評論
打印
The floor is dirt, a little damp to the touch, as celar dirt usually is.
地是泥土地，碰上去有點潮濕，地窖的泥土地都這樣。
The room is about three paces long and two wide: a mere broom closet or disused tool room. In the room a child is sitting. It could be a boy or a girl.
房間大約三步長，兩步寬，只是一個放掃帚的小問，或是久已不用的工具問。小間里坐著一個小孩，可能是個男孩.也可能是個女孩。
It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten. It is feeble-minded. Perhaps it was born defective, or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect.
他(她)看上去六歲左右，但實際上已近十歲。他(她)是低能兒。也許他(她)生來就是低能，也許是由于恐懼，營養不良和無人照管才變成低能。
It picks its nose and occasionally fumbles vaguely with its toes or genitals, as it sits hunched in the corner farthest from the bucket and the two mops.
他(她)弓著背，坐在離水桶和兩把拖把最遠的一個角落里，摳摳鼻子，偶爾漫不經心的摸摸自己的腳趾或者生殖器。
It is afraid of the mops. It finds them horrible. It shuts its eyes, but it knows the mops are still standing there; and the door is locked; and nobody will come.
他(她)怕這拖把。他(她)覺得這些拖把很可怕。他(她)閉上眼睛，但他(她)知道拖把還立在那兒，門還是鎖著，而且沒有人會來。
The door is always locked; and nobody ever comes, except that sometimes-the child has no understanding of time or interval-sometimes the door rattles terribly and opens, and a person, or several people, are there.
門總是鎖著的;從來沒有人來過。除了有時候一一這孩子沒有時間概念，也不知時間間隔是什么-有時候門嘎嘎直響。然后門開了，門口站著一個人或幾個人。
One of them may come in and kick the child to make it stand up, The others never come close, but peer in at it with frightened, disgusted eyes.
他們中有一個可能進屋，踢踢這孩子讓他(她)站起來。其他的人從來不走近，只是用恐懼、厭惡的眼睛往里瞧，看著他(她)。
The food bowl and the water jug are hastily filled, the door is locked, the eyes disappear.
盛食物的碗和盛水的缽被匆匆填滿，然后門給鎖上，眼睛消失了。
The people at the door never say anything, but the child, who has not always lived in the tool room, and can remember sunlight and its mother's voice, sometimes speaks.
站在門口的人從來不說話，但這小孩并不是生來就住在這工具間的，他(她)還能記得陽光和母親的聲音，有時候張口說話。
