a-fable-for-tomorrow

TextATherewasonceatownintheheartofAmericawherealllifeseemedtoliveinharmonywithitssurroundings.Thetownlayinthemidstofacheckerboardofprosperousfarms,withfieldsofgrainandhillsidesoforchardswhere,inspring,whitecloudsofbloomdriftedabovethegreenfields.Inautumn,oakandmapleandbirchsetupablazeofcolorthatflamedandflickeredacrossabackdropofpines.Thenfoxesbarkedinthehillsanddeersilentlycrossedthefields,halfhiddeninthemistsofthefallmornings.从前在美国中心有一个小镇，那里的万物看上去都与其四周的环境融洽相处。小镇的四周是像棋盘交错的生意盎然的农庄，还有一块块的田地和一座座遍布山坡的果园。春天来了，白色的鲜花云彩般地漂浮在田野上；秋天到了，橡树、枫树和桦树色彩斑斓，在一片松树林间火焰般地燃烧与跳跃。小山上狐狸吠叫，田野间小鹿静静地跃过，所有的一切都在秋天清晨的薄雾中半隐半现。Alongtheroads,laurel,viburnumandalder,greatfernsandwildflowersdelightedthetraveler'seyethroughmuchoftheyear.Eveninwintertheroadsideswereplacesofbeauty,wherecountlessbirdscametofeedontheberriesandontheseedheadsofthedriedweedsrisingabovethesnow.Thecountrysidewas,infact,famousfortheabundanceandvarietyofitsbirdlife,andwhenthefloodofmigrantswaspouringthroughinspringandfallpeopletraveledfromgreatdistancestoobservethem.Otherscametofishthestreams,whichflowedclearandcoldoutofthehillsandcontainedshadypoolswheretroutlay.Soithadbeenfromthedaysmanyyearsagowhenthefirstsettlersraisedtheirhouses,sanktheirwells,andbuilttheirbarns.在路的两旁，一年中许多时候，月桂树、荚莲、桤木、蕨类植物和各样的野花都能让过往的行人赏心悦目。即使是冬天，路边的景色依旧是美不胜收，那里无数的小鸟来觅取浆果莓和露在雪地上的枯枝上的种子。事实上，这乡村正是由于鸟类的数量和种类之繁多而出名的。在候鸟群潮涌而来的春秋季节，人们从大老远的地方慕名前来欣赏。还有的人来这里的小溪垂钓。清冽的溪水从山中流出，溪水中有许多鳟鱼藏身的背阴的水潭。所以，从许多年前开始，第一批居住者就在这里盖房挖井，搭起了自己的谷仓。Thenastrangeblightcreptovertheareaandeverythingbegantochange.Someevilspellhadsettledonthecommunity:mysteriousmaladiesswepttheflocksofchickens;thecattleandsheepsickenedanddied.Everywherewasashadowofdeath.Thefarmersspokeofmuchillnessamongtheirfamilies.Inthetownthedoctorshadbecomemoreandmorepuzzledbynewkindsofsicknessappearingamongtheirpatients.Therehadbeenseveralsuddenandunexplaineddeaths,notonlyamongadultsbutevenamongchildren,whowouldbestrickensuddenlywhileatplayanddiewithinafewhours.后来，一种奇怪的摧毁力悄然袭击了这个地区，所有的一切都开始变了。某种邪恶的符咒笼罩了这个社区：神秘的疾病攻击了鸡群，牛、羊也纷纷病死，到处都有一层死亡的阴影。农夫们谈论着家中的许多疾病；镇上的医生也越来越因病人中出现的新的病症而感到迷惑。在成人和孩子中发生了好几起突发的不明其由的死亡，那些孩子在玩耍中突然病倒，几小时后就死去了。Therewasastrangestillness.Thebirds,forexample-wherehadtheygone?Manypeoplespokeofthem,puzzledanddisturbed.Thefeedingstationsinthebackyardsweredeserted.Thefewbirdsseenanywhereweremoribund;theytrembledviolentlyandcouldnotfly.Itwasaspringwithoutvoices.Onthemorningsthathadoncethrobbedwiththedawnchorusofrobins,catbirds,doves,jays,wrens,andscoresofotherbirdvoicestherewasnownosound;onlysilencelayoverthefieldsandwoodsandmarsh.这里是一派奇怪的寂静。就说鸟儿们吧---它们都去哪儿了？许多人说起鸟儿的时候都充满了迷惑与不安。他们后院的饲养站已经没有鸟儿光顾了。随处能见到的几只鸟都奄奄一息。他们猛烈地颤抖，却飞不起来。这是一个无声的春天。曾经是震动着画眉鸟、猫鸟、鸽子、樫鸟、欧鹪和许多鸟儿的黎明合唱声的清晨如今却寂然无声。田野间、树林中和沼泽地里也是一片寂静。Onthefarmsthehensbrooded,butnochickshatched.Thefarmerscomplainedthattheywereunabletoraiseanypigs-thelittersweresmallandtheyoungsurvivedonlyafewdays.Theappletreeswerecomingintobloombutnobeesdronedamongtheblossoms,sotherewasnopollinationandtherewouldbenofruit.在农庄，母鸡下蛋却孵不出小鸡。农夫们抱怨无法养猪，因为刚生下的猪崽太小了，小猪也只能活几天的功夫。苹果树开花了，可是没有蜜蜂在花丛中嗡嗡地采蜜，没有蜜蜂的授粉，也就没有任何果子。Theroadsides,oncesoattractive,werenowlinedwithbrownedandwitheredvegetationasthoughsweptbyfire.These,too,weresilent,desertedbyalllivingthings.Eventhestreamswerenowlifeless.Anglersnolongervisitedthem,forallthefishhaddied.曾经是如此迷人的路旁如今却铺着黑黑的枯干的草木，仿佛是被一场大火烧过一般。那里也是一片寂静，因为所有的生物都遗弃了它。即使是溪流中也没有了生命。因为所有的鱼都已经死了，垂钓者也就不再来了。Intheguttersundertheeavesandbetweentheshinglesoftheroofs,awhitegranularpowderstillshowedafewpatches;someweeksbeforeithadfallenlikesnowupontheroofsandthelawns,thefieldsandstreams.在屋檐下的天沟里，屋顶的木瓦之间仍旧可见几片白色的粒状的粉末。几个星期之前，它像白雪一样洒在了屋顶上、草地上、田野里和溪流里。Nowitchcraft,noenemyactionhadsilencedtherebirthofnewlifeinthisstrickenworld.Thepeoplehaddoneitthemselves.在这个遭受袭击的地球上，没有巫术，也没有敌人的行动抑制了新生命的复苏；这一切都是人自身造成的。Sincethemid-1940's,over500basicchemicalshavebeencreatedforuseinkillinginsects,weeds,rodents,andotherorganismsdescribedinthemodernvernacularaspests,andtheyaresoldunderthousanddifferentbrandnames.自20世纪40年代中期起，人们制造了500多种基本的化学药品来杀死在现代语言中被称作害虫的昆虫、杂草、啮齿动物和其他的生物体，以几千种的品牌名称来出售它们。Thesesprays,dusts,andaerosolsarenowappliedalmostuniversallytofarms,gardens,forests,andhomes-nonselectivechemicalsthathavethepowertokilleveryinsect,thegoodandthebad,tostillthesongofbirdsandtheleapingoffishinthestreams,tocoattheleaveswithadeadlyfilm,andtolingeroninsoil-allthisthoughtheintendedtargetmaybeonlyafewweedsorinsects.Cananyonebelieveitispossibletolaydownsuchabarrageofpoisonsonthesurfaceoftheearthwithoutmakingitunfitforalllife?这些液体喷剂、粉末和雾状喷剂现在几乎普遍使用于农庄、花园、森林和家庭。非选择性的化学药品能杀死每只昆虫（不管是好的还是坏的），能使鸟儿不再歌唱，溪流中的鱼儿不再跳跃，能在树叶上覆盖一层致命的薄膜，并能存留在土地中。而造成这一切的预定的目标可能仅仅是一些杂草和昆虫。难道真的有人认为，我们在地球的表面撒下如此多的毒药，同时还能使它继续成为一个任何生命都能存活的地方吗？Thistowndoesnotactuallyexist,butitmighteasilyhaveathousandcounterpartsinAmericaorelsewhereintheworld.IknowofnocommunitythathasexperiencedallthemisfortunesIdescribe.Yeteveryoneofthesedisastershasactuallyhappenedsomewhere,andmanyrealcommunitieshavealreadysufferedasubstantialnumberofthem.Agrimspecterhascreptuponusalmostunnoticed,andthisimaginedtragedymayeasilybecomea