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“I have complained, and my complaint will be forwarded in its turn to the Central Committee.”
“我已经申诉过了，可是我的申诉书要等到轮到它的时候才能送到中央委员会去哩。”
Time passed, and they resented the defects no longer.
时间流逝着。他们也就不再对大机器的那些故障心怀不满了。
The defects had not been remedied, but the human tissues in that latter day had become so subservient,
那些故障没有修理，不过人体的器官组织在以后的日子里竟变得那么有效，
that they readily adapted themselves to every caprice of the Machine.
以致很容易适应大机器的每个突然变化。
The sigh at the crises of the Brisbane symphony no longer irritated Vashti; she accepted it as part of the melody.
布里斯贝恩交响乐关键处的叹息声不再使瓦西蒂心烦了，她把它当作旋律的一部分接受下来。
The jarring noise, whether in the head or in the wall, was no longer resented by her friend.
那种怪里怪气的声音，不管是在头脑里还是在墙壁里，也不再使她的朋友心怀不满。
And so with the mouldy artificial fruit, so with the bath water that began to stink,
对人工制造的那种发了霉的水果是这样，对开始发臭的洗澡水是这样，
so with the defective rhymes that the poetry machine had taken to emit.
对诗歌机器开始放出不谐和的韵律也是这样。
All were bitterly complained of at first, and then acquiesced in and forgotten. Things went from bad to worse unchallenged.
最初，一切都曾苦苦申诉过，到后来便一一默然处之，而且忘怀了。事态江河日下地坏下去，却没有异议了。
“Some one of meddling with the Machine—” they began.
“有什么人正在插手大机器——”她们开始说。
“Some one is trying to make himself king, to reintroduce the personal element.”
“有什么人在企图自立为王，想重新引进个人的因素。”
“Punish that man with Homelessness.”
“应该用无家可归的办法来惩治那个人。”
“To the rescue! Avenge the Machine! Avenge the Machine!”
“应该去抢救！为大机器报仇！为大机器报仇啊！”
“War! Kill the man!”
“战斗吧！干掉那个人呀。”
But the Committee of the Mending Apparatus now came forward, and allayed the panic with well-chosen words.
但机器修理委员会这时站出来，用几句选择恰当的话缓和了这阵恐慌。
It confessed that the Mending Apparatus was itself in need of repair.
它坦率承认修理机本身也正需要修理。
The effect of this frank confession was admirable.
这种坦率承认的效果是极好的。
“Of course,” said a famous lecturer – he of the French Revolution, who gilded each new decay with splendour –
“当然，”一个著名的演说家——他是讲法国大革命的，辉煌壮丽地给每一新的腐朽情况涂金。
“of course we shall not press our complaints now.
“当然，我们现在不要加紧我们的申诉。
The Mending Apparatus has treated us so well in the past that we all sympathize with it, and will wait patiently for its recovery.
在过去，修理机对待我们那样好，我们大家都同情它，我们一定要耐心等待它的修复。
In its own good time it will resume its duties.
在适当的时候，它就会恢复它的职能。
Meanwhile let us do without our beds, our tabloids, our other little wants. Such, I feel sure, would be the wish of the Machine.”
目前，没有我们的床，没有我们的食品丸，没有我们的一些其他小小的需要，我们姑且对付着。我感到这肯定是大机器的愿望。”
Thousands of miles away his audience applauded. The Machine still linked them.
在千万英里外，他的听众都热烈鼓掌。大机器仍然联系着他们。
Under the seas, beneath the roots of the mountains, ran the wires through which they saw and heard,
在海洋的下面，在大山的山根底下，都贯穿着使他们得以看见和听见的电线，
the enormous eyes and ears that were their heritage, and the hum of many workings clothed their thoughts in one garment of subserviency.
那些巨大的眼睛和耳朵乃是他们的遗产，许多种操作的嗡嗡声给他们的思想披上一件奴性的外衣。
Only the old and the sick remained ungrateful, for it was rumoured that Euthanasia, too, was out of order,
只有老人和病人始终是忘恩负义的，因为谣传说无痛死亡设备也失灵了，
and that pain had reappeared among men.
痛苦已经在人间重复出现。
It became difficult to read. A blight entered the atmosphere and dulled its luminosity.
阅读也变得困难起来。一种有害的因素进入了大气，使光明变得幽暗。
At times Vashti could scarcely see across her room. The air, too, was foul.
有时瓦西蒂难得看到她房间周围各处。空气也是污浊的。
Loud were the complaints, impotent the remedies,
那高亢的声音是人们的申诉，那微弱无能的是纠正的措施。
heroic the tone of the lecturer as he cried: “Courage! courage!
那英雄气概的语调是演讲者的喊声：“鼓起勇气来呀！鼓起勇气来呀！
What matter so long as the Machine goes on ? To it the darkness and the light are one.”
只要大机器运转着，有什么关系呢？对大机器来说，黑暗和光明是一回事。”
