莫詹坤老师译作

1: The Mongol Chief

Heaven knows from what mysterious distance he had come. He rode down the winding pathway from the high Mongolian plateau with the mountains, barren, stony and inaccessible, stretching on all sides, an impenetrable barrier; he rode down past the temple that guarded the head of the pass till he came to the old river bed which was the gateway into China. It was hedged in by the foothills brilliant under the morning sun, with sharp shadows; and the innumberable traffic of the centuries had formed on that stony floor a rough road. The air was keen and clear, the sky was blue. Here all the year round, from daybreak till sundown, passed an unending stream, camels in caravan bearing the brick tea of Urga seven hundred miles away and so to Siberia, long lines of wagons drawn by placid bullocks, and little carts in twos and threes behind stout ponies; and in the contrary direction, into China, again camels in caravan bringing hides to the markets of Peking, and wagons in long procession. Now a mob of horses went by and then a flock of goats. But his eyes did not rest on the varied scene. He seemed not to notice that others were travelling the pass. He was accompanied by his henchmen, six or seven of them, somewhat bedraggled it is true, on sorry nags, but they had a truculent air. They ambled along in a slovenly bunch. He was dressed in a black silk coat and black silk trousers thrust into his long riding boots with their turned-up toes, and on his head he wore the high sable cap of his country. He held himself erect, riding a little ahead of his followers, proudly, and as he rode, his head high and his eyes steady, you wondered if he thought that down this pass in days gone by his ancestors had ridden, ridden down upon the fertile plain of China where rich cities lay ready to their looting.

 

 

1. 蒙古首领

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，第6-7页。

天晓得他来自哪处神秘的远方。他沿着蜿蜒曲折的山路策马而下，蒙古高原的群山，荒瘠颓败、砂石遍地、人迹罕至，向四面八方延展而去，形成一道不可穿越的屏障；他穿驰而过守卫入关通道的城楼，在一片古老的河床前止住脚步，这里是通向中国的门户。河床被晨光中明耀的丘陵所环绕，投下尖尖的阴影；数世纪以来，难以计数的商旅交通将砾石遍地的河床踏出一条崎岖不平的道路。空气冷峻而清新，天空蔚蓝。此处，四季流转、晨晓落日之中，往来阡陌、川流不息。旅队的骆驼背着砖茶，前往七百英里之外的库伦[1]，再接着去往西伯利亚。敦厚的公牛拉着一队长长的大车，结实的矮脚马则拖着三三两两的双轮小车。朝着相反的方向，去往中国的方向，同样是大批骆驼商队，驮着皮毛，去往北京的市场，后面也跟着冗长的大车队伍。现在，马群走过了，羊群也从面前过去了。但他的眼神并不在眼前的景物上作片刻停驻。他似乎毫不在意途经通道的其余人等。他由六七个随从作伴，确能感受到他们已是人困马乏，但仍不减彪悍之气。一行人策马，徐徐而行。他身着黑绸外套，黑绸裤脚则塞进了那一双鞋尖高翘的马靴，头上戴着蒙古国高高的貂皮帽子。他笔直地坐立在马背上，傲气地于仆人们先行一步，当他扬鞭驰骋的时候，头颅高昂、眼神坚毅，你忍不住揣想，他是否在遥忆那过往的峥嵘岁月，他的祖先们正是沿着这条道路，挥戈南下，踏足富庶荣华的中原大地，大肆掠夺。

 

2: The Altar of Heaven

It stands open to the sky, three round terraces of white marble placed one above the other, which are reached by four marble staircases, and these face the four points of the compass. It represents the celestial sphere with its cardinal points. A great park surrounds it and this again is surrounded by high walls. And hither, year after year, on the night of the winter solstice, for then heaven is reborn, generation after generation came the Son of Heaven solemnly to worship the original creator of his house. Escorted by princes and the great men of the realm, followed by his troops, the Emperor purified by fasting proceeded to the altar. And here awaited him princes and ministers and mandarins, each in his allotted place, musicians and the dancers of the sacred dance. In the scanty light of the great torches the ceremonial robes were darkly splendid. And before the tablet on which were inscribed the words: Imperial Heaven – Supreme Emperor, he offered incense, jade, and silk, broth and rice spirit. He knelt and knocked his forehead against the marble pavement nine times.

And here at the very spot where the vice-regent of heaven and earth knelt down, Willard B. Untermeyer wrote his name in a fine bold hand and the town and state he came from, Hastings, Nebraska. So he sought to attach his fleeting personality to the recollection of that grandeur of which some dim rumour had reached him. He thought that so men would remember him when he was no more. He aimed in this crude way at immortality. But vain are the hopes of men. For no sooner had he sauntered down the steps than a Chinese caretaker who had been leaning against the balustrade, idly looking at the blue sky, came forward, spat neatly on the spot where Willard B. Untermeyer had written, and with his foot smeared his spittle over the name. In a moment no trace remained that Willard B. Untermeyer had ever visited that place.

2. 天坛

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，第21-22页。

苍茫大地之上，它仰天而立，三层圆形汉白玉露台，一层高过一层，直抵分列东南西北方的四樽大理石阶，象征着浑天四仪[2]。它被一座大花园所环绕，再外围则是森森高墙。如此这般，年复一年，每临冬至寒彻之夜，阳气回升之时，历朝天子来到这里，庄严祭拜列祖列宗。斋戒沐浴之后，皇帝在诸位亲王、文武百官及大内侍卫的陪同下步向圜丘坛。王公大臣们各就其位、恭候良久，乐工与舞者表演雅乐。在硕大火把黯淡的光辉下，官员们的朝服映出幽微的光影。在刻有“皇天上帝”的牌位[3]前，皇帝上香、奠帛、祭酒。他俯下身躯、前额叩地、三跪九拜。

就在这奉天承运真命天子们的虔拜之地，魏拉德·B·昂特梅耶厚脸皮地题上了自己的名字，以及镇名和州名：黑斯廷斯，内布拉斯加州。他依稀听过一些说法，试图将自己白驹过隙的人生附着在后世对神圣的缅怀之上。他以为这样一来，哪怕他日身先朝露，后来人依然能记住他。他决意用这样粗鄙的办法实现永生。但人的希望总是落空。他刚走下台阶，旁边那位一直斜倚着栏杆、悠然自在望着蓝天的中国管理员便走上前去，朝着魏拉德·B·昂特梅耶题字的地方气冲冲啐了一口，又用鞋底就着唾沫在那上面来回搓踏。魏拉德·昂特梅耶曾到此一游的痕迹即刻荡然无存了。

 

3: The Picture

I do not know whether he was a mandarin bound for the capital of the province, or some student travelling to a seat of learning, nor what the reason that delayed him in the most miserable of all the miserable inns in China. Perhaps one or other of his bearers, hidden somewhere to smoke a pipe of opium (for it is cheap in that neighbourhood and you must be prepared for trouble with your coolies), could not be found. Perhaps a storm of torrential rain had held him for an hour an unwilling prisoner.

The room was so low that you could easily touch the rafters with your hand. The mud walls were covered with dirty white-wash, here and there worn away, and all round on wooden pallets were straw beds for the coolies who were the inn’s habitual guests. The sun alone enabled you to support the melancholy squalor. It shone through the latticed window, a beam of golden light, and threw on the trodden earth of the floor a pattern of an intricate and splendid richness.

And here to pass an idle moment he had taken his stone tablet and, mixing a little water with the stick of ink which he rubbed on it, seized the fine brush with which he executed the beautiful characters of the Chinese writing (he was surely proud of his exquisite calligraphy and it was a welcome gift which he made his friends when he sent them a scroll on which was written a maxim, glitteringly compact, of the divine Confucious), and with a bold hand he drew on the wall a branch of plum-blossom and a bird, perched on it. It was done very lightly, but with an admirable ease; I know not what happy chance guided, the artist’s touch, for the bird was all a-quiver with life and the plum-blossoms were tremulous on their stalks. The soft airs of spring blew through the sketch into that sordid chamber, and for the beating of a pulse you were in touch with the Eternal.

 

 

3. 画

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，第40-41页。

我不知道他是一位赶赴省城就职的官员，还是一名求学的门生，也不知是何种缘故令他羁绊于中国无数糟糕的小旅馆中最不能忍受的这一家小旅馆。也许他的轿夫躲到某处去抽鸦片了（这一带的鸦片烟很便宜，所以你也得留意着你的苦力会不会给你惹麻烦），这会子不见了人影。又或许是一场突如其来的暴雨使他在这里做了一个钟头不情不愿的囚徒。

房间太矮了，以至于抬手就能触到房梁。土墙上刷过的白石灰早已斑驳脱落、肮脏不堪，四周的木板床上铺着稻草，是为那些常年光顾的苦力们准备的。只有阳光才能令你暂时忍受这让人丧气的污秽。一道金色的光束透过格子窗户直射进来，在踏平的土瘩地上投下一种复杂而灿烂的图案。

为了打发时间，他拿出砚台，点了些许清水，用墨锭轻轻研磨，随后他拿起那支能写一笔好字的毛笔（他对自己精妙的书法颇为得意，常以孔夫子的格言警句书于卷轴，馈赠亲友），在墙上挥就一幅喜鹊登梅图。一气呵成，却又轻松自如；我不知是何种幸运赋予艺术家这般灵感：鸟儿振翅欲飞，梅瓣绽枝娇颤，轻柔的春风自画中而来，拂过这间陋室。仅此一瞬，你已感知永恒。

4: Arabesque

There in the mist, enormous, majestic, silent, and terrible, stood the Great Wall of China. Solitarily, with the indifference of nature herself, it crept up the mountain side and slipped down to the depth of the valley. Menacingly, the grim watchtowers, stark and foursquare, at due intervals stood at their posts. Ruthlessly, for it was built at the cost of a million lives and each one of those great grey stones has been stained with the bloody tears of the captive and the outcast, it forged its dark way through a sea of rugged mountains. Fearlessly it went on its endless journey, league upon league to the farther-most regions of Asia, in utter solitude, mysterious like the great empire it guarded. There in the mist, enormous, majestic, silent, and terrible, stood the Great Wall of China.

4. 阿拉伯藤蔓花饰[4]

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，第93页。

 

迷雾之中，屹立着巨大、雄伟、静默、可畏的中国长城。它带着与生俱来冷漠的本性，孤独地爬上一道道山脊，再滑向一条条山谷。长城是威严的，每隔一段就矗立着一座坚不可摧、呈四方形的烽火台，镇守着边关。长城是无情的，几百万人为此命丧黄泉，每一块巨大的灰砖上，都沾染着囚犯与流放者的血泪，它在蜿蜒曲折的群山间开出一条黑黢黢的通道。长城是无畏的，它展开无尽的征途，一里格一里格地绵延开去，直抵亚洲最遥远的边界。它遗世独立，与其所守卫的伟大帝国一样神秘莫测。迷雾之中，屹立着巨大、雄伟、静默、可畏的中国长城。

5: The Song of the River

You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stem, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift-running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chaunt, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up a wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid. On the junk a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they crawl on the ground on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream. The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chaunt, the chaunt of the turbulent waters. I do not know how words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal and perhaps the opium pipe with its dreams of ease. But the most agonizing song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. ‘He, aw – ah, oh.’ They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain. It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.

 

5. 江中号子

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，

第108-109页。

沿着整条江岸，你都能听到来自船夫们铿锵有力的号子。他们在喘急的水流中奋力划桨，船尾高高翘起，桅杆也被冲得倒向一侧。当江畔的纤夫们拼尽全力拉着船只逆流前行，你听到他们吼出的号子，那才更惊心动魄。如果是条乌篷船，兴许只需要六七个人，而要将一艘挂着直帆的大船拖过重重险滩，则需要几百号人。船正中站着一个人，一刻不停地击鼓，号召人们拼命使劲。纤夫们像着了魔一般，深深地屈着腰，有时候，气力用到极致，他们用四肢趴地，像田野里的牲畜。他们拉呀，拼命地拉呀，与无情的江流苦苦抗争。头领在队伍头尾之间走来走去，当他看到有人没有使出全力，就会用竹篾抽他赤裸着的脊背。每个人都必须倾尽全力，否则一切都会前功尽弃。尽管如此，他们的歌声依旧热情洋溢、豪情万丈，这是奔腾不止的江河之歌。我不知道该用什么样的语言来形容这种歌声想要表达的力量，它代表了紧绷的心弦、撕裂的肌肉，以及人类誓死征服无情自然的百折不挠的意志。尽管绳索会断开，大船会晃晃悠悠地向后倒退，但最终，人们还是渡过了险滩，这疲惫的一天最终会以一顿热腾腾的饭菜，或许还外加几支让人酣然入睡的大烟而结束。但是，最揪心的号子来自那些苦力们，他们将大包货物卸下船来，再一步一步沿着陡峭的石阶扛到城墙边。他们就这样一刻不停、上上下下地走着，他们精疲力竭之时，发出的节奏分明的号子也从未中断，“嘿，嗷-啊，嗬。”他们赤着脚，上身也是光着的，汗水从他们的脸庞上不断滑落。他们的号子是痛苦的呻吟，是绝望的叹息，是撕心的呼喊。这几乎不是人发出的声音。这是灵魂在无尽痛苦之中发出的有韵律的呐喊，最后一个音符是人性最沉重的悲泣。生活太难了，太残酷了，这是最后绝望的抗争。这就是江中号子。

 

6: Nightfall

Towards evening perhaps, tired of walking, you get into your chair and on the crest of a hill you pass through a stone gateway. You cannot tell why there should be a gateway in that deserted spot, far from a village, but a fragment of massive wall suggests the ruin of fortifications against the foes of a forgotten dynasty. And when you come through the gateway you see below you the shining water in the rice fields, diapered, like the chessboard in some Chinese Alice in Wonderland, and then the rounded, tree-clad hills. But making your way down the stone steps of the narrow causeway which is the high road from city to city, in the gathering darkness you pass a coppice, and from it waft towards you chill woodland odours of the night. Then you hear no longer the measured tread of your bearers, your ears are on a sudden deaf to their sharp cries as they change the pole from shoulder to shoulder, and to the ceaseless chatter or the occasional snatch of song with which they enliven the monotonous way, for the woodland odours are the same as those which steal up from the fat Kentish soil when you pass through the woods of Bleane; and nostalgia seizes you. Your thoughts travel through time and space, far from the Here and Now, and you remember your vanished youth with its high hopes, its passionate love, and its ambition. Then if you are a cynic, as they say, and therefore a sentimentalist, tears come to your unwilling eyes. And when you have regained your self-control the night has fallen.

 

6. 夜幕低垂

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，

第145-146页。

 

傍晚将至，也许是走累了，你坐上轿子，攀上山顶的时候，经过了一座石门。你不知道在这远离村庄的荒凉之地如何会有一座石门。但一处断墙的残存表明，这或许是某个已然被遗忘的王朝用来抵御外侵而筑就的要塞的遗址。当你穿过这座石门，俯身可见山脚下呈菱形状的一块块波光粼粼的稻田，好似中国版《爱丽丝梦游仙境》中的棋盘，接着，就能看到那些为苍翠树木所笼盖的圆形山丘。沿着连接城镇的狭窄石阶拾级而下，在渐渐晦暗的天色之中，行经一片低矮的树林，林中的凉气向你扑面而来。顷刻之间，轿夫们缓行的脚步声、他们换轿杠到另一个肩膀时发出的尖喊、他们打发单调行程的闲聊声和歌谣声，全都听不见了。因为，这林子里的气息和你穿过布莱恩森林时嗅到的肯特郡的沃土散发出的气息并无二致；一股乡愁瞬间涌上心头。你的万千思绪背离了此时此地，在时空中漫游，你想起了那些逝去的刹那芳华，那曾经的意盈心满之愿、染神刻骨之爱、壮志凌云之心。如果你是一个人们口中常言道的那种愤世嫉俗，也就自然容易多愁善感的人，你的双眸将会情不自禁地满溢泪水。而当你平复了心境，夜幕已经低垂。

 

7: The Question

They took me to the temple. It stood on the side of a hill with a semi-circle of tawny mountains behind it, staging it, as it were, with a formal grandeur; and they pointed out to me with what exquisite art the series of buildings climbed the hill till you reached the final edifice, a jewel of white marble encircled by the trees; for the Chinese architect sought to make his creation an ornament to nature and he used the accidents of the landscape to complete his decorative scheme. They pointed out to me how cunningly the trees were planted to contrast with the marble of a gateway, to give an agreeable shadow here, or there to serve as a background; and they made me remark the admirable proportion of those great roofs, rising one beyond the other in rich profusion, with the grace of flowers; and they showed me that the yellow tiles were of different hues so that the sensibility was not offended by an expanse of colour but amused and pleased by a subtle variety of tone. They showed me how the elaborate carving of a gateway was contrasted with a surface without adornment so that the eye was not wearied. All this they showed me as we walked through elegant courtyards, over bridges which were a miracle of grace, through temples with strange gods, dark and gesticulating; but when I asked them what was the spiritual state which had caused all this mass of building to be made, they could not tell me.

7. 问

莫詹坤译，原载：《中国屏风上》，北京：中央编译出版社，2023年10月，第190页。

 

他们带我参观一座庙宇。它依山而建，身后黄褐色的群山环拱着它，衬托出它的庄严与雄伟。他们指给我看这些建筑的设计是如何精巧：鳞次栉比的建筑顺着山势而修，直抵被绿树环绕的用汉白玉装饰的大殿；因为中国建筑师寻求的是将自身的创造融入自然，因此，他们总是巧借风物，妙手生景。他们指给我看这些树木栽种得如何巧妙：恰好与大理石的门面相映成趣，在这一处形成了怡人的绿荫，在那一处又成了衬景。他们让我留意那些雕有精美花饰的巨大屋檐：那种精妙的对称，它们一层高过一层,极其繁复。他们向我展示黄色的瓦片其实颜色并不相同：一眼望去，并不会看到一片金灿灿，人的感知不会产生什么不适，只会赏心悦目于微妙的色调变化。他们向我展示大门是如何精雕细琢，而与之形成对比的是墙面的天然去雕饰，如此一来，人的眼睛才不会感到疲乏。一路上，他们谈兴颇浓，我们就这样踱过优雅的庭院，走过别致的小桥，穿过供奉着做出各种姿势的诸神的大殿；但当我问及究竟是什么样的精神境界让人建造了这些气势恢宏的建筑时，他们却沉默不语。

 

 

 

 

 

 

程水英老师译作

《暗夜无声》选文

13No. 3 Berth

第十三章3号泊位

“FROM THE GOSPEL of St. John; Chapter 15, Verse 13,” announced the parson. “‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’”

牧师说道：“约翰福音第15章第13节告诉我们，人为朋友舍命，人的爱心没有比这个大的。”

Itwasnotaveryorthodoxsermon.Theparson,oncearegularchaplaininthe R.A.F., had been invalided out toward the end of the war. He had a small country living, which afforded him no money for holidays, and in lieu of them he took occasional locum tenens duty for a London friend. The ReverendJames Roland’stheologywasshaky;hisChristianzealhadbeenbluntedbytenyearsof ChurchParadesandsevenyearsofpreachingtomeager,lethargiccongregations such as he faced this evening. As a parish visitor he was inclined to be lazy, while he treated his churchwardens with a certain officer-class brusqueness which did him no good in his own parish. It is doubtful whether hehad converted a soul to hisreligion.

这不是一个很正统的布道。这个牧师曾经是皇家空军的常驻牧师，在战争快结束的时候被遣散了。他住在一个小乡村，没有钱度假，因此他偶尔替一个伦敦朋友代劳。詹姆斯·罗兰牧师的神学是不可靠的；十年的教堂游行和七年的布道（像他今晚这样，面对人数寥寥、昏昏欲睡的会众），削弱了他对基督教的热忱。作为另一个教区的访客，他有懒惰的倾向，而他对待教堂执事却如军官般粗暴，这在他自己的教区里对他没好处。他是否让一个灵魂皈依了他的宗教值得怀疑。

The Reverend Roland had, however, one sheet anchor and saving grace. He wasatruehero-worshiper.Nothingwouldeverbesoalive,sorealforhimashis friendsintheR.A.F.whohadraggedhim,drunkwithhim,thengoneupintothe air to die. When he spoke of them, as he was speaking this evening—telling stories of self-sacrifice and courage—his mediocrity, his failure fell away from him,andhetookonalittleofthegreatnesswhichhewasdescribing.

然而，罗兰牧师有一点可取之处。他是一个真正的英雄崇拜者。对他来说，没有什么比他在皇家空军的朋友们更有生气，更真实的了。他们曾痛打过他，和他一起喝过酒，然后在空中死去。今天晚上，当他谈到这些故事时——讲关于自我牺牲和勇气的故事——平庸和失败脱离了他，他表现出了一点他所描述的伟大。

Foxylistened,enthralled.Thiswasthegoods.Hiscynical,perky,opportunist young mind, which up to the present had fed on the doctrine of sauve qui peut and on the nasty little crumbs that fall from Fleet Street and Hollywood tables, respondedtoanappealithadneverbeforeencountered.IftheReverendRoland did not make a convert of Foxy, he at least set him on a new course. Bert Hale was his friend, Foxy said to himself. If he had gone to the police sooner, Bert wouldneverhavebeenkidnaped.HeandCopperhadgonetheirusualways,since the kidnaping, with hardly a thought for Bert; it wasn’t good enough, reflected Foxy, listening to the slangy, commonplace, heartfelt sermon. A God hanging on a cross in Palestine to save the world meant nothing to him. Apilot, whom the parson called by his Christian name, flying a crippled bomber back over England, ordering his crew to bail out, then turning out to sea again and goingforaBurtonsothatthe1000-pounderjammedinthebombbayshouldnot endanger anyone on home soil—this was something Foxy could take in and be exaltedby.

阿狸听着,入迷了。这就是善行。他那愤世嫉俗、自以为是、投机取巧的年轻头脑，先前一直以“为人处世”的原则为指导，以舰队街和好莱坞餐桌上掉下来的肮脏的小面包为食粮，现在却对一种从未遇到过的呼吁做出了回应。如果罗兰牧师没有使阿狸皈依，至少让他走上了一条新的道路。伯特·黑尔是我朋友，阿狸自言自语道。如果我早点去报警，伯特就不会被绑架了。自从绑架发生后，他和Copper仍旧照常行事，几乎没有想到伯特。“这样不够好，”阿狸一边听着那句通俗、平实、发自内心的布道，一边反省。一个被挂在巴勒斯坦十字架上拯救世界的上帝对他来说毫无意义。一名飞行员（牧师用他的教名称呼他），驾驶一架残破的轰炸机飞回英格兰上空，命令他的机组人员跳伞，然后再次出海并前往伯顿，确保卡在炸弹舱的1000磅炮弹不会危及本土的任何人——这才是阿狸能够领会并引以为豪的东西。

The mood would not last long, perhaps. But so exalted was Foxy at the momentthat,ifhecouldhavesavedBertbyhurlinghimselfontherazorsofthe twoyouthsinthefrontpew,hewouldhavedoneit.Nothingsosimple,however, was called for. A much more cold-blooded courage would be required to carry outtheprojectforminginFoxy’smind.Theyouths,hebelieved,mustbelongto the mob which had snatched Bert. Why else should they be after him? And the only way he could hope to rescue Bert was to let the mob take him; then, keeping his ears open and his wits sharp, try to find where they had put his friend and escape with theinformation.

这种情绪也许不会持续多久。但此时此刻，阿狸是如此兴奋，如果他能扑向前排座位上两个年轻人的剃须刀来救伯特，他早就做了。然而，事情没有什么简单。要完成阿狸心中的计划，需要更多不动声色的勇气。他相信这些年轻人一定是抓走伯特的暴徒。不然他们为什么要追他？而他唯一能救伯特的办法就是让暴徒把他带走。然后，张大耳朵，保持警觉，设法找到他们把他的朋友关在哪里，再带着情报逃走。

When the service was over and the choir disrobing. Foxy extricated himself fromtheawkwardquestionstheywerebeginningtoaskhiminthevestry,darted out of church, and walked steadily over to the two youths who were waiting on the other side of the road. The congregation had dispersed. The rest of the choir had not yet emerged. No one saw Foxy walk away with the youths; and it was the best part of forty-eight hours before a description of them, gleaned from members of the choir, the verger, and the policeman who had spoken to them outside the church, could becirculated.

礼拜结束，唱诗班脱去了衣服。在法衣室里，人们开始问他一些尴尬的问题，阿狸设法解脱出来，冲出教堂，接着不慌不忙地走到等在路另一边的两个年轻人身边。会众已经散去了。唱诗班的其他成员还没有出现。没有人看见阿狸跟着年轻人离开；过了四十八小时，唱诗班的成员、教堂执事和在教堂外面跟他们谈过话的警察才把他们的外貌特征描述给大家。

 

Nigel’s first intimation that the boy he wanted to interview had disappeared came by telephone next morning, not long after a call from Sir Rudolf’s secretary, inquiring on his employer’s behalf about Nigel’s progress.

第二天早上，在鲁道夫爵士的秘书打来电话，代表他的雇主询问进展后不久，奈杰尔又接到一个电话，才得知他想问询的男孩失踪了。

“PleasethankSirRudolf,willyou?AndtellhimI’mgettingonallright,but apparentlytheywon’tletmeoutforseveraldays,”Nigelhadreplied.

“请代我谢谢鲁道夫爵士，好吗？告诉他我一切都好，但显然他们几天内不会放我出来。”奈杰尔回答道。

Clare, who was sitting with him, raised her eyebrows.

和他坐在一起的克莱尔扬起了眉毛。

“Ibelieveyoupositivelyenjoybeing—what’stheword?—hospitalized.You look perfectly healthy tome.”

“我相信你肯定很喜欢——怎么说来着?——住院。我看你很健康。”

“What a suspicious-minded girl you are,” said Nigel, reflecting that she had every reason to be in this case; for he intended to leave hospital secretly very much sooner, and future inquiries would be answered by the news that Mr.Strangeways had had a relapse. But this it was inadvisable for Clare to know. Shehadbeengivenaparttoplaywhichshewouldplaybetterifshebelievedin it.

“你真是个多疑的姑娘。”奈杰尔说着，心想她完全有理由参与这个案子，因为他打算很快秘密地离开医院，将来的调查将以斯崔奇威先生旧病复发的消息作为答复。但是这件事不应该让克莱尔知道。她被赋予一个角色，如果她相信这个角色，她会演得更好。

“You’re not nervous about tonight, are you, my dear?” asked Nigel.

“你对今晚不紧张吧，亲爱的？”奈杰尔问道。

“Notnervous,no.Theprospectjustfillsmewithrepulsion,that’sall.”

“不紧张，不。想到这事只会让我充满厌恶，仅此而已。”

The prospect Clare alluded to was a dinner-and-dance date with Alec Gray, which,onNigel’sinstructions,shehadsuccessfullyangledforthepreviousday.

克莱尔提到的那件事是和亚历克·格雷共进晚餐，还要跳舞，在奈杰尔的指示下，她前一天就成功地争取到了这个约会。

“I wouldn’t mind being used as a cross between a tethered goat and a call girl,” she broke out, her dark eyes flashing, “if only I knew what it was all about.”

“我不介意被当成拴着的山羊和应召女郎的混合体，”她脱口而出，乌黑的眼睛闪着光，“要是我知道这是怎么回事就好了。”

Nigel took her hands. After a mutinous little struggle they remained in his. “You’ll make a much better goat if you don’t know.”

奈杰尔握住她的手。经过小小的反抗，这双手还是被他握住。“如果你不知道，你会做一只更好的山羊。”

“But what am I supposed to talk to him about?”

“可是我该跟他谈什么呢？”

“Oh, the weather, the crops, the dance floor, Epstein—anything you like,” Nigel offhandedly replied.

“哦，天气、庄稼、舞池、爱泼斯坦——任何你喜欢的事，”奈杰尔随口答道。

“Damn you, Nigel!” she exclaimed, snatching her hands from his. “Sometimes you’re absolutely inhuman.” She paced the room with that swift, swirling movement of hers which suggested flying draperies, silver-flashing limbs, arrows, Artemis.

“你该死,奈杰尔！”她嚷道，把手从他手里抽出来。“有时候你完全没有人性。”她在房间里飞快地旋转着踱来踱去，使人想起飘扬的帷幔、闪着银光的四肢、箭和阿尔忒弥斯。

“I’m sorry, darling,” he said. “What I mean is, don’t start up dangerous subjects like burglary, kidnaping, or N. Strangeways. He mustn’t get the impression that you’ve been laid on to pump him. If he broaches them it’s another matter. You listen, you encourage him, you know nothing about anythingexceptthatIwassearchingforBertHaleandamnowhorsdecombat.”

奈杰尔说道：“对不起，亲爱的，我的意思是，不要开始讲危险的话题，比如入室盗窃、绑架或奈杰尔·斯崔奇威。千万别让他觉得你是受人摆布的。如果他开口，那就是另一回事了。你听着，你鼓励他，你什么都不知道，只知道我在找伯特·黑尔，而且现在我已经失去战斗力了。”

“Oh well—”

“哦，好吧——”

“The one important thing is to keep him there as long as possible, and when he’sleaving,gototheladies’roomandtelephonethisnumber.”Nigelgavehera slip of paper, which she put away in herhandbag.

“重要的是要让他在那里待得越久越好，当他离开时，你去洗手间，打这个电话。”奈杰尔给了她一张纸条，她放在手提包里。

“You are mysterious! What do I say?”

“弄这么神秘。我该说什么?”

“Just say—let’s think—say, ‘Bobbles is on his way.’”

“让我想想，就说……说‘小绒球在路上了。’”

Clare gave her delicious giggle. Then her face clouded again. “Do I have to come back with him? In a taxi? I’m sorry, Nigel, but I don’t like the idea. You know what he is.”

克莱尔发出甜美的笑声。然后她的脸又变得阴沉起来。“我一定要跟他一起回来吗？在出租车上吗？抱歉，奈杰尔，我不喜欢这个主意。你知道他是什么人。”

“Certainly not. What do you take me for? I’ve ordered a hired car to bring you home. It will be waiting outside for you. The driver is a friend of mine, an ex-pugilist. If young Gray starts anything, just tap on the window and the pug will look after him.”

“当然不是。你把我当什么了？我已经叫了辆车送你回家。它就在外面等你。司机是我的一个朋友，前拳击手。如果小格雷要动手，就敲敲窗户，拳击手会照顾他的。”

Clare beautifully tilted her head, smiling a secret smile. “I take it all back,” she said. “You’re a wonder, and the joy of my life.”

克莱尔优美地歪着头，露出神秘的微笑，说道：“我收回刚说的话，你是个奇迹，是我生命中的欢乐。”

“GoodLord!Yousavedmylife,didn’tyou?TheleastIcandoistopreserve your honor. Have you got thekey?”

“上帝！你救了我的命，不是吗？我至少能维护你的荣誉。你有钥匙吗？”

“Here it is.”

“在这里。”

“Good girl,” said Nigel, as Clare handed him the key of Alec Gray’s flat which he had arranged with Lady Durbar to borrow.

“好姑娘。”奈杰尔说。克莱尔把亚历克·格雷公寓的钥匙递给他，那是奈杰尔和杜巴夫人商量好要借的。

“I suppose this is the key to some little love nest you and Hess are setting up.” Clare’s voice did not sound quite as light as she meant it to.

“我想这是你和赫斯正在建的爱巢的钥匙吧。”克莱尔的声音听起来并不像她想说的那么轻松。

Nigel’s pale blue eyes regarded her steadily. “If ever I set up a love nest again, it won’t be with her. And you know it.”

奈杰尔淡蓝色的眼睛目不转睛地看着她。“就算我再建立爱巢，也不会是和她在一起。你是知道的。”

WhenClareMassingerhadleft,heturnedoverthekeyinhishand.Itwasthe weakest point in this scheme. Hesione must know very well what he wanted it for, and he could not be certain that her past infatuation for Gray would not cause her to repent of thus betraying him. Well, the risk had to be taken. Someone must go through Gray’s flat, and the police had good reasons for not doing it themselves as yet: a police search might spring the mine sooner than was advisable—Gray must not know just how close upon his heels they were; andsecondly,SuperintendentBlounthadinformedNigelthatveryconsiderable influence was being brought to bear upon the Yard, from a quarter hisAssistant Commissionerwouldnotdivulge,tolayoffAlecGray.TheYard,Nigelknewas well as Blount, was politically incorruptible. But it meant that any action taken against Gray must be backed by an absolutely watertight case, or else there would be a most unholy row and heads wouldroll.

克莱尔·马辛格离开后，奈杰尔把手里的钥匙翻过来。这是这个计划中最薄弱的环节。赫西奥妮一定很清楚他想拿钥匙的目的，他不能肯定赫西奥妮过去对格雷的迷恋是否会让她后悔背叛了格雷。必须冒这个险。必须有人搜查格雷的寓所，但警察有充分的理由不亲自动手，因为警方的搜查可能会打草惊蛇，并不明智。格雷一定不知道他们离他有多近。第二，布朗特警司已通知奈杰尔，他的助理警司有一个不愿透露的隐情，正在对警察厅产生相当大的影响，要求别碰亚历克·格雷。奈杰尔和布朗特一样清楚，伦敦警察厅在政治上是清廉的。但这意味着，对格雷采取的任何行动都必须有绝对无懈可击的证据支持，否则就会造成非常不利的争吵，有人会因此而头大。

That afternoon Nigel was smuggled out of the hospital and driven to a friend’shouse.Alittlebeforeseven-thirtyintheevening,thedecorumofRadley Gardens was assailed by music from an ancient, wheezing gramophone. This instrument was being slowly pushed up the street in a pram, which had painted on its sides: Old Clown. Out of work. Spare a tanner for Toto. The individual pushing the pram would have wrung the heart of a Scrooge: tall, stooping, cadaverous;tatteredplimsollsonhisfeet;infilthy,patchedclothes,hiswrinkled face almost invisible behind a jungle of hair, Toto tottered up Radley Gardens, radiating an aura of utter melancholy which the gramophone, tinnily screaming out I Pagliacci, did nothing toalleviate.

那天下午奈杰尔被偷运出医院，送到一个朋友家。傍晚将近七点半的时候，拉德利花园的庄严气派被一台古老的、呼哧呼哧的留声机放出的音乐所破坏。这个留声机被装在婴儿车里慢慢推上街道，车身两侧写着：老小丑。失业。给托托六便士吧。那个推着婴儿车的人会让一个吝啬鬼心碎：高大、驼背、形容枯槁；脚上穿着破烂的帆布鞋；身上穿着打补丁的脏衣服，满是皱纹的脸几乎隐藏在乱蓬蓬的头发后面。这个叫托托的人蹒跚地走在拉德利花园里，散发着一种极度忧郁的气氛，留声机放的是歌剧《丑角》^[5]第一幕的曲子，也丝毫没有减轻这种气氛。

A taxi was waiting outside No. 34. As the old clown approached, his faded blue eyes were rejoiced by the sight of a beautiful dark girl, in a flame-colored evening dress, emerge from the house, followed by a pin-headed, slick-hairedman. When she saw the dismal object wheeling the pram, she took a shilling from her bag. Averting those faded blue eyes, the clown held out a filthy claw, and in a husk of a voice said, “Thank you, lady. Gawd bless you.”

一辆出租车正等在34号门外。当老小丑走近时，他那双褪色的蓝眼睛因看到一个皮肤黝黑的漂亮女孩从房子里出来而欣喜不已，她穿着火红色的晚礼服，后面跟着一个平头、头发光溜的男人。当女孩看到那个可怜的东西推着婴儿车时，她从包里掏出一先令。小丑转开褪色的蓝眼睛，伸出一只肮脏的手，声音低沉地说：“谢谢你，女士。上帝保佑你。”

Ah well, thought Nigel as the taxi moved off, if Clare could not recognize me, Alec Gray certainly did not. He wheeled his deplorable pram to the end of the street, collecting a few coppers thrown from windows en route; then, going downadesertedcul-de-saconthefarsideofCampdenHillRoad,hedisposedof pram and gramophone among the debris of a bombed site, put on a long cloak andsombrerohatwhichhadbeenconcealedinthepram,andreturnedtoRadley Gardens with a large, rolling gait, the image of a genuine, if disreputable, painter.HeenteredNo.34,wentupstairs,lethimselfintoGray’sflat,closedthe doorandputitonthechain,drewthecurtains,andswitchedonthelight.

出租车开走时，奈杰尔想，如果克莱尔认不出我，亚历克·格雷肯定也认不出。他把那可怜的婴儿车推到街道的尽头，在路上捡了几个从窗户扔下来的铜板；然后，他沿着坎普登山路对面一条废弃的小路走下去，把婴儿车和留声机扔在一个被炸毁的废墟中，穿上藏在婴儿车里的长斗篷和宽边帽，步履蹒跚地回到拉德利花园，仿佛一个真正的画家，尽管名声不佳。他进了34号房间，上了楼，进了格雷的公寓，关上门，挂上链子，拉上窗帘，打开灯。

His next step was to find an escape route, if there was such a thing. If Clare playedherpartcorrectly,andtelephonedthenumberhehadgivenher,hewould not need it; but one couldn’t be too careful. A little prospecting discovered the ladderwhichleduptotheroofgarden;andwarilyinvestigatingthis,Nigelfound a fire escape leading down the back wall of the house. He returned to thesitting room. With his usual blatant disregard for his neighbors, Gray had left theradio playing at full blast. This was most convenient. It would cover any noise Nigel might make. Throwing off cloak and hat, putting on a pair of gloves, he looked round theroom.

他的下一步就是找到一条逃跑路线，如果真有这么一条路的话。如果克莱尔把她的角色演对了，打了他给她的那个号码，他就不需要这么做。但还是小心为妙。稍作探查，便发现了通向屋顶花园的梯子。奈杰尔小心翼翼地调查了一下，发现了一条通向房子后墙的防火通道。他回到客厅。格雷一如既往地公然漠视他的邻居，把收音机开到最大音量。这真是太方便了。可以盖住 奈杰尔可能发出的任何响声。他脱下斗篷和帽子，戴上手套，环视了一下房间。

It was furnished and decorated with a good deal more taste than Nigel had expected. The radio and cocktail cabinet were vulgar enough; but over the mantelpiece, which was littered with invitation cards, there hung a tolerable Utrillo, and on the wall facing it a really fine Vuillard interior. A grand piano stoodinonecorner,asaxophoneandaguitarleanedagainstanother.Therewere two enormous armchairs, an expensive-looking divan, and a walnut escritoire. Nigel moved over to the latter. He had a jemmy in his pocket, and no scruples about breaking drawers open, for he intended the job to look like a straight burglary.Inthepresentinstance,however,noviolencewasneeded.Thedrawers of the escritoire were not locked, and Nigel began methodically to go through the papers theycontained….

这里的家具和装饰都比奈杰尔想象的更有品味。收音机和鸡尾酒柜已经够俗了；在那摆满请帖的壁炉台上，挂着一幅相当漂亮的郁特里罗^[6]画作，对面的墙上挂着一幅非常精美的维亚尔^[7]室内画。一个角落里放着一架三角钢琴，一个角落里放着萨克斯管和一把吉他。有两把巨大的扶手椅，一张看上去很昂贵的长沙发椅和一个胡桃木的写字台。奈杰尔转向了后者。他口袋里装着一把撬棍，可以毫无顾忌地撬开抽屉，因为他想把这件事弄得像入室行窃。然而，在目前的情况下，不需要使用暴力，因为绅士的抽屉没有上锁。奈杰尔开始有条不紊地检查里面的文件。

 

《黎明死亡线》选文

She leaned there bound and helpless in the dark. They’d never make that bus now. Poor Quinn would wait there for her at the Graves house with the dead man to keep him company, until broad daylight; until someone happened on him there, and gave the alarm, and they arrested him for it. And that would be the end of it; he’d never be able to clear himself. After all, this Bristol woman and her partner hadn’t left anything half as incriminating behind them over there as that broken-into wall safe that he was responsible for. She could accuse them all she wanted to afterwards — that is, if she survived this walling up alive — but it wouldn’t do any good. She hadn’t been an eye-witness to his first entry; she hadn’t even set eyes on him until afterwards. Her word would be worthless.

她在黑暗中无助地倚在那里。他们现在绝对赶不上那班公共汽车了。可怜的奎因会在格雷夫斯的房子里等她，陪着死者直到天明：到后来有人在那里遇见他，报了警，警察会因此逮捕他。一切就此结束；他永远无法洗脱罪名。毕竟，这个叫布里斯托尔的女人和她的伴侣在那里留下的东西，远不及他负责的那个破墙保险箱的一半有罪。她以后可以随心所欲地指控他们——也就是说，如果她能在这堵墙里活下来的话——但这也于事无补。她并不是他第一次进来时的目击者；直到后来她才看见他。她的话毫无价值。

Precious minutes ticking by. Minutes that were drops of her heart’s blood. It must be all of five-thirty by now. In another ten minutes at the latest she and Quinn should have been starting for the bus terminal. What a fat chance now. She might have known the city would outsmart them. It always did. Just a small-town boy and a small-town girl — what chance did they have against such an antagonist? He’d go up the river to the electric chair. And she’d turn into a tough-gutted chain-dancer in a treadmill, without a heart, without a hope, without even a dream anymore.

宝贵的时间一分一秒地过去。这几分钟里她的心脏在滴血。现在一定五点半了。最迟再过十分钟，她和奎因就该动身去公共汽车终点站了。现在机会真渺茫。她原本可能知道这个城市会比他们聪明。总是如此。只是一个小镇男孩和一个小镇女孩——他们对抗这样一个对手有什么胜算？奎因会逆流而上直到坐电椅。她会在重复单调的生活中变成一个冷酷无情的链舞者，没有心，没有希望，甚至不再有梦想。

Precious minutes trickling by, that couldn’t be stopped, that couldn’t be called back again.

宝贵的时间一分一秒地过去，无法停止，也无法再唤回。

Suddenly that other door outside had reopened and someone was in the room again. For a minute wild hope flashed through her mind. Ah, the happy ending, the camera finish, like in the storybooks, like in the pictures! Someone to rescue her in the nick of time. The besotted hotel clerk come up to investigate, his suspicions aroused by her non-reappearance when they left? Or maybe even Quinn himself, drawn here by some miraculous sixth sense —

突然，外面的另一扇门又开了，有人又进来了。刹那间，她脑子里闪过了疯狂的希望。啊，拍摄结束，结局圆满，像在故事书里，像在电影里！在紧要关头有人来救她。醉醺醺的酒店职员上来调查，因为当他们离开时，她没有出现引起了他的怀疑。或者奎因自己，被神奇的第六感吸引到这里……

Then a voice spoke, cottony with subdued rage, and the bottom dropped out of her hopes again. It was Griff, Bristol’s accomplice. The two of them had come back again. Maybe to finish her off, here and now, on the spot.

“Why’dn’t you think of that sooner, you half-witted dope? What’s the matter, your brain missing a cylinder?”

“I’m going to ask her now,” Bristol’s voice answered him grimly. “I would’ve the first time, only you came out of there too fast for me. There must have been something there that tipped her off to me. It’s a cinch she didn’t pull my name and address out of a trick hat —”

然后一个声音说话了，带着压抑的愤怒，她的希望又破灭了。是格里夫，布里斯托尔的同谋。他们两个又回来了。也许要在此时此地，当场了结她。

“你为什么不早点想到这点呢，你这个笨蛋？怎么了，你的脑子短路了？”

“我现在就去问她，”布里斯托尔的声音冷酷地回答他。“本来刚开始我就想问的，只是你从那里出来得太快了。一定有什么暗中指引她找到我。她肯定不是从魔术帽里把我的名字和地址给变出来的——”

The closet door swung out and blinding light spilled over her, shutting off her eyes for a moment. She was aware of herself being loosened from the hook that had held her fast. She was hauled out into the open once more, between the two of them. The towel gag was lowered sufficiently to enable her to speak.

壁橱的门打开了，耀眼的光线洒在她身上，她闭上了眼睛。她意识到自己从那紧紧钩住她的钩子上松了下来。她又被拖到他们两人之间的空地上。塞住嘴的毛巾放得足够低，使她能说话。

Joan Bristol held the back of her hand poised threateningly toward her lips, ready to swing it and flatten them. “Now you try to scream and I’ll dent you in!”

She couldn’t have, even if she’d wanted to. All she could do was pant and sag exhaustedly against the man who was holding her up.

Bristol raised a hand to her hair, took a half turn in it, and drew her head back at a taut inclination. “Now, no stalling. What I want to know is this: just what was it over at Graves’s place that hooked you onto me? How’d you know I knew him, and how’d you know where to find me? I’m going to let you have it, and I’m going to keep on letting you have it, until you give me the straight goods on it!”

琼·布里斯托尔举起手背，威胁地指着布里基的嘴唇，准备随时挥手，把她嘴唇压平。“现在你敢尖叫，我就抽你！”

即使她想叫，也做不到。她所能做的只是气喘吁吁，无精打采地靠在那个扶着她的男人身上。

布里斯托尔举起一只手去抓她的头发，转了半圈，然后将她的头向后拉紧。“现在,少废话。我想知道的是：到底格雷夫斯那儿发生了什么事让你盯上我？你怎么知道我认识他，你怎么知道在哪能找到我？你要不说，我要继续让你吃苦头，直到你告诉我实话！”

Bricky answered in a muffled but unhesitant voice. “You dropped your hotel bill over there. I found it lying in the room with him.”

The blow, when it came, was rabid and with a sound like a paper bag full of water dropping from a third-floor window, but it wasn’t from Bristol to Bricky, it was from her own teammate to Bristol. She staggered five or six steps back away from the commingled little group they made.

布里基用低沉但毫不迟疑的声音回答：“你把旅馆账单掉在那边了。我发现账单和他一起在地上。”

猛地响起一巴掌，听起来像一个装满水的纸袋从三楼的窗户掉了下来，但不是布里斯托尔打布里基，而是布里斯托尔的队友打她。她踉踉跄跄地走了五六步，脱离他们。

“Why, you —!” he grated. “I mighta known you’d do something like that! It’s as good as leaving your calling card sticking out of his vest pocket! I oughta slap you down to the soles of your feet!”

“She’s lying!” Joan Bristol shrilled, one side of her face slowly reddening as with an eczema. “I could swear I still saw it in my handbag after I got back here —!”

“Did you take it out to show it to him? Answer me! Did you? Yes or not?”

“Yes, I did — I — you know, as part of the buildup, to show him how bad I needed money. That was at the start, before he got tough about it. But I know I put it back again, Griff! I know I brought it back here with me!”

他勃然大怒：“为什么,你……我早知道你会做这种事！这就像把你的名片留在他的背心口袋里一样！我要把你全身打烂！”

“她在说谎！”琼·布里斯托尔尖叫着，一边的脸慢慢地变红，就像湿疹一样。“我敢发誓，我回到这里以后，我还看见它在我的手提包里……！”

“你拿出来给他看了吗？回答我！是吗？是或不是？”

“是的，我确实——我——你知道，作为债务积累的一部分，我想让他知道我是多么需要钱。那是开始的时候，在他变得强硬之前。但我知道我又把它放回去了，格里夫！我知道我把它带回来了！”

Bricky shook her head, within his boa constrictor-like grasp. “It fell out. It was for seventeen dollars and eighty-nine cents. It had ‘Past Due’ stamped on it, in sort of purple ink. It even had your room number on it.”

He gave her a merciless shake. “Did you bring it here with you? What’d you do with it? Where is it?”

“I left it there where it was. I was afraid to touch anything. I left everything just the way I found it.”

Bristol closed in again, the sting of the punitive blow evidently lessened by now. “Don’t take her word for it, she may have brought it with her. Frisk her and see if it’s on her.”

“You do it, you’re a dame. You ought to know where — I’ll hold her.”

布里基费力地摇摇头，那男人像大蟒蛇一样抓着她。“它掉了出来。金额是17美元89美分。上面用紫色墨水印着“过期”字样。上面甚至还有你的房间号。”

他狠狠地摇了她一下。“你把账单带来了吗？你想用它做什么？它在哪里？”

“我把它留在原地了。我什么都不敢碰。我把一切都照我发现时的样子留在那儿。”

布里斯托尔再次靠近，刚才惩罚性一击的剧痛现在明显减轻了。“别相信她的话，她可能带来了。搜搜看是不是在她身上。”

“你来搜，你是女人。你应该知道在哪里，我抓着她。”

《名誉》选文

A Big, Brown Trout

London, July 1978

 

一条褐色大鳟鱼

伦敦，1978年7月

 

When Yunus ran into Tobiko after weeks of desperate searching, hewasovercomewithamixtureof reliefanddread.Reliefathaving found her, when he had almost given up hope, but also a harrowingfearoflosingheragain.Heclungtoherlikeaclamtoits shell.

尤努斯绝望地搜寻了几个星期，终于遇到托比科时，他感到既宽慰又害怕。感到宽慰的是当他几乎放弃希望时找到了她。但同时也害怕再次失去她。他紧紧地抱住她，像一只蚌。

Shehadchangedsomewhat,gainedabitofweight.Herhair,dark andshinylikeablackpebbleinrain,wasstilllong,buttheendswere nowdyedanincandescentgreen.Shehadreplacedthesilverpiercing onherbottomlipwithasparklingstud.Oneachearlobeshewore half-a-dozencrimsonhearts,astinyandbrightasdropletsofblood. Yunuscountedthem,noticing,onceagain,howsmallherearswere and how verypretty.

她有些变化，体重增加了一点。她的头发乌黑发亮，就像雨中一颗黑色的小石子，依然很长，但发梢却染成了闪亮的绿色。她用闪闪发光的金属扣代替了她下唇上穿孔的银饰。她每边耳垂上都戴着半打深红色的心形耳饰，小得像血滴一样明亮。尤努斯数了数，又一次注意到她的耳朵是多么小巧，多么漂亮。

Tight-lipped, Tobiko refused to explain where she had beenall thistimeorwhyshehadfailedtoleaveanote.Hereandthere.Needed achangeofair,pet.Yunuswasannoyedtolearnwhereshewasstaying: inathree-bedroommaisonettewiththeCaptainandhismother.A fewothersfromthesquatwerealsothere.

托比科守口如瓶，拒绝解释自己一直在哪里，也拒绝解释自己为什么没有留下字条。“这里那里到处都住。需要换换空气，宝贝。”尤努斯知道她住在什么地方，心里很不高兴：她与船长和他的母亲住在一个三居室的复式公寓里。另外几个占屋者也在那里。

TheCaptain’smother,MrsPowell,wasaretiredteacher,awidow. Inreality,shehadlittletoleranceforthegroupunderherroof,but shehadagreedtohostthemforawhileinthehopeofspendingmore timewithheronlyson.Shehadmovedintothebedroomupstairs withherTVandhot-waterbottle,leavingtherestoftheflattothe punks.Sheseldomventuredoutofherroom,havingallhermeals there,pretendingnottonoticetheincessantcommotionorthesmell of weed coming fromdownstairs.

船长的母亲鲍威尔夫人（MrsPowell）是一位退休教师，一个寡妇。事实上，她对住在自己家里的这群人几乎没有什么宽容之心，但她已经同意接待他们一段时间，希望能有更多的时间和她唯一的儿子在一起。她带着电视和热水壶搬进了楼上的卧室，把公寓的其余部分留给了这些朋克青年。她很少走出自己的房间，吃饭全在那里，假装没有注意到楼下不断传来的骚动和野草的气味。

ThefirsttimeYunusvisitedthepunksinthatflat,hesatonthe sofa next to Tobiko, small andsmiling.

尤努斯第一次去那套公寓拜访朋克们，他坐在托比科旁边的沙发上，身材矮小，面带微笑。

‘It’satemporarysolution,’saidtheCaptainbywayofexplanation.‘Untilwegobacktoouroldplace.We’regonnabringeveryone togetheragain.’

“这是一个临时的解决办法，”船长解释道。“等我们回到原来的地方，我们要再把所有人聚集在一起。”

‘We’regettingourhousebackandthistimenobody’sgonnakick usout. We’ve learnedourlesson,’saidBogart,acigarettebetweenhis lips,andaguitarwithonlytwostringsinhishand.‘We’llkicktheir arses.’

“我们要把房子收回来，这次没人会把我们赶出去。我们已经吸取了教训，”博加特（Bogart）嘴上夹着一根香烟，手里拿着两根琴弦的吉他，说道，“我们会踢爆他们的屁股。”

Therewassomeonenewwiththemwhohadnohairexceptfora mopontop,whichhehaddyeddifferentshadesoforange.Hewas nicknamedMrFilchbecausehedidn’tbelieveintheneedtopayfor anything–books,LPs,food,underwear.OnceheliftedapairofDoc Martens,carryingabootinsideeachsleeveofhisgabardinecoat. Now,sittingbackwithagrin,MrFilchinterjected,‘Yeah,you’relike cats. Licking yourwounds.’

他们有个新朋友，除了头顶蓬乱的一把之外没有头发，他把这一把头发染成了不同色度的橙色。他被昵称为费尔奇^[8]先生，因为他不相信任何东西都需要付钱——书、黑胶唱片、食物、内衣。有一次，他提着一对马丁靴，在他那件华达呢上衣的每只袖子里装一只靴子。“现在，”费尔奇先生插嘴说，“是的，你就像猫一样。舔着你的伤口。”

Yunuslistenedtotheirblather,gladtohavetheminhislifeagain, oddly soothed by their unconventional ways. Noticing hishappiness, Bogartremarked,‘Thekidislikeacattoo.’

尤努斯听着他们的喋喋不休，很高兴他们又回到了他的生活中，奇怪的是他们非传统的生活方式使他得到了安慰。博加特注意到他的快乐，说：“这孩子也像猫一样。”

‘Andyou’rehiscosylittlebasket,’theCaptainsaidtoTobikowith awink.

“而你是他那舒适的小篮子，”船长对托比科眨眨眼说。

Tobikolaughedbutonlyalittle,soasnottooffendYunus.To changethesubject,sheturnedtoBogartandasked,‘Whatwasthat you were playing?’

托比科只是微微一笑，以免冒犯尤努斯。为了改变话题，她转向博加特，问道：“你在玩什么?”

‘Oh,it’sasongIcomposed.YouknowIwasthinkingthesquat raidwasourBloodySunday.Sortof.SoImadethissong.It’scalled BloodyTuesday.’

“哦，这是我写的一首歌。你知道我认为占屋袭击是我们的血色星期日。某种程度上。所以我做了这首歌，就叫血色星期二。”

Needingnofurtherincentive,Bogartbegantosing.Themelody was terrible, the lyrics evenworse.

不需要更多激励，博加特开始唱歌。旋律不好听，歌词更糟糕。

I’montheedge,I’monthedole, LikeastoneItumbledintothishole,

Thishole,thishole,thishole,thishole. TheOldBilldon’tringbeforetheyhaul, BloodyTuesday,worstdayofall.

Riseagainstthesystem!Ithasnosoul!

Nosoul,nosoul,nosoul,nosoul.

我身处边缘，我需要救济，

像一块石头，我跌进这个洞里，

这个洞，这个洞，这个洞，这个洞。

老比尔^[9]抓人之前，警笛不会响起，

血色星期二，最悲惨的一日。

反对这个体制！它没有灵魂!

没有灵魂，没有灵魂，没有灵魂，没有灵魂。

Iggy Pop – wearing an Afghan waistcoat and a buff-coloured T-shirt so short that it barely covered his nipples – plugged his ears with his fingers. ‘Ow, can’t you shut your bleedin’ gob!’

伊基·波普穿着一件阿富汗式的马甲和一件短得几乎盖不住乳头的暗黄色T恤，用手指堵住耳朵。“啊，你不能闭上你那该死的臭嘴吗？”

‘What?’ Bogart exclaimed, stopping halfway. ‘It’s shite, man,’ said Iggy Pop.

“什么？”博加特大声说道，中途停了下来。“唱得太烂了，伙计。”伊基·波普说。

‘Itwasn’tevenaTuesday,’saidTobiko.‘ItwasWednesdaywhen theyraided.’

“根本不是在星期二，”托比科说。“他们突袭的时候是在星期三。”

Bogart frowned. ‘Says who?’

博加特皱起眉头说：“谁说的？”

Yunus listened, half amused, half worried, knowing howeasily theycould move fromchildishmerrimenttooutrightwarwhenthey were stoned, slamming the doors, shouting and swearing, at one another or atthemselves.

尤努斯听了，一半好笑，一半忧虑，他知道，当他们被石头攻击、砰地关上门、互相大喊大叫、咒骂他人或自己时，他们可以轻易地从幼稚的嬉戏变为直接的争斗。

‘Whatdoyoulotknow?Youknob-heads,’scoffedBogart.He paused for a moment, scowling at Tobiko. ‘You don’t flipping remember what you had forbreakfast.’

“你们都知道些什么？你们这些蠢蛋，”博加特嘲笑道。他停了一会儿，对托比科怒视着说：“你该死的都不记得你早餐吃了什么。”

‘Let’s ask Yunus,’ suggested Tobiko. ‘He’s neutral.’

“我们问问尤努斯，”托比科建议，“他是中立的。”

‘Neutralmyarse,’theCaptainobjected.‘He’ssosoftonyou,say snow is black, and he’d totallyagree.’

“我的屁股才中立，”船长反对道。“他对你太好了，你说雪是黑的，他也会完全同意。”

Blushingprofuselybutfeigningignorance,Yunusknewhehadto saysomething–aremarkinterestingenoughtodistractthem.Sohe announced, ‘I want to have atattoo.’

尤努斯满脸通红，但假装不理会，他知道他必须说点什么——说点有趣的，足以分散他们的注意力。于是他宣布：“我想弄个纹身。”

Bogart chuckled. ‘Whoa! This lad is cool!’

博加特咯咯地笑了。“哇！这个小伙子酷！”

‘We’lldoit,’saidIggyPop.‘Noproblem.I’mthebesttattooartist intown.’

“我们来做吧，”伊基·波普说。“没问题。我是镇上最好的纹身师。”

‘Darlin’, won’t your mam get upset?’ Tobiko asked tenderly. Yunus had already thought about this. ‘Well, she will if she sees it.But if you put it somewhere on my back, she won’t know.’

“亲爱的，你妈妈不会心难过吗？”托比科温柔地问道。尤努斯已经考虑过这一点。“好吧，如果她看到了，她会的。但如果你把它放在我的背上，她就不会知道。”

‘Clever boy,’ said Mr Filch.

“聪明的小伙，”费尔奇先生说。

‘I’llgoandfetchtheset,’saidIggyPop,rubbinghishandstogether.

“我去拿那套东西，”伊基·波普搓着手说。

‘AndIneedtohaveapee,’saidYunusquietly.

“我需要去小便，”尤努斯平静地说。

Upstairs,thereweretwodoors,oneoneachsideofthecorridor. Afterabriefhesitation,Yunusopenedtheoneontheleft.Hewas surprisedtoseeawomansittinginbedinamauvenightgown, munchingfromaboxofRitzcrackers,watchingthenewepisodeof TheSouthBankShow.Herhairwasabird’snestandshemusthavebeen crying, as there were streaks of mascara on her cheeks. She looked slightly bonkers.

楼上有两扇门，走廊两边各有一扇。犹豫片刻之后，尤努斯打开了左边的那扇门。他惊讶地看到一个女人穿着淡紫色的睡衣坐在床上，一边吃着一盒丽兹饼干，一边观看《南岸秀》的最新一集。她的头发像个鸟巢，她一定哭过了，因为她的脸颊上有几道睫毛膏的印子。她看起来有点疯狂。

‘Sorry, ma’am.’

“对不起，夫人。”

Yunuswasabouttoclosethedoorwhenthewomanmurmured withouttakinghereyesoffthescreen,‘Aretheyrecruitingyou?’

尤努斯正要关上门，那女人的眼睛一直盯着屏幕，喃喃地说：“他们在招募你吗？”

Theboystoppedinhistracks,notsureifthewordshadbeen addressed to him.‘Pardon?’

男孩停住了脚步，不知道这些话是不是说给他听的。于是他问：“什么？”

‘Aretheyrecruitingyou?’thewomanrepeated.‘Willyoubethe youngest delinquent inEngland?’

“他们在招募你吗？”这个女人重复道。“你会成为英国最年轻的少年犯吗？”

‘No,’ Yunus replied, alarmed.

“不是的，”尤努斯回答道，有点惊慌。

‘That’s good,’ she said, still talking to the TV. ‘All my life I’ve worked with children, but I can’t help my own son.’

“那很好，”她说，还在对着电视讲话。“我一生都和孩子们一起工作，但我帮不了自己的儿子。”

NowYunuslookedatthewomanmorecarefully,recognizingMrs Powell,theteacherwhohadcometoseehisparentsabouthissister’s education.HealsosawhowmuchsheresembledtheCaptain–wide forehead, long nose with round tip, slightly protruding flint-grey eyes.

现在尤努斯更仔细地打量着这个女人，认出她是鲍威尔夫人，曾经来拜访自己父母了解姐姐教育情况的那位老师。他也看到了她长得多么像船长——宽前额，长鼻子，圆鼻尖，微微突出的火石般灰色的眼睛。

‘Whenmysonwasyouragehewassoadorable,’shewenton.‘Childrenaredelightfulwhenthey’rebabies,butthentheystarttowalkandbreakeverything,andwhentheygrowuptheyhateyou!’

“我儿子像你这么大的时候，他非常可爱，”她继续说着。“孩子们在婴儿时期是可爱的，但是接着他们开始走路，破坏一切，再当他们长大后，他们就恨你！”

MrsPowellturnedtowardsYunus,hergazeasearchlight.Thereweredarkbagsunderhereyes.Shelookedtired,inneedofagoodsleep.‘Whatdoyoucallyourmother,darling?’

鲍威尔夫人转向尤努斯，目光如炬。她的眼睛下面有黑眼袋。她看起来很疲倦，需要好好睡一觉。她问道：“你怎么称呼你妈妈，亲爱的？”

‘I . . . I call her “Mum”,’ saidYunus.

“我……我叫她‘妈妈’，”尤努斯说。

‘Well,tellhershe’saluckywoman.Mysoncallsme“TheSystem”. HethinksI’mabourgeoisbuffoon!’Shesighed.‘Doyouthinkhe’s right?’

“告诉她她是个幸运的女人。我儿子叫我‘体制’。他认为我是个资产阶级小丑！”她叹了口气。“你认为他是对的吗？”

‘Oh, no,’ Yunus said, perturbed. He remembered having promised Tobikoawhileagothathewouldneverletthesystemgetanywhere nearhim.Yethedidn’ttaketohisheels.‘Ithinkyou’reabeautiful lady,MrsPowell.Youjusthavetoseeyourselfinsunshine.’

“哦，不，”尤努斯不安地说。他记得曾经答应过托比科不会让体制接近他。然而他并没有避开。“我认为你是一位美丽的女士，鲍威尔夫人。你只需要在阳光下看到自己。”

Thewomanstoodstunnedforamomentbeforeshebrokeintoa chuckle.Ahuskycroak,butwhenshelookedagaintherewasanew sparkleinhereyes.‘That’sthesweetestthingI’veheardlately.’

那女人站在那里呆了一会儿，突然咯咯地笑了起来。嗓音粗哑，但是当她再抬眼看时，她的眼睛里放出新的光彩。“这是我最近听到的最甜蜜的事情。”

‘Cheers, ma’am.’

“再见，夫人。”

WhenYunusreturnedtothelivingroom,hefoundTobikosittingbythewindow,lookingatabirdinthegarden,itsfeathersiridescent intheafternoonsun.Shehadtwomugsofhotchocolateready.As theysippedtheirdrinks,Yunus ventured,‘MayIaskyousomething?’

当尤努斯回到客厅时，他发现托比科坐在窗前，看着花园里的一只鸟，它的羽毛在午后的阳光下闪闪发光。她准备了两杯热巧克力。当他们呷饮料时，尤努斯鼓起勇气问：“我可以问你个问题吗?”

‘Sure, pet.’

“当然，宝贝。”

‘Aboutsecrets,’hesaidnervously.‘Mysistersaysyoushouldnever sharethemwithanyone.Notevenareed.’

“关于秘密，”他紧张地说。“我姐姐说秘密不应该和任何人分享。哪怕一根芦苇。”

Tobiko studied him curiously. ‘I’m not sure whatyou’re talking about.’

托比科好奇地盯着他。“我不确定你在说什么。”

‘IsupposeI’mtryingtoask...Ifthereisapersonyouloveand thatpersonhasasecretthatnobodyknowsandit’sabitembarrassing...butyoufinditout.Doyouthinkyoushouldtellherthator not?’

“我想我是在问……如果有一个你爱的人，而那个人有一个不为人知的秘密，这有点尴尬……但你发现了。你觉得你应该告诉她吗?”

‘Wow,that’satoughone.Ithinkyou’dbetterkeepshtoom,then.’

“哇，这就艰难了。我觉得你最好还是保持沉默。”

AndwiththosewordsTobikoplacedherheadontheboy’sshoulder,carefully,notwithherfullweight.Yunus’sheartpulsedinthehollow of his throat. He wished the moment could go onfor ever.ButsoontheCaptainandtheothersreturned,carryingaboxofneedles and tattoo designs.

说着这些话，托比科轻轻地把头靠在男孩的肩膀上，而不是全身都靠着。尤努斯的心快要跳出喉咙。他希望这一刻永远继续下去。但很快，船长和其他人回来了，手里拿着一盒针和纹身图案。

‘Allrightie.Let’sgettowork,’saidIggyPop.‘Look,thiscould hurt a bit. Is thatokay?’

“好了，我们开始吧，”伊基·波普说。“听着，这可能会有点疼。可以吗？”

Yunus nodded, biting his lip.

尤努斯点点头，咬着嘴唇。

‘Andwhatkindoftattoowouldyoulike?Aword?Asymbol?’

“你想要哪种类型的纹身？一个字？还是一个符号？”

‘Canyoumakemeawhale,please?’askedYunus.‘Liketheonethat swallowed the prophet.’

“请你给我纹一条鲸鱼可以吗？”尤努斯问。“就像吞下先知的那条。”

When the tattoo was finished, it looked more like a big, brown trout–thefishthatGrandmaNazehad,inanotherlife,inabygone world, wished tobecome.

当纹身完成后，它看起来更像一条巨大的棕色鳟鱼——在另一个生命中，一个过去的世界里，纳兹奶奶希望变成的那条鱼。

 

《平台资本主义》选文

3 Great Platform Wars平台大战

If platforms are the emerging business model for the digital economy, how do they appear when set in the longer history of capitalism? In particular, up to this point we have largely left out one of the fundamental drivers of capitalism: intracapitalist competition. In Chapter 1 we set out the context of the long downturn – that period since the 1970s when the global economy has been saddled by overcapacity and overproduction in the manufacturing sector. As companies were unwilling and unable to destroy their fixed capital or to invest in new lines, international competition has steadily continued and, alongside it, the crisis of overcapacity in manufacturing. Unable to generate growth in this situation, in the 1990s theUnited States began trying to stimulate the economy through an asset-price Keynesianism that operated by inducing low interest rates in order to generate higher asset prices and a wealth effect that would spark broader economic growth.This led to the dot-com boom of the 1990s and to the housing bubble of the early years of the twenty-first century. Today, as we saw in the previous chapter, asset-price Keynesianism continues apace and is one of the fundamental drivers behind the current mania for tech start-ups. Yet, behind the shiny new technology and slick façade of app interfaces, what broader consequences do these new firms hold for capitalism? In this chapter we will step back to look at the tendencies unleashed by these new firms into the broader economic environment of the long downturn. Some argue that capitalism renews itself through the creation and adoption of new technological complexes: steam and railways, steel and heavy engineering, automobiles and petrochemicals – and now information and communications technologies.1 Are we witnessing the adoption of a new infrastructure that might revive capitalism’s moribund growth? Will competition survive in the digital era, or are we headed for a new monopoly capitalism?

如果说平台是数字经济的新兴商业模式，那么在资本主义的漫长历史中，它们是如何出现的呢？特别是到目前为止，我们在很大程度上忽略了资本主义的一个根本驱动因素：资本主义内部的竞争。在第一章中，我们阐述了长期低迷的背景——自20世纪70年代以来，全球经济一直受到制造业产能过剩和生产过剩的困扰。由于企业不愿也无法破坏固定资本或投资新的行业，国际竞争稳步持续，随之而来的是制造业产能过剩的危机。在这种情况下，在20世纪90年代，美国开始试图通过一种资产价格凯恩斯主义来刺激经济，这种凯恩斯主义通过降低利率来产生更高的资产价格和财富效应，从而引发更广泛的经济增长。这导致了20世纪90年代的互联网繁荣，以及21世纪初的房地产泡沫。今天，正如我们在前一章所看到的，资产价格凯恩斯主义仍在迅速发展，是当前对科技初创企业的狂热背后的根本驱动因素之一。然而，在大放异彩的新技术和光鲜亮丽的应用程序界面背后，这些新公司对资本主义有什么更广泛的影响呢？在本章中，我们将回过头来看看这些新公司在长期低迷的经济环境中所表现出的趋势。有人认为，资本主义通过创造和采用新的技术复合体而重新发展：蒸汽和铁路、钢铁和重型工程、汽车和石化产品，以及现在的信息和通信技术。^[[i]]我们是否正在见证一种新的基础设施得到采用，它能使资本主义奄奄一息的经济复苏吗？在数字时代，竞争会继续存在吗？还是我们会走向新的垄断资本主义？

With network effects, a tendency towards monopolisation is built into the DNA of platforms: the more numerous the users who interact on a platform, the more valuable the entire plat-form becomes for each one of them. Network effects, moreover, tend to mean that early advantages become solidified as permanent positions of industry leadership. Platforms also have a unique ability to link together and consolidate multiple network effects. Uber, for instance, benefits from the network effects of more and more drivers as well as from the network effects of more and more riders.2 Leading platforms tend consciously to perpetuate themselves in other ways as well. Advantages in data collection mean that the more activities a firm has access to, the more data it can extract and the more value it can generate from those data, and therefore the more activities it can gain access to. Equally, access to a multitude of data from different areas of our life makes prediction more useful, and this stimulates the centralisation of data within one platform. We give Google access to our email, our calendars, our video histories, our search histories, our locations– and, with each aspect provided to Google, we get better predictive services as a result. Likewise,platforms aim to facilitate complementary products: useful software built for Android leads more users to use Android, which leads more developers to develop for Android, and so on, in a virtuous circle. Platforms also seek to build up ecosystems of goods and services that close off competitors: apps that only work with Android, services that require Facebook logins. All these dynamics turn platforms into monopolies with centralised control over increasingly vast numbers of users and the data they generate. We can get a sense of how significant these monopolies already are by looking at how they consolidate ad revenue: in 2016 Facebook, Google, and Alibaba alone will take half of the world’s digital advertising.3 In the United States, Facebook and Google receive 76 per cent of online advertising revenue and are taking 85 per cent of every new advertising dollar.

在网络效应的影响下，垄断的趋势是建立在平台的DNA上的。在一个平台上互动的用户越多，整个平台的价值就越高。此外，网络效应往往意味着早期的优势会固化作为行业领袖的永久地位。平台也有一种独特的能力，可以连接并整合多个网络效应。例如，优步受益于越来越多的司机以及越来越多的乘客的网络效应。^[[ii]]领先的平台也会有意识地在其他方面使自己保持不败。数据收集的优势意味着，公司可以访问的活动越多，它可以提取的数据越多，从这些数据中产生的价值就越大，因此它能获得的活动也越多。同样地，从我们生活的不同领域获取大量的数据使得预测更加有用，这也刺激了一个平台内数据的集中。我们让谷歌访问我们的电子邮件，我们的日历，我们的视频历史，我们的搜索历史，我们的位置——并且，由于每个方面都提供给谷歌，我们得到更好的预测服务。同样，平台旨在促进互补产品：为安卓开发的有用软件会让更多的用户使用安卓，从而引导更多的开发人员为安卓开发，诸如此类，形成良性循环。平台还设法建立起与竞争对手相隔离的产品和服务生态系统：比如仅适用于安卓的应用程序，或者需要登录脸书的服务。所有这些动态都将平台变成了垄断组织，并对越来越多的用户和他们产生的数据进行集中控制。通过观察这些垄断企业如何整合广告收入，我们可以了解他们的重要性：在2016年，脸书、谷歌和阿里巴巴将占据全球数字广告的半壁江山。^[[iii]]在美国，脸书和谷歌获得了76%的在线广告收入，而每一个新广告的收入中有85%也被它们占有。^[[iv]]

Yet it is also true that capitalism develops not only greater means for monopoly but also greater means for competition. The emergence of the corporation form, the rise of large financial institutions, and the monetary resources behind states all point to its capacity to initiate new lines of industry and to topple existing monopolies.5 Equally importantly, digital platforms tend toarise in industries that are subject to disruption by new competitors.6 Monopolies, in this view, should only ever be temporary. The challenge today, however, is that capital investment is not sufficient to overturn monopolies; access to data, network effects, and path dependency place even higher hurdles in the way of overcoming a monopoly like Google. This does not mean the end of competition or of the struggle for market power, but it means a change in the form of competition.7 In particular, this is a shift away from competition over prices (e.g. many services are offered for free). Here we come to an essential point. Unlike in manufacturing, in platforms competitiveness is not judged solely by the criterion of a maximal difference between costs and prices; data collection and analysis also contribute to how competitiveness is judged and ranked. This means that, if these platforms wish to remain competitive, they must intensify their extraction, analysis, and control of data – and they must invest in the fixed capital to do so. And while their genetic drive is towards monopolisation, at present they are faced with an increasingly competitive environment comprised of other great platforms.

然而，资本主义不仅为垄断发展提供了更大的手段，而且也为竞争提供了更大的手段。企业形式的出现，大型金融机构的崛起，以及国家背后的货币资源，都表明它有能力开创新的行业，并颠覆现有的垄断企业。^[[v]]同样重要的是，数字平台往往会出现在受到新竞争对手干扰的行业中。^[[vi]]在这种观点看来，垄断应该只是暂时的。然而，今天的挑战是，资本投资不足以推翻垄断；获取数据、网络效应和路径依赖，在压制像谷歌这样的垄断企业的道路上，面临着更大的障碍。这并不意味着竞争或市场权力争夺的结束，但这意味着竞争的形式发生了变化。^[[vii]]特别是，这是对价格竞争的转移（举例来说，许多服务是免费提供的）。我们来到了一个重要的节点。与制造业不同的是，平台上的竞争力并不仅仅由成本和价格之间最大差异的标准来评判；数据收集和分析也有助于对竞争力进行判断和排名。这意味着，如果这些平台希望保持竞争力，它们必须加大对数据的提取、分析和控制，而且它们必须在固定资本上进行投资。尽管它们的基因驱动趋向于垄断，但目前它们面对的是由其他大型平台组成的竞争日益激烈的环境。

 

Tendencies趋势

Since platforms are grounded upon the extraction of data and the generation of network effects, certain tendencies emerge from the competitive dynamics of these large platforms: expansion of extraction, positioning as a gatekeeper, convergence of markets, and enclosure of ecosystems. These tendencies then go on to be installed in our economic systems.

由于平台是基于数据的提取和网络效应的产生而形成，所以这些大型平台的竞争动态会展现一定的趋势：提取的扩展，定位为守门人，市场的融合，以及生态系统的封闭。这些趋势随后在我们的经济体系中得到巩固。

At one level, the expansion of platforms is driven by the cross-subsidisation of services used to draw users into a network. If a service appears likely to draw consumers or suppliers into the platform, then a company may develop the tools to do so. Yet expansion is also driven by factors other than user demand. One such factor is the drive for further data extraction. If collecting and analysing this raw material is the primary revenue source for these companies and gives them competitive advantages, there is an imperative to collect more and more. As one report notes, echoing colonialist ventures: ‘From a data-production perspective, activities are like lands waiting to be discovered. Whoever gets there first and holds them gets their resources – in this case, their datariches.’8 For many of these platforms, the quality of the data is of less interest than their quantity and diversity. Every action performed by a user, no matter how minute, is useful for reconfiguring algorithms and optimising processes. Such is the importance of data that many companies could make all of their software open-source and still maintain their dominant position due to their data.10 Unsurprisingly, then, these companies have been prolific purchasers and developers of assets that enable them to expand their capacity for gaining information. Mergers relating to big data, for instance, have doubled between 2008 and 2013.11 Their vast cash glut and frequent use of tax havens contributed to making this possible. A large surplus of capital sitting idle has enabled these companies to build and expand an infrastructure of data extraction.

在某种程度上，平台的扩展是由将用户引入网络的服务提供的交叉补贴驱动的。如果一项服务可能吸引消费者或供应商进入该平台，那么一家公司可能会开发工具来实现这一功能。然而，扩张也是由用户需求以外的因素驱动的。其中一个因素是进一步提取数据的驱动力。如果收集和分析这些原材料是这些公司的主要资源，并赋予它们竞争优势，那么就有必要收集越来越多的原材料。正如一份报告所指出的：“从数据生产的角度来看，活动就像是等待被发现的土地。无论谁先到达那里，拥有这些土地，就能持有土地上生产的资源——在这种情况下，数据即财富。”^[[viii]]对于许多这样的平台来说，数据的质量不如数量和多样性更让人感兴趣。^[[ix]]用户执行的每一项操作，无论多微小，对于重新配置算法和优化流程都是有用的。这就是数据的重要性，许多公司都可以将他们的软件开源，并且由于持有数据，仍然保持着他们的主导地位。^[[x]]意料之中的是，这些公司一直是多产的资产购买者和开发者，使他们能够扩大获取信息的能力。例如，与大数据相关的并购在2008年至2011年期间翻了一番。^[[xi]]它们的巨额现金过剩和频繁利用避税天堂导致了这一现象的发生。大量过剩的资本闲置，使这些公司得以建立和扩大数据提取的基础设施。

This is the context in which we should understand the significant investments made in the consumer internet of things (IoT), where sensors are placed in consumer goods and homes. 12 For example, Google’s investment in Nest, a heating system for residential homes, makes much more sense when it is understood as the extension of data extraction. The same goes for Amazon’snew device, Echo, an always-on device that consumers place in their homes. At the mention of its name, Echo will respond to questions; but it is also capable of recording activities around it. It is not difficult to see how this might be useful for a company trying to understand con-sumer preferences. Similar devices already exist in many phones – Siri for Apple, Google Now for Android, not to mention the emergence of smart TVs.13 Wearable technologies are another major element of consumer IoT. Nike, for instance, is using wearables and fitness technology to bring users onto its platform and extract their data. While all these devices may have some use value for consumers, the field has not been driven by consumers clamouring for them. Instead, consumer IoT is only fully intelligible as a platform-driven extension of data recording into everyday activities. With consumer IoT, our everyday behaviours start to be recorded: how we drive, how many steps we take, how active we are, what we say, where we go, and so on. This is simply an expression of an innate tendency within platforms. It is therefore no surprise that one of Facebook’s most recent acquisitions, the Oculus Rift VR system, is able to collect all sortsof data on its users and uses this information as part of the sales pitch to advertisers.14

这是我们应该了解的背景，即对消费者物联网（IoT）进行重大投资的背景，在这个物联网中，传感器被放置在消费品和家庭中。^[[xii]]例如，谷歌对住宅供暖系统Nest的投资在被理解为数据提取的延伸时更有意义。亚马逊的新设备Echo也同样适用，它是一款永远在线的设备，用户可以在家中使用。在提到它的名字时，Echo会回答问题，但它也能记录周围的活动。不难看出，对于试图理解消费者偏好的公司来说，这可能是有用的。类似的设备已经存在于许多手机中——苹果的Siri，谷歌的安卓，更不用说智能电视的出现了。^[[xiii]]可穿戴技术是消费者物联网的另一个重要组成部分。例如，耐克正在利用可穿戴设备和健身技术将用户引入其平台，并提取他们的数据。尽管所有这些设备可能对消费者有一定的价值，但这一领域并没有受到消费者强烈要求的驱动。相反，只有当平台驱动的数据记录延伸到日常活动中，消费者物联网才是完全可理解的。随着消费者物联网的发展，我们的日常行为开始被记录下来：我们如何开车，我们走了多少步，我们有多活跃，我们说了些什么，我们去了哪里，等等。这只是平台内部固有趋势的一种表达。因此，脸书最近的一次收购——Oculus Rift VR系统——能够收集用户的各种数据，并将这些信息作为向广告商推销的一部分，这一点也就不足为奇了。^[[xiv]]

The fact that the information platform requires an extension of sensors means that it is countering the tendency towards a lean platform. These are not assetless companies – far from it; they spend billions of dollars to purchase fixed capital and take other companies over. Importantly, ‘once we understand this [tendency], it becomes clear that demanding privacy from surveillance capitalists or lobbying for an end to commercial surveillance on the Internet is like asking Henry Ford to make each Model T by hand’. 15 Calls for privacy miss how the suppression of privacy is at the heart of this business model. This tendency involves constantly pressing against the limits of what is socially and legally acceptable in terms of data collection. For the most part, the strategy has been to collect data, then apologise and roll back programs if there is an uproar, rather than consulting with users beforehand. 16 This is why we will continue to see frequent uproars over the collection of data by these companies

信息平台需要扩展传感器的事实意味着它正在抵制转向精益平台的趋势。这些公司并不是没有资产的公司，他们花费数十亿美元购买固定资产，并收购其他公司。重要的是，“一旦我们理解了这一点（这种趋势），就会清楚地看到，从实施监控的资本家那里要求隐私，或者游说他们在互联网上停止商业监视，就像要求亨利·福特用手来制作每一辆T型车。”^[[xv]]要求维护隐私的人忽略了一点，抑制隐私正是这种商业模式的核心。这一趋势涉及到在数据收集方面对社会和法律可接受的限度的不断施压。很多时候，这些公司的策略就是收集数据，如果引起哗然，就会道歉并回滚程序，而不是事先咨询用户。^[[xvi]]这就是为什么我们会继续看到不断有人抗议这些公司收集数据的原因。

If data collection is a key task of platforms, analysis is the necessary correlate. Theproliferation of data-generating devices creates a vast new repository of data, which requires increasingly large and sophisticated storage and analysis tools, further driving the centralisation of these platforms.17 If expanding the capacity to collect data is one competitive imperative for these companies, developing corresponding means of analysis is another. Advances in hardware, database organisation, and network infrastructure therefore all play significant roles in gaining speed and insight advantages over one’s competitors. Much of Google’s initial success, for instance, stemmed from its pioneering work of creating useful internal software and innovative hardware architecture.18 Rather uniquely, Google designs and builds its own custom servers rather than purchasing standard servers off the market – again, in an effort to gain competitive advantage.19 And, while often it eventually releases information about its operations (which have then been copied by numerous others), it only does so after it has gained a clear advantage.20 It is the importance of analytics that lets us understand why Google is heavily invested in artificial intelligence (AI) research as well, given that this is the key area for developinga competitive advantage over other platforms. Google is the biggest investor in this area, but Amazon, Salesforce, Facebook and Microsoft are all investing heavily in AI as well. Firms also have imperatives to develop the entire stack, and not just one area of it (e.g. data management, or analytical tools).21 Bottlenecks in the flow of data from sensors to commodity are an impediment to producing more value. The result is a tendency to increasingly take on all the features of the stack, from hardware to software.

如果数据收集是平台的关键任务，则数据分析是必要的关联。数据生成设备的激增创建了一个庞大的新的数据存储库，这需要越来越大型、越来越复杂的存储和分析工具，从而进一步推动这些平台的集中。^[[xvii]]如果扩大收集数据的能力是这些公司的一项竞争要求，那么开发相应的分析方法是另一件必须完成的事。因此，在硬件、数据库组织和网络基础设施方面的进步，都为在速度和洞察力方面获得比竞争对手更多的优势发挥了重要作用。例如，谷歌最初的成功很大程度源于它在开创有用的内部软件和创新性硬件架构方面的工作。^[[xviii]]更独特的是，谷歌设计并构建自己的定制服务器，而不从市场上购买标准服务器，仍然是为了获得竞争优势。^[[xix]]而且，尽管它最终会发布关于自身操作的信息（这些信息已经被其他许多人复制了），但它只会在获得了明确的优势之后才会这样做。^[[xx]]正是分析的重要性让我们明白，为什么谷歌在人工智能（AI）研究领域也投入了大量资金，因为这是开发相对其他平台竞争优势的关键领域。谷歌是这一领域的最大投资者，但亚马逊、Salesforce、脸书和微软也都在大力投资人工智能。公司也有必要开发整个堆栈，而不仅仅是其中一个领域（例如数据管理或分析工具）。^[[xxi]]从传感器到商品的数据流的瓶颈，是产生更多价值的障碍。结果产生一种趋势，即从硬件到软件越来越多地采用堆栈的所有功能。

This is matched by a second tendency, whereby expansion across the ecosystem around a core business segment is driven in part by the need to occupy key positions within the ecosystem. These evade traditional distinctions: they are neither horizontal mergers (combining companies that directly compete), nor vertical mergers (combining companies within the same supply chain), nor conglomerate mergers (combining suppliers of similar and complementary products).22 These mergers consist not so much in the vertical integration of classic Fordist firms or in the lean competencies of the post-Fordist era; they are more like rhizomatic connections driven by a permanent effort to place themselvesin key platform positions. Let us take a first example. As access to the internet shifted away from desktop computing and towards handheld smartphones, control over the operating system (OS) platforms became essential. The shift caused companies to rush and implant themselves into the smartphone market: Google followed in Apple’s footsteps, and Amazon and Facebook later attempted to catch up. Google used the traditional platform tactic of cross-subsidisation in order to occupy the mobile OS market: it licensed Android for free to hardware makers, so as to undercut Apple’s enclosed system. The gambit worked, and Android today has more than 80 per cent of the market and is the most widely used OS on any device.23 Similar competitive battles – and subsequent business expansions – have been going on at the interface level as well. As the primary means by which users interact with platforms, interfaces occupy a key intermediary position in the broader ecosystem. For the last decade, Google’s search engine has been the primary interface into the rest of the internet, outpacing any other effort. Rival platforms have had to route around Google’s search engine dominance by extending their businessinto new interface areas. One expression of this is that search engines within apps (rather than the open web) are becoming increasingly wide-spread. Instead of searching the internet through Google, users can search internally, on Amazon or Facebook. If people move into apps or start searching on Amazon instead of Google, these are threats to Google’s basic business model.

这与另一种趋势相匹配，即围绕核心业务部门的整个生态系统的扩张，部分是因为需要在生态系统中占据关键位置。它们不同于传统的特性：既不是横向合并（合并了直接竞争的公司），也不是纵向合并（合并在同一供应链中的公司），也不是混合合并（合并了类似的和互补的产品供应商）。^[[xxii]]这些合并不那么像传统的福特公司式的垂直整合，也没有后福特时代的精益能力；它们更像是一种根茎式的连接，受一种永久的努力推动，要把自己放在关键平台的位置上。让我们来看第一个例子。随着对互联网的访问从台式电脑转向手持智能手机，对操作系统（OS）平台的控制变得至关重要。这一转变导致公司纷纷涌入智能手机市场：谷歌追随苹果的脚步，亚马逊和脸书随后试图追赶。为了占领移动操作系统市场，谷歌采用了交叉补贴的传统平台策略：将安卓免费授权给硬件制造商，以削弱苹果的封闭系统。这一策略奏效了，安卓如今拥有超过80%的市场份额，在任何设备上都是最广泛使用的操作系统。^[[xxiii]]类似的竞争——以及随后的业务扩张——一直在界面上进行。作为用户与平台交互的主要方式，界面在更广泛的生态系统中占据了关键的中间位置。在过去的十年里，谷歌的搜索引擎一直是互联网其他领域的主要界面，超过了其他任何公司的成就。竞争对手的平台不得不将其业务拓展到新的界面领域，以绕过谷歌的搜索引擎霸主地位。其中一种说法是，应用程序内的搜索引擎（而不是开放的网络）正变得越来越广泛。用户可以在亚马逊或脸书上搜索，而不是通过谷歌搜索互联网。如果人们在亚马逊上进入应用程序或者开始搜索，而不用谷歌，这些都是对谷歌基本商业模式的威胁。