One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug. He lay on his armour-hard back and saw, as he lifted his head up a little, his brown, arched abdomen divided up into rigid bow-like sections. From this height the blanket, just about ready to slide off completely, could hardly stay in place. His numerous legs, pitifully thin in comparison to the rest of his circumference, flickered helplessly before his eyes.
一天早晨，格里高爾·薩姆沙從不安的睡夢中醒來，發 現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲。他仰臥着，那堅硬 的像鐵甲一般的背貼著床，他稍稍抬了抬頭，便看見自己那 穹頂似的棕色肚子分成了好多塊弧形的硬片，被子几乎蓋不 住肚子尖，都快滑下來了。比起偌大的身驅來，他那許多隻 腿真是細得可憐，都在他眼前無可奈何地舞動着。
"What's happened to me," he thought. It was no dream. His room, a proper room for a human being, only somewhat too small, lay quietly between the four well-known walls. Above the table, on which an unpacked collection of sample cloth goods was spread out (Samsa was a traveling salesman) hung the picture which he had cut out of an illustrated magazine a little while ago and set in a pretty gilt frame. It was a picture of a woman with a fur hat and a fur boa. She sat erect there, lifting up in the direction of the viewer a solid fur muff into which her entire forearm disappeared.
“我出了什麼事啦？”他想。這可不是夢。他的房間， 雖是嫌小了些，的確是普普通通人住的房間，仍然安靜地躺 在四堵熟悉的牆壁當中。在攤放著打開的衣料樣品－－薩姆 沙是個旅行推銷員－－的桌子上面，還是掛着那幅畫，這是 他最近從一本畫報上剪下來裝在漂亮的金色鏡框裡的。畫的 是一位戴皮帽子圍皮圍巾的貴婦人，她挺直身子坐著，把一 只套沒了整個前臂的厚重的皮手筒遞給看畫的人。
Gregor's glance then turned to the window. The dreary weather (the rain drops were falling audibly down on the metal window ledge) made him quite melancholy. "Why don't I keep sleeping for a little while longer and forget all this foolishness," he thought. But this was entirely impractical, for he was used to sleeping on his right side, and in his present state he couldn't get himself into this position. No matter how hard he threw himself onto his right side, he always rolled again onto his back. He must have tried it a hundred times, closing his eyes, so that he would not have to see the wriggling legs, and gave up only when he began to feel a light, dull pain in his side which he had never felt before.
格里高爾的眼睛接着又朝窗口望去，天空很陰暗——可 以聽到雨點敲打在窗檻上的聲音——他的心情也變得憂鬱了。 “要是再睡一會兒，把這一切晦氣事統統忘掉那該多好。” 他想。但是完全辦不到，平時他習慣于向右邊睡，可是在目 前的情況下，再也不能採取那樣的姿態了。無論怎樣用力向 右轉，他仍舊滾了回來，肚子朝天。他試了至少一百次，還 閉上眼睛免得看到那些拚命掙扎的腿，到後來他的腰部感到 一種從未體味過的隱痛，才不得不罷休。
"O God," he thought, "what a demanding job I've chosen! Day in, day out on the road. The stresses of trade are much greater than the work going on at head office, and, in addition to that, I have to deal with the problems of traveling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships which never come from the heart. To hell with it all!" He felt a slight itching on the top of his abdomen. He slowly pushed himself on his back closer to the bed post so that he could lift his head more easily, found the itchy part, which was entirely covered with small white spots (he did not know what to make of them), and wanted to feel the place with a leg. But he retracted it immediately, for the contact felt like a cold shower all over him.
“啊，天哪，”他想，“我怎麼單單挑上這麼一個累人 的差使呢！長年累月到處奔波，比坐辦公室辛苦多了。再加 上還有經常出門的煩惱，擔心各次火車的倒換，不定時而且 低劣的飲食，而萍水相逢的人也總是些泛泛之交，不可能有 深厚的交情，永遠不會變成知己朋友。讓這一切都見鬼去吧！ ”他覺得肚子上有點兒癢，就慢慢地挪動身子，靠近床頭， 好讓自己頭抬起來更容易些；他看清了發癢的地方，那兒布 滿着白色的小斑點，他不明白這是怎麼回事，想用一條腿去 搔一搔，可是馬上又縮了回來，因為這一碰使他渾身起了一 陣寒顫。
He slid back again into his earlier position. "This getting up early," he thought, "makes a man quite idiotic. A man must have his sleep. Other traveling salesmen live like harem women. For instance, when I come back to the inn during the course of the morning to write up the necessary orders, these gentlemen are just sitting down to breakfast. If I were to try that with my boss, I'd be thrown out on the spot. Still, who knows whether that mightn't be really good for me. If I didn't hold back for my parents' sake, I would've quit ages ago. I would've gone to the boss and told him just what I think from the bottom of my heart. He would've fallen right off his desk! How weird it is to sit up at the desk and talk down to the employee from way up there. The boss has trouble hearing, so the employee has to step up quite close to him. Anyway, I haven't completely given up that hope yet. Once I've got together the money to pay off the parents' debt to him--that should take another five or six years--I'll do it for sure. Then I'll make the big break. In any case, right now I have to get up. My train leaves at five o'clock."
他又滑下來恢復到原來的姿勢。“起床這麼早，”他想， “會使人變傻的。人是需要睡覺的。別的推銷員生活得像貴 婦人。比如，我有一天上午趕回旅館登記取回定貨單時，別 的人才坐下來吃早餐。我若是跟我的老闆也來這一手，準定 當場就給開除。也許開除了倒更好一些，誰說得準呢。如果 不是為了父母親而總是謹小慎微，我早就辭職不幹了，我早 就會跑到老闆面前，把肚子裡的氣出個痛快。那個傢伙準會 從寫字桌後面直蹦起來！他的工作方式也真奇怪，總是那樣 居高臨下坐在桌子上面對職員發號施令，再加上他的耳朵又 偏偏重聽，大家不得不走到他跟前去。但是事情也未必毫無 轉機；只要等我攢夠了錢還清了父母欠他的債——也許還得 五六年——可是我一定能做到。到那時我就會時來運轉了。 不過眼下我還是起床為妙，因為火車五點鐘就要開了。 ”
And he looked over at the alarm clock ticking away by the chest of drawers. "Good God," he thought. It was half past six, and the hands were going quietly on. It was past the half hour, already nearly quarter to. Could the alarm have failed to ring? One saw from the bed that it was properly set for four o'clock. Certainly it had rung. Yes, but was it possible to sleep through this noise that made the furniture shake? Now, it's true he'd not slept quietly, but evidently he'd slept all the more deeply. Still, what should he do now? The next train left at seven o'clock. To catch that one, he would have to go in a mad rush. The sample collection wasn't packed up yet, and he really didn't feel particularly fresh and active. And even if he caught the train, there was no avoiding a blow up with the boss, because the firm's errand boy would've waited for the five o'clock train and reported the news of his absence long ago. He was the boss's minion, without backbone or intelligence. Well then, what if he reported in sick? But that would be extremely embarrassing and suspicious, because during his five years' service Gregor hadn't been sick even once. The boss would certainly come with the doctor from the health insurance company and would reproach his parents for their lazy son and cut short all objections with the insurance doctor's comments; for him everyone was completely healthy but really lazy about work. And besides, would the doctor in this case be totally wrong? Apart from a really excessive drowsiness after the long sleep, Gregor in fact felt quite well and even had a really strong appetite.
他看了看柜子上滴滴嗒嗒響着的閙鐘。天哪！他想到。 已經六點半了，而時針還在悠悠然向前移動，連六點半也過 了，馬上就要七點差一刻了。閙鐘難道沒有響過嗎？從床上 可以看到閙鐘明明是撥到四點鐘的；顯然它已經響過了。是 的，不過在那震耳欲聾的響聲裡，難道真的能安寧地睡着嗎？ 嗯，他睡得並不安寧，可是卻正說明他睡得不壞。那麼他現 在該幹什麼呢？下一班車七點鐘開；要搭這一班車他得發瘋 似的趕才行，可是他的樣品都還沒有包好，他也覺得自己的 精神不甚佳。而且即使他趕上這班車，還是逃不過上司的一 頓申斥，因為公司的聽差一定是在等候五點鐘那班火車，這 時早已回去報告他沒有趕上了。那聽差是老闆的心腹，既無 骨氣又愚蠢不堪。那麼，說自己病了行不行呢？不過這將是 最不愉快的事，而且也顯得很可疑，因為他服務五年以來沒 有害過一次病。老闆一定會親自帶了醫藥顧問一起來，一定 會責怪他的父母怎麼養出這樣懶惰的兒子，他還會引證醫藥 顧問的話，粗暴地把所有的理由都駁掉，在那個大夫看來， 世界上除了健康之至的假病號，再也沒有第二種人了。再說 今天這種情況，大夫的話是不是真的不對呢？格里高爾覺得 身體挺不錯，只除了有些睏乏，這在如此長久的一次睡眠以 後實在有些多餘，另外，他甚至覺得特別餓。
As he was thinking all this over in the greatest haste, without being able to make the decision to get out of bed (the alarm clock was indicating exactly quarter to seven) there was a cautious knock on the door by the head of the bed.
這一切都飛快地在他腦子裡閃過，他還是沒有下決心起 床——閙鐘敲六點三刻了——這時，他床頭後面的門上傳來 了輕輕的一下叩門聲。
"Gregor," a voice called (it was his mother!) "it's quarter to seven. Don't you want to be on your way?" The soft voice! Gregor was startled when he heard his voice answering. It was clearly and unmistakably his earlier voice, but in it was intermingled, as if from below, an irrepressibly painful squeaking which left the words positively distinct only in the first moment and distorted them in the reverberation, so that one didn't know if one had heard correctly. Gregor wanted to answer in detail and explain everything, but in these circumstances he confined himself to saying, "Yes, yes, thank you mother. I'm getting up right away." Because of the wooden door the change in Gregor's voice was not really noticeable outside, so his mother calmed down with this explanation and shuffled off. However, as a result of the short conversation the other family members became aware of the fact that Gregor was unexpectedly still at home, and already his father was knocking on one side door, weakly but with his fist. "Gregor, Gregor," he called out, "what's going on?" And after a short while he urged him on again in a deeper voice. "Gregor!" Gregor!" At the other side door, however, his sister knocked lightly. "Gregor? Are you all right? Do you need anything?" Gregor directed answers in both directions, "I'll be ready right away." He made an effort with the most careful articulation and by inserting long pauses between the individual words to remove everything remarkable from his voice. His father turned back to his breakfast. However, the sister whispered, "Gregor, open the door, I beg you." Gregor had no intention of opening the door, but congratulated himself on his precaution, acquired from traveling, of locking all doors during the night, even at home.
“格里高爾，”一個聲音說，——這 是他母親的聲音——“已經七點差一刻了。你不是還要趕火 車嗎？”好溫和的聲音！格里高爾聽到自己的回答聲時不免 大吃一驚。沒錯，這分明是他自己的聲音，可是卻有另一種 可怕的嘰嘰喳喳的尖叫聲同時發了出來，彷彿是伴音似的， 使他的話只有最初幾個字才是清清楚楚的，接着馬上就受到 了干擾，弄得意義含混，使人家說不上到底聽清楚沒有。格 裡高爾本想回答得詳細些，好把一切解釋清楚，可是在這樣 的情形下他只得簡單地說：“是的，是的，謝謝你，媽媽， 我這會兒正在起床呢。”隔着木門，外面一定聽不到格里高 爾聲音的變化，因為他母親聽到這些話也滿意了，就拖着步 子走了開去。然而這場簡短的對話使家裡人都知道格里高爾 還在屋子裡，這是出乎他們意料之外的，於是在側邊的一扇 門上立刻就響起了他父親的叩門聲，很輕，不過用的卻是拳 頭。“格里高爾，格里高爾，”他喊到，“你怎麼啦？”過 了一小會兒他又用更低沉的聲音催促道：“格里高爾！格里 高爾！”在另一側的門上他的妹妹也用輕輕的悲哀的聲音問： “格里高爾，你不舒服嗎？要不要什麼東西？”他同時回答 了他們兩個人：“我馬上就好了。”他把聲音發得更清晰， 說完一個字過一會兒才說另一個字，竭力使他的聲音顯得正 常。於是他父親走回去吃他的早飯了，他妹妹卻低聲地說： “格里高爾，開開門吧，求求你。”可是他並不想開門，所 以暗自慶幸自己由於時常旅行，他養成了晚上鎖住所有門的 習慣。即使回到家裡也是這樣。
First he wanted to stand up quietly and undisturbed, get dressed, above all have breakfast, and only then consider further action, for (he noticed this clearly) by thinking things over in bed he would not reach a reasonable conclusion. He remembered that he had already often felt a light pain or other in bed, perhaps the result of an awkward lying position, which later turned out to be purely imaginary when he stood up, and he was eager to see how his present fantasies would gradually dissipate. That the change in his voice was nothing other than the onset of a real chill, an occupational illness of commercial travelers, of that he had not the slightest doubt.
首先他要靜悄悄地不受打擾地起床，穿好衣服，最要緊 的是吃飽早飯，再考慮下一步該怎麼辦，因為他非常明白， 躺在床上瞎想一氣是想不出什麼名堂來的。他還記得過去也 許是因為睡覺姿勢不好，躺在床上時往往會覺得這兒那兒隱 隱作痛，及至起來，就知道純屬心理作用，所以他殷切地盼 望今天早晨的幻覺會逐漸消逝。他也深信，他之所以變聲音 不是因為別的而僅僅是重感冒的朕兆，這是旅行推銷員的職 業病。
It was very easy to throw aside the blanket. He needed only to push himself up a little, and it fell by itself. But to continue was difficult, particularly because he was so unusually wide. He needed arms and hands to push himself upright. Instead of these, however, he had only many small limbs which were incessantly moving with very different motions and which, in addition, he was unable to control. If he wanted to bend one of them, then it was the first to extend itself, and if he finally succeeded doing with this limb what he wanted, in the meantime all the others, as if left free, moved around in an excessively painful agitation. "But I must not stay in bed uselessly," said Gregor to himself.
要掀掉被子很容易，他只需把身子稍稍一抬被子就自己 滑下來了。可是下一個動作就非常之困難，特別是因為他的 身子寬得出奇。他得要有手和胳臂才能讓自己坐起來；可是 他有的只是無數細小的腿，它們一刻不停地向四面八方揮動， 而他自己卻完全無法控制。他想屈起其中的一條腿，可是他 偏偏伸得筆直；等他終於讓它聽從自己的指揮時，所有別的 腿卻莫名其妙地亂動不已。“總是獃在床上有什麼意思呢。” 格里高爾自言自語地說。
At first he wanted to get of the bed with the lower part of his body, but this lower part (which he incidentally had not yet looked at and which he also couldn't picture clearly) proved itself too difficult to move. The attempt went so slowly. When, having become almost frantic, he finally hurled himself forward with all his force and without thinking, he chose his direction incorrectly, and he hit the lower bedpost hard. The violent pain he felt revealed to him that the lower part of his body was at the moment probably the most sensitive.
他想，下身先下去一定可以使自己離床，可是他還沒有 見過自己的下身，腦子里根本沒有概念，不知道要移動下身 真是難上加難，挪動起來是那樣的遲緩；所以到最後，他煩 死了，就用盡全力魯莽地把身子一甩，不料方向算錯，重重 地撞在床腳上，一陣徹骨的痛楚使他明白，如今他身上最敏 感的地方也許正是他的下身。
Thus, he tried to get his upper body out of the bed first and turned his head carefully toward the edge of the bed. He managed to do this easily, and in spite of its width and weight his body mass at last slowly followed the turning of his head. But as he finally raised his head outside the bed in the open air, he became anxious about moving forward any further in this manner, for if he allowed himself eventually to fall by this process, it would take a miracle to prevent his head from getting injured. And at all costs he must not lose consciousness right now. He preferred to remain in bed.
於是他就打算先讓上身離床，他小心翼翼地把頭部一點 點挪向床沿。這卻毫不困難，他的身驅雖然又寬又大，也終 于跟着頭部移動了。可是，等到頭部終於懸在床邊上，他又 害怕起來，不敢再前進了，因為，老實說，如果他就這樣讓 自己掉下去，不摔壞腦袋才怪呢。他現在最要緊的是保持清 醒，特別是現在；他寧願繼續待在床上。
However, after a similar effort, while he lay there again sighing as before and once again saw his small limbs fighting one another, if anything worse than before, and didn't see any chance of imposing quiet and order on this arbitrary movement, he told himself again that he couldn't possibly remain in bed and that it might be the most reasonable thing to sacrifice everything if there was even the slightest hope of getting himself out of bed in the process. At the same moment, however, he didn't forget to remind himself from time to time of the fact that calm (indeed the calmest) reflection might be better than the most confused decisions. At such moments, he directed his gaze as precisely as he could toward the window, but unfortunately there was little confident cheer to be had from a glance at the morning mist, which concealed even the other side of the narrow street. "It's already seven o'clock" he told himself at the latest striking of the alarm clock, "already seven o'clock and still such a fog." And for a little while longer he lay quietly with weak breathing, as if perhaps waiting for normal and natural conditions to re-emerge out of the complete stillness.
可是重複了幾遍同樣的努力以後，他深深地嘆了一口氣， 還是恢復了原來的姿勢躺着，一面瞧他那些細腿在難以置信 地更瘋狂地掙扎；格里高爾不知道如何才能擺脫這種荒唐的 混亂處境，他就再一次告訴自己，待在床上是不行的，最最 合理的做法還是冒一切危險來實現離床這個極渺茫的希望。 可是同時他也沒有忘記提醒自己，冷靜地，極其冷靜地考慮 到最最微小的可能性還是比不顧一切地蠻幹強得多。這時節， 他竭力集中眼光望向窗外，可是不幸得很，早晨的濃霧把狹 街對面的房子也都裹上了，看來天氣一時不會好轉，這就使 他更加得不到鼓勵和安慰。“已經七點鐘了，”閙鐘再度敲 響時，他對自己說，“已經七點鐘了，可是霧還這麼重。” 有片刻工夫，他靜靜地躺着，輕輕地呼吸着，彷彿這樣一養 神什麼都會恢復正常似的。
But then he said to himself, "Before it strikes a quarter past seven, whatever happens I must be completely out of bed. Besides, by then someone from the office will arrive to inquire about me, because the office will open before seven o'clock." And he made an effort then to rock his entire body length out of the bed with a uniform motion. If he let himself fall out of the bed in this way, his head, which in the course of the fall he intended to lift up sharply, would probably remain uninjured. His back seemed to be hard; nothing would really happen to that as a result of the fall. His greatest reservation was a worry about the loud noise which the fall must create and which presumably would arouse, if not fright, then at least concern on the other side of all the doors. However, it had to be tried.
可是接着他又對自己說：“七點一刻前我無論如何非得 離開床不可。到那時一定會有人從公司裡來找我，因為不到 七點公司就開門了。”於是他開始有節奏地來回晃動自己的 整個身子，想把自己甩出床去。倘若他這樣翻下床去，可以 昂起腦袋，頭部不至于受傷。他的背似乎很硬，看來跌在地 毯上並不打緊。他最擔心的還是自己控制不了的巨大響聲， 這聲音一定會在所有的房間裡引起焦慮，即使不是恐懼。可 是，他還是得冒這個險。
As Gregor was in the process of lifting himself half out of bed (the new method was more of a game than an effort; he needed only to rock with a constant rhythm) it struck him how easy all this would be if someone were to come to his aid. Two strong people (he thought of his father and the servant girl) would have been quite sufficient. They would have only had to push their arms under his arched back to get him out of the bed, to bend down with their load, and then merely to exercise patience and care that he completed the flip onto the floor, where his diminutive legs would then, he hoped, acquire a purpose. Now, quite apart from the fact that the doors were locked, should he really call out for help? In spite of all his distress, he was unable to suppress a smile at this idea.
當他已經半個身子探到床外的時候——這個新方法與其 說是苦事，不如說是遊戲，因為他只需來回晃動，逐漸挪過 去就行了——他忽然想起如果有人幫忙，這件事該是多麼簡 單。兩個身強力壯的人——他想到了他的父親和那個使女— —就足夠了；他們只需把胳臂伸到他那圓鼓鼓的背後，抬他 下床，放下他們的負擔，然後耐心地等他在地板上翻過身來 就行了，一碰到地板他的腿自然會發揮作用的。那麼，姑且 不管所有的門都是鎖着的，他是否真的應該叫人幫忙呢？盡 管處境非常困難，想到這一層，他卻禁不住透出一絲微笑。
He had already got to the point where, with a stronger rocking, he maintained his equilibrium with difficulty, and very soon he would finally have to decide, for in five minutes it would be a quarter past seven. Then there was a ring at the door of the apartment. "That's someone from the office" he told himself, and he almost froze while his small limbs only danced around all the faster. For one moment everything remained still. "They aren't opening," Gregor said to himself, caught up in some absurd hope. But of course then, as usual, the servant girl with her firm tread went to the door and opened it. Gregor needed to hear only the visitor's first word of greeting to recognize immediately who it was, the manager himself. Why was Gregor the only one condemned to work in a firm where at the slightest lapse someone immediately attracted the greatest suspicion? Were all the employees then collectively, one and all, scoundrels? Was there then among them no truly devoted person who, if he failed to use just a couple of hours in the morning for office work, would become abnormal from pangs of conscience and really be in no state to get out of bed? Was it really not enough to let an apprentice make inquiries, if such questioning was even necessary? Must the manager himself come, and in the process must it be demonstrated to the entire innocent family that the investigation of this suspicious circumstance could only be entrusted to the intelligence of the manager? And more as a consequence of the excited state in which this idea put Gregor than as a result of an actual decision, he swung himself with all his might out of the bed. There was a loud thud, but not a real crash. The fall was absorbed somewhat by the carpet and, in addition, his back was more elastic than Gregor had thought. For that reason the dull noise was not quite so conspicuous. But he had not held his head up with sufficient care and had hit it. He turned his head, irritated and in pain, and rubbed it on the carpet.
他使勁地搖動着，身子已經探出不少，快要失去平衡了， 他非得鼓足勇氣採取決定性的步驟了，因為再過五分鐘就是 七點一刻——正在這時，前門的門鈴響了起來。“是公司裡 派什麼人來了。”他這麼想，身子就隨之而發僵，可是那些 細小的腿卻動彈得更快了。一時之間周圍一片靜默。“他們 不願開門。”格里高爾懷着不合常情的希望自言自語道。可 是使女當然還是跟往常一樣踏着沉重的步子去開門了。格里 高爾聽到客人的第一聲招呼就馬上知道這是誰——是秘書主 任親自出馬了。真不知自己生就什麼命，竟落到給這樣一家 公司當差，只要有一點小小的差錯，馬上就會招來最大的懷 疑！在這一個所有的職員全是無賴的公司裡，豈不是只有他 一個人忠心耿耿嗎？他早晨只占用公司兩三個小時，不是就 給良心折磨得几乎要發瘋，真的下不了床嗎？如果確有必要 來打聽他出了什麼事，派個學徒來不也夠了嗎——難道秘書 主任非得親自出馬，以便向全家人，完全無辜的一家人表示， 這個可疑的情況只有他自己那樣的內行來調查才行嗎？與其 說格里高爾下了決心，倒不如說他因為想到這些事非常激動， 因而用盡全力把自己甩出了床外。砰的一聲很響，但總算沒 有響得嚇人。地毯把他墜落的聲音減弱了幾分，他的背也不 如他所想象的那麼毫無彈性，所以聲音很悶，不驚動人。只 是他不夠小心，頭翹得不夠高，還是在地板上撞了一下；他 扭了扭腦袋，痛苦而忿懣地把頭挨在地板上磨蹭着。
"Something has fallen in there," said the manager in the next room on the left. Gregor tried to imagine to himself whether anything similar to what was happening to him today could have also happened at some point to the manager. At least one had to concede the possibility of such a thing. However, as if to give a rough answer to this question, the manager now took a few determined steps in the next room, with a squeak of his polished boots. From the neighbouring room on the right the sister was whispering to inform Gregor: "Gregor, the manager is here." "I know," said Gregor to himself. But he did not dare make his voice loud enough so that his sister could hear.
“那裡有什麼東西掉下來了。”秘書主任在左面房間裡 說。格里高爾試圖設想，今天他身上發生的事有一天也讓秘 書主任碰上了；誰也不敢擔保不會出這樣的事。可是彷彿給 他的設想一個粗暴的回答似的，秘書主任在隔壁的房間裡堅 定地走了幾步，他那漆皮鞋子發出了吱嘎吱嘎的聲音。從右 面的房間裡，他妹妹用耳語向他通報消息：“格里高爾，秘 書主任來了。”“我知道了。”格里高爾低聲嘟噥道；但是 沒有勇氣提高嗓門讓妹妹聽到他的聲音。
"Gregor," his father now said from the neighbouring room on the left, "Mr. Manager has come and is asking why you have not left on the early train. We don't know what we should tell him. Besides, he also wants to speak to you personally. So please open the door. He will be good enough to forgive the mess in your room."
“格里高爾，”這時候，父親在左邊房間裡說話了，“ 秘書主任來了，他要知道為什麼你沒能趕上早晨的火車。我 們也不知道怎麼跟他說。另外，他還要親自和你談話。所以， 請你開門吧。他度量大，對你房間裡的凌亂不會見怪的。”
In the middle of all this, the manager called out in a friendly way, "Good morning, Mr. Samsa." "He is not well," said his mother to the manager, while his father was still talking at the door, "He is not well, believe me, Mr. Manager. Otherwise how would Gregor miss a train! The young man has nothing in his head except business. I'm almost angry that he never goes out at night. Right now he's been in the city eight days, but he's been at home every evening. He sits there with us at the table and reads the newspaper quietly or studies his travel schedules. It's quite a diversion for him if he busies himself with fretwork. For instance, he cut out a small frame over the course of two or three evenings. You'd be amazed how pretty it is. It's hanging right inside the room. You'll see it immediately, as soon as Gregor opens the door. Anyway, I'm happy that you're here, Mr. Manager. By ourselves, we would never have made Gregor open the door. He's so stubborn, and he's certainly not well, although he denied that this morning."
“早上好，薩姆沙先生，”與此同時，秘書主任和藹地招呼 道。“他不舒服呢，”母親對客人說，這時他父親繼續隔着 門在說話，“他不舒服，先生，相信我吧。他還能為了什麼 原因誤車呢！這孩子只知道操心公事。他晚上從來不出去， 連我瞧著都要生氣了；這幾天來他沒有出差，可他天天晚上 都守在家裡。他只是安安靜靜地坐在桌子旁邊，看看報，或 是把火車時刻表翻來覆去地看。他唯一的消遣就是做木工活 兒。比如說，他花了兩三個晚上刻了一個小鏡框；您看到它 那麼漂亮一定會感到驚奇；這鏡框掛在他房間裡；再過一分 鐘等格里高爾打開門您就會看到了。您的光臨真叫我高興， 先生；我們怎麼也沒法使他開門；他真是固執；我敢說他一 定是病了，雖然他早晨硬說沒病。”——
"I'm coming right away," said Gregor slowly and deliberately and didn't move, so as not to lose one word of the conversation. "My dear lady, I cannot explain it to myself in any other way," said the manager; "I hope it is nothing serious. On the other hand, I must also say that we business people, luckily or unluckily, however one looks at it, very often simply have to overcome a slight indisposition for business reasons." "So can Mr. Manager come in to see you now" asked his father impatiently and knocked once again on the door. "No," said Gregor. In the neighbouring room on the left a painful stillness descended. In the neighbouring room on the right the sister began to sob.
“我馬上來了，” 格里高爾慢吞吞地小心翼翼地說，可是卻寸步也沒有移動， 生怕漏過他們談話中的每一個字。“我也想不出有什麼別的 原因，太太，”秘書主任說，“我希望不是什麼大病。雖然 另一方面我不得不說，不知該算福氣還是晦氣，我們這些做 買賣的往往就得不把這些小毛病當作一回事，因為買賣嘛總 是要做的。”——“喂，秘書主任現在能進來了嗎？”格里 高爾的父親不耐煩地問，又敲起門來了。“不行。”格里高 爾回答。這聲拒絶以後，在左面房間裡是一陣令人痛苦的寂 靜；右面房間裡他妹妹啜泣起來了。
Why didn't his sister go to the others? She'd probably just gotten up out of bed now and hadn't even started to get dressed yet. Then why was she crying? Because he wasn't getting up and wasn't letting the manager in; because he was in danger of losing his position, and because then his boss would badger his parents once again with the old demands? Those were probably unnecessary worries right now. Gregor was still here and wasn't thinking at all about abandoning his family. At the moment he was lying right there on the carpet, and no one who knew about his condition would've seriously demanded that he let the manager in. But Gregor wouldn't be casually dismissed right way because of this small discourtesy, for which he would find an easy and suitable excuse later on. It seemed to Gregor that it might be far more reasonable to leave him in peace at the moment, instead of disturbing him with crying and conversation. But it was the very uncertainty which distressed the others and excused their behaviour.
他妹妹為什麼不和別的人在一起呢？她也許是剛剛起床， 還沒有穿衣服吧。那麼，她為什麼哭呢？是因為他不起床讓 秘書主任進來嗎，是因為他有丟掉差使的危險嗎，是因為老 板又要開口向他的父母討還舊債嗎？這些顯然都是眼前不用 擔心的事情。格里高爾仍舊在家裡，絲毫沒有棄家出走的念 頭。的確，他現在暫時還躺在地毯上，知道他的處境的人當 然不會盼望他讓秘書主任走進來。可是這點小小的失禮以後 盡可以用幾句漂亮的辭令解釋過去，格里高爾不見得馬上就 給辭退。格里高爾覺得，就目前來說，他們與其對他抹鼻子 流淚苦苦哀求，還不如別打擾他的好。可是，當然啦，他們 的不明情況使他們大惑不解，也說明了他們為什麼有這樣的 舉動。
"Mr. Samsa," the manager was now shouting, his voice raised, "what's the matter? You are barricading yourself in your room, answer with only a yes and a no, are making serious and unnecessary troubles for your parents, and neglecting (I mention this only incidentally) your commercial duties in a truly unheard of manner. I am speaking here in the name of your parents and your employer, and I am requesting you in all seriousness for an immediate and clear explanation. I am amazed. I am amazed. I thought I knew you as a calm, reasonable person, and now you appear suddenly to want to start parading around in weird moods. The Chief indicated to me earlier this very day a possible explanation for your neglect--it concerned the collection of cash entrusted to you a short while ago--but in truth I almost gave him my word of honour that this explanation could not be correct. However, now I see here your unimaginable pig headedness, and I am totally losing any desire to speak up for you in the slightest. And your position is not at all the most secure. Originally I intended to mention all this to you privately, but since you are letting me waste my time here uselessly, I don't know why the matter shouldn't come to the attention of your parents. Your productivity has also been very unsatisfactory recently. Of course, it's not the time of year to conduct exceptional business, we recognize that, but a time of year for conducting no business, there is no such thing at all, Mr. Samsa, and such a thing must never be."
“薩姆沙先生，”秘書主任現在提高了嗓門說，“您這 是怎麼回事？您這樣把自己關在房間裡，光是回答‘是’和 ‘不是’，毫無必要地引起您父母極大的憂慮，又極嚴重地 疏忽了——這我只不過順便提一句——疏忽了公事方面的職 責。我現在以您父母和您經理的名義和您說話，我正式要求 您立刻給我一個明確的解釋。我真沒想到，我真沒想到。我 原來還認為您是個安分守己、穩妥可靠的人，可您現在卻突 然決心想讓自己丟醜。經理今天早晨還對我暗示您不露面的 原因可能是什麼——他提到了最近交給您管的現款——我還 几乎要以自己的名譽向他擔保這根本不可能呢。可是現在我 才知道您真是執拗得可以，從現在起，我絲毫也不想袒護您 了。您在公司裡的地位並不是那麼穩固的。這些話我本來想 私下裡對您說的，可是既然您這樣白白糟蹋我的時間，我就 不懂為什麼您的父母不應該聽到這些話了。近來您的工作叫 人很不滿意；當然，目前買賣並不是旺季，這我們也承認， 可是一年裡整整一個季度一點兒買賣也不做，這是不行的， 薩姆沙先生，這是完全不應該的。”
"But Mr. Manager," called Gregor, beside himself and in his agitation forgetting everything else, "I'm opening the door immediately, this very moment. A slight indisposition, a dizzy spell, has prevented me from getting up. I'm still lying in bed right now. But now I'm quite refreshed once again. I'm in the midst of getting out of bed. Just have patience for a short moment! Things are not going so well as I thought. But things are all right. How suddenly this can overcome someone! Just yesterday evening everything was fine with me. My parents certainly know that. Actually just yesterday evening I had a small premonition. People must have seen that in me. Why have I not reported that to the office! But people always think that they'll get over sickness without having to stay at home. Mr. Manager! Take it easy on my parents! There is really no basis for the criticisms which you are now making against me, and really nobody has said a word to me about that. Perhaps you have not read the latest orders which I shipped. Besides, now I'm setting out on my trip on the eight o'clock train; the few hours' rest have made me stronger. Mr. Manager, do not stay. I will be at the office in person right away. Please have the goodness to say that and to convey my respects to the Chief."
“可是，先生，”格里高爾喊道，他控制不住了，激動 得忘記了一切，“我這會兒正要來開門。一點兒小小的不舒 服，一陣頭暈使我起不了床。我現在還躺在床上呢。不過我 已經好了。我現在正要下床。再等我一兩分鐘吧！我不像自 己所想的那樣健康。不過我已經好了，真的。這種小毛病難 道就能打垮我不成！我昨天晚上還好好兒的，這我父親母親 也可以告訴您，不，應該說我昨天晚上就感覺到了一些預兆。 我的樣子想必已經不對勁了。您要問為什麼我不向辦公室報 告！可是人總以為一點點不舒服一定能頂過去，用不着請假 在家休息。哦，先生，別傷我父母的心吧！您剛纔怪罪於我 的事都是沒有根據的；從來沒有誰這樣說過我。也許您還沒 有看到我最近兜來的定單吧。至少，我還能趕上八點鐘的火 車呢，休息了這幾個鐘點我已經好多了。千萬不要因為我而 把您耽擱在這兒，先生；我馬上就會開始工作的，這有勞您 轉告經理，在他面前還得請您多替我美言幾句呢！”
While Gregor was quickly blurting all this out, hardly aware of what he was saying, he had moved close to the chest of drawers without effort, probably as a result of the practice he had already had in bed, and now he was trying to raise himself up on it. Actually, he wanted to open the door; he really wanted to let himself be seen by and to speak with the manager. He was keen to witness what the others now asking after him would say at the sight of him. If they were startled, then Gregor had no more responsibility and could be calm. But if they accepted everything quietly, then he would have no reason to get excited and, if he got a move on, could really be at the station around eight o'clock.
格里高爾一口氣說著，自己也搞不清楚自己說了些什麼， 也許是因為有了床上的那些鍛鍊，格里高爾沒費多大氣力就 來到柜子旁邊，打算依靠柜子使自己直立起來。他的確是想 開門，的確是想出去和秘書主任談話的；他很想知道，大家 這麼堅持以後，看到了他又會說些什麼。要是他們都大吃一 驚，那麼責任就再也不在他身上，他可以得到安靜了。如果 他們完全不在意，那麼他也根本不必不安，只要真的趕緊上 車站去搭八點鐘的車就行了。
At first he slid down a few times from the smooth chest of drawers. But at last he gave himself a final swing and stood upright there. He was no longer at all aware of the pains in his lower body, no matter how they might still sting. Now he let himself fall against the back of a nearby chair, on the edge of which he braced himself with his thin limbs. By doing this he gained control over himself and kept quiet, for he could now hear the manager.
起先，他好幾次從光滑的櫃面 上滑下來，可是最後，在一使勁之後，他終於站直了；現在 他也不管下身疼得像火燒一般了。接着他讓自己靠向附近一 張椅子的背部，用他那些細小的腿抓住了椅背的邊。這使他 得以控制自己的身體，他不再說話，因為這時候他聽見秘書 主任又開口了。
"Did you understand a single word?" the manager asked the parents, "Is he playing the fool with us?" "For God's sake," cried the mother already in tears, "perhaps he's very ill and we're upsetting him. Grete! Grete!" she yelled at that point. "Mother?" called the sister from the other side. They were making themselves understood through Gregor's room. "You must go to the doctor right away. Gregor is sick. Hurry to the doctor. Have you heard Gregor speak yet?" "That was an animal's voice," said the manager, remarkably quietly in comparison to the mother's cries.
“你們聽得懂哪個字嗎？”秘書主任問，“他不見得在 開我們的玩笑吧？”“哦，天哪，”他母親聲淚俱下地喊道， “也許他病害得不輕，倒是我們在折磨他呢。葛蕾特！葛蕾 特！”接着她嚷道。“什麼事，媽媽？”他妹妹打那一邊的 房間裡喊道。她們就這樣隔着格里高爾的房間對嚷起來。“ 你得馬上去請醫生。格里高爾病了。去請醫生，快點兒。你 沒聽見他說話的聲音嗎？”“這不是人的聲音。”秘書主任 說，跟母親的尖叫聲一比他的嗓音顯得格外低沉。
"Anna! Anna!' yelled the father through the hall into the kitchen, clapping his hands, "fetch a locksmith right away!" The two young women were already running through the hall with swishing skirts (how had his sister dressed herself so quickly?) and yanked open the doors of the apartment. One couldn't hear the doors closing at all. They probably had left them open, as is customary in an apartment in which a huge misfortune has taken place.
“安娜！ 安娜！”他父親從客廳向廚房裡喊道，一面還拍着手，“馬 上去找個鎖匠來！”於是兩個姑娘奔跑得裙子颼颼響地穿過 了客廳——他妹妹怎能這麼快就穿好衣服的呢？——接着又 猛然大開了前門，沒有聽見門重新關上的聲音；她們顯然聽 任它洞開着，什麼人家出了不幸的事情就總是這樣。
However, Gregor had become much calmer. All right, people did not understand his words any more, although they seemed clear enough to him, clearer than previously, perhaps because his ears had gotten used to them. But at least people now thought that things were not all right with him and were prepared to help him. The confidence and assurance with which the first arrangements had been carried out made him feel good. He felt himself included once again in the circle of humanity and was expecting from both the doctor and the locksmith, without differentiating between them with any real precision, splendid and surprising results. In order to get as clear a voice as possible for the critical conversation which was imminent, he coughed a little, and certainly took the trouble to do this in a really subdued way, since it was possible that even this noise sounded like something different from a human cough. He no longer trusted himself to decide any more. Meanwhile in the next room it had become really quiet. Perhaps his parents were sitting with the manager at the table and were whispering; perhaps they were all leaning against the door and listening.
格里高爾現在倒鎮靜多了。顯然，他發出來的聲音人家 再也聽不懂了，雖然他自己聽來很清楚，甚至比以前更清楚， 這也許是因為他的耳朵變得能適應這種聲音了。不過至少現在 大家相信他有什麼地方不太妙，都準備來幫助他了。這些初 步措施將帶來的積極效果使他感到安慰。他覺得自己又重新 進入人類的圈子，對大夫和鎖匠都寄於了莫大的希望，卻沒 有怎樣分清兩者之間的區別。為了使自己在即將到來的重要 談話中聲音儘可能清晰些，他稍微嗽了嗽嗓子，他當然儘量 壓低聲音，因為就連他自己聽起來，這聲音也不像人的咳嗽。 這時候，隔壁房間裡一片寂靜。也許他的父母正陪了秘書主 任坐在桌旁，在低聲商談，也許他們都靠在門上細細諦聽呢。
Gregor pushed himself slowly towards the door, with the help of the easy chair, let go of it there, threw himself against the door, held himself upright against it (the balls of his tiny limbs had a little sticky stuff on them), and rested there momentarily from his exertion. Then he made an effort to turn the key in the lock with his mouth. Unfortunately it seemed that he had no real teeth. How then was he to grab hold of the key? But to make up for that his jaws were naturally very strong; with their help he managed to get the key really moving, and he did not notice that he was obviously inflicting some damage on himself, for a brown fluid came out of his mouth, flowed over the key, and dripped onto the floor.
格里高爾慢慢地把椅子推向門邊，接着便放開椅子，抓 住了門來支撐自己－－他那些細腿的腳底上倒是頗有粘性的 －－他在門上靠了一會兒，喘過一口氣來。接着他開始用嘴 巴來轉動插在鎖孔裡的鑰匙。不幸的是，他並沒有什麼牙齒 －－他得用什麼來咬住鑰匙呢？－－不過他的下顎倒好像非 常結實；靠着這下顎總算轉動了鑰匙，他準是不小心弄傷了 什麼地方，因為有一股棕色的液體從他嘴裡流出來，淌過鑰 匙，滴到地上。
"Just listen for a moment," said the manager in the next room, "he's turning the key." For Gregor that was a great encouragement. But they all should've called out to him, including his father and mother, "Come on, Gregor," they should've shouted, "keep going, keep working on the lock." Imagining that all his efforts were being followed with suspense, he bit down frantically on the key with all the force he could muster. As the key turned more, he danced around the lock. Now he was holding himself upright only with his mouth, and he had to hang onto the key or then press it down again with the whole weight of his body, as necessary. The quite distinct click of the lock as it finally snapped really woke Gregor up. Breathing heavily he said to himself, "So I didn't need the locksmith," and he set his head against the door handle to open the door completely.
“你們聽，”門後的秘書主任說，“他在轉 動鑰匙了。”這對格里高爾是個很大的鼓勵；不過他們應該 都來給他打氣，他的父親母親都應該喊：“加油，格里高爾。 ”他們應該大聲喊道：“堅持下去，咬緊鑰匙！”他相信他 們都在全神貫注地關心自己的努力，就集中全力死命咬住鑰 匙。鑰匙需要轉動時，他便用嘴巴銜着它，自己也繞着鎖孔 轉了一圈，好把鑰匙扭過去，或者不如說，用全身的重量使 它轉動。終於屈服的鎖發出響亮的卡嗒一聲，使格里高爾大 為高興。他深深地舒了一口氣，對自己說：“這樣一來我就 不用鎖匠了。”接着就把頭擱在門柄上，想把門整個打開。
Because he had to open the door in this way, it was already open very wide without him yet being really visible. He first had to turn himself slowly around the edge of the door, very carefully, of course, if he did not want to fall awkwardly on his back right at the entrance into the room. He was still preoccupied with this difficult movement and had no time to pay attention to anything else, when he heard the manager exclaim a loud "Oh!" (it sounded like the wind whistling), and now he saw him, nearest to the door, pressing his hand against his open mouth and moving slowly back, as if an invisible constant force was pushing him away. His mother (in spite of the presence of the manager she was standing here with her hair sticking up on end, still a mess from the night) with her hands clasped was looking at his father; she then went two steps towards Gregor and collapsed right in the middle of her skirts spreading out all around her, her face sunk on her breast, completely concealed. His father clenched his fist with a hostile expression, as if he wished to push Gregor back into his room, then looked uncertainly around the living room, covered his eyes with his hands, and cried so that his mighty breast shook.
門是向他自己這邊拉的，所以雖然已經打開，人家還是 瞧不見他。他得慢慢地從對開的那半扇門後面把身子挪出來， 而且得非常小心，以免背脊直挺挺地跌倒在房間裡。他正在 困難地挪動自己，顧不上作任何觀察，卻聽到秘書主任“哦！ ”的一聲大叫－－發出來的聲音像一股猛風－－現在他可以 看見那個人了，他站得靠近門口，一隻手遮在張大的嘴上， 慢慢地往後退去，彷彿有什麼無形的強大壓力在驅逐他似的。 格里高爾的母親－－雖然秘書主任在場，她的頭髮仍然沒有 梳好，還是亂七八糟地豎著－－她先是雙手合掌瞧瞧他父親， 接着向格里高爾走了兩步，隨即倒在地上，裙子攤了開來， 臉垂到胸前，完全看不見了。他父親握緊拳頭，一副惡狠狠 的樣子，彷彿要把格里高爾打回到房間裡去，接着他又猶豫 不定地向起坐室掃了一眼，然後把雙手遮住眼睛，哭泣起來， 連他那寬闊的胸膛都在起伏不定
At this point Gregor did not take one step into the room, but leaned his body from the inside against the firmly bolted wing of the door, so that only half his body was visible, as well as his head, titled sideways, with which he peeped over at the others. Meanwhile it had become much brighter. Standing out clearly from the other side of the street was a part of the endless gray-black house situated opposite (it was a hospital) with its severe regular windows breaking up the facade. The rain was still coming down, but only in large individual drops visibly and firmly thrown down one by one onto the ground. The breakfast dishes were standing piled around on the table, because for his father breakfast was the most important meal time in the day, which he prolonged for hours by reading various newspapers. Directly across on the opposite wall hung a photograph of Gregor from the time of his military service; it was a picture of him as a lieutenant, as he, smiling and worry free, with his hand on his sword, demanded respect for his bearing and uniform. The door to the hall was ajar, and since the door to the apartment was also open, one saw out into the landing of the apartment and the start of the staircase going down.
格里高爾沒有接着往起坐室走去，卻靠在那半扇關緊的 門的後面，所以他只有半個身子露在外面，還側着探在外面 的頭去看別人。這時候天更亮了，可以清清楚楚地看到街對 面一幢長得沒有盡頭的深灰色的建築－－這是一所醫院－－ 上面惹眼地開着一排排獃板的窗子；雨還在下，不過已成為 一滴滴看得清的大顆粒了。大大小小的早餐盆碟擺了一桌子， 對於格里高爾的父親，早餐是一天裡最重要的一頓飯，他一 邊看各式各樣的報紙，一邊吃，要吃上好幾個鐘頭，在格里 高爾正對面的牆上掛着一幅他服兵役時的照片，當時他是少 尉，他的手按在劍上，臉上掛着無憂無慮的笑容，分明要人 家尊敬他的軍人風度和制服。前廳的門開着，大門也開着， 可以一直看到住宅前的院子和最下面的幾級樓梯。
"Now," said Gregor, well aware that he was the only one who had kept his composure. "I'll get dressed right away, pack up the collection of samples, and set off. You'll allow me to set out on my way, will you not? You see, Mr. Manager, I am not pig-headed, and I am happy to work. Traveling is exhausting, but I couldn't live without it. Where are you going, Mr. Manager? To the office? Really? Will you report everything truthfully? A person can be incapable of work momentarily, but that is precisely the best time to remember the earlier achievements and to consider that later, after the obstacles have been shoved aside, the person will work all the more keenly and intensely. I am really so indebted to Mr. Chief--you know that perfectly well. On the other hand, I am concerned about my parents and my sister. I'm in a fix, but I'll work myself out of it again. Don't make things more difficult for me than they already are. Speak up on my behalf in the office! People don't like traveling salesmen. I know that. People think they earn pots of money and thus lead a fine life. People don't even have any special reason to think through this judgment more clearly. But you, Mr. Manager, you have a better perspective on the interconnections than the other people, even, I tell you in total confidence, a better perspective than Mr. Chairman himself, who in his capacity as the employer may let his judgment make casual mistakes at the expense of an employee. You also know well enough that the traveling salesman who is outside the office almost the entire year can become so easily a victim of gossip, coincidences, and groundless complaints, against which it's impossible for him to defend himself, since for the most part he doesn't hear about them at all and only then when he's exhausted after finishing a trip, and gets to feel in his own body at home the nasty consequences, which can't be thoroughly explored back to their origins. Mr. Manager, don't leave without speaking a word telling me that you'll at least concede that I'm a little in the right!"
“好吧，”格里高爾說，他完全明白自己是唯一多少保 持着鎮靜的人，“我立刻穿上衣服，等包好樣品就動身，您 是否還容許我去呢？您瞧，先生，我並不是冥頑不化的人， 我很願意工作；出差是很辛苦的，但我不出差就活不下去。 您上哪兒去，先生？ 去辦公室？是嗎？ 我這些情形您能如 實地反映上去嗎？人總有暫時不能勝任工作的時候，不過這 時正需要想起他過去的成績。而且還要想到以後他又恢復了 工作能力的時候，他一定會幹得更勤懇更用心。我一心想忠 誠地為老闆做事，這您也很清楚。何況，我還要供養我的父 母和妹妹。我現在景況十分困難，不過我會重新掙脫出來的。 請您千萬不要火上加油。在公司裡請一定幫我說幾句好話。 旅行推銷員在公司裡不討人喜歡，這我知道。大家以為他們 賺的是大錢，過的是逍遙自在的日子。這種成見也犯不着去 糾正。可是您呢，先生，比公司裡所有的人看得都全面，是 的，讓我私下裡告訴您，您比老闆本人還全面，他是東家， 當然可以憑自己的好惡隨便不喜歡哪個職員。您知道得最清 楚，旅行推銷員几乎長年不在辦公室，他們自然很容易成為 閒話、怪罪和飛短流長的目標。可他自己卻几乎完全不知道， 所以防不勝防。直待他精疲力竭地轉完一個圈子回到家裡， 這才親身體驗到連原因都無法找尋的惡果落到了自己身上。 先生，先生，您不能不說我一句好話就走啊，請表明您覺得 我至少還有幾分是對的呀！”
But at Gregor's first words the manager had already turned away, and now he looked back at Gregor over his twitching shoulders with pursed lips. During Gregor's speech he was not still for a moment, but was moving away towards the door, without taking his eyes off Gregor, but really gradually, as if there was a secret ban on leaving the room. He was already in the hall, and after the sudden movement with which he finally pulled his foot out of the living room, one could have believed that he had just burned the sole of his foot. In the hall, however, he stretched out his right hand away from his body towards the staircase, as if some truly supernatural relief was waiting for him there.
可是格里高爾才說頭幾個字，秘書主任就已經踉蹌倒退， 只是張着嘴唇，側過顫抖的肩膀直勾勾地瞪着他。格里高爾 說話時，他片刻也沒有站定，卻偷偷地向門口踅去，眼睛始 終盯緊了格里高爾，只是每次只移動一寸，彷彿存在某項不 準離開房間的禁令一般。好不容易退入了前廳，他最後一步 跨出起坐室時動作好猛，真像是他的腳跟剛給火燒着了。他 一到前廳就伸出右手向樓梯跑去，好似那邊有什麼神秘的救 星在等待他。
Gregor realized that he must not under any circumstances allow the manager to go away in this frame of mind, especially if his position in the firm was not to be placed in the greatest danger. His parents did not understand all this very well. Over the long years, they had developed the conviction that Gregor was set up for life in his firm and, in addition, they had so much to do nowadays with their present troubles that all foresight was foreign to them. But Gregor had this foresight. The manager must be held back, calmed down, convinced, and finally won over. The future of Gregor and his family really depended on it! If only the sister had been there! She was clever. She had already cried while Gregor was still lying quietly on his back. And the manager, this friend of the ladies, would certainly let himself be guided by her. She would have closed the door to the apartment and talked him out of his fright in the hall. But the sister was not even there. Gregor must deal with it himself.
格里高爾明白，如果要保住他在公司裡的職位，不想砸 掉飯碗，那就決不能讓秘書主任抱著這樣的心情回去。他的 父母對這一點不太瞭然；多年以來，他們已經深信格里高爾 在這家公司裡要待上一輩子的，再說，他們的心裡已經完全 放在當前的不幸事件上，根本無法考慮將來的事。可是格里 高爾卻考慮到了。一定得留住秘書信任，安慰他，勸告他， 最後還要說服他；格里高爾和他一家人的前途全系在這上面 呢！只要妹妹在場就好了！她很聰明；當格里高爾還安靜地 仰在床上的時候她就已經哭了。總是那麼偏袒女性的秘書主 任一定會乖乖地聽她的話；她會關上大門，在前廳裡把他說 得不再懼怕。可是她偏偏不在。格里高爾只得自己來應付當 前的局面。
Without thinking that as yet he didn't know anything about his present ability to move and without thinking that his speech possibly (indeed probably) had once again not been understood, he left the wing of the door, pushed himself through the opening, and wanted to go over to the manager, who was already holding tight onto the handrail with both hands on the landing in a ridiculous way. But as he looked for something to hold onto, with a small scream Gregor immediately fell down onto his numerous little legs. Scarcely had this happened, when he felt for the first time that morning a general physical well being. The small limbs had firm floor under them; they obeyed perfectly, as he noticed to his joy, and strove to carry him forward in the direction he wanted. Right away he believed that the final amelioration of all his suffering was immediately at hand. But at the very moment when he lay on the floor rocking in a restrained manner quite close and directly across from his mother (apparently totally sunk into herself) she suddenly sprang right up with her arms spread far apart and her fingers extended and cried out, "Help, for God's sake, help!" She held her head bowed down, as if she wanted to view Gregor better, but ran senselessly back, contradicting that gesture, forgetting that behind her stood the table with all the dishes on it. When she reached the table, she sat down heavily on it, as if absent-mindedly, and did not appear to notice at all that next to her coffee was pouring out onto the carpet in a full stream from the large overturned container.
他沒有想到自己的身體究竟有什麼活動能力，也 沒有想一想他的話人家仍舊很可能聽不懂，而且簡直根本聽 不懂，就放開了那扇門，擠過門口，邁步向秘書主任走去， 而後者正可笑地用兩隻手抱住樓梯的欄杆；格里高爾剛要摸 索可以支撐的東西，忽然輕輕喊了一聲，身子趴了下來，他 那許多隻腿着了地。還沒等全部落地，他的身子已經獲得了 安穩的感覺，從早晨以來，這還是第一次；他腳底下現在是 結結實實的地板了；他高興地注意到，他的腿完全聽眾指揮； 它們甚至努力地把他朝他心裡所想的任何方向帶去；他簡直 要相信，他所有的痛苦總解脫的時候終於快來了。可是就在 這一剎那間，當他搖搖擺擺一心想動彈的時候，當他離開母 親不遠，躺在她對面地板上的時候，本來似乎已經完全癱瘓 的母親，這時卻霍地跳了起來，伸直兩臂，張開了所有的手 指，喊道：“救命啊，老天爺，救命啊！”一面又低下頭來， 彷彿想把格里高爾看得更清楚些，同時又偏偏身不由已地一 直往後退，根本沒顧到她後面有張擺滿了食物的桌子；她撞 上桌子，又糊里糊塗倏地坐了上去，似乎全然沒有注意她旁 邊那把大咖啡壺已經打翻，咖啡也汩汩地流到了地毯上。
"Mother, mother," said Gregor quietly, and looked over towards her. The manager momentarily had disappeared completely from his mind; by contrast, at the sight of the flowing coffee he couldn't stop himself snapping his jaws in the air a few times . At that his mother screamed all over again, hurried from the table, and collapsed into the arms of his father, who was rushing towards her. But Gregor had no time right now for his parents: the manager was already on the staircase. His chin level with the banister, the manager looked back for the last time. Gregor took an initial movement to catch up to him if possible. But the manager must have suspected something, because he made a leap down over a few stairs and disappeared, still shouting "Huh!" The sound echoed throughout the entire stairwell.
Now, unfortunately this flight of the manager also seemed completely to bewilder his father, who earlier had been relatively calm, for instead of running after the manager himself or at least not hindering Gregor from his pursuit, with his right hand he grabbed hold of the manager's cane, which he had left behind with his hat and overcoat on a chair. With his left hand, his father picked up a large newspaper from the table and, stamping his feet on the floor, he set out to drive Gregor back into his room by waving the cane and the newspaper. No request of Gregor's was of any use; no request would even be understood. No matter how willing he was to turn his head respectfully, his father just stomped all the harder with his feet.
“媽媽，媽媽。”格里高爾低聲地說道，抬起頭來看著 她。這時候已經完全把秘書主任撇在腦後；他的嘴卻忍不住 咂巴起來，因為他看到了淌出來的咖啡。這使他母親再一次 尖叫起來。她從桌子旁邊逃開，倒在急忙來扶她的父親的懷 抱裡。可是格里高爾現在顧不得他的父母；秘書主任已經在 走下樓梯了，他的下巴探在欄杆上扭過頭來最後回顧了一眼。 格里高爾急走幾步，想儘可能追上他；可是秘書主任一定是 看出了他的意圖，因為他往下蹦了幾級，隨即消失了；可是 還在不斷地叫嚷“噢！”回聲傳遍了整個樓梯。 不幸得很， 秘書主任的逃走彷彿使一直比較鎮定的父親也慌亂萬分，因 為他非但自己不去追趕那人，或者至少別去阻攔格里高爾去 追逐，反而右手操起秘書主任連同帽子和大衣一起留在一張 椅子上的手杖，左手從桌子上抓起一張大報紙，一面頓腳， 一面揮動手杖和報紙，要把格里高爾趕回到房間裡去。格里 高爾的請求全然無效，事實上別人根本不理解；不管他怎樣 謙恭地低下頭去，他父親反而把腳頓得更響。
Across the room from him his mother had pulled open a window, in spite of the cool weather, and leaning out with her hands on her cheeks, she pushed her face far outside the window. Between the alley and the stair well a strong draught came up, the curtains on the window flew around, the newspapers on the table swished, and individual sheets fluttered down over the floor. The father relentlessly pressed forward pushing out sibilants, like a wild man. Now, Gregor had no practice at all in going backwards; it was really going very slowly. If Gregor only had been allowed to turn himself around, he would have been in his room right away, but he was afraid to make his father impatient by the time-consuming process of turning around, and each moment he faced the threat of a mortal blow on his back or his head from the cane in his father's hand. Finally Gregor had no other option, for he noticed with horror that he did not understand yet how to maintain his direction going backwards. And so he began, amid constantly anxious sideways glances in his father's direction, to turn himself around as quickly as possible (although in truth this was only very slowly). Perhaps his father noticed his good intentions, for he did not disrupt Gregor in this motion, but with the tip of the cane from a distance he even directed here and there Gregor's rotating movement.
另一邊，他母 親不顧天氣寒冷，打開了一扇窗子，雙手掩住臉，儘量把身 子往外探。一陣勁風從街上刮到樓梯，窗帘掀了起來，桌上 的報紙吹得拍達拍達亂響，有幾張吹落在地板上。格里高爾 的父親無情地把他往後趕，一面噓噓叫着，簡直像個野人。 可是格里高爾還不熟悉怎麼往後退，所以走得很慢。如果有 機會掉過頭，他能很快回進房間的，但是他怕轉身的遲緩會 使他父親更加生氣，他父親手中的手杖隨時會照准他的背上 或頭上給以狠狠的一擊的，到後來，他竟不知怎麼辦才好， 因為他絶望地注意到，倒退着走連方向都掌握不了；因此， 他一面始終不安地側過頭瞅着父親，一面開始掉轉身子，他 想儘量快些，事實上卻非常迂緩。也許父親發現了他的良好 意圖，因此並不干涉他，只是在他挪動時遠遠地用手杖尖撥 撥他。只要父親不再發出那種無法忍受的噓噓聲就好了。這 簡直要使格里高爾發狂。他已經完全轉過去了，只是因為給 噓聲弄得心煩意亂，甚至轉得過了頭。最後他總算對準了門 口，可是他的身體又偏巧寬得過不去。
If only there hadn't been his father's unbearable hissing! Because of that Gregor totally lost his head. He was already almost totally turned around, when, always with this hissing in his ear, he just made a mistake and turned himself back a little. But when he finally was successful in getting his head in front of the door opening, it became clear that his body was too wide to go through any further. Naturally his father, in his present mental state, had no idea of opening the other wing of the door a bit to create a suitable passage for Gregor to get through. His single fixed thought was that Gregor must get into his room as quickly as possible. He would never have allowed the elaborate preparations that Gregor required to orient himself and thus perhaps get through the door. On the contrary, as if there were no obstacle and with a peculiar noise, he now drove Gregor forwards. Behind Gregor the sound was at this point no longer like the voice of only a single father. Now it was really no longer a joke, and Gregor forced himself, come what might, into the door. One side of his body was lifted up. He lay at an angle in the door opening. His one flank was sore with the scraping. On the white door ugly blotches were left. Soon he was stuck fast and would have not been able to move any more on his own. The tiny legs on one side hung twitching in the air above, the ones on the other side were pushed painfully into the floor. Then his father gave him one really strong liberating push from behind, and he scurried, bleeding severely, far into the interior of his room. The door was slammed shut with the cane, and finally it was quiet.
但是在目前精神狀態 下的父親，當然不會想到去打開另外半扇門好讓格里高爾得 以通過。他父親腦子裡只有一件事，儘快把格里高爾趕回房 間。讓格里高爾直立起來，側身進入房間，就要做許多麻煩 的準備，父親是絶不會答應的。他現在發出的聲音更加響亮， 他拚命催促格里高爾往前走，好像他前面沒有什麼障礙似的； 格里高爾聽到他後面響着的聲音不再像是父親一個人的了； 現在更不是閙着玩的了，所以格里高爾不顧一切狠命向門口 擠去。他身子的一邊拱了起來，傾斜地卡在門口，腰部擠傷 了，在潔白的門上留下了可憎的斑點，不一會兒他就給夾住 了，不管怎麼掙扎，還是絲毫動彈不得，他一邊的腿在空中 顫抖地舞動，另一邊的腿卻在地上給壓得十分疼痛－－這時， 他父親從後面使勁地推了他一把，實際上這倒是支援，使他 一直跌進了房間中央，汩汩地流着血。在他後面，門砰的一 聲用手杖關上了，屋子裡終於恢復了寂靜。