我来到《环球》机器人公司。
总经理陪同我进入机器人公司超级市场。
III—CHOOSING A WIFE
I went to Universal Robots Company.
The general manager took me to the company supermarket.
看来这位总经理经营相当有方，他不是让这些机器人模特儿专门站在那里供人们观赏挑选，而是让她们充当这里的售货员和服务员，供来客鉴赏。这个市场拥有一万名待嫁的机器人姑娘，姑娘同商品一起出售，不过姑娘要凭专用卡片。
直叫人目不暇接、眼花缭乱！
她们一个比一个美丽，你就象是进了百卉争艳的花园。
这家公司是第一流的，首先是因为这家公司拥有一批世界第一流的、当代最杰出的美术家。拥有阵容强大、实力雄厚的一支画家、雕塑家、工艺美术家的美学家队伍，然后是由于他们拥有最完备的美学档案数据。他们拥有古代的和现代的、东方的和西方的、各种人种中最美丽的妇女造型的美学数据。
He was evidently an experienced salesman for he did not just put the beautiful robot models on display for people to enjoy and to choose， he had them working in the supermarket as shop assistants and other staff attending to the customers who came to appreciate them. This supermarket has ten thousand robot girls in stock waiting for the right persons to choose them as wives， and they were sold together with other goods， but only for people holding the special cards.
There were too many of them for the eye to take in and I was simply dazzled by them.
Each one seemed more beautiful than the one before： it was like being in a park where the flowerbeds merge into an undifferentiated riot of colour.
It is a top-grade company. For one thing it employs the most prominent artistic designers of our time； they were all world-famous. Secondly， it has a strong lineup of talented aesthetic staff of painters， sculptors and industrial artists. It possesses the most perfect aesthetic modeling data on the most beautiful women of various races， ancientand modern， oriental and western.
自从有史以来的四千年间，人类用恋爱这种手段来进行一种美学法则的自然淘汰，但是进程相当缓慢，而且还常常受到权力与财产、政治与经济、傲慢与偏见等等各种其它因素的破坏和干扰。而现在，由于机器人的生产，这种进程可以用人的意志加以控制，在几个星期或几个月间的进步可能会超过几个世纪。
在《环球》机器人公司的档案里储存有西施、王嫱、杨玉环、赵飞燕、绿珠、莺莺、卓文君……这些东方古典型的妇女造型的全部美学数据。
还有西方型的：有巴黎姑娘，也有吉卜赛女郎，有罗马型的，也有君士坦丁堡型的，有海仑娜那种仙女型的，也有莎士比亚笔下的苔丝特梦娜，或者普希金笔下的阿古丽娜——那种传奇型的。
During the four thousand years since the beginning of history， human beings have employed the method of love between man and woman to conduct natural selection based on aesthetic law， but it has been a very slow process. Besides， it has always been damaged and interfered with by various factors such as power and property， politics and economics， pride and prejudice and so on. Now， since the appearance of robots， this process can be controlled by man's will， and the achievements in a few weeks or a few months can surpass those made in several centuries.
Stored in the archives of Universal Robots are all the vital statistics and specifications of oriental beauties of the past such as Xi Shi， Wang Qiang， Yang Yuhuan， Zhao Feiyan， Luzhu， Yingying， Zhuo Wenjun and so on.
There are also data of Western types： Parisiennes， gypsies， classical Roman women， Mediterranean charmers， other worldly types like Helena and romantics like Shakespeare's Desdemona and Pushkin's Akulena.
如果成型产品（他们各有千秋，自领风韵而绝不重见）还不能使您满意，那么别忙，可以定制。
您可以提出要求，所有最美丽的电影明星，这里全有她们的美学档案，管理员可以为您提供索引。如果您在现实生活中（甚至您在街头、海滨、公园邂逅相遇的）发现使您倾心相爱的少女容貌，只要你向这家公司提供线索，他们立刻会用极其巧妙的全息摄影取得所需要的全部美学数据，并且按照美学法则中的黄金分割比例加以鉴定、取舍，生产出您只有在梦中才能见到的、九天之上才有的、艳绝人寰的花容月貌，保证叫您爱不自禁，喜出望外！
If none of these ready-made models (each has her strong points and her own lofty elegance having nothing in common with each other) appeals to you， you can have one made to order.
You can be quite specific. Aesthetic files are available—all indexed in great detail of the most beautiful actresses. Or you may have met a girl whose appearance inspired you in real life—in the street， on the seashore or in the park even. If you can provide enough information the company can immediately gather all the aesthetic specifications needed by means of a hologram very skillfully. The data will be analyzed and then it is decided which to use in accordance with the established principles of proportion and aesthetic law. The result will be a perfection you thought existed only in dreams or in the highest of heavens. You would of course fall instantly and passionately in love with her.
总经理带着我从每一个柜台前慢慢地走过，让我充分地欣赏这些姑娘们的仙姿。
有一位艺术家说过：在一切自然形态中，最完美的是人。人是大自然的一件杰作。中国古代人说，人是天地之灵秀，盖世之精华。看来这真是至理名言。
在宇宙间一切美的形态中、美的表现形式中，恐怕没有比人更美的了。
这些机器人姑娘象是蓓蕾初放的鲜花，一朵比一朵娇美。总经理带着骄傲的口吻说：“没有一个人能不惊叹这些姑娘们的美丽，因为她们是从世界上古今中外最美丽的人中挑选出来的佼佼者，群芳之冠。她们不仅能使你悦目，而且可以使你尝心。您的眼睛所能看到的还只是她们美的一部分——外在美，而她们还有更美的、可以使你受用终生、成为爱情之水永不枯竭的源头的内在美——性格的美。这些是您的眼睛所看不见的。中国古代人把爱情比作一只玉环，玉者，取其洁白无暇，环者，取其始终不断。而这恰恰可以用来形容机器人姑娘那天赋的对待爱情的忠贞性格。由于机器人姑娘她们的思维过程具有数学公式或几何定理那样简洁、明确、严格、单一的特性，所以她们毕生只爱一个人，谁的名字填写在她们的发货单据上，她的心里就永远只有这一个人，坚贞不二，生死不渝。”
The general manager steered me from one counter to another， giving me enough time to appreciate the beauty of these girls in detail.
A certain artist once said that man is nature's sublime achievement： of all natural forms， man is the most perfect of all. There's a time-honoured Chinese adage about man being the intellect and cream of the universe.
Of all beauty forms and beauty shapes in the universe， no form or shape is more beautiful than that of man.
These robot girls are like fresh flower buds just breaking into bloom， with one more delicate and charming than the other. The general manager was saying proudly， "These girls with their charm and beauty are destined to win everybody's admiration； they are rare specimens， recreations of the most beautiful women the world has ever known—peerless champions. They are pleasing to both the eye and the mind. And you know it's not only what you can see： there's more to it than that. What you can't see is their internal beauty—the perfect disposition which will inspire your love and keep you happy all your life. In ancient China people used to say love between a man and a woman was like a jade ring—jade for purity， the ring for eternity. This exactly describes our robot girls' attitude towards love. They are programmed with thought-processes as clear and direct and unalterable as a geometric theorem. They can only love one man. Once the purchaser's name is written on a robot girl's dispatch list， she will remain faithful to him till the day of her death."
我笑着问总经理：“如果我死了呢？”
总经理拍拍我的肩膀，“她是按照宇宙中的对称法则设计的，她的寿命与您的寿命是对称的。她的存在与您的存在是对称的，而您的死亡和她的死亡也是对称的。如同作用力与反作用力、向心力和离心力那样对称。您明白吗？”
"What if I die？" I asked with a smile.
The general manager patted me on the shoulder， "She is designed according to the universal law of symmetry， her life-span and existence corresponding to yours. While you live， she will live； when you die， she dies. The symmetry is like the compensating balance of applied force and reacting force， centripetal force and centrifugal force. Do you understand？"
我们慢慢地走着，观赏着这些奇妙的科学之花。
总经理微笑着向我介绍：“这还只是一个方面，还有另一个方面，这些姑娘们不仅比鲜花还要美丽，而且比鲜花还要温柔，你未来的妻子不仅毕生不会和您打一次架，甚至连吵一次嘴都不会。”
“是吗？”我惊奇地问。因为据我所知，世界上几乎没有一对夫妻，哪怕是最和睦的夫妻，能够毕生不吵嘴一次的。而且就联合国所调查的资料来看，在天然人的夫妻中离婚案件近年有增加的趋势。
We walked on slowly among the flower beds appreciating these wonderful scientific flowers.
The general manager went on smilingly， "This is only one side of the matter. On the other hand these girls are not only more beautiful but also more tender than fresh flowers. Your future wife won't even quarrel with you， let alone fight with you—not ever."
"Is that so？" I asked in amazement. As far as I knew no single couple had gone through life without a quarrel： even the most affectionate couples on earth quarreled sometimes. And according to a survey by the United Nations， divorce cases among human couples had increased in recent years.
“难道您不知道那个著名的机器人三定律吗？”总经理惊奇地瞅着我，仿佛我不知道地球是围着太阳转的一样。于是，他向我指了指那矗立在整个超级市场中心的一座汉白玉雕砌玉碑，那块玉碑上雕着闪闪发光的美国人阿西莫夫的机器人三定律：
第一定律：机械人不得伤害人，也不得听任人受到伤害而无所作为。
第二定律：机器人应当服从人的一切命令，但不得违反第一定律。
第三定律：机器人应当保护自身安全，但不得违反第一、第二定律。
"Don't you know the three famous laws of the robot？" The general manager stared at me in surprise， apparently wondering how I could be so ignorant. Then he pointed at a panel of white marble at the centre of the supermarket on which the three laws of the robot by Asimov were inscribed， glistening in the lights：
First law： A robot may not injure a human being or， through inaction， allow a human being to come to harm.
Second law： A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders could conflict with the First Law.
Third law： A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Laws.
总经理说：“这是我们机器人生产的金科玉律。每一个机器人出厂都要经受这道极为严格的检验，如果哪家公司生产或漏检了违背这三个定律的产品，立刻就会遭到罚款、被关闭甚至受到法律制裁。”总经理指着第二定律的那一段：“机器人应当服从人的一切命令，”对我说：“您将成为她的君主，她将永远对您顺从，无限忠诚，无限信仰。她将会象您的手脚一样地听您使唤。她不象是一个独立的人，简直象是您身体的延续，无条件地服从您的一切命令。她是您的乐队，永远追随您的旋律，是您最优美的和声。她就象一只与您同频率的音叉，永远静听您的召唤，并且用完全相同的频率与您发生共鸣，单就这一点说，她就多么可爱！”
"We accept these laws as mandatory in manufacturing robots，" the general manager told me."Every robot has to undergo rigorous inspection in this respect when leaving the factory. Any company producing robots which infringes these laws or fails to conduct proper inspections in accordance with these laws will be fined or closed down or even punished by law." Pointing to the second law—A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings—he assured me， "You will become her master—you might even say her ruler—and she will be obedient to you， be loyal and faithful to you forever. She will serve you like your own hands and feet. She won't seem like an independent person but simply an extension of your own body and obey all your orders unconditionally. She is your band， and she will ever provide perfect harmony to your melody. Like a tuning fork she will vibrate to your frequency. She will forever listen attentively to your call and resonate with you with the frequency completely identical to yours. You see what a paragon you will have！"
我走着、听着，听着、走着，象是在梦中，又象是在天上。总经理在我的耳边继续娓娓细说，侃侃而谈：“天然人对您的指令有这样一组逻辑程序：指令信息——鉴别——决策（抗拒或执行）——行动，而机器人的逻辑程序却要简洁得多：
指令——执行。
因为她的软件就是这样设计的，所以她永远不会对您变心，你们虽然是两个人，却只有一个脑袋，这不正符合那奇妙的爱情公式：
1+1=1？
小伙子，这样的妻子，难道不正是理想的化身？”
“可她不会生育！”我嘟囔了一句。
“您哪！”总经理冲着我嘲笑地点了点头：“这难道是她的短处吗？这恰恰是她的长处！您不要忘记：她不会衰老！她永远是妙龄女郎，永远青春长在。要孩子干什么呢？养儿防老吗？您别忘记，女儿要嫁走，她心里常常只装着她的丈夫。儿子也常常会娶了媳妇忘了娘。可妻子却大不相同，只有她是最忠实的。她会忠心耿耿地侍奉您，直到您寿终正寝的那天。她既具有您妻子的身份，又兼备您的儿女的功能，天底下哪有这样尽善尽美的妻子？说到儿女，生儿育女又是多么辛苦的一件事！虽然孩子也给家庭带来乐趣，可更多的是操劳、贫穷和苦累，他将会耗费您多少宝贵的精力！再说，如果您在您的晚年，您在精神上确实需要这么一个小把戏——儿子或女儿——他们对您就象一个活的玩具。那么到那时候您来，我们给您提供一个机器人的孩子，儿子还是女儿由您选择，他（她）既具备您的遗传因子，又具备您妻子的遗传因子，而且是取两者之优。您只要一见到这个小家伙，您就绝不会相信他（她）是一个小机器人，您一定会认为这是您寄放在托儿所的孩子。或者是您失散了的骨肉。……说到机器人不会生育，她却有她伟大的历史功勋。正是由于机器人不会生育，才解决了从二十世纪六十年代开始的世界性的人口危机，使这几十年来世界人口始终维持在四十亿左右，避免了由于人口过剩而导致的通货膨胀、经济危机、饥饿、动乱、战争……和由于人口危机而导致的世界灾难性的总崩溃，从这一点来说，简直是机器人拯救了人类。难道，您能说，这是她的短处吗？”
I was in a daze， yet listening to the general manager's voice rattling on in my ear， "The natural person reacts to an instruction by the following logical programme： instructive information—appraisal—decision (to implement it or not)—action. But the robot's logical programme is much simpler and more concise： instruction—implementation.
"Robot software is designed like that. Therefore your robot wife will never cease to be faithful to you. You are two persons but you'll have only one mind. You will be in perfect conformity with the wonderful love formula： 1+1=1.
"My lad， don't you think a wife like her is just the ideal incarnate？"
"But she is unable to bear children，" I muttered.
"Now really…！" He looked reprovingly at me. "Is that a defect？ Of course not； it's one of her good points.
Remember， she will never get old and feeble！ She will stay young， always in the bloom of youth. What do you want children for anyway？ To look after you when you are old？ Don't forget that when your daughter marries she will always think first of her husband. As for your son—sons often forget their parents when they marry. But with a wife it's quite different—she will be faithful to you and look after you devotedly until you die in bed of old age. She will be both a wife and a daughter to you. Could you find a more perfect wife on earth？ As to this matter of child bearing， it's a laborious business！ I don't deny that children can bring joy to a family， but they bring a lot of hard work and poverty and endless worries. They would take up all your energy. And—by the way—if you really want to have such a plaything morally in your old age—a son or a daughter—(he or she is just like a toy having life to you by then) then come back to me and we will contrive a robot child for you， son or daughter，
whichever you like. He or she would have both your and your wife's genetic factors based on optimization. I can tell you—when you see such a little child you wouldn't believe it was a little robot. You'd really think it was your own child brought up in the nursery or your own flesh and blood restored to you after years of separation… You said just now that the robot girl was unable to bear children. True， but that has not prevented her from performing a considerable historical service for mankind. It's precisely because the robots are unable to have children that the problem of world population crisis， which began in the 1960's of the twentieth century， has been solved. For some decades now the population of the world has remained stable at around four billion. As a result the problems of inflation， economic crisis， starvation， turmoil and war have ceased to plague us. We are no longer haunted by the fear of a worldwide catastrophic collapse of civilization as a result of over-population. In this sense we may say the robot has saved mankind. Can you really say it's a defect？"
我哑口无言。
岂但是哑口无言，而且是几乎不会说话了！
因为我发现了她——丽丽！
这是我无法解释的，我也不明白我为什么和怎么会在这万花丛中一下就认定了她！
可是那位总经理还是在滔滔不绝地讲下去：“也正是由于机器人不会生育，所以我们的公司才能存在。不然，天然人姑娘早把我们公司捣成一座废墟了。她们嫉妒机器人姑娘，因为她们更漂亮，天然人望尘莫及。如果机器人姑娘要再会生育，那么天然人姑娘就会无地自容，就有会被淘汰的危险。正因为她们不会生育，天然人姑娘才会有资格翘着鼻子嗤笑她们：“瞧那些不会下蛋的母鸡！”正是由于她们不会生育，天然人姑娘才会处于要申请配给的特权地位。不过天然人姑娘也能和机器人姑娘和睦相处，甚至亲如姐妹。因为机器人姑娘特别本份，绝对不会去勾引她们的丈夫。机器人姑娘对自己的丈夫是一团火，而对任何别的男人是一块冰，她们会勇敢地保卫自己的贞操不受侵犯，因为在机器人三定律中有进行自卫的条款……走呀，小伙子。”这时他才发现我远远地拉在他后面了。
在那出售名酒的柜台后面伫立着一位天仙。她正在出神地望着对面柜台旁边那一个一个的大鱼缸，那些美丽的金鱼和光彩夺目的燕鱼正在争夺鱼食。
I was rendered speechless.
I was not only speechless but I almost couldn't speak.
Because I had discovered her—Lily.
I was unable to give an explanation. I don't know why I chose her from among the ten thousand flowers at a glance！
The general manager's tide of eloquence flowed on， "It's precisely because the robot girls are unable to bear children that our company can exist. Otherwise human girls would have wrecked it long ago. They are jealous of the robot girls for they are far more beautiful than they.
If the robot girls could bear children， the human girls would feel themselves inferior and also feel their very existence was threatened， but now that they can't bear children， the human girls are in a position to be swollen with arrogance and sneer at the robots as 'hens that can't lay eggs'. This is why the human girls find themselves in the privileged position of being rationed in response to applications. Another thing—human girls can get on well with robot girls like sisters because the robot girls particularly behave well and would never try to seduce their husbands. Robot girls are warm and loving to their own husbands but like ice to other men. Of course， they will defend their chastity； you remember the self defence clause in the Third Law… Hullo， what's happened to you？" He suddenly noticed I had lagged behind.
Behind the wine counter stood this goddess. She was gazing at a large fish tank near the counter， lost in thought. The golden carp and other bright platax teira jostled each other for the food.
我真无法形容她的美丽，最华美的词藻在她的面前都显得寒伧而丑陋！我只感到，当我第一眼看到她的时候，我的全身、我的血液，就象一团饱和的酒精蒸汽，碰到了跳跃着、燃烧着的火苗，“砰！”地一声，烧起来了！我的全身、我的血液、我的每一根毛发都在燃烧！都在燃烧中颤栗！
Her beauty was beyond description—no words could do justice to her. At first sight of her I seemed to catch fire—my blood， my whole body were alight with fire. It was a feeling that made me quiver with intense excitement， which could only be sensed， but could not be explained by words.
莫非，这就是爱情的滋味？……看一眼就会着火，看一眼就会醉倒！
她却完全没有看见我，她正在凝睇着那些金鱼，长长的睫毛下星星正在闪耀，皓月般的脸蛋儿上一双笑涡儿若隐若现。那神态，是喜悦？是娇媚？是向往？是猜度？……她就象是那伫立在喷水池中的美玉雕琢成的塑像，全身都挂着露珠儿在闪光。
她是姑娘里的太阳，她是太阳里的姑娘！
……
总经理一眼就明白了是怎么回事，他走到我身边亲热地拍了拍我的肩膀，笑着说：“好，有眼力，小伙子！她是我们本年度获得金质奖的最佳作品，归你了！”
Was it love？ I was intoxicated from the first glance at her.
She didn't notice me in the least. She was watching the fish. Her eyes shone like diamonds under her long lashes， and she had enchanting little dimples on her face which was like a shining moon… What does this look mean？ Is it joy？ Coquettishness？ Yearning for something？ Or conjecture？ … I saw her as a jade statue standing at the centre of the fountain in the shimmering radiance of spray.
She was the sun of the girls； she was the girl in the sun.
…
The general manager immediately grasped what had happened. He came over to me and patted my shoulder warmly， saying genially， "Well， you've got very good judgment， my lad！ She is our company's gold-medalist this year. Now she's yours！"
他立刻拿出笔来，在那张卡片上签上了丽丽的名字。然后，叫了一声：“丽丽！”我想阻止都没有来得及。
丽丽吃了一惊，她抬起头来，那双动人的眼睛闪动着惊诧的光彩，她看到总经理带着一个容光焕发的小伙子在向她走来，她立刻羞得满脸通红，埋下头去，再也不敢抬起，旁边的一些姑娘们都窃窃地笑出声来。
总经理走到她面前，把那张浅红色的卡片交给她，然后对她说：“把手伸出来！”
我看见她头一直低垂到胸前，垂着那长长的睫毛，看也不敢看我一眼，象是羞得无地自容，乖乖地伸出了那纤巧细柔的小手。
He promptly took out his pen and wrote Lily's name on my card. Then he called， "Lily！" It was too late for me to stop him.
She raised her head， startled， her charming eyes wide with surprise. On seeing that the general manager was bringing a smart young man to her she immediately blushed and hung her head. The girls around her giggled.
The general manager went to her and handed her the pink card. Then he said， "Stretch out your hand， please！"
She kept her head bent and her eyes with long lashes cast down， not daring to look at me and she was so shy that she looked as if she wished she could disappear from view. Obediently she stretched out her delicate little hand.
总经理从口袋里掏出一只首饰盒子，取出一对订婚戒指，庄重地把镶有红宝石的一枚戴在我的手上，把镶有绿猫眼的一枚戴在她的手上。
姑娘们都围了过来，笑着，叫着，推搡着。戒指刚刚戴好，立刻欢呼声、音乐声四起，花雨象瀑布一样地倾泻下来，玫瑰、茉莉、丁香、红梅、蔷薇、……红的、黄的、紫的、白的、……各种各样的花瓣洒落了一身一地，男女嫔相拥向我和丽丽，我们被分别送去更衣沐浴换妆。
不一会儿，当我再看到丽丽的时候，她已经剪掉了那标志姑娘身份的长辫，披着美丽的卷发，穿着结婚的纱裙，亭亭玉立地站在我的面前了。
《环球》机器人公司立刻播发了我们结婚的电视新闻。
The general manager pulled a jewel case from his pocket， opened it and took out two betrothal rings. He solemnly put the ruby one on my finger and the cat's eye one on hers.
The girls crowded round us， laughing and pushing.
No sooner had the rings been put on our fingers than cheers and music arose all round us. Flowers rained down on us—roses， jasmine， lilac， plum blossom… red， yellow， violet， white… cascaded from our hair and shoulders till we stood in a fragrant， multi-coloured sea of petals. The best man and the bridesmaid came to embrace us and then lead us away to take a bath and be decked up in wedding finery.
Later， when Lily and I met again， her long braid which signified her unmarried status had been cut off. She stood before me， slim and graceful， in her filmy wedding gown with her hair lying in soft curls on her shoulders.
Universal Robots immediately broadcast the news of our wedding over the TV networks.
我们在喜庆的音乐声中被簇拥着送出大门，我的汽车早已被披红戴绿地打扮过了。
总经理在我的前额和她的前额上都轻轻地吻了一下，他喜欢这古老的礼节，然后，祝福我们：“祝你们相亲相爱，白头偕老！”
坐在车上，我看了一眼丽丽，她正好也转过脸来偷偷地看我，她的目光正碰上我的目光，她羞得象被火烫了似的哆嗦了一下，赶快掉过头去。
我觉得：已经醉了。
We were escorted to the entrance to the sound of jubilant music. My car had already been decorated with red silk flowers and green leaves.
The general manager softly kissed us both on the forehead. It was easy to see that he enjoyed this traditional ceremony. Then he blessed us："May you love each other dearly and remain a devoted couple to the end of your lives！"
When we were in the car I looked at Lily and found she was just turning her head to steal a glance at me. Our eyes met and she was so shy that she trembled as if she had been burnt by fire. She quickly turned her head away.
I felt light-headed with happiness.
