Ivan was a timid little man---so timid that the villages called him “Pigeon” or mocked him with the title “Ivan the Terrible.”
伊萬是一個(gè)膽小如鼠的小個(gè)子男人,他的膽子太小了,所以村子里人都叫他“膽小鬼”,或者嘲諷的成他為“怕死鬼伊萬”.
Every night Ivan stopped in at the tavern which was one the edge of the village graveyard. Ivan never crossed the graveyard to get to his lonely shack on the other side. That path would save many minutes, but he had never taken it---not even in the full light of noon.
每天晚上,伊萬都要到村字墓地邊上的那個(gè)小酒店去,但每次從酒店回到他在墓地另一邊那做孤伶伶的小木屋時(shí),他都不會(huì)從墓地當(dāng)中穿過來.雖然走那條路可以節(jié)省好多時(shí)間,他卻從來沒走過.即使在陽光最明亮的大白天,他也沒有走過.
Late one winter's night, when bitter wind and snow beat against the tavern, customers took up the familiar mockery. Ivan's mother was scared by a canary when she carried him in her womb. “Ivan the Terrible---Ivan the Timid One.”
一個(gè)冬天的深夜,寒風(fēng)呼嘯,風(fēng)夾著雪花不停的拍打著小酒館.酒館里的客人們又聊起了那個(gè)老話題,對伊萬進(jìn)行嘲弄：伊萬他媽媽在懷它的時(shí)候給一只金絲雀給嚇著了,“怕死鬼伊萬;膽小鬼伊萬.”
Ivan's weak protest only encouraged them, and they jeered cruelly when the Cossack captain flung his horrid challenge at their victim.
伊萬軟弱無力的抗議只能是他們更來勁兒,更加肆無忌憚的嘲弄他.這時(shí),酒館的那個(gè)哥薩克老板又極不友好的向伊萬,這個(gè)他們捉弄的對象,發(fā)出了挑釁.
“You are a pigeon, Ivan. You'll walk around the graveyard in this cold---but you dare not cross it.” Ivan murmured, “The graveyard is nothing to cross, Captain. It is nothing but earth, like all the other earth.”
“你是一個(gè)膽小鬼,伊萬.在這樣一個(gè)大冷天,你也只敢繞遠(yuǎn)路,繞著墓地走回家;就是不敢穿過去.”伊萬喃喃的說：“穿過墓地也沒什么意思,老板.那里只有泥土,和其他地方的泥土沒什么兩樣.”
The captain cried, “A challenge, then! Cross the graveyard tonight, Ivan, and I'll give you five rubles---five gold rubles!”
老板大聲吼道：“好吧!來一次挑戰(zhàn)怎么樣?伊萬,今天晚上你穿過墓地走回去,我就給你5個(gè)金盧布; 5個(gè)金盧布!”
Perhaps it was the vodka. Perhaps it was the temptation of the five gold rubles. No one knew why. Ivan, moistening his lips, said suddenly: “Yes, Captain, I'll cross the graveyard.” The tavern echoed with their disbelief. The captain winked to the men and unbuckled his sword.
也許是伏特加的作用,也許是5個(gè)金盧布的誘惑,誰知道呢.伊萬舔舔嘴唇,突然說道：“行,老板,等一會(huì)兒我就從墓地穿過去.”小酒館里的人都嚷嚷說不信.老板朝大伙使了個(gè)眼色,然后解下了他的佩劍.
“Here, Ivan. When you get to the center of the graveyard, in front of the biggest tomb, stick the sword into the ground. In the morning we shall go there. If the sword is in the ground---five rubles to you!” Ivan took the sword. The men drank a toast: “To Ivan the Terrible!” They roared laughing.
“給你,伊萬!等你走到墓地中央時(shí),就將這把劍插在那個(gè)最大的墳堆前的地上.明天早上我們會(huì)到那里去,如果看的這把劍插在哪兒;5個(gè)盧布就歸你了!”
伊萬接過劍.人們舉起酒杯,“為怕死鬼伊萬干杯!”他們狂笑著大叫道.
The wind howled around Ivan as he closed the door of the tavern behind him. The cold was knife-sharp. He buttoned his long coat and crossed the dirt road. He could hear the captain's voice, louder than the rest, yelling after him, “Five rubles, pigeon! If you live!”
伊萬關(guān)上門,走出小酒店.身邊狂風(fēng)怒號(hào),冷的似刀割一般.他扣緊了長大衣,從泥濘的路上穿過去,耳邊仿佛還聽見在眾人的喧嘩聲中老板那格外刺耳的聲音在他背后厲聲叫著：“5個(gè)盧布,膽小鬼,如果你還能活著的話!”
Ivan pushed the graveyard gate open. He walked fast. “Earth, just earth… just like any other earth.” But the darkness was a massive dread.
伊萬推開墓地的門.他飛快地走著.“泥土,只不過是泥土罷了……和別處的沒什么兩樣.”但是,黑暗實(shí)在是太可怕人了.
“Five gold rubles…” The wind was cruel and the sword was like ice in his hands. Ivan shivered under the long, thick coat and broke into a limping run.
“5個(gè)金盧布……”風(fēng)凄厲地刮著,他手中的劍冰冷刺骨.伊萬裹在那件又長又厚的大衣里渾身直發(fā)抖,不由得一瘸一拐地跑了起來.
He stopped the large tomb. He must have sobbed---that was the sound that was drowned in the wind. And he kneeled, cold and terrified, and drove the sword through the crust into the hard ground. With all his strength, he pushed it down to the hilt. It was done. The graveyard… the challenge… five gold rubles.
他找到了那個(gè)大墳?zāi)?他一定是哭著來的;風(fēng)聲將他的哭聲湮沒了.他又冷又怕,跪倒在地,把劍向凍得硬梆梆地地上插下去,用盡全力將他一直插到只露出劍柄為止.總算成功了.墓地……挑戰(zhàn)……5個(gè)金盧布.
Ivan started to rise from his knees. But he could not move. Something gripped him in an unyielding hold. Ivan tugged and lurched and pulled---gasping in his panic, shaken by a horrible fear. He cried out in terror, then made senseless, gurgling noises.
伊萬抬起腿想站起來,但卻動(dòng)彈不得,不知有什么東西把他給牢牢地拽住了.伊萬掙扎著,跌跌撞撞使勁拉扯著;他在驚恐中喘息著,嚇得渾身哆嗦.隨后,伊萬害怕得大叫起來,接著又不由自主地發(fā)出一陣“咯咯”的顫抖.
They found Ivan, next morning on the ground in front of the tomb that was in the center of the graveyard. He was frozen to death. The look on his face was not that of a frozen man, but of a man killed by some nameless horror.
第二天早晨,人們在墓地中央那個(gè)墳?zāi)沟厍懊姘l(fā)現(xiàn)了伊萬.他是凍死地,但從他臉上的表情來看,不像是一個(gè)凍死地人,倒像是一個(gè)被無名的恐懼嚇?biāo)赖娜?
And the captain's sword was in the ground where Ivan had pounded it---through the dragging folds of his long coat.
老板的那柄劍還釘在伊萬將他狠狠地插進(jìn)去的地方;穿透了他那件長大衣下擺拖著的衣褶.
2.Suddenly, the doorbell rang
I opened the door: there was nothing outside, but total darkness. I must have a drumming in the ears, I told myself and closed the door again. No sooner had I switched off the light than the doorbell rang again, even more loudly. "Damn, who's making fun of me?" I swore, and turned the doorknob. The door sprang open: there was still total darkness outside. I stepped out, getting my eyes accustomed to the pitch-blackness. By and by, I made out a tiny flicker in front.
I stretched out my hands and touched something. Oh, it was an arm of somebody. "Oh, ghost!" I shouted.
"No, I'm not." said a male voice, "I'm an electrician. The fuse of this floor is broken. I'm going to change it. But the battery of my electric torch was bad. I just rang your doorbell to ask for a spare battery. But you just slammed the door shut on me. So I have to ring your doorbell again."
"Oh, that was a misunderstanding," said I, "you see, I'm very near-sighted
3.Herman was spending the night with some friends who lived in the country. He went to bed late and did not sleep well. Off in the distance he thought he heard the sound of a horse drawn carriage. He got up, went to the window, and looked out. There, in the full moon, he saw the carriage he had heard right outside of the house. The carriage looked like it was carrying a coffin. The driver of the carriage looked up at the window where Herman stood. The driver's face was ghostly pale and very thin. "All aboard", the driver said to Herman. Herman stepped back from the window and laid back down on the bed. He eventually fell back into a fitful sleep. The next morning, he told his friends about the carriage and driver and they all decided that he just must have had a very bad dream. Later that day, Herman went back home to his apartment in the city. Just as he started to board the elevator , he looked at the elevator operator. What did Herman see?