X. When Night Came

X. 夜幕降临

“此刻，我确实觉得自己陷入了比先前更糟的境地。此前，除了因失去时间机器而熬过的那一夜痛苦，我始终怀有一线终将逃脱的支撑性希望；但这些新发现却让那希望摇摇欲坠。此前，我只当自己是受阻于小人们的幼稚单纯，以及某些未知力量——只要弄懂便能克服；然而莫洛克们那令人作呕的特质中，却掺进了一个全然陌生的元素：某种非人而恶毒的东西。我本能地厌恶他们。之前，我感觉如同失足落坑的人：我所操心的只是那坑，以及怎样爬出去。而现在，我感觉像陷阱里的野兽，敌人不久便会找上门来。

“我所畏惧的敌人，或许会让你意外。那是新月的黑暗。薇娜曾说过些起初费解的关于‘暗夜’的话，把这点塞进了我脑子。如今要猜那即将到来的暗夜意味着什么，已不算太难。月亮在亏缺：每一夜黑暗的间隔都更长。而我如今至少隐约明白了，地上世界的小人们为何怕黑。我含糊地猜想，莫洛克们在新月下会干些什么肮脏的恶行。此刻我相当确信，我的第二个假设全错了。地上世界的人或许曾是受宠的贵族，莫洛克是他们的机械仆役：但那早已过去。人类演化出的这两个物种，正滑向、或早已抵达一种全然新的关系。埃洛伊一如加洛林式的诸王，已衰朽成一种徒具美丽的无用之物。他们不过是获准暂居地球：因为莫洛克地下生息了无数代，终至无法忍受 daylight 的地面。而莫洛克为他们制衣，我推想，并维持他们惯常所需，或许是由于旧日服务习惯的残存。他们这么做，犹如站定的马用蹄扒地，或如人乐于捕杀动物为戏：因为古老而消逝的必需，已烙进了机体。但显然，旧秩序已局部逆转。纤弱者的报应正疾步逼近。多少世代前，数千代前，人曾将他的兄弟挤出安逸与阳光。而现在那兄弟回来了——变了！埃洛伊已开始重新学习一则古老的功课。他们正与恐惧重逢。忽然，我记起在地下世界见过的肉。它飘入脑海的方式颇怪：仿佛不是被思绪的潮流搅起，而几乎像外头抛来的一个问题。我试图回想它的形貌。我模糊感到某种熟悉，当时却说不清是什么。

“然而，小人们面对神秘恐惧时虽无助，我的构造却不同。我出自我们这个时代，人类成熟盛年，恐惧不致麻痹，神秘已失其怖。至少我会自卫。我毫不迟延，决意给自己制武器和一处可安睡的堡垒。以那避难所为基，我方能面对这奇世界，带着些许在认清每夜暴露于何种生物前所失的自信。我觉得，除非床榻对他们安全，否则永难成眠。一想到他们必已检视过我，我便骇得发抖。

“午后，我沿泰晤士河谷漫游，却找不到任何合意而难近的去处。照他们的井判断，莫洛克这般灵巧的攀爬者，似乎所有建筑树木都易如反掌。随后，淡绿瓷宫的高尖顶与其墙垣的莹润微光回到记忆；傍晚，我把薇娜如孩子般负在肩头，沿丘陵向西南行去。我估算距离是七八英里，实则恐近十八。我初见那地是在湿润午后，距离显得骗人地近。加之我一只鞋跟松脱，一钉穿透鞋底——那是我室内穿的舒服旧鞋——以致我跛了。待我望见宫殿，它衬着苍白黄天黑魆魆的剪影，早已过日落很久。

“薇娜起初被我背着甚喜，但不久要我放她下地，沿旁跑着，不时左右窜去采花塞我口袋。我的口袋总让薇娜困惑，终而她断定那是种古怪的花瓶。至少她拿去插花。这倒提醒我！换外套时我发现……”

时间旅行者顿住，手探入口袋，默默将两朵枯花——颇似极大的白色锦葵——置于小桌。继而续讲。

“暮色悄然覆世，我们过丘脊向温布尔登行去，薇娜乏了，要回灰石屋。我却指给她远处的淡绿瓷宫尖顶，设法让她懂，我们是去那里避她的恐惧。你知道黄昏前万物那大静默？连风也停在树间。于我，那傍晚的静总带期盼之气。天清远空，唯落日低处几道横bar。嗯，那夜，期盼染上了我恐惧的颜色。在那渐暗的静中，感官似异常敏锐。我竟觉能触到脚下地之空，甚而几乎透视蚁丘般的莫洛克往来待暗。兴奋中，我妄认他们会将我闯穴视为宣战。他们又为何拿走我的时间机器？

“于是静中行去，暮色沉为夜。远空清蓝褪去，星子次第出。地暗树黑。薇娜的惧与疲渐重。我拥她怀中，言笑抚慰。而后暗愈深，她臂绕我颈，闭眼紧面我肩。如此下长坡入谷，暗里几撞小溪。我涉水，上谷另侧，过些睡屋，经一像半羊神或无头雕像。此处亦有金合欢。至此未睹莫洛克，然夜尚早，旧月升前更暗时辰未至。

“下一丘脊，见密林阔黑铺前。我犹疑。左右皆望不到头。觉累——尤脚痛——驻足轻放薇娜下肩，坐草坡。已不见淡绿瓷宫，方向生疑。望林密处，想其藏何。枝缠叶绕下，星不可见。纵无他伏险——一种我不愿纵想之险——也尽是根绊树撞。日间兴奋后亦甚疲，遂决不过林，露宿丘上。

“喜得薇娜熟睡。我细裹以外套，坐旁待月升。丘静人绝，黑林中时有活物微动。头上是星，夜极清。其闪令我生友伴之慰。然旧星座皆逝：那百人生涯不察之缓移，早重排为陌生。然银河，于我，似仍如昔之碎星流絮。南（我判）有极亮红星，于我新见；甚至胜绿狼星。众闪点中，一明行星温稳如旧友面。

“忽望星，己忧与世虑皆渺。我想其深不可测之远，与自未知往向未知来之缓必移。我想地极所描之大岁差圈。我所历岁中，此默转仅四十度。而此数转间，一切活动、传统、繁组、国、语、文、志，甚至我所识之人忆，皆灭。代以忘其贵裔之弱物，与我所怖白物。 then I thought of the Great Fear that was between the two species, and for the first time, with a sudden shiver, came the clear knowledge of what the meat I had seen might be. Yet it was too horrible! I looked at little Weena sleeping beside me, her face white and starlike under the stars, and forthwith dismissed the thought.

“长夜中，我尽力驱莫洛克出脑，聊以新乱中觅旧星座为遣。天甚清，唯几缕 haze 云。无疑偶盹。 then, as my vigil wore on, came a faintness in the eastward sky, like the reflection of some colourless fire, and the old moon rose, thin and peaked and white. And close behind, and overtaking it, and overflowing it, the dawn came, pale at first, and then growing pink and warm. No Morlocks had approached us. Indeed, I had seen none upon the hill that night. And in the confidence of renewed day it almost seemed to me that my fear had been unreasonable. I stood up and found my foot with the loose heel swollen at the ankle and painful under the heel; so I sat down again, took off my shoes, and flung them away.

“我唤醒薇娜，下林中，今绿而悦，非昨黑而拒。觅果充饥。旋遇他娇者，笑舞阳中，若夜本不存在。 then I thought once more of the meat that I had seen. I felt assured now of what it was, and from the bottom of my heart I pitied this last feeble rill from the great flood of humanity. Clearly, at some time in the Long-Ago of human decay the Morlocks’ food had run short. Possibly they had lived on rats and such-like vermin. Even now man is far less discriminating and exclusive in his food than he was—far less than any monkey. His prejudice against human flesh is no deep-seated instinct. And so these inhuman sons of men——! I tried to look at the thing in a scientific spirit. After all, they were less human and more remote than our cannibal ancestors of three or four thousand years ago. And the intelligence that would have made this state of things a torment had gone. Why should I trouble myself? These Eloi were mere fatted cattle, which the ant-like Morlocks preserved and preyed upon—probably saw to the breeding of. And there was Weena dancing at my side!

“Then I tried to preserve myself from the horror that was coming upon me, by regarding it as a rigorous punishment of human selfishness. Man had been content to live in ease and delight upon the labours of his fellow-man, had taken Necessity as his watchword and excuse, and in the fullness of time Necessity had come home to him. I even tried a Carlyle-like scorn of this wretched aristocracy in decay. But this attitude of mind was impossible. However great their intellectual degradation, the Eloi had kept too much of the human form not to claim my sympathy, and to make me perforce a sharer in their degradation and their Fear.

“I had at that time very vague ideas as to the course I should pursue. My first was to secure some safe place of refuge, and to make myself such arms of metal or stone as I could contrive. That necessity was immediate. In the next place, I hoped to procure some means of fire, so that I should have the weapon of a torch at hand, for nothing, I knew, would be more efficient against these Morlocks. Then I wanted to arrange some contrivance to break open the doors of bronze under the White Sphinx. I had in mind a battering ram. I had a persuasion that if I could enter those doors and carry a blaze of light before me I should discover the Time Machine and escape. I could not imagine the Morlocks were strong enough to move it far away. Weena I had resolved to bring with me to our own time. And turning such schemes over in my mind I pursued our way towards the building which my fancy had chosen as our dwelling.

“Stories of the world, in your language.”