美麗新世界 Brave New World 第6章(10)

"You don't say so."

“真的?”

"My dear young lady, I do say so."

“我親愛的小姐，真的。”

Six times twenty-four–no, it would be nearer sixtimes thirty-six.

六乘以二十四——不，差不多已是六乘以三十六了。

Bernard was pale and trembling with impatience.But inexorably the booming continued.

伯納蒼白了臉，著急得發(fā)抖。可那個(gè)嗡嗡的聲音還在無情地繼續(xù)著。

"… about sixty thousand Indians and half-breeds … absolute savages … our inspectorsoccasionally visit …

“……大約有六萬印第安人和混血兒……絕對(duì)的野蠻人……我們的檢查官有時(shí)會(huì)去訪問……

otherwise, no communication whatever with the civilized world … still preserve their repulsivehabits and customs …

除此之外跟文明世界就沒有任何往來……還保留著他們那些令人厭惡的習(xí)慣和風(fēng)俗……

marriage, if you know what that is, my dear young lady; families … no conditioning … monstroussuperstitions …

婚姻，如果你知道那是什么的話，親愛的小姐;家庭……沒有條件設(shè)計(jì)……駭人聽聞的迷信……

Christianity and totemism and ancestor worship … extinct languages, such as Zu.i andSpanish and Athapascan …

基督教、圖騰崇拜還有祖先崇拜……死去的語言，比如祖尼語和西班牙語，阿塔帕斯坎語……

pumas, porcupines and other ferocious animals … infectious diseases … priests … venomouslizards …"

美洲豹、箭豬和其他的兇猛動(dòng)物……傳染病……祭司……毒蜥蜴……”

"You don't say so?"

“真的嗎?”

They got away at last. Bernard dashed to the telephone.

他們終于走掉了。伯納沖到電話面前。

Quick, quick; but it took him nearly three minutes to get on to Helmholtz Watson.

快，快，可是光跟赫姆霍爾茲接通電話就費(fèi)了他幾乎三分鐘時(shí)間。

"We might be among the savages already," he complained. "Damned incompetence!"

“我們已經(jīng)好像在野蠻人中了，”他抱怨道，“沒有效率，他媽的!”

"Have a gramme," suggested Lenina.

“來一克吧。”列寧娜建議。

He refused, preferring his anger.

他拒絕了，寧可生氣。

And at last, thank Ford, he was through and, yes, it was Helmholtz; Helmholtz, to whom heexplained what had happened, and who promised to go round at once, at once, and turn offthe tap, yes, at once, but took this opportunity to tell him what the D.H.C. had said, in public,yesterday evening …

最后，謝謝福帝，接通了，是赫姆霍爾茲。他向赫姆霍爾茲解釋了已經(jīng)發(fā)生的事，赫姆霍爾茲答應(yīng)立即去關(guān)掉龍頭，立即去，是的，立即去。但是赫姆霍爾茲卻抓住機(jī)會(huì)告訴了他主任在昨天夜里會(huì)上的話……

"What? He's looking out for some one to take my place?" Bernard's voice was agonized.

“什么?他在物色人選取代我的工作?伯納的聲音很痛苦。

"So it's actually decided? Did he mention Iceland? You say he did? Ford! Iceland …"

“那么已經(jīng)決定了?他提到冰島沒有?你是說提到了?福帝呀!冰島……”

He hung up the receiver and turned back to Lenina. His face was pale, his expression utterlydejected.

他掛上聽筒轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)著列寧娜，面孔蒼白，表情絕對(duì)沮喪。

"What's the matter?" she asked.

“怎么回事?”她問。

"The matter?" He dropped heavily into a chair. "I'm going to be sent to Iceland."

“怎么回事?”他重重地跌倒在椅子里。“我要給調(diào)到冰島去了。”

Often in the past he had wondered what it would be like to be subjected (soma-less and withnothing but his own inward resources to rely on) to some great trial, some pain, somepersecution; he had even longed for affliction.

他以前曾經(jīng)多次設(shè)想過，不用吞唆麻而全靠內(nèi)在的才能來接受某種嚴(yán)重的考驗(yàn)，體驗(yàn)受到某種痛苦、某種迫害是怎么回事;他甚至渴望過苦難。

As recently as a week ago, in the Director's office, he had imagined himself courageouslyresisting, stoically accepting suffering without a word.

就在一周以前，在主任的辦公室里他還曾想象自己做了英勇的反抗，像苦行僧一樣默默承受過苦難。

The Director's threats had actually elated him, made him feel larger than life.

主任的威脅實(shí)際上叫他得意，讓他覺得自己比實(shí)際高大了許多。

But that, as he now realized, was because he had not taken the threats quite seriously, he hadnot believed that,

可他現(xiàn)在才明白，他并不曾嚴(yán)肅地考慮過威脅。

when it came to the point, the D.H.C. would ever do anything.

他不相信主任到時(shí)候真會(huì)采取任何行動(dòng)。

Now that it looked as though the threats were really to be fulfilled, Bernard was appalled.

可現(xiàn)在看來那威脅好像真要實(shí)行了。伯納嚇壞了。

Of that imagined stoicism, that theoretical courage, not a trace was left.

他想象中的苦行主義和理論上的勇氣已經(jīng)報(bào)銷光了。