bestow2 The_Tell-Tale_Heart 中英文互译

2021年1月20日发(作者：strike)
The Tell-Tale Heart
By: Edgar Allan Poe
Motto: Art is long and Time is fleeting






And our hearts, though stout and brave






Still, like muffled drums, are beating






Funeral marches to the grave.
































——
L
ONGFELLOW

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.
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.
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.
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.
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
？
”

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.
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.
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
simple dim ray
，
like the thread of the spider
，
shot from out the crevice and fell
full upon the vulture eye.
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.
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.
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 eve.
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 eve would trouble me no more.
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.
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
！

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.
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