'But what is the use of that?' I asked.
“‘但是這又有什么用途呢?’我問道。”
'Use! Use!' he repeated, and laughed. 'I do not work for use, but for wonder.'
“‘用途!用途!’他重復說道,大笑起來,‘我并不是為用途而工作的,而是為了奇跡。’”
'It will be wonderful,' I said, 'when we dominate the Caribbean.'
“‘會很奇妙的!’我說道,‘當我們統治了加勒比海時。’”
'It is far more wonderful,' he said, 'to have made a blade of grass.'
“‘而制造一片草葉更加奇妙,’他說道。”
That I had to admit. But I added, 'You will return to your work now.'
“‘這個我承認。但我得加上一句,你現在該回到工作中去了。’”
And at that he laughed more wildly.
“聽到這句話他笑得更狂野了。”
'No, now that I can do this,' he exclaimed. 'I am going on to make flowers.'
“‘不,既然我能做這個,”他大聲說道,‘我準備繼續制造花。’”
I examined his blade of grass, and he gave me every facility, showing me the entire process in his laboratory. The blade was perfect and was clearly alive, but he satisfied me that it was artificial. A marvelous man. It was a pity. But we responsible ministers cannot make threats that we do not carry out. I had threatened him with death, and he had to be executed..."
“我查看了他的草葉,他把每一個設備給我看,向我演示實驗室中草葉制造的整個流程。草葉很完美,顯然是活的,但他使我確信,它是人造的。多么了不起的人!可惜卻不能為我們效力。但是我們盡責的部長們作出的威脅我們得執行。我已經向他發出死亡威脅,而他得被處死……”
"Whether it was that the stranger's tale was told," Jorkens concluded, putting down his glass, "or that the influence of the queer wine was over, he fell then to silent brooding, gazing, as it seemed, into the past at the grip that his country had lost on the Caribbean, perhaps on the world."
“不知道是因為這個陌生人的故事講完了,”喬更斯最后放下杯子說道,“還是因為這種怪酒的效力消失了的緣故,這個陌生人睜著眼睛,陷入了對過去的沉思,似乎在想著,他們的國家失去了對加勒比海地區,或許是對整個世界的控制。”