美丽新世界 Brave New World 第6章(3)

Lenina was shocked by his blasphemy. "Bernard!"She protested in a voice of amazed distress. "Howcan you?"

他这番亵渎的话叫列宁娜大吃了一惊。“伯纳!”她抗议道，声音恐怖而痛苦。“你怎么能够这样讲?”

In a different key, "How can I?" he repeatedmeditatively. "No, the real problem is: How is it that Ican't, or rather–because, after all, I know quite wellwhy I can't –what would it be like if I could, if I werefree–not enslaved by my conditioning."

“我怎么不能这样讲?”他换了一种调子沉思着说，“不，真正的问题还在：我为什么就不能够讲?或者不如说——因为我非常清楚我为什么不能讲——我如果能讲又会怎么样，如果我是自由的，没有变成为我设置的条件的奴隶的话。”

"But, Bernard, you're saying the most awful things."

“可是伯纳，你说的话太骇人听闻了。”

"Don't you wish you were free, Lenina?"

“你就不希望自己自由吗，列宁娜?”

"I don't know what you mean. I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody'shappy nowadays."

“我木明白你的意思，我本来就是自由的，有玩个痛快的自由。现在每个人都很幸福。”

He laughed, "Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowadays.' We begin giving the children that at five.

他哈哈大笑。“不错，‘现在每个人都很幸福’，我们从五岁就这样教育孩子。

But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, forexample; not in everybody else's way."

可是，你就不喜欢以另外一种方式自由自在地选择幸福吗，列宁娜?比如，以你自己的方式，而不以其他任何人的方式?”

"I don't know what you mean," she repeated. Then, turning to him, "Oh, do let's go back,Bernard," she besought; "I do so hate it here."

“我不懂你的意思，”她向他转过身子重复道，“啊，我们回去吧，伯纳，”她乞求他，“我非常讨厌这地方。”

"Don't you like being with me?"

“你不是喜欢跟我在一起吗?”

"But of course, Bernard. It's this horrible place."

“当然喜欢，伯纳。我不喜欢的是这可怕的地方。”

"I thought we'd be more … more together here–with nothing but the sea and moon.

“我还以为我们在这儿彼此更接近呢——除了大海和月亮什么都没有，

More together than in that crowd, or even in my rooms. Don't you understand that?"

比在人群里接近得多，甚至比在我屋里还接近。你明白我的意思吗?”

"I don't understand anything," she said with decision, determined to preserve herincomprehension intact.

“我什么都不明白。”她肯定，决心不让她那糊涂头脑受到玷污。

"Nothing. Least of all," she continued in another tone "why you don't take soma when you havethese dreadful ideas of yours.

“什么都不，一点也不，”她换了个调子说下去，“你发现那些可怕的念头时为什么不吃点唆麻?

You'd forget all about them. And instead of feeling miserable, you'd be jolly. So jolly," sherepeated and smiled,

那你就能把它们全忘掉，就只会快活，不会痛苦了。非常快活。”她重复一句，微笑了。

for all the puzzled anxiety in her eyes, with what was meant to be an inviting and voluptuouscajolery.

尽管她眼里仍有迷惑和焦急，却还希望以她的微笑的魅力和冶艳劝服他。

He looked at her in silence, his face unresponsive and very grave–looked at her intently.

他一声不响盯着她看了一会儿，脸上非常严肃，没有反应。

After a few seconds Lenina's eyes flinched away; she uttered a nervous little laugh, tried tothink of something to say and couldn't.

几秒钟过去，列宁娜退缩了，发出一声神经质的短笑，想找点话说，却没有找到。

The silence prolonged itself.

沉默继续。

When Bernard spoke at last, it was in a small tired voice. "All right then," he said, "we'll goback."

伯纳终于说话了，声音低而厌倦。“那好，我们回去吧。”

And stepping hard on the accelerator, he sent the machine rocketing up into the sky.

他猛踩加速器，把飞机像火箭一样送上了天空。

At four thousand he started his propeller. They flew in silence for a minute or two. Then,suddenly, Bernard began to laugh. Rather oddly, Lenina thought, but still, it was laughter.

两人在天上飞了一两分钟，伯纳突然哈哈大笑。希奇古怪，列宁娜想。可他毕竟是在笑。

"Feeling better?" she ventured to ask.

“觉得好过些了吗?”她鼓起勇气问道。

For answer, he lifted one hand from the controls and, slipping his arm around her, began tofondle her breasts.

作为回答，他抬起一只手，离开了操纵系统，搂住了她，开始玩弄她的乳房。

"Thank Ford," she said to herself, "he's all right again."

“谢谢福帝，”她心想，“他又正常了。”

Half an hour later they were back in his rooms. Bernard swallowed four tablets of soma at agulp, turned on the radio and television and began to undress.

半小时之后他俩回到了伯纳的屋子里。伯纳一口吞下了四片唆麻，打开收音机和电视，开始脱衣服。

"Well," Lenina enquired, with significant archness when they met next afternoon on the roof, "did you think it was fun yesterday?"

“好了，”两人第二天下午在屋顶上见面时，列宁娜故作调皮地问道，“你觉得昨天好玩吗?”

Bernard nodded. They climbed into the plane. A little jolt, and they were off.

伯纳点点头。两人上了飞机。一阵微震，他们已经出发。