课文阅读

"Idle, was he?" I said, for I thought it very likely in a hot country like that.
"No," said the stranger. "Never idle. Always spurred on by a fierce ambition. His very life was devoted to making inventions. Yes, he worked and he was working for us on something wonderful. Ah, well. We relied, and rightly, on that man's wisdom; but we forgot his folly."
The man was silent.
"What did Carasierra do?" I asked.

"That ambition was driving him all the time," he said. "He knew that he was the greatest scientist in the world, and he was determined to show it. As long as the germ on which he was working seemed the most wonderful thing ever invented, he was more than content. But before he had completed it, another inspiration came to him and drove him away. I tried everything: threats, appeals to him to think of our ancient glory, even bribes. But nothing would turn him from his project. The splendor of his new inspiration gripped him, and he was like a man drugged."
"And the splendor of our position faded like dreams. We were so nearly one of the Great Powers but for a fancy that came to this man's mind."
"What was Carasierra's fancy?" I asked.

"I will tell you," he said. "Day after day I went to his laboratory and appealed to him, almost in tears, to return to his work for us. But no, he would not listen. I gave him every chance. But at last I had to threaten him with death. I told him that if he would not return to his proper work he would have to be shot. But there was a queer light in his eyes that day, and really I think he hardly heard me. He would only say, 'I have done it, have done it.'"
"'Done what?' I asked him," the stranger continued.
"'The most wonderful invention,' he said, 'the most wonderful invention ever achieved by man.'"
"'You will be shot,' I repeated, 'if you don't get on with your work.'"

"'This is more wonderful,' he said."
"'Well, show it to me,' I demanded. He took me out to his lawn. And there he pointed. I saw only a square yard of grass, marked off with a strip of white tape. 'What is it?' I asked."
"He took up his tape and marked off a smaller area, one of only a few inches. 'Do you see anything wonderful there?' he asked. 'Look close.'"
"And I looked close and said, 'No.'"
"'That is what is wonderful,' he said. 'You see no blade different from the rest?'"
"'No,' I said again."

'"Then you have seen the most wonderful invention of all that man has made,' he replied with a wild look in his eyes. 'For one of those blades of grass I made myself.'"
"'But what is the use of that?' I asked."
"'Use! Use!' he repeated, and laughed. 'I do not work for use, but for wonder.'"
"'It will be wonderful,' I said, 'when we dominate the Caribbean.'"
"'It is far more wonderful,' he said, 'to have made a blade of grass. '"
"That I had to admit. But I added, 'You will return to your work now.'"
"And at that he laughed more wildly."
"'No, now that I can do this,' he exclaimed. 'I am going on to make flowers.'"
"I examined his blade of grass, and he gave me every facility, showing me the entire process in his laboratory. The blade was perfect and was clearly alive, but he satisfied me that it was artificial. A marvelous man. It was a pity. But we responsible ministers cannot make threats that we do not carry out. I had threatened him with death, and he had to be executed,..."
"Whether it was that the stranger's tale was told," Jorkens concluded, putting down his glass, "or that the influence of the strange wine was over, he fell then to silent brooding, gazing, as it seemed, into the past at the grip that his country had lost on the Caribbean, perhaps on the world."

参考译文

“他很懒，是吧？”我想热带国家的人很可能是这样的。
“不是，”陌生人否定道，“他从不偷懒，总是为强烈的志向所激励着。他全身心投入创造发明。对，他努力工作，为我们创造非凡的东西。我们信任这个人的智慧；但我们忽视了他的愚蠢。”
这个陌生人停下话来。
“卡拉西尔拉干了什么呢？”我问道。

“这个志向始终鼓舞着他，”他说道，“他知道他是这个世界上最伟大的科学家，他决定证明给世人看。只要他想到研究着的细菌是有史以来最伟大的发明，他的干劲就更大了。

但在他完成研究之前，他又有了另一种想法，最终离开了工作岗位。我试了一切办法劝他改变主意，威胁他，恳请他想想我们旧时的荣耀，甚至是贿赂他。但是什么也不能使他放弃他的新想法。他的想法牢牢吸引着他，以至于他像犯了毒瘾一样不能自拔。”

“我告诉你吧，”他说道，“我每天都去他的实验室，声泪俱下地乞求他为我们继续工作。但他一点也不听。我给了他很多机会，但最终我只得以死亡威胁他。我告诉他如果不愿恢复正常工作的话，我们就枪毙他。但那天他的眼睛里闪烁着奇怪的光芒，我确信他根本没有听我讲话。他只是喃喃地说：“我已经成功做到了，做到了。”
“做到了什么？”我问他。”陌生人继续说道。
““最伟大的发明”他说道，人类有史以来最伟大的发明。”
““你将被枪毙，”我又说了一遍，“如果你不继续你的工作的话。”

““这个更棒，”他说。”
““好吧，把你的发明给我看看，”我要求道。他把我带到他的草坪上，用手指了指。我看到的只是一块草地，被一条白色的卷尺分开。“你的发明呢？”我问道。”
“他用卷尺划分出一块更小的只有几英寸的面积。“你看到什么奇妙的东西了吗？”他问我，“靠近点看。”
“然后我就靠近看了看，“什么也没看到。””
““这就是奇妙之所在，”他说，“你没看见哪片草根其他的不同吗？””
““没有看到，”我又说了一遍。”

““那么你已经看到了人类最伟大的发明，”他激动地说。“因为其中一片草是我自己做的。””
““但是这又有什么用途呢？”我问道。”
““用途！用途！”他重复说道，大笑起来，“我并不是为用途而工作的，而是为了奇迹。””
““会很奇妙的！”我说道，“当我们控制了加勒比海时。””
““而制造一片草更加奇妙，”他说道。”
““这个我承认。但我得加上一句，你现在该回到工作中去了。””
“听到这句话他笑得更狂野了。”
““不，既然我能做这个，”他大声说道，“我准备继续制造花。””
“我查看了他的草，他把每一个设备给我看，向我演示实验室中的整个流程。草很完美，虽然是活的，但使我满意的是，它是人造的。多么了不起的人！可惜却不能为我们效力。

但是我们尽责的部长们作出的威胁我们得执行。我已经向他发出死亡威胁，而他得被处死。”
“不知道是因为这个陌生人的故事讲完了，”乔更斯最后放下杯子说道：“还是因为这种怪酒的效力消失了的缘故，这个陌生人睁着眼睛，陷入了对过去的沉思，似乎在想着，他们的国家失去了对加勒比海地区，或许是对整个世界的控制。”

词汇释义

1.spur v. 刺激,激励

例句：

What spurred her to do that?
是什么促使她那么干的？

2.splendor n. 光辉,壮丽,显赫

例句：

We admired the splendor of the mountain scenery.
我们赞赏着壮丽的山景。

3.queer adj. 奇怪的,不舒服的,可疑的

例句：

There is something queer about him.
他有些古怪。

4.blade [bleid] n. 刀锋,刀口；(谷类等的)叶片

例句：

a blade of grass
草的叶片

5.artificial adj. 人造的,虚伪的,武断的

例句：

This orange drink contains no artificial flavourings.
这种橙汁饮品不含人工调味料.