“你今天下午玩的是什么?”他左邊的一個姑娘轉(zhuǎn)身向他,問道,
"Obstacle, or Electro-magnetic?"
“障礙球還是電磁球?”
Bernard looked at her (Ford! it was MorganaRothschild) and blushingly had to admit that he hadbeen playing neither.
伯納望了她一眼(天哪!是摩爾根娜·羅斯柴爾德),便紅著臉告訴她他什么也沒有玩。
Morgana stared at him with astonishment. There was an awkward silence.
摩爾根娜驚訝地看著他。出現(xiàn)了短暫的尷尬的沉默。
Then pointedly she turned away and addressed herself to the more sporting man on her left.
然后她怒沖沖轉(zhuǎn)過身,跟她左邊較為有趣的人談話去了。
"A good beginning for a Solidarity Service," thought Bernard miserably, and foresaw for himselfyet another failure to achieve atonement.
“好一個團結祈禱的開端。’帕納痛苦地想道,預感到自己救贖的意圖又要落空。
If only he had given himself time to look around instead of scuttling for the nearest chair!
他要是沒有匆匆槍個最近的座位,而讓自己先打量打量周圍就好了!
He could have sat between Fifi Bradlaugh and Joanna Diesel.
他就可能坐在菲菲·布拉勞芙和喬安娜·狄塞爾之間了。
Instead of which he had gone and blindly planted himself next to Morgana.
可他卻糊里糊涂把自己塞在了摩爾根娜旁邊。
Morgana! Ford! Those black eyebrows of hers–that eyebrow, rather–for they met above thenose.
摩爾根娜!我主福帝呀!她那兩道眉毛!——倒不如說是一道眉毛,因為在鼻梁上方連成了一氣。
Ford! And on his right was Clara Deterding.
而在他的右邊呢,偏偏又是克拉拉·笛特什。
True, Clara's eyebrows didn't meet. But she was really too pneumatic.
是的,笛特什的眉毛倒沒有連成一氣,可她又靈氣得過了分。
Whereas Fifi and Joanna were absolutely right. Plump, blonde, not too large …
菲菲和喬安娜倒是絕對恰到好處。豐滿,金發(fā),不太高。
And it was that great lout, Tom Kawaguchi, who now took the seat between them.
而現(xiàn)在,那個大笨蛋川口卻坐在了她倆之間。
The last arrival was Sarojini Engels.
最后到場的是薩柔季妮·恩格斯。
"You're late," said the President of the Group severely. "Don't let it happen again."
“你遲到了,”小組長嚴厲地說,“以后可不能這樣。”
Sarojini apologized and slid into her place between Jim Bokanovsky and Herbert Bakunin.
薩柔季妮道了歉,溜到吉姆·波坎諾夫斯基和赫伯特·巴枯寧之間的座位上去了。
The group was now complete, the solidarity circle perfect and without flaw.
全組的人到齊,團結小組已經(jīng)完整,沒有人缺席。
Man, woman, man, in a ring of endless alternation round the table.
一男,一女,一男,一女……圍著桌子形成了圓圈,無窮地交替著。
Twelve of them ready to be made one, waiting to come together, to be fused, to lose theirtwelve separate identities in a larger being.
十二個人做好了準備,等待著融合,化為一體,在更大的存在里失去十二個各不相同的個性。
The President stood up, made the sign of the T and, switching on the synthetic music,
主席起立,畫了個T字,打開了合成音樂,
let loose the soft indefatigable beating of drums and a choir of instruments–near-wind andsuper-string–
放送出不疲倦的輕柔的鼓點和器樂合奏——管樂輕柔,弦樂杳渺,
that plangently repeated and repeated the brief and unescapably haunting melody of the firstSolidarity Hymn.
團結圣歌的簡短旋律不斷地重復,回環(huán)縈繞,無法逃避。
Again, again–and it was not the ear that heard the pulsing rhythm, it was the midriff;
重復,再重復,聽見那搏動著的節(jié)奏的不再是耳朵,而是下腹部。
the wail and clang of those recurring harmonies haunted, not the mind, but the yearningbowels of compassion.
那反復出現(xiàn)的旋律里的喊叫和打擊圍繞的不再是心靈,而是渴望同心同德的臟腑。
The President made another sign of the T and sat down. The service had begun.
主席又畫了一個T字,坐了下來。祈禱已經(jīng)開始。
The dedicated soma tablets were placed in the centre of the table.
奉獻的唆麻片放在桌子正中。
The loving cup of strawberry ice-cream soma was passed from hand to hand and, with theformula,
草莓冰淇淋唆麻的愛之杯輪流傳遞,
"I drink to my annihilation," twelve times quaffed.
按照“我為我的消滅干杯”的公式干杯十二次。
Then to the accompaniment of the synthetic orchestra the First Solidarity Hymn was sung.
然后在合成樂隊的伴奏之下唱起了團結圣歌第一章。
"Ford, we are twelve; oh, make us one,
“啊,福帝,讓我們十二人融為一體,
Like drops within the Social River, Oh, make us now together run.As swiftly as thy shiningFlivver."
猶如注入社會洪流的涓涓水滴;啊,讓我們現(xiàn)在就匯流到一起,有如您閃光的轎車一樣迅疾。”
Twelve yearning stanzas. And then the loving cup was passed a second time.
十二個心情迫切的詩節(jié)。愛之杯第二次傳遞。
"I drink to the Greater Being" was now the formula. All drank.
此刻的口號是“我為更大的存在干杯”。每個人都干了杯。
Tirelessly the music played. The drums beat.
音樂不疲倦地演奏,鼓點頻頻,
The crying and clashing of the harmonies were an obsession in the melted bowels.
樂曲里的喊叫與敲擊使銷魂的柔情為之沉醉。
The Second Solidarity Hymn was sung.
第二團結圣歌唱起。