PART II THE MULE
11 BRIDE AND GROOM
第11章 新娘与新郎
THE MULE:……Less is known of "The Mule" than of any character of comparable significance to Galactic history. Even the period of his greatest renown is known to us chiefly through the eyes of his antagonists and, principally, through those of a young bride……
骡：……银河历史中的众多重要人物，要数“骡”的生平最为隐晦。即使他最出名的那段时期，也几乎只能透过其对手的观点来了解他，其中又以一位年轻新娘的观点最具权威……
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
……《银河百科全书》
Bayta's first sight of Haven was entirely the contrary of spectacular. Her husband pointed it out……a dull star lost in the emptiness of the Galaxy's edge. It was past the last sparse clusters, to where straggling points of light gleamed lonely. And even among these it was poor and inconspicuous.
贝泰对赫汶恒星的第一印象是一点也不壮观。她的先生说过……它是位于虚空的银河边缘，一颗毫无特色的恒星。它比银河尽头任何一个稀疏的星团都要遥远；虽然那些星团发出的光芒稀稀落落，赫汶恒星却更为黯淡无光。
Toran was quite aware that as the earliest prelude to married life, the Red Dwarf lacked impressiveness and his lips curled self-consciously. "I know, Bay……It isn't exactly a proper change, is it? I mean from the Foundation to this."
杜伦心里很明白，以这颗“红矮星”作为婚姻生活的前奏曲，实在是太过平凡无趣。所以他撅着嘴，显得有些不好意思。“贝，我也知道……这并不是个很适宜的改变，对不对？我的意思是，从基地搬到这里。”
"A horrible change, Toran. I should never have married you."
“杜伦，简直是可怕的改变。我真不该嫁给你。”
And when his face looked momentarily hurt, before he caught himself, she said with her special "cozy" tone, "All right, silly. Now let your lower lip droop and give me that special dying-duck look……the one just before you're supposed to bury your head on my shoulder, while I stroke your hair full of static electricity. You were fishing for some drivel, weren't you? You were expecting me to say 'I'd be happy anywhere with you, Toran!' or 'The interstellar depths themselves would be home, my sweet, were you but with me!' Now you admit it."
他脸上立时露出伤心的表情，而在尚未恢复之前，她就以特有的“惬意”语调说：“好啦，小傻瓜。赶紧把你的下唇拉长，装出你独有的垂死天鹅状……你每次把头埋到我的肩膀之前，总会现出那种表情；而我就会抚摸你的头发，摩擦出好多静电。你想引诱我说些傻话，是不是？你希望我说：‘杜伦，不论天涯海角，只要和你在一起，我就永远幸福快乐！’或者说：‘亲爱的，只要和你长相厮守，即使在星际间的深邃太空，我也觉得有家的温暖！’你承认吧。”
She pointed a finger at him and snatched it away an instant before his teeth closed upon it.
她伸出一根手指头指着他，在他作势欲咬时，又赶紧把手缩回去。
He said, "If I surrender, and admit you're right, will you prepare dinner?"
他说：“如果我认输，承认你说得都对，你是不是就会准备晚餐？”
She nodded contentedly. He smiled, and just looked at her.
她心满意足地点点头。他回报一个微笑，目不转睛地望着她。
She wasn't beautiful on the grand scale to others……he admitted that……even if everybody did look twice. Her hair was dark and glossy, though straight, her mouth a bit wide……but her meticulous, close-textured eyebrows separated a white, unlined forehead from the warmest mahogany eyes ever filled with smiles.
在别人眼中，她并不能算绝代美女……他自己也承认……即使人人都会多看她一眼。她的直发有些单调，却乌黑而亮丽；嘴巴纵使稍嫌大些，但是她有一对致密的柳眉，衬托出其上白皙稚嫩、毫无皱纹的额头，以及其下那双笑起来分外热情的琥珀色眼睛。
And behind a very sturdily-built and staunchly-defended facade of practical, unromantic, hard-headedness towards life, there was just that little pool of softness that would never show if you poked for it, but could be reached if you knew just how……and never let on that you were looking for it.
她的外表看来十分坚强刚毅，似乎对人生充满务实、理性、择善固执的态度，不过在她内心深处，仍然藏有小小的一潭温柔。倘若有谁想要强求，一定会无功而返；只有最了解她的人，才知道应该如何汲取……最要紧的是绝不能泄漏这个意图。
Toran adjusted the controls unnecessarily and decided to relax. He was one interstellar jump, and then several milli-microparsecs "on the straight" before manipulation by hand was necessary. He leaned over backwards to look into the storeroom, where Bayta was juggling appropriate containers.
杜伦随手调整一下控制台上的按键，决定先稍事休息。还要再做一次星际跃迁，然后“直飞”数个毫微秒差距之后，才需要进行人工飞行。他靠在椅背上向后望去，看到贝泰在储藏室，正在选取食品罐头。
There was quite a bit of smugness about his attitude towards Bayta……the satisfied awe that marks the triumph of someone who has been hovering at the edge of an inferiority complex for three years.
他对贝泰的态度可说是沾沾自喜……过去三年来，他一直在自卑情结的边缘挣扎，如今的表现，只是一种心甘情愿的敬畏，象征着他的骄傲与胜利。
After all he was a provincial……and not merely a provincial, but the son of a renegade Trader. And she was of the Foundation itself……and not merely that, but she could trace her ancestry back to Mallow.
毕竟他只是个乡巴佬……非但如此，他的父亲还是一名叛变的行商。而她则是道道地地的基地公民……非但如此，她的家世还能直溯马洛市长。
And with all that, a tiny quiver underneath. To take her back to Haven, with its rock-world and cave-cities was bad enough. To have her face the traditional hostility of Trader for Foundation……nomad for city dweller……was worse.
基于这些因素，杜伦心里始终有些忐忑。将她带回赫汶，住在岩石世界的洞穴都市里，本身就是很糟的一件事。更糟的是，还得让她面对行商对基地（以及漂泊者对都市居民）的传统敌意。
Still……After supper, the last jump!
无论如何……晚餐过后，进行最后一次跃迁！
Haven was an angry crimson blaze, and the second planet was a ruddy patch of light with atmosphere-blurred rim and a half-sphere of darkness. Bayta leaned over the large view table with its spidering of crisscross lines that centered Haven II neatly.
赫汶恒星本身是一团火红的猛烈光焰，而它的第二颗行星表面映着斑驳的红色光点，周围是一圈迷蒙的大气，整个世界有一半处于黑暗。贝泰靠在巨大的显像台前，看着上面蛛网般交错的坐标曲线，赫汶二号不偏不倚位于坐标正中心。
She said gravely, "I wish I had met your father first. If he takes a dislike to me……"
她以严肃的口气说：“我真希望当初先见见你父亲。假如他不喜欢我……”
"Then," said Toran matter-of-factly, "you would be the first pretty girl to inspire that in him. Before he lost his arm and stopped roving around the Galaxy, he……Well, if you ask him about it, he'll talk to you about it till your ears wear down to a nubbin. After a while I got to thinking that he was embroidering; because he never told the same story twice the same way……"
“那么，”杜伦一本正经地说，“你会是第一个让他讨厌的美女。在他尚未失去一条手臂，还在银河各处浪迹天涯的时候，他……算啦，如果问他这些事，他会对你滔滔不绝，直到你的耳朵长茧。后来，我觉得他不断在添油加醋，因为同样一个故事，他每次的讲法都不同……”
Haven II was rushing up at them now. The landlocked sea wheeled ponderously below them, slate-gray in the lowering dimness and lost to sight, here and there, among the wispy clouds. Mountains jutted raggedly along the coast.
现在赫汶二号已经迎面扑来。在他们脚下，内海以沉重的步调不停旋转，青灰色海面在稀疏的云层间时隐时现。还有崎岖嶙峋的山脉，沿着海岸线延伸到远方。
The sea became wrinkled with nearness and, as it veered off past the horizon just at the end, there was one vanishing glimpse of shore-hugging ice fields.
随着太空船更接近地表，海面开始呈现波浪的皱褶。当他们在地平线尽头转向时，又瞥见拥抱着海岸的众多冰原。
Toran grunted under the fierce deceleration, "Is your suit locked?"
在激烈的减速过程中，杜伦以含糊的声音问：“你的太空衣锁紧了吗？”
Bayta's plump face was round and ruddy in the incasing sponge-foam of the internally-heated, skin-clinging costume.
这种贴身的太空旅行衣，不但内部具有加温装置，其中的发泡海绵还能抵抗加速度的作用。贝泰丰腴的脸庞已被压挤得又红又圆。
The ship lowered crunchingly on the open field just short of the lifting of the plateau.
在一阵叽嘎响声之后，太空船降落在一个没有任何隆起的开阔地上。
They climbed out awkwardly into the solid darkness of the outer-galactic night, and Bayta gasped as the sudden cold bit, and the thin wind swirled emptily. Toran seized her elbow and nudged her into an awkward run over the smooth, packed ground towards the sparking of artificial light in the distance.
两人好不容易才从太空船爬出来，四周是伸手不见五指的黑暗，这是“外银河”夜晚的特色。冷风在旷野中打着转，一股寒意陡然袭来，令贝泰倒抽一口凉气。杜伦抓住她的手肘，两人跌跌撞撞地跑过平整的广场，朝远方漏出一线灯光的方向跑去。
The advancing guards met them halfway, and after a whispered exchange of words, they were taken onward. The wind and the cold disappeared when the gate of rock opened and then closed behind them. The warm interior, white with wall-light, was filled with an incongruous humming bustle. Men looked up from their desks, and Toran produced documents.
半途就有数名警卫迎面而来，经过几句简单的问话，警卫便带着两人继续向前走。岩石闸门一开一关之后，冷风与寒气便消失了。岩洞内部有壁光照明，既暖和又明亮，还充满嘈杂鼎沸的喧闹声。杜伦掏出证件，让坐在办公桌后面的海关人员一一查看。
They were waved onward after a short glance and Toran whispered to his wife, "Dad must have fixed up the preliminaries. The usual lapse here is about five hours."
海关只瞄了几眼，就挥手让他们继续前进。杜伦对妻子耳语道：“爸爸一定先帮我们打点过，通常得花上五个钟头才能出关。”
They burst into the open and Bayta said suddenly, "Oh, my……"
他们穿出岩洞后，贝泰突然叫道：“喔，我的天……”
The cave city was in daylight……the white daylight of a young sun. Not that there was a sun, of course. What should have been the sky was lost in the unfocused glow of an over-all brilliance. And the warm air was properly thick and fragrant with greenery.
整个洞穴都市明亮如白昼，仿佛沐浴在年轻的太阳下。当然，这里并非真有什么太阳。本来应该是天空的地方，充满着弥散的明亮光芒。温暖的空气浓度适中，还飘来阵阵绿叶的清香。
Bayta said, "Why, Toran, it's beautiful."
贝泰说：“哇，杜伦，这里好漂亮。”
Toran grinned with anxious delight. "Well, now, Bay, it isn't like anything on the Foundation, of course, but it's the biggest city on Haven II……twenty thousand people, you know……and you'll get to like it. No amusement palaces, I'm afraid, but no secret police either."
杜伦带着心虚的欢喜，咧嘴笑了笑。“嗯，贝，这里和基地当然一切都不一样，但它却是赫汶二号最大的城市……你知道吗，有两万居民……你会喜欢上这里的。只怕此地没有游乐宫，但也没有秘密警察。”
"Oh, Torie, it's just like a toy city. It's all white and pink……and so clean."
“喔，杜，它简直像是个玩具城市。放眼望去不是白色就是粉红……而且好干净。”
"Well? Toran looked at the city with her. The houses were two stories high for the most part, and of the smooth vein rock indigenous to the region. The spires of the Foundation were missing, and the colossal community houses of the Old Kingdoms……but the smallness was there and the individuality; a relic of personal initiative in a Galaxy of mass life.
“是啊。”杜伦陪着她一起了望这座城市。建筑物大多只有两层楼高，都是用本地出产的平滑矿石建成。这里没有基地常见的尖顶建筑，也看不见“旧王国”那种庞大密集的社区房舍……有的只是各具特色的小型住家；在泛银河的集体生活型态中，表现出当年个人主义的遗风。
He snapped to sudden attention. "Bay……There's Dad! Right there……where I'm pointing, silly. Don't you see him?"
此时杜伦突然叫道：“贝……爸爸在那里！就在那里……小傻瓜，看我指的那个方向。你看不见他吗？”
She did. It was just the impression of a large man, waving frantically, fingers spread wide as though groping wildly in air. The deep thunder of a drawn-out shout reached them. Bayta trailed her husband, rushing downwards over the close-cropped lawn. She caught sight of a smaller man, white-haired, almost lost to view behind the robust One-arm, who still waved and still shouted.
她的确看到了。在她看来，那只是一个高大的身影，正疯狂地挥着手，五指张开，好像在空气中猛抓些什么。不久之后，一阵巨雷般的吼叫声传了过来。于是贝泰尾随着丈夫，冲过一大片仔细修剪过的草坪。她又看到另一个小个子，那人满头白发，几乎被身旁高大的独臂人完全遮住。而那独臂人仍然挥着手，仍然大声叫着。
Toran cried over his shoulder, "It's my father's half-brother. The one who's been to the Foundation. You know."
杜伦转头喊道：“那是我父亲的同父异母兄弟。你知道的，就是到过基地的那位。”
They met in the grass, laughing and incoherent, and Toran's father let out a final whoop for sheer joy. He hitched at his short jacket and adjusted the metal-chased belt that was his one concession to luxury.
他们四人在草坪上会合，又说又笑乱成一团。最后，杜伦的父亲发出一声兴奋的高呼。然后他拉了拉短上衣，调整了一下镶有金属浮雕的皮带，那是他唯一愿意接受的奢侈品。
His eyes shifted from one of the youngsters to the other, and then he said, a little out of breath, "You picked a rotten day to return home, boy!"
他的目光在两个年轻人身上来回游移，然后，他带着轻微的喘息说：“孩子，你实在不该挑这个烂日子回来！”
"What? Oh, it is Seldon's birthday, isn't it?"
“什么？喔，今天是谢顿的生日吧？”
"It is. I had to rent a car to make the trip here, and dragoon Randu to drive it. Not a public vehicle to be had at gun's point."
“没错。所以我只好租一辆车，硬逼着蓝度开到这里来。今天这种日子，即使拿枪也无法挟持公共交通工具。”
His eyes were on Bayta now, and didn't leave. He spoke to her more softly, "I have the crystal of you right here……and it's good, but I can see the fellow who took it was an amateur."
现在他的目光凝注在贝泰身上，没有再移开了。他以最温和的口气对她说：“我这里有你的水晶像……虽然很不错，但是我敢说，拍摄那个水晶像的人只有业余水准。”
He had the small cube of transparency out of his jacket pocket and in the light the laughing little face within sprang to vivid colored life as a miniature Bayta.
他从上衣口袋掏出一个小小的透明立方体。在光线照耀下，里面出现一个彩色的、栩栩如生的笑脸，活脱是个微型的贝泰。
"That one!" said Bayta. "Now I wonder why Toran should send that caricature. I'm surprised you let me come near you, sir."
“那个啊！”贝泰说，“我想不通，杜伦为什么会寄那种可笑的东西给您。爸爸，您还肯认我这个媳妇，真令我惊讶。”
"Are you now? Call me Fran. I'll have none of this fancy mess. For that, I think you can take my arm, and we'll go on to the car. Till now I never did think my boy knew what he was ever up to. I think I'll change that opinion. I think I'll have to change that opinion."
“是吗？叫我弗南就好了，我不喜欢那些虚伪的礼数。因此，我想你可以挽着我的手，我们一起走到车位去。在此之前，我一直认为我的孩子没什么眼光。但我想我会改变这个看法，我想我必须改变这个看法。”
Toran said to his half uncle softly, "How is the old man these days? Does he still hound the women?"
杜伦轻声问他的叔叔说：“这些日子我的老头过得如何？他还有没有继续猎艳？”
Randu puckered up all over his face when he smiled. "When he can, Toran, when he can. There are times when he remembers that his next birthday will be his sixtieth, and that disheartens him. But he shouts it down, this evil thought, and then he is himself. He is a Trader of the ancient type. But you, Toran. Where did you find such a pretty wife?"
蓝度微微一笑，带起满脸的皱纹。“杜伦，只要情况允许，他是照追不误。有些时候，当他想起下一个生日是六十大寿，就不禁会垂头丧气。不过他只要大吼几声，驱散这个可怕的想法，就会恢复往日的雄风。他是一个典型的老式行商。可是你呢，杜伦，你又是在哪里找到这么标致的老婆？”
The young man chuckled and linked arms. "Do you want a three years' history at a gasp, uncle?"
年轻人两手抱在胸前，咯咯笑了起来。“叔叔，你要我把三年的追求史一口气说完吗？”
It was in the small living room of the home that Bayta struggled out of her traveling cloak and hood and shook her hair loose. She sat down, crossing her knees, and returned the appreciative stare of this large, ruddy man.
回到家后，在小小的起居室中，贝泰吃力地脱下连帽的太空旅行衣，让头发自然垂下。然后她坐下来，双腿交叉，迎接着红脸大汉向她投注的欣赏目光。
She said, "I know what you're trying to estimate, and I'll help you; Age, twenty-four, height, five-four, weight, one-ten, educational specialty, history." She noticed that he always crooked his stand so as to hide the missing arm. But now Fran leaned close and said, "Since you mention it……weight, one-twenty."
她说：“我知道您在试着估量什么，就让我告诉您吧。年龄：二十四岁。身高：五英尺四英寸。体重：一百一十磅。主修科目：历史。”贝泰注意到，他总是喜欢侧身站立，以便掩饰那只失去的手臂。可是此时弗南却向她靠近，并说：“既然你提到了……体重应该是一百二十磅。”
He laughed loudly at her flush. Then he said to the company in general, "You can always tell a woman's weight by her upper arm……with due experience, of course. Do you want a drink, Bay?"
当她面红耳赤之际，他则纵声哈哈大笑。然后，他转向大家说：“根据女人的上臂，就能精确估计她的体重……当然，这需要足够的经验。贝，你想喝点酒吗？”
"Among other things," she said, and they left together, while Toran busied himself at the book shelves to check for new additions.
“我还想要点别的。”说完，她就跟着弗南离开客厅，杜伦则忙着在书架旁翻找新书。
Fran returned alone and said, "She'll be down later."
不久弗南独自回来，说道：“她等一下就会下来。”
He lowered himself heavily into the large comer chair and placed his stiff-jointed left leg on the stool before it. The laughter had left his red face, and Toran turned to face him.
他将庞大的身躯重重塞进角落的那张大椅子，再将关节硬化的左腿搁到面前的凳子上。杜伦转头面向着他，刚才的笑容已从他的红脸消失了。
Fran said, "Well, you're home, boy, and I'm glad you are. I like your woman. She's no whining ninny."
弗南说：“很好，孩子，你回家了，我很高兴你能回来。我喜欢你的女人，她不像爱哭爱闹的绣花枕头。”
"I married her," said Toran simply.
“我和她结婚了。”杜伦直截了当地说。
"Well, that's another thing altogether, boy." His eyes darkened. "It's a foolish way to tie up the future. In my longer life, and more experienced, I never did such a thing."
“嗯，孩子，那又完全另当别论。”他的眼神变得阴郁，“将自己的未来绑死，实在是个不智之举。我比你多活好些年，比你更有经验，就从来不干这种傻事。”
Randu interrupted from the comer where he stood quietly. "Now Franssart, what comparisons are you making? Till your crash landing six years ago you were never in one spot long enough to establish residence requirements for marriage, And since then, who would have you?"
蓝度原本站在角落一言不发，此时突然插嘴道：“拜托，弗南萨特，你怎么打这种比方？在你六年前迫降失事之前，你没有在任何地方住得够久，从未达到能够结婚的法定期限。而你出事后，又有谁要嫁给你呢？”
The one-armed man jerked erect in his seat and replied hotly, "Many, you snowy dotard……"
独臂老人从椅子上一跃而起，怒气冲冲地答道：“多得很，你这满头白发的老糊涂……”
Toran said with hasty tact, "It's largely a legal formality, Dad. The situation has its conveniences."
杜伦发挥急智，说道：“爸爸，这主要是个法律形式。这样子会有许多方便。”
"Mostly for the woman," grumbled Fran.
“主要是方便了女人。”弗南忿忿不平地说。
"And even if so," agreed Randu, "it's up to the boy to decide. Marriage is an old custom among the Foundationers."
“即使如此，”蓝度附和道，“仍然应该让孩子来决定。对基地人而言，婚姻是一种古老的风俗。”
"The Foundationers are not fit models for an honest Trader," smoldered Fran.
“基地人的作风，不值得老实的行商仿效。”弗南一肚子怨气。
Toran broke in again, "My wife is a Foundationer." He looked from one to the other, and then said quietly, "She's coming."
杜伦又插嘴道：“我的妻子就是基地人。”他轮流看了看父亲与叔父，然后悄声说：“她回来了。”
The conversation took a general turn after the evening meal, which Fran had spiced with three tales of reminiscence composed of equal parts of blood, women, profits, and embroidery. The small televisor was on, and some classic drama was playing itself out in an unregarded whisper. Randu had hitched himself into a more comfortable position on the low couch and gazed past the slow smoke of his long pipe to where Bayta had knelt down upon the softness of the white fur mat brought back once long ago from a trade mission and now spread out only upon the most ceremonious occasions.
晚餐后，话题有了很大的转变。弗南为了替大家助兴，讲了三个亲身的经历，其中血腥、女人、生意和自夸的比重各占四分之一。客厅中的小型电视幕一直开着，播出的是一出古典戏剧，不过音量调得很小，根本没有人看。现在蓝度坐在长椅上，换了一个更舒服的姿势，他透过长烟斗徐徐冒出的烟，看着跪坐在柔软的白色皮毛毯上的贝泰。这条皮毛毯是很久以前一次贸易任务中带回来的，只有在最重要的场合才会铺起来。
"You have studied history, my girl?" he asked, pleasantly.
“姑娘，你读的是历史？”他以愉快的口气问贝泰。
Bayta nodded. "I was the despair of my teachers, but I learned a bit, eventually."
贝泰点点头。“我是个让师长头疼的学生，不过终究学到一点皮毛。”
"A citation for scholarship," put in Toran, smugly, "that's all!"
“她拿过奖学金，”杜伦得意洋洋地说，“如此而已！”
"And what did you learn?" proceeded Randu, smoothly.
“你学到些什么呢？”蓝度随口追问。
"Everything? Now?" laughed the girl.
“五花八门，怎么样？”女孩哈哈大笑。
The old man smiled gently. "Well then, what do you think of the Galactic situation?"
老人淡淡一笑。“那么，你对银河的现状有什么看法？”
"I think," said Bayta, concisely, "that a Seldon crisis is pending……and that if it isn't then away with the Seldon plan altogether. It is a failure."
“我认为，”贝泰简单明了地说，“另一个谢顿危机即将来临……倘若这个危机不在谢顿算计之中，谢顿计划就失败了。”
("Whew," muttered Fran, from his comer. "What a way to speak of Seldon." But he said nothing aloud.)
“唔，”弗南在角落喃喃道，“怎么可以这样说谢顿。”不过他并没有大声说出来。
Randu sucked at his pipe speculatively. "Indeed? Why do you say that? I was to the Foundation, you know, in my younger days, and I, too, once thought great dramatic thoughts. But, now, why do you say that?"
蓝度若有所思地吸着烟斗。“是吗？你为何这么说呢？你知道吗，我年轻的时候去过基地，我自己也曾经有过很富戏剧性的想法。可是，你又是为何这么说呢？”
"Well," Bayta's eyes misted with thought as she curled her bare toes into the white softness of the rug and nestled her little chin in one plump hand, "it seems to me that the whole essence of Seldon's plan was to create a world better than the ancient one of the Galactic Empire. It was failing apart, that world, three centuries ago, when Seldon first established the Foundation……and if history speaks truly, it was falling apart of the triple disease of inertia, despotism, and maldistribution of the goods of the universe."
“这个嘛……”贝泰陷入沉思，眼神显得迷蒙。她将裸露的脚趾勾入柔软的白色皮毛毯中，用丰腴的手掌托着尖尖的下巴。“在我看来，谢顿计划的主要目的，是要建立一个比银河帝国更好的新世界。银河帝国的世界在三个世纪前，也就是谢顿刚刚建立基地的时候，就开始逐渐土崩瓦解……假如历史的记载属实，那么令帝国瓦解的三大弊病，就是惰性、专制，以及天下的财货分配不均。”
Randu nodded slowly, while Toran gazed with proud, luminous eyes at his wife, and Fran in the comer clucked his tongue and carefully refilled his glass.
蓝度缓缓点着头，杜伦以充满骄傲的眼神凝视着妻子，坐在角落的弗南则发出几声赞叹，小心翼翼地帮自己再斟了一杯酒。
Bayta said, "If the story of Seldon is true, he foresaw the complete collapse of the Empire through his Jaws of psychohistory, and was able to predict the necessary thirty thousand years of barbarism before the establishment of a new Second Empire to restore civilization and culture to humanity. It was the whole aim of his life-work to set up such conditions as would insure a speedier rejuvenation,"
贝泰继续说：“假如关于谢顿的记载都是事实，那么他的确利用心理史学的定律，预见了帝国全面性的崩溃，又预测到必须经过三万年的蛮荒期，才能建立一个新的第二帝国，使人类的文化和文明得以复兴。而他毕生心血的唯一目的，就是要创造一组适当的条件，以确保银河文明加速复兴。”
The deep voice of Fran burst out, "And that's why he established the two Foundations, honor be to his name."
弗南低沉的声音突然响起：“这就是他建立两个基地的原因，谢顿实在伟大。”
"And that's why he established the two Foundations," assented Bayta. "Our Foundation was a gathering of the scientists of the dying Empire intended to carry on the science and learning of man to new heights. And the Foundation was so situated in space and the historical environment was such that through the careful calculations of his genius, Seldon foresaw that in one thousand years, it would become a newer, greater Empire."
“这就是他建立两个基地的原因。”贝泰完全同意这句话，“我们的基地集合了垂死帝国的许多科学家，目的是要继承人类的科学和知识，并加以发扬光大。这个基地在太空中的位置，以及它的历史条件，都是他的天才头脑精心计算的结果。谢顿已经预见在一千年之后，基地就会发展成一个崭新的、更伟大的帝国。”
There was a reverent silence.
室内充满一阵虔敬的沉默。
The girl said softly, "It's an old story. You all know it. For almost three centuries every human being of the Foundation has known it. But I thought it would be appropriate to go through it……just quickly. Today is Seldon's birthday, you know, and even if I am of the Foundation, and you are of Haven, we have that in common?
女孩继续柔声说道：“这是个老掉牙的故事，你们其实都听过。近三个世纪以来，基地的每个人都耳熟能详。不过我想，我最好还是从头说起……简单扼要地说。你瞧，今天正好是谢顿的生日，虽然我是基地公民，而你们是赫汶人，我们都会庆祝这个日子。”
She lit a cigarette slowly, and watched the glowing tip absently. "The laws of history are as absolute as the laws of physics, and if the probabilities of error are greater, it is only because history does not deal with as many humans as physics does atoms, so that individual variations count for more. Seldon predicted a series of crises through the thousand years of growth, each of which would force a new turning of our history into a pre-calculated path. It is those crises which direct us……and therefore a crisis must come now.
她慢慢点燃一根香烟，出神地盯着发光的烟头。“历史定律和物理定律一样绝对，假如历史定律产生误差的几率较大，那只是因为历史的研究对象，也就是人类，数目并没有物理学中的原子那么多，因此个别对象的差异会产生较大的影响。谢顿预测在基地发展的这一千年之间，会发生一个接一个的危机，每个危机都会迫使我们的历史转向一次，以便遵循预设的历史轨迹前进。过去一直是这些危机在引导我们，因此，现在必定会出现另一个危机。”
"Now!" she repeated, forcefully. "It's almost a century since the last one, and in that century, every vice of the Empire has been repeated in the Foundation. Inertia! Our ruling class knows one law; no change. Despotism! They know one rule; force. Maldistribution! They know one desire; to hold what is theirs."
“另一个危机！”她强而有力地重复一遍，“上一个危机，几乎是一世纪之前的事，而一个世纪以来，帝国的一切积弊都在基地重演。惰性！我们的统治阶级只懂得一个规律：守成不变。专制！他们只知道一个原则：武力至上。分配不均！他们心中只有一个理想：一毛不拔。”
"While others starve!" roared Fran suddenly with a mighty blow of his fist upon the arm of his chair. "Girl, your words are pearls. The fat guts on their moneybags ruin the Foundation, while the brave Traders hide their poverty on dregs of worlds like Haven. It's a disgrace to Seldon, a casting of dirt in his face, a spewing in his beard." He raised his arm high, and then his face lengthened. "If I had my other arm! If……once……they had listened to me!"
“而其他人却在挨饿！”弗南突然怒吼，同时使劲一拳打在坐椅扶手上，“姑娘，你的话可真是字字珠玑。那些躺在金山银山上的肥猪腐化了基地，英勇的行商却躲在像赫汶这种鬼地方，过着乞丐般的生活。这是对谢顿的侮辱，就像在他脸上涂粪，向他的胡子吐痰一样。”他将独臂高高举起，然后拉长了脸。“假使我还有另一只手臂！假使……当初……他们听我的话！”
"Dad," said Toran, "take it easy."
“爸爸，”杜伦说，“冷静一点。”
"Take it easy. Take it easy," his father mimicked savagely. "We'll live here and die here forever……and you say, take it easy."
“冷静一点，冷静一点。”父亲没好气地学着儿子的口气，“我们就要老死在这里了……而你竟然还说，冷静一点。”
"That's our modern Lathan Devers," said Randu, gesturing with his pipe, "this Fran of ours. Devers died in the slave mines eighty years ago with your husband's great-grandfather, because he lacked wisdom and didn't lack heart?
“我们的弗南，真是现代的拉珊·迪伐斯。”蓝度一面挥动烟斗一面说，“八十年前，迪伐斯和你丈夫的曾祖父一起死在奴工矿坑中，就是因为他有勇却无谋……”
"Yes, by the Galaxy, I'd do the same if I were he," swore Fran. "Devers was the greatest Trader in history……greater than the overblown windbag, Mallow, the Foundationers worship. If the cutthroats who lord the Foundation killed him because he loved justice, the greater the blood-debt owed them."
“没错，我向银河发誓，假使我是他，我也会那么做。”弗南赌着咒，“迪伐斯是历史上最伟大的行商，远超过那个光会耍嘴皮子的马洛……基地人心目中的偶像。那些在基地作威作福的刽子手，若是因为他热爱正义而杀害他，他们身上的血债就要再添一笔。”
"Go on, girl," said Randu. "Go on, or, surely, he'll talk a the night and rave all the next day."
“姑娘，继续说。”蓝度道，“继续说，否则我敢保证，今天晚上他会没完没了，明天还要语无伦次一整天。”
"There's nothing to go on about," she said, with a sudden gloom. "There must be a crisis, but I don't know how to make one. The progressive forces on the Foundation are oppressed fearfully. You Traders may have the will, but you are hunted and disunited. If all the forces of good will in and out of the Foundation could combine……"
“没有什么可说的了。”她突然现出忧郁的神情，“必须要有另一个危机，但我也不知道该如何制造。基地上的改革力量受到强力压制。你们行商心有余而力不足，不是被追捕，就是被分化。若能将基地里里外外，所有的正义之士团结起来……”
Fran's laugh was a raucous jeer. "Listen to her, Randu, listen to her. In and out of the Foundation, she says. Girl, girl, there's no hope in the flab-sides of the Foundation. Among them some hold the whip and the rest are whipped dead whipped. Not enough spunk left in the whole rotten world to outface one good Trader."
弗南发出刺耳的讥讽笑声。“听听她说些什么，蓝度，听听她说些什么。她说‘基地里里外外’。姑娘，姑娘，那些养尊处优的基地人没什么希望了。在他们中间，少数几个人握着鞭子，而其他人只有挨抽的份……至死方休。那个世界整个腐化了，根本没有足够的勇气，胆敢面对一个好行商的挑战。”
Bayta's attempted interruptions broke feebly against the overwhelming wind.
贝泰试图插嘴，但在弗南压倒性的气势中，她的声音完全被淹没。
Toran leaned over and put a hand over her mouth. "Dad," he said, coldly, "you've never been on the Foundation. You know nothing about it. I tell you that the underground there is brave and daring enough. I could tell you that Bayta was one of them……"
杜伦靠近她，伸出一只手捂住她的嘴。“爸爸，”他以冷冷的口气说，“你从来没有去过基地，你对那里根本一无所知。我告诉你，那里的地下组织天不怕地不怕。我还能告诉你，贝泰也是他们的一分子……”
"All right, boy, no offense. Now, where's the cause for anger?" He was genuinely perturbed.
“好了，孩子，你别生气。说说，到底为什么发火？”他觉得事态严重了。
Toran drove on fervently, "The trouble with you, Dad, is that you've got a provincial outlook. You think because some hundred thousand Traders scurry into holes on an unwanted planet at the end of nowhere, that they're a great people. Of course, any tax collector from the Foundation that gets here never leaves again, but that's cheap heroism. What would you do if the Foundation sent a fleet?"
杜伦继续激动地说：“爸爸，你的问题是眼光太狭隘。你总是认为，十万多名行商逃到银河边缘一颗无人行星上，他们就算伟大得不得了。当然，基地派来的收税员，没有一个能够离开这里，但是那只能算匹夫之勇。假如基地派出舰队，你们又要怎么办？”
"We'd blast them," said Fran, sharply.
“我们把他们轰下来。”弗南厉声答道。
"And get blasted……with the balance in their favor. You're outnumbered, outarmed, outorganized……and as soon as the Foundation thinks it worth its while, you'll realize that. So you had better seek your allies……on the Foundation itself, if you can."
“同时自己也挨轰……而且是以寡敌众。不论是人数、装备或组织，你们都比不上基地。一旦基地认为值得开战，你们马上会晓得厉害。所以你们最好尽快开始寻找盟友……最好就在基地里面找。”
"Randu, said Fran, looking at his brother like a great, helpless bull.
“蓝度。”弗南喊道，还像一头无助的公牛般看着他的兄弟。
Randu took his pipe away from his lips, "The boy's right, Fran. When you listen to the little thoughts deep inside you, you know he is. But they're uncomfortable thoughts, so you drown them out with that roar of yours. But they're still there. Toran, I'll tell you why I brought all this up."
蓝度将烟斗从口中抽出来。“弗南，孩子说得对。当你扪心自问的时候，你也知道他说得都对。但是这些想法让人不舒服，所以你才用大声咆哮把它们驱走。可是它们仍然藏在你心中。杜伦，我马上会告诉你，我为什么把话题扯到这里。”
He puffed thoughtfully awhile, then dipped his pipe into the neck of the tray, waited for the silent flash, and withdrew it clean. Slowly, he filled it again with precise tamps of his little finger.
他若有所思地猛吸一阵烟，再将烟斗放进烟灰筒的颈部，闪过一道无声的光芒后，烟斗被吸得干干净净。他又把烟斗拿起来，用小指慢慢地填装烟丝。
He said, "Your little suggestion of Foundation's interest in us, Toran, is to the point. There have been two recent visits lately……for tax purposes. The disturbing point is that the second visitor was accompanied by a light patrol ship. They landed in Gleiar City……giving us the miss for a change……and they never lifted off again, naturally. But now they'll surely be back. Your father is aware of all this, Toran, he really is.
他说：“杜伦，你刚才提到基地对我们感兴趣，的确是一语中的。基地最近派人来过两次……都是来收税的。令人不安的是，第二次来的那批人，还有轻型巡逻舰负责护送。他们改在葛莱尔市降落……有意让我们措手不及……当然，他们还是有去无回。可是他们势必还会再来。杜伦，你父亲全都心知肚明，他真的很明白。
"Look at the stubborn rakehell. He knows Haven is in trouble, and he knows we're helpless, but he repeats his formulas. It warms and protects him. But once he's had his say, and roared his defiance, and feels he's discharged his duty as a man and a Bull Trader, why he's as reasonable as any of us."
“看看这位顽固的浪子。他知道赫汶有了麻烦，他也知道我们束手无策，但是他一直重复自己那套说词。那套说词安慰着他，保护着他。等到他把能说的都说完了，该骂的都骂光了，便觉得尽了一个男子汉、一个英勇行商的责任，那个时候，他就变得和我们一样讲理。”
"Any of who?" asked Bayta.
“和谁一样？”贝泰问道。
He smiled at her. "We've formed a little group, Bayta……just in our city. We haven't done anything, yet. We haven't even managed to contact the other cities yet, but it's a start."
蓝度对她微微一笑。“贝泰，我们组织了一个小团体……就在我们这个城市。我们还没有做任何事，甚至尚未试图联系其他城市，但这总是个开始。”
"But towards what?"
“开始做什么？”
Randu shook his head. "We don't know-yet. We hope for a miracle. We have decided that, as you say, a Seldon crisis must be at hand." He gestured widely upwards. "The Galaxy is full of the chips and splinters of the broken Empire. The generals swarm. Do you suppose the time may come when one will grow bold?"
蓝度摇摇头。“我们也不知道……还不知道。我们期待奇迹出现。我们一致同意，如你刚才所说，另一个谢顿危机必须尽快来临。”他夸张地向上比划了一下，“银河中充满了帝国四分五裂后的碎片，挤满了伺机而动的将领。你想想看，假如某一位变得足够勇敢，是否就代表时机来临了？”
Bayta considered, and shook her head decisively, so that the long straight hair with the single inward curl at the end swirled about her ears. "No, not a chance. There's not one of those generals who doesn't know that an attack on the Foundation is suicide. Bel Riose of the old Empire was a better man than any of them, and he attacked with the resources of a galaxy, and couldn't win against the Seldon Plan. Is there one general that doesn't know that?"
贝泰想了一下，然后坚决地摇了摇头，末端微卷的直发随即在她耳边打转。“不，绝无可能。那些帝国的将军，没有一个不晓得对基地发动攻击等于自杀。贝尔·里欧思是帝国最杰出的将军，而他当年进攻基地，还有整个银河的资源作为后盾，却仍旧无法击败谢顿计划。这个前车之鉴，难道还有哪个将军不知道吗？”
"But what if we spur them on?"
“但是如果我们鼓动他们呢？”
"Into where? Into an atomic furnace? With what could you possibly spur them?"
“鼓动他们做什么？叫他们飞蛾扑火？你能用什么东西鼓动他们？”
"Well, there is one……a new one. In this past year or two, there has come word of a strange man whom they call the Mule."
“嗯，其中有一位……一位新出道的。过去一两年间，据说出现了一个称为‘骡’的怪人。”
"The Mule?" She considered. "Ever hear of him, Torie?''
“骡？”贝泰想了想，“杜，你听过这个人吗？”
Toran shook his head. She said, "What about him?"
杜伦摇了摇头，于是她说：“这个人有什么不一样？”
"I don't know. But he wins victories at, they say, impossible odds. The rumors may be exaggerated, but it would be interesting, in any case, to become acquainted with him. Not every man with sufficient ability and sufficient ambition would believe in Hari Seldon and his laws of psychohistory. We could encourage that disbelief. He might attack."
“我不知道。但是据说，他在敌我比例悬殊的情况下，却仍然能打胜仗。那些谣言或许有些夸张，可是无论如何，倘若能结识他，会是非常有意思的一件事。那些有足够能力又有足够野心的人，并非通通信仰哈里·谢顿以及他的心理史学定律。我们可以让他更不信邪，他就可能会发动攻击。”
"And the Foundation would win."
“而基地最后仍会胜利。”
"Yes……but not necessarily easily. It might be a crisis, and we could take advantage of such a crisis to force a compromise with the despots of the Foundation. At the worst, they would forget us long enough to enable us to plan farther."
“没错……但是不一定容易。这样就可能造成一次危机，我们则能利用这个危机，迫使基地的独裁者妥协。至少，会让他们有很长一段时间无暇兼顾，而我们就能做更充分的筹划。”
"What do you think, Torie?"
“杜，你认为怎么样？”
Toran smiled feebly and pulled at a loose brown curl that fell over one eye. "The way he describes it, it can't hurt; but who is the Mule? What do you know of him, Randu?"
杜伦无力地笑了笑，并将垂到眼前的一绺褐色蓬松卷发拨开。“照他这种说法，不会有什么害处；可是骡究竟是何方神圣？蓝度，你对他又了解多少？”
"Nothing yet. For that, we could use you, Toran. And your wife, if she's willing. We've talked of this, your father and I. We've talked of this thoroughly."
“目前为止一无所知。这件事，杜伦，你刚好派得上用场。还有你的老婆，只要她愿意。我们谈过这件事，你父亲和我，我们曾经仔仔细细讨论过。”
"In what way, Randu? What do you want of us?" The young man cast a quick inquisitive look at his wife.
“蓝度，我们怎么帮忙呢？你要我们做些什么？”年轻人迅速向妻子投以一个询问的眼神。
"Have you had a honeymoon?"
“你们度过蜜月没有？”
"Well ... yes ... if you can call the trip from the Foundation a honeymoon."
“这个……有啊……我们这一趟从基地到这里的旅行，如果能算蜜月的话。”
"How about a better one on Kalgan? It's semitropical beaches……water sports……bird hunting……quite the vacation spot. It's about seven thousand parsecs in-not too far."
“你们去卡尔根好好度个蜜月如何？那个世界属于亚热带……海滩、水上运动、猎鸟……是个绝佳的度假胜地。距离此地大约七千秒差距……不算太远。”
"What's on Kalgan?"
“卡尔根有什么特别？”
"The Mule! His men, at least. He took it last month, and without a battle, though Kalgan's warlord broadcast a threat to blow the planet to ionic dust before giving it up."
“骡在那里！至少那里有他的手下。他上个月拿下那个世界，而且是不战而胜。虽然卡尔根的统领事先扬言，弃守前要把整颗星炸成一团离子尘。”
"Where's the warlord now?"
“现在那个统领在哪里？”
"He isn't," said Randu, with a shrug. "What do you say?"
“他不在了。”蓝度耸了耸肩，“你怎么决定？”
"But what are we to do?"
“但是要我们去做些什么呢？”
"I don't know. Fran and I are old; we're provincial. The Traders of Haven are all essentially provincial. Even you say so. Our trading is of a very restricted sort, and we're not the Galaxy roamers our ancestors were, Shut up, Fran! But you two know the Galaxy. Bayta, especially, speaks with a nice Foundation accent. We merely wish whatever you can find out. If you can make contact ... but we wouldn't expect that. Suppose you two think it over. You can meet our entire group if you wish ... oh, not before next week. You ought to have some time to catch your breath."
“我也不知道。弗南和我上了年纪，又是乡巴佬。赫汶的行商其实都是乡巴佬，连你自己也这么说。我们的贸易活动种类非常有限，也不像先人那样跑遍整个银河系。弗南，你给我闭嘴！你们两位对银河系却相当了解。尤其是贝泰，说的是标准的基地口音。我们只是希望你们尽可能观察。倘若能接触到……不过我们并不这么奢望。你们两位好好考虑一下。你们若是愿意，可以和我们整个团体见见面……喔，下个星期吧。你们需要一点时间，好好喘口气。”
There was a pause and then Fran roared, "Who wants; another drink? I mean, besides me?"
接着是短暂的沉默，然后弗南吼道：“谁还要再喝一杯？我是说除了我之外？”