美麗新世界 Brave New World 第6章(3)

Lenina was shocked by his blasphemy. "Bernard!"She protested in a voice of amazed distress. "Howcan you?"

他這番褻瀆的話叫列寧娜大吃了一驚。“伯納!”她抗議道，聲音恐怖而痛苦。“你怎么能夠這樣講?”

In a different key, "How can I?" he repeatedmeditatively. "No, the real problem is: How is it that Ican't, or rather–because, after all, I know quite wellwhy I can't –what would it be like if I could, if I werefree–not enslaved by my conditioning."

“我怎么不能這樣講?”他換了一種調(diào)子沉思著說，“不，真正的問題還在：我為什么就不能夠講?或者不如說——因為我非常清楚我為什么不能講——我如果能講又會怎么樣，如果我是自由的，沒有變成為我設(shè)置的條件的奴隸的話。”

"But, Bernard, you're saying the most awful things."

“可是伯納，你說的話太駭人聽聞了。”

"Don't you wish you were free, Lenina?"

“你就不希望自己自由嗎，列寧娜?”

"I don't know what you mean. I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody'shappy nowadays."

“我木明白你的意思，我本來就是自由的，有玩?zhèn)€痛快的自由?，F(xiàn)在每個人都很幸福。”

He laughed, "Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowadays.' We begin giving the children that at five.

他哈哈大笑。“不錯，‘現(xiàn)在每個人都很幸福’，我們從五歲就這樣教育孩子。

But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, forexample; not in everybody else's way."

可是，你就不喜歡以另外一種方式自由自在地選擇幸福嗎，列寧娜?比如，以你自己的方式，而不以其他任何人的方式?”

"I don't know what you mean," she repeated. Then, turning to him, "Oh, do let's go back,Bernard," she besought; "I do so hate it here."

“我不懂你的意思，”她向他轉(zhuǎn)過身子重復(fù)道，“啊，我們回去吧，伯納，”她乞求他，“我非常討厭這地方。”

"Don't you like being with me?"

“你不是喜歡跟我在一起嗎?”

"But of course, Bernard. It's this horrible place."

“當(dāng)然喜歡，伯納。我不喜歡的是這可怕的地方。”

"I thought we'd be more … more together here–with nothing but the sea and moon.

“我還以為我們在這兒彼此更接近呢——除了大海和月亮什么都沒有，

More together than in that crowd, or even in my rooms. Don't you understand that?"

比在人群里接近得多，甚至比在我屋里還接近。你明白我的意思嗎?”

"I don't understand anything," she said with decision, determined to preserve herincomprehension intact.

“我什么都不明白。”她肯定，決心不讓她那糊涂頭腦受到玷污。

"Nothing. Least of all," she continued in another tone "why you don't take soma when you havethese dreadful ideas of yours.

“什么都不，一點也不，”她換了個調(diào)子說下去，“你發(fā)現(xiàn)那些可怕的念頭時為什么不吃點唆麻?

You'd forget all about them. And instead of feeling miserable, you'd be jolly. So jolly," sherepeated and smiled,

那你就能把它們?nèi)?，就只會快活，不會痛苦了。非常快活?rdquo;她重復(fù)一句，微笑了。

for all the puzzled anxiety in her eyes, with what was meant to be an inviting and voluptuouscajolery.

盡管她眼里仍有迷惑和焦急，卻還希望以她的微笑的魅力和冶艷勸服他。

He looked at her in silence, his face unresponsive and very grave–looked at her intently.

他一聲不響盯著她看了一會兒，臉上非常嚴(yán)肅，沒有反應(yīng)。

After a few seconds Lenina's eyes flinched away; she uttered a nervous little laugh, tried tothink of something to say and couldn't.

幾秒鐘過去，列寧娜退縮了，發(fā)出一聲神經(jīng)質(zhì)的短笑，想找點話說，卻沒有找到。

The silence prolonged itself.

沉默繼續(xù)。

When Bernard spoke at last, it was in a small tired voice. "All right then," he said, "we'll goback."

伯納終于說話了，聲音低而厭倦。“那好，我們回去吧。”

And stepping hard on the accelerator, he sent the machine rocketing up into the sky.

他猛踩加速器，把飛機像火箭一樣送上了天空。

At four thousand he started his propeller. They flew in silence for a minute or two. Then,suddenly, Bernard began to laugh. Rather oddly, Lenina thought, but still, it was laughter.

兩人在天上飛了一兩分鐘，伯納突然哈哈大笑。希奇古怪，列寧娜想?？伤吘故窃谛?。

"Feeling better?" she ventured to ask.

“覺得好過些了嗎?”她鼓起勇氣問道。

For answer, he lifted one hand from the controls and, slipping his arm around her, began tofondle her breasts.

作為回答，他抬起一只手，離開了操縱系統(tǒng)，摟住了她，開始玩弄她的乳房。

"Thank Ford," she said to herself, "he's all right again."

“謝謝福帝，”她心想，“他又正常了。”

Half an hour later they were back in his rooms. Bernard swallowed four tablets of soma at agulp, turned on the radio and television and began to undress.

半小時之后他倆回到了伯納的屋子里。伯納一口吞下了四片唆麻，打開收音機和電視，開始脫衣服。

"Well," Lenina enquired, with significant archness when they met next afternoon on the roof, "did you think it was fun yesterday?"

“好了，”兩人第二天下午在屋頂上見面時，列寧娜故作調(diào)皮地問道，“你覺得昨天好玩嗎?”

Bernard nodded. They climbed into the plane. A little jolt, and they were off.

伯納點點頭。兩人上了飛機。一陣微震，他們已經(jīng)出發(fā)。