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He refused to visualize his face upon the blue plate, and speaking out of the darkness with solemnity said:
他拒不把他的脸庞显现在那蓝色的圆盘里，但从黑暗中严肃地说道：
“The Machine stops.”
“大机器要停止运转了。”
“What do you say?”
“你说什么？”
“The Machine is stopping, I know it, I know the signs.”
“大机器要停止运转了。我知道这个。我知道那些征象。”
She burst into a peal of laughter. He heard her and was angry, and they spoke no more.
她一下子发出一阵洪钟似的笑声。他听到她的笑声便生起气来，于是他们没再说下去。
“Can you imagine anything more absurd?” she cried to a friend. “A man who was my son believes that the Machine is stopping.
“您能想做出什么更荒唐可笑的事吗？”她大声对一个朋友说，“有一个人——就是我的儿子——相信，大机器要停止运转了。
It would be impious if it was not mad.”
如果这不是发疯那就大不虔敬了。”
“The Machine is stopping?” her friend replied. “What does that mean? The phrase conveys nothing to me.”
“大机器要停止运转吗？”她的朋友问道，“那是什么意思？这句话没传达给我什么意义。”
“Nor to me.”
“也没传达给我什么意义啊。”
“He does not refer, I suppose, to the trouble there has been lately with the music?”
“我推测，他不是指最近音乐方面出的毛病吧？”
“Oh no, of course not. Let us talk about music.”
“嗯，不是，当然不是。我们还是谈谈音乐吧。”
“Have you complained to the authorities?”
“您最近对当局诉说过吗？”
“Yes, and they say it wants mending, and referred me to the Committee of the Mending Apparatus.
“是的，他们说它需要修理，他们叫我到机器修理委员会去，
I complained of those curious gasping sighs that disfigure the symphonies of the Brisbane school.
我诉说了把布里斯贝恩派交响乐弄得走了调儿的那些怪声怪气像憋出来的叹息，
They sound like some one in pain. The Committee of the Mending Apparatus say that it shall be remedied shortly.”
听上去好像有人在疼痛一样。机器修理委员会说，不久就会修好的。”
Obscurely worried, she resumed her life. For one thing, the defect in the music irritated her.
略带点轻愁，她又重新打起精神来。一件事是音乐出了毛病使她有点心烦，
For another thing, she could not forget Kuno”s speech.
另一件是她无法忘掉基诺的话。
If he had known that the music was out of repair – he could not know it, for he detested music – if he had known that it was wrong,
假使他知道音乐修理不好的话——他不会知道这个的，因为他讨厌音乐——假使他知道它有了毛病，
“the Machine stops” was exactly the venomous sort of remark he would have made.
那末“大机器要停止运转了”就会是他所说出的不折不扣地近于恶毒的话了。
Of course he had made it at a venture, but the coincidence annoyed her, and she spoke with some petulance to the Committee of the Mending Apparatus.
当然，他是随随便便这样一说罢了，可是事情的巧合使她心神不安，这样，她便带点毫无道理的不耐烦态度对机器修理委员会说话。
They replied, as before, that the defect would be set right shortly.
他们像以前那样问答说，那毛病不久就会修好的。
“Shortly! At once!” she retorted. “Why should I be worried by imperfect music?
“不久！要马上！”她反驳说，“为什么我该给这种不堪入耳的音乐弄得发烦呢？
Things are always put right at once. If you do not mend it at once, I shall complain to the Central Committee.”
东西总应当立刻修好嘛。如果你们不马上修，我要上诉到中央委员会去。”
“No personal complaints are received by the Central Committee,” the Committee of the Mending Apparatus replied.
“中央委员会不接受任何个人的上诉。”机器修理委员会回答说。
“Through whom am I to make my complaint, then?”
“我必须通过谁去上诉呢？”
“Through us.”
“通过我们。”
“I complain then.”
“那我现在就上诉。”
“Your complaint shall be forwarded in its turn.”
“您的上诉书要等到轮到它的时候才递上去。”
“Have others complained?”
“已经有别人上诉了吗？”
This question was unmechanical, and the Committee of the Mending Apparatus refused to answer it.
这个问题是不合大机器的规定的，机器修理委员会拒绝回答。
“It is too bad!” she exclaimed to another of her friends.
“这太不像话了！”她感叹着对她的另一个朋友说。“从来没有像我这样倒霉的女人。现在我总也拿不准我的音乐，每次听来，音乐总是越来越难听。”
“There never was such an unfortunate woman as myself. I can never be sure of my music now. It gets worse and worse each time I summon it.”
“我也有我的倒霉事，”这位朋友回答说，“有的时候，我的思想意念给一种有点怪里怪气的声音打断。”
“What is it?”
“那是什么呢？”
“I do not know whether it is inside my head, or inside the wall.”
“我不知这种声音是在我的头脑里，还是在墙壁里。”
“Complain, in either case.”
“不管是哪一种情形，您就申诉吧。”
