When the eyes of the Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral(妖怪) image (which, with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain(承受) its role, stalked(偷偷靠近) to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed(抖動), in the first moment with a strong shudder(顫抖) either of terror or distaste(厭惡); but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage.

  波洛帕斯王子也看見了那血紅的傢伙，當那怪物般的造型落入他的視線之內時(當時，那傢伙正緩緩而泰然的移動，彷彿扮演這角色的他已經受夠了寂寞，所以才朝那些跳著華爾滋的人走去)，他顫抖了一下，似乎是因為恐懼或者是厭惡之類的情緒，接著，憤怒使他漲紅了臉。

  "Who dares,"--he demanded hoarsely(嘶啞的) of the courtiers who stood near him--"who dares insult us with this blasphemous(褻瀆的) mockery(嘲弄)? Seize him and unmask him--that we may know whom we have to hang, at sunrise, from the battlements(城垛)!"

  『太放肆了！』他對身邊的衛士發出嘶啞的命令『在我的地盤上，這無疑是個侮辱！把他抓起來，扯下面具──天亮之時，我要知道是誰會被吊死在城頭！』

  It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly, for the prince was a bold and robust(健壯) man, and the music had become hushed(寂靜) at the waving of his hand.

 波洛帕斯王子把話說完時，那傢伙正站在那藍色的包廂裡。跟隨著王子、勇敢而健壯的衛士們，追擊的步伐大聲地越過這七間房，音樂此時杳然無音。

  It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing(急衝的) movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate(謹慎的) and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But from a certain nameless awe(敬畏) with which the mad assumptions of the mummer(啞劇演員) had inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded(暢行無阻的), he passed within a yard of the prince's person; and, while the vast(廣大的) assembly, as if with one impulse(衝動), shrank(退縮) from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple--through the purple to the green-- through the green to the orange--through this again to the white--and even thence(從那裡~) to the violet, ere(在~以前) a decided movement had been made to arrest(阻止) him. It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary(短暫的) cowardice(膽小), rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft(在高處) a drawn dagger(短劍), and had approached, in rapid impetuosity(急燥), to within three or four feet of the retreating(撤退) figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted(遭遇) his pursuer(追趕者). There was a sharp cry—and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate(臥倒) in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning(要求) the wild courage of despair, a throng(人群) of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect(直立) and motionless(靜止) within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable(說不出的) horror at finding the grave cerements and corpselike mask, which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted(無人租住的) by any tangible(有形體的) form.

  王子也前去那藍色的包廂，但那些衛士不知為何竟只是站在他的身前。一開始，當他下達命令的時候，那些衛士有朝那距離不遠、主子下令清除的入侵者暴衝，但此時此刻，他們卻只是背朝主子的緩緩後退。對於那個應該被就地逮捕的傢伙，他們心存恐懼，因此就算命令已經下達，這群衛士依舊只能愣愣地看著那個放肆之徒，那無禮的傢伙因而得以在整個會場暢行無阻，他距離王子的隊伍甚至不到一英呎，但沒有人動手抓他，只任由他在眾人的眼皮之下，繞著那王子的隊伍，左竄右探，繞著隊伍的路徑構成的圓則忽大忽小。他在跳舞，步伐像丈量著什麼似地，相當誇張。他從藍色的房跳到紫色的房──穿越紫色的空間，他進入了那綠色的包廂，接著進入橘色的包廂──穿越橘色，跟著讓身型置身於潔白之中──並從那白色的空間轉移陣地，然後，就在此時，某種未知的理由阻止他走入那紫羅蘭色的房。看著那人的身影，波洛帕斯王子氣瘋了。心中突入其來的恐懼猛地消散，他一箭步地衝過六個包廂，沒有人跟隨他，因為那些人早被恐懼纏得無法在向前一步，總之，獨自一人的王子衝向了那撒野的傢伙，抽出短劍。似乎察覺到追趕者的殺意，那傢伙向後急退了三四步，進入那紫羅蘭色的房，接著，一陣尖銳的巨響──短劍的鋒芒跌落在那暗色的地毯上，然後，一瞬間，波洛帕斯王子倒了……死了。那景象讓所有看著這一切發生的人豁然清醒。因恐懼而產生的勇氣使人們朝那第六間包廂一湧而去，他們抓住了他，抓住那又高又瘦的傢伙，但被抓住的他卻沒有掙扎，只是靜靜地站著，站著的他，身邊有那黑檀木的鐘，所有人倒抽了一口氣，因為難以言喻地驚愕與恐懼：他們確實抓住了那個人，也扯下了那噁心的面具，但在那面具之後，沒有人、沒有形體……什麼都沒有。

   And now was acknowledged(公認的) the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture(姿態)of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired(終止). And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable(無限的) dominion over all.

  大家都說『紅死神』現身了。他是出沒於夜晚的小偷，要將所有狂歡於此的人一個個丟入那溢血的地獄，要他們全都墮入紅血之死。那只黑檀木的鐘則是在為這明亮之地的滅亡之刻倒計時。盆上的火燄已熄，黑暗蔓延侵蝕，紅死神將永遠統治這片土地。