美麗新世界Brave New World 第13章(4)

"Why should you think it necessary ..." Lenina began,but left the sentence unfinished.

“你為什么非要先辦……”列寧娜開始了，卻住了口，

There was a note of irritation in her voice.

口氣略帶溫怒。

When one has leant forward, nearer and nearer, withparted lips—only to find oneself, quite suddenly, as aclumsy oaf scrambles to his feet, leaning towardsnothing at all—well, there is a reason, even with halfa gramme of soma circulating in one's blood-stream, a genuine reason for annoyance.

人家微張嘴，向你靠來，越靠越近，卻突然發(fā)現(xiàn)靠了個空，你這個笨蛋卻跳到一邊去了。哼，盡管有半克唆麻在血液里流動，也免不了有充分的道理叫她煩惱。

"At Malpais," the Savage was incoherently mumbling, you had to bring her the skin of amountain lion—I mean, when you wanted to marry some one. Or else a wolf.

“要是在馬爾佩斯，”野蠻人前言不搭后語地卿咕道，就應(yīng)該給你帶一張山獅皮來——我是說如果想跟你結(jié)婚的話。否則就帶一只狼也行。

"There aren't any lions in England," Lenina almost snapped.

“可是英格蘭共沒有獅子。”列寧娜幾乎怒吼了。

"And even if there were," the Savage added, with sudden contemptuous resentment,

“即使有獅子，”野蠻人突然恨恨地輕蔑地說下去，

people would kill them out of helicopters, I suppose, with poison gas or something. I wouldn'tdo that, Lenina.

我也擔(dān)心他們是會坐了直升飛機去射殺，或是用毒氣之類的東西去捕獵的;我可決不會干那種事，列寧娜。

He squared his shoulders, he ventured to look at her and was met with a stare of annoyedincomprehension.

他挺了挺胸，鼓起勇氣看著她，卻看見列寧娜懊惱地，不理解地反盯著他，

Confused, "I'll do anything," he went on, more and more incoherently. Anything you tell me.

他狼狽了，更加語無倫次了。我一定要做點什么，你要我做什么我就做什么。

There be some sports are painful–you know. But their labour delight in them sets off.

有一類游戲是很吃力的，但興趣會使人忘記辛苦。

That's what I feel. I mean I'd sweep the floor if you wanted.

這正是我的感覺。我是說，如果你需要，我可以為你掃地。

"But we've got vacuum cleaners here," said Lenina in bewilderment. "It isn't necessary."

“但是我們這兒有真空除塵器，”列寧娜莫名其妙地說，“哪兒用得著掃地呀!”

No, of course it isn't necessary. But some kinds of baseness are nobly undergone.

當(dāng)然用不著，有一類卑微的工作是用艱苦卓絕的精神忍受的，最低賤的事往往指向最崇高的目標(biāo)。

I'd like to undergo something nobly. Don't you see?

我想用艱苦卓絕的精神忍受一些壓力。你明白嗎?

But if there are vacuum cleaners ...

但是，既然有了真空除塵器……

That's not the point.

問題不在這兒。

"And Epsilon Semi-Morons to work them," she went on, "well, really, why?"

“而且除塵器還由愛撲塞隆半白癡使用，”她繼續(xù)說，“老實說吧，為什么還要……?”