The Tell-Tale Heart

True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

没错！——我一直神经紧张——非常，非常可怕地紧张，现在也是；可你为什么偏说我疯了呢？这病症使我的感官变得敏锐了——并没有摧毁，也没有迟钝。尤其是听觉，变得格外灵敏。天上地下的一切声响，我都能听见。地狱里的许多声音，我也能听见。这样看来，我怎么会疯呢？听着！且看我能多么健康——多么平静地把整件事讲给你听。

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

这个念头究竟是怎么第一次钻进我脑子里的，我说不清楚；可它一旦生了根，便日日夜夜纠缠着我。并没有什么目的，也没有什么怨恨。我是喜欢那老头儿的。他从未亏待过我，也从未羞辱过我。他的钱财，我毫无觊觎之心。我想，问题就出在他的眼睛上！是的，就是那双眼睛！他长着一只兀鹰般的眼睛——一只淡蓝色的眼睛，上面蒙着一层薄翳。每当那眼睛落在我身上，我便浑身血液发冷；于是渐渐地——一点一点地——我下定决心要了那老头儿的命，好让自己永远摆脱那只眼睛。

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!—would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights—every night just at midnight—but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

这才是关键所在。你以为我疯了。疯子是什么都不懂的。可你真该看看我当时的样子。你真该看看我行事多么周密——多么谨慎——多么有先见之明——用了多么高明的掩饰手段！在我杀他之前的整整一个星期里，我待他从未像那时那样和气过。每天夜里，将近午夜时分，我便轻轻拧开他房门的门闩，把门打开——啊，动作是那样轻柔！等门缝开得够我把头伸进去时，我便把一盏遮光提灯伸进去，灯罩关得严严实实，不让一丝光透出来，然后我才把头探进去。啊，你若看见我探头进去时那份狡猾劲儿，一定会笑出声来！我的动作很慢——非常非常慢，生怕惊扰了老头儿的睡眠。我足足花了一个钟头，才把整个脑袋伸进门缝，直到能看清他躺在床上的样子。哈！——疯子能有这样的心机吗？等我的脑袋完全伸进屋里，我便小心翼翼地把提灯的遮光板打开一点——啊，那样小心——那样小心（因为铰链会吱嘎作响）——我只打开一点点，恰好让一线细细的光落在那只兀鹰眼上。我一连七个夜晚都这样做——每晚都恰在午夜时分——可我发现那只眼睛总是闭着的；于是我便无法下手；因为真正惹恼我的，从来不是那老头儿本人，而是他那只邪恶的眼睛。每天清晨，天一亮，我便大大方方地走进他的房间，亲热地喊他的名字，跟他说话，问他这一夜睡得如何。你瞧，他若真要起疑，怀疑我每晚正好十二点趁他熟睡时窥视他，那他真得算得上是个极其精明的老头儿了。

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back—but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

到了第八天夜里，我开门时比往常更加小心。表上的分针走得都比我的动作快。在那天夜里之前，我从未如此深切地感受到自己能力之大——心思之巧。我几乎按捺不住内心得意的情绪。想想看，我就这样一点一点地把门推开，他却做梦也想不到我这秘密的举动和心思。想到这里，我不禁暗自窃笑；也许他听见了；因为他忽然在床上动了一下，像是吃了一惊。你或许以为我因此退缩了——不，并没有。他的房间黑得像沥青一样漆黑一片（因为百叶窗紧闭着，为的是防小偷），所以我知道他绝看不见门缝正在打开，于是我便不紧不慢地、稳稳地继续把门推开。

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out—“Who’s there?”

我把脑袋伸了进去，正要打开提灯的遮光板，谁知拇指一滑，碰到了那锡制的搭扣，老头儿猛地从床上坐起，喊道——“谁在那儿？”

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening;—just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

我一动不动，一声不吭。整整一个钟头，我连一块肌肉都没有动过，这期间我也没听见他重新躺下。他仍旧坐在床上侧耳倾听——正如我曾夜复一夜地，倾听墙里报死虫的声响一样。

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief—oh, no!—it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself—“It is nothing but the wind in the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the floor,” or “It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.” Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel—although he neither saw nor heard—to feel the presence of my head within the room.

不一会儿，我听见一声轻微的呻吟，我知道那是极度恐惧发出的呻吟。那不是痛苦或悲伤的呻吟——哦，不是的！——那是一种低沉压抑的声音，是灵魂深处被莫名的恐惧压得喘不过气来时才会发出的声音。这声音我再熟悉不过了。多少个夜晚，正当午夜时分，全世界都已沉睡，这声音便从我自己的胸中涌起，带着可怕的回响，加深了那些搅得我心神不宁的恐惧。我说我对这声音再熟悉不过了。我知道老头儿此刻的感受，我也怜悯他，尽管我内心暗自窃笑。我知道，自从他在床上翻身、第一次发出那细微的响动起，他便一直醒着躺在那里。他心中的恐惧一直在不断增长。他一直想让自己相信这恐惧毫无来由，却怎么也做不到。他一直在心里对自己说——“这不过是风从烟囱里吹过罢了”——“不过是老鼠在地板上跑过去罢了”，或者“不过是蟋蟀叫了一声罢了”。是的，他一直想用这些猜测来安慰自己：可到头来都是徒劳。都是徒劳；因为死神向他逼近时，早已投下它黑色的阴影，笼罩住了这个牺牲品。正是这道未被察觉的阴影所带来的凄凉气息，使他虽然既看不见也听不见，却依然感觉到——我的脑袋正在屋里。

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little—a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it—you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily—until, at length a single dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

我耐着性子等了很久，一直没听见他重新躺下，便决定把提灯的遮光板打开一条极小极小的缝隙。于是我打开了——你无法想象我的动作有多轻——多轻——直到最后，一线微弱的光，像蜘蛛丝一般，从缝隙中射出，正好落在那只兀鹰眼上。

It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man’s face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

那只眼睛睁着——睁得大大的，大大的——我一望见它，便怒火中烧。我看得清清楚楚——一片浑浊的蓝色，上面蒙着一层可憎的薄翳，看得我骨髓都发冷；可老头儿的脸和身体的其余部分，我一点都看不见：因为那束光仿佛出于本能，正正落在那该死的地方。

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?—now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

我不是早就告诉过你，你误以为是疯狂的，其实不过是感官过度敏锐吗？——这时，我说，我耳边传来一阵低沉、沉闷而急促的声音，就像用棉花裹住的表所发出的声音。这声音我同样再熟悉不过了。那是老头儿的心跳声。它使我更加狂怒起来，就像战鼓声能激起士兵的勇气一样。

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!—do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me—the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once—once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.

可即便如此，我仍然按捺住自己，一动不动。我几乎屏住了呼吸。我把提灯握得纹丝不动。我试着看自己能把那束光多稳地照在那眼睛上。与此同时，那阵地狱般的心跳声却越来越响。它一刻比一刻更快，一刻比一刻更响。老头儿此刻的恐惧想必已到了极点！我说，它越来越响，一刻比一刻更响！——你听清楚了吗？我告诉过你，我神经紧张：确实如此。此刻正是深夜死寂的时分，在那座老宅可怕的静谧之中，这样奇怪的声响竟使我陷入无法克制的恐惧。可我还是又忍了几分钟，一动不动地站着。然而那心跳声却越来越响，越来越响！我心想那颗心脏一定要炸裂了。这时又有一种新的忧虑攫住了我——这声音会不会被邻居听见！老头儿的大限到了！我一声怒吼，猛地打开提灯的遮光板，纵身跳进屋里。他尖叫了一声——只叫了一声。转眼间我便把他拖到地上，把那沉重的床压在他身上。见事情已进行到这一步，我不禁高兴地笑了。可那颗心脏又闷闷地跳动了许多分钟。不过这并不使我烦恼；隔着墙壁是听不见的。终于，心跳停止了。老头儿死了。我搬开床，检查了尸体。是的，他已经僵硬，僵硬得死透了。我把手按在他的心口上，按了许久许久。没有一丝搏动。他真的死透了。他那只眼睛再也不能烦扰我了。

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

如果你还认为我疯了，那么等我讲述我为藏匿尸体所采取的种种周密防范措施时，你就不会再这么想了。夜色渐渐消退，我抓紧动手，却又不发出一点声响。我先把尸体肢解了。我砍下了头颅、双臂和双腿。

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye—not even his—could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any kind—no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all—ha! ha!

然后我掀起房间地板上的三块木板，把一切都藏进了搁栅之间。接着我把木板重新装好，装得那样巧妙，那样天衣无缝，即便是最锐利的眼睛——哪怕是他自己的眼睛——也绝看不出丝毫破绽。没有什么需要清洗的——没有一点污渍——一滴血迹也没有。我早已谨慎万分，防了这一手。一只木盆接住了一切——哈！哈！

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o’clock—still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart,—for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.

等我把这些事都办妥，已是凌晨四点——依旧黑得像午夜一般。钟声敲响报时之际，忽听得街门外传来敲门声。我怀着轻松的心情下楼开门——此刻我还有什么可怕的呢？进来三个男子，态度十分和气地自我介绍，说是警局派来的警官。夜里有邻居听见一声尖叫；有人怀疑出了不测；已向警局报了案，他们（这几位警官）便奉命前来搜查这处宅子。

I smiled,—for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search—search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

我微笑着——我还有什么可怕的呢？我欢迎几位先生进屋。我说，那声尖叫是我自己做噩梦时叫出来的。我又提到，那老头儿眼下正在乡下，不在家。我领着几位客人把整座房子都看了个遍。我请他们尽管搜查——仔细搜查。最后，我把他们引到了他的房间。我把他的财物指给他们看，样样安然无恙，未被动过。在我这份自信的兴头上，我甚至把椅子搬进屋里，请他们坐下歇歇脚，而我自己，则怀着这场彻底胜利所带来的疯狂胆量，把自己的座位恰恰摆在那具尸体安息之处的正上方。

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct:—it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definiteness—until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.

几位警官感到满意了。我的举止已经打消了他们的疑虑。我出奇地从容自在。他们坐着，我一边高高兴兴地应答，他们一边闲聊着些寻常话题。可没过多久，我便觉得自己脸色发白，巴不得他们早点离去。我的头开始痛起来，我觉得耳朵里嗡嗡作响：可他们依旧坐着，依旧闲聊。那嗡鸣声变得越来越清晰——一直持续着，也越来越清晰：我说话更起劲了，想借此摆脱这种感觉：可它依旧持续，而且越来越分明——直到最后，我才发觉，这声音并不是在我耳朵里。

No doubt I now grew _very_ pale;—but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased—and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound—much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath—and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly—more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men—but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed—I raved—I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder—louder—louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God!—no, no! They heard!—they suspected!—they knew!—they were making a mockery of my horror!—this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now—again!—hark! louder! louder! louder! _louder!_

毫无疑问，这时我的脸色已经变得十分苍白；可我说话反倒更加流利，声音也提高了。可那声音却越来越响——我又能怎么办呢？那是一种低沉、沉闷而急促的声音——很像用棉花裹住的表所发出的声音。我喘不过气来——可几位警官却毫无察觉。我说话更快了——语气更加激烈了；可那声音却持续不断地增大。我站起身来，为一些无关紧要的小事高声争辩，做出种种激烈的手势；可那声音却持续不断地增大。他们怎么还不走呢？我迈着沉重的步子在屋里来回踱步，仿佛被这几位先生的言语激得怒火中烧一般——可那声音却持续不断地增大。天哪！我还能怎么办？我口吐白沫——我狂躁咆哮——我破口大骂！我使劲摇晃自己方才坐过的那把椅子，让它在地板上摩擦作响，可那声音却盖过了一切，不断增大。它越来越响——越来越响——越来越响！而那几位先生却依然愉快地闲聊着，微笑着。难道他们真的听不见吗？全能的上帝啊！——不，不！他们听见了！——他们起了疑心！——他们已经知道了！——他们是在拿我的恐惧来嘲弄我！——我当时是这么想的，现在依然这么想。可无论怎样，都比这般煎熬要好受！无论怎样，都比这般嘲弄要容易忍受！我再也无法忍受那些虚伪的笑容了！我觉得自己非尖叫不可，否则就要死了！而此刻——又来了！——听！越来越响！越来越响！越来越响！_越来越响！_

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—It is the beating of his hideous heart!”

“恶棍！”我尖声喊道，“别再装模作样了！我承认这罪行！——把木板撬开！——就在这儿，就在这儿！——这是他那颗可憎的心脏在跳动！”