第七章（第5/13页）
"How'd you like to be immunized?” Winterslow asked her, with an ugly smile.
“你很想置身事外吗？”温特斯洛问道，脸上露出丑陋的微笑。
"I hope I am; naturally," she said. "Anyhow the future's going to have more sense, and a woman needn't be dragged down by her FUNCTIONS.” "Perhaps she'll float off into space altogether," said Dukes.
“那当然，我希望如此。”她说。“无论如何，未来世界将更趋于合理，女人也不必再为生理机能所累。”“那她们还不乐得飞上天去呀。”杜克斯说。
"I do think sufficient civilization ought to eliminate a lot of the physical disabilities," said Clifford. "All the love-business for example, it might just as well go. I suppose it would if we could breed babies in bottles.” "No!" cried Olive. "That might leave all the more room for fun." "I suppose," said Lady Bennerley, contemplatively, "if the love-business went, something else would take its place. Morphia, perhaps. A little morphine in all the air. It would be wonderfully refreshing for everybody.” "The government releasing ether into the air on Saturdays, for a cheerful weekend!" said Jack. "Sounds all right, but where should we be by Wednesday?" "So long as you can forget your body you are happy," said Lady Bennerley. "And the moment you begin to be aware of your body, you are wretched. So, if civilization is any good, it has to help us to forget our bodies, and then time passes happily without our knowing it." "Help us to get rid of our bodies altogether," said Winterslow. "It's quite time man began to improve on his own nature, especially the physical side of it.” "Imagine if we floated like tobacco smoke," said Connie.
“依我看，随着文明程度的提高，大可以把那些无用的身体机能统统去除。”克利福德说，“比如说性爱，就没有存在的必要。我的意思是，如果孩子可以人工培育，那禁除性爱自然顺理成章。”“不行！”奥利夫大叫起来，“那只是为了留给女人更多的享乐空间。”“在我看来，”本奈利夫人若有所思地说，“如果性爱真的不复存在，总会有别的东西取而代之。说不定会是吗啡。空气中充斥着淡淡的吗啡味道。定能让所有人感到神清气爽，飘飘欲仙。”“每逢周六，政府就在空气中施放乙醚，好让人们过个愉快的周末！”杰克说，“听着倒是个好主意，但到礼拜三，我们又该何去何从呢？”“只要能够忘掉肉体的存在，就可以品尝到快乐。”本奈利夫人说，“若对肉体念念不忘，便会痛苦不堪。如果文明确有好处，那么就帮我们忘却肉体的存在吧，这样一来，时间便会在不知不觉中快乐地逝去。”“干脆帮我们彻底摆脱肉体得了，”温特斯洛说，“人类是时候完善自己的本性了，尤其是肉体的层面。”“试想一下，我们像烟尘般飘来荡去。”康妮憧憬道。
"It won't happen," said Dukes. "Our old show will come flop; our civilization is going to fall. It's going down the bottomless pit, down the chasm. And believe me, the only bridge across the chasm will be the phallus!” "Oh do! DO be impossible, General!" cried Olive.
“根本就不可能发生，”杜克斯说，“我们的老把戏将彻底失败，文明也将土崩瓦解。它将堕入无底深渊，再无重振之日。相信我，横跨在深渊之上的唯一桥梁，就是男人的阳具！”“噢！请别瞎说，将军！”奥利夫叫道。
"I believe our civilization is going to collapse," said Aunt Eva.
“我也认为文明将会走向覆灭。”伊娃姑妈说。
"And what will come after it?" asked Clifford.
“那之后会发生什么？”克利福德问。
"I haven't the faintest idea, but something, I suppose," said the elderly lady.
“我不知道，但在我想来，总会有些了不起的事情发生。”老妇人说。
"Connie says people like wisps of smoke, and Olive says immunized women, and babies in bottles, and Dukes says the phallus is the bridge to what comes next. I wonder what it will really be?" said Clifford.
“康妮说人能化作缕缕青烟，奥利夫期盼试管婴儿能够让女人得到解放，而杜克斯则认为阳具是文明免于覆灭的救命稻草。我想知道真相到底会是怎样？”克利福德说。
"Oh, don't bother! Let's get on with today," said Olive. "Only hurry up with the breeding bottle, and let us poor women off." "There might even be real men, in the next phase," said Tommy. "Real, intelligent, wholesome men, and wholesome nice women! Wouldn't that be a change, an enormous change from us? WE'RE not men, and the women aren't women. We're only cerebrating make-shifts, mechanical and intellectual experiments. There may even come a civilization of genuine men and women, instead of our little lot of clever-jacks, all at the intelligence-age of seven. It would be even more amazing than men of smoke or babies in bottles.” "Oh, when people begin to talk about real women, I give up," said Olive.