我們博幼基金會非常重視同仁的成長，在英文方面，很多同仁很認真地每週讀一段英文文章，然後將它翻成中文，前些日子，我們選了The Monkey’s Paw,以下是十幾位同仁集體翻譯的結果。
在博幼，「成人教育」不是口號，而是實際的行動。最值得大家注意的是:有這麼多的同仁在英文上下功夫，該給他們熱烈的掌聲吧。
The Monkey’s Paw 是我在師大附中唸書時聽到的故事，很值得一讀。
THE MONKEY’S PAW
By W.W. Jacobs
Outside, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnam Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly.
外頭是個又冷又濕的夜晚，但在洛柏南別墅的小客廳中，被拉上的窗簾裡正燃燒著熊熊的火焰。
Father and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical changes, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.
父親和兒子原本在下棋，而父親的棋路是那麼激進多變，把將軍放到如此險惡的情況中，這甚至引起了在爐火旁安靜編織且白髮蒼蒼的女士之注意。
“Hark at the wind,” said Mr. White, who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late, was amiably desirous of preventing his son from seeing it.
「傾聽風聲吧。」懷特先生說著，他已經發現那步致命的錯棋，父親既溫和又急切的渴望兒子並沒有注意到。
“I’m listening,” said the latter, grimly surveying the board as he stretched out his hand. “Check.”
「我正聽著呢。」眼神兇狠地審視了棋盤後，兒子下手並喊出：「將軍。」
“I should hardly think that he’d come to-night,” said his father, with his hand poised over the board.
他的父親平靜地將手懸在棋盤上，說：「我很難想像他今晚要來。」
“Mate,” replied the son.
「將死，」兒子回應。
“That’s the worst of living so far out,” bawled Mr. White, with sudden and unlooked-for violence; “of all the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this is the worst. Pathway’s a bog, and the road’s a torrent. I don’t know what people are thinking about. I suppose because only two houses on the road are let, they think it doesn’t matter.”
「住在這麼糟糕偏遠的地方，」懷特先生突然粗魯地大叫，「如此惡劣、泥濘、偏遠的地方，糟透了。路徑是沼澤，道路是洪流。我不知道人們在想什麼。我假設是因為路上只有兩間房子出租，所以才不在乎。」
“Never mind, dear,” said his wife soothingly; “perhaps you’ll win the next one.”
「不要緊，親愛的。」他妻子安慰道，「或許你會贏下一盤。」
“There he is,” said Herbert White, as the gate banged to loudly and heavy footsteps came toward the door.
「他來了。」兒子赫伯特·懷特說道。同時，大門“砰”地一聲關上了，隨後有沉重的腳步聲走近門口。
The old man rose with haste, and opening the door, was heard condoling with the new arrival. The new arrival also condoled with himself, so that Mrs. White coughed gently as her husband entered the room, followed by a tall burly man, beady eye and rubicund visage.
老頭懷特殷勤而急切地站起來，打開門向剛到的來客表示歡迎，來人也問候了他。當一個高大結實的男子隨著她丈夫走進屋子時，懷特太太邊輕輕咳嗽邊不禁發出“嘖嘖”聲。來人眼睛小而亮，面色紅潤。
“Sergeant-Major Morris,” he said, introducing him.
「士官長莫里斯。」懷特介紹著來人。
The sergeant-major shook hands, and taking the proffered seat by the fire, watched contentedly while his host got out whisky and tumblers and stood a small copper kettle on the fire.
士官長擺擺手。坐到擺在壁爐邊的椅子上，滿意地看著主人拿出威士忌和酒杯，還在爐上放了一個黃銅小水壺。
At the third glass his eyes got brighter, and he began to talk, the little family circle regarding with eager interest this visitor from distant parts, as he squared his broad shoulders in the chair and spoke of strange scenes and doughty deeds; of wars and plagues and strange peoples.
酒過三巡，士官長的眼睛更亮了，開始侃侃而談，一家三口人懷著熱切的興趣注視著這位遠道而來的客人。他在椅子上正了正寬肩膀，談起曠野的景觀和自己英勇的事蹟，談起戰爭和瘟疫以及陌生的人們。
“Twenty-one years of it,” said Mr. White, nodding at his wife and son. “When he went away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse. Now look at him.”
「二十一年了。」懷特先生說，並向他妻子和兒子點頭。 「當他離開時，他只是一個在倉庫裡的一位小滑頭，現在看看他。」
“He don’t look to have taken much harm,” said Mrs. White, politely.
「他看起來沒有受到多大的傷害。」懷特太太禮貌地說。
“I’d like to go to India myself,” said the old man, “just to look round a bit, you know.”
「我想獨自去印度。」老人說，「只是去晃晃，你知道的。」
“Better where you are,” said the sergeant-major, shaking his head. He put down the empty glass, and sighing softly, shook it again.
「你去哪都會更好的。」軍士長搖搖頭說道。他放下空的酒杯，輕輕地嘆了口氣，又搖了搖頭。
“I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers,” said the old man. “What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey’s paw or something, Morris?”
「我想看看那些古老的寺廟、僧人和雜耍人。」老人說。 「那天你開始告訴我一隻猴爪或什麼事，莫里斯？」
“Nothing,” said the soldier hastily. “Nothing worth hearing.”
「沒什麼。」軍士長匆忙地說。 「沒有什麼事值得聽的。」
“Monkey’s paw?” said Mrs. White curiously.
「猴爪？」懷特太太好奇地問。
“Well, it’s just a bit of what you might call magic, perhaps,” said the sergeant-major off-handedly.
「是啊，也許它帶有一點你們所謂魔力。」士官長有點不經意地說。
His three listeners leaned forward eagerly. The visitor absentmindedly put his empty glass to his lips and then set it down again. His host filled it for him.
他的三個聽眾懇切地向前傾聽，這客人隨意把空酒杯舉到嘴邊，然後又放回了桌上，主人再次幫他斟滿。
“To look at,” said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, “it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy.”
「外觀看起來，」士官長邊說邊伸手在自己口袋裏掏找，「它不過是個一般的小手掌，乾製成了木乃伊。」
He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs. White drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously.
他從口袋裡拿出了某個東西並擺了出來，懷特夫人乍舌地倒抽了一口氣，但她的兒子倒是直接把這東西拿了起來好奇的檢查起來。
“And what is there special about it?” inquired Mr. White, as he took it from his son and, having examined it, placed it upon the table.
「這有什麼特別的呢？」懷特先生問了，從兒子手中接過這東西，也察看了一番，又放回了桌上。
“It had a spell put on it by an old fakir,” said the sergeant-major, “a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.”
「有位老僧侶對它施了法術，」軍士長說，「一個非常崇高的聖人，他想告訴世人命運左右著一切，那些試圖干擾、試圖介入命運的人終無法脫離悲傷，他對猴爪施了法，使得三個不同的人可以從其許下三個願望。」
His manner was so impressive that his hearers were conscious that their light laughter jarred somewhat.
“Well, why don’t you have three, sir?” said Herbert White cleverly.
他的神態太過懾人，所以聆聽者們相當困惑是不是應該對這荒唐的故事發笑。
“Well, why don’t you have three, sir?” said Herbert White cleverly.
「呃，那先生您為什麼不許三個願望？」赫伯特·懷特機敏地發問。
“I have,” he said quietly, and his blotchy face whitened.
「我許了。」他答道，滿佈斑點的臉頰泛白。
“And did you really have the three wishes granted?” asked Mrs. White.
「而你的三個願望真的實現了嗎？」這次問話的是懷特太太。
“I did,” said the sergeant-major, and his glass tapped against his strong teeth.
「是的。」軍士長吐出這句話的同時手上的酒杯不經意地嗑到了他的牙。
“And has anybody else wished?” inquired the old lady.
「有其他人也許了願嗎？」老婦再次問道。
“The first man had his three wishes, yes,” was the reply. “I don’t know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That’s how I got the paw.”
「第一個許了三個願的人，是的，」他答道。「我不清楚他的前兩個願望是什麼，但是他許了第三個願望求死，這就是我拿到猴爪的由來。」
“If you don’t want it, Morris,” said the old man, “give it to me.”
「莫里斯，如果你不想要它，把它給我。」老人說。
“I won’t,” said his friend doggedly. “I threw it on the fire. If you keep it, don’t blame me for what happens. Pitch it on the fire again, like a sensible man.”
「我不會給你，」他的朋友固執地說。「我將它丟到火裡，如果你將它撿起來，就別怪我會發生什麼事。把它丟在火裡，像一個明智的人。」
The other shook his head and examined his new possession closely. “How do you do it?” he inquired.
另一個人搖搖頭並嚴格地檢查他的新所有物並問:「你如何做的?」
“Hold it up in your right hand and wish aloud,’ said the sergeant-major, “but I warn you of the consequences.”
「用你的右手握住它並大聲地許願，」軍事長說，「但我警告過你後果了。」
“Sounds like the Arabian Nights,” said Mrs White, as she rose and began to set the supper. “Don’t you think you might wish for four pairs of hands for me?”
「聽起來像阿拉伯之夜，」懷特太太說著，同時她站起來並開始準備晚餐。
「你不認為你應該要幫我許願希望我有4雙手嗎?」
Her husband drew the talisman from his pocket and then all three burst into laughter as the sergeant-major, with a look of alarm on his face, caught him by the arm.
她的丈夫從口袋拿出護身符，然後三人便突然笑了出來，軍士長面露不安地抓著他的手臂。
“If you must wish,” he said gruffly, “wish for something sensible.”
「如果你一定要許的話，許些明智的吧。」他粗聲地說道。
Mr. White dropped it back into his pocket, and placing chairs, motioned his friend to the table. In the business of supper the talisman was partly forgotten, and afterward the three sat listening in an enthralled fashion to a second instalment of the soldier’s adventures in India.
懷特先生將它扔回口袋中，並排好椅子，向他的朋友示意到餐桌這。晚餐時，護身符這議題已被遺忘。三人坐著並著迷的聽著軍士長在印度的冒險故事。
“If the tale about the monkey paw is not more truthful than those he has been telling us,” said Herbert, as the door closed behind their guest, just in time for him to catch the last train, “we shan’t make much out of it.”
「如果那關於猴爪的故事並不比它告訴我們的更真實。」當客人離開後門關上，正趕上末班次的火車，赫伯特說道，「我們不應該了解太多。」
“Did you give him anything for it, father?” inquired Mrs. White, regarding her husband closely.
懷特太太盯著著丈夫看並問著:「孩子的父親！你有給他什麼來交換它嗎?」
“A trifle,” said he, colouring slightly. “He didn’t want it, but I made him take it. And he pressed me again to throw it away.”
父親些微地臉紅便說：「只是一些小東西而已，但是他一開始並不想拿，但我迫使他拿，但他卻丟了回來。」
“Likely,” said Herbert, with pretended horror. “Why, we’re going to be rich, and famous, and happy. Wish to be an emperor, father, to begin with; then you can’t be henpecked.”
「這是有可能的，」赫伯特假裝恐懼地說著，而他的臉顯然有點紅，「為什麼呢? 我們即將要發達和成名，也要變成快樂的人了。 想要成為皇帝的話，首先，父親你不能害怕。」
He darted round the table, pursued by the maligned Mrs. White armed with an antimacassar.
他在桌子旁快跑著，而邪惡的懷特太太拿著椅背套追著他。
Mr. White took the paw from his pocket and eyed it dubiously. “I don’t know what to wish for, and that’s a fact,” he said slowly. “It seems to me I’ve got all I want.”
懷特先生從口袋裡拿出猴抓， 懷疑地看了一番。 「我不知道要許什麼願，這是事實。」懷特緩慢地說著，「我似乎已經得到想要的一切了。」
“If you only cleared the house, you’d be quite happy, wouldn’t you?” said Herbert, with his hand on his shoulder. “Well, wish for two hundred pounds, then; that’ll just do it.”
「如果你只清理房子的話，你就會很快樂了，不是嗎?」赫伯特說著，同時將他的手搭在肩上。 「嗯! 許願要兩百磅的話，它就會幫你實現。」
His father, smiling shamefacedly at his own credulity, held up the talisman, as his son, with a solemn face somewhat marred by a wink at his mother, sat down at the piano and struck a few impressive chords.
他的父親因自己輕易受騙的性格而笑得很羞怯，並拿起這個寶物，而他的兒子臉色莊重，卻因為對母親眨眼的動作，而有點玷汙了這個凝重的氛圍，並坐在鋼琴前，彈了幾個深刻的合音。
“I wish for two hundred pounds,” said the old man distinctly.
「我許願有兩百磅」，老人清楚的說。
A fine crash from the piano greeted the words, interrupted by a shuddering cry from the old man. His wife and son ran toward him.
鋼琴流洩出一串美麗的音符伴隨著這個願望，突然被老人驚恐的大叫打斷。他的妻子兒子向他跑去。
“It moved, he cried, with a glance of disgust at the object as it lay on the floor. “As I wished it twisted in my hands like a snake.”
「它動了！」他大叫，厭惡地瞥了瞥掉在地板上的猴爪。「當我許願時，它在我手裡像一條蛇般的扭動。」
“Well, I don’t see the money,” said his son, as he picked it up and placed it on the table, “and I bet I never shall.”
「可是我沒看到一毛錢。」他兒子邊說邊拾起它放在桌上，「我敢打賭永遠不會看到。」
“It must have been your fancy, father,” said his wife, regarding him anxiously.
「那是你的幻想，孩子的爸。」他的妻子急急地看著他說。
He shook his head. “Never mind, though; there’s no harm done, but it gave me a shock all the same.”
他搖搖頭。「算了，雖然尚未有什麼壞處，但也讓我嚇了一大跳。」
They sat down by the fire again while the two men finished their pipes. Outside, the wind was higher than ever, and the old man started nervously at the sound of a door banging upstairs. A silence unusual and depressing settled upon all three, which lasted until the old couple rose to retire for the night.
兩個男人抽完煙重新在火爐旁坐下。外頭風比早先更大，老人因為樓上的一扇門“砰”一聲關上緊張起來。一種莫名的沉默分為籠罩著三個人，直到兩老就寢。
“I expect you’ll find the cash tied up in a big bag in the middle of your bed,” said Herbert, as he bade them good-night, “and something horrible squatting up on top of the wardrobe watching you as you pocket your ill-gotten gains.”
「我期望你們會發現床上有一大口袋硬幣。」赫伯特向他們道晚安時說，「當你們把不義之財裝入口袋的時候，那可怕的東西就會蹲在衣櫃上看著。」
He sat alone in the darkness, gazing at the dying fire, and seeing faces in it. The last face was so horrible and so simian that he gazed at it in amazement. It got so vivid that, with a little uneasy laugh, he took a glasson the table containing a little water to throw over it. His hand grasped the monkey’s paw, and with a little shiver he wiped his hand on his coat and went up to bed.
他一個人坐在黑暗，瞪著正在熄滅的火。他看到許多張臉，最後一張非常的嚇人，像猴子，他看呆了，那張變了樣子，還帶著一些微笑。他拿起桌上的水潑向火上。手抓著猴爪，用顫抖的手擦他的外套，並且上床睡覺。
IN the brightness of the wintry sun next morning as it streamed over the breakfast table Herbert laughed at his fears. There was an air of prosaic wholesomeness about the room which it had lacked on the previous night, and the dirty, shrivelled little paw was pitched on the sideboard with a carelessness which betokened no great belief in its virtues.
第二天早上，當冬天的太陽照射在早餐桌上的時候，赫伯特為了前晚感到恐懼覺得可笑。房間裡充滿了前一完所沒有的一種平淡無奇的氣氛。那個骯髒又萎縮的小爪子被隨意的放在餐具櫃上，顯然沒有人相信它的魔力。
“I suppose all old soldiers are the same,” said Mrs White. “The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?”
「我想對那些老兵來說都是一樣的，」 懷特太太說，「我們所聽到的都是些廢話！這幾天願望如何成真呢？如果真的可能，兩百鎊錢又怎麼傷害你呢，孩子的爹？」
“Might drop on his head from the sky,” said the frivolous Herbert.
「也許會從天上掉到他的頭上。」輕浮的赫伯特說。
“Morris said the things happened so naturally,” said his father, “that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence.”
「莫里斯說事情將會自然而然發生。」他父親說，「因此你會把這些結果當作巧合。」
“Well, don’t break into the money before I come back,” said Herbert, as he rose from the table. “I’m afraid it’ll turn you into a mean, avaricious man, and we shall have to disown you.”
「好吧，在我回來之前，別把錢獨吞了。」赫伯特邊說邊從桌邊站起來，「我怕它會使你變成一個自私、貪婪的人，那麼我們便與你脫離關係。」
His mother laughed, and following him to the door, watched him down the road, and returning to the breakfast table, was very happy at the expense of her husband’s credulity. All of which did not prevent her from scurrying to the door at the postman’s knock, nor prevent her from referring somewhat shortly to retired sergeant-majors of bibulous habits when she found that the post brought a tailor’s bill.
他母親笑著，隨他走到門口，看著他上了路。回到早餐桌上便開心地拿她丈夫的輕信當作了話柄。但這些並沒使她忘記在郵差敲門時匆匆跑去開門。在發現寄來的是一張裁縫的帳單的同時，也沒忘記簡短地打聽一下那位嗜酒的退役士官長。
“Herbert will have some more of his funny remarks, I expect, when he comes home,” she said, as they sat at dinner.
「我期望當赫伯特回家的時候，他將會有更多好笑的議論。」當他們坐在晚餐桌
時她說道。
“I dare say,” said Mr. White, pouring himself out some beer; “but for all that, the thing moved in my hand; that I’ll swear to.”
「我敢說，」懷特先生說著並為自己倒出了一些啤酒，「對於這一切，這東
西在我手裡移動了，我發誓。」
“You thought it did,” said the old lady soothingly.
「你認為是如此，」老婦人輕鬆地說道。
“I say it did,” replied the other. “There was no thought about it; I had just—-What’s the matter?”
「我說它是，」他回答。「對於這件事沒有想法，我只是-我怎麼了?」
His wife made no reply. She was watching the mysterious movements of a man outside, who, peering in an undecided fashion at the house, appeared to be trying to make up his mind to enter. In mental connection with the two hundred pounds, she noticed that the stranger was well dressed and wore a silk hat of glossy newness. Three times he paused at the gate, and then walked on again. The fourth time he stood with his hand upon it, and then with sudden resolution flung it open and walked up the path. Mrs. White at the same moment placed her hands behind her, and hurriedly unfastening the strings of her apron, put that useful apparel beneath the cushion of her chair.
他的妻子不回應了。她發現外面有個男人鬼鬼祟祟正偷看著屋內的景象走來走去。她的心裡立刻浮現關於那兩百鎊的事，她注意到那陌生人的穿著還不賴，戴著一頂光纖的絲質帽子。他三次停在門前面，然後又害怕了。第四次她走到門前，彷彿終於下定決心要推開大門走進來。同時，懷特女士把手放在身後，很匆忙的解開她圍裙的繩結，然後壓在椅墊下。
She brought the stranger, who seemed ill at ease, into the room. He gazed at her furtively, and listened in a preoccupied fashion as the old lady apologized for the appearance of the room, and her husband’s coat, a garment which he usually reserved for the garden. She then waited as patiently as her gender would permit, for him to broach his business, but he was at first strangely silent.
她帶著似乎不自在的陌生人進屋去。當老太太對屋子的外觀和她丈夫平時在花園裡所穿的衣服表示歉意時，他偷偷地凝視她並且全神貫注的聽她說。然後她就以她身為女性該有的耐性等待他開口說，但一開始他異常地安靜。
“I–was asked to call,” he said at last, and stooped and picked a piece of cotton from his trousers. “I come from Maw and Meggins.”
最後他說：「我應要求來拜訪。」，然後彎腰從他的褲子拿了一片棉布，並說我來自莫烏和麥金斯。
The old lady started. “Is anything the matter?” she asked breathlessly. “Has anything happened to Herbert? What is it? What is it?”
老太太吃驚。她屏氣地問：「有什麼事嗎?赫伯特發生什麼事?什麼事?什麼事?」
Her husband interposed. “There, there, mother,” he said hastily. “Sit down, and don’t jump to conclusions. You’ve not brought bad news, I’m sure, sir” and he eyed the other wistfully.
她先生插嘴說：「孩子母親，說到哪去了！」他匆忙地說：「坐著，別急著妄下定論。先生，我確定你不是帶來壞消息的，對吧！」他愁悶地看著對方。
“I’m sorry—-” began the visitor.
訪客開始說：「抱歉。」
“Is he hurt?” demanded the mother.
孩子母親急切想知道地問：「他受傷了？」
The visitor bowed in assent. “Badly hurt,” he said quietly, “but he is not in any pain.”
客人鞠躬的低下頭說：「傷勢很重。」他快速地說。「但一點都不痛苦。」
“Oh, thank God!” said the old woman, clasping her hands. “Thank God for that! Thank—-”
女人回：「謝謝老天啊！」緊握著手說：「謝謝上帝啊……。」
She broke off suddenly as the sinister meaning of the assurance dawned upon her and she saw the awful confirmation of her fears in the other’s averted face. She caught her breath, and turning to her slower-witted husband, laid her trembling old hand upon his. There was a long silence.
她漸漸明白這句話帶來的不吉祥的意思時，突然停止說話。看到她的擔憂眼光轉向客人，他別過了臉。她感到一陣窒息，轉向他反應遲鈍的丈夫，將一隻顫抖的手放在他身上，迎來一陣長長的沉默。
“He was caught in the machinery,” said the visitor at length, in a low voice.
「他被捲進機器裡。」客人低沉緩慢地說。
“Caught in the machinery,” repeated Mr. White, in a dazed fashion, “yes.”
「捲到機器裡。」懷特先生茫然地重複著。「是的。」
He sat staring blankly out at the window, and taking his wife’s hand between his own, pressed it as he had been wont to do in their old courting days nearly forty years before.
他坐著茫然地凝視著窗外，把妻子的手放在自己的手上，按著她的手，就如同過去四十年追求的日子習慣一樣。
“He was the only one left to us,” he said, turning gently to the visitor. “It is hard.”
「他是我們唯一的依靠，」他輕輕地轉向訪客。「很難。」
The other coughed, and rising, walked slowly to the window. “The firm wished me to convey their sincere sympathy with you in your great loss,” he said, without looking round. “I beg that you will understand I am only their servant and merely obeying orders.”
另一個人一邊咳嗽，起身慢慢走到窗前。他表示：「公司希望我傳遞對於您重大損失誠懇的同情。我請求您明白我只是他們的僱工，只是服從命令。」
There was no reply; the old woman’s face was white, her eyes staring, and her breath inaudible; on the husband’s face was a look such as his friend the sergeant might have carried into his first action.
沒有回應；老婦人的臉是慘白的，眼睛凝視著，呼吸是無聲的，而丈夫的臉則是看起來像他那位中士朋友的第一直覺反應。
“I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility,” continued the other. “They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son’s services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation.”
「我想要說Maw 和 Meggins撇清了全部的責任，」他繼續道，「他們從未承擔任何責任，但是考慮到你兒子的幫助，他們期望能給予你某種補償。」
Mr. White dropped his wife’s hand, and rising to his feet, gazed with a look of horror at his visitor. His dry lips shaped the words, “How much?”
懷特先生放下了他太太的手並且抬起他的腳，用恐怖的目光凝視著拜訪者，他乾癟的嘴唇湊出了幾個字，「多少錢？」
“Two hundred pounds,” was the answer.
「兩百磅，」是他們得到的回答。
Unconscious of his wife’s shriek, the old man smiled faintly, put out his hands like a sightless man, and dropped, a senseless heap, to the floor.
他太太沒有意識地尖叫著，那老人面帶笑容昏迷了，放下他的手像個盲人一樣，摔倒，不省人事地摔到地板。
IN the huge new cemetery, some two miles distant, the old people buried their dead, and came back to a house steeped in shadow and silence. It was all over so quickly that at first they could hardly realize it, and remained in a state of expectation as though of something else to happen–something else which was to lighten this load, too heavy for old hearts to bear.
在距離大約兩公里遠的巨大新公墓裡，老人埋葬了死者，然後回到籠罩在陰影和寂靜的屋里。事情結束得如此之快以至於起初他們幾乎無法搞清楚，並且仍處於一種指望中；好像會發生其它事─那事可以使負擔減輕，這事對老人家的心太沉重而難以承受。
But the days passed, and expectation gave place to resignation–the hopeless resignation of the old, sometimes apathy. Sometimes they hardly exchanged a word, for now they had nothing to talk about, and their days were long to weariness.
但日子過去了，指望被無奈取代─老人家絕望地順服。有時候，他們表現得漠不關心，有時候他們幾乎沒有交流，現在他們沒有什麼可說的，而他們的日子是長久的消沉。
It was about a week after that that the old man, waking suddenly in the night, stretched out his hand and found himself alone. The room was in darkness, and the sound of subdued weeping came from the window. He raised himself in bed and listened.
大約一星期之後，老頭在夜裡突然醒來，伸出手去，發現床上就他一人。房間在黑暗中，柔和的哭泣聲從窗戶出來，他在床上坐起來聽著。
“Come back,” he said tenderly. “You will be cold.”
「回來。」他柔和地說，「妳會著涼的。」
“It is colder for my son,” said the old woman, and wept afresh.
「我兒子會更涼。」老太太說著，又哭起來。
The sound of her sobs died away on his ears. The bed was warm, and his eyes heavy with sleep. He dozed fitfully, and then slept until a sudden wild cry from his wife awoke him with a start.
啜泣聲在他耳邊漸漸消失，床是溫暖的，他的眼睛流露出睏意。他適當地打瞌睡，直到他妻子突如其來發出一聲瘋狂的喊叫，把他從睡夢中驚醒。
“The paw!” she cried wildly. “The monkey’s paw!”
「是猴爪！」，她瘋狂地喊著，「就是這個猴爪！」
He started up in alarm. “Where? Where is it? What’s the matter?”
他開始緊張了起來，「哪裡？它在哪裡？到底發生了什麼事？」
She came stumbling across the room toward him. “I want it,” she said quietly. “You’ve not destroyed it?”
她踉蹌的走過房間並到他身旁。 她安靜地說著:「我要它。你還沒毀掉它嗎？」
“It’s in the parlour, on the bracket,” he replied, marvelling. “Why?”
「它在起居室裡的架子上，」他驚訝地回應著。「為什麼？」
She cried and laughed together, and bending over, kissed his cheek.
她一邊大喊，一邊大笑，並開始彎下身軀親吻他的臉頰。
“I only just thought of it,” she said hysterically. “Why didn’t I think of it before? Why didn’t you think of it?”
「我只是突然想到它，」她歇斯底里地說著。 「為什麼我之前沒有想到它？為什麼你沒想到它？」
“Think of what?” he questioned.
「想著什麼？」他疑惑地問著。
“The other two wishes,” she replied rapidly. “We’ve only had one.”
「剩下的兩個願望呀!」她急促地回應疑問。 「我們只有許下一個而已。」
“Was not that enough?” he demanded fiercely.
「那樣還不夠嗎？」他強烈地主張著。
“No,” she cried, triumphantly; “we’ll have one more. Go down and get it quickly, and wish our boy alive again.”
「不，」她勝利地大叫，「我們還有一個。下去，趕快下去拿上來，然後讓我們的兒子復活。」
The man sat up in bed and flung the bedclothes from his quaking limbs. “Good God, you are mad!” he cried aghast.
老頭從床上坐起，四肢發抖的從棉被伸出來。「我的天，你瘋了！」他嚇得大叫出聲。
“Get it,” she panted; “get it quickly, and wish—- Oh, my boy, my boy!”
「去拿，快去，然後許願—噢，我的兒子，我的兒子！」 她顫抖的說。
Her husband struck a match and lit the candle. “Get back to bed,” he said, unsteadily. “You don’t know what you are saying.”
她丈夫劃了根火柴並點燃蠟燭。「回床上去。」他執拗著，「你根本不清楚你自己在說什麼。」
“We had the first wish granted,” said the old woman, feverishly; “why not the second.”
「我們已實現第一個願望，為什麼不行第二個。」老太太興奮地說。
“Go and get it and wish,” cried the old woman, quivering with excitement.
「去拿來許願！」他妻子激動的邊大叫邊顫抖。
The old man turned and regarded her, and his voice shook. “He has been dead ten days, and besides he–I would not tell you else, but–I could only recognize him by his clothing. If he was too terrible for you to see then, how now?”
老人轉身、凝視著她，聲音抖著，「他已經死了十天，而且他—我不想告訴你別的—我只能從他穿的衣服指認他。對你來說看到他太殘酷了，現在能如何？」
“Bring him back,” cried the old woman, and dragged him toward the door. “Do you think I fear the child I have nursed?”
「帶他回來。你以為我會害怕我一手拉拔長大的孩子嗎？」老太太大叫，把老人拖到門口。
He went down in the darkness, and felt his way to the parlour, and then to the mantelpiece. The talisman was in its place, and a horrible fear that the unspoken wish might bring his mutilated son before him ere he could escape from the room seized upon him, and he caught his breath as he found that he had lost the direction of the door. His brow cold with sweat, he felt his way round the table, and groped along the wall until he found himself in the small passage with the unwholesome thing in his hand.
他在黑暗中下樓來，摸索到客廳，再到壁爐台。護身符果然在原處，一種極度的恐懼震撼了他，想到那個未說出的心願去把他殘缺不全的兒子帶到面前，他恨不得逃出這屋子。他發現迷失了去門口的方向，他呼吸受阻，眉上積著冷汗。他感到自己正在繞著桌子兜圈。於是，他摸索著牆走。直到發現自己已在小過道裡，手裡拿著那討厭的東西。
Even his wife’s face seemed changed as he entered the room. It was white and expectant, and to his fears seemed to have an unnatural look upon it. He was afraid of her.
他進臥室時，他妻子的臉色好像變了，蒼白而又有所期待，可怕的是似乎以一種異乎尋常的眼光望著那東西，他有點怕她了。
“Wish!” she cried, in a strong voice.
「許願！」她用強烈的聲音大叫。
“It is foolish and wicked,” he faltered.
「這是愚蠢而邪惡的，」他踉蹌地說。
“Wish!” repeated his wife.
「許願！」他太太重複地呼喊著。
He raised his hand. “I wish my son alive again.”
他舉起手來說道：「我希望孩子能重生。」
The talisman fell to the floor, and he regarded it fearfully. Then he sank trembling into a chair as the old woman, with burning eyes, walked to the window and raised the blind.
護身符掉落到地上，他有不安的預感。他像老太婆般沉重地顫抖著坐在椅子上，張大著眼睛，然後走到窗前拉起百葉窗。
He sat until he was chilled with the cold, glancing occasionally at the figure of the old woman peering through the window. The candle end, which had burnt below the rim of the china candlestick, was throwing pulsating shadows on the ceiling and walls, until, with a flicker larger than the rest, it expired. The old man, with an unspeakable sense of relief at the failure of the talisman, crept back to his bed, and a minute or two afterward the old woman came silently and apathetically beside him.
他坐著直到身子發冷，偶爾透過窗戶看著老婦人的身影。燭台上的蠟燭燃燒著，抖動的光影投影在天花板及牆壁上，直到燃燒殆盡。老人心中湧現無法形容的失落感，回到床上；一兩分鐘後，老太太默默的站在他旁邊。
Neither spoke, but both lay silently listening to the tickingof the clock. A stair creaked, and a squeakymouse scurriednoisily through the wall. The darkness was oppressive, and after lying for some time screwing up his courage, the husband took the box of matches, and striking one, went downstairs for a candle.
兩人既沒有說話，就都安靜地躺著聽著時中的滴答聲。樓梯發出了咯吱咯吱聲，是一隻吱吱響的老鼠匆匆忙忙地穿過牆壁。在躺了一陣子之後他拾回了勇氣，黑暗驟下了，丈夫拿著火柴盒且點了一枝，要去樓下拿根蠟燭。
At the foot of the stairs the match went out, and he pausedto strike another, and at the same moment a knock, so quiet and stealthyas to be scarcelyaudible, sounded on the front door.
就在下樓時，那根火柴燃盡了，他停下來又點了一枝，此時此刻安靜到在前門發出了一個微小的聲響都能夠聽見。
The matches fell from his hand. He stood motionless, his breath suspendeduntil the knock was repeated. Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room, and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house.
他停下腳步時，火柴從他手火中掉落，他暫時停止呼吸，直到這聲響再次發出。之後他轉身且逃到他的房間，關上且背對著門。第三聲又再次的響起在整間房子裡。
“What’s that?” cried the old woman, starting up.
「那是什麼？」老太太哭著說，接著站起。
“A rat,” said the old man, in shaking tones–“a rat. It passed me on the stairs.”
「一隻老鼠，」老先生用抖音說，「一隻老鼠，在樓梯上經過我的身旁。」
His wife sat up in bed listening. A loud knock resounded through the house.
他的妻子坐在床上聆聽，一陣大聲地敲門聲迴盪在屋內。
“It’s Herbert!” she screamed. “It’s Herbert!”
「是赫伯特！」她尖叫。「是赫伯特！」
She ran to the door, but her husband was before her, and catching her by the arm, held her tightly.
她跑去門邊，但她的先生走在她後方，還拉著她的手臂，緊緊地依著她。
“What are you going to do?” he whispered hoarsely.
「你要去做什麼？」他小聲且沙啞地說。
“It’s my boy; it’s Herbert!” she cried, struggling mechanically. “I forgot it was two miles away. What are you holding me for? Let go. I must open the door.”
「這是我的兒子，是赫伯特！」她哭，機械地掙扎著。「我忘了這有兩英里遠，你為什麼要拉著我？放開我，我必須打開門。」
“For God’s sake, don’t let it in,” cried the old man trembling.
「看在上帝的份上，別讓他進來，」老先生顫抖地哭著。
“You’re afraid of your own son,” she cried, struggling. “Let me go. I’m coming, Herbert; I’m coming.”
「你害怕自己的兒子，」她哭，掙扎著。「讓我走，我來了，赫伯特，我來了。」
There was another knock, and another. The old woman with a sudden wrench broke free and ran from the room. Her husband followed to the landing, and called after her appealingly as she hurried downstairs. He heard the chain rattle back and the bottom bolt drawn slowly and stiffly from the socket. Then the old woman’s voice, strained and panting.
敲門聲又再次響起，接著又一聲。老婦人突然奮力掙脫逃出房間。她的丈夫追上前，並懇求的叫著她。她卻匆忙下樓。他聽到鍊條抖動的聲響，底部的螺栓慢慢地、僵硬地從托座被抽出。而老婦人的聲音因緊張而氣喘吁吁。
“The bolt,” she cried loudly. “Come down. I can’t reach it.”
「門栓！」她大喊著。「下來! 我拿不到。」
But her husband was on his hands and knees groping wildly on the floor in search of the paw. If he could only find it before the thing outside got in. A perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house, and he heard the scraping of a chair as his wife put it down in the passage against the door. He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey’s paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish.
但她的丈夫正忙著在地板繼續摸索尋找著猴爪，並想著如果能在外面那東西進來前找到它就好了。緊接著又是連續齊發的猛烈敲門聲響，迴盪在整間屋子內。老婦人將鍊條拆下，椅子刮擦出聲響，他聽見螺栓吱吱嘎嘎的作響，慢慢地被拉開。同時他也找到了猴爪，並瘋狂地許下第三個，也是最後一個願望。
The knocking ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in the house. He heard the chair drawn back and the door opened. A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road.
敲門聲突然停止了，儘管它的回音仍迴盪在屋內。他聽見椅子被拉開的聲響，門開了。一陣冷風吹上樓梯，他的妻子痛苦且失望地一聲長嘆並哭喊的。他鼓起勇氣跑下樓到妻子的身邊的大門。卻只見對面閃爍的路燈照在這條寂靜且荒涼的路上。