美丽新世界 Brave New World 第3章(8)

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

“当然会有的。要相信亨利·福斯特是个十足的君子——永远不会出错，

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

何况还要考虑到主任。你知道他这个人多么坚持……”

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

点点头。“他今天下午还拍了拍我的屁股呢。”列宁娜说。

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

“对了，你看，”范尼很得意，“那就表示了他所坚持的东西。最严格的传统。”

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

“稳定，”总统说，“稳定。没有社会的稳定就没有文明。

No social stability without individual stability."

没有社会的稳定就没有个人的安定。”

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

他的声音是一支喇叭。听见那声音使他们觉得自己更高大了，更热忱了。

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

机器转动着，转动着，还要继续转动，永远转动。

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

机器停止就意味着死亡。十亿人在地球表面上乱跑。

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

轮子开始转动，在一百五十年里有过二十亿人口。

Stop all the wheels.

若是让全部轮子停止转动，

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

一百五十个礼拜之后就会只剩下十亿人——那十亿人全饿死了。

Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended.

轮子必须稳定不停地转动，不能没有人管。

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

必须有人管——像枢轴上的轮子一样稳定的人，清醒的人，驯服的人，安于现状的坚定的人。

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：我的宝贝，我的妈妈，我唯一的，仅有的爱儿;呻吟：我的罪恶，我可怕的上帝;因为痛苦而尖叫;因为发烧而呓语;因为衰老和贫穷而呻吟——这样的人能够管理机器吗?

And if they cannot tend the wheels …

既然他们不能够管理机器……

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

可是十亿人是不好埋葬，也不好烧化的。

"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.

“归根到底，”范尼带着劝慰的口气说，“除了亨利再有那么一两个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，就应该放纵一下……”

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

“稳定，”总统坚持说，“稳定。那是第一的也是最后的需要。

Stability. Hence all this."

因此才有了眼前这一切。”

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.

他挥了挥手，指了指花园、条件设置中心大楼、躲在灌木丛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.

列宁娜摇摇头。“不知道为什么”她沉思着，“我近来对于放纵木大感兴趣。

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

有时候人是不愿意放纵的，你曾经有过这种感觉吗，范尼?”

Fanny nodded her sympathy and understanding.

范尼点头表示同情和理解。

"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，”她说话像说格言，“游戏总得做的，大家毕竟都属于彼此。”

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

“不错，大家都属于彼此。”列宁娜叹了口气，缓慢地重复着，沉默了。

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

然后抓住范尼的手，轻轻地握了一下。

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

“你说得很对，范尼。我会跟平时一样尽力而为的。”