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Persecution – that also was present. It did not break out, for reasons that will be set forward shortly.
迫害——那也是存在着的。确实这并没有爆发，其原因后面马上就要谈到。
But it was latent, and all who did not accept the minimum known as “undenominational Mechanism” lived in danger of Homelessness,
不过这是潜在的，所有不接受那“非教派大机器主义”的起码原则的人们，全都生活在无家可归的危险之中，
which means death, as we know.
就我们所知，那便意味着死亡。
To attribute these two great developments to the Central Committee, is to take a very narrow view of civilization.
如果把这两项伟大的改进归之于中央委员会，那是对文明采取极为狭隘的观点。
The Central Committee announced the developments, it is true,
中央委员会宣布了这两项改进，这是确实的，
but they were no more the cause of them than were the kings of the imperialistic period the cause of war.
但是，他们宣布这两项改进只不过相当于君国主义时期的国王宣布一场战争罢了。
Rather did they yield to some invincible pressure, which came no one knew whither,
其实，倒不如说他们确是屈服于一种不可战胜的压力，
and which, when gratified, was succeeded by some new pressure equally invincible.
这种压力谁也不知道是从哪里来的，而且当这种压力的目的得到满足时，便被某种新的、同样不可战胜的压力所承继。
To such a state of affairs it is convenient to give the name of progress.
对这样一种情况称之为进步是很便当的。
No one confessed the Machine was out of hand.
没有人坦率承认大机器已经非人力所能控制。
Year by year it was served with increased efficiency and decreased intelligence.
年复一年，它得到的是日益增长的效率和日益减少的智力。
The better a man knew his own duties upon it, the less he understood the duties of his neighbour,
一个人越明朗他自己在大机器上的职责，他对邻人的职责就理解得越少，
and in all the world there was not one who understood the monster as a whole.
全世界没有一个人了解这个怪物的整体，那些头脑高明的人已经死亡了。
Those master brains had perished. They had left full directions, it is true,
他们留下了充分的指示，这是事实，
and their successors had each of them mastered a portion of those directions.
他们的继承者各自熟练地掌握那些指示的一部分。
But Humanity, in its desire for comfort, had over-reached itself. It had exploited the riches of nature too far.
不过人类在热衷于舒适的情况中，已经毁掉其自身。人类过分地掠夺了自然的丰富资源。
Quietly and complacently, it was sinking into decadence, and progress had come to mean the progress of the Machine.
他们寂静无声地而又心满意足地陷入没落，而进步却已变得意味着是大机器的进步。
As for Vashti, her life went peacefully forward until the final disaster.
至于瓦西蒂，她的生活安然无恙地过下去，直到最后那场灾祸来临。
She made her room dark and slept; she awoke and made the room light. She lectured and attended lectures.
她让她的房间黑下来，睡觉，她醒来，又让满室生辉。她作讲演，也听讲演。
She exchanged ideas with her innumerable friends and believed she was growing more spiritual.
她同她的无数朋友们交换思想意念，认为自己日益变得更为属灵的人。
At times a friend was granted Euthanasia, and left his or her room for the homelessness that is beyond all human conception.
有时一个朋友被赐以无痛死亡，便把他或她的房间留结那些无家可归的人，这种情形是超乎现在一切人的想像的。
Vashti did not much mind. After an unsuccessful lecture, she would sometimes ask for Euthanasia herself.
瓦西蒂并不大理会这一点。在一次次取得成功的讲演之后，她有时会要求自己无痛死亡。
But the death-rate was not permitted to exceed the birth-rate, and the Machine had hitherto refused it to her.
但是死亡率是不许超过出生率的，这样，大机器便拒绝了她的请求。
The troubles began quietly, long before she was conscious of them.
一些烦恼的事情在她意识到它们之前，毫不声张地开始了。
One day she was astonished at receiving a message from her son.
一天，她由于得到她儿子来的一个讯息而感到惊讶。
They never communicated, having nothing in common, and she had only heard indirectly that he was still alive,
他们从来是不通讯息的，因为两个人毫无共同之处。她只间接听说他还活着，
and had been transferred from the northern hemisphere,
而且已经从他表现恶劣所在的北半球那里
where he had behaved so mischievously, to the southern – indeed, to a room not far from her own.
被转移到了南半球——确实转移到远离她自己房间不远的一个房间里。
“Does he want me to visit him?” she thought. “Never again, never. And I have not the time.”
“是不是他要我去看望他呢？”她思索着，“再也不去了。永远不去了。再说，我也没有这个时间啊。”
No, it was madness of another kind.
不对头，这是另一种神经病。
