IT WAS QUITE early; the sun wouldn’t be up for an hour or so. The Southern Cross was very clear and strangely beautiful over the palm trees. Everything was very still; the trees were motionless and dark, and even the little creatures of the earth were silent. There was a purity and a blessing over the sleeping world.
时间还早；一个小时内，太阳还不会升起。 在棕榈树林的上面，南十字星非常清晰，特别的美。 一切都非常安静；树一动不动，黑黑的， 甚至地球上的小生物也沉默不语。 沉睡的世界，有一种纯洁和一个祝福。
The road led through a cluster of palms, past a large pond, and beyond, to where the houses began. Each house had a garden, some well-kept, and others neglected. There was a scent of jasmine in the air, and the dew made the perfume richer. There weren’t any lights in the houses yet, and the stars were still clear, but there was an awakening in the eastern sky. A cyclist came along yawning, and went by without turning his head. Someone had started a car and was gently warming it up, and there was an impatient honk. Beyond these houses, the road went past a rice field and turned left, towards the sprawling town.
这条路穿过一簇棕榈树，经过一个大池塘， 再往外走，是一大片房屋。 每栋房子都有一个花园，有些打理得很好，有些则被忽视了。 空气中弥漫着茉莉花香，露水使芬芳更加浓郁。 屋子里还没有灯光，星星还是清澈的， 但东边的天空，已经开始苏醒。 一个骑自行车的人打了个哈欠，没有扭头就过去了。 有人启动了一辆车，正在轻轻地热身，然后发出一声不耐烦的喇叭声。 越过这些房屋，这条路经过一片稻田， 向左弯曲，朝向正在扩张的城镇。
A path branched off the road and followed a water-way. The palm trees along its banks were reflected on the still, clear water, and a large white bird was already at work, trying to catch fish. There was still no one else on that path, but soon there would be many, for it was used by the local people as a short cut to the main road. Beyond the water-way there was a secluded house, with a large tree in a rather nice garden. The dawn had now fully come, and the morning star was barely visible over the tree; but the night still held back the day. A woman was sitting on a mat under the tree, tuning a stringed instrument which rested on her lap. presently she sang something in Sanskrit; it was deeply religious, and as the words filled the morning air, the whole atmosphere of the place seemed to change, becoming charged with a strange fullness and meaning. Then she began to sing a song that is sung only at that hour of the morning. It was enchanting. She was utterly unaware that anyone was listening to her, nor did she care if anyone did, for she was wholly absorbed in that song. She had a good, clear voice, and was thoroughly enjoying herself in a grave and serious manner. One could hardly hear the stringed instrument, but her voice came across the water clear and strong. The words and the sound filled one’s whole being, and there was the joy of great purity.
一条小径从路上分叉，沿着一条水路走。 河岸边的棕榈树倒映在平静而清澈的水上， 一只大白鸟已经在工作，试图抓鱼。 这条小径上，仍然没有其他人，但很快就会有很多人， 因为它被当地人用作通往大路的捷径。 在水道之外，有一栋僻静的房子， 它有一个相当漂亮的花园，里面有一棵大树。 黎明已经完全到来，在树林上的晨星几乎看不见。 但黑夜仍然阻碍着白天。 一个女人坐在树下的垫子上， 拨弄放在她腿上的弦乐器。 现在她用梵文唱了一些东西； 它充满了宗教色彩，当这些字句充满早晨的空气时， 这个地方的整个气氛似乎发生了变化， 充满了一种奇怪的充盈和意义。 然后她开始唱一首歌，这首歌只在早上的那个时候唱。 它真是令人着迷。她完全不知道有人在听她唱， 也不在乎是否有人在听，因为她完全沉浸在那首歌中。 她有一个良好而清晰的嗓音， 并且以庄重而严肃的方式彻底享受着自己。 人几乎听不到弦乐的声音， 但她的声音穿越水面，清晰而强烈。 字句和声音充满了一个人的整个存在，有伟大的纯洁的喜悦。
He had come with several of his friends, but some were evidently his followers. A large man, very dark and powerfully built, he seemed vigorous, and he must have been physically very active. He was freshly bathed, and his clothes were spotlessly clean. When he talked, his lips seemed to cover his whole face; some inward fury appeared to be eating him up, and his large head, with heavy hair, was held high with disdain and authority. His smile was forced, and you could see that he laughed with very few. His eyes, direct and without reserve, indicated a complete belief in all that he said. There was something strangely potent about him.
他和他的几个朋友一起来的，但有些朋友显然是他的追随者。 一个大个子，非常黑，身材健壮， 他看起来精力充沛，他一定非常活跃。 他刚洗过澡，衣服一尘不染。 当他说话时，他的嘴唇似乎遮住了整张脸。 一些内心的愤怒似乎正在吞噬他， 他的大头，浓厚的头发，被蔑视和权威所高举。 他的笑容是被迫的，你可以看出他很少笑。 他的眼睛，直视而毫无保留，表明他完全相信他所说的一切。 他身上有某些奇特的影响力。
“I hope you will excuse me if I plunge into the subject at once; I do not like to beat about the bush, but prefer to come straight to the point. I am with a large group of people who want to destroy the Brahminical tradition and put the Brahmin in his place. He has exploited us ruthlessly, and now it’s our turn. He has ruled us, made us feel stupidly inferior and subservient to his gods. We are going to burn his gods. We don’t want his words to corrupt our language, which is much older than his. We are planning to drive him out of every prominent position, and we shall make ourselves more clever and cunning than he is. He has deprived us of education, but we shall get even.”
“我希望你能原谅我，如果我立即进入这个话题； 我不喜欢在灌木丛中跳动，但更喜欢直截了当。 我和一大群人在一起，想摧毁婆罗门的传统， 把婆罗门放在他的位置上。 他无情地剥削我们，现在轮到我们了。 他统治了我们，使我们感到愚蠢地低人一等，屈从于他的神。 我们要烧掉他的神。我们不希望他的话腐蚀我们的语言， 我们的语言比他的古老得多。 我们正计划把他赶出每一个显要职位， 我们将使我们自己比他更聪明、更狡猾。 他剥夺了我们的教育，但我们会得到补偿。”
Sir, why this hate for other human beings? Do you not exploit? Do you not keep other people down? Do you not prevent others from being rightly educated? Are you not scheming to make others accept your gods and your values? Hate is the same, whether it is in you or in the so-called Brahmin. “I don’t think you understand. people can be kept under only for a certain length of time. This is the day of the downtrodden. We are going to rise up and overthrow the Brahmin rule; we are organized, and we shall work hard to bring this about. We want neither their gods nor their priests; we want to be their equals, or go beyond them.”
先生，为什么对他人有这种仇恨？你这不是剥削吗？ 你不是在让他人低贱吗？你不是在阻止他人接受正确的教育吗？ 你不是在想让他人接受你的神和你的价值观吗？ 仇恨是一样的，无论是在你心中，还是在所谓的婆罗门心里。 “我不认为你明白。人们只能被关在下面一定的时间。 这是被压迫者的日子。我们要奋起反抗婆罗门的统治。 我们是有组织的，我们将努力实现这一目标。 我们既不想要他们的神，也不想要他们的祭司。 我们想成为他们的平等者，或者超越他们。”
Wouldn’t it be better to talk over more thoughtfully the problem of human relationship? It’s so easy to orate about nothing, to fall into slogans, to mesmerize oneself and others with double talk. We are human beings, sir, though we may call ourselves by different names. This earth is ours, it is not the earth of the Brahmin, the Russian or the American. We torture ourselves with these inane divisions. The Brahmin is no more corrupt than any other man who is seeking power and position; his gods are no more false than the ones you and others have. To throw out one image and put another in its place seems so utterly pointless, whether the image be made by the hand or by the mind.
更深刻地讨论人与人的关系问题，不是更好吗？ 空洞的谈论，陷入宣传口号之中， 两面撒谎，让自己和他人着迷，是很容易做到的。 我们都是人类，先生，尽管我们可能用不同的名字来称呼自己。 这个地球是我们的，它不是婆罗门、俄罗斯或美国人的地球。 我们用这些愚蠢的划分折磨自己。 婆罗门并不比任何其他寻求权力和地位的人更腐败。 他的神并不比你和其他人拥有的神更虚假。 扔掉一个形象，把另一个放在它的位置上，似乎毫无意义， 无论这个形象是由手，还是由头脑制作的。
“All this may be so in theory, but in everyday living we have got to face facts. The Brahmins have exploited other people for centuries; they have grown clever and cunning, and now hold all the choice positions. We are out to take their positions away from them, and we are doing it quite successfully.”
“所有这些在理论上可能如此，但在日常生活中，我们必须面对事实。 几个世纪以来，婆罗门一直在剥削其他人。 他们已经变得聪明和狡猾，现在占据了所有的可选的地位。 我们要把他们的地位从他们身边夺走，我们正做得非常成功。”
You can’t take away their acumen, and they will continue to use it for their own purposes. “But we shall educate ourselves, make ourselves cleverer than they are; we shall beat them at their own game, and then we shall create a better world.”
你不能夺走他们的敏锐，他们将继续用它来达到自己的目的。 “但我们要教育自己，使自己比他们更聪明； 我们将在他们自己的比赛中击败他们，然后我们将创造一个更美好的世界。”
The world isn’t made better through hate and envy. Aren’t you seeking power and position, rather than to bring about a world in which all hate, greed and violence have come to an end? It is this desire for power and position that corrupts man, whether he be a Brahmin, a non-Brahmin or an ardent reformer. If one group which is ambitious, envious, cunningly brutal, is replaced by another with the same trend of thought – surely this leads nowhere.
世界并没有因为仇恨和嫉妒而变得更美好。 难道你不是在寻求权力和地位， 却并非在创造一个所有仇恨、贪婪和暴力都已结束的世界吗？ 正是这种对权力和地位的渴望，腐蚀了人， 无论他是婆罗门，非婆罗门，还是热心的改革者。 如果一个雄心勃勃、嫉妒、狡猾地残忍的群体 被另一个具有相同思想倾向的群体所取代 —— 这肯定是无处可去的。
“You are dealing in ideologies, and we in facts.”
“你是在意识形态上处理，而我们是在事实上。”
Is that so, sir? What do you mean by a fact? “In everyday living, our conflicts and our hungers are a fact. To us, what is important is to get our rights, to safeguard our interests, and to see that the future is made safe for our children. To this end, we want to get power into our own hands. These are facts.”
是那样吗，先生？你说的事实是什么意思？ “在每天的生活中，我们的冲突和我们的饥饿是事实。 对我们来说，重要的是获得我们的权利，维护我们的利益， 并确保我们的子孙后代的未来是安全的。 为此目的，我们希望将权力掌握在自己手中。这些都是事实。”
Do you mean to say that hate and envy are not facts?
你的意思是说，仇恨和嫉妒不是事实吗？
“They may be, but we are not concerned with that.” He looked around to see what the others were thinking, but they were all respectfully silent. They also were safeguarding their interests.
“它们可能是，但我们并不关心那个。” 他环顾四周，想看看其他人在想什么， 但他们都恭敬地沉默了。他们也在维护自己的利益。
Does not hate direct the course of outward action? Hate can only breed further hate; and a society based on hate, on envy, a society in which there are competing groups, each safeguarding its own interests – such a society will always be at war within itself, and so with other societies. From what you say, all that you have gained is the prospect that your group may come out on top, thereby being in a position to exploit, to oppress, to cause mischief, as the other group has done in the past. This seems so silly, doesn’t it?
难道仇恨不是在指导外在的行动线路吗？ 仇恨只会滋生进一步的仇恨； 一个基于仇恨、嫉妒的社会，一个存在相互竞争的群体的社会， 每个群体都维护自己的利益 —— 这样的社会将永远在自身的内部交战，同样也在与其他的社会交战。 从你所说的话来看， 你所获得的，只是你的群体可能脱颖而出的前景， 从而能够去剥削、压迫、制造悲剧， 就像另一个群体过去所做的那样。 这看起来很傻，不是吗？
“I admit it does; but we have got to take things as they are.”
“我承认确实如此；但我们必须以牙还牙。”
In a way, yes; but we need not continue with them as they are. There must obviously be a change, but not within the same pattern of hate and violence. Don’t you feel that this is true? “Is it possible to bring about a change without hate and violence?”
在某种程度上，是的；但我们不必继续保持原样。 显然必须有一种改变，却不是在同样的仇恨和暴力的模式之内。 你有没有感觉到这是真的？ “有可能在没有仇恨和暴力的情况下带来一种改变吗？”
Again, is there a change at all if the means employed is similar to that used in building up the present society?
再问一下， 如果使用的手段与建设当今社会所使用的手段相似，是否会有任何改变？
“In other words, you are saying that violence can only create an essentially violent society, however new we may think it is. Yes, I can see that.” Again he looked around at his friends.
“换句话说，你是说 暴力只能创造一个本质上是暴力的社会，无论我们认为它多么地新。 是的，我看得出来。” 他又环顾四周，看着他的朋友。
Wouldn’t you say that, to build a good social order, the right means is essential? And is the means different from the end? Is not the end contained in the means? “This is getting a little complicated. I see that hate and violence can only produce a society that is fundamentally violent and oppressive. That much is clear. Now, you say that the right means must be employed to bring about a right society. What is the right means?”
你不是在说，要建立良好的社会秩序，正确的手段是必不可少的吗？ 手段与目的不同吗？目的难道不是包含在手段中吗？ “这有点复杂。 我看到仇恨和暴力只能产生一个建立在是暴力和压迫上的社会。 那一点是很清楚的。 现在，你说必须采用正确的手段来建立一个正确的社会。 什么是正确的手段？”
The right means is action which is not the outcome of hate, envy, authority, ambition, fear. The end is not distant from the means. The end is the means. “But how are we to overcome hate and envy? These feelings unite us against a common enemy. There is a certain pleasure in violence, it brings results, and it can’t be got rid of so easily.”
正确的手段是行动，它不是仇恨、嫉妒、权威、野心、恐惧的产物。 目的离手段并不远。目的就是手段。 “但是，我们如何克服仇恨和嫉妒呢？ 这些感觉使我们团结起来，共同对抗一个共同的敌人。 暴力有一定的快感， 它带来结果，它不能被轻易地摆脱。”
Why not? When you perceive for yourself that violence only leads to greater harm, is it difficult to drop violence? When, however superficially pleasurable, something gives you deep pain, don’t you put it aside?
为什么不能？ 当你自己意识到暴力只会导致更大的伤害时， 难以放下暴力有困难吗？当某个东西， 无论表面上有多么地令人愉快，却给你带来深深的痛苦，难道你不把它放在一边吗？
“On the physical level that is comparatively easy, but it’s more difficult with things that are inward.”
“在身体层面上，这相对容易， 但对于内在的东西来说，那更困难。”
It is difficult only when the pleasure outweighs the pain. If hate and violence are pleasurable to you, even though they breed untold harm and misery, you will keep on with them; but be clear about it, and don’t say that you are creating a new social order, a better way of life, for that is all nonsense.
只有当快乐胜过痛苦时，它才是困难的。 如果仇恨和暴力对你来说是令人愉快的， 即使它们滋生了无尽的伤害和痛苦，你也会继续与它们相处； 但要清楚这一点，别说 你正在创造一种新的社会秩序，一种更好的生活方式，因为那都是无稽之谈。
He who hates, who is acquisitive, who is seeking power or a position of authority, is not a Brahmin, for a true Brahmin is outside the social order that is based upon these things; and if you, on your part, are not free from envy, from antagonism, and from the desire for power, you are no different from the present Brahmin, though you may call yourself by a different name.
谁憎恨，谁贪婪，谁在寻求权力或权威地位，谁就不是婆罗门， 因为一个真正的婆罗门是脱离了基于这些东西的而建立的社会； 如果你，在你的身上， 没有摆脱嫉妒、敌对和对权力的欲望， 你和现在的婆罗门没有什么不同， 尽管你可以用不同的名字来称呼自己。
“Sir, I am astonished at myself that I am even listening to you. An hour ago I would have been horrified to think that I might listen to such talk; but I have been listening, and I am not ashamed of it. I see now how easily we are carried away by our own words, and by our more sordid urges. Let’s hope things will be different.”
“先生，我很惊讶我还在听你说话。 一小时前，如果想到我可能会听这样的谈话，我会感到震惊。 但我一直在听，我并不为此感到羞耻。 我现在看到，我们是多么容易被我们自己的言语和我们更肮脏的冲动所迷惑。 让我们希望事情会有改变。”