1. He came in without a word. I was stropping my best razor. And when I recognized him, I started to shake. But he did not notice. He was taking off his belt with the pistol holster. He put it on a hook in the wardrobe and hung his cap above it. Then he turned toward me and, loosening his tie, remarked, “It’s hot as the devil, I want a shave.” With that he took his seat.
他一言不發(fā)地走了進(jìn)來(lái)。我正在磨我最好用的那把剃刀。當(dāng)我認(rèn)出他時(shí)，我的身體開始發(fā)抖，但他并沒(méi)有注意到。他解開他的那條帶手槍皮套的皮帶，掛在了衣柜里的衣鉤上，又把他的那頂帽子扣在了上面。然后，他轉(zhuǎn)向我，松開領(lǐng)帶，說(shuō)：“這天氣簡(jiǎn)直熱得要命，我要剃剃胡子。”邊說(shuō)邊坐在了椅子上。
2. I estimated he had a four days’ growth of beard; the four days he had been gone on the last hunt for our men. His face looked burnt, tanned by the sun. “The fellows in the troop must have just about as much beard as I.” I went on stirring up lather. “But we did very well, you know. We caught the leaders. Some of them we brought back dead; others are still alive. But they’ll all be dead soon.”
我估計(jì)他的胡子已經(jīng)四天沒(méi)剃了。這四天正是他最后一次搜尋我們的人的時(shí)間。他的臉被太陽(yáng)曬得黝黑，看上去已經(jīng)曬傷了。“部隊(duì)里的弟兄們肯定也跟我一樣胡子拉碴的。” 我繼續(xù)攪拌著肥皂泡。“但我們做得很好，你知道。我們抓住了他們的幾個(gè)帶頭的。其中有幾個(gè)被帶回來(lái)后就死了，剩下的幾個(gè)還活著。但他們也活不了多久。”
3. “How many did you take?” I asked. “Fourteen. We had to go pretty far in to find them. But now they’re paying for it. And not one will escape; not a single one.” He leaned back in the chair when he saw the brush in my hand, full of lather. I was certainly flustered. Taking a sheet from the drawer, I tied it around my customer’s neck.
“你們一共發(fā)現(xiàn)了幾個(gè)？”我問(wèn)。“十四個(gè)。要想找到他們，我們還得多費(fèi)些周折。但現(xiàn)在他們已經(jīng)為此付出了代價(jià)。他們逃不走，一個(gè)也逃不走。”當(dāng)看到我手里滿是泡沫的刷子時(shí)，他向后靠在了椅子背上。此時(shí)的我，當(dāng)然有些慌張。我從抽屜里拿出一張圍布，將它系在了我的這位顧客的脖子上。
4. His name was Torres. Captain Torres. He kept his eyes closed. “I would love to catch a nap,” he said, “but there’s a lot to be done this evening.” I lifted the brush and asked, with pretended indifference: “A firing party?” “Something of the sort,” he replied, “but slower.” “All of them?” “No, just a few.” My hands began to tremble again. I wished he had not come in. Probably many of our men had seen him enter the shop. And with the enemy in my house I felt a certain responsibility.
他的名字叫托雷斯—托雷斯上尉。他閉上雙眼，說(shuō)：“我很想小睡一會(huì)兒，但是今天晚上有很多事情要做。”我舉起了手中的刷子，假裝冷漠地問(wèn)道：“對(duì)那些人執(zhí)行死刑？”“差不多，”他說(shuō)，“但沒(méi)那么急。”“他們?nèi)繂幔俊薄安唬渲袔讉€(gè)而已。”我的手又開始發(fā)抖了。我真希望他沒(méi)進(jìn)來(lái)過(guò)。也許我們的人有不少已經(jīng)看到他進(jìn)到店里來(lái)了。而且，有個(gè)敵人在我的房間里，使我感受到了某種責(zé)任感。
5. I would have to shave his beard just like any other, carefully, neatly, just as though he were a good customer, taking heed that not a single pore should emit a drop of blood. Taking care that the skin was left clean, soft, shining, so that when I passed the back of my hand over it not a single hair should be felt. Yes. I was secretly a revolutionary, but at the same time I was a conscientious barber, proud of the way I did my job. And that four-day beard presented a challenge.
我必須像對(duì)待其他顧客一樣為他剃胡子，做到仔細(xì)、熟練，就好像他是一位正常的顧客一樣，而且要注意不能讓他臉上的任何一個(gè)毛孔滲出哪怕一滴血；還要注意讓我的剃刀劃過(guò)的每寸肌膚都變得干凈、柔軟、有光澤，如此這樣，當(dāng)我用手背輕輕掠過(guò)他的臉頰時(shí)才不會(huì)感受到任何胡須殘留的痕跡。我暗地里是一名革命者，但與此同時(shí)，我還是一個(gè)盡職盡責(zé)，并且為自己的工作方式感到自豪的理發(fā)師。這個(gè)已經(jīng)四天沒(méi)剃過(guò)的滿臉胡須的臉頰，無(wú)疑對(duì)我是種挑戰(zhàn)。

6. I took up the razor and started to work, downward from one side. The blade responded to perfection. The hair was tough and hard; not very long, but thick. Little by little the skin began to show through. The razor gave its usual sound as it gathered up layers of soap mixed with bits of hair.
我拿起剃刀，從我的這位顧客的一側(cè)臉，自上而下開始工作。刀片對(duì)完美做出了回應(yīng)。他的胡須很是堅(jiān)硬，雖不是很長(zhǎng)，但很厚。一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地，他面頰的皮膚開始隱約顯現(xiàn)。剃刀使一層層的肥皂泡連同剃下來(lái)的胡茬一起聚集起來(lái)，發(fā)出再正常不過(guò)的聲響。
7. It was a curly beard. The pores might open, minutely, in this area and let out a tiny drop of blood. A good barber like myself stakes his reputation on not permitting that to happen to any of his customers. And this was indeed a special customer. How many of ours had he sent to their death? How many had he mutilated? It was best not to think about it. Torres did not know I was his enemy. Neither he nor the others knew it. So it was going to be very difficult to explain how it was that I had him in my hands and then let him go in peace, alive, clean-shaven.
剃到卷須部位，此處的毛孔分分鐘可能破開并滲出少量血滴。像我這樣的優(yōu)秀理發(fā)師，為了保住自己的聲譽(yù)，這種事情是絕不允許發(fā)生在自己顧客身上的。而且，他確實(shí)是一位特殊的顧客。有多少我們的人死在了他的手中？又有多少在他的手中致殘？這一切簡(jiǎn)直細(xì)思極恐。托雷斯不知道我是他的敵人，也沒(méi)有其他人知道。因此，很難解釋我是如何讓他落在我的手中，然后又讓他平安無(wú)事，并且胡子被剃得干干凈凈地離開。
8. I cannot keep my thoughts in order. I am a revolutionary but not a murderer. And it would be so easy to kill him. He deserves it. Or does he? No! No one deserves the sacrifice others make in becoming assassins. What is to be gained by it? Nothing. I could cut his throat, so, swish, swish! He would not even have time to moan, and with his eyes shut he would not even see the shine of the razor or the gleam in my eye.
我的腦子有些亂。我是個(gè)革命者，但不是殺人犯。殺死他會(huì)很容易。他罪有應(yīng)得。但是，他真的罪有應(yīng)得嗎？并不是！沒(méi)人應(yīng)該成為其他人暗殺行為的犧牲品。我這樣殺死他能得到什么？什么也得不到。我可以割斷他的喉嚨，嗖、嗖兩下就可以了結(jié)了他！他甚至都沒(méi)有時(shí)間發(fā)出呻吟聲；他雙眼緊閉，甚至都看不見剃刀劃過(guò)時(shí)發(fā)出的光芒或映在我眼中的刀光。
9. But I’m shaking like a regular murderer. From his throat a stream of blood would flow on the sheet, over the chair, down on my hands, onto the floor. What would I do then with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leave all this behind, take shelter far away, very far away. But they would follow until they caught up with me. “The murderer of Captain Torres. He slit his throat while he was shaving him. What a cowardly thing to do!”
可我卻跟別的殺人犯一樣地在發(fā)抖。血液從他的喉嚨流淌到圍布上、椅子上、我的手上，最后流淌到了地板上。然后，我該怎么處理這具尸體呢？我該把它藏到什么地方？我將不得不逃走，把這一切都拋在腦后，然后躲到很遠(yuǎn)很遠(yuǎn)的地方。但是，他們還是會(huì)追上來(lái)，直到最終找到我。“殺害托雷斯上尉的兇手。他在給他剃須時(shí)割斷了他的喉嚨。懦夫才會(huì)做這種事情！”
10. And others would say, “The avenger of our people. A name to remember”—my name here. “He was the town barber. No one knew he was fighting for our cause.” And so, which will it be? Murderer or hero? My fate hangs on the edge of this razor blade.
還有人會(huì)說(shuō)：“他是在為民除害。這是一個(gè)值得銘記的名字（也就是我的名字）”。“他是鎮(zhèn)上的理發(fā)師。沒(méi)有人知道他在為我們的革命事業(yè)而戰(zhàn)。”那么，哪個(gè)才是真正的我？殺人犯還是英雄？此時(shí)此刻，我的命運(yùn)被掛在了這把剃刀的刀刃上。
11. But I don’t want to be a murderer. No, sir. You came in to be shaved. And I do my work honorably. I don’t want to stain my hands with blood. Just with lather, and nothing else. You are an executioner; I am only a barber. Each one to his job. That’s it. Each one to his job. The chin was now clean, polished, soft. The man got up and looked at himself in the mirror. “Thanks,” he said. He walked to the wardrobe for his belt, his pistol, and his cap. I must have been very pale, and I felt my shirt soaked with sweat. He started toward the door, but stopped for a moment, and turning toward me, he said: “They told me you would kill me. I came to find out if it was true. But it’s not easy to kill. I know what I’m talking about.”
但是我不想成為殺人犯。不，先生。你是來(lái)剃胡子的。然后，我會(huì)體面地完成我的工作。我不想讓我的雙手沾滿鮮血。我的手里只有泡沫，別無(wú)其他。你是個(gè)劊子手，而我只是名理發(fā)師。每個(gè)人都有自己的本職工作。對(duì)，就是這樣，每個(gè)人都有自己的本職工作。此刻，他的下巴已經(jīng)變得干凈、光滑、柔軟。他站了起來(lái)，看著鏡子里的自己。“謝謝。”他說(shuō)。他走到衣柜旁，從里面拿出了他的皮帶、手槍和帽子。我的臉色一定非常蒼白，而且我感到我的襯衫已經(jīng)被汗水浸透。他朝著門走去，但停下了腳步，站在那里，一會(huì)兒后轉(zhuǎn)向我說(shuō)：“他們跟我說(shuō)，你會(huì)殺了我。我來(lái)查明這事是否屬實(shí)。但是殺人并不是件容易的事。我知道我在說(shuō)什么。”