美麗新世界 Brave New World 第7章(6)

Bending over him, the old man touched his backwith a long white feather, held it up for a moment,crimson, for the people to see then shook it thriceover the snakes.

老頭子俯身向他，用一根白色的長羽毛蘸了蘸他的背，舉起來讓人們看，鮮紅色。然后在蛇堆上晃了三晃。

A few drops fell, and suddenly the drums broke outagain into a panic of hurrying notes; there was agreat shout.

幾滴血灑落下來。鼓聲突然緊張匆忙地擂了起來;人們隨之大叫。

The dancers rushed forward, picked up the snakes and ran out of the square.

舞人們向前撲去，抓起蛇跑出了廣場。

Men, women, children, all the crowd ran after them.

男人、女人、孩子都跟著，一窩蜂全跑掉了。

A minute later the square was empty, only the boy remained, prone where he had fallen, quitestill.

一會兒工夫廣場已經(jīng)空了，只剩下了那小伙子還趴在倒下的地方，一動不動。

Three old women came out of one of the houses, and with some difficulty lifted him and carriedhim in.

三個老女人從一間屋里走了出來，費了些力氣才扶起了他，帶進了屋子。

The eagle and the man on the cross kept guard for a little while over the empty pueblo;

空蕩蕩的印第安村莊里只有那畫上的鷹和十字架上的人守望了一會兒。

then, as though they had seen enough, sank slowly down through their hatchways, out ofsight, into the nether world.

然后，他們也好像是看夠了，慢慢沉入地下室，去了陰間，看不見了。

Lenina was still sobbing. "Too awful," she kept repeating, and all Bernard's consolations were invain.

列寧娜還在抽泣，“太可怕了。”她不斷地重復(fù)。伯納的一切安慰都沒有用。

"Too awful! That blood!" She shuddered. "Oh, I wish I had my soma."

“太可怕了，那血!”她毛骨悚然。“啊，我希望帶著我的唆麻。”

There was the sound of feet in the inner room.

內(nèi)室里有腳步聲傳來。

Lenina did not move, but sat with her face in her hands, unseeing, apart. Only Bernard turnedround.

列寧娜沒有動，只用手捂住了臉坐在一邊不看。伯納轉(zhuǎn)過了身子。

The dress of the young man who now stepped out on to the terrace was Indian; but hisplaited hair was straw-coloured, his eyes a pale blue, and his skin a white skin, bronzed.

現(xiàn)在來到臺地上的是一個穿印第安服裝的小伙子。但是他那編了辮子的頭發(fā)卻是淺黃色的，眼睛是淡藍色的，已曬成青銅色的皮膚原是白色的。

"Hullo. Good-morrow," said the stranger, in faultless but peculiar English. "You're civilized,aren't you? You come from the Other Place, outside the Reservation?"

“哈羅，日安，”陌生人用沒有毛病但有些特別的英語說，“你們是文明人，是嗎?從那邊，從保留地外面來的，是嗎?”

"Who on earth … ?" Bernard began in astonishment.

“你究竟……?”伯納大吃一驚，說話了。

The young man sighed and shook his head. "A most unhappy gentleman."

小伙子嘆了口氣，搖搖頭，“一個最不幸的紳士。”

And, pointing to the bloodstains in the centre of the square, "Do you see that damned spot?"he asked in a voice that trembled with emotion.

他指著廣場正中的血跡說，“看見那倒霉的地方了嗎?”他問時聲音激動得發(fā)抖。

"A gramme is better than a damn," said Lenina mechanically from behind her hands. "I wish Ihad my soma!"

“與其受煩惱，不如唆麻好，”列寧娜還捂住臉，機械地說著。“我真希望帶著我的唆麻。”

"I ought to have been there," the young man went on. "Why wouldn't they let me be thesacrifice?

“到那兒去的應(yīng)該是我，”年輕人繼續(xù)說，“他們?yōu)槭裁床荒梦胰プ鰻奚?

I'd have gone round ten times–twelve, fifteen. Palowhtiwa only got as far as seven.

我能夠走十圈，走十二圈，十五圈。帕羅提瓦只走了七圈。

They could have had twice as much blood from me. The multitudinous seas incarnadine."

他們可以從我身上得到兩倍的血，把一碧無垠的海水染成殷紅。”

He flung out his arms in a lavish gesture; then, despairingly, let them fall again.

他揮出雙臂夸張地做了個手勢，隨即失望地放了下來。

"But they wouldn't let me. They disliked me for my complexion. It's always been like that.Always"

“可是他們不肯讓我去。他們因為我的膚色而不喜歡我，他們一向這樣，一向。”

Tears stood in the young man's eyes; he was ashamed and turned away.

青年的眼里噙滿了淚水;他感到不好意思，轉(zhuǎn)開了身子。

Astonishment made Lenina forget the deprivation of soma.

驚訝使列寧娜忘記了自己失去了唆麻。

She uncovered her face and, for the first time, looked at the stranger.

她放開了手，第一次看見了那青年。

"Do you mean to say that you wanted to be hit with that whip?"

“你是說你想要去挨鞭子嗎?”