評論
打印
The Greatest Invention
最偉大的發明
Lord Dunsany
鄧薩尼爵士
"What do you think is going to happen, Jorkens?" one of us asked one day at the club.
“你認為會發生什么呢，喬更斯？”一天在酒吧里我們當中的一個人問道。
"Happen?" Jorkens said. "That is hard to say. In the old days one had a rough idea of what other countries wanted to do and their ability to do it. But it is all different now."
喬更斯說，“發生什么事？這很難說。以前，人們大概還能知道其他國家想干什么以及能力如何，但現在完全不同了?！?/div>
"How is it different?" asked the man.
這個人問，“有什么不同呢？”
"There are so many inventions," Jorkens said, "of which we know nothing. Now that a man can carry in a bag a bomb that is more powerful than several battleships, it is hard to find out what any country can do or will do next. I will give you an example."
喬更斯答道，“因為現在有許多發明，對此我們一無所知。既然一個人可以在包里放上一個威力比數艘戰艦還大的炸彈，那么就很難去弄清一個國家能做什么或是以后會干什么。我可以給你們舉一個例子。”
I was on a ship in the tropics (Jorkens told us), and we put into a port. I was tired of looking at the tropical sea, so I went ashore and walked into a tavern to see if they had any decent wines in that country. As it turned out, they hadn't. But there was a man there with a black mustache and a certain look in his eyes that made me wonder if he might not have something interesting to tell. So I asked him if I might offer him a glass of wine. Well, he was good enough to accept, and I called for a bottle of the queer local wine. When the bottle had been uncorked and the wine poured out, like liquid tropical sunlight, I watched it go down under that black mustache. And when a certain amount had gone down, he began to talk.
（喬更斯告訴我們）我當時乘坐的船正行駛在熱帶海洋上，而后我們?？吭谝粋€港口。我已經厭倦了熱帶海洋上的生活，于是上了岸，走進一家小酒館，看看那里賣不賣這個國家的好酒。結果卻沒有。但酒吧有一個人，留著黑色的小胡子，眼神里有一種特別的東西讓我覺得他可能有有趣的事情要講。所以，我問可不可以請他喝一杯酒。他欣然接受了，于是我叫了一瓶當地 奇特的酒。打開瓶塞后倒出的酒就像液化的熱帶陽光一樣，很烈。我看著酒從他的黑胡子下汩汩而進。幾杯酒下肚后，他開始侃侃而談。
