我刚搬进这座楼时，认识了楼上的老人。
Wǒ gāng bān jìn zhè zuò lóu shí, rènshi le lóu shàng de lǎorén.
When I first moved into this building, I got to know the old man upstairs.
他不怎么出门，家里总开着收音机。
Tā bù zěnme chūmén, jiā lǐ zǒng kāi zhe shōuyīnjī.
He rarely went out, and his radio was always on at home.
那台收音机又老又大，声音也旧，整栋楼却没有一个人嫌它。
Nà tái shōuyīnjī yòu lǎo yòu dà, shēngyīn yě jiù, zhěng dòng lóu què méiyǒu yí gèrén xián tā.
That radio was old and big, its sound old too, yet nobody in the whole building minded it.
早上六点，新闻就开始了。
Zǎoshang liù diǎn, xīnwén jiù kāishǐ le.
At six in the morning, the news began.
七点是他喜欢的戏曲。
Qī diǎn shì tā xǐhuan de xìqǔ.
At seven came the opera he loved.
他听得高兴时，会跟着唱两句。
Tā tīng de gāoxìng shí, huì gēn zhe chàng liǎng jù.
When he was in good spirits, he sang along with a line or two.
中午是说故事的时间。
Zhōngwǔ shì shuō gùshi de shíjiān.
Noon was the time for storytelling.
晚上又是新闻，一直到睡觉。
Wǎnshang yòu shì xīnwén, yìzhí dào shuìjiào.
In the evening the news returned, until he went to sleep.
什么时候开，什么时候关，比钟表还要准。
Shénme shíhou kāi, shénme shíhou guān, bǐ zhōng biǎo hái yào zhǔn.
When it went on and when it went off was more punctual than a clock.
收音机的声音顺着地板传下来。
Shōuyīnjī de shēngyīn shùn zhe dìbǎn chuán xiàlái.
The sound of the radio came down through the floor.
我躺在床上，能听清每一个字。
Wǒ tǎng zài chuáng shàng, néng tīng qīng měi yí gè zì.
Lying in bed, I could make out every word.
日子久了，连广告里说什么，我都能跟着背出来。
Rìzi jiǔ le, lián guǎnggào lǐ shuō shénme, wǒ dōu néng gēn zhe bēi chūlái.
After long enough, I could even recite along with whatever the advertisements said.
起初的那些夜晚，我很不习惯。
Qǐchū de nàxiē yèwǎn, wǒ hěn bù xíguàn.
In those first nights, I could not get used to it.
我在家里敲过墙，也上去说过。
Wǒ zài jiā lǐ qiāo guò qiáng, yě shàngqù shuō guò.
I knocked on the wall from my home, and I went up to complain.
老人把声音关小了一点。
Lǎorén bǎ shēngyīn guān xiǎo le yì diǎn.
The old man turned the sound down a little.
可是到了第二天，它又悄悄回到原来的大小。
Kěshì dào le dì èr tiān, tā yòu qiāoqiāo huí dào yuánlái de dàxiǎo.
But by the next day, it had quietly returned to its old volume.
妻子说，老人耳朵不好，算了吧。
Qīzi shuō, lǎorén ěrduo bù hǎo, suànle ba.
My wife said the old man's hearing was poor, so let it be.
日子一长，我也就慢慢习惯了。
Rìzi yì cháng, wǒ yě jiù màn màn xíguàn le.
As the days grew long, I slowly got used to it.
习惯以后，我听出了规律。
Xíguàn yǐhòu, wǒ tīng chū le guīlǜ.
Once used to it, I began to hear its pattern.
天气预报一响，就知道是早上六点半。
Tiānqì yùbào yì xiǎng, jiù zhīdào shì zǎoshang liù diǎn bàn.
When the weather report sounded, I knew it was six thirty in the morning.
戏一开唱，就知道老人起来了。
Xì yì kāi chàng, jiù zhīdào lǎorén qǐlái le.
When the opera started, I knew the old man was up.
夜里没有声音，说明他睡了。
Yè lǐ méiyǒu shēngyīn, shuōmíng tā shuì le.
Silence at night meant he had gone to sleep.
整栋楼都拿他的收音机当钟用。
Zhěng dòng lóu dōu ná tā de shōuyīnjī dāng zhōng yòng.
The whole building used his radio as a clock.
有一年冬天，收音机忽然不响了。
Yǒu yì nián dōngtiān, shōuyīnjī hūrán bù xiǎng le.
One winter, the radio suddenly went silent.
一天不响，两天不响，三天还是不响。
Yì tiān bù xiǎng, liǎng tiān bù xiǎng, sān tiān háishi bù xiǎng.
One day silent, two days silent, three days and still silent.
楼下安静得让人不放心。
Lóu xià ānjìng de ràng rén bú fàngxīn.
The quiet downstairs made me uneasy.
我上去敲门，没有人应。
Wǒ shàngqù qiāo mén, méiyǒu rén yìng.
I went up and knocked; nobody answered.
叫来老人的儿子，开门一看。
Jiào lái lǎorén de érzi, kāi mén yí kàn.
We called the old man's son, and he opened the door.
老人病了，躺在床上两天了。
Lǎorén bìng le, tǎng zài chuáng shàng liǎng tiān le.
The old man was ill and had been in bed for two days.
医生说，再晚一天就危险了。
Yīshēng shuō, zài wǎn yì tiān jiù wēixiǎn le.
The doctor said one more day would have been dangerous.
老人住了半个月的医院。
Lǎorén zhù le bàn gè yuè de yīyuàn.
The old man spent half a month in the hospital.
那半个月，楼上安安静静。
Nà bàn gè yuè, lóu shàng ān ānjìng jìng.
During that half month, it was perfectly quiet upstairs.
没有那个声音，夜就太长了。
Méiyǒu nàge shēngyīn, yè jiù tài cháng le.
Without that sound, the nights were too long.
我却天天睡不着。
Wǒ què tiān tiān shuì bù zháo.
And I could not fall asleep night after night.
我这才发现，那个声音早已进了我的日子。
Wǒ zhè cái fāxiàn, nàge shēngyīn zǎoyǐ jìn le wǒ de rìzi.
Only then did I realize that sound had long since entered my days.
它不在了，日子像少了一角。
Tā bú zài le, rìzi xiàng shǎo le yì jiǎo.
With it gone, my days felt like they were missing a corner.
我这才知道，习惯这个东西，常常是长在别人身上的。
Wǒ zhè cái zhīdào, xíguàn zhège dōngxi, chángcháng shì cháng zài biérén shēn shàng de.
Only then did I learn that habit is a thing that often grows on somebody else.
老人出院那天，我上去看他。
Lǎorén chūyuàn nà tiān, wǒ shàngqù kàn tā.
The day the old man left the hospital, I went up to see him.
他瘦了一圈，看见我就笑。
Tā shòu le yì quān, kànjiàn wǒ jiù xiào.
He had grown thin, and he smiled when he saw me.
他住院那些天，手边放着的，还是那台旧收音机。
Tā zhùyuàn nàxiē tiān, shǒu biān fàng zhe de, háishi nà tái jiù shōuyīnjī.
During his days in the hospital, the thing kept by his hand was still that old radio.
他开口就说，吵着你了吧。
Tā kāi kǒu jiù shuō, chǎo zhe nǐ le ba.
The moment he opened his mouth he said, I have been too loud for you, have I not?
我说，没有您的收音机，我睡不着。
Wǒ shuō, méiyǒu nín de shōuyīnjī, wǒ shuì bù zháo.
I said, without your radio I cannot sleep.
他躺在病床上笑着说，明天就响。
Tā tǎng zài bìng chuáng shàng xiào zhe shuō, míngtiān jiù xiǎng.
Lying on the hospital bed, he smiled and said, it will sound again tomorrow.
第二天一早，戏又唱起来了。
Dì èr tiān yìzǎo, xì yòu chàng qǐlái le.
Early the next morning, the opera was singing again.
我躺在床上，一直听到完。
Wǒ tǎng zài chuáng shàng, yìzhí tīng dào wán.
I lay in bed and listened to the very end.
那出戏讲的什么，我至今不知道。
Nà chū xì jiǎng de shénme, wǒ zhìjīn bù zhīdào.
To this day I do not know what that opera was about.
可是那是我听过最好听的一出戏。
Kěshì nà shì wǒ tīng guò zuìhǎo tīng de yì chū xì.
But it was the most beautiful opera I have ever heard.
后来我和老人成了朋友。
Hòulái wǒ hé lǎorén chéng le péngyou.
Later the old man and I became friends.
我上去帮他买药，他教我听戏。
Wǒ shàngqù bāng tā mǎi yào, tā jiāo wǒ tīng xì.
I went up to buy his medicine, and he taught me how to listen to opera.
他说戏里的好人和坏人，唱法不一样。
Tā shuō xì lǐ de hǎo rén hé huài rén, chàng fǎ bù yíyàng.
He said the good and the bad characters in an opera sing in different ways.
我听不懂，可是爱听他讲。
Wǒ tīng bù dǒng, kěshì ài tīng tā jiǎng.
I could not follow it, but I loved listening to him talk.
他讲戏的时候，眼睛比平时亮，手也比平时有劲。
Tā jiǎng xì de shíhou, yǎnjing bǐ píngshí liàng, shǒu yě bǐ píngshí yǒujìn.
When he talked about opera, his eyes were brighter and his hands stronger than usual.
他给我讲他年轻时的事。
Tā gěi wǒ jiǎng tā niánqīng shí de shì.
He told me about his younger days.
他的收音机比我父亲的年纪还大。
Tā de shōuyīnjī bǐ wǒ fùqīn de niánjì hái dà.
His radio was older than my own father.
壳子裂了，用线绑着。
Ké zi liè le, yòng xiàn bǎng zhe.
Its case had cracked and was held together with string.
我说换个新的吧，我给您买。
Wǒ shuō huàn gè xīn de ba, wǒ gěi nín mǎi.
I said, let me buy you a new one.
他说，新的没有那个声音。
Tā shuō, xīn de méiyǒu nàge shēngyīn.
He said, a new one does not have that sound.
他说，老机器的声音是暖的。
Tā shuō, lǎo jīqì de shēngyīn shì nuǎn de.
He said the sound of an old machine is warm.
我说不服他，只好算了。
Wǒ shuō bùfú tā, zhǐhǎo suànle.
I could not win the argument, so I let it go.
前年秋天，老人走了。
Qiánnián qiūtiān, lǎorén zǒu le.
In the autumn of the year before last, the old man passed away.
走得很安静，像他睡着了一样。
Zǒu de hěn ānjìng, xiàng tā shuì zhe le yíyàng.
He went quietly, as if he had fallen asleep.
他的儿子来收拾东西。
Tā de érzi lái shōushi dōngxi.
His son came to sort out his things.
家里的东西不多，一上午就收拾完了，像他从没有住过一样。
Jiā lǐ de dōngxi bù duō, yí shàngwǔ jiù shōushi wán le, xiàng tā cóng méiyǒu zhù guò yíyàng.
There was not much in the home; one morning cleared it all, as if he had never lived there.
问我有没有想要的。
Wèn wǒ yǒu méiyǒu xiǎng yào de.
He asked whether there was anything I wanted.
我说，把那台收音机给我吧。
Wǒ shuō, bǎ nà tái shōuyīnjī gěi wǒ ba.
I said, give me that radio.
如今它安安静静放在我的桌子上。
Rújīn tā ān ānjìng jìng fàng zài wǒ de zhuōzi shàng.
Now it sits quietly on my desk.
我没有开过几次。
Wǒ méiyǒu kāi guò jǐ cì.
I have turned it on only a few times.
不是不想听，是不敢听。
Bú shì bù xiǎng tīng, shì bù gǎn tīng.
Not that I do not want to listen; I do not dare to.
我怕它一响，我就会抬头往上看。
Wǒ pà tā yì xiǎng, wǒ jiù huì táitóu wǎng shàng kàn.
I am afraid that when it sounds, I will look up at the ceiling.
上个月的一个早晨，我打开了它。
Shàng gè yuè de yí gè zǎochen, wǒ dǎkāi le tā.
One morning last month, I turned it on.
里面正唱着戏，和多年前一样。
Lǐmiàn zhèng chàng zhe xì, hé duō nián qián yíyàng.
An opera was singing inside, just like years ago.
我坐在桌子前面，一动不动地听。
Wǒ zuò zài zhuōzi qiánmiàn, yídòng-búdòng de tīng.
I sat in front of the desk and listened without moving.
声音顺着窗户往上走。
Shēngyīn shùn zhe chuānghu wǎng shàng zǒu.
The sound drifted up along the window.
好像楼上还住着那位老人。
Hǎoxiàng lóu shàng hái zhù zhe nà wèi lǎorén.
As if the old man still lived upstairs.
好像他只是把声音关小了一点。
Hǎoxiàng tā zhǐshì bǎ shēngyīn guān xiǎo le yì diǎn.
As if he had only turned the sound down a little.
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