雅罗斯拉夫斯基车站

从空中俯瞰，莫斯科的雅罗斯拉夫斯基车站就像一个被热情的糕点师装饰的蛋糕。绿色和白色的塔楼，尖尖的屋顶，金色的装饰。建筑师费奥多尔·谢赫特尔在1902年设计了它。

Yaroslavsky Station in Moscow looked, from the air, like a cake decorated by an enthusiast. Green and white turrets. Pointed roofs. Gold trim. The architect, Fyodor Shekhtel, had designed it in 1902.

波莉穿过城市的薄雾低飞而来。六月的莫斯科温暖而明亮。她绕着车站飞了一圈，然后降落在主入口的铁制顶棚上。

Polly came in low through the city haze. Moscow in June was warm and bright. She circled the station once and landed on the iron canopy over the main entrance.

西伯利亚大铁路从这里开始。它向东延伸9289公里，贯穿整个欧亚大陆，最终到达太平洋边的符拉迪沃斯托克。这条线路在1916年完工，至今仍是世界上最长的铁路。旗舰列车“俄罗斯号”每隔一天在下午一点从雅罗斯拉夫斯基车站出发，七天后跨越七个时区到达符拉迪沃斯托克。

The Trans-Siberian Railway begins here. It runs east for 9,289 kilometres, the length of the entire Eurasian landmass, ending at Vladivostok on the Pacific. The line was completed in 1916. It is still the longest railway line in the world. The flagship train, the Rossiya, leaves Yaroslavsky Station every other day at one in the afternoon. It arrives in Vladivostok seven days and seven time zones later.

波莉在二等车厢的7号包厢有一个靠窗的铺位。列车员看了一眼她的眼镜，明智地决定这不是他的问题。

Polly had a window berth in second class compartment 7. The conductor had taken one look at her glasses and decided, sensibly, that this was not his problem.

她的包厢是一个小木板房间，有两个上铺和两个下铺。两个铺位已经被占了。一个是穿着米色开衫的安静退休女士，正在阅读。另一个是一个留着胡子的年轻人，正在笔记本电脑上打字，他看到波莉，说了声“好”，然后继续打字。

Her compartment was a small wood-panelled room with two upper and two lower bunks. Two bunks were already taken. One by a quiet retired woman in a beige cardigan, reading. The other by a young man with a beard typing on a laptop, who saw Polly, said "OK," and went back to typing.

波莉跳上小桌子，望向窗外。站台上充满了动感。车厢角落的一个茶炊发出嘶嘶声。

Polly hopped onto the small table and looked out the window. The platform was full of motion. A samovar in the corner of the carriage hissed.

正好一点钟，火车开动了。这并不像一个开始。两分钟后，车轮找到了节奏并保持住了。站台渐渐远去。

At exactly one o'clock, the train moved. It did not feel like a beginning. The wheels found their rhythm in two minutes and held it. The platform slid away.

半小时内，莫斯科变成了郊区。一小时内，郊区变成了小别墅，俄罗斯的小夏屋。两小时内，小别墅变成了森林。波莉把眼镜在喙上扶正。

Within half an hour, Moscow had thinned to suburbs. Within an hour, suburbs to dachas, small Russian summer houses. Within two hours, dachas to forest. Polly tilted her glasses straight against her beak.

安静的女士抬起头，用小心的英语说：“第一次吗？”波莉歪了歪红色的头。“路途遥远，安顿好吧。”

The quiet woman looked up. "First time?" she said in careful English. Polly tilted her red head. "It is a long way. Settle in."