評論
打印
"But after all," Lenina was protesting, "it's only about four months now since I've been having Henry."
“可是畢竟，”列寧娜在抗議，“我跟亨利一起才四個月左右。”
"Only four months! I like that. And what's more," Fanny went on, pointing an accusing finger, "there's been nobody else except Henry all that time. Has there?"
“才四個月！這話我可真喜歡，還有，”范尼伸出一根指責的指頭，“這么長的時間你就只跟亨利一起，沒有跟別的人，是嗎？”
Lenina blushed scarlet; but her eyes, the tone of her voice remained defiant.
列寧娜漲得滿臉通紅；可是她的目光和聲調仍然帶著挑戰，
"No, there hasn't been any one else," she answered almost trucuently.
“對，沒有跟別的人，”回答幾乎是粗野的，
"And I jolly well don't see why there should have been."
“而我的確不明白為什么非得跟別人來往不可。”
"Oh, she jolly well doesn't see why there should have been," Fanny repeated,
“哦，她的確不明白為什么非跟別的人來往不可。”范尼重復著她的話，
as though to an invisible listener behind Lenina's left shoulder.
仿佛是對列寧娜左肩后一個什么看不見的人說著。
Then, with a sudden change of tone, "But seriously," she said, "I really do think you ought to be careful. It's such horribly bad form to go on and on like this with one man.
然后她突然改變了語調，“可是說正經的，”她說，“我的確認為你得要多加小心。跟一個男人老這樣混下去太不像話了。
At forty, or thirty-five, it wouldrl't be so bad. But at your age, Lenina!
要是你已經四十歲，哪怕是三十五歲，倒也罷了；可是在你的年齡，列寧娜！
No, it really won't do. And you know how strongly the D.H.C. objects to anything intense or long-drawn.
那絕對木行！而你分明知道主任是反對感情過熱和拖泥帶水的。
Four months of Henry Foster, without having another man–why, he'd be furious if he knew …"
跟亨利·福斯特一過就是四個月，沒有別的人——哼，主任要是知道了是會大發雷霆的……”
"Think of water under pressure in a pipe." They thought of it. "I pierce it once," said the Controller. "What a jet!" He pierced it twenty times.
“想象一下管子里承受著壓力的水吧，”學生們立即想象起來。“我要是扎它一釬子，”總統說，“會噴得多厲害！”
There were twenty piddling little fountains.
他扎了水管二十釬子，二十道小噴泉噴了出來，像撒尿一樣。
"My baby. My baby …!"
“我的寶貝。我的寶貝”……。
"Mother!" The madness is infectious.
“媽媽！”胡鬧有傳染性。
"My love, my one and only, precious, precious …"
“我的愛，我僅有的、唯一的寶貝，寶貴的……”
Mother, monogamy, romance. High spurts the fountain; fierce and foamy the wild jet.
母親，一夫一妻制，講戀愛。噴泉噴得很高；噴泉撒著野，飄著水沫。
The urge has but a single outlet. My love, my baby.
沖動只有一條路宣泄。我的寶貝，我的孩子！
No wonder these poor pre-moderns were mad and wicked and miserable.
難怪前現代期的這些可憐人會那么瘋狂，那么邪惡，那么痛苦。
Their world didn't allow them to take things easily, didn't allow them to be sane, virtuous, happy.
他們的世界就不容許他們舒坦、清醒、道德和快活地對待問題。
What with mothers and lovers, what with the prohibitions they were not conditioned to obey, what with the temptations and the lonely remorses, what with all the diseases and the endless isolating pain, what with the uncertainties and the poverty–they were forced to feel strongly.
由于有母親，有情人，由于他們沒有被設定要服從一些禁條，由于誘惑和寂寞的悔恨，由于種種疾病和無窮的孤獨所造成的痛苦，由于前途未卜和貧窮，他們不可能不產生強烈的感情。
And feeling strongly (and strongly, what was more, in solitude, in hopelessly individual isolation), how could they be stable?
感情既然強烈（何況是孑然一身，處于沒有希望的孤獨里的感情！），他們怎么可能穩定呢！
"Of course there's no need to give him up.
“當然沒有必要放棄他。
Have somebody else from time to time, that's all. He has other girls, doesn't he?"
偶然跟別人來往一下就行。他也有別的姑娘，是嗎？”
Lenina admitted it.
列寧娜承認了。
