第四章（第4/7页）

How many evenings had Connie sat and listened to the manifestations of these four men! these, and one or two others. That they never seemed to get anywhere didn't trouble her deeply. She liked to hear what they had to say, especially when Tommy was there. It was fun. Instead of men kissing you, and touching you with their bodies, they revealed their minds to you. It was great fun! But what cold minds!

无数个夜晚康妮就坐在那里，静静听着这四个男人闲扯。这四位是固定组合，偶尔也会有其他一两人加入其中。他们探讨的话题似乎永无定论，这一点康妮并不怎么在意。她热衷于听他们说出心底的话，尤其是汤米在场的时候。这是种有趣的经历。非是亲吻，非是身体上的爱抚，此刻男人们是在向你吐露自己的心声。这确实是妙趣横生的体验！但是他们的心声竟然也冷酷异常！

And also it was a little irritating. She had more respect for Michaelis, on whose name they all poured such withering contempt, as a little mongrel arriviste, and uneducated bounder of the worst sort. Mongrel and bounder or not, he jumped to his own conclusions. He didn't merely walk round them with millions of words, in the parade of the life of the mind.

有时康妮也会感到忿忿不平。她对米凯利斯的敬重之情远胜这些自命不凡的家伙，可他们却极尽诋毁之能事，将他斥为争名逐利不择手段的小杂种，没有教养的下流胚。杂种也好，无赖也罢，米凯利斯总会快速得出自己的结论。而不会只是漫无边际地夸夸其谈，炫耀自己的精神生活。

Connie quite liked the life of the mind, and got a great thrill out of it. But she did think it overdid itself a little. She loved being there, amidst the tobacco smoke of those famous evenings of the cronies, as she called them privately to herself. She was infinitely amused, and proud too, that even their talking they could not do, without her silent presence. She had an immense respect for thought...and these men, at least, tried to think honestly. But somehow there was a cat, and it wouldn't jump. They all alike talked at something, though what it was, for the life of her she couldn't say. It was something that Mick didn't clear, either.

对于精神生活，康妮倒是颇有好感，并且从中得到极大的愉悦。但在她看来，他们对此有点过分看重。她喜欢呆在那里，置身于烟雾缭绕的良朋之夜——她私底下这样称呼他们的聚会。若她缺席，他们就会失去谈天说地的劲头，为此，康妮觉得着实有趣，也很是得意。她对思想极其敬畏……也对这些男人们心怀敬佩，至少他们还愿意一本正经地去思考问题。但不知何故，她始终无法参透其中的秘密究竟为何。他们周而复始地大谈特谈，但究竟话题的中心是什么，就算穷尽一生的时间，她也不能说出所以然来。就算是米克也搞不清楚。

But then Mick wasn't trying to do anything, but just get through his life, and put as much across other people as they tried to put across him. He was really anti-social, which was what Clifford and his cronies had against him. Clifford and his cronies were not anti-social; they were more or less bent on saving mankind, or on instructing it, to say the least.

不过，米凯利斯已经失去进取之心，只求消磨光阴，若是被人欺骗，就会以彼之道还施彼身。他确实与社会潮流背道而驰，而这正是克利福德及其好友们切齿痛恨他的关键。他们一向依照社会惯例行事，甚至有些决心拯救全人类，或者至少扮演教化世人的角色。

There was a gorgeous talk on Sunday evening, when the conversation drifted again to love.

周日晚间的聚会，大家谈得兴致盎然，话题的焦点再度转回到爱情上。

"Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in kindred something—or—other”— said Tommy Dukes. "I'd like to know what the tie is… The tie that binds us just now is mental friction on one another. And, apart from that, there's damned little tie between us. We bust apart, and say spiteful things about one another, like all the other damned intellectuals in the world. Damned everybodies, as far as that goes, for they all do it. Else we bust apart, and cover up the spiteful things we feel against one another by saying false sugaries. It's a curious thing that the mental life seems to flourish with its roots in spite, ineffable and fathomless spite. Always has been so! Look at Socrates, in Plato, and his bunch round him! The sheer spite of it all, just sheer joy in pulling somebody else to bits… Protagoras, or whoever it was! And Alcibiades, and all the other little disciple dogs joining in the fray! I must say it makes one prefer Buddha, quietly sitting under a bo-tree, or Jesus, telling his disciples little Sunday stories, peacefully, and without any mental fireworks. No, there's something wrong with the mental life, radically. It's rooted in spite and envy, envy and spite. Ye shall know the tree by its fruit.” "I don't think we're altogether so spiteful," protested Clifford.

“祝福那连接心灵的纽带，无论是亲情或是其他情感……”汤米·杜克斯说。“我想搞明白这纽带到底是什么……此刻连接你我的纽带，是彼此心智的角力。然而除此之外，我们之间的联系就少得可怜。一旦分道扬镳，就会恶语相向，像所有其他彼此相轻的文人没啥两样。在这个事情上，任何人都不能免俗，因为现实的状况就是如此。或者，我们会将对彼此的恨意用虚假的甜言蜜语加以掩饰。若非深植于无法理解、难以言喻的怨恨之中，精神生活似乎就很难出现欣欣向荣的景象，原因何在，确实让人无法理解。自古以来就是如此。看看柏拉图（注：约前427年－前347年，古希腊哲学家，思想家）如何评价苏格拉底（注：公元前469年－公元前399年，古希腊哲学家，思想家，柏拉图的老师）吧，还有追随他左右的那帮拥趸！毫不掩饰心中的怨恨，以将对方驳得体无完肤为乐事……普罗塔哥拉（注：约公元前481年－公元前411年，古希腊哲学家，诡辩学派的代表人物），或是管他叫什么呢！还有亚西比德（注：约公元前450年－404年，古希腊政治家，军事家），以及其他参与论战的门徒弟子们！我不得不承认，相对而言，佛陀无疑更值得崇敬，他静坐在菩提树下参悟禅理，还有耶稣基督，他平心静气地向门徒布道，从无意气之争。或者说，精神生活根本就存在着问题。它在怨恨和妒忌，妒忌与怨恨之中生根发芽。正所谓见其果而知其树。”“我不相信大家如此仇视彼此。”克利福德提出异议。

"My dear Clifford, think of the way we talk each other over, all of us. I'm rather worse than anybody else, myself. Because I infinitely prefer the spontaneous spite to the concocted sugaries; now they ARE poison; when I begin saying what a fine fellow Clifford is, etc., etc., then poor Clifford is to be pitied. For God's sake, all of you, say spiteful things about me, then I shall know I mean something to you. Don't say sugaries, or I'm done.” "Oh, but I do think we honestly like one another," said Hammond.