7 Mycogen

第7章 麦曲生

MYCOGEN:……A sector of ancient Trantor buried in the past of its own legends. Mycogen made little impact on the planet. Self-satisfied and self-separated to a degree……

麦曲生：……古川陀的一区……麦曲生埋葬在自己的传说里，对整个行星几乎没有任何影响。高度的自满与自我隔离……

ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA

……《银河百科全书》

When Seldon woke, he found a new face looking at him solemnly. For a moment he frowned owlishly and then he said, "Hummin?"

谢顿醒来时，发现另有一张严肃的面孔正望着自己。一时之间，他愁眉深锁，然后说：“夫铭？”

Hummin smiled very slightly. "You remember me, then?"

夫铭露出极淡的笑容。“这么说，你还记得我？”

"It was only for a day, nearly two months ago, but I remember. You were not arrested, then, or in any way……"

“前后仅仅一天时间，而且是将近两个月前的事，不过我还是记得。所以说，你并没有被捕，或是有任何……”

"As you see, I am here, quite safe and whole, but……and he glanced at Dors, who stood to one side……"it was not very easy for me to come here."

“你看得出来，我人在这里，相当安全，毫发无损。可是……”他瞥了瞥站在一旁的铎丝，“我来一趟不怎么容易。”

Seldon said, "Im glad to see you……Do you mind, by the way?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

谢顿说：“我很高兴见到你……对了，你是否介意？”他用拇指朝浴室的方向指了指。

Hummin said, "Take your time. Have breakfast."

夫铭说：“慢慢来，吃了早餐再说。”

Hummin didn't join him at breakfast. Neither did Dors. Nor did they speak. Hummin scanned a book-film with an attitude of easy absorption. Dors inspected her nails critically and then, taking out a microcomputer, began making notes with a stylus.

夫铭没有和他一起吃早餐，铎丝也没有，但他们两人也并未交谈。夫铭利用时间浏览一本影视书，看得津津有味。铎丝先是细心检视她的指甲，然后又取出一台微电脑，用一支铁笔开始作笔记。

Seldon watched them thoughtfully and did not try to start a conversation. The silence now might be in response to some Trantorian reserve customary at a sickbed. To be sure, he now felt perfectly normal, but perhaps they did not realize that.

谢顿若有所思地望着他们两人，并未试图打开话匣子。现在这个肃静的气氛，或许正反映出川陀人在病床前的禁声习俗。事实上，他现在感到完全正常，只是他们或许还不了解。

It was only when he was done with his last morsel and with the final drop of milk (which he was obviously getting used to, for it no longer tasted odd) that Hummin spoke.

等到他吃完最后一口食物，喝完最后一滴牛奶（他显然已逐渐习惯，因为它再也没有怪味），夫铭才终于开口。

He said, "How are you, Seldon?"

他说：“你好吗，谢顿？”

"Perfectly well, Hummin. Sufficiently well, certainly, for me to be up and about."

“好极了，夫铭。至少，绝对好得可以起身走动。”

"Im glad to hear it," said Hummin dryly. "Dors Venabili was much to blame in allowing this to happen."

“我很高兴听到这句话。”夫铭以平板的口气说，“铎丝·凡纳比里竟然这么不小心，真该好好责备一番。”

Seldon frowned. "No. I insisted on going Upperside."

谢顿皱起眉头。“不，是我坚持要到上方去的。”

"Im sure, but she should, at all costs, have gone with you."

“我相信，可是她应该跟你一起去，不计任何代价。”

"I told her I didn't want her to go with me."

“是我告诉她的，我不要她跟我一起去。”

Dors said, "Thats not so, Hari. don't defend me with gallant lies."

铎丝说：“哈里，不是这样的。别用义气的谎言替我辩护。”

Seldon said angrily, "But don't forget that Dors also came Upperside after me, against strong resistance, and undoubtedly saved my life. Thats not bending the truth at all. Have you added that to your evaluation, Hummin?"

谢顿气呼呼地说：“可是别忘了，铎丝也克服了强大的阻力，赶到上方去找我，无疑是她救了我的命。这些话丝毫没有扭曲事实。你将这点加入你的评断了吗，夫铭？”

Dors interrupted again, obviously embarrassed. "Please, Hari. Chetter Hummin is perfectly correct in feeling that I should either have kept you from going Upperside or have gone up with you. As for my subsequent actions, he has praised them."

铎丝显然感到很尴尬，再度打岔道：“哈里，拜托。契特·夫铭的想法完全正确，我应该阻止你前往上方，否则就该跟你一起上去。至于我后来的行动，夫铭已经称赞过了。”

"Nevertheless," said Hummin, "that is past and we can let it go. Let us talk about what happened Upperside, Seldon."

“然而，”夫铭说，“这件事已成过去，我们就别再提了。谢顿，我们来谈谈你在上方的遭遇。”

Seldon looked about and said guardedly, "Is it safe to do so?"

谢顿环顾四周，然后小心谨慎地说：“这样做安全吗？”

Hummin smiled slightly. "Dors has placed this room in a Distortion Field. I can be pretty sure that no Imperial agent at the University……if there is one……has the expense to penetrate it. You are a suspicious person, Seldon."

夫铭淡淡一笑。“铎丝已将这个房间置于畸变电磁场中。我可以相当确定，这所大学里的帝国特务……如果真有的话……都没本事穿得透它。谢顿，你是个多疑的人。”

"Not by nature," said Seldon. "Listening to you in the park and afterward…… You are a persuasive person, Hummin. By the time you were through, I was ready to fear that Eto Demerzel was lurking in every shadow."

“不是天生的，”谢顿说，“而是因为你在公园以及后来对我讲的那些话。夫铭，你是个很有说服力的人。当你讲完后，我就开始担心伊图·丹莫刺尔隐藏在每个阴暗的角落。”

"I sometimes think he might be," said Hummin gravely.

“我有时认为真有这个可能。”夫铭以严肃的口吻说。

"If he was," said Seldon, "I wouldnt know it was he. What does he look like?"

“即使他那样做，”谢顿说，“我也不会知道那就是他。他长得什么样子？”

"That scarcely matters. You wouldnt see him unless he wanted you to and by then it would all be over, I imagine……which is what we must prevent. Lets talk about that jet-down you saw."

“这几乎并不重要。你根本见不到他，除非他要让你看见，不过那时一切都完了，我这么想……这正是我们必须防范的。我们来谈谈你见到的那架喷射直升机。”

Seldon said, "As I told you, Hummin, you fI'lled me with fears of Demerzel. As soon as I saw the jet-down, I assumed he was after me, that I had foolishly stepped outside the protection of Streeling University by going Upperside, that I had been lured up there for the specific purpose of being picked up without difficulty."

谢顿道：“夫铭，正如我所说，你让我心中充满对丹莫刺尔的恐惧。我一看到那架喷射直升机，就猜想是他追来了；而我糊里糊涂跑到上方去，脱离了斯璀璘大学的保护；还有我是被引诱到那里去的，目的就是要毫无困难地把我抓走。”

Dors said, "On the other hand, Leggen……"

铎丝说：“另一方面，雷根……”

Seldon said quickly, "Was he here last night?"

谢顿立刻说：“他昨晚来过这里吗？”

"Yes, don't you remember?"

“来过，你不记得了？”

"Vaguely. I was dead tired. Its all a blur in my memory."

“很模糊。当时我累得要死，我的记忆一片模糊。”

"Well, when he was here last night, Leggen said that the jet-down was merely a meteorological vessel from another station. Perfectly ordinary. Perfectly harmless."

“嗯，昨晚在这里时，雷根说那架喷射直升机只是别的气象站派来的气象飞机。全然普通，全然无害。”

"What?" Seldon was taken aback. "I don't believe that."

“什么？”谢顿吃了一惊，“我不相信。”

Hummin said, "Now the question is: Why don't you believe that? Was there anything about the jet-down that made you think it was dangerous? Something specific, that is, and not just a pervasive suspicion placed in your head by me."

夫铭说：“现在的问题是，你究竟为什么不相信？那架喷射直升机是否有任何不对劲，令你想到它带有威胁性？我是说，排除了我在你脑子里灌输的疑心之后，它还有什么特殊之处？”

Seldon thought back, biting his lower lip. He said, "Its actions. It seemed to push its forepart below the cloud deck, as though it were looking for something, then it would appear in another spot just the same way, then in another spot, and so on. It seemed to be searching Upperside methodically, section by section, and homing in on me."

谢顿一面咬着下唇，一面回想了一下。“有，它的动作。它似乎将机鼻推到云盖之下，好像在找什么东西；接着它又在另一个位置出现，重复同样的动作；然后又换到下一个位置，如此周而复始。它似乎是在规律地搜寻上方，一块接着一块，而目标就是我。”

Hummin said, "Perhaps you were personifying, Seldon. You may have been treating the jet-down as though it was a strange animal looking for you. It wasnt, of course. It was simply a jet-down and if it was a meteorological vessel, its actions were perfectly normal…… and harmless."

夫铭说：“谢顿，也许你把它拟人化了。你可能把那架喷射直升机当成了一头正在追捕你的怪兽，它当然不是。它只不过是一架喷射直升机，而如果它真是气象飞机，它的行动就完全正常……而且无害。”

Seldon said, "It didn't seem that way to me."

谢顿说：“我当时觉得并非如此。”

Hummin said, "Im sure it didnt, but we don't actually know anything. Your conviction that you were in danger is simply an assumption. Leggens decision that it was a meteorological vessel is also only an assumption."

夫铭说：“我确信你有那种感觉，但我们实际上什么也不知道。你深信自己当时身陷险境，但那只不过是一种假设。雷根判断它是一架气象飞机，也只是另一种假设罢了。”

Seldon said stubbornly, "I can't believe that it was an entirely innocent event."

谢顿顽固地说：“我无法相信这是一件全然单纯的事件。”

"Well then," said Hummin, "suppose we assume the worst……that the vessel was looking for you. How would whoever sent that vessel know you would be there to seek?"

“好吧，那么，”夫铭说，“就让我们假设最糟的情况……那架飞机的确是来找你的。不论是谁派它来的，他又怎么知道能在那里找到你？”

Dors interjected, "I asked Dr. Leggen if he had, in his report of the forthcoming meteorological work, included the information that Hari would be with the group. There was no reason he should in the ordinary course of events and he denied that he had, with considerable surprise at the question. I believed him."

铎丝突然插嘴：“我问过雷根博士，在他宣布这次气象任务的时候，有没有提到哈里会跟那个小组一起上去。照常理说，他没有理由那样做，而他也否认了。他对这个问题还十分惊讶，我相信他说的是真话。”

Hummin said thoughtfully, "don't believe him too readily. Wouldnt he deny it, in any case? Now ask yourself why he allowed Seldon to come along in the first place. We know he objected initially, but he did relent, without much fight. And that, to me, seems rather out of character for Leggen."

夫铭语重心长地说：“别太轻易就相信他。无论如何，难道他不会否认吗？问问你自己，他当初为何要准许谢顿与他同行。我们知道他原本反对，不过并未经过什么激辩，他的态度就软化了。在我的感觉中，那似乎不太像雷根的个性。”

Dors frowned and said, "I suppose that does make it a bit more likely that he did arrange the entire affair. Perhaps he permitted Haris company only in order to put him in the position of being taken. He might have received orders to that effect. We might further argue that he encouraged his young intern, Clowzia, to engage Haris attention and draw him away from the group, isolating him. That would account for Leggens odd lack of concern over Haris absence when it came time to go below. He would insist that Hari had left earlier, something he would have laid the groundwork for, since he had carefully showed him how to go down by himself. It would also account for his reluctance to go back up in search of him, since he would not want to waste time looking for someone he assumed would not be found."

铎丝皱了皱眉头，然后说：“我想你这样说，的确让人比较相信整个事件真是他的阴谋。或许他允许哈里同行，只是为了使他成为容易得手的猎物；他可能是奉命行事。我们还可以进一步推论，是他怂恿那位年轻实习生，克劳吉雅，去吸引哈里的注意，引他远离众人，把他孤立起来。这就能解释当他们准备下来时，雷根对哈里的失踪为何毫不关心。他坚持哈里早已离去，因为这件事本来就是他安排的，他已经仔细告诉哈里，教他如何搭升降机自行下来。这也能解释他为何不愿再回去找他，因为他不想浪费时间，去寻找一个他认为根本找不到的人。”

Hummin, who had listened carefully, said, "You make an interesting case against him, but lets not accept that too readily either. After all, he did come Upperside with you in the end."

一直在细心倾听的夫铭，此时说道：“你对他做出一个很有意思的指控，但我们同样不该轻易接受。毕竟，最后他的确跟你到上方去了。”

"Because footsteps had been detected. The Chief Seismologist had [been] witness to that."

“因为我们侦测到脚步，首席地震学家是见证人。”

"Well, did Leggen show shock and surprise when Seldon was found? I mean, beyond that of finding someone who had been brought into extreme peril through Leggens own negligence. Did he act as though Seldon wasn't supposed to be there? Did he behave as though he were asking himself: How is it they didn't pick him up?"

“嗯，发现谢顿时，雷根是否显得震惊和讶异？我的意思是，超过了正常的反应……发觉到由于他自己的疏忽，而将某人置于险境之后的反应。雷根是否表现得仿佛谢顿不该在那里？是否显得好像在问自己，他们怎么没有把他抓走？”

Dors thought carefully, then said, "He was obviously shocked by the sight of Hari lying there, but I couldnt possibly tell if there was anything to his feelings beyond the very natural horror of the situation."

铎丝仔细想了想，然后说：“他看到哈里躺在那里，显然十分震惊。但我无法判断除了对当时情况自然而然的恐惧，他还有没有任何其他感觉。”

"No, I suppose you couldnt."

“没错，我也认为你办不到。”

But now Seldon, who had been looking from one to the other as they spoke and who had been listening intently, said, "I don't think it was Leggen."

当两人一来一往时，谢顿一直目不转睛地专心倾听。现在他却突然说：“我认为不是雷根。”

Hummin transferred his attention to Seldon. "Why do you say that?"

夫铭将注意力转移到谢顿身上。“你为何这么说？”

"For one thing, as you noted, he was clearly unwilling to have me come along. It took a whole day of argument and I think he agreed only because he had the impression that I was a clever mathematician who could help him out with meteorological theory. I was anxious to go up there and, if he had been under orders to see to it that I was taken Upperside, there would have been no need to be so reluctant about it."

“理由之一，正如你提到的，最初他显然不愿让我同行。我们争论了一整天，我想他最后会改变主意，只因为在他的印象中，我是个聪明的数学家，能对他的气象理论有所帮助。我十分渴望到上面去，假使他奉命务必将我带到上方，大可不必表现得如此勉强。”

"Is it reasonable to suppose he wanted you only for your mathematics? Did he discuss the mathematics with you? Did he make an attempt to explain his theory to you?"

“他接受你只是为了你的数学吗，这个假设是否合理？他有没有和你讨论过数学？有没有试图向你解释他的理论？”

"No," said Seldon, "he didnt. He did say something about going into it later on, though. The trouble was, he was totally involved with his instruments. I gathered he had expected sunshine that hadn't showed up and he was counting on his instruments having been at fault, but they were apparently working perfectly, which frustrated him. I think this was an unexpected development that both soured his temper and turned his attention away from me. As for Clowzia, the young woman who preoccupied me for a few minutes, I do not get the feeling, as I look back on it, that she deliberately led me away from the scene. The initiative was mine. I was curious about the vegetation on Upperside and it was I who drew her away, rather than vice versa. Far from Leggen encouraging her action, he called her back while I was still in sight and I moved farther away and out of sight entirely on my own."

“没有，”谢顿说，“他没有。不过，他的确说过等一下再讨论这种话。问题是，后来他将全副心神放在那些仪器上。我猜是因为他预期该有阳光，结果阳光并未出现，于是他指望是仪器出了毛病。可是它们的运作显然完全正常，这令他十分沮丧。我想这是个意料之外的发展，这件事不但惹毛了他，也让他的注意力从我身上移开。至于克劳吉雅，那个曾吸引我几分钟注意的年轻女子，当我回顾当时的情景时，并未感到她曾故意将我引开原地。采取主动的是我；我对上方的植物产生了好奇心，是我将她带走的，而并非刚好相反。雷根非但没有怂恿她那么做，而且在他们还看得见我的时候，他就把她叫了回去。后来完全是我自己愈走愈远，最后终于从他们的视线中消失。”

"And yet," said Hummin, who seemed intent on objecting to every suggestion that was made, "if that ship was looking for you, those on board must have known youd be there. How would they know……if not from Leggett?"

“然而，”夫铭似乎打定主意反对每项提议，“假如那架飞机是来找你的，机上人员必定知道你会在那里。假如情报并非来自雷根，他们又是怎么知道的？”

"The man I suspect," said Seldon, "is a young psychologist named Lisung Randa"

“我怀疑的人，”谢顿说，“是一位名叫李松·阮达的年轻心理学家。”

"Randa?" said Dors. "I can't believe that. I know him. He simply would not be working for the Emperor. Hes anti-Imperialist to the core."

“阮达？”铎丝说，“我无法相信。我了解这个人，他绝不会为大帝工作，他是彻头彻尾的反帝人士。”

"He might pretend to be," said Seldon. "In fact, he would have to be openly, violently, and extremely anti-Imperialist if he was trying to mask the fact that he is an Imperial agent."

“他可能是装的。”谢顿说，“事实上，若想掩饰自己是帝国特务这项事实，他就必须公开地、强烈地、偏激地表现出反帝主张。”

"But thats exactly what hes not like," said Dors. "He is not violent and extreme in anything. Hes quiet and good-natured and his views are always expressed mildly, almost timidly. Im convinced theyre genuine."

“但他正好不像那样。”铎丝说，“他一点也不强烈，一点也不偏激。他这个人和蔼可亲，总是以温和的，近乎羞怯的方式表达自己的观点。我确信这些都丝毫不假。”

"And yet, Dors," said Seldon earnestly, "it was he who first told me of the meteorological project, it was he who urged me to go Upperside, and it was he who persuaded Leggen to allow me to join him, rather exaggerating my mathematical prowess in the process. One must wonder why he was so anxious to get me up there, why he should labor so hard."

“然而，铎丝，”谢顿一本正经地说，“是他首先告诉我那个气象计划，是他力劝我到上方去，是他说服雷根准我加入，还特别夸大我的数学功力。这就不得不令人怀疑，他为何那么渴望让我上那儿去，为何如此尽心尽力。”

"For your good, perhaps. He was interested in you, Hari, and must have thought that meteorology might have been useful in psychohistory. isn't that possible?"

“或许是为你好吧。他对你有好感，哈里，他一定是认为气象学对心理史学可能有所助益。这难道不可能吗？”

Hummin said quietly, "Lets consider another point. There was a considerable lapse of time between the moment when Randa told you about the meteorology project and the moment you actually went Upperside. If Randa is innocent of anything underhanded, he would have no particular reason to keep quiet about it. If he is a friendly and gregarious person……"

夫铭以平静的口吻说：“我们来考虑另一个可能性。在阮达告诉你那个气象计划之后，以及你真正前往上方之前，这中间有好长一段时间。假如阮达和任何秘密活动毫无牵连，他就没有特别理由要对这件事保密。假使他是个友善外向、喜爱社交的人……”

"He is," said Dors.

“他就是这样。”铎丝说。

"……then he might very likely tell a number of friends about it. In that case, we couldnt really tell who the informer might be. In fact, just to make another point, suppose Randa is anti-Imperialist. That would not necessarily mean he is not an agent. We would have to ask: Whom is he an agent for? On whose behalf does he work?"

“……那么，他很有可能对许多朋友提到这件事。这样的话，我们根本无从判断告密者是谁。事实上……我只是提出另一个可能性……假如阮达的确是个反帝人士，也不一定就代表他绝对不是特务。我们必须探讨：他是谁的特务？他替什么人工作？”

Seldon was astonished. "Who else is there to work for but the Empire? Who else but Demerzel?"

谢顿很惊讶。“除了帝国，除了丹莫刺尔，他还能替谁工作？”

Hummin raised his hand. "You are far from understanding the whole complexity of Trantorian politics, Seldon." He turned toward Dors. "Tell me again: Which were the four sectors that Dr. Leggen named as likely sources for a meteorological vessel?"

夫铭举起一只手来。“谢顿，你对川陀政治的复杂性一点都不了解。”他又转向铎丝说，“再告诉我一遍，雷根博士认为那架气象飞机最可能来自哪四个区？”

"Hestelonia, Wye, Ziggoreth, and North Damiano."

“海斯特娄尼亚、卫荷、齐勾瑞斯，以及北达米亚诺。”

"And you did not ask the question in any leading way? You didn't ask if a particular sector might be the source?"

“你并未以任何引导的方式发问？你并未问他某一区是不是有可能？”

"No, definitely not. I simply asked if he could speculate as to the source of the jet-down."

“没有，绝对没有。我只是问他，能不能推测那架喷射直升机来自何方。”

"And you"……Hummin turned to Seldon "may perhaps have seen some marking, some insigne, on the jet-down?"

“而你，”夫铭转向谢顿，“或许看到那架喷射直升机上有某种标志，某种徽章？”

Seldon wanted to retort heatedly that the vessel could hardly be seen through the clouds, that it emerged only briefly, that he himself was not looking for markings, but only for escape……but he held back. Surely, Hummin knew all that.

谢顿本想强烈反驳，想说由于云层遮掩，他几乎看不见那架飞机，想说它只是偶尔短暂现身，想说他自己并未寻找什么标志，而只想到逃命……不过他都忍住了。不用说，这些夫铭全部知道。

Instead, he said simply, "Im afraid not."

于是，他只是简单答道：“只怕没有。”

Dors said, "If the jet-down was on a kidnapping mission, might not the insigne have been masked?"

铎丝说：“假如那架喷射直升机负有绑架任务，难道不会把徽章遮起来吗？”

"That is the rational assumption," said Hummin, "and it tray well have been, but in this Galaxy rationality does not always triumph. However, since Seldon seems to have taken no note of any details concerning the vessel, we can only speculate. What Im thinking is: Wye."

“这是个理性的假设，”夫铭说，“而且很有可能是事实，不过在这个银河系，理性不一定总是胜利者。无论如何，既然谢顿似乎未曾注意那架飞机的任何细节，我们如今只能做些推测。而我所想到的是：卫荷。”

"Why?" echoed Seldon. "I presume they wanted to take me because whoever was on the ship wanted me for my knowledge of psychohistory."

“为何？”谢顿重复那两个音，“不论飞机上是些什么人，我猜他们想要抓我的原因，是为了我所拥有的心理史学知识。”

"No, no." Hummin lifted his right forefinger as if lecturing a young student. "W-y-e. It is the name of a sector on Trantor. A very special sector. It has been ruled by a line of Mayors for some three thousand years. It has been a continuous line, a single dynasty. There was a time, some five-hundred years ago, when two Emperors and an Empress of the House of Wye sat on the Imperial throne. It was a comparatively short period and none of the Wye rulers were particularly distinguished or successful, but the Mayors of Wye have never forgotten this Imperial past.

“不，不。”夫铭举起右手食指，像是在教训一个年轻学生。“保卫的卫，电荷的荷，它是川陀一个区的名字。这是一个很特别的行政区，三千多年来，它一直被同一个世系的区长统治。那是个连续的世系，是个单一的朝代。曾有一段时间，大约五百年前，帝国有两位皇帝和一位女皇出自卫荷世族。那是一段相当短的时期，而这几位统治者都不怎么杰出，也没有什么特殊的功绩，但是历代卫荷区长都没忘记这段称帝的过去。

"They have not been actively disloyal to the ruling houses that have succeeded them, but neither have they been known to volunteer much on behalf of those houses. During the occasional periods of civil war, they maintained a kind of neutrality, making moves that seemed best calculated to prolong the civil war and make it seem necessary to turn to Wye as a compromise solution. That never worked out, but they never stopped trying either.

“对于取他们而代之的皇族，他们并无积极的不忠行动，却也从未听说他们如何主动为那些世族效命。在偶尔发生的内战时期，他们一律保持某种中立的立场，采取的行动则似乎经过详细计算，目的在于尽量延长战事，并让情势演变得似乎必须求助卫荷，才能获取一个折衷之道。这种计谋从未得逞，但他们也从未放弃尝试。

"The present Mayor of Wye is particularly capable. He is old now, but his ambition hasnt cooled. If anything happens to Cleon……even a natural death……the Mayor will have a chance at the succession over Cleons own too-young son. The Galactic public will always be a little more partial toward a claimant with an Imperial past.

“目前的卫荷区长特别精明能干。他已经老了，可是野心尚未冷却。假如克里昂有什么三长两短，即使是自然死亡，那位区长也有机会赶走克里昂的亲生幼子，自己来继任皇位。对于一位具有皇室传统的逐鹿者，银河黎民总会稍有偏爱。

"Therefore, if the Mayor of Wye has heard of you, you might serve as a useful scientific prophet on behalf of his house. There would be a traditional motive for Wye to try to arrange some convenient end for Cleon, use you to predict the inevitable succession of Wye and the coming of peace and prosperity for a thousand years after. Of course, once the Mayor of Wye is on the throne and has no further use for you, you might well follow Cleon to the grave."

“因此之故，假如卫荷区长听说过你，或许便会想到可善加利用，让你成为替他们那个世族宣传的科学预言家。既然卫荷早已觊觎皇位，他们会试图以简便的手法结束克里昂，再利用你来预测卫荷乃是不二的继位者，能带来千年的和平与繁荣。当然，一旦卫荷区长登上皇位，再也不必利用你时，你就很可能被埋在克里昂旁边。”

Seldon broke the grim silence that followed by saying, "But we don't know that it is this Mayor of Wye who is after me."

随之而来的一段阴郁沉默最后被谢顿打破，他说：“可是我们并不确定，想抓我的就是这个卫荷区长。”

"No, we don't. Or that anyone at all is after you, at the moment. The jet-down might, after all, have been an ordinary meteorological testing vessel as Leggen has suggested. still, as the news concerning psychohistory and its potential spreads……and it surely must……more and more of the powerful and semi-powerful on Trantor or, for that matter, elsewhere will want to make use of your services."

“没错，我们不确定。此时此刻，我们也不确定究竟是否有人想抓你。毕竟，那架喷射直升机仍有可能如雷根所言，只是一架普通的气象试验飞机。话说回来，随着有关心理史学与其潜力的消息愈传愈广……这是一定的事……越来越多川陀上的强权，甚至其他世界的野心家，都会想要好好利用你。”

"What, then," said Dors, "shall we do?"

“那么，”铎丝说，“我们该怎么办？”

"That is the question, indeed." Hummin ruminated for a while, then said, "Perhaps it was a mistake to come here. For a professor, it is all too likely that the hiding place chosen would be a University. Streeling is one of many, but it is among the largest and most free, so it wouldnt be long before tendrils from here and there would begin feeling their soft, blind way toward this place. I think that as soon as possible……today, perhaps……Seldon should be moved to another and better hiding place. But……"

“这的确是个问题。”夫铭沉思了一会儿，然后说，“也许来到这里是个错误。对一位教授而言，选择一所大学藏身实在太有可能。大学虽然为数众多，斯璀璘却是最大、最自由的几所之一。所以要不了多久，各处的触须就会悄悄摸索过来。我想谢顿应该尽快……或许就是今天……换到另一个较佳的藏匿地点。只是……”

"But?" said Seldon.

“只是？”谢顿问。

"But I don't know where."

“只是我也不知道该去哪里。”

Seldon said, "Call up a gazeteer on the computer screen and choose a place at random."

谢顿说：“从电脑屏幕上叫出地名目录，然后随机选取一处。”

"Certainly not," said Hummin. "If we do that, we are as likely to find a place that is less secure than average, as one that is more secure. No, this must be reasoned out……Somehow."

“当然不行。”夫铭说，“那样做的话，我们会刚好有一半的机会，找到一个安全值低于平均值的地方。不，必须客观推论出来才行……总有办法的。”

The three remained huddled in Seldons quarters tI'll past lunch. During that time, Hari and Dors spoke occasionally and quietly on indifferent subjects, but Hummin maintained an almost complete silence. He sat upright, ate little, and his grave countenance (which, Seldon thought, made him look older than his years) remained quiet and withdrawn.

午餐之前，他们三人一直挤在谢顿的房间。在此期间，谢顿与铎丝偶尔轻声闲聊些毫不相关的话题。但夫铭却几乎维持着完全的静默，他坐得笔直，吃得很少，而他严肃的表情（使他看来比实际年龄更老些，谢顿心想）则始终保持着沉静与内敛。

Seldon imagined him to be reviewing the immense geography of Trantor in his mind, searching for a corner that would be ideal. Surely, it couldnt be easy.

谢顿暗自猜想，他一定是在心中检视川陀辽阔的地理，试图寻找一个理想的角落。毫无疑问，这不是一件简单的事。

Seldons own Helicon was somewhat larger by a percent or two than Trantor was and had a smaller ocean. The Heliconian land surface was perhaps 10 percent larger than the Trantorian. But Helicon was sparsely populated, its surface only sprinkled with scattered cities; Trantor was all city. Where Helicon was divided into twenty administrative sectors; Trantor had over eight hundred and every one of those hundreds was itself a complex of subdivisions.

谢顿的故乡赫利肯比川陀大了百分之一二，而且海洋面积较小。因此，赫利肯的陆表或许多过川陀百分之十。不过赫利肯人口稀疏，表面仅有零星分布的一些城市，而川陀则是整个星球构成的大都会。赫利肯总共划分为二十个行政区，川陀的行政区则超过八百，而且这八百多个区又各自细分成许多复杂的单位。

Finally Seldon said in some despair, "Perhaps it might be best, Hummin, to choose which candidate for my supposed abilities is most nearly benign, hand me over to that one, and count on him to defend me against the rest."

最后，谢顿带着几分绝望说：“夫铭，也许最好的办法，是在那些觊觎我的角逐者中，找一个最接近善类的，然后把我交给他，仰仗他来保护我，以及我所掌握的任何能力。”

Hummin looked up and said in utmost seriousness, "That is not necessary. I know the candidate who is most nearly benign and he already has you."

夫铭抬起头来，以极严肃的口吻说：“没这个必要。我知道哪个角逐者最接近善类，而你已经在他手中。”

Seldon smiled. "Do you place yourself on the same level with the Mayor of Wye and the Emperor of all the Galaxy?"

谢顿微微一笑。“你将自己和卫荷区长，以及统治整个银河的皇帝等量齐观吗？”

"In point of view of position, no. But as far as the desire to control you is concerned, I rival them. They, however, and anyone else I can think of want you in order to strengthen their own wealth and power, while I have no ambitions at all, except for the good of the Galaxy."

“就地位而言，当然不行。但是论及想要控制你的渴望，我足以和他们匹敌。然而他们，以及我所能想到的其他任何人，这些人想要你的目的，是为了增加他们自己的财富和势力；而我却毫无野心，只为整个银河的福祉着想。”

"I suspect," said Seldon dryly, "that each of your competitors……if asked……would insist that he too was thinking only of the good of the Galaxy."

“我猜想，”谢顿以平板的语气说，“你的每一位竞争者……如果有人问起……都会坚持他心中也只有银河的福祉。”

"I am sure they would," said Hummin, "but so far, the only one of my competitors, as you call them, whom you have met is the Emperor and he was interested in having you advance fictionalized predictions that might stabilize his dynasty. I do not ask you for anything like that. I ask only that you perfect your psychohistorical technique so that mathematically valid predictions, even if only statistical in nature, can be made."

“我确信他们会这么回答。”夫铭说，“可是目前为止，套用你的称呼，在我的竞争者之中，你唯一见过的是那位皇帝。他对你有兴趣，是希望你提出一个有助于稳定其皇朝的虚构预测。而我并未要求你做任何类似的事。我只要求你将心理史学的技术发展完备，以便做出具有数学根据的预测，哪怕本质上只是统计性的。”

"True. So far, at least," said Seldon with a half-smile.

“这倒是实话，至少目前为止。”谢顿似笑非笑地说。

"Therefore, I might as well ask: How are you coming along with that task? Any progress?"

“因此之故，我或许该问一问：这项工作你进行得如何？可有任何进展？”

Seldon was uncertain whether to laugh or cage. After a pause, he did neither, but managed to speak calmly. "Progress? In less than two months? Hummin, this is something that might easily take me my whole life and the lives of the next dozen who follow me……And even then end in failure."

谢顿不知道该大笑还是大怒。顿了一会儿之后，他放弃了这两种选择，只是勉力以冷静的口吻说：“进展？在不到两个月之内？夫铭，这种事很可能会花上我一辈子的时间，还要赔上十几代后继者的一生……即使如此仍一无所获。”

"Im not talking about anything as final as a solution or even as hopeful as the beginning of a solution. Youve said flatly a number of times that a useful psychohistory is possible but impractical. All I am asking is whether there now seems any hope that it can be made practical."

“我并不是指拍板定案的正确解答，甚至不是指出现什么曙光。你曾经好多次断然地说，实用的心理史学是可能却不可行的。我所问的是，有没有出现将它变成可行的任何希望？”

"Frankly, no."

“坦白说，没有。”

Dors said, "Please excuse me. I am not a mathematician, so I hope this is not a foolish question. How can you know something is both possible and impractical? Ive heard you say that, in theory, you might personally meet and greet all the people in the Empire, but that it is not a practical feat because you couldnt live long enough to do it. But how can you tell that psychohistory is something of this sort?"

铎丝说：“对不起，我不是数学家，所以希望我的问题不会太蠢。你怎么能知道某样事物既有可能又不可行？我曾经听你说过，理论上而言，你也许能亲自拜访帝国的每一个人，和每一个人打招呼，但是这项壮举实际上却不可行，因为你的寿命不可能那么长。可是，你又怎么知道心理史学也是属于这种范畴的事物？”

Seldon looked at Dors with some incredulity. "Do you want that explained."

谢顿带着几分不可置信望着铎丝。“你想要我解释这点？”

"Yes," she said, nodding her head vigorously so that her curled hair vibrated.

“是的。”她使劲点头，牵动了满头鬈发。

"As a matter of fact," said Hummin, "so would I."

“事实上，”夫铭说，“我也想听听。”

"Without mathematics?" said Seldon with just a trace of a smile.

“不用数学？”谢顿带着一丝笑意说。

"Please," said Hummin.

“拜托。”夫铭说。

"Well……" He retired into himself to choose a method of presentation. Then he said, "……If you want to understand some aspect of the Universe, it helps if you simplify it as much as possible and include only those properties and characteristics that are essential to understanding. If you want to determine how an object drops, you don't concern yourself with whether it is new or old, is red or green, or has an odor or not. You eliminate those things and thus do not needlessly complicate matters. The simplification you can call a model or a simulation and you can present it either as an actual representation on a computer screen or as a mathematical relationship. If you consider the primitive theory of nonrelativistic gravitation……"

“好吧……”他沉默了一下，寻思一个适当的表达方式，然后他说，“如果你想要了解宇宙的某个层面，那么最好将问题尽量简化，让它仅仅包含与该层面息息相关的性质及特征。假如你想研究一个物体如何落下，你不必关心它是新还是旧，是红还是绿，或者是否具有某种气味。你忽略掉这些性质，避免掉不必要的复杂。这种简化可称为模型或模拟，你可以把它实际展现在电脑屏幕上，或是用数学关系式来描述。如果你考虑原始的非相对论性重力理论……”

Dors said at once, "You promised there would be no mathematics. don't try to slip it in by calling it primitive. "

铎丝立刻抗议：“你答应不提到数学的。别企图用‘原始’这个称呼来偷渡。”

"No, no. I mean primitive only in that it has been known as long as our records go back, that its discovery is shrouded in the mists of antiquity as is that of fire or the wheel. In any case, the equations for such gravitational theory contain within themselves a description of the motions of a planetary system, of a double star, of tides, and of many other things. Making use of such equations, we can even set up a pictorial simulation and have a planet circling a star or two stars circling each other on a two-dimensional screen or set up more complicated systems in a three-dimensional holograph. Such simplified simulations make it far easier to grasp a phenomenon than it would be if we had to study the phenomenon itself. In fact, without the gravitational equations, our knowledge of planetary motions and of celestial mechanics generally would be sparse indeed.

“不，不。我所谓的‘原始’，是指有史以来便已存在，就像轮子或火的发明一样，它的发现早已湮没在远古迷雾中。无论如何，这种重力理论的方程式，蕴涵了对行星系、双星系、潮汐现象，以及其他许多事物的描述。利用这种方程式，我们能建立一个图像模拟，而在二维屏幕上表现行星环绕恒星，或是两颗恒星互绕的模式；甚至可在三维全息像中，建立更加复杂的系统。比起研究该现象本身，这种简化的模拟使我们更加容易掌握那些现象。事实上，若是没有重力方程式，我们对于行星运动的知识，以及一般天体力学的知识，都将变得既贫乏又浅薄。

"Now, as you wish to know more and more about any phenomenon or as a phenomenon becomes more complex, you need more and more elaborate equations, more and more detailed programming, and you end with a computerized simulation that is harder and harder to grasp."

“且说，当你希望对某个现象了解得更多，或是某个现象变得更复杂时，你就需要更精致的方程式，以及更详细的电脑程序。最后，你会得到一个越来越难掌握的电脑化模拟。”

"can't you form a simulation of the simulation?" asked Hummin. "You would go down another degree."

“你不能为一个模拟再建立模拟吗？”夫铭问道，“这样你就会再简化一级。”

"In that case, you would have to eliminate some characteristic of the phenomenon which you want to include and your simulation becomes useless. The LPS……that is, the least possible simulation gains in complexity faster than the object being simulated does and eventually the simulation catches up with the phenomenon. Thus, it was established thousands of years ago that the Universe as a whole, in its full complexity, cannot be represented by any simulation smaller than itself.

“这样的话，你就得忽略该现象的某些特征，而它却正是你想要涵盖的，如此你的模拟将变得毫无用处。所谓的‘最简模拟’……也就是说，最简化的可行模拟……其复杂度的累增会比被模拟的对象更迅速，到最后模拟终将和现象本身并驾齐驱。因此，早在数千年前，就有人证明出宇宙整体，包括全部的复杂度，无法用比它更小的任何模拟来表现。

"In other words, you can't get any picture of the Universe as a whole except by studying the entire Universe. It has been shown also that if one attempts to substitute simulations of a small part of the Universe, then another small part, then another small part, and so on, intending to put them all together to form a total picture of the Universe, one would find that there are an infinite number of such part simulations. It would therefore take an infinite time to understand the Universe in full and that is just another way of saying that it is impossible to gain all the knowledge there is."

“换句话说，除非你研究整个宇宙，否则无法获得宇宙整体的任何图像。此外也有人证明，倘若企图以模拟取代宇宙的一小部分，再用另一个模拟取代另一小部分，其他依此类推，然后打算把这些模拟放在一起，形成宇宙的整体图像，你将发现这种部分模拟共有无限多个。因此你需要无限长的时间，才能了解整个宇宙，这正是不可能获得宇宙全部知识的另一种说法。”

"I understand you so far," said Dors, sounding a little surprised.

“目前为止，我都了解。”铎丝的声音带着一点惊讶。

"Well then, we know that some comparatively simple things are easy to simulate and as things grow more and more complex they become harder to simulate until finally they become impossible to simulate. But at what level of complexity does simulation cease to be possible? Well, what I have shown, making use of a mathematical technique first invented in this past century and barely usable even if one employs a large and very fast computer, our Galactic society falls short of that mark. It can be represented by a simulation simpler than itself. And I went on to show that this would result in the ability to predict future events in a statistical fashion……that is, by stating the probability for alternate sets of events, rather than flatly predicting that one set will take place."

“好的，此外，我们知道某些相当简单的事物是很容易模拟的，而当事物越来越复杂时，模拟就变得越来越难，最后终于变得绝无可能。但是究竟在何等复杂度之下，模拟就变得没有可能呢？嗯，我利用上个世纪才发明的数学技巧……目前即使动用巨大的超高速电脑，这种技巧也几乎没什么用，但我利用这种技巧，证明出我们的银河社会在临界点这一边。换言之，它的确可用比本身更简单的模拟来表现。我还进一步证明，这将导致一种预测未来的能力。它是统计性的，也就是说，我算出的是各组可能事件的几率，而并非断定哪一组会发生。”

"In that case," said Hummin, "since you can profitably simulate Galactic society, its only a matter of doing so. Why is it impractical?"

“这样一来，”夫铭说，“既然你的确能有效地模拟银河社会，剩下的问题只是如何进行而已。为什么实际上又不可行呢？”

"All I have proved is that it will not take an infinite time to understand Galactic society, but if it takes a bI'llion years it will still be impractical. That will be essentially the same as infinite time to us."

“我所证明的，只是并不需要无限长的时间来了解银河社会，不过若是得花上十亿年，它仍然是不可行的。对我们而言，这和无限长的时间并没有分别。”

"Is that how long it would take? A bI'llion years?"

“真要花那么久的时间吗？十亿年？”

"I haven't been able to work out how long it would take, but I strongly suspect that it will take at least a bI'llion years, which is why I suggested that number."

“我还无法算出需要多少时间，但是我有一种强烈的感觉，觉得至少需要十亿年之久，所以我才会提出这个数目。”

"But you don't really know."

“但你并非真的知道。”

"Ive been trying to work it out."

“我正试图把它算出来。”

"Without success?"

“没有成功？”

"Without success."

“没有成功。”

"The University library does not help?" Hummin cast a look at Dors as he asked the question.

“大学图书馆没有帮助吗？”夫铭一面问，一面向铎丝望了一眼。

Seldon shook his head slowly. "Not at all."

谢顿缓缓摇了摇头。“一点也没有。”

"Dors can't help?"

“铎丝帮不上忙吗？”

Dors sighed. "I know nothing about the subject, Chetter. I can only suggest ways of looking. If Hari looks and doesnt find, I am helpless."

铎丝叹了一口气。“契特，我对这个题目一窍不通，只能建议寻找的方向而已。假如哈里试过之后一无所获，那我就无能为力了。”

Hummin rose to his feet. "In that case, there is no great use in staying here at the University and I must think of somewhere else to place you."

夫铭站了起来。“这样的话，留在这所大学就没什么大用，我必须想个别的地方安置你。”

Seldon reached out and touched his sleeve. "still, I have an idea."

谢顿伸出手，按住夫铭的袖子。“然而，我却有个想法。”

Hummin stared at him with a faint narrowing of eyes that might have belied surprise……or suspicion. "When did you get the idea? Just now?"

夫铭微微眯起双眼盯着他，这种表情足以掩饰惊讶……或是怀疑。“你是何时想到的？刚才吗？”

"No. Its been buzzing in my head for a few days before I went Upperside. That little experience eclipsed it for a while, but asking about the library reminded me of it."

“不，早在我去上方之前，它就在我脑中萦绕好几天了。那个小变故暂时把它压了下去，不过你一问起图书馆，我马上想了起来。”

Hummin seated himself again. "Tell me your idea……if its not something thats totally marinated in mathematics."

夫铭重新坐下。“把你的想法告诉我……除非它从头到尾都是数学产物。”

"No mathematics at all. Its just that reading history in the library reminded me that Galactic society was less complicated in the past. Twelve thousand years ago, when the Empire was on the way to being established, the Galaxy contained only about ten mI'llion inhabited worlds. Twenty thousand years ago, the pre-Imperial kingdoms included only about ten thousand worlds altogether. still deeper in the past, who knows how society shrinks down? Perhaps even to a single world as in the legends you yourself once mentioned, Hummin."

“完全没有数学。只不过是当我在图书馆研读历史时，突然想到银河社会过去并没有那么复杂。一万两千年前，帝国正要建立的时候，银河系仅仅包含大约一千万个住人世界。两万年之前，前帝国时代的众王国总共只有一万个世界左右。而在更早更早以前，谁知道人类社会缩成什么样子？甚至也许只有一个世界，夫铭，正如你自己提到的那个传说所描述的。”

Hummin said, "And you think you might be able to work out psychohistory if you dealt with a much simpler Galactic society?"

夫铭说：“而你认为，假如你研究一个简单得多的银河社会，就有可能发展出心理史学？”

"Yes, it seems to me that I might be able to do so."

“是的，我觉得应该有这个可能。”

"Then too," said Dors with sudden enthusiasm, "suppose you work out psychohistory for a smaller society of the past and suppose you can make predictions from a study of the pre-Imperial situation as to what might happen a thousand years after the formation of the Empire……you could then check the actual situation at that time and see how near the mark you were."

“这样的话，”铎丝突然以热切的口吻说，“假设你针对过去一个较小的社会，发展出心理史学；假设你能根据对前帝国时代的研究，预测出帝国形成一千年后的种种……你马上可以核对当时的实际情形，看看你距离正确目标还有多远。”

Hummin said coldly, "Considering that you would know in advance the situation of the year 1,000 of the Galactic Era, it would scarcely be a fair test. You would be unconsciously swayed by your prior knowledge and you would be bound to choose values for your equation in such a way as to give you what you would know to be the solution."

夫铭冷冷地说：“既然你能事先知道银河纪元一千年的情形，这就不算是个客观的测验。你会不自觉地受到既有知识的左右，于是你为方程式所选取的参数，一定会是那些能给你正确答案的数值。”

"I don't think so," said Dors. "We don't know the situation in 1,000 G.E. very well and we would have to dig. After all, that was eleven mI'llennia ago."

“我倒不这么想。”铎丝说，“我们对银纪一千年的情况并不很清楚，必须深入探讨才行。毕竟，那是一万一千年以前。”

Seldons face turned into a picture of dismay. "What do you mean we don't know the situation in 1,000 G.E. very well? There were computers then, werent there, Dors?"

谢顿现出惶惑的表情。“你说我们对银纪一千年的情况不很清楚，这究竟是什么意思？当时已经有电脑了，对不对，铎丝？”

"Of course."

“当然。”

"And memory storage units and recordings of ear and eye? We should have all the records of 1,000 G.E. as we have of the present year of 12,020 G.E."

“还有记忆储存单元以及视听记录？我们应该还保有银纪一千年的所有记录，就像我们拥有今年……银纪12020年的记录一样。”

"In theory, yes, but in actual practice…… Well, you know, Hari, its what you keep saying. Its possible to have full records of 1,000 G.E., but its not practical to expect to have it."

“理论上没错，可是实际的情形……嗯，你瞧，哈里，这正是你常挂在嘴边的。想要保有银纪一千年的一切记录，是有可能但却不切实际的。”

"Yes, but what I keep saying, Dors, refers to mathematical demonstrations. I don't see the applications to historical records."

“没错，可是铎丝，我常挂在嘴边的是数学论证。我看不出如何适用于历史记录。”

Dors said defensively, "Records don't last forever, Hari. Memory banks can be destroyed or defaced as a result of conflict or can simply deteriorate with time. Any memory bit, any record that is not referred to for a long time, eventually drowns in accumulated noise. They say that fully one third of the records in the Imperial Library are simply gibberish, but, of course, custom will not allow those records to be removed. Other libraries are less tradition-bound. In the Streeling University library, we discard worthless items every ten years.

铎丝以辩护的口吻说：“哈里，记录不会永久留存的。记忆库会由于战乱而毁坏或损伤，甚至只因为时日久远而腐朽。任何的记忆位元，任何的记录，如果很长一段时间未被引用，最后就会淹没在不断积累的杂讯中。据说在帝国图书馆，整整三分之一的记录已不知所云，不过，当然，援例是不得移走那些记录的。其他图书馆没有那么多传统的包袱，在斯璀璘大学的图书馆，我们每隔十年就清除一次无用的资料。

"Naturally, records frequently referred to and frequently duplicated on various worlds and in various libraries……governmental and private……remain clear enough for thousands of years, so that many of the essential points of Galactic history remain known even if they took place in pre-Imperial times. However, the farther back you go, the less there is preserved."

“自然，经常被引用，以及经常在各个世界、各个政府或私人图书馆被复制的记录，几千年后依然清晰可辨。因此银河历史的许多重大事件，即使发生在前帝国时代，至今仍旧家喻户晓。然而，你愈是向前回溯，保存的资料就愈少。”

"I can't believe that," said Seldon. "I should think that new copies would be made of any record in danger of withering. How could you let knowledge disappear?"

“我无法相信。”谢顿说，“我以为任何记录在濒临损毁时，都会即时重制一份副本。你怎能任由知识消失呢？”

"Undesired knowledge is useless knowledge," said Dors. "Can you imagine all the time, effort, and energy expended in a continual refurbishing of unused data? And that wastage would grow steadily more extreme with time."

“没人要的知识就是没用的知识。”铎丝说，“为了不断维新无人使用的资料，你能想象需要消耗多少时间、精力和能量吗？这种浪费会随着时日久远而越来越严重。”

"Surely, you would have to allow for the fact that someone at some time might need the data being so carelessly disposed of."

“不用说，你总该考虑到一件事实：某一天，某个人可能会需要那些被随便丢弃了的资料。”

"A particular item might be wanted once in a thousand years. To save it all just in case of such a need isn't cost-effective. Even in science. You spoke of the primitive equations of gravitation and say it is primitive because its discovery is lost in the mists of antiquity. Why should that be? didn't you mathematicians and scientists save all data, all information, back and back to the misty primeval time when those equations were discovered?"

“对某个特定项目的需求，可能一千年才有一次。仅仅为了预防这种需求而保存它，绝不是一件划算的事。即使在科学领域也不例外。你刚才提到重力的原始方程式，说它之所以‘原始’，是因为它的发现遗失在远古迷雾中。为什么会这样呢？你们数学家和科学家为何不保存所有的数据、所有的资料，为何不能远溯到发现那些方程式的迷雾般原始时代？”

Seldon groaned and made no attempt to answer. He said, "Well, Hummin, so much for my idea. As we look back into the past and as society grows smaller, a useful psychohistory becomes more likely. But knowledge dwindles even more rapidly than size, so psychohistory becomes less likely……and the less outweighs the more."

谢顿哼了一声，并未试图回答这个问题。他说：“好啦，夫铭，我的想法差不多就是这样。当我们回溯过去，社会变得越来越小的时候，实用的心理史学就变得越来越有可能。可是，相关知识却比社会规模缩减得更迅速，这又使得心理史学越来越没可能……而后者的效应超越了前者。”

"To be sure, there is the Mycogen Sector," said Dors, musing.

“对了，有个麦曲生区。”铎丝若有所思地说。

Hummin looked up quickly. "So there is and that would be the perfect place to put Seldon. I should have thought of it myself."

夫铭迅速抬起头来。“没错，那里是安置谢顿最理想的地方。我自己应该想到的。”

"Mycogen Sector," repeated Hari, looking from one to the other. "What and where is Mycogen Sector?"

“麦曲生区？”谢顿的目光扫过另外两人，“麦曲生区在哪里，又是个什么地方？”

"Hari, please, I'll tell you later. Right now, I have preparations to make. Youll leave tonight."

“哈里，拜托，我等一下会告诉你。现在我需要做些准备，你今晚就要动身。”

Dors had urged Seldon to sleep a bit. They would be leaving halfway between lights out and lights on, under cover of "night," while the rest of the University slept. She insisted he could still use a little rest.

铎丝曾经力劝谢顿小睡片刻。他们准备于照明熄灭与开启之间、大学里其他人都熟睡之际，在“夜色”的掩护下离去。她坚持动身前他还可以稍事休息。

"And have you sleep on the floor again?" Seldon asked.

“而让你再睡地板？”谢顿问道。

She shrugged. "The bed will only hold one and if we both try to crowd into it, neither of us will get much sleep."

她耸了耸肩。“这张床只能容纳一个人，假如我俩硬要挤在一起，谁都没法睡好。”

He looked at her hungrily for a moment and said, "Then I'll sleep on the floor this time."

他以渴望的目光望了她一会儿。“那么这次换我睡地板吧。”

"No, you wont. I wasn't the one who lay in a coma in the sleet."

“不，不行，在冰珠中不省人事的可不是我。”

As it happened, neither slept. Though they darkened the room and though the perpetual hum of Trantor was only a drowsy sound in the relatively quiet confines of the University, Seldon found that he had to talk.

结果两个人都没有睡。虽然他们将室内照明调暗，虽然在相当安静的校园中，川陀永不止息的嗡嗡声成了催眠曲，谢顿却觉得必须讲几句话。

He said, "Ive been so much trouble to you, Dors, here at the University. Ive even been keeping you from your work. still, Im sorry I'll have to leave you."

他说：“铎丝，我来到这所大学后，为你添了这么多麻烦，甚至让你无法工作。话说回来，如今不得不离开你，我还是感到很遗憾。”

Dors said, "You won't leave me. Im coming with you. Hummin is arranging a leave of absence for me."

铎丝说：“你不会离开我，我跟你一块走。夫铭正在帮我安排一次长假。”

Seldon said, dismayed, "I can't ask you to do that."

谢顿惊慌地说：“我不能要求你那样做。”

"Youre not. Hummins asking it. I must guard you. After all, I faded in connection with Upperside and should make up for it."

“你没有，是夫铭要求的，而我必须保护你。毕竟，上方的意外我未能尽到责任，应该弥补一下。”

"I told you. Please don't feel guilty about that……still, I must admit I would feel more comfortable with you at my side. If I could only be sure I wasn't interfering with your life……"

“我跟你说过，请别为那件事感到内疚。然而，我必须承认，有你在身边我会感到自在许多。只要我能确定，我不会干扰你的生活……”

Dors said softly, "Youre not, Hari. Please go to sleep."

铎丝柔声说道：“哈里，你没有，拜托去睡会儿吧。”

Seldon lay silent for a while, then whispered, "Are you sure Hummin can really arrange everything, Dors?"

谢顿静默了一阵子，然后悄声道：“铎丝，你确定夫铭真能安排一切吗？”

Dors said, "Hes a remarkable man. Hes got influence here at the University and everywhere else, I think. If he says he can arrange for an indefinite leave for me, Im sure he can. He is a most persuasive man."

铎丝说：“他是个了不起的人。他在各处都有影响力，在这所大学也不例外，我这么想。他要是说能为我安排一次无限期的长假，我就确信他能做到。他是最有说服力的人。”

"I know," said Seldon. "Sometimes I wonder what he really wants of me."

“我知道。”谢顿说，“有时我不禁怀疑，他究竟想从我身上得到什么？”

"What he says," said Dors. "Hes a man of strong and idealistic ideas and dreams."

“就是他所说的，”铎丝道，“他是个怀抱着强烈而完美的理想和梦想的人。”

"You sound as though you know him well, Dors."

“听来好像你十分了解他，铎丝。”

"Oh yes, I know him well."

“喔，对，我十分了解他。”

"Intimately?"

“亲密吗？”

Dors made an odd noise. "Im not sure what youre implying, Hari, but, assuming the most insolent interpretation…… No, I don't know him intimately. What business would that be of yours anyway?"

铎丝发出一下怪声。“我不确定你在暗示什么，哈里，可是，姑且假设是最无礼的那种意思……不，我对他的了解并不亲密。无论如何，这又关你什么事？”

"Im sorry," said Seldon. "I just didn't want, inadvertently, to be invading someone elses……"

“我道歉。”谢顿说，“我只是不想，无意之间，侵犯到别人的……”

"Property? Thats even more insulting. I think you had better go to sleep."

“财产？那更是无礼之至。我认为你最好还是睡觉吧。”

"Im sorry again, Dors, but I can't sleep. Let me at least change the subject. You haven't explained what the Mycogen Sector is. Why will it be good for me to go there? Whats it like?"

“铎丝，我再度道歉。可是我无法入睡，至少容我改变一下话题。你还没有解释麦曲生区是什么样的地方，为什么我适合到那里去？它像什么样子？”

"Its a small sector with a population of only about two mI'llion……if I remember correctly. The thing is that the Mycogenians cling tightly to a set of traditions about early history and are supposed to have very ancient records not available to anyone else. Its just possible they would be of more use to you in your attempted examination of pre-Imperial times than orthodox historians might be. All our talk about early history brought the sector to mind."

“它是个小区，人口大约只有两百万……如果我没记错的话。重要的是，麦曲生人紧守着一套与早期历史有关的传统，而且想必拥有非常古老的记录，那是任何外人都无法取得的。既然你企图检视前帝国时代的历史，他们可能比正统历史学家对你更有帮助。在我们谈论那些早期历史问题时，我突然想到了这个区。”

"Have you ever seen their records?"

“你曾经看过他们的记录吗？”

"No. I don't know anyone who has."

“没有，我不知道有谁看过。”

"Can you be sure that the records really exist, then?"

“那么，你能确定那些记录真的存在吗？”

"Actually, I can't say. The assumption among non-Mycogenians is that theyre a bunch of madcaps, but that may be quite unfair. They certainly say they have records, so perhaps they do. In any case, we would be out of sight there. The Mycogenians keep strictly to themselves……And now please do go to sleep."

“其实，我也不敢说。在许多外人心目中，他们只是一群狂妄之徒，不过这也许相当不公平。他们确实声称拥有那些记录，所以或许是真的。无论如何，我们在那里不会受到任何注意。麦曲生人绝对不跟外人来往……现在请你务必睡会儿吧。”

And somehow Seldon finally did.

这回谢顿总算睡着了。

Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili left the University grounds at 0300. Seldon realized that Dors had to be the leader. She knew Trantor better than he did……two years better. She was obviously a close friend of Hummin (how close? the question kept nagging at him) and she understood his instructions.

哈里·谢顿与铎丝·凡纳比里在0300时离开大学校园。谢顿明白必须让铎丝领头，因为她比他更熟悉川陀……有着两年的落差。她显然是夫铭的一位密友（有多亲密？这个问题一直在他脑际回响），而且她能了解他的指示。

Both she and Seldon were swathed in light swirling docks with tight-fitting hoods. The style had been a short-lived clothing fad at the University (and among young intellectuals, generally) some years back and though right now it might provoke laughter, it had the saving grace of covering them well and of making them unrecognizable……at least at a cursory glance.

她与谢顿都套上一件附有贴身兜帽、随风摇曳的轻质斗篷。几年前，这种款式的服装曾在这所大学（以及一般年轻知识分子间）流行过一小段时间。虽然如今也许会引人发笑，但它至少有一项优点，那就是能将他们遮掩得很好，让他们不会被认出来……至少匆匆一瞥之下不会。

Hummin had said, "Theres a possibility that the event Upperside was completely innocent and that there are no agents after you, Seldon, but lets be prepared for the worst."

先前夫铭曾说：“谢顿，上方那件事有可能是百分之百的单纯事件，根本没有特务想抓你，不过我们还是要做最坏的打算。”

Seldon had asked anxiously, "won't you come with us?"

谢顿巴望地问道：“你不跟我们一块走吗？”

"I would like to," said Hummin, "but I must limit my absence from work if I am not to become a target myself. You understand?"

“我很想这么做。”夫铭说，“可是，为了避免自己成为目标，我一定不能离开工作岗位太久。你了解吗？”

Seldon sighed. He understood.

谢顿叹了一声，他的确了解。

They entered an Expressway car and found a seat as far as possible from the few who had already boarded. (Seldon wondered why anyone should be on the Expressways at three in the morning……and then thought that it was lucky some were or he and Dors would be entirely too conspicuous.)

他们上了一辆捷运，并在尽量远离车厢里的几名乘客处找了一个座位。谢顿不禁纳闷，清晨三点的时候，捷运中为何还会有人。然后才想到这是他们的运气，否则他与铎丝就实在太显眼了。

Seldon fell to watching the endless panorama that passed in review as the equally endless line of coaches moved along the endless monorail on an endless electromagnetic field.

当绵延不绝的捷运车厢，沿着绵延不绝的单轨，在绵延不绝的电磁场上前进时，谢顿开始观赏同样绵延不绝、像接受检阅般通过窗外的风景。

The Expressway passed row upon row of dwelling units, few of them very tall, but some, for all he knew, very deep. still, if tens of mI'llions of square kilometers formed an urbanized total, even forty bI'llion people would not require very tall structures or very closely packed ones. They did pass open areas, in most of which crops seemed to be growing……but some of which were clearly parklike. And there were numerous structures whose nature he couldnt guess. Factories? Office buildings? Who knew? One large featureless cylinder struck him as though it might be a water tank. After all, Trantor had to have a fresh water supply. Did they sluice rain from Upperside, filter and treat it, then store it? It seemed inevitable that they should.

捷运经过一排又一排的居住单位，其中非常高的只占极少数，但是他也知道，有些却相当深入地底。然而，既然二亿平方公里形成一个都会化整体，即使人口高达四百亿之众，也不会需要非常高的建筑，或是住得非常紧密。他们的确也曾通过空旷地区，其中大部分似乎都种有农作物，不过某些显然像是公园。此外还有许多建筑，他根本猜不到用途。工厂吗？办公大厦吗？谁知道呢？有个巨大而毫无特色的圆柱体，他认为好像是储水槽。无论如何，川陀必须有清水供应系统。他们是否将雨水从上方引下来，加以过滤消毒，然后储存起来？这似乎是他们唯一的办法。

Seldon did not have very long to study the view, however.

不过，谢顿没有太长的时间来研究这些景物。

Dors muttered, "This is about where we should be getting off." She stood up and her strong fingers gripped his arm.

铎丝突然低声说：“我们该下车的地方快到了。”她站了起来，强有力的手指紧紧抓住他的臂膀。

They were off the Expressway now, standing on solid flooring while Dors studied the directional signs.

不久他们便下了捷运，重新站在坚实的地板上，铎丝开始研究方向指示标志。

The signs were unobtrusive and there were many of them. Seldons heart sank. Most of them were in pictographs and initials, which were undoubtedly understandable to native Trantorians, but which were alien to him.

那些标志毫不起眼，而且为数众多，谢顿的心不禁一沉。其中大多数是图形符号与缩写，川陀本地人一定都能了解，但是对他而言却完全陌生。

"This way," said Dors.

“这边走。”铎丝说。

"Which way? How do you know?"

“哪边走？你怎么知道？”

"See that? Two wings and an arrow."

“看到那个吗？两只翅膀加一个箭头。”

"Two wings? Oh." He had thought of it as an upside-down "w," wide and shallow, but he could see where it might be the stylized wings of a bird.

“两只翅膀？喔。”他本以为那是一个写得又宽又扁的字母，不过现在看来，还真有点像符号化的一对鸟翼。

Why don't they use words? he said sullenly.

“他们为什么不用文字？”他绷着脸问。

"Because words vary from world to world. What an air-jet is here could be a soar on Cinna or a swoop on other worlds. The two wings and an arrow are a Galactic symbol for an air vessel and the symbol is understood everywhere. don't you use them on Helicon?"

“因为文字在各个世界不尽相同。这里所谓的‘喷射机’，在锡纳或许是‘飞翔机’，在其他一些世界却是‘雷霆机’。而两只翅膀加一个箭头，则是代表飞行器的银河标准符号，任何地方的人都看得懂……你们在赫利肯不用这些符号吗？”

"Not much. Helicon is a fairly homogeneous world, culturally speaking, and we tend to cling to our private ways firmly because were overshadowed by our neighbors."

“不多。就文化而言，赫利肯是个相当同质化的世界。我们倾向于紧守自己的行事方式，因为近邻的强势文化令我们有危机感。”

"See?" said Dors. "Theres where your psychohistory might come in. You could show that even with different dialects the use of set symbols, Galaxy-wide, is a unifying force."

“想到了吗？”铎丝说，“这就是你的心理史学可能派上用场的地方。你可以证明，虽然银河中有许多不同的方言，使用固定的符号仍是一种团结力量。”

"That won't help." He was following her through empty dim alleyways and part of his mind wondered what the crime rate might be on Trantor and whether this was a high-crime area. "You can have a bI'llion rules, each covering a single phenomenon, and you can derive no generalizations from that. Thats what one means when one says that a system might be interpreted only by a model as complex as itself……Dors, are we heading for an air-jet?"

“这没什么帮助。”他跟着她穿过空旷而阴暗的巷道，一部分心思在嘀咕川陀的犯罪率有多高，而这里是否属于高犯罪率地区。“你可以找出十亿条规则，每条涵盖一个单一现象，却无法从中导出一般性的通则。这就是所谓的一个系统只能用和它本身同样复杂的模型来解释……铎丝，我们要去搭喷射机吗？”

She stopped and turned to look at him with an amused frown. "If were following the symbols for air-jets, do you suppose were trying to reach a golf course? Are you afraid of air-jets in the way so many Trantorians are?"

她停了下来，转身望向他，皱着眉头露出苦笑。“既然我们沿着喷射机的符号前进，你以为我们要去高尔夫球场吗？你是不是像许多川陀人一样，对喷射机感到恐惧？”

"No, no. We fly freely on Helicon and I make use of air-jets frequently. Its just that when Hummin took me to the University, he avoided commercial air travel because he thought we would leave too clear a trail."

“不，不。我们在赫利肯总是飞来飞去，我自己也常搭喷射机。只不过当夫铭带我到斯璀璘大学时，他刻意避免商业空中交通，认为那会使我们留下太明显的行迹。”

"Thats because they knew where you were to begin with, Hari, and were after you already. Right now, it may be that they don't know where you are and were using an obscure port and a private air-jet."

“哈里，那是因为当初他们知道你在哪里，而且已经在跟踪你。如今，或许他们并不知道你的行踪。何况我们将使用一座偏僻的机场，以及一架私人喷射机。”

"And wholl be doing the flying?"

“由谁来驾驶呢？”

"A friend of Hummins, I presume."

“夫铭的一位朋友吧，我猜。”

"Can he be trusted, do you suppose?"

“你认为能信任他吗？”

"If hes a friend of Hummins, he surely can."

“只要他是夫铭的朋友，当然就信得过。”

"You certainly think highly of Hummin," said Seldon with a twinge of discontent.

“你确实对夫铭推崇备至。”谢顿十分不以为然地说。

"With reason," said Dors with no attempt at coyness. "Hes the best."

“这是有理由的。”铎丝毫无腼腆之色，“他是最棒的。”

Seldons discontent did not dwindle.

谢顿心中的不服并未因此减轻。

"Theres the air-jet," she said.

“喷射机就在前面。”她说。

It was a small one with oddly shaped wings. Standing beside it was a small man, dressed in the usual glaring Trantorian colors.

那是一架小型飞机，有着一对奇形怪状的机翼。一个身材矮小的人站在旁边，穿着一身令人眼花撩乱的川陀流行色彩。

Dors said, "Were psycho."

铎丝说：“我们是心理。”

The pilot said, "And Im history."

那位驾驶员说：“那么我是史学。”

They followed him into the air-jet and Seldon said, "Whose idea were the passwords?"

他们跟他上了喷射机，谢顿说：“这组口令是谁的点子？”

"Hummins," said Dors.

“夫铭的。”铎丝说。

Seldon snorted. "Somehow I didn't think Hummin would have a sense of humor. Hes so solemn."

谢顿哼了一声。“我一直不晓得夫铭还会有幽默感，他是那么严肃的人。”

Dors smiled.

铎丝微笑不语。