Now we must not hide from ourselves what is concealed in the womb of this Socratic culture:
现在，我们不要回避苏格拉底文化核心中隐藏着的东西——
optimism, with its delusion of limitless power.
想入非非的乐观主义；
We must not be alarmed if the fruits of this optimism ripen--
是的，我们也不必大惊小怪，如果这种乐观主义的果实已经成熟；
if society, leavened to the very lowest strata by this kind of culture,
如果社会染上这种文化的细菌深入骨髓，
gradually begins to tremble with wanton agitations and desires,
逐渐在热情和欲望的袭击下开始发抖；
if the belief in the earthly happiness of all,
如果信仰一切尘世幸福，
if the belief in the possibility of such a general intellectual culture changes into the threatening demand for such an Alexandrian earthly happiness,
信仰这种普遍智育之前途，一旦变为不得不追求这种亚历山德里亚式的尘世幸福，
into the conjuring up of a Euripidean deus ex machina.
乃至乞灵于一种欧里庇德斯式的“神机妙算”！
Let us mark this well: the Alexandrian culture, to be able to exist permanently, requires a slave class,
然而，我们也应该看到：亚历山德里亚文化必须有一个奴隶阶级，才能维持长久，
but with its optimistic view of life it denies the necessity of such a class, and consequently,
但是它以乐观主义的人生观否定这一阶级的必要性；
when its beautifully seductive and tranquilizing utterances about the "dignity of man" and the "dignity of labor" are no longer effective,
因而，一旦“人的尊严”和“劳动的光荣”这些诱惑和安慰的话业已失效，
it gradually drifts toward a dreadful destruction.
它便逐渐走向可怕的毁灭。野蛮的奴隶阶级是可怕不过的，
There is nothing more terrible than a class of barbaric slaves who have learned to regard their existence as an injustice,
他们已经觉悟到他们的生活是一种不正义，
and now prepare to avenge, not only themselves, but all generations.
而且准备复仇，不但为自己，而且为世世代代。
In the face of such threatening storms,
面临这威胁的风暴，
who dares to appeal with any confidence to our pale and exhausted religions,
谁还敢满怀信心，诉诸我们的苍白虚弱的宗教呢？
the very foundations of which have degenerated into scholarly religions?
现代宗教基本上已经蜕化为学术信仰；
Myth, the necessary prerequisite of any religion, is already paralyzed everywhere, and even in this domain the optimistic spirit,
所以神话，一切宗教所不可缺少的条件，在各方面都陷于麻痹状态；甚至在神话领域，
which we have just designated as the germ of destruction in our society, has attained the mastery.
乐观主义精神——我们曾目为败坏社会的病菌——已经获得了统治权。