
what a strange feeling it is — surely we all know it — to look through old letters of our young days; a different life rises up out of the past, as it were, with all its hopes and sorrows.
在那些日子里，我们曾经亲密无间的许多人，在我们看来仿佛已经去世了，然而他们还活着 —— 只是我们已经很久没有想起他们了，我们曾以为会永远把他们留在记忆里，与他们分享每一份喜悦和悲伤。
how many of the people with whom in those days we used to be on intimate terms appear to us as if dead, and yet they are still alive — only we have not thought of them for such a long time, whom we imagined we should retain in our memories for ever, and share every joy and sorrow with them.
这本书里的这片干枯的橡树叶让他想起了那位朋友，那位同学，本应是他一生的挚友。
the withered oak leaf in the book here recalled the friend, the schoolfellow, who was to be his friend for life.
他们在绿树林里把这片树叶别在学生帽上，当时他们发誓要结下永恒的友谊。
he fixed the leaf to the student’s cap in the green wood, when they vowed eternal friendship.
他现在住在哪里呢？树叶还留着，但友谊已不复存在。
where does he dwell now? the leaf is kept, but the friendship does no longer exist.
这里有一株外来的温室植物，对于北方的花园来说太娇弱了。它的叶子仿佛还散发着甜香呢！这是一位贵族小姐从自家花园里送给他的。
here is a foreign hothouse plant, too tender for the gardens of the North. It is almost as if its leaves still smelt sweet! She gave it to him out of her own garden — a nobleman’s daughter.
这里有一朵他亲手采摘的睡莲，曾用咸涩的泪水浇灌过 —— 一朵淡水百合。
here is a water-lily that he had plucked himself, and watered with salt tears — a lily of sweet water.
这里还有一株荨麻：它的叶子会向我们诉说些什么呢？他采摘并留存它的时候可能在想些什么呢？
And here is a nettle: what may its leaves tell us? what might he have thought when he plucked and kept it?
这里有一朵来自那片偏僻树林的雪花莲；这里有一株来自酒馆花盆里的常青植物；这里还有一片简简单单的草叶。
here is a little snowdrop out of the solitary wood; here is an 常绿植物 from the flower-pot at the tavern; and here is a simple blade of grass.
丁香花把它清新芬芳的花朵垂在死者的头上；燕子又飞过去了 ——“叽叽，叽叽”；现在人们拿着锤子和钉子来了，棺盖被盖在了死者身上，而他的头枕在那本哑书上 —— 这本被长久珍视的书，如今永远合上了！
the lilac bends its fresh fragrant flowers over the dead man’s head; the swallow passes again— “twit, twit;” now the men e with hammer and nails, the lid is placed over the dead man, while his head rests on the dumb book — so long cherished, now closed for ever!
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