第四章（第8/9页）

“亲爱的朋友，它并不反对物质的前提，纯粹的精神同样如此……甚至只接受物质的前提。”“至少布尔什维主义已经是强弩之末了。”查理说。

"Rock bottom! The bottom that has no bottom! The Bolshevists will have the finest army in the world in a very short time, with the finest mechanical equipment.

“强弩之末！没有底限的末端！布尔什维克们很快就将拥有世界最顶尖的军队，并配备最精良的武器。”

"But this thing can't go on...this hate business. There must be a reaction..." said Hammond.

“但这种仇恨的状态无法长久维持下去。暴动注定难以避免……”哈蒙德说。

"Well, we've been waiting for years...we wait longer. Hate's a growing thing like anything else. It's the inevitable outcome of forcing ideas on to life, of forcing one's deepest instincts; our deepest feelings we force according to certain ideas. We drive ourselves with a formula, like a machine. The logical mind pretends to rule the roost, and the roost turns into pure hate. We're all Bolshevists, only we are hypocrites. The Russians are Bolshevists without hypocrisy.” "But there are many other ways," said Hammond, "than the Soviet way. The Bolshevists aren't really intelligent.” "Of course not. But sometimes it's intelligent to be half-witted: if you want to make your end. Personally, I consider Bolshevism half-witted; but so do I consider our social life in the west half-witted. So I even consider our far-famed mental life half-witted. We're all as cold as cretins, we're all as passionless as idiots. We're all of us Bolshevists, only we give it another name. We think we're gods...men like gods! It's just the same as Bolshevism. One has to be human, and have a heart and a penis if one is going to escape being either a god or a Bolshevist...for they are the same thing: they're both too good to be true.” Out of the disapproving silence came Berry's anxious question: "You do believe in love then, Tommy, don't you?” "You lovely lad!" said Tommy. "No, my cherub, nine times out of ten, no! Love's another of those half-witted performances today. Fellows with swaying waists fucking little jazz girls with small boy buttocks, like two collar studs! Do you mean that sort of love? Or the joint-property, make—a—success—of—it, My—husband—my—wife sort of love? No, my fine fellow, I don't believe in it at all!” "But you do believe in something?" "Me? Oh, intellectually I believe in having a good heart, a chirpy penis, a lively intelligence, and the courage to say 'shit!' in front of a lady.”

“没错，多年来，我们一直等待着这一天的到来……我们还要继续等下去。仇恨跟其他事物无异，总会不断地滋长。这是将思想观念、将最强烈的冲动强加于生活所产生的必然结果，我们强迫自己最深切的情感去迎合某种思想意识。用既定的模式来推动自己，就像运转一台机器。精于逻辑思维的人们以为可以主宰一切，但一切只转化成为彻底的仇恨。我们都是布尔什维克，只不过不愿露出本来面目而已。俄国佬才是露出本来面目的布尔什维克。”“可我们还有很多其他的道路可走，”哈蒙德说，“不见得非要选择苏维埃制度。布尔什维克们可是群愚钝的家伙。”“他们的确并不明智。不过，若想达到最终目的，假作愚钝往往是最明智的选择。就个人而言，我认为布尔什维主义确实愚蠢至极，但我们西方世界的社会生活何尝不是如此呢？我甚至觉得我们一贯标榜的精神生活同样荒唐透顶。我们都像痴呆那般冷淡漠然，像傻瓜一样缺少激情。我们都是布尔什维克，唯一的差异是叫法不同。我们拿自己当神看待……近似神的人类！这样的想法与布尔什维主义如出一辙。如果既不想当神，也不愿做布尔什维克，那么你就必须成为如假包换的人，拥有心脏与阳具……因为前两者确实难分伯仲，都太过完美，显得不够真实。”其他人虽然心存异议，但都默不作声，只有贝里急不可耐地提出疑问：“你真的相信爱情么，汤米？”“可爱的小家伙！”汤米说。“不，我的小天使，十次里有九次我会给出否定的答案。如今，爱情是另一出愚蠢的闹剧。细腰摇摆如杨柳的浪荡子，跟屁股扁平如领扣的爵士女郎肆意交欢。你说的就是这种爱情么？或者是那种财产共有、共图成功的夫妻之情呢？不，我的好朋友，我压根就不相信什么爱情！”“可你总得相信点什么吧？”“我？噢，理智的说，我相信拥有强健的心脏，生气勃勃的阴茎，无穷的智慧，以及敢在贵妇面前骂娘的勇气。”

"Well, you've got them all," said Berry.