美麗新世界 Brave New World 第3章(8)

"Of course he does. Trust Henry Foster to be theperfect gentleman–always correct.

“當然會有的。要相信亨利·福斯特是個十足的君子——永遠不會出錯，

And then there's the Director to think of. You knowwhat a stickler …"

何況還要考慮到主任。你知道他這個人多么堅持……”

Nodding, "He patted me on the behind thisafternoon," said Lenina.

點點頭。“他今天下午還拍了拍我的屁股呢。”列寧娜說。

"There, you see!" Fanny was triumphant. "Thatshows what he stands for. The strictest conventionality."

“對了，你看，”范尼很得意，“那就表示了他所堅持的東西。最嚴格的傳統(tǒng)。”

"Stability," said the Controller, "stability. No civilization without social stability.

“穩(wěn)定，”總統(tǒng)說，“穩(wěn)定。沒有社會的穩(wěn)定就沒有文明。

No social stability without individual stability."

沒有社會的穩(wěn)定就沒有個人的安定。”

His voice was a trumpet. Listening they felt larger, warmer.

他的聲音是一支喇叭。聽見那聲音使他們覺得自己更高大了，更熱忱了。

The machine turns, turns and must keep on turning–for ever.

機器轉動著，轉動著，還要繼續(xù)轉動，永遠轉動。

It is death if it stands still. A thousand millions scrabbled the crust of the earth.

機器停止就意味著死亡。十億人在地球表面上亂跑。

The wheels began to turn. In a hundred and fifty years there were two thousand millions.

輪子開始轉動，在一百五十年里有過二十億人口。

Stop all the wheels.

若是讓全部輪子停止轉動，

In a hundred and fifty weeks there are once more only a thousand millions; a thousandthousand thousand men and women have starved to death.

一百五十個禮拜之后就會只剩下十億人——那十億人全餓死了。

Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended.

輪子必須穩(wěn)定不停地轉動，不能沒有人管。

There must be men to tend them, men as steady as the wheels upon their axles, sane men,obedient men, stable in contentment.

必須有人管——像樞軸上的輪子一樣穩(wěn)定的人，清醒的人，馴服的人，安于現狀的堅定的人。

Crying: My baby, my mother, my only, only love groaning: My sin, my terrible God; screamingwith pain,muttering with fever, bemoaning old age and poverty–how can they tend thewheels?

哭喊：我的寶貝，我的媽媽，我唯一的，僅有的愛兒;呻吟：我的罪惡，我可怕的上帝;因為痛苦而尖叫;因為發(fā)燒而囈語;因為衰老和貧窮而呻吟——這樣的人能夠管理機器嗎?

And if they cannot tend the wheels …

既然他們不能夠管理機器……

The corpses of a thousand thousand thousand men and women would be hard to bury or burn.

可是十億人是不好埋葬，也不好燒化的。

"And after all," Fanny's tone was coaxing, "it's not as though there were anything painful ordisagreeable about having one or two men besides Henry.

“歸根到底，”范尼帶著勸慰的口氣說，“除了亨利再有那么一兩個男人并不是什么痛苦或不愉快的事。

And seeing that you ought to be a little more promiscuous …"

你既然明白了，就應該放縱一下……”

"Stability," insisted the Controller, "stability. The primal and the ultimate need.

“穩(wěn)定，”總統(tǒng)堅持說，“穩(wěn)定。那是第一的也是最后的需要。

Stability. Hence all this."

因此才有了眼前這一切。”

With a wave of his hand he indicated the gardens, the huge building of the Conditioning Centre,the naked children furtive in the undergrowth or running across the lawns.

他揮了揮手，指了指花園、條件設置中心大樓、躲在灌木叢里和在草地上奔跑的赤裸的孩子。

Lenina shook her head. "Somehow," she mused, "I hadn't been feeling very keen onpromiscuity lately.

列寧娜搖搖頭。“不知道為什么”她沉思著，“我近來對于放縱木大感興趣。

There are times when one doesn't. Haven't you found that too, Fanny?"

有時候人是不愿意放縱的，你曾經有過這種感覺嗎，范尼?”

Fanny nodded her sympathy and understanding.

范尼點頭表示同情和理解。

"But one's got to make the effort," she said, sententiously, "one's got to play the game. Afterall, every one belongs to every one else."

“可是你也得做一些努力，”她說話像說格言，“游戲總得做的，大家畢竟都屬于彼此。”

"Yes, every one belongs to every one else," Lenina repeated slowly and, sighing, was silent for amoment;

“不錯，大家都屬于彼此。”列寧娜嘆了口氣，緩慢地重復著，沉默了。

then, taking Fanny's hand, gave it a little squeeze.

然后抓住范尼的手，輕輕地握了一下。

"You're quite right, Fanny. As usual. I'll make the effort."

“你說得很對，范尼。我會跟平時一樣盡力而為的。”