Not that I would have cared. No, it is not the reason why I stopped. He gave a faint sigh, like the sigh of one who has a thousand stories to tell but only a moment left in one’s life.
我也不在乎。不，这不是我停下来的原因。他发出一声微弱的叹息，就像一个人的叹息，他有无数的故事可以讲，但生命中只剩下一瞬间。
In fact it was the sound of a piece of metal hitting the pavement that made me turn around. I had already passed the man, walking promptly as I always do. I had all the time in the world that evening, and I had nowhere to go — I just took a walk along the street.
事实上，是一块金属撞击人行道的声音让我转过身来。我已经从那个人身边走过，像往常一样很快地走过去了。那天晚上我有的是时间，但我无处可去——我只是沿着街道散步。
But as I tried to draw out my keys from the pocket of my brown leather jacket, a small coin fell on the ground making that clinking noise. Why would I pull out the keys from the pocket here, on the street, kilometers away from any door which the keys could open? It was the sense of security: wishing to be sure that everything is completely in my control.
但当我试图从我的棕色皮夹克口袋里掏出钥匙时，一枚小硬币掉在地上，发出叮当的响声。为什么我要从这里的口袋里掏出钥匙，在街上，离任何一扇钥匙可以打开的门都有公里远？这是一种安全感：希望确保一切完全在我的掌控之中。
Yes, I had heard the sound right: there was a ten-cent coin lying on the ground beside an old man, a stranger to me, and seemingly a stranger to all the people who passed him on the pavement that afternoon. It was spring then; the first warm and sunny evenings of the year were at hand. The day was all too beautiful to be wasted in talking to a complete stranger, who was not even handsome or beautiful or good-looking, and listening to the obscure groans he uttered. Why should I care what he was trying to say, what kind of a burden he might have on his heart?
是的，我确实听到了这个声音：一个老人旁边的地上躺着一枚10美分的硬币，对我来说是个陌生人，那天下午在人行道上从他身边经过的所有人都觉得他是个陌生人。那时是春天，一年中第一个温暖、阳光明媚的夜晚即将到来。天气实在太好了，不能浪费时间和一个完全不认识的人说话，他既不英俊，也不漂亮，也不好看，还要听他发出的模糊的呻吟声。我为什么要关心他想说什么，他心里会有什么负担？
The man grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and drew me closer to himself. It was surprising — such sudden demand of personal contact and intimacy which two strangers passing each other on the street did not often develop between themselves. I was curious to know what could come out of such an exceptional situation, I… I forgot to draw myself back, to forcefully free myself of the grip of the man and rush away.
那个男人抓住我夹克的袖子，把我拉得更靠近他自己。令人惊讶的是，这种突如其来的个人接触和亲密的需求，是两个陌生人在街上擦肩而过时往往不会在他们之间发展出来的。我很想知道在这样一个特殊的情况下会发生什么…我忘了把自己拉回来，强行把自己从那个男人的控制中解放出来，然后冲走。
I was better off than the old man, who was sitting on the bench with a newspaper in his hands, murmuring something at me. I guess my income had to be twice more than what he had. And I looked more stylish — younger, healthier, more joyous.
我比那个老人好，他坐在长凳上，手里拿着一张报纸，对我喃喃地说着什么。我想我的收入应该是他的两倍。我看上去更时尚——更年轻、更健康、更快乐。
But I did pick up the coin from the ground, and put it into the pocket of my fashionable leather jacket. “Fashionable”, that’s what they said in the advertisements of the clothing company. Latest designs, latest cuts, best colors.
但我还是从地上捡起那枚硬币，放进了我那件时髦的皮夹克的口袋里。“时尚”，这是他们在服装公司的广告中所说的。最新的设计，最新的剪裁，最好的颜色。
The old man put his newspaper in my hand and said, “Please read it for me. ” I am not so sure what the exact words were which he uttered from his mouth, but I understood what his meaning to be. The man was not blind; he could see both me and all the people who were walking on the street. But perhaps his sight was too weak for reading the small print of the newspaper.
老人把他的报纸放在我的手里，说：“请你读给我听。”我不太确定他从嘴里说出的确切的话是什么意思，但我明白他的意思。那个人不是瞎子，他能看见我和所有在街上走的人。但是，也许他的视力太弱，无法阅读报纸上的小字。
“Read the classified advertisements”, said the old man, whom I scarcely knew at all, but who had courageously grabbed my sleeve without permission, demanding me to pay attention to him.
“看看分类广告”，老人说，我几乎不认识他，但他未经允许就勇敢地抓住了我的袖子，要求我注意他。
I opened the requested page. What then? Should I read all the ads: cats for sale, lost dogs wanted, motor vehicles rented, repaired, washed, and painted?
我打开所要求的页面。然后呢？我是否应该阅读所有的广告：出售猫咪，寻找丢失的狗，租用机动车辆，修理，清洗和油漆？
“There! Read that one again, please,” said the man, filled with excitement.
“那儿！请再读一遍，”那人兴奋地说。
I looked at the front page; it was dated four days ago. I was disappointed. I didn’t want to waste a nice day in reading news that were no news any more. Wasn’t it like throwing one’s coins away when one could as well buy candies with them, or sitting beside a stranger when one could as well walk free and alone on the street, hurrying somewhere?
我看了头版，日期是四天前。我很失望。我不想浪费一天的好时光去阅读那些不再是新闻的新闻。这难道不像扔掉一个人的硬币时，还可以用它们买糖果，或坐在一个陌生人旁边时，还可以走在街上，一个人急急忙忙的吗？
Those ads were not so many, only fifteen or twenty. In a monotonous voice I recited announcement after announcement: second-hand bicycles, unused electronic devices, lost wedding ring…
那些广告不是很多，只有十五二十个。我用单调的声音背诵了一遍又一遍的公告：二手自行车、没用过的电子设备、丢失的结婚戒指。
“Mr. Whoever, the lost wedding ring described in your ad is in my possession. Meet me at railway station next Sunday, at 19 o’clock. ” I read the announcement once again.
“无论是谁先生，你广告中描述的遗失的结婚戒指在我这里。下星期天19点在火车站等我。”我又读了一遍公告。
“Go to the miscellaneous section,” the man pleaded.
“去杂货店，”那个人恳求道。
“I think I will go and buy a bunch of roses”, the gray-haired gentleman said. “I’ll ask the saleswoman to choose beautiful ones. What do you think, will she be dressed in light pink, just like the lady at Dahlberg’s jewellery shop? But my wife wore a dark dress this morning. That’s how you can tell that a woman is getting old…
“我想我会去买一束玫瑰”，灰发绅士说。“我让女售货员挑选一些漂亮的。你怎么想，她会穿浅粉色的衣服，就像达尔伯格珠宝店的那位女士一样吗？但是我妻子今天早上穿了一件深色的裙子。这样你才能看出一个女人正在变老…
It was Sunday then. And the time was, at the moment when I looked at my watch and announced it to the man who asked about it, 18:27.
那时是星期天。时间是18点27分，我看了看手表，向问我的人报了一下时间。
The old man wanted to explain something to me. He leaned forward, getting his face close to my ear, and whispered, “It is the ring of my wife. She lost it a month ago. Oh! What a sorrowful thing it was to find out that the ring which you have worn for five decades cannot be found anywhere. I bought it at Dahlberg’s jewellery shop. I can still remember how the saleswoman was dressed that morning. In pink, that’s what it was, in soft, charming pink… But the shop isn’t there any more. I think they went bankrupt soon after the war. Such a pity, it was a nice little store. And we have our fiftieth anniversary on Sunday.”
老人想给我解释一些事情。他俯下身子，把脸凑近我的耳朵，低声说：“这是我妻子的戒指。她一个月前丢了。哦！发现你戴了五十年的戒指到处都找不到是多么令人伤心的事情啊。我在达尔伯格的珠宝店买的。我至今还记得那天早上那个女售货员是怎么打扮的。粉红色的，就是这个颜色，柔和迷人的粉红色，但是商店已经不在了。我想他们在战后不久就破产了。真遗憾，这是一家不错的小店。星期天是我们结婚五十周年纪念日。”
The man didn’t say more about his wife or the wedding ring; he only brushed his gray hair with a plastic comb.
这个男人没有多说他的妻子或者结婚戒指，他只是用塑料梳子梳理了一下他的灰色头发。
The man stood up and started to slowly walk toward the direction of the railway station. There was an air of steadfastness in him — something that could not be purchased with money, or won in a lottery. Was he stylish? Yes — he was not like the laughing youngsters in the advertisements, but there was something else in him, something more admirable, more valuable.
那人站了起来，开始慢慢地朝火车站的方向走去。他身上有一种坚定不移的气质——这种气质是用钱买不到的，也买不到彩票的。他很时髦吗？是的他不像广告里那些笑嘻嘻的年轻人，但是他身上还有一些别的东西，一些更令人钦佩、更有价值的东西。
I still held the newspaper in my hand when the old gentleman disappeared behind the corner of one of the houses. I didn’t open or read the paper any more, I only sat in silence on the bench. Time was the only thing that moved; everything else stood still.
当那位老先生消失在一所房子的拐角处时，我手里还拿着报纸。我不再打开报纸，也不再读报纸，只是静静地坐在长凳上。时间是唯一移动的东西，其他一切都停滞不前。
I leaned back in the bench and stared into the distance. I did not want to walk away, hurrying into a direction chosen at random.
我向后靠在长凳上，凝视着远方。我不想走开，匆匆地走向一个随意选择的方向。
They wear darker clothes. No, I will tell my darling to wear something brighter this evening.”
他们穿着深色的衣服。不，我会告诉我的宝贝今晚穿得亮一点。”
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