Part Three The homeless
第三部分 無家可歸的人
During the years that followed Kuno”s escapade, two important developments took place in the Machine.
在基諾擺脫束縛以后的幾年里,大機器內部有了兩項重要的改進。
On the surface they were revolutionary, but in either case men”s minds had been prepared beforehand,
表面上這兩項改進是革命性的,不過無論就哪種改進而論,人們的思想都已經預先做好準備,
and they did but express tendencies that were latent already.
而且他們的確只是表示那是一些已經潛在的傾向而已。
The first of these was the abolition of respirators.
其中第一項就是廢除呼吸保護器。
Advanced thinkers, like Vashti, had always held it foolish to visit the surface of the earth.
像瓦西蒂這樣一些先進的思想家們,一向堅持認為去觀光地球表面是愚蠢的。
Air-ships might be necessary, but what was the good of going out for mere curiosity and crawling along for a mile or two in a terrestrial motor?
飛艇可能是必要的,不過僅僅是為了好奇而走出去,坐在一部地面的摩托車里,爬上一二英里路,那有什么好處呢?
The habit was vulgar and perhaps faintly improper: it was unproductive of ideas, and had no connection with the habits that really mattered.
這種習慣是庸俗的,或者是有點不大得體的:這是絲毫沒有思想意念收獲的,再者也同真正重要的一些習慣毫無關系。
So respirators were abolished, and with them, of course, the terrestrial motors,
就這樣,呼吸保護器便廢止了,當然,地面的摩托車也同呼吸保護器一起廢止了,
and except for a few lecturers, who complained that they were debarred access to their subject- matter, the development was accepted quietly.
除了少數幾個演講家們發牢騷,不滿于他們被禁止談他們的主題外,這項改進便被默默地接受了下來。
Those who still wanted to know what the earth was like had after all only to listen to some gramophone, or to look into some cinematophote.
那些仍然想要知道地球究竟是什么樣子的人,最后只得聽聽留聲機,或者看看什么影片。
And even the lecturers acquiesced when they found that a lecture on the sea was none the less stimulating
有些演說家們盡管發現一篇講海的演說依然具有激發力,也還是默無一言地同意了
when compiled out of other lectures that had already been delivered on the same subject.
雖然是根據同樣題材的其他演說編成的。
“Beware of first- hand ideas!” exclaimed one of the most advanced of them.
“要嚴防那些第一手的思想意念!”最先進的人物之一誠懇地說,
“First-hand ideas do not really exist. They are but the physical impressions produced by live and fear,
“第一手的思想意念并不真正存在。它們不過是愛和懼留給肉體的印象,
and on this gross foundation who could erect a philosophy?
在這種粗俗的基礎上,誰能建立起一派哲學呢?
Let your ideas be second-hand, and if possible tenth-hand,
讓你的思想意念成為第二手的吧,可能的話,讓它成為第十手的吧,
for then they will be far removed from that disturbing element – direct observation.
因為這則思想意念便遠遠擺脫那種起干擾作用的因素——直接的觀察。
Do not learn anything about this subject of mine – the French Revolution.
不要去學習有關我這個主題——法國大革命——的任何想法,
Learn instead what I think that Enicharmon thought Urizen thought Gutch thought Ho-Yung thought
而只要學習我想艾因查蒙之想尤里森之想占奇之想阿范之想
Chi-Bo-Sing thought LafcadioHearn thought Carlyle thought Mirabeau said about the French Revolution.
紀布興之想拉弗卡笛奧·赫爾思之想卡來爾之想米拉布關于法國大革命說過些什么。
Through the medium of these ten great minds, the blood that was shed at Paris and the windows that were broken at Versailles
通過這十來個偉大思想家作為媒介,灑在巴黎的熱血和凡爾賽宮那些打破了的窗子
will be clarified to an idea which you may employ most profitably in your daily lives.
就會細化成為一種思想意念,這在你們的日常生活中,你們可以用得最為有利,
But be sure that the intermediates are many and varied, for in history one authority exists to counteract another.
不過,要明確的是,中間人很多,而且各不相同,因為歷史上存在著一個權威反對另一個權威的情形。
Urizen must counteract the scepticism of Ho-Yung and Enicharmon, I must myself counteract the impetuosity of Gutch.
尤里森必然反對何雍和艾因查蒙的懷疑主義,我本人必然反對古奇的激進。
You who listen to me are in a better position to judge about the French Revolution than I am.
聽我演說的你們比我處于更有利的地位來判斷法國大革命的問題。