評論
打印
"Kuno!" "I will not talk to you." he answered, "until you come."
“基諾！”“我不想跟您談話，”他回答說，“除非是您來。”
"Have you been on the surface of the earth since we spoke last?" His image faded.
“我們上次談話以后，你去過地球的表面嗎？”他的形象消失了。
Again she consulted the book.
她又一次查閱那本書。
She became very nervous and lay back in her chair palpitating. Think of her as without teeth or hair.
她變得有點精神緊張，坐在椅子上向后靠去，心突突地跳著，想到她好象沒有了牙齒或沒有了頭發。
Presently she directed the chair to the wall, and pressed an unfamiliar button.
她立即把椅子朝墻壁轉去，按一個不常用的電鈕。
The wall swung apart slowly.
墻壁緩緩擺動著分開了。
Through the opening she saw a tunnel that curved slightly, so that its goal was not visible.
從開口處，她看見一條稍稍彎曲的隧道，這樣，它的終點就看不到了。
Should she go to see her son, here was the beginning of the journey.
要是她想去看她的兒子，那么，這里就是旅程的起點。
Of course she knew all about the communication-system.
當然，她知道有關交通系統的一切。
There was nothing mysterious in it.
這里沒有什么奧秘的事。
She would summon a car and it would fly with her down the tunnel until it reached the lift that communicated with the air-ship station:
她可以叫一部汽車，它會載著她疾馳而去，直抵與飛艇站相接的升降機：
the system had been in use for many, many years, long before the universal establishment of the Machine.
這個系統已經使用過許多許多年了，早在大機器在全世界修建之前。
And of course she had studied the civilization that had immediately preceded her own –
再有，當然她研究過她自己的時代以前的那段文化——
the civilization that had mistaken the functions of the system, and had used it for bringing people to things, instead of for bringing things to people.
那一段文化誤解了這個體系的功能，而且使用它是為了把人帶到物那里去，而不是把物帶到人這里來。
Those funny old days, when men went for change of air instead of changing the air in their rooms!
那些荒唐可笑的往日，當時是人走去換換空氣而不是在他們自己的房間里換氣！
And yet-she was frightened of the tunnel: she had not seen it since her last child was born.
不過——她給這個隧道嚇住了！自從她最后一個孩子出生以來，她就沒有看見過這隧道。
It curved-but not quite as she remembered; it was brilliant-but not quite as brilliant as a lecturer had suggested.
它彎彎曲曲的，但不大像她所記得的那樣；它是光輝耀眼的，可又不十分像一個演說家所說的那樣光輝耀眼。
Vashti was seized with the terrors of direct experience. She shrank back into the room, and the wall closed up again.
瓦西蒂被直接經驗的恐怖嚇壞了。她縮回房里。墻壁又閉合起來了。
"Kuno," she said, "I cannot come to see you. I am not well."
“基諾，”她說，“我不能去看你。我身體不大好。”
Immediately an enormous apparatus fell on to her out of the ceiling, a thermometer was automatically laid upon her heart.
立刻有一件大型儀器從天花板上墜落到她身邊，一支體溫計自動地插進她的兩唇中間，一個聽診器自動平置在她的心房上。
She lay powerless. Cool pads soothed her forehead.
她躺著，一點力氣也沒有。冷敷墊消解了前額的疼痛。
Kuno had telegraphed to her doctor.
是基諾打電報給她的醫生。
So the human passions still blundered up and down in the Machine.
看來，人類的感情仍然在大機器里起伏激蕩著。
Vashti drank the medicine that the doctor projected into her mouth, and the machinery retired into the ceiling.
瓦西蒂吃了醫生投到她口里的藥，這個儀器便退到天花板上去了。
The voice of Kuno was heard asking how she felt.
她聽到了基諾問她感覺如何的語聲。
"Better." Then with irritation: "But why do you not come to me instead?" "Because I cannot leave this place."
“好一些了。”隨后懷著煩惱的心情，“可是你為什么不到我這里來，省得我去呢？”“因為我不能離開這個地方。”
"Why?" "Because, any moment, something tremendous many happen."
“為什么？”“因為隨時可能有什么重大的事情發生。”
"Have you been on the surface of the earth yet?" "Not yet."
“你已經去過地球的表面嗎？”“還沒有。”
"Then what is it?" "I will not tell you through the Machine."
“那么到底是什么事呢？”“我決不通過大機器告訴您。”
