"Why should you think it necessary ..." Lenina began, but left the sentence unfinished.

“你为什么非要先办……”列宁娜开始了，却住了口，

There was a note of irritation in her voice.

口气略带温怒。

When one has leant forward, nearer and nearer, with parted lips—only to find oneself, quite suddenly, as a clumsy oaf scrambles to his feet, leaning towards nothing at all—well, there is a reason, even with half a gramme of soma circulating in one's blood-stream, a genuine reason for annoyance.

人家微张嘴，向你靠来，越靠越近，却突然发现靠了个空，你这个笨蛋却跳到一边去了。哼，尽管有半克唆麻在血液里流动，也免不了有充分的道理叫她烦恼。

"At Malpais," the Savage was incoherently mumbling, you had to bring her the skin of a mountain lion—I mean, when you wanted to marry some one. Or else a wolf.

“要是在马尔佩斯，”野蛮人前言不搭后语地卿咕道，就应该给你带一张山狮皮来——我是说如果想跟你结婚的话。否则就带一只狼也行。

"There aren't any lions in England," Lenina almost snapped.

“可是英格兰共没有狮子。”列宁娜几乎怒吼了。

"And even if there were," the Savage added, with sudden contemptuous resentment,

“即使有狮子，”野蛮人突然恨恨地轻蔑地说下去，

people would kill them out of helicopters, I suppose, with poison gas or something. I wouldn't do that, Lenina.

我也担心他们是会坐了直升飞机去射杀，或是用毒气之类的东西去捕猎的；我可决不会干那种事，列宁娜。

He squared his shoulders, he ventured to look at her and was met with a stare of annoyed incomprehension.

他挺了挺胸，鼓起勇气看着她，却看见列宁娜懊恼地，不理解地反盯着他，

Confused, "I'll do anything," he went on, more and more incoherently. Anything you tell me.

他狼狈了，更加语无伦次了。我一定要做点什么，你要我做什么我就做什么。

There be some sports are painful–you know. But their labour delight in them sets off.

有一类游戏是很吃力的，但兴趣会使人忘记辛苦。

That's what I feel. I mean I'd sweep the floor if you wanted.

这正是我的感觉。我是说，如果你需要，我可以为你扫地。

"But we've got vacuum cleaners here," said Lenina in bewilderment. "It isn't necessary."

“但是我们这儿有真空除尘器，”列宁娜莫名其妙地说，“哪儿用得着扫地呀！”

No, of course it isn't necessary. But some kinds of baseness are nobly undergone.

当然用不着，有一类卑微的工作是用艰苦卓绝的精神忍受的，最低贱的事往往指向最崇高的目标。

I'd like to undergo something nobly. Don't you see?

我想用艰苦卓绝的精神忍受一些压力。你明白吗？

But if there are vacuum cleaners ...

但是，既然有了真空除尘器……

That's not the point.

问题不在这儿。

"And Epsilon Semi-Morons to work them," she went on, "well, really, why?"

“而且除尘器还由爱扑塞隆半白痴使用，”她继续说，“老实说吧，为什么还要……？”