美丽新世界Brave New World 第16章(3)

 　　"Goats and monkeys!" Only in Othello's word could he find an adequate vehicle for his contempt and hatred¹.

　　“山羊和猴子，”他只有通过《奥塞罗》才能找到表达他的轻蔑和憎恶的词语。

　　"Nice tame animals, anyhow," the Controller murmured parenthetically.

　　“可爱的、驯服的动物。”总统喃喃地插嘴道。

　　Why don't you let them see Othello instead?

　　你为什么不换个办法，让他们看看《奥塞罗》？

　　I've told you; it's old. Besides, they couldn't understand it.

　　我已经告诉过你，《奥塞罗》太古老。何况他们也读不懂。

　　Yes, that was true. He remembered how Helmholtz had laughed at Romeo and Juliet.

　　是的，说得对。他想起赫姆霍尔兹曾经怎样嘲笑过《罗密欧和朱丽叶》

　　"Well then," he said, after a pause, "something new that's like Othello, and that they could understand."

　　“那么，”他停了一会儿说，“弄点他们能够懂的新东西，要像《奥塞罗》那样的。”

　　"That's what we've all been wanting to write," said Helmholtz, breaking a long silence.

　　“我们想写的正是这种东西。”长时间的沉默，赫姆霍尔兹插嘴，打破沉默说。

　　"And it's what you never will write," said the Controller.

　　“可那是你绝对写不出的东西，”总统说，

　　Because, if it were really like Othello nobody could understand it, however new it might be.

　　因为，那东西如果真像《奥塞罗》就没有人懂，不管它有多新。

　　And if were new, it couldn't possibly be like Othello.

　　而且如果它是新的，就不可能像《奥塞罗》

　　Why not?

　　为什么？

　　"Yes, why not?" Helmholtz repeated. He too was forgetting the unpleasant realities of the situation.

　　“对，为什么？”赫姆霍尔兹也问。他也已忘掉了自己的狼狈处境。

　　Green with anxiety and apprehension², only Bernard remembered them; the others ignored him. "Why not?"

　　可伯纳对处境却牢记在心。他又着急又害怕，铁青着脸。别的人没有理他。“为什么？”

　　Because our world is not the same as Othello's world.

　　因为我们的世界跟《奥塞罗》的世界不同。

　　You can't make flivvers without steel–and you can't make tragedies without social instability.

　　没有钢你就造不出汽车，没有社会的动荡你就造不出悲剧。

　　The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get.

　　现在的世界是稳定的；人民过着幸福的生活；要什么有什么，得不到的东西他们绝不会要。

　　They're well off; they're safe; they're never ill; they're not afraid of death; they're blissfully ignorant of passion and old age;

　　他们富裕，他们安全，他们从不生病，也不怕死；他们快快活活，不知道激情和衰老；

　　they're plagued with no mothers or fathers; they've got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about;

　　没有什么爸爸妈妈来给他们添麻烦；也没有妻室儿女和情人叫他们产生激情；

　　they're so conditioned that they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave.

　　他们的条件设置使他们实际上不能不按条件为他们设置的路子行动。

　　And if anything should go wrong, there's soma.

　　万一出了事还有唆麻。

　　Which you go and chuck out of the window in the name of liberty, Mr. Savage³. Liberty! He laughed.

　　那就是你以自由的名义扔到窗外去的东西，野蛮人先生，自由！他哈哈大笑。

　　Expecting Deltas⁴ to know what liberty is! And now expecting them to understand Othello! My good boy!

　　想叫德尔塔们懂得什么叫自由！而现在又希望他们懂得《奥塞罗》！我的好孩子！

1 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

2 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

3 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

4 deltas   

希腊字母表中第四个字母( delta的名词复数 )； （河口的）三角洲

参考例句：

• Tidal channels, deltas, and washover fans are characteristically associated with offshore bars. 潮汐水道、三角洲和冲刷扇典型地与滨外砂洲伴生在一起。
• I know many of the early civilizations prospered on deltas. 我知道很多古老的文明都是在三角洲上蓬勃发展起来的。