CHAPTER SEVENTEEN GAIA
第17章 盖娅
IT TOOK HOURS FOR THE SKIP FROM THE SPACE STATION TO REACH THE vicinity of theFar Star --very long hours for Trevize to endure.
从太空站飞出来的那艘太空船，花了几个小时才抵达远星号附近。崔维兹觉得这几个小时如坐针毡。
Had the situation been normal, Trevize would have tried to signal and would have expected a response. If there had been no response, he would have taken evasive action.
若是在正常情况下，崔维兹会试着呼叫那艘太空船，并会期待对方有所回应。假如没有任何回应，他就会采取闪避行动。
Since he was unarmed and there had been no response, there was nothing to do but wait. The computer would not respond to any direction he could give it that involved anything outside the ship.
由于他毫无武装，又一直没有收到回音，他唯一能做的就是等待。现在电脑对于指令的筛选极为严格，如果他发出移动太空艇的指令，电脑绝不会有任何反应。
Internally, at least, everything worked well. The life-support systems were in perfect order, so that he and Pelorat were physically comfortable. Somehow, that didn’t help. Life dragged on and the uncertainty of what was to come was wearing him down. He noticed with irritation that Pelorat seemed calm. As though to make it worse, while Trevize felt no sense of hunger at all, Pelorat opened a small container of chicken-bits, which on opening had rapidly and automatically warmed itself. Now he was eating it methodically.
不过，至少太空艇内部一切正常。维生系统维持着最佳工作状态，因此他与裴洛拉特没有任何生理上的不适。然而，这却无济于事。时间一点一滴白白溜走，等在前面的那个未知数将他磨得越来越疲倦。但他发现裴洛拉特似乎很镇定，不禁冒起一股无名火。而裴洛拉特好像故意火上加油，偏偏在崔维兹完全没有食欲的时候，开了一个鸡丁罐头。罐头打开之后立刻自动加热，裴洛拉特已经吃将起来。
Trevize said irritably, “Space, Janov! That stinks!”
崔维兹没好气地说：“太空啊，詹诺夫！好臭！”
Pelorat looked startled and sniffed at the container. “It smells all right to me, Golan.”
裴洛拉特好像吓了一跳，忙将罐头凑到鼻端闻了闻。“我觉得很香啊，葛兰。”
Trevize shook his head. “Don’t mind me. I’m just upset. But do use a fork. Your fingers will smell of chicken all day.”
崔维兹摇了摇头。“别管我，我是在胡言乱语。但你总该用把叉子，否则你的指头整天都有鸡肉的味道。”
Pelorat looked at his fingers with surprise. “Sorry! I didn’t notice. I was thinking of something else.”
裴洛拉特讶异地望着自己的手指头。“抱歉！我没注意到，我正在想别的事。”
Trevize said sarcastically, “Would you care to guess at what type of nonhumans the creatures on the approaching ship must be?” He was ashamed that he was less calm than Pelorat was. He was a Navy veteran (though he had never seen battle, of course) and Pelorat was a historian. Yet his companion sat there quietly.
崔维兹用嘲讽的语气说：“你要不要猜一猜，那艘太空船上的非人生物会是什么模样？”自己竟然比不上裴洛拉特镇定，令他觉得惭愧。他曾经在舰队服役（不过当然没有实战经验），而裴洛拉特只是一名历史学家。现在，这位旅伴却能安然坐在那里。
Pelorat said, “It would be impossible to imagine what direction evolution would take under conditions differing from those of Earth. The possibilities may not be infinite, but they would be so vast that they might as well be. However, I can predict that they are not senselessly violent and they will treat us in a civilized fashion. If that wasn’t true, we would be dead by now.”
裴洛拉特答道：“在不同于地球的环境中，演化会朝什么方向进行，实在是难以想象的。可能性或许并非无穷多，但也一定多得数不清。然而，我推测他们绝非凶残成性，会以文明的方式对待我们。否则的话，我们现在早就死了。”
“At least you can still reason, Janov, my friend--you can still be tranquil. My nerves seem to be forcing their way through whatever tranquilization they have put us under. I have an extraordinary desire to stand up and pace. Why doesn’t that blasted ship arrive?”
“至少你还能冷静思考，詹诺夫，好朋友，至少你还能保持镇静。我的神经却仿佛在和他们的无形镇静剂对抗。我有一种异常的冲动，很想站起来踱几步。那艘该死的太空船怎么还没到？”
Pelorat said, “I am a man of passivity, Golan. I have spent my life doubled over records while waiting for other records to arrive. I do nothing but wait. You are a man of action and you are in deep pain when action is impossible.”
裴洛拉特说：“我是个惯于被动的人，葛兰。我这辈子都在等待新的文献，平常只能埋头钻研既有的资料。除了等待，我什么也不能做。而你是个行动派，一旦无法采取行动，你就会痛苦莫名。”
Trevize felt some of his tension leave. He muttered, “I underestimate your good sense, Janov.”
崔维兹顿时感到轻松了些，喃喃说道：“我低估了你的观察力，詹诺夫。”
“No, you don’t,” said Pelorat placidly, “but even a na?ve academic can sometimes make sense out of life.”
“不，你没有低估我。”裴洛拉特以平静的口吻说，“但即使是天真的学者，也能偶尔从生活中领悟出一些道理。”
“And even the cleverest politician can sometimes fail to do so.”
“而即使是最精明的政治人物，有时也可能执迷不悟。”
“I didn’t say that, Golan.” --
“我可没那么说，葛兰。”
“No, but I did. --So let me become active. I can still observe. The approaching ship is close enough to seem distinctly primitive.”
“你没说，是我说的。所以我该积极一点，至少我还可以观察。那艘太空船已经相当接近，看得出它似乎极为原始。”
“Seem?”
“似乎？”
Trevize said, “If it’s the product of nonhuman minds and hands, what may seem primitive may, in actual fact, be merely nonhuman.”
崔维兹说：“如果它是其他智慧生物制造的，那么表面上的原始，实际上可能只是非人文明的特征。”
“Do you think it might be a nonhuman artifact?” asked Pelorat, his face reddening slightly.
“你也认为它可能是非人文明的产物？”裴洛拉特问道，他兴奋得脸色有点泛红。
“I can’t tell. I suspect that artifacts, however much they may vary from culture to culture, are never quite as plastic as products of genetic differences might be.”
“我不确定。但我认为，人造器物不论因为文化差异而有多大的不同，相较于另一种生物所制造的器物，顶多只能算是大同小异。”
“That’s just a guess on your part. All we know are different cultures. We don’t know different intelligent species and therefore have no way of judging how different artifacts might be.”
“那只是你的猜想罢了。目前为止，我们只接触过不同的文化，从未发现不同的智慧型物种，因此无从判断双方的器物会有多大差异。”
“Fish, dolphins, penguins, squids, even the ambiflexes, which are not of Earthly origin--assuming the others are--all solve the problem of motion through a viscous medium by streamlining, so that their appearances are not as different as their genetic makeup might lead one to believe. It might be so with artifacts.”
“鱼类、海豚、企鹅、乌贼，乃至并非源自地球的围韧——姑且假设其他几种都是地球的物种——这些生物解决在粘滞介质中运动的办法，都是将身体演化成流线型。因此，它们的基因构造虽然截然不同，外形却没有多大的差别。文明的产物也可能如此。”
“The squid’s tentacles and the ambiflex’s helical vibrators,” responded Pelorat, “are enormously different from each other, and from the fins, flippers, and limbs of vertebrates. It might be so with artifacts.”
“乌贼的触手和围韧的螺旋振器，”裴洛拉特反驳道，“彼此之间有极大的不同，也跟其他几种脊椎动物的鳍、蹼或鳍状肢没有相似之处。而文明的产物也可能如此。”
“In any case,” said Trevize, “I feel better. Talking nonsense with you, Janov, quiets my nerves. And I suspect we’ll know what we’re getting into soon, too. The ship is not going to be able to dock with ours and whatever is on it will come across on an old-fashioned tether--or we will somehow be urged to cross to it on one--since the unilock will be useless. --Unless some nonhuman will use some other system altogether.”
“无论如何，”崔维兹说，“我心情好多了。跟你胡扯了这么一大堆，詹诺夫，我的神经不知不觉松弛下来。我猜，我们很快就能知道将遇见什么。那艘太空船无法和我们接驳，所以不论上面是何方神圣，都得借着旧式的索链摆荡过来——或是用什么方法，驱策我们两人荡过去——因为‘自动对接锁’派不上用场。除非上面真是什么非人生物，拥有全然迥异的接驳系统。”
“How big is the ship?”
“那艘太空船有多大？”
“Without being able to use the ship’s computer to calculate the distance of the ship by radar, we can’t possibly know the size.”
“我不能利用远星号的电脑和雷达来计算距离，所以无从估计它的尺度。”
A tether snaked out toward theFar Star .
一条索链向远星号蜿蜒游移过来。
Trevize said, “Either there’s a human aboard or nonhumans use the same device. Perhaps nothing but a tether can possibly work.”
崔维兹说：“这有两种可能，要么上面是人类，要么就是非人生物使用相同的装置。或许除了索链，根本没有第二种工具可用。”
“They might use a tube,” said Pelorat, “or a horizontal ladder.”
“还可以用管子，”裴洛拉特说，“或者一个水平梯。”
“Those are inflexible things. It would be far too complicated to try to make contact with those. You need something that combines strength and flexibility.”
“那些东西没有韧性，用来连系两艘船舰会很困难。你得用一种兼具强度和韧性的东西。”
The tether made a dull clang on theFar Star as the solid hull (and consequently the air within) was set to vibrating. There was the usual slithering as the other ship made the fine adjustments of speed required to bring the two into a common velocity. The tether was motionless relative to both.
索链触及远星号那一刻，太空艇坚硬的外壳（连带内部的空气）震动了一下，发出一阵沉闷的铿锵声。那艘太空船开始进行速度微调，好让彼此速度一致，此时索链就像一条在太空中游走的长蛇。最后，索链终于达到相对静止的状态。
A black dot appeared on the hull of the other ship and expanded like the pupil of an eye.
太空船的表面出现一个黑点，像瞳孔一样愈变愈大。
Trevize grunted. “An expanding diaphragm, instead of a sliding panel.”
崔维兹咕哝道：“竟然不是自动滑门，而是伸屈隔板。”
“Nonhuman?”
“非人文明？”
“Not necessarily, I suppose. But interesting.”
“还很难讲，可是很有意思。”
A figure emerged.
画面上出现了一个人形。
Pelorat’s lips tightened for a moment and then he said in a disappointed voice, “Too bad. Human.”
裴洛拉特紧抿着嘴唇，过了好一阵子，才用失望的口气说：“太可惜了，是人类。”
“Not necessarily,” said Trevize calmly. “All we can make out is that there seem to be five projections. That could be a head, two arms, and two legs--but it might not be. --Wait!”
“还是很难讲。”崔维兹冷静地说，“我们现在只能断定，那个躯体好像具有五个突起，可能是头部和双手双脚，却也可能不是——慢着！”
“What?”
“什么？”
“It moves more rapidly and smoothly than I expected. --Ah!”
“它的动作比我预料中更迅速利落——啊！”
“What?”
“又怎么了？”
“There’s some sort of propulsion. It’s not rocketry, as nearly as I can tell, but neither is it hand over hand. Still, not necessarily human.”
“它配备有某种推进装置。我看得出不是火箭式推进器，但它绝非拉动索链前进。话说回来，仍然不一定就是人类。”
There seemed an incredibly long wait despite the quick approach of the figure along the tether, but there was finally the noise of contact.
虽然那个人形顺着索链迅疾而至，两人却觉得等了很久很久。最后，外面终于传来一阵噪音。
Trevize said, “It’s coming in, whatever it is. My impulse is to tackle it the minute it appears.” He balled a fist.
崔维兹说：“不管是什么东西，它马上要进来了。我决定它一出现就立刻动手。”他握紧了拳头。
“I think we had better relax,” said Pelorat. “It may be stronger than we. It can control our minds. There are surely others on the ship. We had better wait till we know more about what we are facing.”
“我想我们最好放轻松点。”裴洛拉特说，“它也许比我们强壮，何况它能控制我们的心灵，而那艘船上一定还有它的同伙。我们最好少安毋躁，先看看面对的是什么角色再说。”
“You grow more and more sensible by the minute, Janov,” said Trevize, “and I, less and less.”
“你倒是愈来愈深思熟虑，詹诺夫，”崔维兹说，“我反而每况愈下。”
They could hear the airlock moving into action and finally the figure appeared inside the ship.
他们又听见气闸开闭的声音，最后，那个人形终于来到太空艇内。
“About normal size,” muttered Pelorat. “The space suit could fit a human being.”
“差不多正常尺寸，”裴洛拉特喃喃道，“这套太空衣塞得进一个人类。”
“I never saw or heard of such a design, but it doesn’t fall outside the limits of human manufacture, it seems to me. --It doesn’t say anything.”
“我从未见过这种式样的太空衣，甚至没听说过，可是在我看来，它仍然没有超出人类制品的范围，根本不算什么线索。”
The space-suited figure stood before them and a forelimb rose to the rounded helmet, which--if it were made of glass--possessed one-way transparency only. Nothing could be seen inside.
穿着太空衣的人形站到了两人面前。太空衣上面是一个圆形罩盔，罩盔面板若是玻璃制品，也一定是单向透光玻璃，因为完全看不见里面。
The limb touched something with a quick motion that Trevize did not clearly make out and the helmet was at once detached from the rest of the suit. It lifted off.
那人形将一只上肢抬到罩盔旁边，迅速碰了一下不知道什么开关，崔维兹根本没有看清楚。罩盔立刻与太空衣脱离，并被举了起来。
What was exposed was the face of a young and undeniably pretty woman
呈现他们眼前的，是一张年轻娇媚的脸蛋，它的主人无疑是一位美丽的女郎。
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Pelorat’s expressionless face did what it could to look stupefied. He said hesitantly, “Are you human?”
一向毫无表情的裴洛拉特，此时也称得上目瞪口呆了。他用迟疑的口气问道：“你是人类吗？”
The woman’s eyebrows shot up and her lips pouted. There was no way of telling from the action whether she was faced with a strange language and did not understand or whether she understood and wondered at the question.
女郎的柳眉往上一挑，嘴唇也撅了起来。从她这个反应来看，无法判断她究竟是听到了一种无法理解的陌生语言，或是她虽然听懂了，却不知道如何回答。
Her hand moved quickly to the left side of her suit, which opened in one piece as though it were on a set of hinges. She stepped out and the suit remained standing without content for a moment. Then, with a soft sigh that seemed almost human, it collapsed.
她将右手伸到左侧一拉，整件太空衣就被打开来，好像原本只是由一排铰链拴住。当她跨出来之后，太空衣兀自伫立了一会儿，又发出一下有如人声的轻叹，才终于垮成一团。
She looked even younger, now that she had stepped out. Her clothing was loose and translucent, with the skimpy items beneath visible as shadows. The outer robe reached to her knees.
一旦走出臃肿的太空衣，她看起来更年轻了。她穿着一套宽松而半透明的衣服，外袍刚好及膝，里层的几件也若隐若现。
She was small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips rounded and full. Her thighs, which were seen in shadow, were generous, but her legs narrowed to graceful ankles. Her hair was dark and shoulder-length, her eyes brown and large, her lips full and slightly asymmetric.
她的胸部平平，腰肢颇细，臀部浑圆而厚实。隐约可见的大腿看来相当壮硕，但小腿从膝盖到美丽的脚踝都十分修长。她有一头及肩的黑色秀发，一双黑色的大眼睛，以及一副稍嫌不对称的丰唇。
She looked down at herself and then solved the problem of her understanding of the language by saying, “Don’t Ilook human?”
她低头打量了自己一下，然后说：“我看来不像人类吗？”这句话证明了她完全了解对方的语言。
She spoke Galactic Standard with just a trifle of hesitation, as though she were straining a bit to get the pronunciation quite right.
她说的银河标准语稍嫌生涩，好像她刻意要将每个字的发音都咬得很准。
Pelorat nodded and said with a small smile, “I can’t deny it. Quite human. Delightfully human.”
裴洛拉特点了点头，带着浅浅笑意说：“这点我无法否认。你是百分之百的人类，而且是赏心悦目的人类。”
The young woman spread her arms as though inviting closer examination. “I should hope so, gentleman. Men have died for this body.”
年轻女郎将两臂向外伸，仿佛邀请他们看得更仔细些。“但愿如此，两位，许多男士都爱死了这副躯体。”
“I would rather live for it,” said Pelorat, finding a vein of gallantry which faintly surprised him.
裴洛拉特说：“我宁愿为它好好活着。”他感到有点意外，自己竟然变得如此油腔滑调。
“Good choice,” said the woman solemnly. “Once this body is attained, all sighs become sighs of ecstasy.”
“说得好。”女郎一本正经地说，“一旦占有这副躯体，所有的叹息都将转变为赞叹。”
She laughed and Pelorat laughed with her.
说完她就哈哈大笑，裴洛拉特跟着她笑了起来。
Trevize, whose forehead had puckered into a frown through this exchange, rapped out, “How old are you?”
听到这番对话，崔维兹的额头起了好些皱褶。他突然厉声问道：“你几岁了？”
The woman seemed to shrink a little. “Twenty-three-- gentleman.”
女郎似乎收敛了一点。“二十三，先生。”
“Why have you come? What is your purpose here?”
“你来干什么？你到这里来有什么目的？”
“I have come to escort you to Gaia.” Her command of Galactic Standard was slipping slightly and her vowels tended to round into diphthongs. She made “come” sound like “comb” and “Gaia” like “Gay-uh.”
“我是来护送你们到盖娅去的。”她的银河标准语突然有点不标准了，主要是把单母音转成了双母音。
“Agirl to escort us.”
“你一个女孩子，来护送我们？”
The woman drew herself up and suddenly she had the bearing of one in charge. “I,” she said, “am Gaia, as well as another. It was my stint on the station.”
女郎突然现出严肃的神情，一副当家做主的模样。“我，”她说，“和大家一样，都是盖娅。管理太空站是我当前的职责。”
“Yourstint? Were you the only one on board?”
“你当前的职责？太空站上只有你一个人吗？”
Proudly. “I was all that was needed.”
她的语气充满骄傲。“我一个人就足够了。”
“And is it empty now?”
“那么它现在是空的了？”
“I am no longer on it, gentleman, but it is not empty.It is there.”
“我已经不在上面，两位。但它并不是空的，它还在那里。”
“It? To what do you refer?”
“它？你指的是什么？”
“To the station. It is Gaia. It doesn’t need me. It holds your ship.”
“是那座太空站，它是盖娅。它不需要我，也能抓住你们的太空艇。”
“Then what are you doing on the station?”
“那你又在太空站里做什么呢？”
“It is my stint.”
“那是我当前的职责。”
Pelorat had taken Trevize by the sleeve and had been shaken off. He tried again. “Golan,” he said in an urgent half-whisper. “Don’t shout at her. She’s only a girl. Let me deal with this.”
裴洛拉特扯了扯崔维兹的袖子，却被甩了开来，他只好再接再厉。“葛兰，”他用接近耳语的声音劝道，“别对她大吼大叫，她只是个女孩，这件事交给我处理。”
Trevize shook his head angrily, but Pelorat said, “Young woman, what is your name?”
崔维兹怒气冲冲地摇了摇头，但裴洛拉特已经开始说：“年轻小姐，你叫什么名字？”
The woman smiled with sudden sunniness, as though responding to the softer tone. She said, “Bliss.”
女郎突然露出快活的笑容，仿佛回应着裴洛拉特温和的语调。她答道：“宝绮思。”
“Bliss?” said Pelorat. “A very nice name. Surely that’s not all there is.”
“宝绮思？”裴洛拉特说，“非常好听的名字，想必不是你的全名吧。”
“Of course not. A fine thing it would be to have one syllable. It would be duplicated on every section and we wouldn’t tell one from another, so that the men would be dying for the wrong body. Bussenobiarella is my name in full.”
“当然不是。名字那么短有什么好处，那样到处都会碰到同名的人，让人没法分辨谁是谁，男士们还会搞错该爱死哪副躯体。我的全名是宝绮思奴比雅蕊拉。”
“Nowthat’s a mouthful.”--
“这可实在拗口。”
“What? Seven syllables? That’s not much. I have friends with fifteen syllables in their names and they never get done trying combinations for the friend-name. I’ve stuck with Bliss now ever since I turned fifteen. My mother called me ‘Nobby,’ if you can imagine such a thing.”
“什么？七八个字怎么算拗口？我有些朋友的名字长达十五个字，却始终打不定主意该让朋友怎么称呼。我打从十五岁开始，就一直用宝绮思这个名字。我妈妈以前叫我‘奴比’，不知你们能否想象这种事情。”
“In Galactic Standard, ‘bliss’ means ‘ecstasy’ or ‘extreme happiness,’” said Pelorat.
“在银河标准语中，‘宝绮思’代表‘无上欢喜’或‘快乐至极’的意思。”裴洛拉特说。
“In Gaian language, too. It’s notvery different from Standard, and ‘ecstasy’ is the impression I intend to convey.”
“在盖娅的语言中也是这个意思，它跟银河标准语没有非常大的差别，而‘无上欢喜’正是我想带给别人的印象。”
“My name is Janov Pelorat.”
“我叫詹诺夫·裴洛拉特。”
“I know that. And this other gentleman--the shouter--is Golan Trevize. We received word from Sayshell.”
“我知道。而另外这位先生，这位大嗓门，叫做葛兰·崔维兹。我们是从赛协尔听来的。”
Trevize said at once, his eyes narrow, “How did you receive word?”
崔维兹立刻眯起双眼问道：“你是怎样听来的？”
Bliss turned to look at him and said calmly, “I didn’t. Gaia did.”
宝绮思转身望着他，以平静的口气说：“不是我，是盖娅听来的。”
Pelorat said, “Miss Bliss, may my partner and myself speak Privately for a moment?”
裴洛拉特说：“宝绮思小姐，我能否跟我的同伴私下说几句话？”
“Yes, certainly, but we have to get on with it, you know.”
“当然可以，不过你该知道，我们还有正事要办。”
“I won’t take long.” He pulled hard at Trevize’s elbow and was reluctantly followed into the other room.
“我不会耽搁太久的。”裴洛拉特一面说，一面猛扯崔维兹的手肘，硬把他拖进隔壁舱房。
Trevize said in a whisper, “What’s all this? I’m sure she can hear us in here. She can probably read our minds, blast the creature.”
崔维兹悄声说：“这样做是干什么？我确定她仍然能够听到我们讲话，或许还能读取我们的心思，这该死的东西。”
“Whether she can or can’t, we need a bit of psychological isolation for just a moment. Look, old chap, leave her alone. There’s nothing we can do, and there’s no use taking that out on her. There’s probably nothing she can do either. She’s just a messenger girl. Actually, as long as she’s on board, we’re probably safe; they wouldn’t have put her on board if they intended to destroy the ship. Keep bullying and perhaps they will destroy it--and us--after they take her off.”
“不管她能不能，我们暂时需要一点隔绝的感觉。听好，老弟，别再难为她了。我们根本无计可施，拿她出气绝不是办法。她只是个负责传话的女孩，可能跟我们一样身不由己。其实，只要她在太空艇上，我们大概就不会有危险；他们若是打算摧毁远星号，就不会让她上来了。你要是一直这么凶，他们或许就会把她撤走，然后摧毁这艘太空艇——当然包括我们在内。”
“I don’t like being helpless,” said Trevize grumpily.
“我可不喜欢任人摆布。”崔维兹气急败坏地说。
“Who does? But acting like a bully doesn’t make you less helpless. It just makes you a helpless bully. Oh, my dear chap, I don’t mean to be bullyingyou like this and you must forgive me if I’m excessively critical of you, but the girl is not to be blamed.”
“谁又喜欢呢？可是凶神恶煞的态度却无济于事，只能让你变成一个任人摆布的凶神恶煞。喔，我亲爱的兄弟，我不是故意要对你这般凶巴巴，如果我过分苛责你，你也一定要原谅我，但是无论如何别责怪那个女孩。”
“Janov, she’s young enough to be your youngest daughter.”
“詹诺夫，以她的年纪，足以当你的幺女了。”
Pelorat straightened. “All the more reason to treat her gently. Nor do I know what you imply by the statement.”
裴洛拉特板起脸孔。“所以我们更应该对她和颜悦色，但我不知道你这句话可有什么言外之意。”
Trevize thought a moment, then his face cleared. “Very well. You’re right. I’m wrong. It is irritating, though, to have them send a girl. They might have sent a military officer, for instance, and given us a sense of somevalue , so to speak. Just a girl? And she keeps placing responsibility on Gaia?”
崔维兹想了一下，脸上的阴霾便一扫而空。“很好，你说得对，是我错了。不过他们派一个女孩来，也未免太气人了。比如说，至少也该派个军官来，让我们多少感到有点，嗯，分量。只派一个女孩？她还一直说这都是盖娅的意思？”
“She’s probably referring to a ruler who takes the name of the planet as an honorific--or else she’s referring to the planetary council. We’ll find out, but probably not by direct questioning.”
“她也许是指某位以盖娅当荣衔的领导者，或是指这个行星的议会。我们迟早会查出真相，但也许不是直接问出来。”
“Men have died for her body!” said Trevize. “Huh! --She’s bottom-heavy!”
“男人爱死了她那副躯体！”崔维兹说，“呸！因为她屁股大！”
“No one is asking you to die for it, Golan,” said Pelorat gently. “Come! Allow her a sense of self-mockery. I consider it amusing and good-natured, myself.”
“没有人要你去爱死它，葛兰。”裴洛拉特好言相劝：“好啦！就容许她这么自我解嘲吧。我自己认为这样很有意思，而且很友善。”
They found Bliss at the computer, bending down and staring at its component parts with her hands behind her back as though she feared touching it.
两人走到舱门口，发现宝绮思站在电脑旁边，俯身打量着电脑的元件。她的双手一直背在背后，仿佛生怕不小心会碰到电脑。
She looked up as they entered, ducking their heads under the low lintel. “This is an amazing ship,” she said. “I don’t understand half of what I see, but if you’re going to give me a greeting-present, this is it. It’s beautiful. It makes my ship look awful.”
当他们低下头，钻过矮小的舱门时，宝绮思抬起头来。“真是一艘了不起的太空艇。”她说，“眼前的东西，我至少有一半毫无概念。但你们如果要送我一份见面礼，它当然最合适。它好漂亮，让我的太空船相形见绌。”
Her face took on a look of ardent curiosity. “Are you really from the Foundation?”
她脸上突然显现强烈的好奇。“你们真是从基地来的？”
“How do you know about the Foundation?” asked Pelorat.
“你又是如何听说基地的？”裴洛拉特反问。
“We learn about it in school. Mostly because of the Mule.”
“我们在学校学到的，主要是由于骡。”
“Why because of the Mule, Bliss?”
“为什么是由于骡呢，宝绮思？”
“He’s one of us, gentle-- What syllable of your name may I use, gentleman?”
“他是我们的一分子啊，先……你的名字可以用哪个字当简称，先生？”
Pelorat said, “Either Jan or Pel. Which do you prefer?”
裴洛拉特说：“詹或裴都可以，你喜欢哪一个？”
“He’s one of us, Pel,” said Bliss with a comradely smile. “He was born on Gaia, but no one seems to know where exactly.”
“他是我们的一分子啊，裴。”宝绮思露出老友般的笑容，“他生于盖娅，可是似乎谁也不知道确实地点。”
Trevize said, “I imagine he’s a Gaian hero, Bliss, eh?” He had become determinedly, almost aggressively, friendly and cast a placating glance in Pelorat’s direction. “Call me Trev,” he added.
崔维兹接口道：“我想他一定是盖娅的英雄，宝绮思，对吗？”他的态度突然变得过分友善，几乎令人无法招架。他一面说，一面朝裴洛拉特递了一个眼色，意思是要他放心。“你可以称我崔。”他补充道。
“Oh no,” she said at once. “He’s a criminal. He left Gaia without permission, and no one should do that. No one knowshow he did it. But he left, and I guess that’s why he came to a bad end. The Foundation beat him in the end.”
“喔，不对。”她立刻答道，“他是一名罪犯，未经许可就离开盖娅，谁都不该那么做。谁也不知道他是如何溜走的，反正他就是溜了，我猜这就是他没有好下场的原因。基地最后把他打败了。”
“TheSecond Foundation?” said Trevize.
“你是说第二基地吗？”崔维兹问。
“Is there more than one? I suppose if I thought about it I would know, but I’m not interested in history, really. The way I look at it is, I’m interested in what Gaia thinks best. If history just goes past me, it’s because there are enough historians or that I’m not well adapted to it. I’m probably being trained as a space technician myself. I keep being assigned to stints like this and I seem to like it and it stands to reason I wouldn’t like it if--”
“还有另一个吗？我相信如果好好想一想，我应该就会知道，但是我对历史没兴趣，真的。我的想法是，只有盖娅认为最有用的东西，我才会感兴趣。如果我对历史毫不在意，那是因为历史学家够多了，或者我天生就不适合。我可能正在接受太空技师的训练，我一直被指派从事这类工作，而且我好像也很喜欢。这是理所当然的事，假如我不喜欢……”
She was speaking rapidly, almost breathlessly, and Trevize had to make an effort to insert a sentence. “Who’s Gaia?”
她说得愈来愈快，几乎没有换过气，崔维兹好不容易才插进一句话：“到底谁是盖娅？”
Bliss looked puzzled at that. “Just Gaia. --Please, Pel and Trev, let’s get on with it. We’ve got to get to the surface.”
宝绮思露出困惑的表情。“盖娅就是盖娅。拜托，裴，崔，让我们办正事吧，我们得赶紧着陆。”
“We’re going there, aren’t we?”
“我们不是正在降落吗？”
“Yes, but slowly. Gaia feels you can move much more rapidly if you use the potential of your ship. Would you do that?”
“没错，可是太慢了。盖娅觉得，如果你们让这艘太空艇发挥潜力，速度能比现在快得多。你们愿意这么做吗？”
“We could,” said Trevize grimly. “But if I get the control of the ship back, wouldn’t I be more likely to zoom off in the opposite direction?”
“我们可以这么做。”崔维兹绷着脸说，“但如果把控制权交还给我，我不是很可能朝反方向飞走吗？”
Bliss laughed. “You’re funny. Of course, you can’t go in any direction Gaia doesn’t want you to go. But you can go faster in the direction Gaiadoes want you to go. See?”
宝绮思哈哈大笑。“你这个人真逗。盖娅不想让你走的方向，你当然没办法走。可是盖娅想要你走的方向，你就能走得比现在更快。懂了吗？”
“We see,” said Trevize, “and I’ll try to control my sense of humor.Where do I land on the surface?”
“懂了。”崔维兹说，“我会试着控制自己的幽默感。我应该在哪里着陆？”
“It doesn’t matter. You just head downward and you’ll land at the right place. Gain will see to that.”
“用不着操心。你只管往下降，就会在正确的地点着陆，盖娅会确保这一点。”
Pelorat said, “And will you stay with us, Bliss, and see that we are treated well?”
裴洛拉特说：“而你会一直陪着我们，宝绮思，以确保我们受到良好的待遇？”
“I suppose I can do that. Let’s see now, the usual fee for my services--I meanthat kind of services--can be entered on my balance-card.”
“我想应该没问题。让我想想看，通常本人的服务费——我是指这种服务——可由本人的收支卡入账。”
“And the other kind of services?”
“而另外的服务呢？”
Bliss giggled. “You’re a nice old man.”
宝绮思吃吃笑了起来。“你真是个老可爱。”
Pelorat winced
裴洛拉特心头一凛。
3
3
Bliss reacted to the swoop down to Gaia with a na?ve excitement. She said, “There’s no feeling of acceleration.”
当太空艇朝盖娅高速俯冲时，宝绮思兴奋得像个天真无邪的孩子。她说：“根本没有加速的感觉嘛。”
“It’s a gravitic drive,” said Pelorat. “Everything accelerates together, ourselves included, so we don’t feel anything.”
“它是由重力驱动的。”裴洛拉特说，“每样东西都同时被加速，包括我们在内，所以我们什么也感觉不到。”
“But how does it work, Pel?”
“但这是怎么做到的呢，裴？”
Pelorat shrugged. “I think Trev knows,” he said, “but I don’t think he’s really in a mood to talk about it.”
裴洛拉特耸了耸肩。“我想崔该知道，”他说，“但我想他目前没心情谈这个。”
Trevize had dropped down Gaia’s gravity-well almost recklessly. The ship responded to his direction, as Bliss had warned him, in a partial manner. An attempt to cross the lines of gravitic force obliquely was accepted--but only with a certain hesitation. An attempt to rise upward was utterly ignored.
崔维兹正操纵着太空艇，顺着盖娅的重力阱猛然下冲。正如宝绮思刚才所说，对于他所下达的指令，电脑只能接受一部分。当他试图斜向跨越重力线时，电脑虽然有些迟疑，最后还是接受了。但每当他试图攀升，电脑则完全不理会。
The ship was still not his.
他仍旧不是太空艇的主人。
Pelorat said mildly, “Aren’t you going downward rather rapidly, Golan?”
裴洛拉特好言劝道：“你降落的速度是不是快了些，葛兰？”
Trevize, with a kind of flatness to his voice, attempting to avoid anger (more for Pelorat’s sake, than anything else) said, “The young lady says that Gaia will take care of us.”
崔维兹尽量避免发火（主要还是为了裴洛拉特着想），他用单调平板的语气说：“那位小姐讲过，盖娅会照顾我们。”
Bliss said, “Surely, Pel. Gaia wouldn’t let this ship do anything that wasn’t safe. Is there anything to eat on board?”
宝绮思说：“是啊，裴，盖娅不会让这艘船做任何危险的事。你们有没有什么吃的？”
“Yes indeed,” said Pelorat. “What would you like?”
“当然有。”裴洛拉特说，“你想吃些什么？”
“No meat, Pel,” said Bliss in a businesslike way, “but I’ll take fish or eggs, along with any vegetables you might have.”
“不要肉类，裴。”宝绮思颇有定见地说，“但我能吃鱼或蛋类，此外有任何蔬菜都好。”
“Some of the food we have is Sayshellian, Bliss,” said Pelorat. “I’m not sure I know what’s in it, but you might like it.”
“我们有些食物是在赛协尔添购的，宝绮思。”裴洛拉特说，“我不太确定里面是些什么，但你或许会喜欢。”
“Well, I’ll taste some,” said Bliss dubiously.
“好啊，那我就尝尝看。”宝绮思的语气听来不大有信心。
“Are the people on Gaia vegetarian?” asked Pelorat.
“盖娅上的人都是素食者吗？”裴洛拉特问道。
“A lot are.” Bliss nodded her head vigorously. “It depends on what nutrients the body needs in particular cases. Lately I haven’t been hungry for meat, so I suppose I don’t need any. And I haven’t been aching for anything sweet. Cheese tastes good, and shrimp. I think I probably need to lose weight.” She slapped her right buttock with a resounding noise. “I need to lose five or six pounds right here.”
“很多都是。”宝绮思使劲点着头，“不过，主要还是取决于身体需要何种养分。我最近对肉类没胃口，所以我想自己目前并不需要。我现在也不想吃任何甜食，却认为干酪很好吃，还有虾米也是。我猜我也许需要减肥了。”她拍了拍右半边屁股，响起“啪”的一声。“这里就需要减掉五六磅。”
“I don’t see why,” said Pelorat. “It gives you something comfortable to sit on.”
“我倒不这么想。”裴洛拉特说，“这样子你坐着比较舒服。”
Bliss twisted to look down at her rear as best she might. “Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Weight goes up or down as it ought. I shouldn’t concern myself.”
宝绮思尽量扭头以便望向臀部。“算啦，没什么关系。体重会顺其自然增减，我自己不该操心。”
Trevize was silent because he was struggling with theFar Star . He had hesitated a bit too long for orbit and the lower limits of the planetary exosphere were now screaming past the ship. Little by little, the ship was escaping from his control altogether. It was as though something else had learned to handle the gravitic engines. TheFar Star , acting apparently by itself, curved upward into thinner air and slowed rapidly. It then took up a path on its own that brought it into a gentle downward curve.
崔维兹忙着跟远星号奋战，所以一直没有说话。刚才他犹豫了稍微久一点，太空艇无法再做绕轨飞行，正从外气层底缘呼啸而过。崔维兹发现，太空艇愈来愈不受自己控制，好像那个外力已经学会如何操纵重力引擎。此时远星号显然一切自动，它沿着一条弧形轨迹升到稀薄的大气中，然后急遽减速。接着它又自行选择一条路径，一路划着优美的弧线缓缓落下。
Bliss had ignored the edgy sound of air resistance and sniffed delicately at the steam rising from the container. She said, “It must be all right, Pd, because if it weren’t, it wouldn’t smell right and I wouldn’t want to eat it.” She put a slim finger into it and then licked at the finger. “You guessed correctly, Pd. It’s shrimp or something like it. Good!”
宝绮思毫不理会空气阻力造成的尖锐噪音，专心闻着罐头冒出的蒸气。她说：“这一定很适合我，裴，否则闻起来不会那么香，我也就会毫无胃口。”她将一根纤细的手指伸进罐头，再用舌头舔了舔。“你猜得果然没错，裴。正是虾米之类的东西，太好了！”
With a gesture of dissatisfaction, Trevize abandoned the computer.
崔维兹气呼呼地举起双手，向电脑投降。
“Young woman,” he said, as though seeing her for the first time.
“小姐。”听他的口气，好像是头一次跟她说话。
“My name is Bliss,” said Bliss firmly.
“我的名字叫宝绮思。”她坚决地说。
“Bliss, then! You knew our names.”
“好吧，宝绮思！你原本就知道我们的名字。”
“Yes, Trev.”
“是的，崔。”
“How did you know them?”
“你是怎么知道的？”
“It was important that I know them, in order for me to do my job. So I knew them.”
“这很重要，我必须知道才能顺利执行任务，所以我就知道了。”
“Do you know who Munn Li Compor is?”
“你知道曼恩·李·康普是谁吗？”
“I would--if it were important for me to know who he is. Since I do not know who he is, Mr. Compor is not coming here. For that matter,” she paused a moment, “no one is coming here but you two.”
“如果他对我很重要，那我就会知道。既然我不知道他是谁，康普先生就不会到这里来。这一回，”她顿了一会儿，“除了你们两位，不会再有其他人来。”
“We’ll see.”
“等着瞧吧。”
He was looking down. It was a cloudy planet. There wasn’t a solid layer of cloud, but it was a broken layer that was remarkably evenly scattered and offered no clear view of any part of the planetary surface.
他向下俯瞰，发现这是一颗多云的行星。但云层不是厚实的一整块，而是一片片散布得极为均匀，以致整个行星表面没有一处看得清楚。
He switched to microwave and the radarscope glittered. The surface was almost an image of the sky. It seemed a world of islands-- rather like Terminus, but more so. None of the islands was very large and none was very isolated. It was something of an approach to a planetary archipelago. The ship’s orbit was well inclined to the equatorial plane, but he saw no sign of ice caps.
他将扫描仪调到微波频带，雷达幕随即亮了起来，看得出地表几乎是天空的倒影。盖娅似乎是个由群岛构成的世界，有些类似端点星，不过岛屿数目更多，而且更为平均。其中没有任何太大或是太过孤立的岛屿，简直就是行星级的爱琴海。虽然太空艇的轨道与赤道面夹着很大的角度，崔维兹却没有看到冰冠的踪迹。
Neither were there the unmistakable marks of uneven population distribution, as would be expected, for instance, in the illumination of the night side.
通常每个世界都有些人口集中地带，例如能从夜面的照明分布看出来，但在这里，他看不出任何显着的人口分布趋势。
“Will I be coming down near the capital city, Bliss?” asked Trevize.
“我会降落在首都附近吗，宝绮思？”崔维兹问。
Bliss said indifferently, “Gaia will put you down somewhere convenient.”
宝绮思轻描淡写地答道：“盖娅会让你降落在适当的地点。”
“I’d prefer a big city.”
“我比较喜欢大城市。”
“Do you mean a large people-grouping?”
“你是指挤着一大群人的地方？”
“Yes.”
“对。”
“It’s up to Gaia.”
“这得由盖娅决定。”
The ship continued its downward path and Trevize tried to find amusement in guessing on which island it would land.
太空艇继续向下降，崔维兹开始猜测它将落在哪个岛上，借此打发无聊的时间。
Whichever it might be, it appeared they would be landing within the hour
不管目的地是哪一个岛，显然一小时内就要着陆了。
4
4
The ship landed in a quiet, almost feathery manner, without a moment of jarring, without one anomalous gravitational effect. They stepped out, one by one: first Bliss, then Pelorat, and finally Trevize.
太空艇像羽毛般轻巧地落到地面，没有产生一点冲击，也没有任何异常的重力效应。他们三人鱼贯地走出来，宝绮思走在前面，接着是裴洛拉特，最后才是崔维兹。
The weather was comparable to early summer at Terminus City. There was a mild breeze and with what seemed to be a late-morning sun shining brightly down from a mottled sky. The ground was green underfoot and in one direction there were the serried rows of trees that bespoke an orchard, while in the other there was the distant line of seashore.
天气跟端点市的初夏相仿。不时袭来阵阵和风，而多云的天空透出明亮的阳光，像是近午时分的光景。脚下是一大片绿地，一侧密植着一排又一排的树木，显然是个果树园，另一侧则是绵长的海岸线。
There was the low hum of what might have been insect life, a flash of bird--orsome small flying creature--above and to one side, and theclack-clack of what might have been some farm instrument.
他们听到一些低沉的嗡嗡声，可能是昆虫类发出来的。头上还掠过一只飞鸟，或是某种会飞的小型生物。远处又传来一连串“咔啦咔啦”的声响，似乎是农机发出的噪音。
Pelorat was the first to speak and he mentioned nothing he either saw or heard. Instead, he drew in his breath raspingly and said, “Ah, it smellsgood , like fresh-made applesauce.”
第一个开口的是裴洛拉特，但他所说的和眼见耳闻都没有关系。他先猛力吸了一口气，然后说：“啊，好香，像是刚做好的苹果酱。”
Trevize said, “That’s probably an apple orchard we’re looking at and, for all we know, they’re making applesauce.”
崔维兹说：“我们眼前可能就是个苹果园，看来他们正在做苹果酱。”
“On your ship, on the other hand,” said Bliss, “it smelled like-- Well, it smelled terrible.”
“反之，在你们的太空艇上，”宝绮思说，“闻起来却像……唉，反正味道很可怕。”
“You didn’t complain when you were on it,” growled Trevize.
“刚才在上面，你并没有抱怨。”崔维兹咆哮道。
“I had to be polite. I was a guest on your ship.”
“我得讲礼貌啊。在你们的太空艇上，我总是客人。”
“What’s wrong with staying polite?”
“现在又怎么不维持礼貌了？”
“I’m on my own world now.You’re the guest.You be polite.”
“现在回到我自己的世界。你们成了客人，该你们讲礼貌。”
Pelorat said, “She’s probably right about the smell, Golan. Is there any way of airing out the ship?”
裴洛拉特道：“她说太空艇有股怪味，可能真说对了，葛兰。有没有办法给它换换空气？”
“Yes,” said Trevize with a snap. “It can be done--if this little creature can assure us that the ship will not be disturbed. She has already shown us she can exert unusual power over the ship.”
“有，可以做得到。”崔维兹随即答道，“只要这个小东西能向我们保证，不会有人对太空艇动手脚。她刚才已经向我们证明，她能以不寻常的力量控制太空艇。”
Bliss drew herself up to her full height. “I’m not exactly little and if leaving your ship alone is what it takes to get it cleaned up, I assure you leaving it alone will be a pleasure.”
宝绮思立刻抬头挺胸，站得笔直。“我并没有那么小。如果太空艇不再受外力控制，你就能把里面清理干净，我保证十分乐意跟你配合。”
“And then can we be taken to whoever it is that you speak of as Gaia?” said Trevize.
“那么，可以带我们去见你口中那位盖娅了吧？”崔维兹说。
Bliss looked amused. “I don’t know if you’re going to believe this, Trev.I’m Gaia.”
宝绮思似乎被逗乐了。“我不知道你会不会相信，崔，但我就是盖娅。”
Trevize stared. He had often heard the phrase “collect one’s thoughts” used metaphorically. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he were engaged in the process literally. Finally he said, “You?”
崔维兹瞠目结舌。他常常听到“收心凝神”这句成语，不过都是比喻而已。今天是他有生以来第一次，感到自己实实在在经历了这种过程。最后，他终于吐出一个字：“你？”
“Yes. And the ground. And those trees. And that rabbit over there in the grass. And the man you can see through the trees. The whole planet and everything on it is Gaia. We’re all individuals--we’re all separate organisms--but we all share an overall consciousness. The inanimate planet does so least of all, the various forms of life to a varying degree, and human beings most of all--but we all share.”
“是的。还有这片土地，还有那些树木，以及草丛里那只兔子，以及那位站在树林中的人。整个行星和它上面的万事万物，全部是盖娅。我们都是单独的个体，都是独立的生物体，可是我们全部分享一个整体意识。其中无生命的行星占得最少，不同形式的生命各占不同比例，而人类占了绝大多数——但大家多少都拥有一部分。”
Pelorat said, “I think, Trevize, that she means Gaia is some sort of group consciousness.”
裴洛拉特说：“我想，崔维兹，她所谓的盖娅，是指某种群体意识。”
Trevize nodded. “I gathered that. --In that case, Bliss, who runs this world?”
崔维兹点了点头。“我也想到了。既然如此，宝绮思，是谁在治理这个世界呢？”
Bliss said, “It runs itself. Those trees grow in rank and file of their own accord. They multiply only to the extent that is needed to replace those that for any reason die. Human beings harvest the apples that are needed; other animals, including insects, eat their share-- and only their share.”
宝绮思说：“一切自治自理。那些树木自动自发地长得整整齐齐，而且繁殖得不多不少，刚好取代由于各种原因死去的树木。人类需要多少苹果，就会采收多少。而其他的动物，包括昆虫在内，都只摄取自己所需的分量，绝不会超过。”
“The insects know what their share is, do they?” said Trevize.
“每只昆虫都知道该吃多少，是吗？”崔维兹问道。
“Yes, they do--in a way. It rains when it is necessary and occasionally it rains rather hard whenthat is necessary--and occasionally there’s a siege of dry weather whenthat is necessary.”
“对，可以说它们都知道。有需要的时候便会降雨，有时雨下得很大，那是因为必须如此；有时又会有持续不断的干旱，那也是因为有这个需要。”
“And the rain knows what to do, does it?”
“雨点也知道该做些什么，是吗？”
“Yes, it does,” said Bliss very seriously. “In your own body, don’t all the different cells know what to do? When to grow and when to stop growing? When to form certain substances and when not to-- and when they form them, just how much to form, neither more nor less? Each cell is, to a certain extent, an independent chemical factory, but all draw from a common fund of raw materials brought to it by a common transportation system, all deliver wastes into common channels, and all contribute to an overall group consciousness.”
“对，它们也知道。”宝绮思非常严肃地说，“你的身体里面有各种不同的细胞，它们难道不晓得该做些什么吗？比方说何时生长，何时停止，何时形成某种物质，何时不该形成——而在形成那些物质的时候，它们又拿捏得恰到好处，刚好不多不少。就某个层次而言，每个细胞都是一座独立的化学工厂，但是它们所使用的原料，都来自共同的运输系统；它们所排放的废料，又全都送到共同的排放管道。就这样，每个细胞对整体意识都作出一份贡献。”
Pelorat said with a certain enthusiasm, “But that’s remarkable. You are saying that the planet is a superorganism and that you are a cell of that superorganism.”
裴洛拉特听得有些着迷，他说：“这实在太神奇了。你是说这颗行星是个超级生命体，而你只是它的一个细胞。”
“I’m making an analogy, not an identity. We are the analog of cells, but we are not identical with cells--do you understand?”
“我只是打个比方，并非划上等号。我们好比细胞，但我们并不等于细胞。这点你能了解吗？”
“In what way,” said Trevize, “are you not cells?”
崔维兹问道：“你们哪一方面跟细胞不同？”
“We are ourselves made up of cells and have a group consciousness, as far as cells are concerned. This group consciousness, this consciousness of an individual organism--a human being, in my case--”
“我们自己就是由许多细胞组成，对这些细胞而言，它们拥有一个群体意识。这个群体意识对应一个独立的生物体，拿我来说，便是一个人类……”
“With a body men die for.”
“有着一副让男人爱死的躯体。”
“Exactly. My consciousness is far advanced beyond that of any individual cell--incredibly far advanced. The fact that we, in turn, are part of a still greater group consciousness on a higher level does not reduce us to the level of cells. I remain a human being--but above us is a group consciousness as far beyond my grasp as my consciousness is beyond that of one of the muscle cells of my biceps.”
“完全正确。我的意识远超过任何一个细胞所拥有的意识，两者的程度天差地远。然后，我们又是更高层次群体意识的一部分，但这个事实不会将我们贬到细胞的层次。我仍然是一个人，只不过在我之上，还有一个巨大的群体意识，是我完全无法掌握的。就好像我的二头肌细胞，怎么样也不能了解我的意识一样。”
Trevize said, “Surely someone ordered our ship to be taken.”
崔维兹说：“抓住太空艇的这项行动，总该有人授意吧。”
“No, not someone! Gaia ordered it. All of us ordered it.”
“不，不是某个人！那是盖娅的意思，是我们全体的意思。”
“The trees and the ground, too, Bliss?”
“连树木和土地在内吗，宝绮思？”
“They contributed very little, but they contributed. Look, if a musician writes a symphony, do you ask which particular cell in his body ordered the symphony written and supervised its construction?”
“它们的贡献非常少，但还是有一点。听好，一位音乐家写出一首交响乐之后，难道你会追问，那是他身上哪些特殊细胞授意和监督的结果吗？”
Pelorat said, “And, I .take it, the group mind, so to speak, of the group consciousness is much stronger than an individual mind, just as a muscle is much stronger than an individual muscle cell. Consequently Gaia can capture our ship at a distance by controlling our computer, even though no individual mind on the planet could have done so.”
裴洛拉特说：“我认为，这个群体意识所塑造的群体心灵——姑且这么称呼它——一定比个体心灵强大许多，正如一块肌肉远比一个肌肉细胞强壮。因此，盖娅才能在很远的距离外，借着控制我们那台电脑，捕获我们的太空艇。虽然在这颗行星上，没有任何个体心灵做得到这件事。”
“You understand perfectly, Pel,” said Bliss.
“你了解得极其透彻，裴。”宝绮思说。
“And I understand it, too,” said Trevize. “It is not that hard to understand. But what do you want of us? We have not come to attack you. We have come seeking information. Why have you seized us?”
“我也了解，”崔维兹说，“这没有什么难懂的。可是你们究竟要我们做什么？我们并不是来攻击你们，我们只是来这里找资料。为什么你们要捕捉我们？”
“To talk to you.”
“因为要跟你们谈谈。”
“You might have talked to us on the ship.”
“你可以在太空艇上跟我们谈。”
Bliss shook her head gravely, “I am not the one to do it.”
宝绮思严肃地摇了摇头。“我不是负责跟你们谈的人。”
“Aren’t you part of the group mind?”
“你不是这个群体心灵的一部分吗？”
“Yes, but I cannot fly like a bird, buzz like an insect, or grow as tall as a tree. I do what it is best for me to do and it is not best that I give you the information--though the knowledge could easily be assigned to me.”
“当然是，但我不能像鸟那样飞，像昆虫那样鸣叫，或者长得像树那样高。我做的都是最适合我的事，而我不是提供你们资讯的最佳人选——虽然那些知识可以轻易灌输给我。”
“Who decidednot to assign it to you?”
“谁决定不要灌输给你的？”
“We all did.”
“我们全体决定的。”
“Who will give us the information?”
“这些资讯会由谁来提供给我们呢？”
“杜姆。”
“And who is Dom?”
“杜姆是谁？”
“Well,” said Bliss. “His full name is Endomandiovizamarondeyaso--and so on. Different people call him different syllables at different times, but I know him as Dom and I think you two will use that syllable as well. He probably has a larger share of Gaia than anyone on the planet and he lives on this island. He asked to see you and it was allowed.”
“这个嘛，”宝绮思说，“他的全名是恩杜姆安迪欧维查玛隆德雅索……等等等等。不同的人在不同的场合，会使用不同的简称来称呼他，但我一向都称他杜姆，我想你们两位也可以用这个简称。在这颗行星上，他可能是享有盖娅最多的人，而他就住在这个岛上。他提出和你们见面的要求，并且获得了允许。”
“Who allowed it?” asked Trevize--and answered himself at once, “Yes, I know; you all did.”
“谁允许的？”崔维兹问，但他自己随即想到答案。“我知道了，是你们全体决定的。”
Bliss nodded.
宝绮思点了点头。
Pelorat said, “When will we be seeing Dom, Bliss?”
裴洛拉特说：“我们何时可以见到杜姆，宝绮思？”
“Right away. If you follow me, I’ll take you to him now, Pel. And you, too, of course, Trev.”
“马上就可以。请跟我来，裴，我现在就带你去见他。当然还有你，崔。”
“And will you leave, then?” asked Pelorat.
“然后你就要走了吗？”裴洛拉特问。
“You don’t want me to, Pel?”
“你不希望我走吗，裴？”
“Actually, no.”
“老实讲，不希望。”
“There you are,” said Bliss as they followed her along a smoothly paved road that skirted the orchard. “Men grow addicted to me on short order. Even dignified elderly men are overcome with boyish ardor.”
“你又来了。”她带他们走过果园旁一条平缓的石子路，一面走一面说，“男人见到我没多久，都会开始着迷。即使德高望重的老者，也无法克制少年般的热情。”
Pelorat laughed. “I wouldn’t count on much boyish ardor, Bliss, but if I had it I could do worse than have it on your account, I think.”
裴洛拉特哈哈大笑。“我可不指望还有少年般的热情，宝绮思，可是如果真的还有，我想必定是由于你的缘故。”
Bliss said, “Oh, don’t discount your boyish ardor. I work wonders.”
宝绮思说：“喔，可别低估你少年般的热情，我能创造奇迹。”
Trevize said impatiently, “Once we get to where we’re going, how long will we have to wait for this Dom?”
崔维兹不耐烦地问道：“我们抵达目的地之后，还要再等多久才能见到这位杜姆？”
“Hewill be waiting foryou . After all, Dom-through-Gaia has worked for years to bring you here.”
“他就在那里等你。毕竟，杜姆通过盖娅筹备了好多年，才把你带到这里来。”
Trevize stopped in midstep and looked quickly at Pelorat, who quietly mouthed: You were right.
崔维兹停下脚步，迅速向裴洛拉特望去，后者做了几个无声的口型：你猜对了。
Bliss, who was looking straight ahead, said calmly, “I know, Trev, that you have suspected that I/we/Gaia was interested in you.”
宝绮思仍然直视着前方，以冷静的口吻说：“我知道，崔，你已经在怀疑我／们／盖娅对你有兴趣。”
“‘I/we/Gaia’?” said Pelorat softly.
“我／们／盖娅？”裴洛拉特轻声说。
She turned to smile at him. “We have a whole complex of different pronouns to express the shades of individuality that exist on Gaia. I could explain them to you, but till then ‘I/we/Gaia’ gets across what I mean in a groping sort of way. --Please move on, Trev. Dom is waiting and I don’t wish to force your legs to move against your will. It is an uncomfortable feeling if you’re not used to it.”
宝绮思转头朝裴洛拉特微微一笑。“我们有一大套繁复的代名词，用来表达盖娅和个体之间的种种微妙关系。我可以好好向你解释一番，不过在此之前，‘我／们／盖娅’勉强可以表达我的意思——请继续走吧，崔，杜姆正在等你呢。我不想强迫你的双脚违背你的意志，除非你习惯了，否则会是一种很不舒服的感觉。”
Trevize moved on. His glance at Bliss was compounded of the deepest suspicion
崔维兹继续向前走。在他投向宝绮思的目光中，混杂着深沉无比的怀疑。
5
5
Dom was an elderly man. He recited the two hundred and fifty-three syllables of his name in a musical flowing of tone and emphasis.
杜姆是一位老先生。他用音乐般的声调和抑扬顿挫吟诵了一遍长达二百五十三个字的名字。
“In a way,” he said, “it is a brief biography of myself. It tells the hearer--or reader, or senser--who I am, what part I have played in the whole, what I have accomplished. For fifty years and more, however, I have been satisfied to be referred to as Dom. When there are other Doms at issue, I can be called Domandio--and in my various professional relationships other variants are used. Once a Gaian year --on my birthday--my full name is recited-in-mind, as I have just recited it for you in voice. It is very effective, but it is personally embarrassing.”
“在某种程度上，”他说，“这串名字就是我的略传。它可以让听到的、读到的或者感应到的人，了解我的背景、我在整体中扮演的角色，以及我的种种成就。然而，五十多年来，我都习惯别人称我杜姆。如果还会提到其他的杜姆，我可以改称杜姆安迪欧。而在不同的专业领域中，我还会使用一些不同的简称。每过一个盖娅年，在我的生日那天，我都会在心中默诵一遍自己的全名，就像我刚才念诵给你们听那样。这样做能令人印象深刻，但我自己难免感到尴尬。”
He was tall and thin--almost to the point of emaciation. His deep-set eyes sparkled with anomalous youth, though he moved rather slowly. His jutting nose was thin and long and flared at the nostrils. His hands, prominently veined though they were, showed no signs of arthritic disability. He wore a long robe that was as gray as his hair. It descended to his ankles and his sandals left his toes bare.
他又高又瘦，几乎到了皮包骨的地步。虽然他行动相当迟缓，深陷的眼珠却闪着异样的青春光芒；高挺的鼻子又细又长，可是鼻孔张得很大；双手虽然布满青筋，不过看不出关节炎的迹象。他穿着一件很长的袍子，颜色跟他的头发一样灰。袍子一直垂到足踝附近，下面是一双凉鞋，脚趾全部裸露在外。
Trevize said, “How old are you, sir?”
崔维兹问道：“阁下，请问您高寿？”
“Please address me as Dom, Trev. To use other modes of address induces formality and inhibits the free exchange of ideas between you and me. In Galactic Standard Years, I am just past ninety-three, but the real celebration will come not very many months from now, when I reach the ninetieth anniversary of my birth in Gaian years.”
“请称呼我杜姆吧，崔。使用称谓显得太正式，会使你我难以自由交换意见。以银河标准年计算，我刚满九十三岁，可是根据盖娅年，我还要再等几个月，才会庆祝九十岁的生日。”
“I would not have guessed you at more than seventy-five, s--Dom,” said Trevize.
“如果要我猜，我会猜您顶多不过七十五岁，阁……杜姆。”崔维兹说。
“By Gaian standards I am not remarkable, either in years or in appearance of years, Trev. --But come, have we eaten?”
“以盖娅的标准而言，崔，不论我的实际年龄或者外表，其实都不能算老。不过别提这个了，大家吃饱了吗？”
Pelorat looked down at his plate, on which perceptible remnants of a most unremarkable and indifferently prepared meal remained, and said in a diffident manner, “Dom, may I attempt to ask an embarrassing question? Of course, if it’s offensive, you will please say so, and I will withdraw it.”
裴洛拉特低头看了看自己的餐盘，里面还剩下不少食物，他从来没吃过烹调这么随便的一餐，简直淡而无味到了极点。他用心虚的口吻说：“杜姆，我可不可以问一个冒昧的问题？当然，如果冒犯了您，请您务必明讲，我会马上收回。”
“Go ahead,” said Dom, smiling. “I am anxious to explain to you anything about Gaia which arouses your curiosity.”
“请说吧，”杜姆笑道，“不论你对盖娅哪方面感到好奇，我都很乐意为你解释。”
“Why?” said Trevize at once.
“为什么呢？”崔维兹立刻追问。
“Because you are honored guests-- May I have Pel’s question?”
“因为两位是我的贵客。我能听听裴的问题吗？”
Pelorat said, “Since all things on Gaia share in the group consciousness, how is it that you--one element of the group--can eat this, which was clearly another element?”
裴洛拉特说：“既然盖娅上的万事万物，分享着同一个群体意识，那么您身为这个群体的一分子，又如何能吃这份食物呢？它显然也是群体的一分子。”
“True! But all things recycle. We must eat and everything we can eat, plant as well as animal--even the inanimate seasonings--are part of Gaia. But, then, you see, nothing is killed for pleasure or sport, nothing is killed with unnecessary pain. And I’m afraid we make no attempt to glorify our meal preparations, for no Gaian would eat except that one must. You did not enjoy this meal, Pel? Trev? Well, meals are not to enjoy.
“有道理！可是万事万物都在不断循环。我们必须进食，而我们所吃的每一样东西，不论植物或动物，甚至包括没有生命的调味料，都是盖娅的一部分。可是，你知道吗，我们不会为了娱乐或运动而杀生；当我们不得不杀生的时候，也不会让生灵遭受无谓的痛苦。只怕我们从来不曾在食物的色香味上多花功夫，因为盖娅人除非需要食物，否则不会无缘无故吃东西。你们认为这顿饭并不算享受，裴？崔？嗯，吃饭本来就不该是一种享受。
“Then, too, what is eaten remains, after all, part of the planetary consciousness. Insofar as portions of it are incorporated into my body, it will participate in a larger share of the total consciousness. When I die, I, too, will be eaten--even if only by decay bacteria-- and I will then participate in a far smaller share of the total. But someday, parts of me will be parts of other human beings, parts of many.”
“不管怎么说，被我们吃进去的东西，仍是这颗行星意识的一部分。只要其中某些成分和我的身体合而为一，它就能分享较多的整体意识。我死去后，也一样会被吃掉，纵使只是被细菌吃掉。到了那个时候，我能分享的整体意识就小得多了。但是总有一天，我的某些部分会转移到其他人身上，转移到许多人身上。”
Pelorat said, “A sort of transmigration of souls.”
裴洛拉特说：“这是一种灵魂的轮回。”
“Of what, Pel?”
“一种什么，裴？”
“I speak of an old myth that is current on some worlds.”
“我说的是一则古老的神话，不过有些世界依然很流行。”
“Ah, I don’t know of it. You must tell me on some occasion.”
“啊，我竟然不知道，改天你一定要告诉我。”
Trevize said, “But your individual consciousness--whatever it is about you that is Dom--will never fully reassemble.”
崔维兹说：“可是您的个体意识——您之所以是杜姆的各种特质——却永远无法完全重组。”
“No, of course not. But does that matter? I will still be part of Gaia and that is what counts. There are mystics among us who wonder if we should take measures to develop group memories of past existences, but the sense-of-Gaia is that this cannot be done in any practical way and would serve no useful purpose. It would merely blur present consciousness. --Of course, as conditions change, the sense-of-Gaia may change, too, but I find no chance of that in the foreseeable future.”
“不能，当然不能，但这又有什么关系呢？我仍会是盖娅的一部分，那就够了。我们这里有些玄学家，想到或许该设法建立对于过去的群体记忆，可是‘盖娅意识’认为实际上是行不通的，而且根本没有任何用处，反倒会模糊了现有的意识。当然，如果大环境逐渐改变，‘盖娅意识’或许也会跟着改变，但在可预见的未来，我却看不出有任何机会。”
“Why must you die, Dom?” asked Trevize. “Look at you in your nineties. Could not the group consciousness--”
“为什么您必须死呢，杜姆？”崔维兹问道，“既然您九十几岁还老当益壮，难道这个群体意识就不能……”
For the first time, Dom frowned. “Never,” he said. “I can contribute only so much. Each new individual is a reshuffling of molecules and genes into something new. New talents, new abilities, new contributions to Gaia. We must have them--and the only way we can is to make room. I have done more than most, but even I have my limit and it is approaching. There is no more desire to live past one’s time than to die before it.”
杜姆首度皱起了眉头。“绝对不能。”他说，“我能作的贡献就只有那么多。每一个新的个体，都是分子与基因的一次重新组合。如此才能产生新的才干、新的能力，才能为盖娅作出新的贡献。我们必须不断补充新血，而唯一的方法就是腾出空位。我已经比大多数人贡献了更多，但我仍有本身的极限，如今也渐渐逼近了。我不想活过生命的大限，正如我不愿在大限之前死去。”
And then, as if realizing he had lent a suddenly somber note to the evening, he rose and stretched his arms out to the two. “Come, Trev--Pel--let us move into my studio where I can show you some of my personal art objects. You won’t blame an old man for his little vanities, I hope.”
说到这里，他好像发觉气氛突然转趋沉重，于是站了起来，向两位客人伸出双臂。“来吧，崔，裴，到我的工作室去，我给你们看看我自己做的一些艺品。希望你们不会见笑，老头子难免也有点虚荣心。”
He led the way into another room where, on a small circular table, there were a group of smoky lenses connected in pairs.
他带领两位客人来到另一个房间，在一张小圆桌上，摆着许多灰暗的透镜，全都两两成对连在一起。
“These,” said Dom, “are Participations I have designed. I am not one of the masters, but I specialize in inanimates, which few of the masters bother with.”
“这些，”杜姆说，“都是我设计的‘融会镜’。我并不算个中翘楚，但我专研‘无生融会镜’，而名匠几乎都懒得在这方面花工夫。”
Pelorat said, “May I pick one up? Are they fragile?”
裴洛拉特问道：“我能拿一个来看看吗？会不会很容易打碎？”
“No no. Bounce them on the floor if you like. --Or perhaps you had better not. Concussion could dull the sharpness of the vision.”
“不会的，如果你想试试，大可用力摔到地板上。但最好还是别那样做，振荡可能令它的敏锐度降低。”
“How are they used, Dom?”
“要怎样使用呢，杜姆？”
“You put them over your eyes. They’ll cling. They do not transmit light. Quite the contrary. They obscure light that might otherwise distract you--though the sensations do reach your brain by way of the optic nerve. Essentially your consciousness is sharpened and is allowed to participate in other facets of Gaia. In other words, if you look at that wall, you will experience that wall as it appears to itself.”
“把它放在眼睛上面，它就会紧紧贴住。这种装置不会透光，恰恰相反，它可以遮蔽令你分神的光线。不过，感觉仍会经由视神经传到大脑。它能使你的意识变得更敏锐，以融入盖娅其他各个层面。换句话说，如果透过它观看一堵墙，你将体会到那堵墙自己的感觉。”
“Fascinating,” muttered Pelorat. “may I try that?”
“太奇妙了。”裴洛拉特喃喃道，“我可以试试看吗？”
“Certainly, Pel. You may take one at random. Each is a different construct that shows the wall--or any other inanimate object you look at--in a different aspect of the object’s consciousness.”
“当然可以，裴，你可以随便选一个。每一个的构造都不尽相同，可以显示墙壁——或是你观看的任何无生物——意识中各种不同的风貌。”
Pelorat placed one pair over his eyes and they clung there at once. He started at the touch and then remained motionless for a long time.
裴洛拉特拿起一副放在眼睛上，立刻感觉镜片贴住眼球。他先是吓了一跳，然后一动不动呆立良久。
Dom said, “When you are through, place your hands on either side of the Participation and press them toward each other. It will come right off.”
杜姆说：“你看够了之后，将两手放在融会镜左右两侧，向中间压一下，它就会自动脱落。”
Pelorat did so, blinked his eyes rapidly, then rubbed them.
裴洛拉特依言照做，镜片果然落下来。他猛眨一阵眼睛，又伸出双手揉了揉。
Dom said, “What did you experience?”
杜姆问道：“你有什么体会吗？”
Pelorat said, “It’s hard to describe. The wall seemed to twinkle and glisten and, at times, it seemed to turn fluid. It seemed to have ribs and changing symmetries. I--I’m sorry, Dom, but I did not find it attractive.”
裴洛拉特说：“很难形容，墙壁似乎变得闪烁晶莹，有时好像又变成流转的液体。它似乎有一副骨架，而且几何结构不停变换。可是我……我很抱歉，杜姆，我并不觉得有什么意思。”
Dom sighed. “You do not participate in Gaia, so you would not see what we see. I had rather feared that. Too bad! I assure you that although these Participations are enjoyed primarily for their aesthetic value, they have their practical uses, too. A happy wall is a long-lived wall, a practical wall, a useful wall.”
杜姆叹了一声。“你并没有融入盖娅，所以你看到的和我们不同。我本来就在担心这件事，真糟糕！但有一点我可以保证，虽然这些融会镜主要的价值在于艺术欣赏，不过它们也有实际的用途。因为一堵快乐的墙壁，也就是一堵长寿的墙壁、实用的墙壁、有效的墙壁。”
“Ahappy wall?” said Trevize, smiling slightly.
“快乐的墙壁？”崔维兹笑着问道。
Dom said, “There is a dim sensation that a wall experiences that is analogous to what ‘happy’ means to us. A wall is happy when it is well designed, when it rests firmly on its foundation, when its symmetry balances its parts and produces no unpleasant stresses. Good design can be worked out on the mathematical principles of mechanics, but the use of a proper Participation can fine tune it down to virtually atomic dimensions. No sculptor can possibly produce a first-class work of art here on Gaia without a well-crafted Participation and the ones I produce of this particular type are considered excellent--if I do say so myself.
杜姆说：“墙壁具有一种微弱的感觉，和人类所谓的‘快乐’相仿。只要是设计精良、根基稳固、结构匀称而不至产生难过的应力，它就是一堵快乐的墙壁。力学原理虽然能帮工程师作出优良的设计，但唯有使用合适的融会镜，才能真正微调到原子的尺度。盖娅的雕刻家想要做出一流艺术品，没有精巧的融会镜是绝对办不到的。而我所制作的这种特殊式样，不怕你们笑我自夸，可以说是有口皆碑。
“Animate Participations, which are not my field,” and Dom was going on with the kind of excitement one expects in someone riding his hobby, “give us, by analogy, a direct experience of ecological balance. The ecological balance on Gaia is rather simple, as it is on all worlds, but here, at least, we have the hope of making it more complex and thus enriching the total consciousness enormously.”
“‘有生融会镜’并不是我的专长，”就和任何人提到自己的嗜好一样，杜姆越说越兴奋，“不过道理相同，它能让我们直接体会到生态结构。盖娅的生态相当简单，跟其他行星并无不同，但是，至少我们希望能把它变得复杂些，好让整体意识更加丰富。”
Trevize held up his hand in order to forestall Pelorat and wave him into silence. He said, “How do you know that a planet can bear a more complex ecological balance if they all have simple ones?”
裴洛拉特似乎有话要说，崔维兹却举起手来对他挥了挥，示意他别插嘴，然后自己问道：“既然所有的行星都只有简单的生态，您怎么知道盖娅有可能超越这一点呢？”
“Ah,” said Dom, his eyes twinkling shrewdly, “you are testing the old man. You know as well as I do that the original home of humanity, Earth, had an enormously complex ecological balance. It is only the secondary worlds--the derived worlds--that are simple.”
“啊，”杜姆的双眼闪耀出机智的光彩，“你在测验我这个老头子。其实你跟我一样明白，人类的故乡‘地球’曾经拥有极其复杂的生态。只有简单生态的仅是那些次级世界，也就是所谓的衍生世界。”
Pelorat would not be kept silent. “But that is the problem I have set myself in life. Why was it only Earth that bore a complex ecology? What distinguished it from other worlds? Why did millions upon millions of other worlds in the Galaxy--worlds that were capable of bearing life--develop only an undistinguished vegetation, together with small and unintelligent animal life-forms?”
裴洛拉特不甘心保持沉默。“这正是我钻研了一辈子的题目。为何唯独地球产生复杂的生态？它跟其他世界有什么不同？为什么银河其他百千万个世界——那些能够产生生命的世界——都只发展出大同小异的植物生命，顶多还有一些小型的、没有智慧的动物？”
Dom said, “We have a tale about that--a fable, perhaps. I cannot vouch for its authenticity. In fact, on the face of it, it sounds like fiction.”
杜姆说：“关于这个问题，我们这里有个传说。或许只是个传奇故事，我不敢保证它的真实性。事实上，它听起来的确像是虚构的故事。”
It was at this point that Bliss--who had not participated in the meal--entered, smiling at Pelorat. She was wearing a silvery blouse, very sheer.
宝绮思直到现在才走进来，刚才吃饭时她并没有在场。她换了一件银色的衣裳，质地极薄极透明。
Pelorat rose at once. “I thought you had left us.”
她冲着裴洛拉特微微一笑，裴洛拉特连忙起身说：“我以为你已经走了。”
“Not at all. I had reports to make out, work to do. May I join you now, Dom?”
“才不会呢。我刚才在赶几份报告，以及其他的工作。现在我可以加入你们吗，杜姆？”
Dom had also risen (though Trevize remained seated). “You are entirely welcome and you ravish these aged eyes.”
杜姆也早就站了起来（不过崔维兹却始终坐着）。“万分欢迎，你让我这对老眼为之一亮。”
“It is for your ravishment that I put on this blouse. Pel is above such things and Trev dislikes them.”
“我穿这身衣裳，就是专门为了让您养眼的。裴已经达到不动心的境界，而崔根本不喜欢这一套。”
Pelorat said, “If you think I am above such things, Bliss, I may surprise you someday.”
裴洛拉特说：“如果你认为我对这些事不动心，宝绮思，哪天我会给你一个惊奇。”
“What a delightful surprise that would be,” Bliss said, and sat down. The two men did as well. “Please don’t let me interrupt you.”
“那一定是个可爱的惊奇。”宝绮思一面说，一面坐了下来，两位男士也跟着她一同坐下。“请继续，别让我打断你们。”
Dom said, “I was about to tell our guests the story of Eternity. --To understand it, you must first understand that there are many different Universes that can exist--virtually an infinite number. Every single event that takes place can take place or not take place, or can take place in this fashion or in that fashion, and each of an enormous number of alternatives will result in a future course of events that are distinct to at least some degree.
于是杜姆说：“我正要告诉两位客人有关‘永恒之境’的故事。想要了解这个故事，必须先了解一个理论：很多不同的宇宙可能同时存在，事实上应该是无限多。宇宙中所发生的每一个事件，其实都有可能不会发生，或是以不同的方式出现。在众多的可能性中，每一个都会导致未来的一连串事件，而每个未来都会多少有些不同。
“Bliss might not have come in just now; or she might have been with us a little earlier; or much earlier; or having come in now, she might have worn a different blouse; or even in this blouse, she might not have smiled roguishly at elderly men as is her kindhearted custom. In each of these alternatives--or in each of a very large number of other alternatives of this one event--the Universe would have taken a different track thereafter, and so on for every other variation of every other event, however minor.”
“宝绮思可能刚才并未进来，她也可能早一些加入我们，或者早很多，或者现在才走进来。她也许会穿不同的衣裳，即使穿着这件衣裳，她也可能不会遵从风俗，对老者露出淘气的笑容。光是她走进来这件事，就有许许多多其他的可能，而在众多的可能性中，每一个都会使宇宙跨入不同的轨迹。以此类推，每一个事件的不同版本，不论事件多么小，都会使宇宙的未来有所不同。”
Trevize stirred restlessly. “I believe this is a common speculation in quantum mechanics--a very ancient one, in fact.”
崔维兹有点坐不住了。“我相信，这是量子力学中一个很普通的臆测。事实上，还是非常古老的一个。”
“Ah, you’ve heard of it. But let us go on. Imagine it is possible for human beings to freeze all the infinite number of Universes, to step from one to another at will, and to choose which one should be made ‘real’--whatever that word means in this connection.”
“啊，原来你听过，但还是让我继续说下去。请想象人类有办法将无限多的宇宙通通冻结，并任意游走各个宇宙，还能从中选取一个真实的宇宙，暂且不论‘真实’在此作什么解释。”
Trevize said, “I hear your words and can even imagine the concept you describe, but I cannot make myself believe that anything like this could ever happen.”--
崔维兹说：“我听得懂您的话，甚至能够想象您所描述的观念，但我就是无法相信这种事情真会发生。”
“Nor I, on the whole,” said Dom, “which is why I say that it would all seem to be a fable. Nevertheless, the fable states that therewere those who could step out of time and examine the endless strands of potential reality. These people were called the Eternals and when they were out of time they were said to be in Eternity.
“其实，我也不能全盘接受，”杜姆答道，“因此我才会说，它从头到尾都像个传奇。然而根据这个传奇故事，有些人能够跨出时间坐标，对无穷多个可能成为真实的宇宙一一检查。这些人叫做永恒使者，他们跨出时间坐标之际，就是进入了永恒之境。
“It was their task to choose a Reality that would be most suitable to humanity. They modified endlessly--and the story goes into great detail, for I must tell you that it has been written in the form of an epic of inordinate length. Eventually they found (so it is said) a Universe in which Earth was the only planet in the entire Galaxy on which could be found a complex ecological system, together with the development of an intelligent species capable of working out a high technology.
“这些人的任务，是要选择一个最适合人类的‘实相’。他们曾经不断修正自己的决定——故事发展到这里，情节变得十分琐碎，我得提醒你们，这个故事是以冗长的史诗形式写成的。最后，他们终于找到一个宇宙（故事是这么说的），而在这个宇宙中，整个银河唯独地球拥有复杂的生态系，也只有地球能发展出足以创造高科技的智慧型物种。
“That, they decided, was the situation in which humanity could be most secure. They froze that strand of events as Reality and then ceased operations. Now we live in a Galaxy that has been settled by human beings only, and, to a large extent, by the plants, animals, and microscopic life that they carry with them--voluntarily or inadvertently--from planet to planet and which usually overwhelm the indigenous life.
“他们判断人类在这个情况之下最为安全，于是将这一串事件固定为实相，便终止了这项工作。因此，如今银河中只有人类一种智慧生物。而人类在殖民银河的过程中，有意无意间带了许多动植物和微生物同行，结果在各个行星上，源自地球的物种往往征服了原有的生命。
“Somewhere in the dim mists of probability there are other Realities in which the Galaxy is host to many intelligences, but they are unreachable. We in our Reality are alone. From every action and every event in our Reality, there are new branches that set off, with only one in each separate case being a continuation of Reality, so that there are vast numbers of potential Universes--perhaps an infinite number--stemming from ours, but all of them are presumably alike in containing the one-intelligence Galaxy in which we live. --Or perhaps I should say that all but a vanishingly small percentage are alike in this way, for it is dangerous to rule out anything where the possibilities approach the infinite.”
“在朦胧迷蒙的几率空间里面，其实还有其他许多实相存在，而在那些实相中，银河拥有许多种智慧生物。可是我们全部无法触及，我们被单独禁锢在这个实相之中。在这个实相所发生的每个行动或事件，都会产生许多新的分枝，但是宇宙每次分歧时，只会有一个分枝成为实相的延续。所以说，应该有数量众多的潜在宇宙——或许有无限多——从我们的实相中产生，但理论上它们都是类似的，也就是说在每个潜在宇宙中，我们这个银河都只有单一的智慧生物。或许我应该说，另类宇宙所占的比例实在太小太小了，这是因为可能性有无穷多，排除任何可能都是危险的断言。”
He stopped, shrugged slightly, and added, “At least, that’s the story. It dates back to before the founding of Gaia. I don’t vouch for its truth.”
他停了一下，微微耸了耸肩，又补充道：“至少，故事是这么说的。这个故事早在盖娅建立之前就在流传，我不敢保证它是真的。”
The three others had listened intently. Bliss nodded her head, as though it were something she had heard before and she were checking the accuracy of Dom’s account.
其他三人一直都在专心聆听。此时宝绮思点了点头，好像她早就听过这个故事，点头是代表杜姆并没有讲错什么。
Pelorat reacted with a silent solemnity for the better part of a minute and then balled his fist and brought it down upon the arm of his chair.
裴洛拉特则维持着庄严肃穆的神态，将近一分钟之久，然后他握紧拳头，用力打在座椅扶手上。
“No,” he said is a strangled tone, “that affects nothing. There’s no way of demonstrating the truth of the story by observation or by reason, so it can’t ever be anything but a piece of speculation, but aside from that-- Suppose it’s true! The Universe we live in is still one in which only Earth has developed a rich life and an intelligent species, so that inthis Universe--whether it is the all-in-all or only one out of an infinite number of possibilities--there must be something unique in the nature of the planet Earth. We should still want to know what that uniqueness is.”
“不，”他用嘶哑的声音说，“这毫无意义。我们无法凭借观测或推理，来证明这个故事的真实性，所以它只能算一种臆测。但是姑且不追究这一点，假设它的确是真的！我们置身的这个宇宙，仍旧只有地球发展出丰富的生命和智慧型物种，所以在这个宇宙中——不论它是仅此一家，还是无限多个可能中的一个——地球这颗行星一定有什么独一无二之处。我们仍然要探究这个唯一性到底是什么。”
In the silence that followed, it was Trevize who finally stirred and shook his head.
接下来又是好一阵子静默，结果是崔维兹最先作出反应，摇了摇头。
“No, Janov,” he said, “that’s not the way it works. Let us say that the chances are one in a billion trillion--one in 1021--that out of the billion of habitable planets in the Galaxy only Earth-- through the workings of sheer chance--would happen to develop a rich ecology and, eventually, intelligence. If that is so, then one in 1021of the various strands of potential Realities would represent such a Galaxy and the Eternals picked it. We live, therefore, in a Universe in which Earth is the only planet to develop a complex ecology, an intelligent species, a high technology--not because there is something special about Earth, but because simply by chance it developed on Earth and nowhere else.
“不对，詹诺夫，”他道，“话不是这么说。让我们作一个假设：在银河的十亿颗可住人行星中，只有地球（纯粹出于巧合）发展出丰富的生态，最后终于产生智慧生物，这样的机会是一比十亿兆，也就是十的二十一次方分之一。那么在这个前提下，在十的二十一次方个潜在实相中，就有一个实相含有这样的一个银河，而那些永恒使者刚好选择了它。因此在我们这个宇宙的这个银河中，只有地球这颗行星能够发展出复杂的生态、智慧型物种，以及高等的科技——这并不是因为地球有什么特别之处，纯粹只是一种巧合。”
“I suppose, in fact,” Trevize went on thoughtfully, “that there are strands of Reality in which only Gaia has developed an intelligent species, or only Sayshell, or only Terminus, or only some plane which inthis Reality happens to bear no life at all. And all of these very special cases are a vanishingly small percentage of the total number of Realities in which there is more than one intelligent species in the Galaxy. --I suppose that if the Eternals had looked long enough they would have found a potential strand of Reality in which every single habitable planet had developed an intelligent species.”
“事实上，”崔维兹继续以深思熟虑的口气说，“我认为应该还有许多其他的实相，其中唯一发展出智慧型物种的行星，分别是盖娅、赛协尔或端点星，或是某颗在这个实相中毫无生命迹象的行星。当然还有更多的实相，对应于银河中不仅只有一种智慧型物种，而它们的数目一定很庞大，所以比较之下，上述的极端情形仅占极微小的比例。我相信，如果那些永恒使者检查过足够多的实相，他们就会发现其中有一个，对应于每颗可住人行星都独立发展出智慧型物种。”
Pelorat said, “Might you not also argue that a Reality had been found in which Earth was for some reason not as it was in other strands, but specially suited in some way for the development of intelligence? In fact, you can go further and say that a Reality had been found in which the whole Galaxy was not as it was in other strands, but was somehow in such a state of development that only Earth could produce intelligence.”
裴洛拉特说：“难道你就不能假设，永恒使者找到一个特殊的实相，其中的地球和其他实相中的地球都不相同，特别适于发展出智慧？事实上，你还可以进一步假设，永恒使者找到一个特殊的实相，其中的银河和其他实相中的银河都不相同，只有地球一颗行星能够发展出智慧。”
Trevize said, “You might argue so, but I would suppose that my version makes more sense.”
崔维兹说：“你可以这么假设，但我认为我的版本比较有道理。”
“That’s a purely subjective decision, of course--” began Pelorat with some heat, but Dom interrupted, saying “This is logic-chopping. Come, let us not spoil what is proving, at least for me, a pleasant and leisurely evening.”
“那纯粹是主观的认定，当然……”裴洛拉特有点冒火，杜姆赶紧打岔道，“这只是逻辑上的诡辩。好啦，我们不要破坏一个愉快闲适的夜晚，至少我自己十分珍惜这个气氛。”
Pelorat endeavored to relax and to allow his heat to drain away. He smiled finally and said, “As you say, Dom.”
裴洛拉特勉力放松紧绷的情绪，让火气慢慢消退。最后他终于露出笑容，并且说：“遵命，杜姆。”
Trevize, who had been casting glances at Bliss, who sat with mocking demurity, hands in her lap, now said, “And how didthis world come to be, Dom? Gaia, with its group consciousness?”
宝绮思一直坐在那里，双手放在膝盖上，装出一本正经的模样。崔维兹原本一直瞅着她，这时突然说：“这个世界又是怎么来的，杜姆？我是指盖娅，以及它的群体意识。”
Dom’s old head leaned back and he laughed in a high-pitched manner. His face crinkled as he said, “Fables again! I think about that sometimes, when I read what records we have on human history. No matter how carefully records are kept and filed and computerized, they grow fuzzy with time. Stories grow by accretion. Tales accumulate--like dust. The longer the time lapse, the dustier the history--until it degenerates into fables.”
杜姆仰着头，以高亢的音调笑了几声。当他再度开口的时候，一张老脸堆满了皱纹。“仍旧只有传说！当我读到有关人类历史的记载时，有时也会想到这个问题。历史记载不论怎样仔细地收藏、归档、电脑化，时间一久总会模糊不清。故事像滚雪球般增加，传奇则像灰尘般累积。愈是久远的历史，积聚的灰尘就愈厚，最后终于退化成了传说。”
Pelorat said, “We historians are familiar with the process, Dom. There is a certain preference for the fable. ‘The falsely dramatic drives out the truly dull,’ said Liebel Gennerat about fifteen centuries ago. It’s called Gennerat’s Law now.”
裴洛拉特说：“我们历史学家对这种过程相当清楚，杜姆。传说自有吸引人的地方，大约十五个世纪前，列贝尔·坚纳拉特就说过：‘精彩的假戏驱逐乏味的真相’。现在这句话已经被奉为‘坚纳拉特定律’。”
“Is it?” said Dom. “And I thought the notion was a cynical invention of my own. Well, Gennerat’s Law fills our past history with glamour and uncertainty. --Do you know what a robot is?”
“是吗？”杜姆说，“我还以为这只是我自己发明的讽刺呢。嗯，由于这个坚纳拉特定律，我们的历史充满朦胧的美感。你们知道机器人是什么吗？”
“We found out on Sayshell,” said Trevize dryly.
“我们到了赛协尔才知道的。”崔维兹随口答道。
“You saw one?”
“你们看到过？”
“No. We were asked the question and, when we answered in the negative, it was explained to us.”
“不，有人问过我们相同的问题。当我们作出否定的回答后，他就向我们解释了一番。”
“I understand. --Humanity once lived with robots, you know, but it didn’t work well.”
“我懂了。你们可知道，人类曾和机器人共同生活过一段岁月，但相处得并不好。”
“So we were told.”
“这点我们也听说了。”
“The robots were deeply indoctrinated with what are called the Three Laws of Robotics, which date back into prehistory. There are several versions of what those Three Laws might have been. The orthodox view has the following reading: ‘1) A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; a) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; ~) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.’
“机器人都受到所谓‘机器人学三大法则’的严格约束，这可以追溯到史前史。三大法则有好几种可能的版本，根据正统的看法，内容如下：‘一、机器人不得伤害人类，或因不作为而使人类受到伤害。二、除非违背第一法则，机器人必须服从人类的命令。三、在不违背第一法则及第二法则的情况下，机器人必须保护自己。’
“As robots grew more intelligent and versatile, they interpreted these Laws, especially the all-overriding First, more and more generously and assumed, to a greater and greater degree, the role of protector of humanity. The protection stifled people and grew unbearable.
“等到机器人变得愈来愈聪明能干之后，它们就对这些法则，尤其是至高无上的第一法则，作出愈来愈广义的诠释，并且愈来愈以人类的保护者自居。它们的保护剥夺了人类的自由，令人类愈来愈难以忍受。
“The robots were entirely kind. Their labors were clearly humane and were meant entirely for the benefit of all--which somehow made them all the more unbearable.
“机器人完全是出于善意。它们显然都在为人类着想，为所有人类的幸福不断努力，偏偏适得其反，更加令人无法消受。
“Every robotic advance made the situation worse. Robots were developed with telepathic capacity, but that meant that even human thought could be monitored, so that human behavior became still more dependent on robotic oversight.
“机器人的每一步进化，都使这种情况更为变本加厉。后来机器人更发展出精神感应力，表示连人类的思想都瞒不过它们，从此以后，人类的行为便受到机器人更严密的监督。
“Again robots grew steadily more like human beings in appearance, but they were unmistakably robots in behavior and being humanoid made them more repulsive. So, of course, it had to come to an end.”
“与此同时，机器人的外形变得愈来愈像人类，可是行为仍是不折不扣的机器人，徒具人形只让它们更惹人反感。所以，这种情况当然会有个了结。”
“Why ‘of course’?” asked Pelorat, who had been listening intently.
“为什么‘当然’呢？”裴洛拉特一直聚精会神听着，直到现在才发问。
Dom said, “It’s a matter of following the logic to the bitter end. Eventually the robots grew advanced enough to become just sufficiently human to appreciate why human beings should resent being deprived of everything human in the name of their own good. In the long run, the robots were forced to decide that humanity might be better off caring for themselves, however carelessly and ineffectively.
杜姆说：“这是钻逻辑牛角尖的必然结果。最后，机器人进步到了具有足够的人性，终于体认到人类为何憎恶它们，因为它们名义上虽然为人类着想，实际上却剥夺了人类应有的一切。结果机器人不得不作出决定，不论人类照顾自己的方式多么拙劣和没效率，也许还是让人类自生自灭比较好。
“Therefore, it is said, it was the robots who established Eternity somehow and became the Eternals. They located a Reality in which they felt that human beings could be as secure as possible--alone in the Galaxy. Then, having done what they could to guard us and in order to fulfill the First Law in the truest sense, the robots of their own accord ceased to function and ever since we have been human beings--advancing, however we can, alone.”
“因此，据说永恒之境就是机器人建造的，而永恒使者正是那些机器人。它们找到一个特殊的实相，认为人类处身其中最为安全——也就是独处于银河中。在尽完照顾人类的责任之后，为了切实而彻底地奉行‘第一法则’，那些机器人遂自动终止运作。从此以后，我们才算是真正的人类，靠自己的能力，独力发展一切。”
Dom paused. He looked from Trevize to Pelorat, and then said, “Well, do you believe all that?”
杜姆顿了一下，视线轮流扫过崔维兹与裴洛拉特，然后说：“怎么样，你们相信这些说法吗？”
Trevize shook his head slowly. “No. There is nothing like this in any historical record I have ever heard of. How about you, Janov?”
崔维兹缓缓摇了摇头。“不相信，我从未听说有任何历史记载提到这种事。你呢，詹诺夫？”
Pelorat said, “There are myths that are similar in some ways.”
裴洛拉特说：“某些神话跟这个故事似乎有类似之处。”
“Come, Janov, there are myths that would match anything that any of us can make up, given sufficiently ingenious interpretation. I’m talking about history--reliable records.”
“得了吧，詹诺夫，我们随便哪个人编个故事，只要加上天花乱坠的解释，都能找到合拍的神话传说。我指的是历史，是可靠的记载。”
“Oh well. Nothing there, as far as I know.”
“喔，这样的话，据我所知应该没有。”
Dom said, “I’m not surprised. Before the robots withdrew, many parties of human beings left to colonize robotless worlds in deeper space, in order to take their own measures for freedom. They came particularly from overcrowded Earth, with its long history of resistance to robots. The new worlds were founded fresh and they did not even want to remember their bitter humiliation as children under robot nursemaids. They kept no records of it and they forgot.”
杜姆说：“我并不意外。早在机器人销声匿迹之前，许多人为了追求自由，便已成群结队离开地球，前往更深的太空去建立无机器人的殖民世界。他们大多数来自过度拥挤的地球，当然记得长久以来对机器人的排斥。新的世界一切从头开始，他们甚至不愿回顾过去的痛苦屈辱——人人都像小孩一样，被迫接受机器人保姆的照顾。因此他们没有保留任何记录，久而久之便忘得一干二净。”
Trevize said, “This is unlikely.”
崔维兹说：“这不太可能吧。”
Pelorat turned to him. “No, Golan. It’s not at all unlikely. Societies create their own history and tend to wipe out lowly beginnings, either by forgetting them or inventing totally fictitious heroic rescues. The Imperial government made attempts to suppress knowledge of the pre-Imperial past in order to strengthen the mystic aura of eternal rule. Then, too, there are almost no records of the days before hyperspatial travel--and you know that the very existence of Earth is unknown to most people today.”
裴洛拉特转向他说：“不，葛兰，并非没有这个可能。每个社会都会自行创造自己的历史，也都喜欢湮灭低微的出身；消极的做法是任其被遗忘，积极的做法是虚构一些英雄事迹。当年的帝国政府，曾经试图抹杀前帝国时代的历史，以便制造帝国永恒的神秘假象。此外，超空间纪元之前的历史记载，现在也几乎全部消失。而你自己也明白，如今大多数人都不知道地球的存在。”
Trevize said, “You can’t have it both ways, Janov. If the Galaxy has forgotten the robots, how is it that Gaia remembers?”
崔维兹反驳道：“你不能自相矛盾，詹诺夫。如果整个银河都忘却了机器人，盖娅怎么会记得？”
Bliss intervened with a sudden lilt of soprano laughter. “We’re different.”
宝绮思忽然发出女高音般的轻快笑声。“因为我们不一样。”
“Yes?” said Trevize. “In what way?”
“是吗？”崔维兹说，“哪点不一样？”
Dom said, “Now, Bliss, leave this to me. Weare different, men of Terminus. Of all the refugee groups fleeing from robotic domination, we who eventually reached Gaia (following in the track of others who reached Sayshell) were the only ones who had learned the craft of telepathy from the robots.
杜姆说：“好了，宝绮思，让我来讲吧。两位端点星的客人，我们的确与众不同。从机器人国度逃出来的流亡团体，其中有一批人循着赛协尔殖民者的路线，最后终于抵达盖娅。只有他们这批人，从机器人那里学到精神感应的技艺。
“Itis a craft, you know. It is inherent in the human mind, but it must be developed in a very subtle and difficult manner. It takes many generations to reach its full potential, but once well begun, it feeds on itself. We have been at it for over twenty thousand years and the sense-of-Gaia is that full potential has even now not been reached. It was long ago that our development of telepathy made us aware of group consciousness--first only of human beings; then animals; then plants; and finally, not many centuries ago, the inanimate structure of the planet itself.
“你知道吗，那的确是一门技艺。它是人类心灵与生俱来的潜能，却必须通过非常微妙而困难的方式，才有办法发展出来。想要将这个潜能发挥到极致，需要经过许多代的努力，不过一旦有了好的开始，它就会自动发展下去。我们已经花了两万多年的工夫，而‘盖娅意识’就是这个潜能的极致，但至今尚未达到炉火纯青之境。在我们发展精神感应的过程中，很早便体会到群体意识的存在。首先仅限于人类，然后扩及动物，接下来是植物，最后，在几个世纪前，扩大到了行星本身的无生命结构。
“Because we traced this back to the robots, we did not forget them. We considered them not our nursemaids but our teachers. We felt they had opened our mind to something we would never for one moment want them closed to. We remember them with gratitude.”
“由于这一切都源自机器人，因此我们并没有忘记它们。我们将它们视为导师，而并非我们的保姆。我们总是认为，它们帮我们打开心灵中另一扇门，从此我们再也不希望关上。我们始终怀着感激的心情追念它们。”
Trevize said, “But just as once you were children to the robots, now you are children to the group consciousness. Have you not lost humanity now, as you had then?”
崔维兹说：“你们过去曾经是机器人的孩子，现在又成了群体意识的孩子。你们不是跟过去一样，仍旧失去人性的尊严吗？”
“It is different, Trev. What we do now is our own choice--our own choice. That is what counts. It is not forced on us from outside, but is developed from the inside. It is something we never forget. And we are different in another way, too. We are unique in the Galaxy. There is no world like Gaia.”
“这是截然不同的两回事，崔。我们现在所做的，完全出于自己的抉择，自己的抉择！两者不能相提并论。我们并没有受到外力强迫，是由内而外发展出来的，这点我们绝对不会忘记。此外，我们还有一个与众不同之处。我们是银河中独一无二的世界，再也没有一个世界和盖娅一样。”
“How can you be sure?”
“你们怎能如此肯定？”
“We would know, Trev. We would detect a world consciousness such as ours even at the other end of the Galaxy. We can detect the beginnings of such a consciousness in your Second Foundation, for instance, though not until two centuries ago.”
“我们当然能够肯定，崔。如果还有一个和我们类似的世界级意识，即使远在银河的另一端，我们也侦测得到。比如说，我们就能侦测出来，你们那个第二基地的群体意识正在起步，但这只是最近两个世纪的事。”
“At the time of the Mule?”
“就是在骡乱时期吗？”
“Yes. One of ours.” Dom looked grim. “He was an aberrant and he left us. We were na?ve enough to think that was not possible, so we did not act in time to stop him. Then, when we turned our attention to the Outside Worlds, we became aware of what you call the Second Foundation and we left it to them.”
“对，骡本是我们的一分子。”杜姆显得面色凝重，“他是一个畸变种，擅自离开了盖娅。当时我们太过天真，以为那是不可能的事，所以没有及时采取制止行动。后来，当我们将注意力转移到外在世界时，便发觉了你们所谓的第二基地，于是把这件事留给他们处理。”
Trevize stared blankly for several moments, then muttered, “There go our history books!” He shook his head and said in a louder tone of voice, “That was rather cowardly of Gaia, wasn’t it, to do so?” said Trevize. “He was your responsibility.”
崔维兹茫然地瞪着眼睛，好一会儿之后，才喃喃地说：“再来，就接上我们的历史课本了！”他摇了摇头，故意提高音量说：“盖娅这么做，是不是太孬种了一点？他应该是你们的责任。”
“You are right. But once we finally turned our eyes upon the Galaxy, we saw what until then we had been blind to, so that the tragedy of the Mule proved a life-saving matter to us. It was then that we recognized that eventually a dangerous crisis would come upon us. And it has--but not before we were able to take measures, thanks to the incident of the Mule.”
“你说得对。可是等到我们终于放眼银河，才晓得过去根本是有眼无珠。因此，骡造成的悲剧反倒成了我们的警钟。直到那个时候，我们才察觉到一个事实，就是我们迟早会面临一个严重的危机。如今危机果然来临，但多亏骡这桩意外事件，我们早已有充分的准备。”
“What sort of crisis?”
“什么样的危机？”
“One that threatens us with destruction?”
“一个足以使我们毁灭的危机。”
“I can’t believe that. You held off the Empire, the Mule, and Sayshell. You have a group consciousness that can pluck a ship out of space at a distance of millions of kilometers. What can you have to fear? --Look at Bliss. She doesn’t look the least bit perturbed.She doesn’t think there’s a crisis.”
“我才不相信。你们先后逐退了帝国、骡、赛协尔；你们拥有强大的群体意识，能在千百万公里之外抓住太空中的船舰。你们又有什么好怕的？看看宝绮思，她看来一点都不慌张，她并不认为会有什么危机。”
Bliss had placed one shapely leg over the arm of the chair and wriggled her toes at him. “Of course I’m not worried, Trev. You’ll handle it.”
宝绮思将一条美腿搁在座椅扶手上，冲着崔维兹扭动趾头。“我当然不担心，崔，反正你会处理。”
Trev said forcefully, “Me?”
崔维兹使劲吼道：“我？”
Dom said, “Gaia has brought you here by means of a hundred gentle manipulations. It is you who must face our crisis.”
杜姆说：“盖娅借着上百种微妙的安排，把你带到这里来，就是要你替我们应付这个危机。”
Trev stared at him and slowly his face turned from stupefaction into gathering rage. “Me?Why, in all of space,me ? I have nothing to do with this.”
崔维兹瞪着杜姆，表情渐渐由惊愕转为愤怒。“我？太空如此浩瀚，为何偏偏是我？这跟我一点关系也没有。”
“Nevertheless, Trev,” said Dom with an almost hypnotic calmness, “you. Only you. In all of space, only you.”
“不管怎么说，崔维兹，”杜姆用近乎催眠的平静口吻说，“就是你了。太空虽然浩瀚，却也只有你了。”