日前偶闻其一大病；适归故乡，迂道往访，则仅晤一人，言病者其弟也。
Not long ago, I happened to hear that one of them had been seriously ill and, while on a visit home, I broke my journey to call on them.
I found only one of them at home, who told me it was his younger brother who had been afflicted.
劳君远道来视，然已早愈，赴某地候补⑵矣。
He apprised me that it had been his younger brother who had suffered the dire illness.
By now, however, he had long since become sound and fit again; in fact he had already repaired to other parts to await a substantive official appointment. 1The elder brother apologized for having needlessly put me to the inconvenience of this visitation,
因大笑，出示日记二册，谓可见当日病状，不妨献诸旧友。
Then, laughing, he produced two volumes of his brother's diary, saying that from these the nature of his past illness could be seen and there was no harm in showing them to an old friend.
持归阅一过，知所患盖“迫害狂”之类。
Reading them back home, discovered his brother had suffered from what is known as a 'persecution complex'.
语颇错杂无伦次，又多荒唐之言；亦不著月日，惟墨色字体不一，知非一时所书。
The text was fantastically confused, and entirely undated; it was only differences in ink and styles of handwriting that enabled me to surmise parts of the text were written at different times.
间亦有略具联络者，今撮录一篇，以供医家研究。
Certain sections, however, were not altogether disconnected, and I have copied out a part to serve as a subject for medical research.
记中语误，一字不易；惟人名虽皆村人，不为世间所知，无关大体，然亦悉易去。
While I have not altered a single one of the author's errors, I have changed all the local names used in the original, despite the personal obscurity of the individuals involved.
至于书名，则本人愈后所题，不复改也。
Finally, I have made use of the title chosen by the invalid himself following his full recovery.
七年四月二日识。
Recorded this 2nd day in the 7th year of the Republic. 2
今天晚上，很好的月光。
Moonlight's really nice tonight.
我不见他，已是三十多年；今天见了，精神分外爽快。
Haven't seen it in over thirty years.
Seeing it today, I feel like a new man.
才知道以前的三十多年，全是发昏；然而须十分小心。
I know now that I've been completely out of things for the last three decades or more.
But I've still got to be very careful.
不然，那赵家的狗，何以看我两眼呢？
Otherwise why should the Zhaos' dog have looked at me twice?
今天全没月光，我知道不妙。
Tonight there is no moon at all, I know that this is a bad omen.
早上小心出门，赵贵翁的眼色便怪：似乎怕我，似乎想害我。
I went out this morning - cautiously.
Mr Zhao had a strange look in his eyes: as if he feared me, or as if he wished me harm.
还有七八个人，交头接耳的议论我，张着嘴，对我笑了一笑；我便从头直冷到脚根，晓得他们布置，都已妥当了。
There were seven or eight other people who had their heads together whispering about me.
They were afraid I'd see them too!
All up and down the the street people acted the same way.
The meanest looking one of all spread his lips out wide and actually smiled at me!
A shiver ran from the top of my head clear down to the tips of my toes, for I realized that meant they already had their henchmen well deployed, and were ready to strike.
前面一伙小孩子，也在那里议论我；眼色也同赵贵翁一样，脸色也铁青。
A group of children in front were also discussing me, and the look in their eyes was just like that in Mr. Zhao's while their faces too were ghastly pale.
我想我同小孩子有什么仇，他也这样。
What quarrel could these children have with me, I wondered.
他们可就跑了。
But then they ran away.
我想：我同赵贵翁有什么仇，同路上的人又有什么仇；只有廿年以前，把古久先生的陈年流水簿子⑶，踹了一脚，古久先生很不高兴。
Let's see now, what grudge can there be between me and the Venerable Old Zhao, or the people on the street for that matter?
The only thing I can think of is that twenty years ago I trampled the account books kept by Mr. Antiquity, and he was hopping mad about it too.
赵贵翁虽然不认识他，一定也听到风声，代抱不平；约定路上的人，同我作冤对。
Though he has no personal acquaintance with this Past, Mr Zhao must have somehow got wind of the business, and resolved to take up the grudge himself.
He must have rallied everyone else I saw against me.
但是小孩子呢？
But what about the children?
那时候，他们还没有出世，何以今天也睁着怪眼睛，似乎怕我，似乎想害我。
At that time they were not yet born, so why should they eye me so strangely today, as if they were afraid of me, as if they wanted to murder me?
我明白了。
Then the answer came to me.