目 录 上一节 下一节 
在这段时间里，他的心一刻也没摆脱过一种沉重的压抑感，坟墓已经在他的脚下张开大口，这种感觉一直扭住他不放，但有些模糊、笼统，他没法定下心来想想。就这样，当他哆哆嗦嗦，因想到即将死去而浑身火辣辣的时候，他开始数面前有几根尖头朝上的铁栏杆，寻思着其中一根的尖头是怎么折断的，他们是要修好它呢，还是让它就这么着。接着，他想起了绞刑架和断头台的种种可怕之处--想着想着又停下来，细心观察一个男人往地板上泼水降温--随后又开始胡思乱想了。 At length there was a cry of silence, and a breathless look from all towards the door. The jury returned, and passed him close. He could glean nothing from their faces; they might as well have been of stone. Perfect stillness ensued--not a rustle--not a breath--Guilty. 终于有人叫了一声“肃静”。人们屏住呼吸，不约而同地朝门口望去。陪审团回来了，紧挨着他走过去。他们脸上什么也看不出来，一张张脸都像是石雕。紧接着是一片静默--没有一点儿沙沙的声响--连呼吸声也听不见--被告罪名成立！ The building rang with a tremendous shout, and another, and another, and then it echoed loud groans, that gathered strength as they swelled out, like angry thunder. It was a peal of joy from the populace outside, greeting the news that he would die on Monday. 一阵可怕的吼声响遍了这所大楼，又一阵吼声，又是一阵吼声。接着，一片喧闹的叫骂随之而起，愤怒的喊声如同雷鸣一般，越来越近，越来越响。法庭外边的民众发出一片欢呼，迎来了他将于星期一处决的新闻。 The noise subsided, and he was asked if he had anything to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon him. He had resumed his listening attitude, and looked intently at his questioner while the demand was made; but it was twice repeated before he seemed to hear it, and then he only muttered that he was an old man--an old man--and so, dropping into a whisper, was silent again. 喧闹声平息下来了，有人问他对宣判死刑有什么要说的没有。他又摆出了那副凝神谛听的姿势，专注地看着问话的人提出这个问题。然而，直到问题重复了两遍，他才似乎听明白了，接着只是咕哝着自己上了年纪--一个老头--一个老头--声音越来越小，再次沉默下来。 The judge assumed the black cap, and the prisoner still stood with the same air and gesture. A woman in the gallery, uttered some exclamation, called forth by this dread solemnity; he looked hastily up as if angry at the interruption, and bent forward yet more attentively. The address was solemn and impressive; the sentence fearful to hear. But he stood, like a marble figure, without the motion of a nerve. His haggard face was still thrust forward, his under-jaw hanging down, and his eyes staring out before him, when the jailer put his hand upon his arm, and beckoned him away. He gazed stupidly about him for an instant, and obeyed. 法官戴上黑色的帽子，犯人依然无动于衷地站着。旁听席里有个女人看到这可怕的肃穆情景，不禁发出一声惊叫，他慌忙抬头望去，仿佛对这种干扰大为恼火一般，然后更加专注地伸长了脖子。法官的讲话庄重严肃，扣人心弦，判决听上去令人毛骨悚然。他纹丝不动，站在那里，像是一座大理石雕像。看守将一只手按在他的胳臂上，吩咐他退席，这时，他那张憔悴枯槁的面孔仍旧朝前伸着，下颚垂了下来，两眼直瞪瞪地望着前边。他昏昏沉沉地往四周看了一眼，便服从了。 
他被押送到法庭下边一间石板房间，有几名犯人正在那里等候提审，另外几个犯人围在栅栏前跟亲友谈话，栅栏外边就是院子了。没有人和他搭话。当他经过时，犯人纷纷后退，让那班挤在栅栏前边的人将他看得更清楚一些。众人以种种不堪入耳的谩骂、尖叫和嘘声轰他。他挥了挥拳头，很想给他们一巴掌。然而，几名带路的看守催着他走开了。他们穿过一段灯光昏暗的甬道，到了监狱里边。 Here, he was searched, that he might not have about him the means of anticipating the law; this ceremony performed, they led him to one of the condemned cells, and left him there--alone. 在这里，看守在他身上搜查了一通，他身边不能带有足以抢在法律前边的工具。这一道仪式进行之后，他被领进一间关押死刑犯的牢房，独自一人留在那儿。 He sat down on a stone bench opposite the door, which served for seat and bedstead; and casting his blood-shot eyes upon the ground, tried to collect his thoughts. After awhile, he began to remember a few disjointed fragments of what the judge had said: though it had seemed to him, at the time, that he could not hear a word. These gradually fell into their proper places, and by degrees suggested more: so that in a little time he had the whole, almost as it was delivered. To be hanged by the neck, till he was dead--that was the end. To be hanged by the neck till he was dead. 他在牢门对面的一张石凳上坐下来，这东西既当椅子又当床凳。他睁着一双充血的眼睛，盯着地面，试图整理一下思绪。过了一会儿，他回忆起了法官说的那一席话里的几个支离破碎的片段，尽管当时他似乎连一句话也没听清。这些只言片语渐渐散落到各自的位置上，一点一点地说出了更多的东西，功夫不大他便全都明白了，几乎和正在宣判一样。判处绞刑，就地正法--这就是结局。判处绞刑，就地正法。 As it came on very dark, he began to think of all the men he had known who had died upon the scaffold; some of them through his means. They rose up, in such quick succession, that he could hardly count them. He had seen some of them die,--and had joked too, because they died with prayers upon their lips. With what a rattling noise the drop went down; and how suddenly they changed, from strong and vigorous men to dangling heaps of clothes! 大黑下来了，他开始回想所有那些死在绞刑架上的熟人，其中有些人是死在他的手中。他们接二连三地出现，他简直数不过来。他曾目睹有些人死去--还打趣过他们，因为他们死的时候还在念祷告。记得那块踏板咔哒一声掉落下来，人们顷刻之间就从身强体壮的汉子变成了在半空中晃荡的衣架。 Some of them might have inhabited that very cell--sat upon that very spot. It was very dark; why didn't they bring a light? The cell had been built for many years. Scores of men must have passed their last hours there. It was like sitting in a vault strewn with dead bodies--the cap, the noose, the pinioned arms, the faces that he knew, even beneath that hideous veil.--Light, light! 他们中兴许有人在这间牢房里呆过--就坐在这个地方。四周二片漆黑，人们干吗不点个亮呢？这间牢房已经建成多年，肯定有许多人的最后时光是在这儿打发的。呆在此地，像是坐在一个遍布死尸的墓穴里--套在头上的帽子，绞索，捆绑起来的胳臂，他所熟悉的面孔，哪怕蒙着那个可怕的罩子，他也能认出来--点个亮，点个亮。 
他双手捶打着结实的牢门和四壁，直到砸得皮开肉绽，这时，有两个人走进来，一个将手里举着的蜡烛插进固定在墙上的铁烛台里，另一个拖进来一床褥子，准备在这里过夜。犯人再也不是孤身一人了。 Then came the night--dark, dismal, silent night. Other watchers are glad to hear this church-clock strike, for they tell of life and coming day. To him they brought despair. The boom of every iron bell came laden with the one, deep, hollow sound--Death. What availed the noise and bustle of cheerful morning, which penetrated even there, to him? It was another form of knell, with mockery added to the warning. 夜晚来临了--漆黑、凄凉、死寂的夜晚。其他的守夜人听见教堂的钟声报时一般都很高兴，因为钟声预告的是生命与来日。对他来说，钟声带来的却是绝望。铁钟轰鸣，每一下都送来那个声音，那个低沉、空洞的声音--死亡。清晨的喧闹与繁忙居然钻进了牢房，这对他又有什么好处？这不过是另一种丧钟，警告之中又添上了嘲弄。 The day passed off. Day? There was no day; it was gone as soon as come--and night came on again; night so long, and yet so short; long in its dreadful silence, and short in its fleeting hours. At one time he raved and blasphemed; and at another howled and tore his hair. Venerable men of his own persuasion had come to pray beside him, but he had driven them away with curses. They renewed their charitable efforts, and he beat them off. 白天过去了--白天？这叫什么白天：刚一到来就匆匆离去--黑夜重又降临。夜是那样漫长，又是那样短促。漫长是因为它那死一般的寂静，短促是因为一个小时接一个小时飞逝而去。一时间，他狂暴不已，骂骂咧咧，一时间哭哭嚷嚷，揪扯头发。与他同一教派的几位长老曾来到他的身边做祷告，叫他用咒骂轰了出去。他们又一次走进来，打算奉献一番善举，他干脆把众人打跑了。 Saturday night. He had only one night more to live. And as he thought of this, the day broke--Sunday. 礼拜六夜里。他只能再活一夜了。当他意识到这一点时，天已经破晓--礼拜天到了。 It was not until the night of this last awful day, that a withering sense of his helpless, desperate state came in its full intensity upon his blighted soul; not that he had ever held any defined or positive hope of mercy, but that he had never been able to consider more than the dim probability of dying so soon. He had spoken little to either of the two men, who relieved each other in their attendance upon him; and they, for their parts, made no effort to rouse his attention. He had sat there, awake, but dreaming. Now, he started up, every minute, and with gasping mouth and burning skin, hurried to and fro, in such a paroxysm of fear and wrath that even they--used to such sights--recoiled from him with horror. He grew so terrible, at last, in all the tortures of his evil conscience, that one man could not bear to sit there, eyeing him alone; and so the two kept watch together. 直到这可怕的最后一夜，一种意识到自己已经濒临绝境的幻灭感向他那晦暗的灵魂全力袭来。他倒也不是抱有什么明确的或者说很大的希望，以为自己能够得到宽恕，而是他认为死亡近在眼前的可能性仍然很模糊，根本无法细想下去。他同那两个轮流看守他的男子很少谈话，两人也没打算引起他的注意。他醒着坐在那里，却又在做梦。他时时惊跳而起，嘴里喘着大气，浑身皮肤滚烫，慌乱地跑来跑去，恐惧与愤怒骤然发作，连那两名看守--他们对这类场面早已屡见不鲜--也胆战心惊地躲着他。末了，在歹心邪念的折磨下，他变得十分可怕，看守吓得不敢单独和他面对面坐在那里；只得两个人一块儿看着他。 
他蜷缩在石床上，回想着往事。被捕那天，他被人群中飞来的什么东西打伤，脑袋上还扎着一块亚麻布。红头发技散在毫无血色的脸上，胡须给扯掉了不少，这时成了一绺一绺的。双眼放射出可怕的光泽。好久没有洗澡，皮肤给体内的高烧烤得起了折皱。八点--九点--十点。如果这不是吓唬他的恶作剧，而是果真这样接踵而至的一个又一个小时，到它们转回来的时候，他又在什么地方。十一点。前一个小时的钟声刚刚停止轰鸣，钟又敲响了。到八点钟，他将成为自己的葬礼行列里唯一的送丧人。现在是十一点-- Those dreadful walls of Newgate, which have hidden so much misery and such unspeakable anguish, not only from the eyes, but, too often, and too long, from the thoughts, of men, never held so dread a spectacle as that. The few who lingered as they passed, and wondered what the man was doing who was to be hanged to-morrow, would have slept but ill that night, if they could have seen him. 新门监狱那些可怕的墙壁把那么多的不幸和无法用言语形容的痛苦隐藏起来，不单单瞒过了人们的眼睛，而且更多更长久的是瞒过了人们的思考--那些墙壁也从未见过如此可怕的惨状。几个从门外路过的人放慢脚步，很想知道明天就要上绞刑架的那个人在干什么，人们要是看得见他，那天夜里可就别想安然入睡了。
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