第 6 节
作者:浮游云中      更新:2024-04-07 11:54      字数:9322
  There   are   Fraternity   2…5503;   a   quiet   boy   with   wise;   kind   eyes;   who   cry
  suddenly;   without   reason;   in   the   midst   of   day   or   night;   and   their   body
  shakes   with   sobs   they  cannot   explain。 There   are   Solidarity  9…6347;   who
  are a bright youth; without fear in the day; but they scream in their sleep;
  and   they   scream:   〃Help   us!       Help   us!      Help   us!〃   into   the   night;   in   a
  voice   which   chills   our   bones;   but   the   Doctors   cannot   cure   Solidarity   9…
  6347。
  And   as   we   all   undress   at   night;   in   the   dim   light   of   the   candles;   our
  brothers   are   silent;   for   they   dare   not   speak   the   thoughts   of   their   minds。
  For all must agree with all; and they cannot know if their thoughts are the
  thoughts of all; and so they fear to speak。                 And they are glad when the
  candles are blown for the night。              But we; Equality 7…2521; look through
  the window upon the sky; and there is peace in the sky; and cleanliness;
  and   dignity。     And   beyond   the   City   there   lies   the   plain;   and   beyond   the
  plain; black upon the black sky; there lies the Uncharted Forest。
  We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest。                       We do not wish
  to think of it。      But ever do our eyes return to that black patch upon the
  sky。    Men     never   enter    the  Uncharted       Forest;   for   there   is  no   power    to
  explore   it   and   no   path   to   lead   among   its   ancient   trees   which   stand   as
  guards of fearful secrets。          It is whispered that once or twice in a hundred
  years;    one    among      the  men     of  the   City   escape     alone    and   run   to   the
  Uncharted Forest; without call or reason。 These men do not return。                         They
  perish from hunger and from the claws of the wild beasts which roam the
  Forest。     But our Councils say that this is only a legend。 We have heard
  that   there   are   many   Uncharted   Forests   over   the   land;   among   the   Cities。
  And it is whispered that they have grown over the ruins of many cities of
  the Unmentionable Times。               The trees have swallowed the ruins; and the
  bones under the ruins; and all the things which perished。 And as we look
  upon the Uncharted Forest far in the night; we think of the secrets of the
  Unmentionable   Times。   And   we   wonder   how   it   came   to   pass   that   these
  secrets   were   lost   to   the   world。   We   have   heard   the   legends   of   the   great
  fighting;  in   which   many   men   fought   on one   side   and   only  a   few  on   the
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  other。    These few were the Evil Ones and they were conquered。                      Then
  great fires raged over the land。         And in these fires the Evil Ones and all
  the   things   made   by   the   Evil   Ones   were   burned。   And   the   fire   which   is
  called the   Dawn   of   the   Great   Rebirth;   was   the   Script   Fire   where   all   the
  scripts of the Evil Ones were burned; and with them all the words of the
  Evil Ones。      Great mountains of flame
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  stood   in   the   squares   of   the   Cities   for   three   months。 Then   came   the
  Great Rebirth。
  The   words   of   the   Evil   Ones   。   。   。   The   words   of   the   Unmentionable
  Times 。 。 。 What are the words which we have lost?
  May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such a
  question; and we knew not what we were doing till we had written it。                   We
  shall not ask this question and we shall not think it。 We shall not call death
  upon our head。
  And yet 。 。 。 And yet 。 。 。 There is some word; one single word which is
  not    in  the  language     of  men;    but  which    had   been。    And     this  is  the
  Unspeakable Word; which no men may speak nor hear。                      But sometimes;
  and   it   is   rare;   sometimes;   somewhere;   one   among   men   find   that   word。
  They find it upon scraps of old manuscripts or cut into the fragments of
  ancient stones。      But when they speak it they are put to death。               There is
  no crime punished by death in this world; save this one crime of speaking
  the Unspeakable Word。
  We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the City。
  And   it   was   a   sight   which   has   stayed   with   us   through   the   years;   and   it
  haunts us; and follows us; and it gives us no rest。             We were a child then;
  ten years old。      And we stood in the great square with all the children and
  all   the   men   of   the   City;   sent   to   behold   the   burning。   They   brought   the
  Transgressor out into the square and they led them to the pyre。 They had
  torn out the tongue of the Transgressor; so that they could speak no longer。
  The Transgressor were young and tall。 They had hair of gold and eyes blue
  as morning。 They walked to the pyre; and their step did not falter。               And of
  all the faces on that square; of all the faces which shrieked and screamed
  and spat curses upon them; theirs was the calmest and the happiest face。
  As the chains were wound over their body at the stake; and a flame set
  to   the   pyre;   the   Transgressor   looked   upon   the   City。  There   was   a   thin
  thread of blood running from the corner of their mouth; but their lips were
  smiling。     And a monstrous thought came to us then; which has never left
  us。    We had heard of Saints。 There are the Saints of Labor; and the Saints
  of the Councils; and the Saints of the Great Rebirth。                But we had never
  seen a Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be。               And we thought
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  then; standing in the square; that the likeness of a Saint was the face we
  saw     before    us   in  the   flames;    the   face   of  the   Transgressor      of   the
  Unspeakable Word。
  As the flames rose; a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours; else
  we would not be living today。           Perhaps it had only seemed to us。            But it
  seemed   to   us   that   the   eyes   of   the   Transgressor   had   chosen   us   from   the
  crowd   and   were   looking   straight   upon   us。      There   was   no   pain   in   their
  eyes and no knowledge of the agony of their body。                There was only joy in
  them; and pride; a pride holier than is fit for human pride to be。                  And it
  seemed as if these eyes were trying to tell us something through the flames;
  to   send   into   our   eyes   some   word   without   sound。    And   it   seemed   as   if
  these eyes were begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us
  and   from   the   earth。   But   the   flames   rose   and   we   could   not   guess   the
  word。 。 。 。
  Whateven if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the Pyrewhat is
  the Unspeakable Word?
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  PART THREE
  We; Equality 7…2521; have discovered a new power of nature。                     And
  we have discovered it alone; and we alone are to know it。
  It is said。   Now let us be lashed for it; if we must。            The Council of
  Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and therefore the
  things   which   are   not   known   by   all   do   not   exist。 But   we   think   that   the
  Council of Scholars is blind。 The secrets of this earth are not for all men to
  see; but only for those who will seek them。 We know; for we have found a
  secret unknown to all our brothers。
  We know not what this power is nor whence it comes。                  But we know
  its   nature;   we   have   watched   it   and   worked   with   it。   We   saw   it   first   two
  years   ago。    One   night;   we   were   cutting   open   the   body   of   a   dead   frog
  when we saw its leg jerking。           It was dead; yet it moved。          Some power
  unknown       to  men   was    making    it  move。    We    could    not  understand     it。
  Then; after many tests; we found the answer。              The frog had been hanging
  on a wire of copper; and it had been the metal of our knife which had sent
  the strange power to the copper through the brine of the frog's body。                 We
  put a piece of copper and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine; we touched a
  wire to them