【正文】 crement continually. 在奧米勒斯城某幢漂亮的公共建筑下面的地下室里，也許是在一所寬敞的私宅的地窖里，有一個(gè)房間。一絲充滿塵埃的光線從有隙縫的板墻里透過來。小房間的一個(gè)墻角，靠近一個(gè)生銹的水桶立著幾把拖把，拖把頭發(fā)硬，結(jié)成一團(tuán)，散發(fā)著臭氣。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。他(她)看上去六歲左右，但實(shí)際上已近十歲。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。他(她)怕這拖把。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。除了有時(shí)候一一這孩子沒有時(shí)間概念，也不知時(shí)間間隔是什么——有時(shí)候門嘎嘎直響。他們中有一個(gè)可能進(jìn)屋，踢踢這孩子讓他(她)站起來。盛食物的碗和盛水的缽被匆匆填滿，然后門給鎖上，眼睛消失了?！拔乙欢ú惶詺猓彼?她)說道。我一定好好的，不淘氣!’’他們從不回答。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。有些人還去看過他(她)還有些人則覺得沒必要親自去看，知道他(她)在那兒就夠了。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。This is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve, whenever they seem capable of understanding。 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。去地窖里看那孩子的多半是青年人，不過還有一個(gè)成年人更經(jīng)常去看那孩子。他們感到厭惡，這是他們?cè)瓉硭鶝]有料到的。他們本想為那孩子做點(diǎn)什么的，但卻什么也不能做。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。為了做那一件微不足道的善事而犧牲善良的奧米勒斯全體眾生，為了給一個(gè)人創(chuàng)造幸福的機(jī)會(huì)而破壞千萬人的幸福，那無疑是將罪惡引進(jìn)奧米勒斯城。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。但隨著時(shí)間的推移，他們會(huì)漸漸認(rèn)識(shí)到，即使那孩子獲得釋放，他(她)也不會(huì)感受到自由的好處。他(她)太低能了，他(她)太愚笨了。他(她)擔(dān)驚受怕的時(shí)日太久，再也不可能擺脫恐懼了。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。然而，正因?yàn)樗麄冊(cè)谧约旱娜柿x之心經(jīng)受考驗(yàn)時(shí)悲傷流淚，無可奈何地接受現(xiàn)實(shí)時(shí)悲憤難抑，他們的生活才如此光輝燦爛。他們完全明白，他們自己其實(shí)也像那孩子一樣沒有自由。正是因?yàn)橛辛四呛⒆拥拇嬖谝约八麄儗?duì)這一事實(shí)的認(rèn)識(shí)，他們的建筑才有可能如此的雄偉壯觀，他們的音樂才有可能如此的震撼人心，他們的科學(xué)才有可能如此的高明玄妙。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。 the traveler must pass down village streets, between the houses with yellowlit windows, and on out into the darkness of the fields. Each alone, they go west or north, towards the mountains. They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not e back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas. 有的時(shí)候，某個(gè)青年男女去看了那孩子之后并不回家痛苦流涕或是震怒發(fā)狂，事實(shí)上，他或她根本就不回家。這些人走到街上，獨(dú)個(gè)兒一路走去。出城之后，他們穿越奧米勒斯的田野繼續(xù)向前走。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。他們一直向前走。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。也許根本就不存在那樣一個(gè)地方?！　　　　　！　　　?