chitchat. Only the drip drip drip of rain.
Forcing my eyes to open wider and drawing aside the mosquito net, I began to search
for you in the pitch darkness.
A greyish light, nevertheless, edged in through two small windows to enable me to
see the spacious room.
You and your smile were no more. Only loneliness and monotony remained. The rain
kept pitter-pattering.
I called to you, but no response. I listened attentively, but heard no footsteps. I quieted
down, my heart beating hard. I could hear its thumping.
My heart had been tramping along all the time. Up to now, it had been on its slow
journey for 25 years.
Thereupon I kept my mouth shut. I knew you would never appear standing before me.
I had lost you 25 years before. Since then, I had grown from a fatherless child into a
middle-aged man.
The rain continued to fall. The long night wore on amidst its dripping sound. I was
seized with acute loneliness. Well, was the roof leaking? Or was it my tears that had wetted
my cheeks?
When I was young, I wished I could remain a kid forever under your wing. Now I can
fulfil this wish only in my dreams.
There in a dream, I can at least come face to face with you. I can be happy, I can
smile naive smiles, I can chatter away freely.
For all this, I should be thankful to my dreams.
注释:
《梦》是巴金写于1941年8月3日的一篇优美散文，后编入他的散文集《龙?虎?狗》中。
(1)“至人”在古代反映思想道德达到最高境界的人，现译为a virtuous man。也可译为a man
of the highest virtue或a man of moral integrity等。
(2)“在你的房间里，在我的房间里”意即“一回儿在你的房间里，一回儿在我的房间里”，
故译为You talked to me now in your room, now in my room。
(3)“武戏”指京剧中的武打场面，英译时应在the fighting scents后面加上of a Peking opera。
(4)“没有挂虑地微笑”意即“天真的微笑”，故译为smiled na.ve smiles。
(5)“长夜在滴滴声中进行”有时间过得很慢，很沉闷的含义。现全句译为The long night wore
on amidst its dripping sound，其中to wear on是英语成语，用来指时间“缓缓消逝”或“慢慢地挨
过”。
(6)“在你的庇荫下”译为under your wing，是英语成语，意同under your protection and care。
《激流》总序(1)
巴金
几年前我流了眼泪读完托尔斯泰小说《复活》，曾经在扉页上写了一句话：“生
活本身就是一个悲剧。”
事实并不是这样。生活并不是一个悲剧。它是一个“搏斗”。我们生活来做什么？
或者说我们为什么要有这生命？罗曼?罗兰的回答是“为的是来征服它” (2)。我认为
他说得不错。
我有了生命以来，在这个世界上虽然仅仅经历了二十几个寒暑，但是这短短的时
期也并不是白白度过的。这其间我也曾看见了不少的东西，知道了不少的事情。我的
周围是无边的黑暗(3)，但是我并不孤独，并不绝望。我无论在什么地方总看见那一股
生活的激流在动荡，在创造它自己的道路，通过乱山碎石中间。
这激流永远动荡着，并不曾有一个时候停止过，而且它也不能够停止；没有什么
东西可以阻止它。在它的途中，它也曾发射出种种的水花，这里面有爱，有恨，有欢
乐，也有痛苦。这一切造成了奔腾的一股激流，具有排山之势(4)，向着唯一的海流去。
这唯一的海是什么，而且什么时候它才可以流到这海里，就没有人确定地知道了。
我跟所有其余的人一样，生活在这世界上，是为着来征服生活。我也曾参加在这
个“搏斗”里面。我有我的爱，有我的根，有我的欢乐，也有我的痛苦。但是我并没
有失去我的信仰：对于生活的信仰。我的生活还不会结束，我也不知道的在前面还有
什么时候东西等着我(5)。然而我对于将来的却也有一点概念。因为过去并不是一个沉
默的哑子，它会告诉我们一些事情。
在这里我所要展开给读者看的乃是过去十多年生活的一幅图画。自然这里只有生⑨本⑨作⑨品⑨由⑨⑨網⑨提⑨供⑨下⑨載⑨與⑨在⑨線⑨閱⑨讀⑨
活的一小部分，但已经可以看见那一股由爱与恨、欢乐与受苦所组织成的生活的激流
是如何地在动荡了。我不是一个说教者，所以我不能够明确地指出一条路来，但是读
者自己可以在里面去找它。
有人说过，路本没有，因为走的人多了，便成了一条路。又有人说路是有的，正
因为有了路才有许多人走。谁是谁非，我不想判断。我还年轻，我还要活下去，我还
要征服生活。我知道生活的激流是不会停止的，且看它把我载到什么地方去！
Preface to the Torrent Trilogy
Ba Jin
Several years ago, after I finished reading Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection with tears in
my eyes, I wrote on its title page, “Life itself is a tragedy”.
However, that is not how things are, for life is not a tragedy, but a “struggle”. What
do we live for? Or why do we live this life at all? The answer given by Romain Rolland is
“to conquer life”. I think he is right.
Ever since I was born, I have passed no more than twenty odd summers in this world,
but this short period of time has not been spent for nothing at all. I have since seen a lot of
things and come to know a lot of things. Though it is all darkness around me, I have never
felt lonely, nor have I ever given up hope. Everywhere I go, I always see the torrent of life
tumbling along to open up its way through a confused mass of mountains and rocks.
This torrent is always surging ahead; it has never stopped for a single moment and
will never stop. Nothing whatever can hold it up. While on its way, it sometimes throws
clouds of spray into the air embodying love and hate, and happiness and sorrow. All that
makes up the tumultuous torrent rushing with terrific force towards the onl