美丽新世界Brave New World 第12章(5)

"A New Theory of Biology" was the title of the paperwhich Mustapha Mond had just finished reading.

穆斯塔法努德刚看完一份文件，标题是《一条生物学的新理论》。

He sat for some time, meditatively frowning, thenpicked up his pen and wrote across the title-page:

他沉思地皱起眉头坐了一会儿，然后提起笔在标题页上写道：

The author's mathematical treatment of theconception of purpose is novel and highlyingenious,

作者用数学方法处理目标的设想新奇而极富独创性，

but heretical and, so far as the present social order is concerned, dangerous and potentiallysubversive. Not to be published.

但为不经之论，对当前社会秩序具潜在的颠覆作用，颇为危险，不予发表。

He underlined the words.

他在那几个字下画了根线。

The author will be kept under supervision. His transference to the Marine Biological Station ofSt. Helena may become necessary.

对该作者须加监视，必要时下放海军至海伦那生物站工作。

A pity, he thought, as he signed his name. It was a masterly piece of work.

很可惜，他签名时想道，是一篇杰作。

But once you began admitting explanations in terms of purpose—well, you didn't know what theresult might be.

但一旦接受从目标出发所做的解释——结果便很难预料。

It was the sort of idea that might easily decondition the more unsettled minds among thehigher castes

这一类思想极容易破坏上层种姓中思想不坚定分子已设置的条件

make them lose their faith in happiness as the Sovereign Good and take to believing,

让他们对体现最高的“善”的幸福失去信心，

instead, that the goal was somewhere beyond, somewhere outside the present human sphere,that the purpose of life was not the maintenance of well-being,

转而相信幸福之外还有着存在于当前人类社会以外的目的，从而相信生活的目的不是维护福利，

but some intensification and refining of consciousness, some enlargement of knowledge.

而是深入意识及扩大知识。

Which was, the Controller reflected, quite possibly true. But not, in the present circumstance,admissible.

这话很可能不错，总统想道，但在目前的环境里决不能容许。

He picked up his pen again, and under the words "Not to be published" drew a second line,thicker and blacker than the first;

他再次拿起笔，在“不予发表”下面画上了第二道线，比头一根还要粗黑。

then sighed, "What fun it would be," he thought, "if one didn't have to think about happiness!"

然后叹了一口气，“如果人不必考虑幸福的话，”他想，“哪会多么有趣!”

With closed eyes, his face shining with rapture, John was softly declaiming to vacancy,Oh! shedoth teach the torches to burn bright.

约翰闭着眼睛，脸上焕发出欢乐的光彩，对着虚空柔情脉脉地朗诵道,啊，连火炬也要学习她明亮的燃烧，

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear; Beauty too richfor use, for earth too dear ..."The golden T lay shining on Lenina's bosom.

她仿佛是在黑夜的面颊旁闪光熠耀，有如埃塞俄比亚人耳里豪华的耳坠，太豪华的美，不能用，在人间太宝贵……”金质的T字架在列宁娜的胸脯上闪光。

Sportively, the Arch-Community-Songster caught hold of it, sportively he puled, pulled.

社区首席歌唱家抓住它，好玩地换了几下。

"I think," said Lenina suddenly, breaking a long silence, "I'd better take a couple of grammesof soma."

“我觉得，”列宁娜打破了长久的沉默说，“我最好吞两克唆麻。”