19 Dors

第19章 铎丝

SELDON, HARI:……it is customary to think of Hari Seldon only in connection with psychohistory, to see him only as mathematics and social change personified. There is no doubt that he himself encouraged this for at no time in his formal writings did he give any hint as to how he came to solve the various problems of psychohistory. His leaps of thought might have all been plucked from air, for all he tells us. Nor does he tell us of the blind alleys into which he crept or the wrong turnings he may have made……

哈里·谢顿：……习惯上，人们仅将哈里·谢顿与心理史学联想在一起，将他视为拟人化的数学与社会变迁学。他本人也鼓励这种倾向，这点无庸置疑，因为在正式着作中，他从未透露自己如何解出心理史学的各种问题，甚至未曾提供任何线索。根据他的讲法，他的思想跃进或许都是无中生有。至于他曾摸索过的死胡同，或是曾经走过的错误道路，他始终没有让我们知道。

As for his private life, it is a blank. Concerning his parents and siblings, we know a handful of factors, no more. His only son, Raych Seldon, is known to have been adopted, but how that came about is not known. Concerning his wife, we only know that she existed. Clearly, Seldon wanted to be a cipher except where psychohistory was concerned. It is as though he felt……or wanted it to be felt……that he did not live, he merely psychohistorified.

……他的私生活则是一片空白。有关他的双亲与手足，我们只有很简单的资料，如此而已。众所周知，他的独子芮奇·谢顿是领养的，但过程如何却无人知晓。至于他的妻子，我们只知道的确有这个人。显然，除了有关心理史学的种种，谢顿有意成为一个毫不起眼的人物。仿佛他觉得……或是想要令人觉得……他不曾活在世上，而仅仅是心理史学的化身。

ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA

……《银河百科全书》

Hummin sat calmly, not a muscle twitching, still looking at Hari Seldon and Seldon, for his part, waited. It was Hummin, he thought, who should speak next.

夫铭冷静地坐在那里，仍然目不转睛地望着哈里·谢顿，没有任何一根肌肉在抽动。谢顿则耐心等待，他想，下一句话应该是由夫铭开口。

Hummin did, but said merely, "A robot? Me?……By robot, I presume you mean an artificial being such as the object you saw in the Sacratorium in Mycogen."

夫铭终于开口，不过他只是说：“机器人？我？所谓的机器人，我猜你是指人造人，就像你在麦曲生圣堂里见到的那种东西。”

"Not quite like that," said Seldon.

“并不完全像。”谢顿说。

"Not metal? Not burnished? Not a lifeless simulacrum?" Hummin said it without any evidence of amusement.

“不是金属制品？不会熠熠生辉？不是一个无生命的拟像？”夫铭在话语中并未透出一丝兴味。

"No. To be of artificial life is not necessarily to be made of metal. I speak of a robot indistinguishable from a human being in appearance.. "

“不，人工生命不一定是金属制品。我所说的，是外形上和人类真假难分的机器人。”

If indistinguishable, Hari, then how do you distinguish?"

“倘若真假难分，哈里，那你又如何分辨呢？”

"Not by appearance."

“不是根据外形。”

"Explain."

“解释一下。”

"Hummin, in the course of my flight from yourself as Demerzel, I heard of two ancient worlds, as I told you……Aurora and Earth. Each seemed to be spoken of as a first world or an only world. In both cases, robots were spoken of, but with a difference."

“夫铭，在我逃避你的另一个身份丹莫刺尔的过程中，我听说了两个古老的世界。我刚刚告诉过你，就是奥罗拉和地球。它们似乎都被说成是第一个世界，或是唯一的世界。两者都牵涉到了机器人，但其中有一点不同。”

Seldon was staring thoughtfully at the man across the table, wondering if, in any way, he would give some sign that he was less than a man……or more. He said, "Where Aurora was in question, one robot was spoken of as a renegade, a traitor, someone who deserted the cause. Where Earth was in question, one robot was spoken of as a hero, one who represented salvation. Was it too much to suppose that it was the same robot?"

谢顿若有所思地凝视着餐桌对面这名男子，寻思他是否会在某方面显露出他比人类少了点……或是多了点什么。“在奥罗拉的故事中，有个机器人被说成是背离目标的变节者和叛徒。而在地球的故事中，有个机器人被说成是拯救世人的英雄。倘若假设两者是同一个机器人，会不会太过分呢？”

"Was it?" murmured Hummin.

“会吗？”夫铭喃喃问道。

"This is what I thought, Hummin. I thought that Earth and Aurora were two separate worlds, co-existing in time. I don't know which one preceded the other. From the arrogance and the conscious sense of superiority of the Mycogenians, I might suppose that Aurora was the original world and that they despised the Earthmen who derived from them……or who degenerated from them.

“夫铭，我是这么想的，我想地球和奥罗拉是两个不同的世界，曾经同时存在。我不知道哪个在先，哪个在后。从麦曲生人的自大和优越感来判断，我应该假设奥罗拉是起源世界，而他们所鄙视的地球人，则是由他们衍生……或是由他们退化而成。

"On the other hand, Mother Rittah, who spoke to me of Earth, was convinced that Earth was the original home of humanity and, certainly, the tiny and isolated position of the Mycogenians in a whole galaxy of quadrillions of people who lack the strange Mycogenian ethos might mean that Earth was indeed the original home and that Aurora was the aberrant offshoot. I cannot tell, but I pass on to you my thinking, so that you will understand my final conclusions."

“另一方面，瑞塔嬷嬷，就是跟我提到地球的那个人，却深信地球才是人类的故乡。当然啦，整个银河拥有万兆人口，却只有麦曲生人拥有那种奇异的民族性，他们这种微小而封闭的地位，或许正好代表地球的确是人类的故乡，而奥罗拉则是旁门左道的支系。我无法做出判断，但我把自己的思考过程告诉你，好让你能了解我最后的结论。”

Hummin nodded. "I see what you are doing. Please continue."

夫铭点了点头。“我懂得你在做什么，请继续。”

"The worlds were enemies. Mother Rittah certainly made it sound so. When I compare the Mycogenians, who seem to embody Aurora, and the Dahlites, who seem to embody Earth, I imagine that Aurora, whether first or second, was nevertheless the one that was more advanced, the one that could produce more elaborate robots, even ones indistinguishable from human beings in appearance. Such a robot was designed and devised in Aurora, then. But he was a renegade, so he deserted Aurora. To the Earthpeople he was a hero, so he must have joined Earth. Why he did this, what his motives were, I cant say."

“这两个世界是仇家，瑞塔嬷嬷的话听来绝对是这个意思。麦曲生人似乎是奥罗拉的化身，达尔人则似乎是地球的化身，而在我比较这两族人的时候，我猜想姑且不论奥罗拉是先是后，却无论如何比较先进，能够生产较精致的机器人，它们甚至在外形上和人类真假难分。因此，那个机器人是奥罗拉所设计和发明的。但他是个变节者，所以他遗弃了奥罗拉。对地球人而言，他则是英雄，所以他必定加入了地球。至于他为何那样做，他的动机又是什么，我却说不上来。”

Hummin said, "Surely, you mean why it did this, what its motives were."

夫铭说：“你的意思当然是‘它’为何那样做，‘它’的动机又是什么。”

"Perhaps, but with you sitting across from me," said Seldon, "I find it difficult to use the inanimate pronoun. Mother Rittah was convinced that the heroic robot……her heroic robot……still existed, that he would return when he was needed. It seemed to me that there was nothing impossible in the thought of an immortal robot or at least one who was immortal as long as the replacement of worn-out parts was not neglected."

“或许吧，但有你坐在我对面，”谢顿说，“我发觉很难使用无生命代名词。瑞塔嬷嬷深信那个英雄机器人……她所谓的英雄机器人……至今仍旧存在，他会在需要他的时候重返人间。在我看来，想象一个不朽的机器人，或者‘只要不忘更换磨损零件即可不朽’的机器人，是一件毫无困难的事。”

"Even the brain?" asked Hummin.

“连头脑也能换？”夫铭问道。

"Even the brain. I don't really know anything about robots, but I imagine a new brain could be re-recorded from the old……And Mother Rittah hinted of strange mental powers……I thought: It must be so. I may, in some ways, be a romantic, but I am not so much a romantic as to think that one robot, by switching from one side to the other, can alter the course of history. A robot could not make Earths victory sure, nor Auroras defeat certain……unless there was something strange, something peculiar about the robot."

“连头脑也能换。我对机器人其实一点都不了解，但在我的想象中，新的头脑能从旧的那里录取所有的记录。瑞塔嬷嬷还暗示了一种奇异的精神力量，那时我便想到，一定是这样的。在某些方面，我也许是个浪漫的人，但我还不至于浪漫到那种程度，会相信一个机器人在转换阵营之后，就能改变历史的发展。一个机器人无法确保地球的胜利，也无法保证奥罗拉的败北。除非这个机器人有什么古怪，有什么奇特的能力。”

Hummin said, "Does it occur to you, Hari, that you are dealing with legends, legends that may have been distorted over the centuries and the millennia, even to the extent of building a veil of the supernatural over quite ordinary events? Can you make yourself believe in a robot that not only seems human, but that also lives forever and has mental powers? Are you not beginning to believe in the superhuman?"

夫铭说：“你有没有想到过，哈里，你是在研究一些传说，一些可能经过了数世纪乃至数千年扭曲的传说？它们甚至在相当普通的事件上，都筑起一重超自然的帷幕。你能让自己相信一个机器人不但酷似人类，而且寿命无尽并具有精神力量吗？你这不是开始相信超人了吗？”

"I know very well what legends are and I am not one to be taken in by them and made to believe in fairy tales. Still, when they are supported by certain odd events that I have seen……and even experienced myself……"

“究竟什么是传说，我知道得非常清楚。我不会被它们欺骗，也不会相信什么童话故事。话说回来，当某些古怪事件支持它们，而那些事件又是我亲眼目睹，甚至亲身经历……”

"Such as?"

“比如说？”

"Hummin, I met you and trusted you from the start. Yes, you helped me against those two hoodlums when you didn't need to and that predisposed me in your favor, since I didn't realize at the time that they were your hirelings, doing what you had instructed them to do……But never mind that."

“夫铭，我和你不期而遇，打从一开始就信任你。没错，在你根本无需介入的时候，你帮我对付了那两个小流氓，令我对你产生好感，因为当时我不了解他们其实受雇于你，遵照你的指示办事……不过别管这个了。”

"No," said Hummin, a hint of amusement……finally……in his voice.

“不会吧。”夫铭说，他的声音终于透出了一丝兴味。

"I trusted you. I was easily convinced not to go home to Helicon and to make myself a wanderer over the face of Trantor. I believed everything you told me without question. I placed myself entirely in your hands. Looking back on it now, I see myself as not myself. I am not a person to be so easily led, yet I was. More than that, I did not even think it strange that I was behaving so far out of character."

“我信任你。我很容易就被你说服，决定不回赫利肯家乡，而让自己在川陀表面到处流浪。对于你告诉我的每一件事，我都毫无疑问地照单全收。我把自己完完全全交到你手里。如今回顾起来，我发现那简直不是我。我并非那么容易被人牵着鼻子走，但我的表现就是那样。尤有甚者，我的行为虽然那么异常，我却不觉得有什么奇怪。”

"You know yourself best, Hari."

“哈里，你最了解你自己。”

"It wasn't only me. How is it that Dors Venabili, a beautiful woman with a career of her own, should abandon that career in order to join me in my flight? How is it that she should risk her life to save mine, seeming to take on, as a kind of holy duty, the cask of protecting me and becoming single-minded in the process? Was it simply because you asked her to?"

“不只是我而已，铎丝·凡纳比里又如何？她是个才貌双全的女子，怎么会为了陪我逃亡而放弃教职呢？又怎么会一再冒着生命危险拯救我，似乎把保护我视为一种神圣的使命，而且从头到尾专心一志？只因为你要求她那么做吗？”

"I did ask her to, Hari."

“哈里，我的确要求过她。”

"Yet she does not strike me as the kind of person to make such a radical changeover in her life merely because someone asks her to. Nor could I believe it was because she had fallen madly in love with me at first sight and could not help herself. I somehow wish she had, but she seems quite the mistress of her emotional self, more……I am now speaking to you frankly……than I myself am with respect to her."

“然而她给我的印象，并非那种仅仅由于某人要求她，就会做出如此彻底转变的人。我更无法相信是因为她第一眼就疯狂地爱上我，从此再也无法自拔。我多少有些希望这是真的，但她似乎相当能控制自己的感情，而我……我现在坦白跟你讲……我对她的感情却没有那么容易控制。”

"She is a wonderful woman," said Hummin. "I don't blame you."

“她是个了不起的女性。”夫铭说，“我不怪你。”

Seldon went on. "How is it, moreover, that Sunmaster Fourteen, a monster of arrogance and one who leads a people who are themselves stiff-necked in their own conceit, should be willing to take in tribespeople like Dors and myself and to treat us as well as the Mycogenians could and did? When we broke every rule, committed every sacrilege, how is it that you could still talk him into letting us go?

谢顿继续说：“此外，日主十四又如何？他是个自大狂，领导了一群顽固地拥抱着自负幻想的人。他竟然愿意收容像铎丝和我这样的外族人，并且尽麦曲生一切可能和一切力量款待我们。在我们违反了所有的规定、触犯了每一条亵渎罪之后，你怎么还是有办法说服他放我们走？

"How could you talk the Tisalvers, with their petty prejudices, into taking us in? How can you be at home everywhere in the world, be friends with everyone, influence each person, regardless of their individual peculiarities? For that matter, how do you manage to manipulate Cleon too? And if he is viewed as malleable and easily molded, then how were you able to handle his father, who by all accounts was a rough and arbitrary tyrant? How could you do all this?

“堤沙佛这家人既小气又充满偏见，你怎么能说服他们收留我们？你又怎么能对这个世界各个角落那么熟悉，和人人都称兄道弟，并且影响每一个人，不论他们有什么特殊的癖性？说到这件事，你怎么也有办法操纵克里昂？即使能说他温顺且易受影响，你却又如何能应付他的父亲，他在任何方面都算是个粗暴专横的暴君？你怎么能做到这一切？

"Most of all, how is it that Mannix IV of Wye could spend decades building an army without peer, one trained to be proficient in every detail, and yet have it fall apart when his daughter tries to make use of it? How could you persuade them to play the Renegade, all of them, as you have done?"

“最重要的是，卫荷的曼尼克斯四世花了数十年的心血，建立起一支无敌的军队，各方面的训练都精良无比，可是当他的女儿试图动用时，它却立刻四分五裂？你怎么能劝服他们步上你的后尘，让他们通通扮演起变节者？”

Hummin said, "Might this mean no more than that I am a tactful person used to dealing with people of different types, that I am in a position to have done favors for crucial people and am in a position to do additional favors in the future? Nothing I have done, it might seem, requires the supernatural."

夫铭道：“这难道不能仅仅意味着我的手腕圆滑，习惯于应付各种不同类型的人；意味着我有能力施恩于重要人物，将来也有能力继续眷顾他们？我所做的一切，似乎都不需要超自然的力量。”

"Nothing you have done? Not even the neutralization of the Wyan army?"

“你所做的一切？甚至包括瓦解卫荷的军队？”

"They did not wish to serve a woman."

“他们不希望效忠一名女性。”

"They must have known for years that any time Mannix laid down his powers or any time he died, Rashelle would be their Mayor, yet they showed no signs of discontent……until you felt it necessary that they show it. Dors described you at one time as a very persuasive man. And so you are. More persuasive than any man could be. But you are not more persuasive than an immortal robot with strange mental powers might be……Well, Hummin?"

“过去许多年来，他们一定早就知道，不论曼尼克斯何时放下权力，或是不论他何时去世，芮喜尔立刻会成为他们的区长，他们却未曾显露不满的迹象……直到你觉得有必要让他们显露出来。铎丝曾形容你是非常具有说服力的人，你的确如此，比任何‘人’都更具说服力。可是，和一个具有奇异精神力量的不朽机器人相比，你的说服力却理所当然……如何，夫铭？”

Hummin said, "What is it you expect of me, Hari? Do you expect me to admit Im a robot? That I only look like a human being? That I am immortal? That I am a mental marvel?!"

夫铭说：“哈里，你指望我做什么？你指望我承认自己是机器人？承认我只是外表酷似人类？承认我是不朽的？承认我是个金属的奇珍？”

Seldon leaned toward Hummin as he sat there on the opposite side of the table. "Yes, Hummin, I do. I expect you to tell me the truth and I strongly suspect that what you have just outlined is the truth. You, Hummin, are the robot that Mother Rittah referred to as Da-Nee, friend of Ba-Lee. You must admit it. You have no choice."

坐在餐桌另一端的谢顿将上半身凑向夫铭。“是的，夫铭，我就是这个意思。我指望你告诉我真相，而我强烈怀疑你刚刚说的正是真相。你，夫铭，就是瑞塔嬷嬷口中的那个机器人答霓……笆雳的朋友。你必须承认，你毫无选择余地。”

It was as though they were sitting in a tiny Universe of their own. There, in the middle of Wye, with the Wyan army being disarmed by Imperial force, they sat quietly. There, in the midst of events that all of Trantor……and perhaps all the Galaxy……was watching, there was this small bubble of utter isolation within which Seldon and Hummin were playing their game of attack and defense……Seldon trying hard to force a new reality, Hummin making no move to accept that new reality.

他们仿佛置身于仅由两人构成的小宇宙中。卫荷的军队已被帝国部队缴械，而在卫荷的心脏地带，他们平静地坐在那里。整个川陀……或许整个银河都在注视这个事件，但在事件的中心，却存在着一个完全与世隔绝的小泡沫，能让谢顿与夫铭在其中进行他们的攻守游戏……谢顿试着提出一个新的情境，夫铭则不准备接受。

Seldon had no fear of interruption. He was certain that the bubble within which they sat had a boundary that could not be penetrated, that Hummins……no, the robots……powers would keep all at a distance till the game was over.

谢顿不怕遭到干扰，他确定周遭这个泡沫具有无法穿透的边界。在这场游戏结束之前，夫铭……不，这个机器人的力量，会将一切挡在一定距离之外。

Hummin finally said, "You are an ingenious fellow, Hari, but I fail to see why I must admit that I am a robot and why I have no choice but to do so. Everything you say may be true as facts……your own behavior, Dorss behavior, Sunmasters, Tisalvers, the Wyan generals……all, all may have happened as you said, but that doesnt force your interpretation of the meaning of the events to be true. Surely, everything that happened can have a natural explanation. You trusted me because you accepted what I said; Dors felt your safety to be important because she felt psychohistory to be crucial, herself being a historian; Sunmaster and Tisalver were beholden to me for favors you know nothing of, the Wyan generals resented being ruled by a woman, no more. Why must we flee to the supernatural?"

夫铭终于开口：“你是个聪明人，哈里，但我不懂为何必须承认自己是机器人，以及我为何毫无选择余地。你说的每件事或许都是事实……你自己的行为、铎丝的行为，以及日主的、堤沙佛的、卫荷将领们的行为……一切的一切或许都如你所说，但这绝不等于你对这些事件的诠释就是事实。不用说，每件事都能有个合乎常理的解释。你信任我，是因为你接受我的说法；铎丝觉得你的安全至为重要，是因为身为一位历史学家，她感到心理史学事关重大；日主和堤沙佛受过我的恩惠，其中的详情你一无所知；卫荷的将领们则是憎恨被一个女人统治，如此而已。我们为什么一定要求助超自然？”

Seldon said, "See here, Hummin, do you really believe the Empire to be falling and do you really consider it important that it not be allowed to do so with no move made to save it or, at the least, cushion its Fall?"

谢顿说：“听好，夫铭，你真心相信帝国正在衰亡吗？你真心认为绝不能坐视，一定要采取拯救它的行动，或至少减轻衰亡的冲击？”

"I really do." Somehow Seldon knew this statement was sincere.

“我是真心的。”无论如何，谢顿明白这句话是真诚的。

And you really want me to work out the details of psychohistory and you feel that you yourself cannot do it?

“你真心希望我发展出心理史学的细节，而你觉得自己无法做到？”

"I lack the capability."

“我缺乏这个能力。”

"And you feel that only I can handle psychohistory……even if I sometimes doubt it myself?"

“而你觉得只有我才能研究出心理史学……即使我自己有时也怀疑？”

"Yes."

“是的。”

"And you must therefore feel that if you can possibly help me in any way, you must."

“因此你一定也会觉得，只要有可能帮助我，你无论如何得全力以赴。”

"I do."

“我是这么想。”

Personal feelings……selfish considerations……could play no part?

“个人的情感……自我中心的考量……并未起着任何作用？”

A faint and brief smile passed over Hummins grave face and for a moment Seldon sensed a vast and arid desert of weariness behind Hummins quiet manner. "I have built a long career on paying no heed to personal feelings or to selfish considerations."

夫铭严肃的脸庞掠过一丝隐约而短暂的笑容，一时之间，谢顿察觉在夫铭沉稳的态度后面，隐藏着一大片疲惫而枯槁的沙漠。“我早已养成习惯，完全忽视个人情感或自我中心的考量。”

"Then I ask your help. I can work out psychohistory on the basis of Trantor alone, but I will run into difficulties. Those difficulties I may overcome, but how much easier it would be to do so if I knew certain key facts. For instance, was Earth or Aurora the first world of humanity or was it some other world altogether? What was the relationship between Earth and Aurora? Did either or both colonize the Galaxy? If one, why didn't the other? If both, how was the issue decided? Are there worlds descended from both or from only one? How did robots come to be abandoned? How did Trantor become the Imperial world, rather than another planet? What happened to Aurora and Earth in the meantime? There are a thousand questions I might ask right now and a hundred thousand that might arise as I go along. Would you allow me to remain ignorant, Hummin, and fail in my task when you could inform me and help me succeed?"

“那么我请求你帮助我。我可以仅仅根据川陀而发展出心理史学，但我会遇到很多困难。我或许能克服那些困难，但我若能知道某些关键的事实，问题不晓得会简单多少倍。举例而言，人类的第一个世界是不是地球或奥罗拉，或者根本是另一个世界？地球和奥罗拉的关系如何？是否其中之一或两者皆曾展开银河殖民？如果只有一个，另一个为何没有？如果两者皆有，最后的结果如何？有没有哪些世界是这两者或其中之一的后裔？机器人如何遭到废弃？川陀如何变成京畿世界，为什么不是别的行星？奥罗拉和地球后来发生了什么变故？现在我就能提出一千个问题，而在研究过程中，还可能再冒出十万个问题来。你明明能为我解惑，帮助我成功，夫铭，难道你会让我始终懵懵懂懂，而眼看我失败吗？”

Hummin said, "If I were the robot, would I have room in my brain for all of twenty thousand years of history for millions of different worlds?"

夫铭说：“假使我是机器人，我的脑子能够容纳千万个不同世界、整整两万年所有的历史吗？”

"I don't know the capacity of robotic brains. I don't know the capacity of yours. But if you lack the capacity, then you must have that information which you cannot hold safely recorded in a place and in a way that would make it possible for you to call upon it. And if you have it and I need information, how can you deny and withhold it from me? And if you cannot withhold it from me, how can you deny that you are a robot……that robot the Renegade?"

“我不知道机器人的脑容量有多少，我也不知道你的脑子能容纳多少记忆。但如果你的容量不够，你一定已将自己无法安然保存的资料记录在别处，而你自己有办法随时查取。倘若你拥有那些资料，而我确有需要，你又怎能拒绝，怎能对我有所保留？而假如你无法对我有所保留，你又怎能拒绝承认自己是机器人……那个机器人……那个变节者？”

Seldon sat back and took a deep breath. "So I ask you again: Are you that robot? If you want psychohistory, then you must admit it. If you still deny you are a robot and if you convince me you are not, then my chances at psychohistory become much, much smaller. It is up to you, then. Are you a robot? Are you Da-Nee?"

谢顿靠回椅背，深深吸了一口气。“所以我再问你一遍：你是不是那个机器人？倘若想要心理史学，那么你就必须承认。如果你仍旧否认自己是机器人，而且说服我相信你真的不是，那么我完成心理史学的机会将变得太小、太小。所以说，看你了。你是机器人吗？你就是答霓吗？”

And Hummin said, as imperturbable as ever. "Your arguments are irrefutable. I am R. Daneel Olivaw. The R stands for robot. "

夫铭以一如往昔的泰然口吻说：“你的论证无懈可击。我名叫机·丹尼尔·奥立瓦，其中‘机’便代表机器人。”

R. Daneel Olivaw still spoke quietly, but it seemed to Seldon that there was a subtle change in his voice, as though he spoke more easily now that he was no longer playing a part.

机·丹尼尔·奥立瓦的口气仍然平静沉稳，但在谢顿的感觉中，他的声音似乎有些微妙的变化，仿佛一旦不用再扮演别人，他开口就更容易了。

"In twenty thousand years," said Daneel, "no one has guessed I was a robot when it was not my intention to have him or her know. In part, that was because human beings abandoned robots so long ago that very few remember that they even existed at one time. And in part, it is because I do have the ability to detect and affect human emotion. The detection offers no trouble, but to affect emotion is difficult for me for reasons having to do with my robotic nature……although I can do it when I wish. I have the ability but must deal with my will not to use it. I try never to interfere except when I have no choice but to do so. And when I do interfere, it is rarely that I do more than strengthen, as little as I can, what is already there. If I can achieve my purposes without doing even so much, I avoid it.

“两万年以来，”丹尼尔说，“只要我不打算让对方知道，从来没有人猜到我是机器人。原因之一，是因为人类早已舍弃机器人，以至很少有人记得它们曾经存在过。此外，也是因为我的确具有侦测和影响人类情感的能力。其中，侦测并没有什么问题，但对我而言，影响情感却是一件困难的事，这和我的机器人本质有关。不过只要我希望那样做，我还是做得到的。我拥有那种能力，却得时时和自己的心意交战。我试着绝不轻易干预他人情感，除非情况令我毫无选择。而当我插手干预时，也几乎只是增强既有的情感，而且尽可能愈少愈好。假如根本不必这样做，即可达到我的目的，我就能免则免。

"It was not necessary to tamper with Sunmaster Fourteen in order to have him accept you……I call it tampering, you notice, because it is not a pleasant thing to do. I did not have to tamper with him because he did owe me for favors rendered and he is an honorable man, despite the peculiarities you found in him. I did interfere the second time, when you had committed sacrilege in his eyes, but it took very little. He was not anxious to hand you over to the Imperial authorities, whom he does not like. I merely strengthened the dislike a trifle and he handed you over to my care, accepting the arguments I offered, which otherwise he might have considered specious.

“要让日主十四接纳你们，并没有必要对他进行干涉……我称之为‘干涉’，你该注意到了，因为那不是一件愉快的事。我不必干涉他，因为他的确欠我的情，而他是个荣誉至上的人，尽管你也发现他有许多怪癖。后来我的确出手干预了，因为当时你犯了他眼中的亵渎罪，但干预程度非常小。他不急于将你们交给帝国当局，他不喜欢那些人。我只是把这种厌恶稍微加强，他便将你们交给我看管，并接受我提出的说法。正常情况下，他很可能会认为那番话似是而非。

"Nor did I tamper with you noticeably. You distrusted the Imperials too. Most human beings do these days, which is an important factor in the decay and deterioration of the Empire. Whats more, you were proud of psychohistory as a concept, proud of having thought of it. You would not have minded having it prove to be a practical discipline. That would have further fed your pride."

“我也并未对你进行多么显着的干涉。你同样不信任帝国当局，如今大多数人都一样，这正是帝国衰败和倾颓的一个重要因素。非但如此，你还将心理史学这个概念引以为傲，为自己这个想法感到骄傲。你不会介意证明它是个实用的学术，这样只会让你更加骄傲。”

Seldon frowned and said, "Pardon me, Master Robot, but I am not aware that I am quite such a monster of pride."

谢顿皱了皱眉头，说道：“对不起，机器人君，我还真不晓得自己是个如此骄傲的怪兽。”

Daneel said mildly, "You are not a monster of pride at all. You are perfectly aware that [it] is neither admirable nor useful to be driven by pride, so you try to subdue that drive, but you might as well disapprove of having yourself powered by your heartbeat. You cannot help either fact. Though you hide your pride from yourself for the sake of your own peace of mind, you cannot hide it from me. It is there, however carefully you mask it over. And I had but to strengthen it a touch and you were at once willing to take measures to hide from Demerzel, measures that a moment before you would have resisted. And you were eager to work at psychohistory with an intensity that a moment before you would have scorned.

丹尼尔温和地说：“你绝不是骄傲的怪兽。你完全了解‘被骄傲驱动’既不值得恭维也毫无用处，所以你努力抑制那种驱动力，但你同样大可否认你的动力源自心脏的跳动。这两者都是你无法作主的。虽然你为了内心的平静，将你的骄傲藏在自己找不到的地方，你却无法对我隐藏。不论你遮掩得多么仔细，它还是在那里。我只要把它稍微加强一点，你就立刻愿意采取躲避丹莫刺尔的行动，虽然在前一刻，你还会抗拒那些行动。你也随即渴望集中全力发展心理史学，而在前一刻，你还会对它嗤之以鼻。

"I saw no necessity to touch anything else and so you have reasoned out your robothood. Had I foreseen the possibility of that, I might have stopped it, but my foresight and my abilities are not infinite. Nor am I sorry now that I failed, for your arguments are good ones and it is important that you know who I am and that I use what I am to help you.

“我认为没有必要碰触其他情感，才让你有机会推论出你的机器人理论。假使我预见了这个可能性，我或许会设法阻止，但我的先见之明和我的能力并非无限大。我也不会对如今的失败感到后悔，因为你的论证都很有道理。让你知道我是谁，以及让我以本来面目帮助你，都是非常重要的事。

"Emotions, my dear Seldon are a powerful engine of human action, far more powerful than human beings themselves realize, and you cannot know how much can be done with the merest touch and how reluctant I am to do it."

“情感，亲爱的谢顿，是人类行动的一个强大动力，远比人类自己所了解的更为强力。你绝不明白轻轻一碰就能达到多大效果，以及我多么不情愿这样做。”

Seldon was breathing heavily, trying to see himself as a man driven by pride and not liking it. "Why reluctant?"

谢顿的呼吸变得沉重，他试着将自己视为一个被骄傲驱动的人，但他不喜欢这种感觉。“为何不情愿？”

"Because it would be so easy to overdo. I had to stop Rashelle from converting the Empire into a feudal anarchy. I might have bent minds quickly and the result might well have been a bloody uprising. Men are men……and the Wyan generals are almost all men. It does not actually take much to rouse resentment and latent fear of women in any man. It may be a biological matter that I, as a robot, cannot fully understand.

“因为很容易做过头。早先，我必须阻止芮喜尔将帝国转变成封建式的无政府状态。我大可迅速扭转人心，结果却很可能是一场血腥的叛乱。男人就是男人……而卫荷的将领几乎都是男人。想在任何男人心中挑起对女性的仇恨和潜在恐惧，其实不必花太大工夫。这也许有生物学的根据，但身为机器人，我无法全然了解。

"I had but to strengthen the feeling to produce a breakdown in her plans. If I had done it the merest millimeter too much, I would have lost what I wanted……a bloodless takeover. I wanted nothing more than to have them not resist when my soldiers arrived."

“我需要做的只是增强那种感觉，好让她的计划自行崩溃。哪怕我做得仅仅多出一毫米，我也会失去我想要的……一次不流血的接收。我只是要让他们在我的战士来到时不要抵抗，如此而已。”

Daneel paused, as though trying to pick his words, then said, "I do not wish to go into the mathematics of my positronic brain. It is more than I can understand, though perhaps not more than you can if you give it enough thought. However, I am governed by the Three Laws of Robotics that are traditionally put into words……or once were, long ago. They are these:

丹尼尔顿了一下，仿佛在斟酌遣词用字，然后又说：“我不希望讨论和我的正子脑相关的数学，它在我的理解之外，不过它也许并未超过你的能力范围，只要你肯花上足够心思。无论如何，我受到‘机器人学三大法则’的支配。传统上它是以文字表述……或说很久以前曾经如此。内容如下：

" One. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

“一、机器人不得伤害人类，或因不作为而使人类受到伤害。

" Two. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

“二、除非违背第一法则，机器人必须服从人类的命令。

" Three. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

“三、在不违背第一法则及第二法则的情况下，机器人必须保护自己。

"But I had a……a friend twenty thousand years ago. Another robot. Not like myself. He could not be mistaken for a human being, but it was he who had the mental powers and it was through him that I gained mine.

“不过，两万年前我有一个……一个朋友，也是个机器人。他和我不同，不会被误认为人类。但最先拥有精神力量的是他，而且正是因为他，我才获得自身的精神力量。

It seemed to him that there should be a still more general rule than any of the Three Laws. He called it the Zeroth Law, since zero comes before one. It is:

“在他的感觉中，似乎应该有个比三大法则更普遍化的规定。他称之为第零法则，因为零在一之前。内容是：

Zero. A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

“零、机器人不得伤害人类整体，或因不作为而使人类整体受到伤害。

"Then the First Law must read:

“然后，第一法则必须变成：

" One. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, except where that would conflict with the Zeroth Law.

“一、除非违背第零法则，机器人不得伤害人类，或因不作为而使人类受到伤害。

"And the other laws must be similarly modified. Do you understand?"

“其他两个法则也必须做类似修订。你明白吗？”

Daneel paused earnestly and Seldon said, "I understand."

丹尼尔满怀期待地停下来。谢顿接口道：“我明白。”

Daneel went on. "The trouble is, Hari, that a human being is easy to identify. I can point to one. It is easy to see what will harm a human being and what wont……relatively easy, at least. But what is humanity? To what can we point when we speak of humanity? And how can we define harm to humanity? When will a course of action do more good than harm to humanity as a whole and how can one tell? The robot who first advanced the Zeroth law died……became permanently inactive……because he was forced into an action that he felt would save humanity, yet which he could not be sure would save humanity. And as he became inactivated, he left the care of the Galaxy to me.

丹尼尔继续说：“问题是，哈里，‘人类’很容易指认，我可以随手指出来。而且不难看出哪些行为会伤害人类……至少，相对而言并不困难。但什么是‘人类整体’呢？在我们提到人类整体时，我们该指向何方？我们要如何定义对人类整体的伤害？一个行动方针怎样才会对人类整体有益无害，而我们又如何分辨呢？那个悟出第零法则的机器人后来死了……变得永远停摆……因为他被迫进行一项他觉得会拯救人类整体的行动，却又无法确定它会不会拯救人类整体。当他停摆之际，他将照顾银河系的责任留给了我。

"Since then, I have tried. I have interfered as little as possible, relying on human beings themselves to judge what was for the good. They could gamble; I could not. They could miss their goals; I did not dare. They could do harm unwittingly; I would grow inactive if I did. The Zeroth Law makes no allowance for unwitting harm.

“从那时候开始，我一直努力尝试。我尽可能做最小的干预，尽量让人类自己判断什么才是好的。他们可以赌，我却不能；他们可以失误，我却不敢冒险；他们可以无意间造成伤害，换成是我则会停摆。第零法则不允许任何无心之失。

"But at times I am forced to take action. That I am still functioning shows that my actions have been moderate and discreet. However, as the Empire began to fail and to decline, I have had to interfere more frequently and for decades now I have had to play the role of Demerzel, trying to run the government in such a way as to stave off ruin……and yet I will function, you see.

“但有时我还是被迫采取行动。如今我依旧运作如常，这就显示我的行动始终适度且谨慎。然而，在帝国开始没落和衰微之后，我不得不干预得较为频繁；而过去数十年间，我还不得不扮演丹莫刺尔这个角色，试着经营这个政府，帮它逃过覆亡的命运……但我仍然运作如常，你看到了。

"When you made your speech to the Decennial Convention, I realized at once that in psychohistory there was a tool that might make it possible to identify what was good and bad for humanity. With it, the decisions we would make would be less blind. I would even trust to human beings to make those decisions and again reserve myself only for the greatest emergencies. So I arranged quickly to have Cleon learn of your speech and call you in. Then, when I heard your denial of the worth of psychohistory, I was forced to think of some way to make you try anyway. Do you understand, Hari?"

“你在十载会议上发表演说后，我立刻了解到心理史学中藏着一个工具，或许有可能辨认出对人类整体有益或有害的行动。在它的帮助下，我们所做的决定将不再那么盲目。我甚至会信赖由人类自行做出决定，除非出现最紧急的危机，自己绝对不再插手。因此我很快做出安排，让克里昂知晓你的演说并召见你。然后，当我听到你否认心理史学的价值时，我被迫想出另一个办法，好歹要让你试一试。哈里，你明白吗？”

More than a little daunted, Seldon said, "I understand, Hummin."

谢顿面带惧色答道：“我明白，夫铭。”

"To you, I must remain Hummin on those rare occasions when I will be able to see you. I will give you what information I have if it is something you need and in my persona as Demerzel I will protect you as much as I can. As Daneel, you must never speak of me."

“今后，在我能和你面对面的少数机会中，我必须保持夫铭这个身份。我所有的一切资料，只要是你需要的我都会给你。而在丹莫刺尔这个身份之下，我会尽我的一切力量保护你。至于丹尼尔，你绝对不能再提这个名字。”

"I wouldnt want to," said Seldon hurriedly. "Since I need your help, it would ruin matters to have your plans impeded."

“我不会那样做。”谢顿连忙说，“因为我需要你的帮助，让你的计划受阻会坏了我的大事。”

"Yes, I know you wouldnt want to." Daneel smiled wearily. "After all, you are vain enough to want full credit for psychohistory. You would not want anyone to know……ever……that you needed the help of a robot."

“没错，我知道你不会那样做。”丹尼尔露出疲倦的笑容，“毕竟你十分自负，想要占有心理史学的全部功劳。你不会想……绝对不会想让任何人知道，你曾经接受机器人的帮助。”

Seldon flushed. "I am not……"

谢顿涨红了脸。“我不是……”

"But you are, even if you carefully hide it from yourself. And it is important, for I am strengthening that emotion within you minimally so that you will never be able to speak of me to others. It will not even occur to you that you might do so."

“但你的确是，即使你把它仔细隐藏起来，不让自己看见。这点相当重要，因为我正在以最低限度加强你心中那种情感，使你绝不能和别人提到我。你甚至不会想到你有可能那样做。”

Seldon said, "I suspect Dors knows……"

谢顿说：“我猜铎丝知道……”

"She knows of me. And she too cannot speak of me to others. Now that you both know of my nature, you can speak of me to each other freely, but not to anyone else."

“她知道我的身份，她同样不能和别人提到我。既然你们两人都知道了我的真面目，你们彼此可以随意提起我，但绝不可对别人这样做。”

Daneel rose……Hari, I have my work to do now. Before long, you and Dors will be taken back to the Imperial Sector……"

丹尼尔提高音量说：“哈里，我现在要忙别的工作。不久之后，你和铎丝会被带回皇区……”

"The boy Raych must come with me. I cannot abandon him. And there is a young Dahlite named Yugo Amaryl……"

“芮奇那孩子一定要跟我走，我不能遗弃他。此外还有个叫雨果·阿马瑞尔的年轻达尔人……”

"I understand. Raych will be taken too and you can do with any friend as you will. You will all be taken care of appropriately. And you will work on psychohistory. You will have a staff. You will have the necessary computers and reference material. I will interfere as little as possible and if there is resistance to your views that does not actually reach the point of endangering the mission, then you will have to deal with it yourself."

“我懂了。芮奇也会被带回去，只要你喜欢，你还可以带其他的朋友，你们都会得到适当的照顾。你将投入心理史学的研究；你会有一组人，还会有必需的电脑设备和参考资料。我将尽可能不加干预，因此，假如你的计划受到阻碍，但并未真正达到危及这项任务的程度，那么你得自行设法解决。”

"Wait, Hummin," said Seldon urgently. "What if, despite all your help and all my endeavors, it turns out that psychohistory cannot be made into a practical device after all? What if I fail?"

“慢着，夫铭。”谢顿急切地说，“万一，虽然有你的鼎力相助，以及我的全力以赴，心理史学终究还是无法成为一个实用的机制呢？万一我失败了怎么办？”

Daneel rose. "In that case, I have a second plan in hand. One I have been working on a long time on a separate world in a separate way. It too is very difficult and to some ways even more radical than psychohistory. It may fail too, but there is a greater chance of success if two roads are open than if either one alone was.

丹尼尔再度提高音量。“这样的话，我手中还有第二套计划。我已经在另一个世界，以另一个方法进行了很久。它同样非常困难，就某些方面而言，甚至比心理史学更为激进。它也有可能失败，但我们面前若有两条路，总会比单独一条带来更大的成功机会。

"Take my advice, Hari! If the time comes when you are able to set up some device that may act to prevent the worst from happening see if you can think of two devices, so that if one fails, the other will carry on. The Empire must be steadied or rebuilt on a new foundation. Let there be two such, rather than one, if that is possible."

“接受我的忠告，哈里！假如有朝一日，你能建立起某种机制，藉以防杜最坏的可能性，看看你能不能想出两套机制，这么一来，如果其中之一失败，另一个仍能继续。帝国必须稳定下来，或是在一个新的基础上重建。只要有可能，就建立两个这样的基础吧。”

He rose, "Now I must return to my ordinary work and you must turn to yours. You will be taken care of."

他三度提高音量。“现在我必须返回我的普通角色，而你必须回到你的工作岗位。你会被照顾得很好。”

With one final nod, he rose and left.

他点了点头，随即起身离去。

Seldon looked after him and said softly, "First I must speak to Dors."

谢顿望着他的背影，轻声道：“首先，我必须找铎丝谈谈。”

Dors said, "The palace is cleared. Rashelle will not be physically harmed. And youll return to the Imperial Sector, Hari."

铎丝说：“官邸已经彻底扫荡，芮喜尔不会受到伤害。而你，哈里，会回到皇区去。”

"And you, Dors?" said Seldon in a low tight voice.

“你呢，铎丝？”谢顿以低沉而紧绷的声音说。

"I presume I will go back to the University," she said. "My work is being neglected, my classes abandoned."

“我想我会回大学去。”她说，“我的研究工作荒废了，我教的课也没人管。”

No, Dors, you have a greater task.

“不，铎丝，你有更重大的任务。”

"What is that?"

“那是什么？”

"Psychohistory. I cannot tackle the project without you."

“心理史学。没有你，我无法进行这个计划。”

"Of course you can. I am a total illiterate in mathematics."

“你当然可以，我对数学完全是文盲。”

"And I in history……and we need both."

“我对历史也是文盲……我们却同时需要这两门学问。”

Dors laughed. "I suspect that, as a mathematician, you are one of a kind. I, as a historian, am merely adequate, certainly not outstanding. You will find any number of historians who will suit the needs of psychohistory better than I do."

铎丝哈哈大笑。“在我看来，身为数学家，你可说是出类拔萃。而我这个历史学家，只不过刚好够格，绝对不算杰出。比我更适合研究心理史学的历史学家，你要多少就有多少。”

"In that case, Dors, let me explain that psychohistory needs more than a mathematician and a historian. It also needs the will to tackle what will probably be a lifetime problem. Without you, Dors, I will not have that will."

“这样的话，铎丝，请让我解释一下。心理史学需要的，绝不只是一个数学家和一个历史学家而已，它还需要一种意志，来面对这个可能得钻研一辈子的问题。如果没有你，铎丝，我不会有那种意志。”

"Of course youll have it."

“你当然会有。”

"Dors, if youre not with me, I don't intend to have it."

“铎丝，如果你不跟我在一起，我不打算有任何意志。”

Dors looked at Seldon thoughtfully. "This is a fruitless discussion, Hari. Undoubtedly, Hummin will make the decision. If he sends me back to the University."

铎丝若有所思地望着谢顿。“哈里，这是个不会有结果的讨论。毋庸置疑，夫铭会作出决定。假如他决定送我回大学……”

"He wont."

“他不会的。”

"How can you be sure?"

“你怎么能肯定？”

"Because Ill put it to him plainly. If he sends you back to the University, Ill go back to Helicon and the Empire can go ahead and destroy itself."

“因为我会跟他明说。如果他送你回大学去，我就要回赫利肯，帝国可以继续走向自我毁灭。”

"You cant mean it."

“你这话不可能当真。”

"But I certainly do."

“但我的确当真啊。”

"Dont you realize that Hummin can arrange to have your feelings change so that you will work on psychohistory……even without me?"

“难道你不了解，夫铭能令你的情感产生变化，而使你‘愿意’研究心理史学……即使没有我也一样？”

Seldon shook his head. "Hummin will not make such an arbitrary decision. Ive spoken to him. He dares not do much to the human mind because he is bound by what he calls the Laws of Robotics. To change my mind to the point where I will not want you with me, Dors, would mean a change of the kind he can not risk. On the other hand, if he leaves me alone and if you join me in the project, he will have what he wants……a true chance at psychohistory. Why should he not settle for that?"

谢顿摇了摇头。“夫铭不会做出那么独断的决定。我跟他谈过，他不敢对人类心灵做太多手脚，因为他受到他所谓的‘机器人学法则’的束缚。把我的心灵改变到那种程度，使我不再想跟你在一起，铎丝，正是他不敢贸然从事的那种改变。反之，如果他不干涉我，如果你加入我的计划，他就会得到他所要的……心理史学真正成功的机会。他为什么不配合呢？”

Dors shook her head. "He may not agree for reasons of his own."

铎丝摇了摇头。“也许基于某些他自己的理由，他不会同意。”

"Why should he disagree? You were asked to protect me, Dors. Has Hummin canceled that request?"

“他为什么不同意？你受他之托来保护我，铎丝，夫铭取消这个请托了吗？”

"No."

“没有。”

"Then he wants you to continue your protection. And I want your protection."

“那么他就是要你继续保护我。而我，也要你的保护。”

"Against what? You now have Hummins protection, both as Demerzel and as Daneel, and surely that is all you need."

“保护什么？你现在已经有夫铭的保护，同时以丹莫刺尔和丹尼尔的身份保护你，这对你当然足够了。”

"If I had the protection of every person and every force in the Galaxy, it would still be yours I would want."

“即使我拥有银河中每一个人和每一份力量的保护，我想要的仍然是你的保护。”

"Then you don't want me for psychohistory. You want me for protection."

“那么你要我并非为了心理史学，你要我是为了保护你。”

Seldon scowled. "No! Why are you twisting my words? Why are you forcing me to say what you must know? It is neither psychohistory nor protection I want you for. Those are excuses and Ill use any other I need. I want you……just you. And if you want the real reason, it is because you are you."

谢顿绷起脸孔。“不！你为什么一直曲解我说的话？你为什么要逼我说出你一定明白的事？我要你，既不是为了心理史学，也不是为了保护我。那些都只是借口，必要的话，我还会用更多的借口。其实我要的就是你……是你这个人。倘若你想要真正的理由，那就是因为你就是你。”

"You don't even know me."

“你甚至不了解我。”

"That doesnt matter. I don't care……And yet I do know you in a way. Better than you think."

“那不重要，我不在乎……但就某方面而言，我还的确了解你。远超出你的想象。”

"Do you indeed?"

“真的吗？”

"Of course. You follow orders and you risk your life without hesitation and with no apparent care for the consequences. You learned how to play tennis so quickly. You learned how to use knives even more quickly and you handled yourself perfectly in the fight with Marron. Inhumanly……if I may say so. Your muscles are amazingly strong and your reaction time is amazingly fast. You can somehow tell when a room is being eavesdropped and you can be in touch with Hummin in some way that does not involve instrumentation."

“当然。你听命行事，而且你为我甘冒生命危险，从来不曾迟疑，好像不顾一切后果。你学习网球的进度那么快，你学习使用双刀甚至更快，而在和玛隆的激战中，你表现得完美无缺。简直不像个人……请原谅我这么说。你的肌肉结实得出奇，你的反应时间短得惊人。每当一个房间遭到窃听，你就是有办法看出来。而且你能以某种方式和夫铭保持联络，根本不必动用任何仪器。”

Dors said, "And what do you think of all that?"

铎丝说：“根据这些，你推出来什么结论？”

"It has occurred to me that Hummin, in his persona as R. Daneel Olivaw, has an impossible task. How can one robot try to guide the Empire? He must have helpers."

“这使我想到，夫铭在他的机·丹尼尔·奥立瓦身份之下，进行着一件不可能的任务。一个机器人怎么可能督导整个帝国呢？他一定有些帮手。”

"That is obvious. Millions, I should imagine. I am a helper. You are a helper. Little Raych is a helper."

“那是显然的事。可能有好几百万，我这么猜。我是个帮手，你是个帮手，小芮奇也是帮手。”

"You are a different kind of helper."

“你却是个不一样的帮手。”

"In what way? Hari, say it. If you hear yourself say it, you will realize how crazy it is."

“哪里不一样？哈里，给我说出来。只要你听到自己说出那句话，你就会了解有多么疯狂。”

Seldon looked long at her and then said in a low voice, "I will not say it because……I don't care."

谢顿对她凝视良久，然后低声道：“我不会说出来，因为……我并不在乎。”

"You really dont? You wish to take me as I am?"

“你当真不在乎？你愿意接受真正的我？”

"I will take you as I must. You are Dors and, whatever else you are, in all the world I want nothing else."

“我会接受我必须接受的你。不论你还有什么身份，反正你就是铎丝，除了你，我不会再想要任何人。”

Dors said softly, "Hari, I want what is good for you because of what I am, but I feel that if I wasn't what I am, I would still want what is good for you. And I don't think I am good for you."

铎丝柔声道：“哈里，正因为我是铎丝，所以我要你得到最好的。但我觉得即使我不是铎丝，我仍然会希望你得到最好的。而我并不认为自己是那个人。”

"Good for me or bad, I don't care." Here Hari looked down as he paced a few steps, weighing what he would say next. "Dors, have you ever been kissed?"

“对我是好是坏，我并不在乎。”说到这里，谢顿踱了几步，低下头来，估量着即将说出的一番话。“铎丝，你接过吻吗？”

"Of course, Hari. Its a social part of life and I live socially."

“当然有过，哈里。那是社会生活的一部分，而我活在社会中。”

"No, no! I mean, have you ever really kissed a man? You know, passionately?"

“不，不！我的意思是，你真正吻过一个男人吗？你知道的，热情地吻！”

"Well yes, Hari, I have."

“嗯，有的，哈里，我有过。”

"Did you enjoy it?"

“你喜欢吗？”

Dors hesitated. She said, "When Ive kissed in that way, I enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed disappointing a young man I liked, someone whose friendship meant something to me." At this point, Dors blushed and she turned her face away. "Please, Hari, this is difficult for me to explain."

铎丝犹豫了一下，然后说：“当我那样吻的时候，我喜欢它的原因，是因为我更不喜欢让我心爱的年轻男子失望，因为他的友谊对我有些特殊意义。”说到这里，铎丝的双颊飞红，她赶紧将脸别过去。“拜托，哈里，这种事我并不容易解释。”

But Hari, more determined now than ever, pressed further. "So you kissed for the wrong reasons, then, to avoid hurt feelings."

但此刻的谢顿比以往任何时候更为坚决，他毫不放松地继续进逼。“所以说，你是为了错误的理由而吻，为了避免伤害某人的感情。”

"Perhaps everyone does, in a sense."

“就某种意义而言，也许每个人都是这样。”

Seldon mulled this over, then said suddenly, "Did you ever ask to be kissed?"

谢顿将这句话咀嚼了一番，又突然说：“你曾经要求某人吻你吗？”

Dors paused, as though looking back on her life. "No."

铎丝顿了一下，仿佛在回顾她的一生。“没有。”

"Or wish to be kissed again, once you had?"

“或是在一吻之后，希望再被吻一次？”

"No."

“没有。”

"Have you ever slept with a man?" he asked softly, desperately.

“你曾经跟男人同床共枕吗？”他轻轻地、不顾一切地问出来。

"Of course. I told you. These things are a part of life."

“当然有过。我告诉过你，这些事都是生活的一部分。”

Hari gripped her shoulders as if he was going to shake her. "But have you ever felt the desire, a need for that kind of closeness with just one special person? Dors, have you ever felt love."

谢顿紧紧抓住她的双肩，好像是要摇晃她。“但你曾经感受到欲望，以及和一个很特别的人有那种亲密关系的需要吗？铎丝，你曾经感受过爱吗？”

Dors looked up slowly, almost sadly, and locked eyes with Seldon. "Im sorry, Hari, but no."

铎丝缓缓地，几乎伤感地抬起头来，目光与谢顿锁在一起。“我很抱歉，哈里，可是没有。”

Seldon released her, letting his arms fall dejectedly to his sides.

谢顿放开她，颓然地垂下双手。

Then Dors placed her hand gently on his arm and said, "So you see, Hari. Im not really what you want."

接着，铎丝将一只手轻柔地放到他的手臂上，并且说：“所以你看，哈里，我并不是你真正想要的。”

Seldons head drooped and he stared at the floor. He weighed the matter and tried to think rationally. Then he gave up. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted it beyond thought and beyond rationality.

谢顿垂下头来，双眼瞪着地板。他衡量着这一切，试着理性地思考一番。然后他放弃了，他就是要他想要的，而这份想望超越了思考也超越了理性。

He looked up. "Dors, dear, even so, I don't care."

他抬起头来。“铎丝，亲爱的，即使如此，我、还、是、不、在、乎。”

Seldon put his arms around her and brought his head close to hers slowly, as though waiting for her to pull away, all the while drawing her nearer.

谢顿用双臂搂住她，缓缓将头凑过去，仿佛随时等着她抽身，偏偏一直将她愈搂愈近。

Dors made no move and he kissed her……slowly, lingeringly, and then passionately……and her arms suddenly tightened around him.

铎丝没有任何动作，于是他吻了她……先是慢慢地，流连地，继而变得热情如火。她的双臂则突然紧紧环抱住他。

When he stopped at last, she looked at him with eyes that mirrored her smile and she said:

等到他终于停下来，她凝望着他，双眼映着笑意。

"Kiss me again, Hari. Please."

她说：“再吻我一次，哈里……拜托你。”

The End