5 Upperside
第5章 上方
TRANTOR:……It is almost never pictured as a world seen from space. It has long since captured the general mind of humanity as a world of the interior and the image is that of the human hive that existed under the domes. Yet there was an exterior as well and there are holographs that still remain that were taken from space and show varying degrees of [devil] (see Figures 14 and 15). Note that the surface of the domes, the interface of the vast city and the overlying atmosphere, a surface referred to in its time as "Upperside," is……
川陀：……几乎从来没有人从外太空描绘这个世界。长久以来，在一般人心目中，它一直是个内部世界，其形象为无数穹顶之下的住人巢穴。然而它也有外部结构，某些摄自太空、留存至今的全息像，足以显示出不同程度的细节（参见图十四、十五）。请注意那些穹顶的表面……这座庞大城市与其上大气层的交界……这个当时称为“上方”的表面，是……
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
……《银河百科全书》
Yet the following day found Hari Seldon back in the library. For one thing, there was his promise to Hummin. He had promised to try and he couldnt very well make it a halfhearted process. For another, he owed something to himself too. He resented having to admit failure. Not yet, at least. Not while he could plausibly tell himself he was following up leads.
不过，哈里·谢顿隔天依旧回到图书馆。一来，他对夫铭有过承诺。他曾经答应会尽力一试，不能随随便便敷衍了事。另一方面，他对自己也有亏欠。他极不愿承认失败，至少不是现在。现在他起码还能告诉自己，他正在循着线索前进。
So he stared at the list of reference book-films he had not yet checked through and tried to decide which of the unappetizing number had the slightest chance of being useful to him. He had about decided that the answer was "none of the above" and saw no way out but to look at samples of each when he was startled by a gentle tap against the alcove wall.
所以，他瞪着一串尚未查阅的参考书单，试图判断在这些令人倒胃口的编号中，究竟哪一个可能有丝毫的用处。他正要得到一个结论：答案是“以上皆非”，非得逐个取样不可。这时他忽然听到一阵轻敲凹室墙壁的声音，不禁吓了一跳。
Seldon looked up and found the embarrassed face of Lisung Randa peering at him around the edge of the alcove opening. Seldon knew Randa, had been introduced to him by Dors, and had dined with him (and with others) on several occasions.
谢顿抬起头来，看见表情尴尬的李松·阮达正从凹室开口的边缘窥视自己。谢顿认识阮达，那是铎丝介绍的，也曾经和他（还有其他一些人）一起吃过几顿饭。
Randa, an instructor in psychology, was a little man, short and plump, with a round cheerful face and an almost perpetual smile. He had a sallow complexion and the narrowed eyes so characteristic of people on millions of worlds. Seldon knew that appearance well, for there were many of the great mathematicians who had borne it, and he had frequently seen their holograms. Yet on Helicon he had never seen one of these Easterners. (By tradition they were called that, though no one knew why; and the Easterners themselves were said to resent the term to some degree, but again no one knew why.)
阮达是心理系的讲师，个头很小，身材矮胖，一张圆脸喜气洋洋，几乎永远带着微笑。他拥有淡黄的肌肤与细小的眼睛，那是数百万个世界上居民的共同特征。谢顿对这样的外表相当熟悉，因为许多伟大的数学家都是这种模样，他们的全息像是他常常能看到的。但在赫利肯上，他却从未见过一个东方人。（那是他们传统的称呼，虽然没有人知道为什么；据说东方人自己对这个名称多少有些反感，不过同样无人知晓原因何在。）
"Theres millions of us here on Trantor," Randa had said, smiling with no trace of self-consciousness, when Seldon, on first meeting him, had not been able to repress all trace of startled surprise. "Youll also find lots of Southerners……dark skins, tightly curled hair. Did you ever see one?"
“在川陀，我们这种人有好几百万。”当他们首次见面，谢顿无法完全压抑讶异的表情时，阮达曾经这么说，同时带着十分自然的笑容。“你也会发现很多南方人……黑皮肤，头发很卷。你曾经见过吗？”
"Not on Helicon," muttered Seldon.
“在赫利肯从没见过。”谢顿喃喃答道。
"All Westerners on Helicon, eh? How dull! But it doesnt matter. Takes all kinds." (He left Seldon wondering at the fact that there were Easterners, Southerners, and Westerners, but no Northerners. He had tried finding an answer to why that might be in his reference searches and had not succeeded.)
“赫利肯都是西方人，啊？多么单调！不过没关系，反正四海一家。”这番话使谢顿不禁纳闷，为什么有东方人、南方人与西方人，却偏偏没有北方人。他曾试图从参考资料中找出可能的答案，却没有任何收获。
And now Randas good-natured face was looking at him with an almost ludicrous look of concern. He said, "Are you all right, Seldon?"
现在，阮达望着他，和善的脸庞带着一种近乎滑稽的关切神情。“谢顿，你还好吧？”
Seldon stared. "Yes, of course. Why shouldnt I be?"
谢顿瞪大眼睛。“当然，为什么会不好？”
"Im just going by sounds, my friend. You were screaming."
“我只不过根据声音判断，朋友，你刚才在尖叫。”
"Screaming?" Seldon looked at him with offended disbelief.
“尖叫？”谢顿望着他，一脸不相信又不高兴的表情。
"Not loud. Like this." Randa gritted his teeth and emitted a strangled high-pitched sound from the back of his throat. "If Im wrong, I apologize for this unwarranted intrusion on you. Please forgive me."
“不是很大声，就像这样。”阮达咬紧两排牙齿，从喉咙后方发出一阵掐住脖子的高亢声调。“如果我弄错了，我就要为这样的无端侵扰致歉，请原谅我。”
Seldon hung his head. "Youre forgiven, Lisung. I do make that sound sometimes, Im told. I assure you its unconscious. Im never aware of it."
谢顿垂下头来。“李松，我不介意。有人告诉过我，我有时的确发出那种声音。我保证那是无意识的动作，我从来不曾察觉。”
"Are you aware why you make it?"
“你明白自己为何这样做吗？”
"Yes. Frustration. Frustration."
“明白。因为挫折感，挫折感！”
Randa beckoned Seldon closer and lowered his voice further. "Were disturbing people. Lets come out to the lounge before were thrown out."
阮达招手示意谢顿凑近些，并将音量压得更低。“我们打扰了其他人。还是到休息室去吧，免得等一下被人轰走。”
In the lounge, over a pair of mild drinks, Randa said, "May I ask you, as a matter of professional interest, why you are feeling frustration?"
在休息室中，喝了两杯淡酒之后，阮达说：“基于职业上的兴趣，我能否请问你，为什么你会有挫折感？”
Seldon shrugged. "Why does one usually feel frustration? Im tackling something in which I am making no progress."
谢顿耸了耸肩。“通常一个人为什么有挫折感？我在进行一项工作，一直没有任何进展。”
"But youre a mathematician, Hari. Why should anything in the history library frustrate you?"
“哈里，但你是一位数学家。历史图书馆有什么东西会让你感到挫折？”
"What were you doing here?"
“你又在这里做什么呢？”
"Passing through as part of a shortcut to where I was going when I heard you…… moaning. Now you see"……and he smiled……"its no longer a shortcut, but a serious delay……one that I welcome, however."
“我经过这里只是为了抄近路，结果听到你在……呻吟。现在你看，”他又露出微笑，“这不再是近路，而是严重的耽搁。然而，我真心欢迎这种情况。”
"I wish I were just passing through the history library, but Im trying to solve a mathematical problem that requires some knowledge of history and Im afraid Im not handling it well."
“我多么希望自己也只是路过历史图书馆。事实却是，我正试图解决的一个数学问题，需要一些历史学的知识，但只怕我没做好这件工作。”
Randa stared at Seldon with an unusually solemn expression on his face, then he said, "Pardon me, but I must run the risk of offending you now. Ive been computering you."
阮达带着难得的严肃表情盯着谢顿，然后说：“对不起，但我必须冒着触怒你的危险……我一直在用电脑查阅你。”
"Computering me!" Seldons eyes widened. He felt distinctly angry.
“查阅我！”谢顿双眼圆瞪，他感到极为愤怒。
"I have offended you. But, you know, I had an uncle who was a mathematician. You might even have heard of him: Kiangtow Randa."
“我果然触怒了你。不过，你可知道，我有个伯父也是数学家。你甚至可能听过他的名字：江涛·阮达。”
Seldon drew in his breath. "Are you a relative of that Randa?"
谢顿倒抽了一口气。“你是那位阮达的亲戚？”
"Yes. He is my fathers older brother and he was quite displeased with me for not following in his footsteps……he has no children of his own. I thought somehow that it might please him that I had met a mathematician and I wanted to boast of you……if I could……so I checked what information the mathematics library might have."
“没错，他是家父的兄长。我没追随他的脚步，令他相当不高兴……他自己没有子女。于是我想到，要是让他知道我结识了一位数学家，或许他听了会开心。我想为你吹嘘一番……尽力而为……所以我查询了数学图书馆中的资料。”
"I see. And thats what you were really doing there. Well……Im sorry. I don't suppose you could do much boasting."
“我懂了，这才是你去那里的真正原因。嗯……很抱歉，我想我没有什么能让你吹嘘的。”
"You suppose wrong. I was impressed. I couldnt make heads or tails of the subject matter of your papers, but somehow the information seemed to be very favorable. And when I checked the news files, I found you were at the Decennial Convention earlier this year. So…… whats psychohistory, anyway? Obviously, the first two syllables stir my curiosity."
“你想错了，结果我相当惊讶。你的论文究竟研究些什么题目，我连皮毛都不懂，不过那些资料似乎非常热门。而在我查阅新闻档案时，我发现你曾经出席今年的十载会议。所以……到底什么是‘心理史学’？显然，前两个字挑起我的好奇心。”
"I see you got that word out of it."
“我相信你看出了字面的意思。”
"Unless Im totally misled, it seemed to me that you can work out the future course of history."
“除非我完全受到误导，否则在我看来，你似乎能推算出历史的未来轨迹。”
Seldon nodded wearily, "That, more or less, is what psychohistory is or, rather, what it is intended to be."
谢顿困倦地点了点头。“这差不多就是心理史学的意义，或者应该说，是它的意图。”
"But is it a serious study?" Randa was smiling. "You don't just throw sticks?"
“但它是一门严肃的学问吗？”阮达又绽开笑容，“你不光是在丢树枝吧？”
"Throw sticks?"
“丢树枝？”
"Thats just a reference to a game played by children on my home planet of Hopara. The game is supposed to tell the future and if youre a smart kid, you can make a good thing out of it. Tell a mother that her child will grow up beautiful and marry a rich man and its good for a piece of cake or a half-credit piece on the spot. She isn't going to wait and see if it comes true; you are rewarded just for saying it."
“那是指在我的母星侯帕拉上，孩童常玩的一种游戏。这种游戏是要预测未来，你如果是个聪明的小孩，就能从中得到好处。你只要告诉一位母亲，说她的女儿会长得很漂亮，将来会嫁一个有钱人，就会当场获赠一块蛋糕或半个信用点。她不会等到预言成真，你只要那么说，就能立刻获得奖赏。”
"I see. No, I don't throw sticks. Psychohistory is just an abstract study. Strictly abstract. It has no practical application at all, except……"
“我懂了。不，我不是在丢树枝。心理史学只是一门抽象的学问，极端抽象。它完全没有实际的应用，除非……”
"Now were getting to it. Exceptions are what are interesting."
“现在我们讲到重点了，‘除非’总是最有趣的部分。”
"Except that I would like to work out such an application. Perhaps if I knew more about history……"
“除非我愿意发展出这样的应用。或许，假如我对历史多了解一点……”
"Ah, that is why you are reading history?"
“啊，这就是你研读历史的原因？”
"Yes, but it does me no good," said Seldon sadly. "There is too much history and there is too little of it that is told."
“没错，可是对我毫无帮助。”谢顿以伤感的口吻说，“历史的范围太广，而有记载的部分却太少了。”
"And thats whats frustrating you?"
“这就是让你感到挫折的事？”
Seldon nodded.
谢顿点了点头。
Randa said, "But, Hari, youve only been here a matter of weeks."
阮达说：“可是，哈里，你来这里才不过几个星期。”
"True, but already I can see……"
“是的，但我已经能看出……”
"You cant see anything in a few weeks. You may have to spend your whole lifetime making one little advance. It may take many generations of work by many mathematicians to make a real inroad on the problem."
“你不可能在短短几周内看出任何事。你也许得花上整整一辈子，才能获得一点点进展。想对这个问题真正有所突破，也许需要许多数学家好几代的努力。”
"I know that, Lisung, but that doesnt make me feel better. I want to make some visible progress myself."
“李松，这点我也知道，但这并不能让我觉得好过一点。我想要自己做出一些可见的进展。”
"Well, driving yourself to distraction wont help either. If it will make you feel better, I can give you an example of a subject much less complex than human history that people have been working for I don't know how long without making much progress. I know because a group is working on it right here at the University and one of my good friends is involved. Talk about frustration! You don't know what frustration is!"
“嗯，你把自己逼得精神错乱也无济于事。如果能让你觉得舒服点，我可以告诉你一个例子：有个题目远比人类历史单纯得多，可是许多人花了不知多少岁月，却一直没有多大进展。我会知道这件事，是因为本校就有一组人员在研究这个题目，我的一位好友也参与其事。要说挫折感哪！你根本不知道什么是挫折感！”
"Whats the subject?" Seldon felt a small curiosity stirring within him.
“是什么题目？”谢顿心中涌起一股小小的好奇。
"Meteorology."
“气象学。”
"Meteorology!" Seldon felt revolted at the anticlimax.
“气象学！”对于这个反高潮的答案，谢顿感到有些不悦。
"Dont make faces. Look. Every inhabited world has an atmosphere. Every world has its own atmospheric composition, its own temperature range, its own rotation and revolution rate, its own axial tipping, its own land-water distribution. Weve got twenty five million different problems and no one has succeeded in finding a generalization."
“别扮鬼脸，好好听我说。每个住人世界都有大气层；每个世界都有各自的大气成分、各自的温度范围、各自的自转和公转速率、各自的轴倾角，以及各自的水陆分布。我们面对两千五百万个不同的问题，从来没有人能找到一条通则。”
"... thats because atmospheric behavior easily enters a chaotic phase. Everyone knows that."
“那是因为大气行为很容易进入‘混沌相’，人人都知道这个道理。”
"So my friend Jenarr Leggen says. Youve met him."
“我的朋友杰纳尔·雷根就是这么说的。你曾经见过他。”
Seldon considered. "Tall fellow? Long nose? Doesnt speak much?"
谢顿想了一下。“高个子？长鼻子？不怎么说话？”
"Thats the one……And Trantor itself is a bigger puzzle than almost any world. According to the records, it had a fairly normal weather pattern when it was first settled. Then, as the population grew and urbanization spread, more energy was used and more heat was discharged into the atmosphere. The ice cover contracted, the cloud layer thickened, and the weather got lousier. That encouraged the movement underground and set off a vicious cycle. The worse the weather got, the more eagerly the land was dug into and the domes built and the weather got still worse. Now the planet has become a world of almost incessant cloudiness and frequent rains……or snows when its cold enough. The only thing is that no one can work it out properly. No one has worked out an analysis that can explain why the weather has deteriorated quite as it has or how one can reasonably predict the details of its day-to-day changes."
“就是他……而且川陀几乎比其他任何世界更难理解。根据记录，在殖民之初，它具有相当正常的气候模式。然后，随着人口的增长，以及都市的扩张，能量的消耗不断增加，越来越多的热量排放到大气中。于是覆冰逐渐收缩，云层逐渐变厚，天气则愈变愈糟。这便促使居民向地底发展，造成恶性循环。气候愈差，居民愈是急于掘地和建造穹顶，因而使得气候变得更差。如今，整个行星几乎经年累月乌云密布，而且常常下雨……或是下雪，如果温度够低的话。只不过没有人能够研究出适当的解释。没有人做出正确的分析，来解释天气为何恶化到这种程度，或是合理地预测逐日变化的详情。”
Seldon shrugged. "Is that sort of thing important?"
谢顿耸了耸肩。“这种事很重要吗？”
"To a meteorologist it is. Why cant they be as frustrated over their problems as you are over yours? don't be a project chauvinist."
“对气象学家而言，是的。他们为何不能像你一样，因为无法解决某个问题而感到挫折呢？别做个自我中心的偏执狂。”
Seldon remembered the cloudiness and the dank chill on the way to the Emperors Palace.
谢顿想起通往皇宫的路上，那种乌云密布、潮湿阴冷的情形。
He said, "So whats being done about it?"
他说：“那么，目前做到什么程度呢？”
"Well, theres a big project on the matter here at the University and Jenarr Leggen is part of it. They feel that if they can understand the weather change on Trantor, they will learn a great deal about the basic laws of general meteorology. Leggen wants that as much as you want your laws of psychohistory. So he has set up an incredible array of instruments of all kinds Upperside…… you know, above the domes. It hasnt helped them so far. And if theres so much work being done for many generations on the atmosphere, without results, how can you complain that you haven't gotten anything out of human history in a few weeks?"
“嗯，有个庞大的研究计划正在本校进行，杰纳尔·雷根是负责人之一。他们觉得若能了解川陀的气候变化，便可对气象学的基本定律获得许多进一步认识。雷根渴望找出那些定律，就像你想找出心理史学定律一样。因此，他在上方……你知道，就是穹顶之上，架设了一个巨大的阵列，其中有各式各样的仪器。直到目前为止，他们还没有什么收获。既然一代代的气象学家，花了无数心血在大气问题上，却始终没有具体的成果，你不过是在几周时间内未能从人类历史中研究出结论，又有什么好抱怨的呢？”
Randa was right, Seldon thought, and he himself was being unreasonable and wrong. And yet…… and yet…… Hummin would say that this failure in the scientific attack on problems was another sign of the degeneration of the times. Perhaps he was right, also, except that he was speaking of a general degeneration and average effect. Seldon felt no degeneration of ability and mentality in himself.
阮达说得没错，谢顿心想，是他自己不够理智，而且态度错误。然而……然而……夫铭会说这项科学研究的失败，是这个时代在走下坡的另一个迹象。或许他也是对的，只不过他是指普遍的退化与平均效应。谢顿并未感到自己的能力与智力有任何退化。
He said with some interest then, "You mean that people climb up out of the domes and into the open air above?"
他以略带兴致的口吻说：“你的意思是，他们爬到穹顶上面，进入外面的露天大气？”
"Yes. Upperside. Its a funny thing, though. Most native Trantorians wont do it. They don't like to go Upperside. The idea gives them vertigo or something. Most of those working on the meteorology project are Outworlders."
“没错，那就是上方。不过，这可不是好玩的事。大多数川陀本地人不会那样做，他们不喜欢到上方去，光是想想就会令他们产生眩晕或其他症候。参与这个气象研究计划的大多是外星人士。”
Seldon looked out of the window and the lawns and small garden of the University campus, brilliantly lit without shadows or oppressive heat, and said thoughtfully, "I don't know that I can blame Trantorians for liking the comfort of being within, but I should think curiosity would drive some Upperside. It would drive me."
谢顿从窗口往外望，视线穿过草地与校园中的小花园。一片阳光普照，没有任何阴影或丝毫闷热。他语重心长地说：“我不会责怪川陀人贪图温室的舒适，但我认为好奇心能驱使某些人到上方去，而我就是其中之一。”
"Do you mean that you would like to see meteorology in action?"
“你的意思是，你想看看气象学的实际工作？”
"I think I would. How does one get Upperside?"
“我想就是这样，怎样到上方去？”
"Nothing to it. An elevator takes you up, a door opens, and there you are. Ive been up there. Its…… novel."
“毫无困难。一部升降机就能把你带上去，门一打开，你就到了。我曾经去过，感觉实在……新奇。”
"It would get my mind off psychohistory for a while." Seldon sighed. "Id welcome that."
“这会让我暂时忘掉心理史学。”谢顿叹了一口气，“很高兴有这个机会。”
"On the other hand," said Randy, "my uncle used to say, All knowledge is one, and he may be right. You may learn something from meteorology that will help you with your psychohistory. isn't that possible?"
“此外，”阮达道，“我伯父常说‘知识皆一体’，或许很有道理。你也许会从气象学那里学到些什么，能对你的心理史学有所帮助。难道没这个可能吗？”
Seldon smiled weakly. "A great many things are possible." And to himself he added: But not practical.
谢顿露出无力的笑容。“很多很多事都有可能。”然后，他又在心中补充道：但实际上却不可行。
Dors seemed amused. "Meteorology?"
铎丝似乎觉得很有意思。“气象学？”
Seldon said, "Yes. Theres work scheduled for tomorrow and Ill go up with them."
谢顿说：“对。他们明天排了工作，我要跟他们一起上去。”
"Are you tired of history?"
“你对历史厌倦了？”
Seldon nodded his head somberly. "Yes, I am. Ill welcome the change. Besides, Randy says its another problem thats too massive for mathematics to handle and it will do me good to see that my situation isn't unique."
谢顿忧郁地点了点头。“是的，的确如此，我希望来点变化。此外，阮达说，这是另一个过于复杂，以致数学难以处理的问题。让我看看自己的处境并不孤独，对我也会有好处的。”
"I hope youre not agoraphobic."
“我希望你没有空旷恐惧症。”
Seldon smiled. "No, Im not, but I see why you ask. Randy says that Trantorians are frequently agoraphobic and wont go Upperside. I imagine they feel uncomfortable without a protective enclosure……"
谢顿微微一笑。“我没有，但我知道你为何这样问。阮达说川陀人通常都有空旷恐惧症，不愿意到上方去。我可以想象，丧失这个保护层，他们会感到不舒服。”
Dors nodded. "You can see where that would be natural, but there are also many Trantorians who are to be found among the planets of the Galaxy……tourists, administrators, soldiers. And agoraphobia isn't particularly rare in the Outworlds either."
铎丝点了点头。“你看出的是一件很自然的事，但是在银河系其他行星上，也能发现不少川陀人……观光客、行政官员、军人。反之，在外星人士之间，空旷恐惧症也并不罕见。”
"That may be, Dors, but Im not agoraphobic. I am curious and I welcome the change, so Ill be joining them tomorrow."
“或许吧，铎丝，不过我并没有这个毛病。我感到好奇，我喜欢来点变化，所以明天我要加入他们。”
Dors hesitated. "I should go up with you, but I have a heavy schedule tomorrow. And, if youre not agoraphobic, youll have no trouble and youll probably enjoy yourself. Oh, and stay close to the meteorologists. Ive heard of people getting lost up there."
铎丝迟疑了一下。“我应该跟你一起上去，可是明天我的日程排得很满。话说回来，只要你没有空旷恐惧症，那就应该没问题，你可能会玩得很开心。喔，记得紧跟着那些气象学家，我曾经听说有人在上面迷路。”
"Ill be careful. Its a long time since Ive gotten truly lost anywhere."
“我会小心的。我很久没有在真实世界迷路了。”
Jenarr Leggen had a dark look about him. It was not so much his complexion, which was fair enough. It was not even his eyebrows, which were thick and dark enough. It was, rather, that those eyebrows were hunched over deep-set eyes and a long and rather prominent nose. He had, as a result, a most unmerry look. His eyes did not smile and when he spoke, which wasn't often, he had a deep, strong voice, surprisingly resonant for his rather thin body.
杰纳尔·雷根生有一副阴郁的外表。这并非由于他的肤色，其实它相当顺眼；甚至也不是由于他又浓又深的眉毛。给人如此印象的真正原因，应该是他那两道眉毛突出于深陷的眼窝与又高又凸的鼻子之上。因此，他总是带着一种极不快乐的表情。他的眼角一向没有笑意，而他的话也很少，不过他一旦开口，就会有一种深沉、雄浑而且嘹亮的声音，很难让人相信是从这个相当瘦小的身体发出来的。
He said, "Youll need warmer clothing than that, Seldon."
他说：“谢顿，你需要暖和一点的衣服。”
Seldon said, "Oh?" and looked about.
谢顿说：“哦？”然后四下望了望。
There were two men and two women who were making ready to go up with Leggen and Seldon And, as in Leggens own case, their rather satiny Trantorian clothing was covered by thick sweaters that, not surprisingly, were brightly colored in bold designs. No two were even faintly alike, of course.
另有两男两女准备跟雷根与谢顿一同上去，他们都和雷根一样，在光滑如缎的川陀服装外面罩了一件厚毛衣。每件毛衣都是色彩鲜艳、设计大胆，但谢顿已经见怪不怪。当然，没有哪两件有丝毫雷同之处。
Seldon looked down at himself and said, "Sorry, I didn't know but I don't have any suitable outer garment."
谢顿低头看了看自己。“对不起，我不知道。可是我并没有合适的外套。”
"I can give you one. I think theres a spare here somewhere……Yes, here it is. A little threadbare, but its better than nothing."
“我可以给你一件，我想这里应该还有多出来的……好，找到了。有点破旧，但总比不穿好。”
"Wearing sweaters like these tan make you unpleasantly warm," said Seldon.
“穿这样的毛衣会让人热得很不舒服。”谢顿说。
"Here they would," said Leggen. "Other conditions exist Upperside. Cold and windy. Too bad I don't have spare leggings and boots for you too. Youll want them later."
“在这里的确会。”雷根说，“上方的情形却不一样，那里又冷风又大。可惜我没有多余的绑腿和靴子能借你，等会儿你就会想要了。”
They were taking with them a cart of instruments, which they were testing one by one with what Seldon thought was unnecessary slowness.
他们带着一推车的仪器，正在一个一个测试，谢顿觉得他们的动作慢到没有必要的程度。
Your home planet cold? asked Leggen.
“你的母星冷吗？”雷根问道。
Seldon said, "Parts of it, of course. The part of Helicon I come from is mild and often rainy."
谢顿说：“赫利肯某些地区当然冷。我住的地方则气候温和，而且经常下雨。”
"Too bad. You wont like the weather Upperside."
“太糟了，你不会喜欢上方的天气。”
"I think I can manage to endure it for the time well be up there."
“我想我们在上面这段时间，我总有办法挺得住。”
When they were ready, the group filed into an elevator that was marked: OFFICIAL USE ONLY.
准备就绪之后，一行人便鱼贯进入标示着“公务专用”的升降机。
"Thats because it goes Upperside," said one of the young women, "and people aren't supposed to be up there without good reason."
“那是因为它直接通往上方，”其中一名年轻女子说，“要是没有好理由，一般人不该到那里去。”
Seldon had not met the young woman before, but he had heard her addressed as Clowzia. He didn't know if that was a first name, a last name, or a nickname.
谢顿以前未曾见过这名年轻女子，但刚才听别人叫她克劳吉雅。他不知道那究竟是名还是姓，或者只是一个昵称。
The elevator seemed no different from others that Seldon had been on, either here on Trantor or at home in Helicon (barring, of course, the gravitic lift he and Hummin had used), but there was something about knowing that it was going to take him out of the confines of the planet and into emptiness above that made it feel like a spaceship.
较诸谢顿之前在川陀或赫利肯所搭过的升降机，这部升降机似乎没什么不同（当然，那次他与夫铭使用的重力升降机例外）。但是，由于知道它将带着自己脱离这颗行星，抵达空无一物的上方，不禁令人有置身太空船的感觉。
Seldon smiled internally. A foolish fantasy.
谢顿在心中暗笑，这实在是愚蠢的幻想。
The elevator quivered slightly, which remind Seldon of Hummins forebodings of Galactic decay. Leggen, along with the other men and one of the women, seemed frozen and waiting, as though they had suspended thought as well as activity until they could get out, but Clowzia kept glancing at him as though she found him terribly impressive.
升降机在微微颤动，使谢顿想起夫铭有关银河帝国衰败的预言。雷根与另外两男一女似乎进入入定状态，仿佛在踏出升降机前，他们将暂停一切思想与行动。不过克劳吉雅却频频瞥向他，好像发现他极为引人注目。
Seldon leaned close and whispered to her (he hesitated to disturb the others), "Are we going up very high?"
谢顿向她凑近，对她耳语道（他唯恐打扰到其他人）：“我们要到非常高的地方吗？”
"High?" she repeated. She spoke in a normal voice, apparently not feeling that the others required silence. She seemed very young and it occurred to Seldon that she was probably an undergraduate. An apprentice, perhaps.
“高？”她重复了一遍。她以正常的音量说话，显然并未感到其他人需要安静。她似乎非常年轻，谢顿想到她可能是大学部的学生，或许只是来实习的。
"Were taking a long time. Upperside must be many stories high in the air."
“我们上升已有好一阵子，上方一定在很高层的空中。”
For a moment, she looked puzzled. Then, "Oh no. Not high at all. We started very deep. The University is at a low level. We use a great deal of energy and if were quite deep, the energy costs are lower."
一时之间，她露出困惑的表情。然后她说：“喔，不对，一点也不高。我们从非常深的地方出发，校园位于低层。我们使用大量的能源，住得够深，能量的消耗就会相对降低。”
Leggen said, "All right. Were here. Lets get the equipment out."
这时雷根说：“好，我们到了。大家把设备推出去吧。”
The elevator stopped with a small shudder and the wide door slid open rapidly. The temperature dropped at once and Seldon thrust his hands into his pockets and was very glad he had a sweater on. A cold wind stirred his hair and it occurred to him that he would have found a hat useful and, even as he thought that, Leggen pulled something out of a fold in his sweater, snapped it open, and put it on his head. The others did the same.
升降机在微微震颤中停下来，宽大的机门迅速滑开。此时气温立刻下降，谢顿赶紧将双手插进口袋，并庆幸自己身上套了一件毛衣。一阵冷风吹乱他的头发，他才想到最好还能有顶帽子。正当他这样想的时候，雷根已经从毛衣折袋掏出一样东西，一把将它扯开，再戴到自己头上，而其他人也纷纷照做。
Only Clowzia hesitated. She paused just before she put hers on, then offered it to Seldon.
只有克劳吉雅犹豫不决。正想戴上帽子之际，她却暂停了动作，然后将帽子递给谢顿。
Seldon shook his head. "I cant take your hat, Clowzia."
谢顿摇了摇头。“克劳吉雅，我不能拿你的帽子。”
"Go ahead. I have long hair and its pretty thick. Yours is short and a little…… thin."
“拿去吧。我有长头发，而且相当浓密。你的头发短，而且有点……薄。”
Seldon would have liked to deny that firmly and at another time he would have. Now, however, he took the hat and mumbled, "Thank you. If your head gets cold, Ill give it back."
谢顿很想极力否认这一点，若是换个场合，他就一定会这么做。然而，此时他只是接过帽子，咕哝道：“谢谢你。如果你的头觉得冷，我马上还给你。”
Maybe she wasn't so young. It was her round face, almost a baby face. And now that she had called attention to her hair, he could see that it was a charming russet shade. He had never seen hair quite like that on Helicon.
也许她并非那么年轻，而只是因为她有一张几乎是娃娃脸的圆脸。由于她提到自己的头发，谢顿才注意到它是迷人的红褐色。在赫利肯，他从未见过这种颜色的头发。
Outside it was cloudy, as it had been the time he was taken across open country to the Palace. It was considerably colder than it had been then, but he assumed that was because they were six weeks farther into winter. The clouds were thicker than they had been on the earlier occasion and the day was distinctly darker and threatening……or was it just closer to night? Surely, they wouldnt come up to do important work without leaving themselves an ample period of daylight to do it in. Or did they expect to take very little time?
外面是沉沉的阴天，正如他经过露天的乡间，前往皇宫途中所遇到的天气。今天比那天冷了许多，但他猜想这是因为前后相隔六周，如今已是深冬的缘故。此外云层也比那时还厚，而且天色更加阴暗和恶劣……或者只是因为天快黑了？当然，他们既然到上面来从事重要工作，不会不为自己预留充分的白昼时间。或者说，他们算准了很快就能完成工作？
He would have liked to have asked, but it occurred to him that they might not like questions at this time. All of them seemed to be in states varying from excitement to anger.
他原本想要开口发问，又想到此刻他们或许不喜欢有人问东问西。这些人似乎都进入某种特殊的精神状态，从兴奋到愤怒不一而足。
Seldon inspected his surroundings.
谢顿检视了一下周围的环境。
He was standing on something that he thought might be dull metal from the sound it made when he surreptitiously thumped his foot down on it. It was not bare metal, however. When he walked, he left footprints. The surface was clearly covered by dust or fine sand or clay.
他站在某种东西上面，猜想可能是黯淡的金属。这是他暗中重踏一脚之后，根据响起的声音所判断的。然而，那并非裸露在外的金属，他行走时会在上面留下脚印。这个表面显然覆盖着一层灰尘，或是细沙或粘土。
Well, why not? There could scarcely be anyone coming up here to dust the place. He bent down to pinch up some of the matter out of curiosity.
嗯，为何不会呢？几乎不可能有人上来打扫这个地方。出于好奇心，他弯下腰来掐了一点尘土。
Clowzia had come up to him. She noticed what he was doing and said, with the air of a housewife caught at an embarrassing negligence, "We do sweep hereabouts for the sake of the instruments. Its much worse most places Upperside, but it really doesnt matter. It makes for insulation, you know."
克劳吉雅已经走到他身边，注意到他的动作。她像家庭主妇被人逮到漏洞那样，以尴尬的口吻说：“为了这些仪器，我们的确经常清扫这附近。上方大多数地方比这里糟得多，不过其实没什么关系。你知道吗，这些沙土可以用来隔热。”
Seldon grunted and continued to look about. There was no chance of understanding the instruments that looked as though they were growing out of the thin soil (if one could call it that). He hadn't the faintest idea of what they were or what they measured.
谢顿含糊应了一声，又继续四下张望。那些看来像是从薄土壤（如果能这样称呼的话）长出来的各种仪器，他根本不可能了解它们的功用。对于它们究竟是些什么，或者测量些什么，他连最模糊的概念都没有。
Leggen was walking toward him. He was picking up his feet and putting them down gingerly and it occurred to Seldon that he was doing so to avoid jarring the instruments. He made a mental note to walk that way himself.
这时雷根走过来，一路小心翼翼抬起脚，又小心翼翼放下来。谢顿想到，他这样做是为了避免仪器受到震动。于是他提醒自己，从现在起也要这样走路。
"You! Seldon!"
“你！谢顿！”
Seldon didn't quite like the tone of voice. He replied coolly, "Yes, Dr. Leggen?"
谢顿不太喜欢这种语调，冷淡地答道：“什么事，雷根博士？”
"Well, Dr. Seldon, then." He said it impatiently. "That little fellow Randa told me you are a mathematician."
“好吧，既然这样，谢顿博士。”他的口气很不耐烦，“阮达那小个子告诉我，说你是个数学家。”
"Thats right."
“是的。”
"A good one?"
“优秀的数学家？”
"Id like to think so, but its a hard thing to guarantee."
“我希望如此，但这是难以保证的事。”
"And youre interested in intractable problems?"
“你对棘手的问题特别有兴趣？”
Seldon said feelingly, "Im stuck with one."
谢顿若有所感地说：“我正陷在一个难题里面。”
"Im stuck with another. Youre free to look about. If you have any questions, our intern, Clowzia, will help out. You might be able to help us."
“而我陷在另一个难题里。你可以随便看看，如果有什么问题，我们的实习生克劳吉雅会帮你解答。你也许有办法助我们一臂之力。”
"I would be delighted to, but I know nothing about meteorology."
“我乐意效劳，可是我对气象学一窍不通。”
"Thats all right, Seldon. I just want you to get a feel for this thing and then Id like to discuss my mathematics, such as it is."
“谢顿，这没有关系。我只希望让你对这件事有点感觉，然后我再跟你讨论我的数学问题，如果它也能称为数学的话。”
"Im at your service."
“我随时候教。”
Leggen turned away, his long scowling face looking grim. Then he turned back. "If you get cold……too cold……the elevator door is open. You just step in and touch the spot marked; UNIVERSITY BASE. It will take you down and the elevator will then return to us automatically. Clowzia will show you……if you forget."
雷根转身离去，那张又长又苦的脸看来绷得很紧。然后他又转回来，对谢顿说：“如果你觉得冷，冷得受不了，记着升降机的门是开着的。你只要走进去，在标着‘大学底层’的地方按一下，它就会带你下去，然后又会自动回到我们这里。万一你忘了，克劳吉雅会教你。”
"I wont forget."
“我不会忘记的。”
This time he did leave and Seldon looked after him, feeling the cold wind knife through his sweater. Clowzia came back over to him, her face slightly reddened by that wind.
这次他真的走了开。谢顿目送他的背影，感到冷风如利刃般切割着身上的毛衣。此时克劳吉雅走回来，她的脸被风吹得有些发红。
Seldon said, "Dr. Leggen seems annoyed. Or is that just his ordinary outlook on life?"
谢顿说：“雷根博士似乎心浮气躁，或是他的人生观一向如此？”
She giggled. "He does look annoyed most of the time, but right now he really is."
她吃吃笑了起来。“大多数时候，他的确表现出一副浮躁的模样，不过现在却是真的浮躁。”
Seldon said very naturally, "Why?"
谢顿非常自然地问道：“为什么？”
Clowzia looked over her shoulder, her long hair swirling. Then she said, "Im not supposed to know, but I do just the same. Dr. Leggen had it all figured out that today, just at this time, there was going to be a break in the clouds and hed been planning to make special measurements in sunlight. Only…… well, look at the weather."
克劳吉雅转头望了望，长发随之飞舞一圈。然后她说：“我不该知道的，不过我还是知道了。雷根博士本来全都算好了，今天这个时候，云层会裂开一道隙缝，他原本打算在阳光下做些特殊的测量。只不过……嗯，你看这个天气。”
Seldon nodded.
谢顿点了点头。
"We have holovision receivers up here, so he knew it was cloudy worse than usual……and I guess he was hoping there would be something wrong with the instruments so that it would be their fault and not that of his theory. So far, though, they haven't found anything out of the way."
“我们在这上面装有全息接收机，所以他早就知道乌云密布……比平常还要糟。我猜，他很希望是那些仪器出了毛病，这样问题就在于仪器，而不在他的理论。不过直到目前为止，他们还没有发现任何故障。”
"And thats why he looks so unhappy."
“所以他显得这么闷闷不乐。”
"Well, he never looks happy."
“嗯，他从未显得快乐。”
Seldon looked about, squinting. Despite the clouds, the light was harsh. He became aware that the surface under his feet was not quite horizontal. He was standing on a shallow dome and as he looked outward there were other domes in all directions, with different widths and heights.
谢顿眯着眼睛四下眺望。虽然乌云遮日，光线仍旧刺眼。他察觉到脚下的表面并非全然水平，他其实是站在一个浅坡的穹顶上。当他极目望去，四面八方都能见到许多穹顶，各有各的宽度与高度。
Upperside seems to be irregular, he said.
“上方似乎崎岖不平。”他说。
"Mostly, I think. Thats the way it worked out."
“我想很少有例外，当初就是这样兴建的。”
"Any reason for it?"
“有没有什么理由？”
"Not really. The way Ive heard it explained……I looked around and asked, just as you did, you know……was that originally the people on Trantor domed in places, shopping malls, sports arenas, things like that, then whole towns, so that (here were lots of domes here and there, with different heights and different widths. When they all came together, it was all uneven, but by that time, people decided thats the way it ought to be."
“其实也没什么理由。你知道吗，我刚来的时候和你一样，也是到处张望，逢人就问。我听到的解释是这样的，川陀居民原本只在特定场所，例如室内购物中心、体育竞技馆这种地方建造穹顶，后来才扩及整个城镇。那时，全球各处有许多穹顶，高度和宽度都不尽相同。等到它们通通连起来，各处自然凹凸不平。不过到了那个时候，人们已经认定它就应该是这个样子。”
"You mean that something quite accidental came to be viewed as a tradition?"
“你的意思是，原本相当偶然的一件事，后来却被视为传统？”
"I suppose so……if you want to put it that way."
“我想是吧，你要这么说也可以。”
(If something quite accidental can easily become viewed as a tradition and be made unbreakable or nearly so, thought Seldon, would that be a law of psychohistory? It sounded trivial, but how many other laws, equally trivial, might there be? A million? A billion? Were there a relatively few general laws from which these trivial ones could be derived as corollaries? How could he say? For a while, lost in thought, he almost forgot the biting wind.)
假如某些相当偶然的事件，会很容易就被视为传统，因而再也无法打破，或者几乎牢不可破，谢顿想道，这算不算心理史学的一条定律呢？它听来相当显易，可是，其他同样显易的定律还有多少呢？一百万条？十亿条？究竟有没有少数几条一般性定律，能将这些显易的定律逐一导出？他怎么弄得清楚呢？一时之间他陷入沉思，几乎忘记了刺骨的寒风。
Clowzia was aware of that wind, however, for she shuddered and said, "Its very nasty. Its much better under the dome."
然而，克劳吉雅依旧感到强风的存在，因为她一面发抖一面说：“天气真是恶劣，躲在穹顶底下好多了。”
"Are you a Trantorian?" asked Seldon.
“你是川陀人吗？”谢顿问道。
"Thats right."
“是的。”
Seldon remembered Ranchs dismissal of Trantorians as agoraphobic and said, "Do you mind being up here?"
谢顿想起阮达曾经讥笑川陀人都有空旷恐惧症，于是说：“你不介意待在上面吗？”
"I hate it," said Clowzia, "but I want my degree and my specialty and status and Dr. Leggen says I cant get it without some field work. So here I am, hating it, especially when its so cold. When its this cold, by the way, you wouldnt dream that vegetation actually grows on these domes, would you?"
“我恨透了。”克劳吉雅说，“可是我想取得学位、专长和地位，而雷根博士说，除非我做些田野工作，否则就无法毕业。所以我只好来啦，虽然我恨透了，尤其是这么冷的时候。对了，像这么冷的天气，你做梦也想不到真有植物在穹顶上生长吧？”
"It does?" He looked at Clowzia sharply, suspecting some sort of practical joke designed to make him look foolish. She looked totally innocent, but how much of that was real and how much was just her baby face?
“真的吗？”他以锐利的目光望着克劳吉雅，怀疑这是专门设计来愚弄他的一种恶作剧。她看来全然天真无邪，不过这有多少是真的，又有多少只是由于她的娃娃脸？
"Oh sure. Even here, when its warmer. You notice the soil here? We keep it swept away because of our work, as I said, but in other places it accumulates here and there and is especially deep in the low places where the domes meet. Plants grow in it."
“喔，当然是真的。即使在这里，天气暖和时也有植物。你注意到此地的土壤吗？我说过，为了我们的研究工作，我们总是把泥土扫走。可是在其他地方，到处都累积有泥土，穹顶交接的低洼处积得尤其深，植物就在那里生长。”
"But where does the soil come from?"
“可是，那些泥土又是从哪里来的？”
"When the dome covered just part of the planet, the wind deposited soil on them, little by little. Then, when Trantor was all covered and the living levels were dug deeper and deeper, some of the material dug up, if suitable, would be spread over the top."
“当穹顶尚未将这颗行星全部覆盖的时候，风把泥土吹到上面，一点一点累积起来。然后，当川陀整个被穹顶笼罩、生活空间愈挖愈深时，不时会有些土壤被掘出来，合适的话，就会被洒到穹顶上。”
"Surely, it would break down the domes."
“不用说，这样会把穹顶压坏的。”
"Oh no. The domes are very strong and theyre supported almost everywhere. The idea was, according to a book-film I viewed, that they were going to grow crops Upperside, but it turned out to be much more practical to do it inside the dome. Yeast and algae could be cultivated within the domes too, taking the pressure off the usual crops, so it was decided to let Upperside go wild. There are animals on Upperside too……butterflies, bees, mice, rabbits. Lots of them."
“喔，不会。这些穹顶非常坚固，而且几乎到处都有支撑。当初的想法，根据我从一本影视书所读到的，是准备在上方种植农作物，结果却发现在穹顶里面发展农业更加实际。而酵母和藻类也可以在穹顶内培养，减轻了普通农作物的需求压力，所以人们最后决定任由上方荒芜。此外上方也有一些动物……蝴蝶、蜜蜂、老鼠、兔子，都好多好多。”
"Wont the plant roots damage the domes?"
“植物根部不会对穹顶造成损害吗？”
"In thousands of years they havent. The domes are treated so that they repel the roots. Most of the growth is grass, but there are trees too. Youd be able to see for yourself if this were the warm season or if we were farther south or if you were up in a spaceship." She looked at him with a sidewise flick of her eyes, "Did you see Trantor when you were coming down from space?"
“好几千年以来，一直未曾发生这种情形。穹顶都经过处理，对根部有排斥性。大多数植物都是草，不过也有树木。如果是暖和的季节，或者我们再往南走，或者你在一艘太空船上，那么你自己就能看出来。”她很快瞟了他一眼，“你从太空降落时，有没有看一看川陀？”
"No, Clowzia, I must confess I didnt. The hypership was never well placed for viewing. Have you ever seen Trantor from space?"
“没有，克劳吉雅，我必须承认并未看过。超空间飞船一直没转到适宜观景的角度。你自己从太空中眺望过川陀吗？”
She smiled weakly. "Ive never been in spare."
她露出无力的笑容。“我从未上过太空。”
Seldon looked about. Gray everywhere.
谢顿往四处望去，只见一片灰暗。
"I cant make myself believe it," he said. "About vegetation Upperside, I mean."
“我实在无法相信。”他说，“我是指上方有植物这件事。”
"Its true, though. Ive heard people say……Otherworlders, like yourself, who did see Trantor from space……that the planet looks green, like a lawn, because its mostly grass and underbrush. There are trees too, actually. Theres a copse not very far from here. Ive seen it. Theyre evergreens and theyre up to six meters high."
“不过，这是千真万确的。我听人家说过……他们像你一样，也是其他世界人士，但他们真的从太空看过川陀……据说这颗行星看起来绿油油一片，好像一块草地，因为表面大多是草丛和矮树丛。事实上，还有树木呢。离这里不远就有一片树林，我曾经见过。它们都是常绿树，最高的有六米。”
"Where?"
“在哪里？”
"You cant see it from here. Its on the other side of a dome. Its……"
“你在这里看不见，它在某个穹顶的另一侧。是……”
The call came out thinly. (Seldon realized they had been walking while they had been talking and had moved away from the immediate vicinity of the others.) "Clowzia. Get back here. We need you."
这时传来一阵微弱的呼唤：“克劳吉雅，回来这里，我们需要你。”谢顿发觉他们边聊边走，已经与其他人有了一段距离。
Clowzia said, "Uh-oh. Coming……Sorry, Dr. Seldon, I have to go." She ran off, managing to step lightly despite her lined boots.
克劳吉雅说：“喔……来啦。抱歉，谢顿博士，我得走了。”她拔腿就跑，虽然穿着厚实的靴子，仍然设法将脚步放得很轻。
Had she been playing with him? Had she been filling the gullible foreigner with a mess of lies for amusements sake? Such things had been known to happen on every world and in every time. An air of transparent honesty was no guide either; in fact, successful taletellers would deliberately cultivate just such an air.
她有没有在跟他闹着玩？是不是为了找乐子，才对一个容易受骗的外人灌输那么多谎言？这种事在任何时间、任何世界上都时有所闻。透明般诚实的态度也无法做准；事实上，成功的说谎家总会刻意制造这种态度。
So could there really be six-meter trees Upperside? Without thinking much about it, he moved in the direction of the highest dome on the horizon. He swung his arms in an attempt to warm himself. And his feet were getting cold.
所以说，上方真有六米高的树木吗？他并未多加思索，便朝地平线上最高的一个穹顶走去。他不停摆动双手，试图使自己暖和一点，双脚却觉得越来越冷。
Clowzia hadn't pointed. She might have, to give him a hint of the direction of the trees, but she didnt. Why didn't she? To be sure, she had been called away.
克劳吉雅并未指出方向。她应该给一点提示，告诉他那些树木的方位，可是她没有。为什么没有呢？是啊，她刚好被人叫走了。
The domes were broad rather than high, which was a good thing, since otherwise the going would have been considerably more difficult. On the other hand, the gentle grade meant trudging a distance before he could top a dome and look down the other side.
穹顶一律十分宽广，可是都不太高。这是个好现象，否则这趟路程更要困难许多。另一方面，缓坡代表他必须吃力地走一大段路，才能登上一座穹顶的顶峰，俯视另一侧的景象。
Eventually, he could see the other side of the dome he had climbed. He looked back to make sure he could still see the meteorologists and their instruments. They were a good way off, in a distant valley, but he could see them clearly enough. Good.
最后，他终于看到那座穹顶的另一侧。他回头望去，想确定自己仍看得见那些气象学家以及他们的仪器。他们待在一个遥远的谷地，与他有好大一段距离，不过他还是看得足够清楚，很好。
He saw no copse, no trees, but there was a depression that snaked about between two domes. Along each side of that crease, the soil was thicker and there were occasional green smears of what might be moss. If he followed the crease and if it got low enough and the soil was thick enough, there might be trees.
他没有发现任何树林或树木，却看到两个穹顶间有一道蜿蜒曲折的凹洼。这条干沟两侧的土壤比较厚，偶尔可见一些绿色斑点，看来或许是苔藓。假如他沿着这条干沟前进，而前面的凹洼够低、土壤够厚的话，就有可能发现树木。
He looked back, trying to fix landmarks in his mind, but there were just the rise and fall of domes. It made him hesitate and Dorss warning against his being lost, which had seemed a rather unnecessary piece of advice then, made more sense now. Still, it seemed clear to him that the crease was a kind of road. If he followed it for some distance, he only had to turn about and follow it back to return to this spot.
他向后眺望，试图将一些地标牢记心中，目力所及却尽是起伏的穹顶，这使他踌躇不前。铎丝曾警告他有迷路的可能，当时这似乎是毫无必要的忠告，如今已经显得较有道理。话说回来，他觉得那条干沟明明是某种小路。如果沿着它走一段，那么他只要向后转，就能循原路走回这个出发点。
He strode off purposefully, following the rounded crease downward. There was a soft rumbling noise above, but he didn't give it any thought. He had made up his mind that he wanted to see trees and that was all that occupied him at the moment.
他故意迈开大步，沿着拐弯抹角的干沟往下走。头顶上传来一阵轻微的隆隆噪音，不过他并未留意。他已下定决心要看看那些树木，此时此刻，他心中只有这一个念头。
The moss grew thicker and spread out like a carpet and here and there grassy tufts had sprung up. Despite the desolation Upperside, the moss was bright green and it occurred to Seldon that on a cloudy, overcast planet there was likely to be considerable rain.
苔藓越来越厚，像地毯一样四处蔓延，还不时可见一簇簇的草丛。上方虽然一片荒芜，这些苔藓却生得鲜嫩青翠，谢顿因而想到，在一个多云而阴暗的行星上，很可能有大量的雨水。
The crease continued to curve and there, just above another dome, was a dark smudge against the gray sky and he knew he had found the trees. T
这条干沟继续弯来弯去，不久，在另一座穹顶的正上方，有个黑点镶在灰暗的天空背景中。他知道终于发现树木了。
hen, as though his mind, having been liberated by the sight of those trees, could turn to other things, Seldon took note of the rumble he had heard before and had, without thinking, dismissed as the sound of machinery. Now he considered that possibility: Was it, indeed, the sound of machinery?
看到这些树木之后，他的心灵好像获得解放，总算能想到其他事情，这时谢顿才注意到那阵隆隆声。刚才他不假思索，就把它当做机器运转的声音，因此根本未曾理会。现在，他开始考虑这个可能性：它真是机器发出的噪音吗？
Why not? He was standing on one of the myriad domes that covered hundreds of millions of square kilometers of the world-city. There must be machinery of all kinds hidden under those domes……ventilation motors, for one thing. Maybe it could be heard, where and when all the other sounds of the world-city were absent.
为何不是呢？他如今站在一座穹顶上，而这个星球都市的二亿平方公里面积，全部覆盖着无数类似的穹顶。在这些穹顶之下，一定隐藏着各式各样的机械，例如通风系统的发动机。或许，在这个大都会的其他声音尽皆消逝的时空点，它的声音便清晰可闻。
Except that it did not seem to come from the ground. He looked up at the dreary featureless sky. Nothing.
只不过它似乎并非从底下传来的。他抬头看了看阴沉单调的天空，什么也没有。
He continued to scan the sky, vertical creases appearing between his eyes and then, far off……
他继续仔细扫描天空，两眼之间挤出笔直的皱纹。然后，在远方……
It was a small dark spot, showing up against the gray. And whatever it was it seemed to be moving about as though getting its bearings before it was obscured by the clouds again.
在灰暗的背景中，跳出一个小黑点。不论那是什么东西，它似乎正在四下移动，仿佛想在它被云层再度遮掩之前，趁机赶紧定好方位。
Then, without knowing why, he thought, They're after me.
他突然有一种毫无来由的想法：他们是在找我。
And almost before he could work out a line of action, he had taken one. He ran desperately along the crease toward the trees and then, to reach them more quickly, he turned left and hurtled up and over a low dome, treading through brown and dying fernlike overgrowth, including thorny sprigs with bright red berries.
几乎在他尚未想出行动方针之前，他已经采取行动。他沿着那条干沟，拼命朝那些树木奔去。为了更快抵达目的地，他在半途左转，飞也似地越过一个低矮的穹顶，踏过遍地垂死的棕色羊齿类，包括那些长着鲜红莓果的多刺嫩枝。
Seldon panted, facing a tree, holding it closely, embracing it. He watched for the flying object to make its appearance again so that he could back about the tree and hide on the far side, like a squirrel.
谢顿气喘吁吁，面对着一棵树，双手紧紧环抱着。他凝望天空，等待那个飞行物再度出现，以便能像松鼠那样，及时躲到树木的另一侧。
The tree was cold, its bark was rough, it gave no comfort……but it offered cover. Of course, that might be insufficient, if he was being searched for with a heat-seeker, but, on the other hand, the cold trunk of a tree might blur even that.
这株树木触手冰凉，树皮粗糙，抱起来一点也不舒服，但是却提供了掩护。当然，如果对方使用热源追踪仪搜寻他的下落，这个掩护或许还不够。但另一方面，冰冷的树干仍有可能造成干扰。
Below him was hard-packed soil. Even in this moment of hiding, of attempting to see his pursuer while remaining unseen, he could not help wondering how thick the soil might be, how long it had taken to accumulate, many domes in the warmer areas of Trantor carried forests on their back, and whether the trees were always confined to the creases between domes, leaving the higher regions to moss, grass, and underbrush.
他脚下是硬邦邦的密实土壤。即使在这个躲躲藏藏的时刻，即使他一方面想要看清追捕他的人，一方面又要保持自己的隐匿，他仍然忍不住纳闷：这层土壤会有多厚？花了多久时间累积而成？在川陀较温暖的地区，有多少穹顶的背上长了森林？树木是否一律局限于穹顶之间的干沟，而将较高的区域留给苔藓、草丛与矮树丛？
He saw it again. It was not a hypership, nor even an ordinary air-jet. It was a jet-down. He could see the faint glow of the ion trails corning out at the vertices of a hexagon, neutralizing the gravitational pull and allowing the wings to keep it aloft like a large soaring bird. It was a vehicle that could hover and explore a planetary terrain.
他再次看到那个飞行物。它并非一艘超空间飞船，甚至不是普通的喷射机，而只是一架喷射直升机。他能看见离子尾的黯淡光辉，从一个六角形的六个顶点喷射出来。离子中和了重力的吸引，让机翼托着它像大鸟般翱翔。这是一种可以在空中盘旋、用来探勘行星地表的飞行器。
It was only the clouds than had saved him. Even if they were using heat-seekers, that would only indicate there were people below. The jet-down would have to make a tentative dive below the banked ceiling before it could hope to know how many human beings there were and whether any of them might be the particular person the patties aboard were seeking.
幸好云层救了他。即使他们使用热源追踪仪，也顶多只能知道有些人在下面。喷射直升机必须做一次短暂的俯冲，来到连绵不断的云幂之下，才有希望确定这里究竟有多少人类，以及是否包括机员正在寻找的那个人。
The jet-down was closer now, but it couldnt hide from him either. The rumble of the engine gave it away and they couldnt rum that off, not as long as they wished to continue their search. Seldon knew the jet-downs, for on Helicon or on any undomed world with skies that cleared now and then, they were common, with many in private hands.
现在，那架喷射直升机飞得更近，但也因此无法躲过他的眼睛。引擎的隆隆声泄露了行踪，而只要坚持继续搜索，他们就不能将它关掉。谢顿熟悉这种喷射直升机，因为不论是在赫利肯，或是在任何没有穹顶、天空时阴时晴的世界，它们都是很普遍的交通工具，有很多还是私人所有的。
Of what possible use would jet-downs be on Trantor, with all the human life of the world under domes, with low cloud ceilings all but perpetual……except for a few government vehicles designed for just this purpose, that of picking up a wanted person who had been lured above the domes?
喷射直升机在川陀可能有什么用呢？这个世界的人通通生活在穹顶下面，天上几乎永远飘着低空云幂……唯有政府才会拥有少数这种飞行器，目的正是为了追捕被引诱到穹顶上的通缉犯。
Why not? Government forces could nor enter the grounds of the University, but perhaps Seldon was no longer on the grounds. He was on top of the domes which might be outside the jurisdiction of any local government. An Imperial vehicle might have every right to land on any part of the dome and question or remove any person found upon it. Hummin had not warned him of this, but perhaps he had merely not thought of doing so.
这有何不可？政府军警人员无法进入大学校园，但谢顿现在可能已不在校园内。他正在穹顶上，它或许不属于任何地方政府的管辖范围。帝国飞行器也许绝对有权降落在任何穹顶上，盘问或带走那里的任何人。这点夫铭未曾警告他，但可能是他刚好没想到。
The jet-down was even closer now, nosing about like a blind beast sniffing out its prey. Would it occur to them to search this group of trees? Would they land and send out an armed soldier or two to beat through the copse?
此时那架喷射直升机更接近了。它正在四处钻探，像一只瞎了眼的野兽，想用鼻子嗅出猎物的踪迹。他们会不会想到搜查这丛树木？他们会不会降落，再派出一两名武装士兵，把这片树林整个翻一遍？
And if so, what could he do? He was unarmed and all his quicktwist agility would be useless against the agonizing pain of a neuronic whip.
真是这样的话，他又该怎么办？他手无寸铁，而面对神经鞭带来的剧痛，他矫捷的身手将毫无用武之地。
It was not attempting to land. Either they missed the significance of the trees……
但它并未试图降落。若非他们并未发现这些树木有可疑之处……
Or……
就是……
A new thought suddenly hit him. What if this wasn't a pursuit vessel at all? What if it was part of the meteorological testing? Surely, meteorologists would want to test the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
他突然冒出一个新的念头：它会不会根本不是一艘缉凶飞行器呢？会不会只是气象试验的一环呢？气象学家当然也想对高层大气进行测试。
Was he a fool to hide from it?
自己是傻子吗，竟然躲避它？
The sky was getting darker. The clouds were getting thicker or, much more likely, night was falling.
天空越来越阴暗，云层也越来越厚。或者，更可能的情况，是夜晚即将降临。
And it was getting colder and would get colder still. Was he going to stay out here freezing because a perfectly harmless jet-down had made an appearance and had activated a sense of paranoia that he had never felt before? He had a strong impulse to leave the copse and get back to the meteorological station.
气温则越来越低，而且会继续下降。难道他要留在这里让全身冻僵，只因为出现一架全然无害的喷射直升机，触发了他从未察觉的妄想症？他兴起一种强烈的冲动，想要离开这片树林，回到那个气象站去。
After all, how would the man Hummin feared so much……Demerzel……know that Seldon would, at this particular time, be Upperside and ready to be taken?
毕竟，夫铭怕得不得了的那个家伙……丹莫刺尔……又怎么会知道，谢顿将在这个时候来到上方，向他们自投罗网？
For a moment, that seemed conclusive and, shivering with the cold, he moved out from behind the tree.
一时之间，这个想法似乎成了定论。他一面冷得发抖，一面从树干后头走出来。
And then he scurried back as the vessel reappeared even closer than before. He hadn't seen it do anything that would seem to be meteorological. It did nothing that might be considered sampling, measuring, or testing. Would he see such things if they took place? He did not know the precise sort of instruments the jet-down carried or how they worked. If they were doing meteorological work, he might not be able to tell……Still, could he take the chance of coming into the open?
然后，他又匆匆跑回原处，因为那架飞行器重新出现，而且比刚才更加接近。他一直没看到它在进行任何类似气象研究的工作，它的动作完全不像是在采样、测量或试验。话说回来，如果他们真在进行这类工作，他又是否能够判断？他不知道这架飞机上究竟载有什么仪器，以及那些仪器如何运作。倘若他们的确是在进行气象研究，他或许也看不出来。然而，他能冒险走出去吗？
After all, what if Demerzel did know of his presence Upperside, simply because an agent of his, working in the University, knew about it and had reported the matter. Lisung Randa, that cheerful, smiling little Easterner, had suggested he go Upperside. He had suggested it quite forcefully and the subject had not arisen naturally out of the conversation; at least, not naturally enough. Was it possible that he was a government agent and had alerted Demerzel somehow?
无论如何，万一丹莫刺尔果真知晓他正在上方呢？这很简单，只要在这所大学工作的一名特务，获悉此事而立刻向他报告即可。最初，是那个喜气洋洋、满脸笑容的小个子东方人李松·阮达，建议他到上方来看看的。他相当卖力地提出这个建议，但在他们的交谈中，这个话题出现得并不自然，至少还不够自然。他有没有可能是政府的特务，而且已经设法通报丹莫刺尔？
Then there was Leggen, who had given him the sweater. The sweater was useful, but why hadn't Leggen told him he would need one earlier so he could get his own? Was there something special about the one he was wearing? It was uniformly purple, while all the others indulged in the Trantorian fashion of bright patterns. Anyone looking down from a height would see a moving dull blotch in among others that were bright and know immediately whom they wanted.
此外，还有借他一件毛衣的雷根。这件毛衣的确派上用场，可是雷根为何不早些告诉他需要毛衣，好让他能自己准备一件？他现在穿的这件有什么特别吗？它是单纯的紫色，其他人穿的却都是川陀流行的花花绿绿。任何人从高空向下眺望，都会看到有个单色斑点在缤纷的色彩中运动，而立刻知道要找的是谁。
And Clowzia? She was supposedly Upperside to learn meteorology and help the meteorologists. How was it possible that she could come to him, talk to him at ease, and quietly walk him away from the others and isolate him so that he could easily be picked up?
至于克劳吉雅呢？她到上方应该是来实习，并充当那些气象学家的助手。她怎么可能有时间来找他，跟他悠闲地聊天，不动声色地把他从众人身边引开，将他孤立起来，令他很容易被捉到？
For that matter, what about Dors Venabili? She knew he was going Upperside. She did not stop it. She might have gone with him, but she was conveniently busy.
这样想来，铎丝·凡纳比里有没有嫌疑？她知道他要来上方，却没有阻止这件事。她大可跟他一道来，可是她偏偏很忙。
It was a conspiracy. Surely, it was a conspiracy.
这是一项阴谋。毫无疑问，这是一项阴谋。
He had convinced himself now and there was no further thought of getting out from the shelter of the trees. (His feet felt like lumps of ice and stamping them against the ground seemed to do no good.) Would the jet-down never leave?
现在他已经说服自己，再也不会想离开那些树木的荫庇。他感到双脚好像两块冰，用力跺了几步，却似乎根本没用。那架喷射直升机永远不会走吗？
And even as he thought that, the pitch of the engines rumble heightened and the jet-down rose into the clouds and faded away.
正当他这样想的时候，引擎的隆隆音调陡然升高，喷射直升机重新钻入云层，一下子就无影无踪。
Seldon listened eagerly, alert to the smallest sound, making sure it was finally gone. And then, even after he was sure it was gone, he wondered if that was just a device to flush him out of hiding. He remained where he was while the minutes slowly crawled on and night continued to fall.
谢顿尽力倾听，连最小的声音都不放过，最后确定它终于远去。不过，即使在确定这点之后，他仍旧无法肯定这是不是引他现身的计谋。时间一分一秒慢慢溜走，他依然留在原处，而夜幕则继续低垂。
And finally, when he felt that the true alternative to taking the chance of coming out in the open was that of freezing into insensibility, he stepped out and moved cautiously beyond the shelter of the trees.
最后，当他觉得再不冒险走出来，唯一的可能是被冻僵时，他终于迈开脚步，小心翼翼地离开树林的荫庇。
It was dusky twilight, after all. They couldnt detect him except by a heat-seeker, but, if so, he would hear the jet-down return. He waited just beyond the trees, counting to himself, ready to hide in the copse again at the smallest sound……though what good that would do him once he was spotted, he couldnt imagine.
毕竟，此时已是暮色苍茫。除非使用热源追踪仪，他们再也无法侦测到他，但若果真如此，他就能听见喷射直升机折返的声音。他在树林边等着，心中暗自盘算，准备只要听到一点点声音，就立时再躲进树林。不过，一旦被侦察到，躲回去又有什么用，他却根本无法想象。
Seldon looked about. If he could find the meteorologists, they would surely have artificial light, but except for that, there would be nothing.
谢顿四下张望。假如他能找到那些气象学家，他们一定有人工照明设备，但除此之外，再也不会有任何光亮。
He could still just make out his surroundings, but in a matter of a quarter of an hour, half an hour at the outside, he would not. With no lights and a cloudy sky above, it would be dark……completely dark.
他勉强还能看清周遭的景物，可是再过一刻钟，顶多半小时，他将什么也看不见。身边没有灯光，头上不再有多云的天空，四周将被黑暗笼罩，伸手不见五指。
Desperate at the prospect of being enveloped in total darkness, Seldon realized that he would have to find his way back to the crease that had brought him there as quickly as possible and retrace his steps. Folding his arms tightly around himself for warmth, he set off in what he thought was the direction of the crease between the domes.
想到被全然黑暗吞没的可怕后果，谢顿了解到必须尽快设法回到那条干沟，然后循着原路回去。他一面紧抱双臂藉以保暖，一面朝着心目中那条干沟的方位前进。
There might, of course, be more than one crease leading away from the copse, but he dimly made out some of the sprigs of berries he had seen coming in, which now looked almost black rather than bright red. He could not delay. He had to assume he was right. He moved up the crease as fast as he might, guided by failing sight and by the vegetation underfoot.
当然，树林周围的干沟或许不只一条，但他隐约认出一些刚刚见到的莓果嫩枝，不过它们现在不再鲜红，几乎成了黑色的果子。他不能再耽搁，必须假设自己的判断正确。借着越来越弱的视力，以及脚下植物的指引，他尽快爬上那条干沟。
But he couldnt stay in the crease forever. He had come over what had seemed to him to be the tallest dome in sight and had found a crease that cut at right angles across his line of approach. By his reckoning, he should now turn right, then sharp left, and that would put him on the path toward the meteorologists dome.
可是他不能永远待在干沟里。他已来到一座他自认为附近最高的穹顶，找到另一条与他的行进方向刚好垂直的干沟。根据他的计算，他现在应该向右转，接着向左急转，然后沿着那条路一直走，就能走到那些气象学家所在的穹顶。
Seldon made the left turn and, lifting his head, he could just make out the curve of a dome against the fractionally lighter sky. That had to be it!
谢顿左转之后，抬起头来，只能刚好看见一座穹顶的轮廓，镶嵌在明亮些许的天空中。一定就是它！
Or was that only wishful thinking?
或者，那只是一厢情愿的想法？
He had no choice but to assume it wasnt. Keeping his eye on the peak so that he could move in a reasonably straight line, he headed for it as quickly as he could. As he got closer, he could make out the line of dome against sky with less and less certainty as it loomed larger and larger. Soon, if he was correct, he would be going up a gentle slope and when that slope became level he would be able to look down the other side and see the lights of the meteorologists.
他必须假设那并非一厢情愿。他尽可能加快脚步向那座穹顶走去，眼睛一直盯着那个顶峰，以便能够尽量沿着直线前进。当他逐渐接近，穹顶显得越来越大时，它镶在天空的轮廓却越来越难以确定。假使他没有弄错，他很快就会爬上一道缓坡，而当坡度变得水平时，他就能俯瞰另一侧，看到那些气象学家的灯火。
In the inky dark, he could not tell what lay in his path. Wishing there were at least a few sorts to shed some light, he wondered if this was how it felt to be blind. He waved his arms before him as if they were antennae.
在一片漆黑中，他无法判断路上横亘着什么东西。他好希望至少有几颗星星射出些微光线，不禁想到失明是否便是这种感觉。他一面走一面挥舞双臂，仿佛将手臂当成两根触角。
It was growing colder by the minute and he paused occasionally to blow on his hands and hold them under his armpits. He wished earnestly he could do the same for his feet. By now, he thought, if it started to precipitate, it would be snow……or, worse yet, sleet.
气温一分一秒地降低，他偶尔会停下脚步，对双手吹一口暖气，再将手掌塞在腋下取暖。他又突发奇想，真心希望双脚也能如法泡制。他还想到，如果现在开始降水，那一定是下雪，或是更糟的情况……下冻雨。
On…… on. There was nothing else to do.
继续……继续，没有其他的办法。
Eventually, it seemed to him that he was moving downward. That was either wishful thinking or he had topped the dome.
最后，他终于发现自己好像在往下走。如果不是一厢情愿的幻想，就代表他已经越过穹顶的顶峰。
He stopped. If he had topped the dome, he should be able to see the artificial light of the meteorological station. He would see the lights carried by the meteorologists themselves, sparkling or dancing like fireflies.
他停下脚步。假如他已经越过穹顶的顶峰，应该就能看见气象站的人工照明。他会看到那些气象学家带着灯火到处走动，仿佛萤火虫般闪烁飞舞。
Seldon closed his eyes as though to accustom them to dark and then try again, but that was a foolish effort. It was no darker with his eyes closed than with them open and when he opened them it was no lighter than when he had had them closed.
谢顿闭上双眼，仿佛要让眼睛先适应黑暗，以便再试一次，不过那只是个糊涂的举动。当他闭起眼睛的时候，并未感到比张开时更黑；而等到他重新张开眼睛，也不比刚才闭起时更亮一点。
Possibly Leggen and the others were gone, had taken their lights with them and had turned off any lights on the instruments. Or possibly Seldon had climbed the wrong dome. Or he had followed a curved path along the dome so that he was now facing in the wrong direction. Or he had followed the wrong crease and had moved away from the copse in the wrong direction altogether.
也许雷根与其他人皆已离去，不但带走了他们的照明设备，还将仪器的灯光全数关闭。或者也有可能，是谢顿错爬了另一座穹顶。或者因为他沿着那座穹顶周围的弯路前进，以致如今面对着另一个方向。或是刚才他选错了干沟，从树林出发时早已朝错误的方向走去。
What should he do?
他该怎么办？
If he was facing the wrong direction, there was a chance that light would be visible right or left……and it wasnt. If he had followed the wrong crease, there was no possible way he could return to the copse and locate a different crease.
假如他面对的是另一个方向，那还有机会在左方或右方看到光线……可是并没有。若是他一开始就选错了干沟，现在绝不可能再回到那片树林，重新寻找另一条干沟。
His only chance lay in the assumption that he was facing the right direction and that the meteorological station was more or less directly ahead of him, but that the meteorologists had gone and had left it in darkness.
他如今唯一的机会，在于假设方向正确，那个气象站差不多在他的正前方。只不过那些气象学家全走了，而将它留在黑暗中。
Move forward, then. The chances of success might be small, but it was the only chance he had.
所以说，前进吧。成功的机会也许不大，却是他仅有的机会。
He estimated that it had taken him half an hour to move from the meteorological station to the top of the dome, having gone partway with Clowzia and sauntering with her rather than striding. He was moving at little better than a saunter now in the daunting darkness.
根据他的估计，当初从气象站走到穹顶的顶峰，总共花了半个小时。其中一半路程有克劳吉雅作伴，两人悠闲地走着，并没有迈开步伐。而此时此刻，处于令人毛骨悚然的黑暗中，他的步伐则要比悠闲漫步稍微快了点。
Seldon continued to slog forward. It would have been nice to know the time and he had a timeband, of course, but in the dark.
谢顿继续拖着沉重的脚步，有气无力地往前走。若能知道现在几点就好了，他身上当然有一条计时带，不过在黑暗中……
He stopped. He wore a Trantorian timeband, which gave Galactic Standard time (as all timebands did) and which also gave Trantorian local time. Timebands were usually visible in the dark, phosphorescing so that one could tell time in the quiet dark of a bedchamber. A Heliconian timeband certainly would; why not a Trantorian one?
他停了下来。他戴的是一条川陀计时带，它能显示银河标准时间（如同所有的计时带一样）以及川陀当地时间。通常计时带在黑暗中并不会失效，磷光装置让人在昏暗的寝室里也能知晓时间。至少，赫利肯的计时带绝对具有夜视功能，川陀计时带又为何没有呢？
He looked at his timeband with reluctant apprehension and touched the contact that would draw upon the power source for light. The timeband gleamed feebly and told him the time was 1847. For it to be nighttime already, Seldon knew that it must be the winter season……How far past the solstice was it? What was the degree of axial tipping? How long was the year? How far from the equator was he at this moment? There was no hint of an answer to any of these things, but what counted was that the spark of light was visible.
他带着迟疑而忧虑的心情望着计时带，触摸了一下将电能转换成光能的开关。计时带立刻发出微弱的光芒，告诉他现在时间是1847。由于夜晚已经降临，谢顿知道如今一定是冬季……冬至过去多久了？川陀的轴倾角是多少度？一年有多长？此时他的位置距离赤道多远？对于这些问题，他毫无线索，但重要的是眼前出现了可见的光芒。
He was not blind! Somehow the feeble glow of his timeband gave him renewed hope.
他并没有失明！不知为什么，计时带的微弱光辉重新燃起他的希望。
His spirits rose. He would move on in the direction he was going. He would move for half an hour. If he encountered nothing, he would move on five minutes more……no further……just five minutes. If he still encountered nothing, he would stop and think. That, however, would be thirty-five minutes from now. Till then, he would concentrate only on walking and on willing himself to feel warmer (He wiggled his toes, vigorously. He could still feel them.)
他的精神振奋起来。他要朝那个方向继续前进，要再走上半个小时。假如什么也没有遇到，他将继续再走五分钟，就是五分钟，绝不会再多。倘若他仍旧什么也没遇到，他便要停下来，好好想一想。然而，那将是三十五分钟之后的事。在此之前，他要全神贯注往前走，并运用意志使自己感到温暖（他使劲动了动脚趾，仍能感到它们的存在）。
Seldon trudged onward and the half hour passed. He paused, then hesitantly, he moved on for five more minutes.
谢顿迈着蹒跚的步伐前进，半小时很快过去了。他停了一下，然后犹豫地再走了五分钟。
Now he had to decide. There was nothing. He might be nowhere, far removed from any opening into the dome. He might, on the other hand, be standing three meters to the left……or right……or short……of the meteorological station. He might be two arms lengths from the opening into the dome, which would not, however, be open.
现在他必须做出决定。什么也没有看到，他可能在任何地方，远离任何一个穹顶入口。反之，他也可能正站在气象站的左方或右方三米处……甚至更近。他或许与穹顶入口只有两臂之遥，只不过它并未开启。
Now what?
现在怎么办？
Was there any point in shouting? He was enveloped by utter silence but for the whistling of the wind. If there were birds, beasts, or insects in among the vegetation on the domes, they were not here during this season or at this time of night or at this particular place. The wind continued to chill him.
喊叫有没有用呢？除了飕飕的风声之外，全然的死寂将他重重包围。若说穹顶植物里藏有鸟类、野兽或昆虫，它们也不会在这个季节、这个时刻，或是这个地方出没。此时，只有刺骨的寒风不停袭来。
Perhaps he should have been shouting all due way. The sound might have carried a good distance in the cold air. But would there have been anyone to hear him?
或许他应该一路不停地喊叫。在寒冷的空气中，声音有可能传得很远。但是，会有任何人听到吗？
Would they hear him inside the dome? Were there instruments to detect sound or movement from above? Might there not be sentinels just inside?
穹顶里的人会听到他的喊叫吗？有没有任何仪器专门侦测上方的声音或运动？里面会不会正好有人值班？
That seemed ridiculous. They would have heard his footsteps, wouldnt they?
这似乎是个可笑的想法。真有的话，他们早该听到他的脚步声，对不对？
Still……
然而……
He called out. "Help! Help! Can someone hear me?"
他还是大声喊道：“救命！救命！有没有人听到？”
His cry was strangled, half-embarrassed. It seemed silly shouting into vast black nothingness.
他的叫声一半卡在喉咙里，还带着几分尴尬。冲着无边而黑暗的虚空大叫大嚷，似乎是一件愚蠢的事。
But then, he felt it was even sillier to hesitate in such a situation as this. Panic was welling up in him. He took in a deep, cold breath and screamed for as long as he could. Another breath and another scream, changing pitch. And another.
不过，他觉得在这种情况下迟疑不决，却是更愚蠢的行为。恐慌逐渐充塞他心中。他深深吸了一口冷空气，再度开始尖叫，并且尽可能将叫声拉长。接着他再吸一口气，以不同的音调发出尖叫。然后又再试了一次。
Seldon paused, breathless, turning his head every which way, even though there was nothing to see. He could not even detect an echo. There was nothing left to do but wait for the dawn. But how long was the night at this season of the year? And how cold would it get?
谢顿暂停叫喊，上气不接下气地转头望向四面八方，虽然他什么也看不见，甚至无法察觉到回声。除了等待天亮，已经没有什么办法了。可是在这个季节，夜晚究竟有多长？又会变得多冷呢？
He felt a tiny cold touch sting his face. After a while, another.
他觉得脸上像是被寒针刺了一下，不久之后又是一下。
It was sleeting invisibly in the pitch blackness. And there was no way to find shelter.
……那是一颗颗的冰珠，在漆黑中悄悄落下，而他根本无法找到任何遮蔽。
He thought: It would have been better if that jet-down had seen me and picked me up. I would be a prisoner at this moment, perhaps, but Id be warm and comfortable, at least.
他想，假如让那架喷射直升机看到我，把我抓走，那么情况应该还要好些。此时我或许已是一名囚犯，但至少会感到温暖与舒适。
Or, if Hummin had never interfered, I might have been back in Helicon long ago. Under surveillance, but warm and comfortable. Right now that was all he wanted……to be warm and comfortable.
或者，假如夫铭从来没有插手，我可能早就回到赫利肯了。虽然生活在监视之下，却能享有温暖与舒适。此时此刻，那是他仅有的渴望……温暖与舒适。
But at the moment he could only wait. He huddled down, knowing that however long the night, he dared not sleep. He slipped off his shoes and rubbed his icy feet. Quickly, he put his shoes back on.
然而，这时他唯一能做的却只有等待。他将身子缩成一团，不论夜有多长，他绝不敢入睡，这点他相当明白。他脱下鞋子，搓了搓冻僵的双脚，然后赶紧重新套上。
He knew he would have to repeat this, as well as rubbing his hands and ears all night long to keep his circulation flowing. But most important to remember was that he must not let himself fall asleep. That would mean certain death.
他知道必须整晚不断重复这个动作，而且还要摩擦自己的双手与耳朵，以保持血液循环流畅。但最重要的一件事，是记住一定不能让自己睡着，否则必死无疑。