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.
他一言不发地走了进来。我正在磨我最好用的那把剃刀。当我认出他时，我的身体开始发抖，但他并没有注意到。他解开他的那条带手枪皮套的皮带，挂在了衣柜里的衣钩上，又把他的那顶帽子扣在了上面。然后，他转向我，松开领带，说：“这天气简直热得要命，我要剃剃胡子。”边说边坐在了椅子上。
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.”
我估计他的胡子已经四天没剃了。这四天正是他最后一次搜寻我们的人的时间。他的脸被太阳晒得黝黑，看上去已经晒伤了。“部队里的弟兄们肯定也跟我一样胡子拉碴的。” 我继续搅拌着肥皂泡。“但我们做得很好，你知道。我们抓住了他们的几个带头的。其中有几个被带回来后就死了，剩下的几个还活着。但他们也活不了多久。”
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.
“你们一共发现了几个？”我问。“十四个。要想找到他们，我们还得多费些周折。但现在他们已经为此付出了代价。他们逃不走，一个也逃不走。”当看到我手里满是泡沫的刷子时，他向后靠在了椅子背上。此时的我，当然有些慌张。我从抽屉里拿出一张围布，将它系在了我的这位顾客的脖子上。
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。他闭上双眼，说：“我很想小睡一会儿，但是今天晚上有很多事情要做。”我举起了手中的刷子，假装冷漠地问道：“对那些人执行死刑？”“差不多，”他说，“但没那么急。”“他们全部吗？”“不，其中几个而已。”我的手又开始发抖了。我真希望他没进来过。也许我们的人有不少已经看到他进到店里来了。而且，有个敌人在我的房间里，使我感受到了某种责任感。
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.
我必须像对待其他顾客一样为他剃胡子，做到仔细、熟练，就好像他是一位正常的顾客一样，而且要注意不能让他脸上的任何一个毛孔渗出哪怕一滴血；还要注意让我的剃刀划过的每寸肌肤都变得干净、柔软、有光泽，如此这样，当我用手背轻轻掠过他的脸颊时才不会感受到任何胡须残留的痕迹。我暗地里是一名革命者，但与此同时，我还是一个尽职尽责，并且为自己的工作方式感到自豪的理发师。这个已经四天没剃过的满脸胡须的脸颊，无疑对我是种挑战。

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，从我的这位顾客的一侧脸，自上而下开始工作。刀片对完美做出了回应。他的胡须很是坚硬，虽不是很长，但很厚。一点一点地，他面颊的皮肤开始隐约显现。剃刀使一层层的肥皂泡连同剃下来的胡茬一起聚集起来，发出再正常不过的声响。
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.
剃到卷须部位，此处的毛孔分分钟可能破开并渗出少量血滴。像我这样的优秀理发师，为了保住自己的声誉，这种事情是绝不允许发生在自己顾客身上的。而且，他确实是一位特殊的顾客。有多少我们的人死在了他的手中？又有多少在他的手中致残？这一切简直细思极恐。托雷斯不知道我是他的敌人，也没有其他人知道。因此，很难解释我是如何让他落在我的手中，然后又让他平安无事，并且胡子被剃得干干净净地离开。
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.
我的脑子有些乱。我是个革命者，但不是杀人犯。杀死他会很容易。他罪有应得。但是，他真的罪有应得吗？并不是！没人应该成为其他人暗杀行为的牺牲品。我这样杀死他能得到什么？什么也得不到。我可以割断他的喉咙，嗖、嗖两下就可以了结了他！他甚至都没有时间发出呻吟声；他双眼紧闭，甚至都看不见剃刀划过时发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!”
可我却跟别的杀人犯一样地在发抖。血液从他的喉咙流淌到围布上、椅子上、我的手上，最后流淌到了地板上。然后，我该怎么处理这具尸体呢？我该把它藏到什么地方？我将不得不逃走，把这一切都抛在脑后，然后躲到很远很远的地方。但是，他们还是会追上来，直到最终找到我。“杀害托雷斯上尉的凶手。他在给他剃须时割断了他的喉咙。懦夫才会做这种事情！”
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.
还有人会说：“他是在为民除害。这是一个值得铭记的名字（也就是我的名字）”。“他是镇上的理发师。没有人知道他在为我们的革命事业而战。”那么，哪个才是真正的我？杀人犯还是英雄？此时此刻，我的命运被挂在了这把剃刀的刀刃上。
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.”
但是我不想成为杀人犯。不，先生。你是来剃胡子的。然后，我会体面地完成我的工作。我不想让我的双手沾满鲜血。我的手里只有泡沫，别无其他。你是个刽子手，而我只是名理发师。每个人都有自己的本职工作。对，就是这样，每个人都有自己的本职工作。此刻，他的下巴已经变得干净、光滑、柔软。他站了起来，看着镜子里的自己。“谢谢。”他说。他走到衣柜旁，从里面拿出了他的皮带、手枪和帽子。我的脸色一定非常苍白，而且我感到我的衬衫已经被汗水浸透。他朝着门走去，但停下了脚步，站在那里，一会儿后转向我说：“他们跟我说，你会杀了我。我来查明这事是否属实。但是杀人并不是件容易的事。我知道我在说什么。”