But there was no king. They did not use swords, or keep slaves. They were not barbarians.
然而，奥米勒斯城并没有国王。奥米勒斯人不用剑，也不养奴隶。他们并不是化外的野蛮人。
I do not know the rules and laws of their society, but I suspect that they were singularly few.
我不知道他们的社会有些什么条令和法规，但我猜想他们的条规一定很少。
As they did without monarchy and slavery, so they also got on without the stock exohan6e, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb.
他们的社会既不存在君主制和奴隶制，同样也没有股票交易，没有商业广告，没有秘密警察，没有原子弹。
Yet I repeat that these were not simple folk, not dulcet shepherds, noble savages, bland utopians.
不过，我再次说明，这些人并不是头脑简单的原始人，不是温厚善良的牧羊人，不是出身高贵的野蛮人，也不是温文有礼的乌托邦主义者。
They were not less complex than us.
他们的头脑并不比我们的简单。
The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid.
我们的社会的弊病在于，由于一些卖弄学问的人和深谙世故的人的推波助澜，我们养成了一种恶习，认为欢乐是一种无聊乏味的东西，
Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting.
只有痛苦才能启迪人的智慧，
This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.
只有邪恶才能激发人的兴趣。拒绝承认邪恶的平淡无奇和痛苦的枯燥无味性是艺术家的负义失职。
If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn you about the people of Omelas?
倘若你无法战胜这些，不如干脆与之同流合污;倘若你受到打击觉得痛苦，不如重施一次打击，以减轻痛苦。
They were not naive and happy children-though their children were, in fact, happy.
他们是成熟的、智慧的、充满激情的成年人，而且过着不错的生活。啊，真是奇迹!
They were mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else.
我们已几乎失去一切，再也不知如何去描述一个快乐的人了，也无法举行什么快乐的活动。
We have almost lost hold, we can no longer describe a happy man, nor make any celebration of joy. How can I tell lives were not wretched?miracle! but I wish I could describe it better. I wish I could convince you.
不过，我真希望把这一切描写得更好!我怎样才能对你们讲清奥米勒斯人的快乐情形呢?我真希望你们人人都能信服。