【正文】 　　　　　。他們要去的地方是一個(gè)對(duì)我們大多數(shù)人來說比奧米勒斯城更難想象的地方。夜幕降臨了，他們還得沿著村鎮(zhèn)的街道，穿過街道兩邊窗戶亮著螢光的房屋，繼續(xù)往前走，走進(jìn)一片黑暗的曠野之中。這些人走到街上，獨(dú)個(gè)兒一路走去。他們懂得，假如沒有那個(gè)可憐的孩子在黑暗的地窖中悲泣，那另一個(gè)孩子，即那個(gè)吹木笛的孩子，就不可能在那些青年騎手騎著美麗的駿馬迎著第一個(gè)夏日列隊(duì)等候賽馬開始時(shí)吹奏出那樣歡快的樂曲來。他們完全明白，他們自己其實(shí)也像那孩子一樣沒有自由。說實(shí)在的，他(她)對(duì)那種生活已經(jīng)習(xí)以為常了，若是將他(她)放出來，失去了牢籠的保護(hù)，失去了他(她)的眼睛所習(xí)慣的黑暗，再也不能坐在自己的屎尿上，他(她)倒可能覺得難受。他(她)太低能了，他(她)太愚笨了。就連對(duì)那孩子講一句仁慈友善的話都在被禁止之列Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox. They may brood over it for weeks or years. But as time goes on they begin to realize that even if the child could be released, it would not get much good of its freedom: a little vague pleasure of warmth and food, no doubt, but little more. It is too degraded and imbecile to know any real joy. It has been afraid too long ever to be free of fear. Its habits are too uncouth for it to respond to humane treatment. Indeed, after so long it would probably be wretched without walls about it to protect it, and darkness for its eyes, and its own excrement to sit in. Their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it. Yet it is their tears and anger, the trying of their generosity and the acceptance of their helplessness, which are perhaps the true source of the splendor of their lives. Theirs is no vapid, irresponsible happiness. They know that they, like the child, are not free. They know passion. It is the existence of the child, and their knowledge of its existence, that makes possible the nobility of their architecture, the poignancy of their music, the profundity of their science. It is because of the child that they are so gentle with children. They know that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark, the other one, the fluteplayer, could make no joyful music as the young riders line up in their beauty for the race in the sunlight of the first morning of do you believe in them? Are they not more credible? But there is one more thing to tell, and this is quite incredible. 當(dāng)那些青年去看了那個(gè)孩子，面對(duì)那種痛苦的矛盾處境后再回到家里時(shí)，他們往往會(huì)痛哭流涕，或是悲憤難抑。但只要那樣做了，奧米勒斯的一切，包括她的繁榮氣象、美麗景色和歡樂生活等都會(huì)立刻化為烏有。他們感到厭惡，這是他們?cè)瓉硭鶝]有料到的。 but if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed. Those are the terms. To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement: to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one: that would be to let guilt within the walls terms are strict and absolute。至于他(她)為什么必須呆在那兒，這原因就只有一部分才明白，有些人并不知曉。但現(xiàn)在只發(fā)出一種“哎——啊，哎——啊”的哀鳴聲，話也說得越來越少了他(她)瘦極了，瘦到腿肚子都沒有，肚子卻鼓著，一天就靠半碗玉米粉和一點(diǎn)動(dòng)物油維持生命?！拔乙欢ú惶詺?，”他(她)說道。他們中有一個(gè)可能進(jìn)屋，踢踢這孩子讓他(她)站起來。他(她)閉上眼睛，但他(她)知道拖把還立在那兒，門還是鎖著，而且沒有人會(huì)來。也許他(她)生來就是低能，也許是由于恐懼，營(yíng)養(yǎng)不良和無人照管才變成低能。房間大約三步長(zhǎng)，兩步寬，只是一個(gè)放掃帚的小問，或是久已不用的工具問。一絲充滿塵埃的光線從有隙縫的板墻里透過來。 and nobody ever es, except that sometimes—the child has no understanding of time or interval—sometimes the door rattles terribly and opens, and a person, or several people, are there. One of them may e in and kick the child to make it stand up. The others never e close, but peer in at it with frightened, disgusted eyes. The food bowl and the water jug are hastily filled, the door is locked, the eyes disappear. The people at the door never say anything, but the child, who has not always lived in the tool room, and can remember sunlight and its mother’s voice, sometimes speaks. “I will be good,” it says. “Please let me out. I will be good!” They never answer. The child used to scream for help at night, and cry a good deal, but now it only makes a kind of whining, “ehhaa, ehhaa,” and it speaks less and less often. It is so thin there are no calves to its legs。你相信了嗎?上面描述的這種節(jié)慶，這個(gè)城市以及歡樂景象，你都覺得可信了嗎?不可信?那么，請(qǐng)讓我再講述一件事情吧。那些在等候的馬一聽號(hào)聲，便人立而起，有的還發(fā)出嘶叫聲。一個(gè)大約九到十歲的小孩獨(dú)自坐在邊上吹奏一支木笛。炊事隊(duì)的紅藍(lán)雙色帳篷里散發(fā)出美妙的食品香味。他們所慶祝的勝利是人生的勝利。但既然我們已經(jīng)排除了教士，我們也理應(yīng)排除武士。服了這種麻醉品后最初的反應(yīng)是四肢變得十分輕靈，頭腦變得十分靈活；過幾個(gè)小時(shí)以后，便昏昏沉沉地進(jìn)入一種夢(mèng)境，并產(chǎn)生各種各樣奇妙的幻覺，使人得以窺視宇宙間最玄妙、隱藏最深的奧秘；另外，它還能極大的增強(qiáng)性交的快感。就由你自己去想象吧。快樂幸福的基礎(chǔ)是能分辨什么是生活必需之物，什么是既不必需又無危害之物，以及什么是有害之物。倘若讀者有足夠的想象力的話，最好還是自己去想象奧米勒斯城的情形吧。我們已幾乎失去一切，再也不知如何去描述一個(gè)快樂的人了，也無法舉行什么快樂的活動(dòng)。我們的社會(huì)的弊病在于，由于一些賣弄學(xué)問的人和深諳世故的人的推波助瀾，我們養(yǎng)成了一種惡習(xí)，認(rèn)為歡樂是一種無聊乏味的東西，只有痛苦才能啟迪人的