評論
打印
Persecution – that also was present. It did not break out, for reasons that will be set forward shortly.
迫害——那也是存在著的。確實這并沒有爆發(fā)，其原因后面馬上就要談到。
But it was latent, and all who did not accept the minimum known as “undenominational Mechanism” lived in danger of Homelessness,
不過這是潛在的，所有不接受那“非教派大機器主義”的起碼原則的人們，全都生活在無家可歸的危險之中，
which means death, as we know.
就我們所知，那便意味著死亡。
To attribute these two great developments to the Central Committee, is to take a very narrow view of civilization.
如果把這兩項偉大的改進歸之于中央委員會，那是對文明采取極為狹隘的觀點。
The Central Committee announced the developments, it is true,
中央委員會宣布了這兩項改進，這是確實的，
but they were no more the cause of them than were the kings of the imperialistic period the cause of war.
但是，他們宣布這兩項改進只不過相當于君國主義時期的國王宣布一場戰(zhàn)爭罷了。
Rather did they yield to some invincible pressure, which came no one knew whither,
其實，倒不如說他們確是屈服于一種不可戰(zhàn)勝的壓力，
and which, when gratified, was succeeded by some new pressure equally invincible.
這種壓力誰也不知道是從哪里來的，而且當這種壓力的目的得到滿足時，便被某種新的、同樣不可戰(zhàn)勝的壓力所承繼。
To such a state of affairs it is convenient to give the name of progress.
對這樣一種情況稱之為進步是很便當?shù)摹?/p>
No one confessed the Machine was out of hand.
沒有人坦率承認大機器已經(jīng)非人力所能控制。
Year by year it was served with increased efficiency and decreased intelligence.
年復一年，它得到的是日益增長的效率和日益減少的智力。
The better a man knew his own duties upon it, the less he understood the duties of his neighbour,
一個人越明朗他自己在大機器上的職責，他對鄰人的職責就理解得越少，
and in all the world there was not one who understood the monster as a whole.
全世界沒有一個人了解這個怪物的整體，那些頭腦高明的人已經(jīng)死亡了。
Those master brains had perished. They had left full directions, it is true,
他們留下了充分的指示，這是事實，
and their successors had each of them mastered a portion of those directions.
他們的繼承者各自熟練地掌握那些指示的一部分。
But Humanity, in its desire for comfort, had over-reached itself. It had exploited the riches of nature too far.
不過人類在熱衷于舒適的情況中，已經(jīng)毀掉其自身。人類過分地掠奪了自然的豐富資源。
Quietly and complacently, it was sinking into decadence, and progress had come to mean the progress of the Machine.
他們寂靜無聲地而又心滿意足地陷入沒落，而進步卻已變得意味著是大機器的進步。
As for Vashti, her life went peacefully forward until the final disaster.
至于瓦西蒂，她的生活安然無恙地過下去，直到最后那場災禍來臨。
She made her room dark and slept; she awoke and made the room light. She lectured and attended lectures.
她讓她的房間黑下來，睡覺，她醒來，又讓滿室生輝。她作講演，也聽講演。
She exchanged ideas with her innumerable friends and believed she was growing more spiritual.
她同她的無數(shù)朋友們交換思想意念，認為自己日益變得更為屬靈的人。
At times a friend was granted Euthanasia, and left his or her room for the homelessness that is beyond all human conception.
有時一個朋友被賜以無痛死亡，便把他或她的房間留結那些無家可歸的人，這種情形是超乎現(xiàn)在一切人的想像的。
Vashti did not much mind. After an unsuccessful lecture, she would sometimes ask for Euthanasia herself.
瓦西蒂并不大理會這一點。在一次次取得成功的講演之后，她有時會要求自己無痛死亡。
But the death-rate was not permitted to exceed the birth-rate, and the Machine had hitherto refused it to her.
但是死亡率是不許超過出生率的，這樣，大機器便拒絕了她的請求。
The troubles began quietly, long before she was conscious of them.
一些煩惱的事情在她意識到它們之前，毫不聲張地開始了。
One day she was astonished at receiving a message from her son.
一天，她由于得到她兒子來的一個訊息而感到驚訝。
They never communicated, having nothing in common, and she had only heard indirectly that he was still alive,
他們從來是不通訊息的，因為兩個人毫無共同之處。她只間接聽說他還活著，
and had been transferred from the northern hemisphere,
而且已經(jīng)從他表現(xiàn)惡劣所在的北半球那里
where he had behaved so mischievously, to the southern – indeed, to a room not far from her own.
被轉移到了南半球——確實轉移到遠離她自己房間不遠的一個房間里。
“Does he want me to visit him?” she thought. “Never again, never. And I have not the time.”
“是不是他要我去看望他呢？”她思索著，“再也不去了。永遠不去了。再說，我也沒有這個時間啊。”
No, it was madness of another kind.
不對頭，這是另一種神經(jīng)病。
