The Meditation Room had been designed by Dag Hammarskj?ld, second secretary general of the UN, who believed that the UN ought to have a place for meditation removed from the history-making decisions of the General Assembly Hall. Luo Ji didn’t know whether any head of state or ambassador to the UN had actually meditated here, but surely when Hammarskj?ld died in 1961 he never imagined that a Wallfacer like himself would be daydreaming here.

默思室是第二任聯(lián)合國秘書長，瑞典人達格·哈馬舍爾德提議設(shè)立的，他認為在決定歷史的聯(lián)合國大會堂外，應(yīng)該有一處讓人沉思的地方。羅輯不知道是否真的有國家元首或聯(lián)合國代表在這里沉思過，但1961年死于空難的哈馬舍爾德絕不會想到默思室里會有他這樣一位面壁者在發(fā)呆。

Luo Ji felt himself getting snared once again in a logical trap, and once again was convinced that he could not extricate himself.

羅輯再一次思考自己所陷入的邏輯陷阱，也再一次確定自己絕對無法從這個陷阱中自拔。

So he turned his attention to the power in his hands. The least of all the Wallfacers, Say had said, but he would certainly be able to make use of a terrifying amount of resources. Most importantly, he didn’t have to justify his use of them to anyone. In fact, an important part of his mandate was to act in such a way as to keep others guessing, and furthermore, to do as much as possible to engender misunderstandings. Never in human history had there been such a thing! Maybe the absolute monarchs of old had been able to do whatever they wished, but even they ultimately had to account for their actions.

于是，他把注意力轉(zhuǎn)向自己因此擁有的權(quán)力，雖然如薩伊所說，他是四個面壁者中權(quán)力最小的一個，但他能夠使用的資源肯定依然是相當驚人的，關(guān)鍵是，他在使用這些資源時無須對任何人做出解釋，事實上，他職責中很重要的部分就是使自己的行為令人無法理解，而且，更進一步，還要努力使人產(chǎn)生盡可能多的誤解。這是人類歷史上從未有過的事，古代的專制帝王也許可以為所欲為，但最終還是要對自己的行為做出解釋的。

If all I’m left with is this peculiar power, why not make use of it? Luo Ji thought to himself, and sat up. After a short time thinking it over, he decided what his next step would be.

既然現(xiàn)在我剩下的只有這奇特的權(quán)力了，那何不用之？

羅輯對自己說完這句話便坐了起來，只想了很短的時間，便決定了下一步要做的事。

He got off the hard bed of stone, opened the door, and asked to see the chair of the PDC.

他從這堅硬的石床上下來，打開門，要求見行星防御理事會主席。

The incumbent chair, a Russian named Garanin, was a burly, white-bearded old man. The chair’s office was one floor below the secretary general’s. He was sending off a few visitors, half of them in uniform, when Luo Ji entered.

本屆PDC的輪值主席是一名叫伽爾寧的俄羅斯人，一個身材魁梧的白胡子老頭。PDC主席的辦公室比秘書長的低了一層，當羅輯進去時，他正在打發(fā)剛來的幾個人，這些人中有一半是穿軍裝的。

“Oh, Dr. Luo. I heard you had some minor problems, so I wasn’t in a hurry to get in touch with you.”

“啊，您好，羅輯博士，聽說您有些小麻煩，我就沒有急著與您聯(lián)系?！?/p>

“What are the other three Wallfacers doing?”

“另外三個面壁者在做什么？”

“They’re busy setting up general staff departments, a task I’d advise you to get on with immediately. I’ll send some advisors to assist you in the initial stages.”

“他們都在忙著組建自己的參謀部，我勸您也盡快著手這個工作，在開始階段，我會派一批顧問協(xié)助您。”

“I don’t need a general staff department.”

“我不需要什么參謀部?！?/p>

“Oh? If you think it would be better that way.… If you do have the need, one can be set up at any time.”

“啊，如果您覺得這樣更好的話……如果您需要，隨時可以組建?！?/p>

“May I have a pen and paper?”

“我能用一下紙和筆嗎？”

“Of course.”

“當然。”

Looking at the paper, Luo Ji asked, “Mr. Chair, have you ever had a dream?”

羅輯看著面前的白紙問：“主席先生，您有過夢想嗎？”

“What sort?”

“哪一方面的？”

“For instance, have you ever dreamt of living in some perfect place?”

“比如，您是否幻想過自己住在某個很美的地方？”

Garanin shook his head with a wry smile. “I just flew in from London yesterday. I worked the entire trip, and when I arrived I slept less than two hours before I had to rush to work. When today’s regular PDC meeting finishes, I’ll have to fly overnight to Tokyo.… My whole life is rushing around, and I’m at home no more than three months out of the year. What’s the point of that kind of dream for me?”

伽爾寧苦笑著搖搖頭，“我昨天剛從倫敦飛來，飛機上一直在辦公，到這里后剛睡了不到兩個小時，就又急著來上班。今天的PDC例會結(jié)束后，我就要連夜飛到東京去……我這輩子就是奔波的命，每年在家的時間不超過三個月，這種夢想對我有什么意義？”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

meditation：n.冥想;沉思;深思;沉思錄

【the practice of thinking deeply in silence, especially for religious reasons or in order to make your mind calm】

head of state：n.國家元首

【the official leader of a country who is sometimes also the leader of the government】

ambassador：n.大使;使節(jié)

【an official who lives in a foreign country as the senior representative there of his or her own country】

daydream：

n.白日夢;幻想;空想

vi.做白日夢

【If you daydream, you think about pleasant things for a period of time, usually about things that you would like to happen.】

snare：

n.圈套;陷阱;(繃在小鼓下鼓皮的)響弦;騙局;(捕鳥、獸的)套子

vt.設(shè)陷阱(或羅網(wǎng)、套子)捕捉

extricate：

vt.(使)擺脫，脫離，脫出;解脫;解救;救出;掙脫

【to escape or enable sb to escape from a difficult situation】

mandate：

n.(政府或組織等經(jīng)選舉而獲得的)授權(quán);(政府的)任期;委托書;授權(quán)令;委任統(tǒng)治權(quán)

【an official order given to sb to perform a particular task】

vt.授權(quán);強制執(zhí)行;委托辦理

engender：vt.產(chǎn)生;引起(某種感覺或情況)

【to make a feeling or situation exist】

monarch：n.君主;帝王

【a person who rules a country, for example a king or a queen】

account for：

（數(shù)量或比例上）占;解釋，說明（某事）;導致，解釋（某種事實或情況）;（某人）對（行動、政策等）負有責任;將（錢款）列入（預(yù)算）

【If something accounts for a particular fact or situation, it causes or explains it.】

incumbent：

n.在職者;現(xiàn)任者

adj.現(xiàn)任的;有責任;在職的;必須履行

【having an official position】

burly：adj.魁梧的;高大強壯的

【big, strong and heavy】

minor：

adj.少數(shù)的;輕微的;次要的;較小的;小調(diào)的;小音階的

【not very large, important or serious】

n.未成年人;輔修科目;輔修課程

v.輔修

get on with：繼續(xù)（干某事）;在…獲得成功;與…友好相處

wry：adj.諷刺的;揶揄的;挖苦的;啼笑皆非的

【showing that you are both amused and disappointed or annoyed】