作者：雷·布雷德伯里? ? 翻譯：提壺的胖子

“What would you do if you knew this was the last night of the world?”

當(dāng)你知道這是世界的最后一個夜晚你會做些什么？

“What would I do; you mean, seriously?”

嗯望抽，你的意思是……我該做什么警医，這很嚴(yán)肅？

“Yes, seriously.”

沒錯。

“I don’t know — I hadn’t thought. She turned the handle of the silver coffeepot toward him and placed the two cups in their saucers（茶托）.

"我…不知道枣氧，我不敢想象萨咳。"于是她將咖啡壺的把手轉(zhuǎn)向他，并將兩個杯子放在茶托之中巨税。

He poured some coffee. In the background, the two small girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug（地毯） in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma（芳香） of brewed coffee in the evening air.

他倒了點兒咖啡蟋定。在他們后面有兩個小女孩正在綠光映射下的地毯上玩著積木〔萏恚咖啡淡淡的香氣縈繞著驶兜。

“Well, better start thinking about it,” he said.

男人說：好吧，讓我好好想想。

“You don’t mean it?” said his wife.

你不要說抄淑，讓我猜猜看屠凶，他的妻子說。

He nodde.

他點點頭肆资。

“A war?”

戰(zhàn)爭矗愧？

He shook his head.

他點點頭。

“Not the hydrogen or atom bomb?”

不會是原子彈爆炸吧郑原！

“No.”

不是

“Or germ warfare?”

也許是生化危機唉韭？

“None of those at all,” he said, stirring（攪動） his coffee slowly and staring into its black depths. “But just the closing of a book, let’s say.”

全都不是，他說犯犁，他慢慢攪動著咖啡属愤，咖啡越發(fā)濃郁。就像簡單地合上書而已酸役。

“I don’t think I understand.”

你什么意思住诸？

“No, nor do I really. It’s jut a feeling; sometimes it frightens me, sometimes I’m not frightened at all — but peaceful.” He glanced（暼） in at the girls and their yellow hair shining in the bright lamplight, and lowered his voice. “I didn’t say anything to you. It first happened about four nights ago.”

我不知道怎么做。這僅僅是一種感覺涣澡，有時候它令我驚恐只壳，有時候卻無所畏懼的平和。他瞥了一眼在燈光下發(fā)色泛著金黃的女兒然后降低了聲音暑塑『鹁洌“前些日子我沒和你說起這事兒，這事兒發(fā)生在四天前事格√柩蓿”

“What?”

什么？

“A dream I had. I dreamt that it was all going to be over and a voice said it was; not any kind of voice I can remember, but a voice anyway, and it said things would stop here on Earth. I didn’t think too much about it when I awoke the next morning, but then I went to work and the feeling as with me all day. I caught Stan Willis looking out the window in the middle of the afternoon and I said, ‘Penny for your thoughts, Stan,’ and he said, ‘I had a dream last night,’ and before he even told me the dream, I knew what it was. I could have told him, but he told me and I listened to him.”

“我做了一個夢驹愚，一個聲音告訴我一切都結(jié)束了远搪，我并說不清是什么聲音，但它真真切切地告訴我地球毀滅了逢捺。第二天醒來的時候我沒有想太多谁鳍，但是那一整天我都感覺怪怪的。過午那會兒我拽著斯丹在窗前望了望劫瞳。我說倘潜，談?wù)勑摹Ｋf志于，他昨天做了一個夢涮因。在此之前他沒和我說做了什么夢，但我已經(jīng)心知肚明伺绽。我正要和他說我知道是什么夢的時候养泡，他告訴我讓我聽他講講嗜湃。

“It was the same dream?”

那是同樣的夢么？

“Yes. I told Stan I had dreamed it, too. He didn’t seem surprised. He relaxed, in fact. Then we started walking through offices, for the hell（地獄） of it. It wasn’t planned. We didn’t say, let’s walk around. We just walked on our own, and everywhere we saw people looking at their desks or their hands or out the windows and not seeing what was in front of their eyes. I talked to a few of them; so did Stan.”

沒錯澜掩，我告訴了斯丹我也做了同樣的夢购披。他并不吃驚，確切的說是十分坦然肩榕。之后我們走過辦公區(qū)刚陡，仿佛去往絕境。這一切不謀而合点把，我們一句話也沒說橘荠，就在四周轉(zhuǎn)了轉(zhuǎn)屿附，只是隨便走走郎逃。可所到之處的人們不是看著桌子挺份，就是手褒翰，再就是窗子，沒人著眼于眼前匀泊。我們找了幾個人聊聊优训，果然大家都一樣，我真的不知道該說什么好各聘。

“And all of them had dreamed?”

難道他們也都做了一樣的夢揣非？

“All of them. The same dream, with no difference.”

所有人做了完全相同的夢。

“Do you believe in the dream?”

你相信夢躲因？

“Yes. I’ve never been more certain.”

是的早敬，完全相信。

“And when will it stop? The world, I mean.”

那這世界什么時候玩完大脉？

“Sometime during the night for us, and then, as the night goes on around the world, those advancing portions will go, too. It’ll take twenty-four hours for it all to go.”

今天搞监，黑夜會潛移默化地吞噬整個世界，一切混沌不堪镰矿，全天候黑暗過后琐驴，一切都結(jié)束了。

They sat awhile not touching their coffee. Then they lifted it slowly and drank, looking at each other.

片刻咖啡漸漸冷卻秤标，之后他們四目相視緩緩拿起杯子喝了一口绝淡。

“Do we deserve this?” she said.

我們在劫難逃了么？

“It’s not a matter of deserving, it’s just that things didn’t work out. I notice you didn’t even argue about this. Why not?”

不這和劫難毫無關(guān)系苍姜，只是是時候完結(jié)了够委。我發(fā)現(xiàn)你聽完并沒有爭辯的意思，為什么呢怖现？

“I guess I have a reason,” she said.

我想我知道原因了茁帽。

“The same reason everyone at the office had?”

和整個辦公室的人相同的原因么玉罐？

She nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything. It happened last night. And the women on the block are talking about it, just among themselves.” She picked up the evening paper and held it toward him. “There’s nothing in the news about it.”

她點點頭。我原本不想說潘拨，我昨晚做的夢吊输。可今天整個街區(qū)的女人們都再議論那個相同的夢铁追。她拿起晚報告訴他說："這上面沒有任何關(guān)于這方面的報道季蚂。"

“No, everyone knows, so what’s the need?” He took the paper and sat back in his chair, looking at the girls and then at her.

"不，這事兒每個人都知道琅束，所以沒必要報道了扭屁。"他起身拿了報紙坐回椅子上，靜靜看著姑娘們和妻子涩禀。

“Are you afraid?”

"你怕么料滥？"

“No. I always thought I would be, but I’m not.”

"不，我本來以為我會艾船，可是沒機會怕了葵腹。"

“Where’s that spirit called self-preservation they talk so much about?”

"都說人大難臨頭的時候會有很強的自保欲望，這會兒全沒了屿岂。"

“I don’t know. You don’t get too excited when you feel things are logical. This is

logical. Nothing else but this could have happened from the way we’ve lived.”

"我不知道践宴，大概覺得這事兒沒什么讓人驚慌的吧。就該這樣發(fā)生爷怀，這是必經(jīng)之路阻肩。"

“We haven’t been too bad, have we?”

"或許不那么糟。"

“No, nor enormously good. I suppose that’s the trouble—we haven’t been very much of anything except us, while a big part of the world was busy being lots of quite awful things.”

"不糟糕运授，也不太好烤惊。這才是真正的問題所在——世界太大了，每一瞬間都有無法預(yù)期的事情發(fā)生徒坡，我們不過是無法扭轉(zhuǎn)乾坤的螻蟻罷了撕氧。"

The girls were laughing in the parlor.

女孩們在客廳有說有笑。

“I always thought people would be screaming in the streets at a time like this.”

"我一直在想一切到來的那一刻人們會不會在街上驚恐尖叫喇完。"

“I guess not. You don’t scream about the real thing.”

"大概不會吧伦泥。沒人畏懼必然發(fā)生的事情。"

“Do you know, I won’t miss anything but you and the girls. I never liked cities or my

work or anything except you three. I won’t miss a thing except perhaps the change in the weather, and a glass of ice water when it’s hot, and I might miss sleeping. How can we sit here and talk this way?”

"你知道么锦溪，我根本無法割舍任何關(guān)于你和寶貝們的任何事不脯。我厭倦這個城市，這份工作刻诊，除了你們仨我什么都不愛防楷。哈，也許還有四季變換的風(fēng)景则涯，大熱天冰冰涼的汽水和一場美夢复局。這時候了冲簿，我們竟然還在這聊得火熱"

“Because there’s nothing else to do.”

"因為我們無能為力了。"

“That’s it, of course; for if there were, we’d be doing it. I suppose this is the first time in the history of the world that everyone has known just what they were going to do during the night.”

"是的亿昏，沒錯峦剔，無力回天了。我想這一切史無前例角钩，所有人都準(zhǔn)備好了用自己的方式度過今夜吝沫。"

“I wonder what everyone else will do now, this evening, for the next few hours.”

"不知道這最后的幾小時別人在做什么。"

“Go to a show, listen to the radio, watch television, play cards, put the children to bed,go to bed themselves, like always.”

"看個演出递礼，聽聽收音機惨险，看看電視，打打牌脊髓，哄孩子睡覺辫愉，和往常一樣。"

“In a way that’s something to be proud of—like always.”

"這樣的坦然供炼，何嘗不是一種榮光一屋。"

They sat a moment and then he poured himself another coffee. “Why do you suppose it’s tonight?”

他們靜靜做些窘疮，男人為自己續(xù)了杯咖啡袋哼。

"你感覺為什么是今天晚上？"

“Because.”

"總有些原因吧闸衫。"

“Why not some other night in the last century, or five centuries ago, or ten?”

"偏偏是今天涛贯，不是上個世紀(jì)，不是五百年前蔚出，也不是一千年前弟翘。"

“Maybe it’s because it was never October 19, 1969, ever before in history, and now it is and that’s it; because this date means more than any other date ever meant; because it’s the year when things are as they are all over the world and that’s why it’s the end.”

"或許只是因為它是1969.10.19，就在今天罷了骄酗，因為這天意味著太多稀余，一切就再這天變成這幅德行也就在這天結(jié)束了趋翻。"

“There are bombers on their schedules both ways across the ocean tonight that’ll never see land.”

"轟炸機還會依然跨海相戰(zhàn)睛琳，可過了今夜，一切都消逝在海底了踏烙。"

“That’s part of the reason why.”

"這只是不分原因罷了师骗。"

“Well,” he said, getting up, “what shall it be? Wash the dishes?”

"沒錯"說罷，他站起身"我們接著做什么呢讨惩？洗洗盤子辟癌？"

They washed the dishes and stacked them away with special neatness. At eight-thirty the girls were put to bed and kissed good night and the little lights by their beds turned on and the door left open just a trifle.

他們洗干凈盤子并把它們擺放整齊。八點半女孩們待著晚安吻準(zhǔn)備入睡荐捻，床頭的夜燈泛著微微的亮光黍少，門悄悄地留了一條細(xì)縫寡夹。

“I wonder,” said the husband, coming from the bedroom and glancing back, standing there with his pipe for a moment.

"我想，"丈夫抽著煙想了想又望向了臥室厂置。

“What?”

"什么要出？"

“If the door will be shut all the way, or if it’ll be left just a little ajar so some light

comes in.”

"還是把門全關(guān)上吧，不然門縫透進太多光了农渊。"

“I wonder if the children know.”

"我想如果孩子們知道了患蹂。"

“No, of course not.”

"不，并不會砸紊。"

They sat and read the papers and talked and listened to some radio music and then sat together by the fireplace watching the charcoal embers as the clock struck ten-thirty and eleven and eleven-thirty. They thought of all the other people in the world who had spent their evening, each in his own special way.

他們坐下來讀報传于，聊天，聽著音樂醉顽，之后他們坐在爐火旁靜靜看著余輝燃盡沼溜，時間一點點過去。這一刻全世界的人都在用自己的方式靜靜度過最后一夜游添。

“Well,” he said at last.

"好了"系草，他最后說了一次。

He kissed his wife for a long time.

他久久地吻了自己的妻子唆涝。

“We’ve been good for each other, anyway.”

"我們曾赤誠相待就夠了找都。"

“Do you want to cry?” he asked.

"你想哭么？"他說廊酣。

“I don’t think so.”

"并沒有能耻。"

They moved through the house and turned out the lights and went into the bedroom and stood in the night cool darkness undressing and pushing back the covers.

他們關(guān)了房間里的所有燈，回到臥室脫下衣服之后掀起被子亡驰。

“The sheets are so clean and nice.”

"多么舒服的床晓猛。"

“I’m tired.”

"我累了。"

“We’re all tired.”

"我們都累了凡辱。"

They got into bed and lay back.

"他們靜靜躺在床上戒职。"

“Just a moment,” she said.

"等一下，"她說透乾。

He heard her get out of bed and go into the kitchen. A moment later, she returned.

他聽見妻子起身走到廚房洪燥，不一會兒又回來了堡称。

“I left the water running in the sink,” she said.Something about this was so very funny that he had to laugh. She laughed with him,knowing what it was that she had done that was funny. They stopped laughing at last and lay in their cool night bed, their hands clasped, their heads together.

"我沒關(guān)水龍頭湾戳。"他笑了笑，她也笑了沥割，這個時候這樣的做法讓他們覺得特別滑稽钦扭。笑完后兩個人又躺在了絲滑的床上纫版，手牽手，頭挨頭客情。

“Good night,” he said, after a moment.

過了一會兒其弊，他說："晚安癞己。"

“Good night,” she said.

"好夢。"