奈亞拉托提普......伏行的混沌......我在最后......我將述說，聆聽虛空......

Nyarlathotep . . . the crawling chaos . . . I am the last . . . I will tell the audient void. . . .

我記不清事情是從什么時候開始的了，但肯定已經(jīng)是幾個月前的事了

I do not recall distinctly when it began, but it was months ago.?

當(dāng)時所有人都緊張的可怕

The general tension was horrible.?

由于政治和社會在遭遇劇變所帶來的駭人聽聞的現(xiàn)實危險

To a season of political and social upheaval was added?

都加劇了人們對此的恐慌和不安

a strange and brooding apprehension of hideous physical danger;?

有的危險仿佛威脅著一切

a danger widespread and all-embracing,?

有的危險似乎只能來自幻想于深夜時最為恐怖的噩夢中

such a danger as may be imagined only in the most terrible phantasms of the night.?

我記得每個人都面色蒼白，充滿了擔(dān)憂

I recall that the people went about with pale and worried faces,?

還不斷念叨著警告和預(yù)言，但是卻沒有人膽敢公開重復(fù)

and whispered warnings and prophecies which no one dared consciously repeat?

或是承認自己曾聽到過這些話

or acknowledge to himself that he had heard.?

這片土地上彌漫著令人惡心的罪惡

A sense of monstrous guilt was upon the land,?

身處從群星之間的深淵中吹來的寒風(fēng)中

and out of the abysses between the stars swept chill currents?

人們只能躲在陰暗、偏僻的角落里瑟瑟發(fā)抖

that made men shiver in dark and lonely places.?

似乎是惡魔的力量在改變四季的規(guī)律

There was a demonic alteration in the sequence of the seasons

—即使是秋天也異常燥熱

—the autumn heat lingered fearsomely,?

所有人都覺得這個世界已經(jīng)徹底脫離了已知諸神、已知力量的控制

and everyone felt that the world and perhaps the universe had passed?

而現(xiàn)如今支配宇宙的，是那些未知的諸神

from the control of known gods or forces to that of gods?

或是未知的力量

or forces which were unknown.

就在這時，奈亞拉托提普從埃及來到這里

And it was then that Nyarlathotep came out of Egypt.?

沒有人知道他的來歷

Who he was, none could say,?

但他一定有著古埃及人的血統(tǒng)，他的形貌看起來就像一位埃及法老

but he was of the old native blood and looked like a Pharaoh.?

所有的埃及人，農(nóng)民們，見到他都會跪拜，但沒人能說出其中的緣由

The fellahin , the peasants, knelt when they saw him, yet could not say why.?

他自稱他是從二十七個世紀的黑暗中重生

He said that he had risen up out of the blackness of twenty-seven centuries,?

而且他所聽到的信息并非來自于這個星球的任何一個地方

and that he had heard messages from places not on this planet.?

奈亞拉托提普已經(jīng)走遍了文明的國度，這位黝黑、纖瘦、不詳?shù)哪蝸喞刑崞諢o論走到哪里

Into the lands of civilization came Nyarlathotep, swarthy, slender, and sinister,?

總是會購買許多玻璃或金屬制的奇妙物品

always buying strange instruments of glass and metal?

并把他們組合成更奇妙的東西

and combining them into instruments yet stranger.?

他發(fā)表了許多有關(guān)科學(xué)的長篇闊論—甚至包括電學(xué)和心理學(xué)

He spoke much of the sciences—of electricity and psychology

—每次他的演說都會把觀眾震驚的啞口無言

—and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless,?

很快，他就為自己贏得了被煊赫籠罩著的高名

yet which shroud his fame to exceeding magnitude.?

人們一邊顫抖著，一邊建議著旁人親眼看看奈亞拉托提普

Men advised one another to see Nyarlathotep, and shuddered.?

然而，奈亞拉托提普所及之處，都將失去安寧

And where Nyarlathotep went, rest vanished;?

在半夜總是會響起被噩夢魘到的驚叫

for the small hours were rent with the screams of nightmare.?

以至于這樣的驚叫前所未有的成為了一個社會問題

Never before had this been such a public problem;?

現(xiàn)在，所謂的有志之士甚至考慮禁止人們在午夜睡眠，指望用這種方式，

now the wise men almost wish they could forbid sleep in the small hours,?

將那響徹城市的絕叫音量降低，是在蒼白的、

that the shrieks of cities might less horribly disturb the pale,?

可憐的月光投射到的那流過在橋下的綠色河水、

pitying moon as it glimmered on green waters gliding under bridges,?

和飄浮在病態(tài)天空下傾頹的尖塔中的驚聲尖叫

and old steeples crumbling against a sickly sky.

我還記得奈亞拉托提普來到我們這座

I remember when Nyarlathotep came to my city

巨大、古老、充斥著無數(shù)犯罪的恐怖之城時的事情。

—the great, the old, the terrible city of unnumbered crimes.?

我的朋友告訴我有關(guān)他的事

My friend had told me of him,?

同時還告訴我，他所給予的啟示有著強烈的魅力和誘惑

and of the impelling fascination and allurement of his revelations,?

這激起了我的熱情，我饑渴地想從他那里學(xué)到無比深奧的神知秘識

and I burned with eagerness to explore his uttermost mysteries.?

朋友說，他所揭示出來的東西甚至遠遠凌駕于我最狂熱的幻想中

My friend said they were horrible and impressive beyond my most fevered imaginings;?

在他進行演說的陰暗的房間里，投射出的是除了奈亞拉托提普之外無人膽敢

and what was thrown on a screen in the darkened room prophesied things none?

承認的預(yù)言

but Nyarlathotep dared prophesy,?

他擦出的火花能吸引所有人的視線

and that in the sputter of his sparks there was taken from men?

即使他們從來沒有被吸引過視線，始終知行如一

that which had never been taken before yet which showed only in his eyes.?

此外，我還聽到一種流傳甚廣的傳言，認識奈亞拉托提普的人能看到

And I heard it hinted abroad that those who knew Nyarlathotep looked on sights?

旁人看不到的景象

which others saw not.

那是一個悶熱的秋夜，我穿過躁動不安的群眾，

It was in the hot autumn that I went through the night with the restless crowds?

望著奈亞拉托提普

to see Nyarlathotep;?

越過無數(shù)級臺階，穿過叫人透不過氣的教室里，

through the stifling night and up the endless stairs into the choking room.?

在屏幕上投射的陰影上，我看見了廢墟中被虛掩著的形體

And shadowed on a screen, I saw hooded forms amidst ruins,?

在累累殘垣之后，是許多黃色的、邪惡的面孔

and yellow evil faces peering from behind fallen monuments.?

我還看到了當(dāng)世界抵抗黑暗時的樣子

I saw the world battling against blackness;?

那世界圍繞著一個黯淡，冰冷的太陽苦苦掙扎，他旋轉(zhuǎn)著、翻攪著，竭力抵抗

against the waves of destruction from ultimate space; whirling, churning;?

來自無限宇宙的毀滅之波

struggling around the dimming, cooling sun.?

這時，火花在觀眾頭頂以驚人之勢閃爍起來

Then the sparks played amazingly around the heads of the spectators,?

使頭發(fā)聳立起來，投下怪異的、難以用語言形容的陰影

and hair stood up on end whilst shadows more grotesque than I can tell?

但可以說，那陰影似乎是端正地立在人們頭頂?shù)?/p>

came out and squatted on the heads.?

因為我比別人都要來得冷靜和有科學(xué)頭腦

And when I, who was colder and more scientific than the rest,?

所以我便用顫抖的聲音咕噥著指摘道：“這是騙術(shù)“或”是靜電反應(yīng)

mumbled a trembling protest about “imposture” and “static electricity”,?

于是奈亞拉托提普攆走了所有觀眾，把我們趕下高得目眩地臺階

Nyarlathotep drove us all out, down the dizzy stairs into the damp, hot,?

趕到濕熱、無人的街道上

deserted midnight streets.?

為了安慰自己，我尖叫道：“我不害怕”

I screamed aloud that I was not afraid;?

“我絕不能害怕”，還喊了其他一些話

that I could never be afraid; and others screamed with me for solace.?

我們大家發(fā)誓，這座城市依然絲毫不變的存在著，并活力仍存

We swore to one another that the city was exactly the same, and still alive;?

當(dāng)路燈下的光開始變暗時，我們就一遍遍地詛咒電力公司

and when the electric lights begin to fade we cursed our company over and over again,?

還互相嘲笑對方古怪的表情

and laughed at the strange faces we made.

可以肯定，我們從那綠色的月光中感受到了什么

I believe we felt something coming down from the greenish moon,?

我們開始在月光的指引下前進，

for when we began to depend on its light we drifted into?

在無意識中慢慢組成了一支奇妙的隊伍

curious involuntary marching formations,?

盡管我們之中沒有任何一個人知道目的地在哪

we seemed to know our destinations though we dared not think of them.?

突然，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)路面上的石塊變得松動，在石塊的縫隙中長著草叢

Once we looked at the pavement and found the blocks of loose and displaced grass,?

我們看到了過去曾經(jīng)跑過電車而銹蝕的鐵軌

with scarce a line of rusted metal to show where the tramways had run.?

還有一輛只剩空窗的電車車廂孤單、殘破地橫倒在一邊

And again we saw a tram-car, lone, windowless, dilapidated, and almost on its side.?

當(dāng)我們在地平線上遠望的時候，發(fā)現(xiàn)已經(jīng)看不到河岸邊的第三座塔

When we gazed around the horizon, we could not find the third tower by the river,?

只有第二座塔那塔尖的剪影在夜幕中破碎

and noticed that the silhouette of the second tower was ragged at the top.?

于是我們分成數(shù)列縱隊

Then we split up into narrow columns,?

每一列似乎都要朝不同的方向前行；

each of which seemed drown to a different direction.?

其中一列消失在左邊狹窄的小巷里，只留下一陣可怕的抽泣聲回蕩在耳畔

One disappeared in a narrow alley to the left, leaving only the echo of a shocking cry.?

另一列走進了雜草叢生的地鐵入口

Another filed down a weed-choked subway entrance,?

他們一邊走，一邊瘋狂地嚎叫，哄笑著

howling with a madden laughter.?

至于我所在的隊伍，則想被吸走似地往郊外遠去

My own column was sucked toward open country,?

我突然感受到一絲不屬于這酷熱秋天的惡寒

and presently I felt a chill that was not of the hot summer;?

而當(dāng)我們大步走進這黑暗的原野之后

for as we stalked out on the dark moor,?

發(fā)現(xiàn)自己已經(jīng)被邪惡的、反射著地獄般月光的積雪包圍

we beheld around us the hellish moon-glitter of evil snows.?

那沒有痕跡，怪異莫名的積雪被吹往一個方向的風(fēng)分為兩部分

Trackless, inexplicable snows, swept asunder in one direction only,?

造出兩道閃耀的雪墻，而其中間則是黑暗的深淵

where lay a gulf all the blacker for its glittering walls.?

我們覺得遠方似乎立著極細的列柱，于是像夢游似地緩緩走進深淵

The column seemed very thin indeed as it plodded dreamily into the gulf.?

我徘徊在隊伍后方，對那杯月光染綠的雪堆上的黑色裂口懼怕不已

I lingered behind, for the black rift in the green-litten snow was frightful,?

我想我聽見了那令人不安的號叫的回響

and I thought I had heard the reverberations of?

伴隨著一個接一個同伴的消失

a disquieting wail as my companions vanished;?

但我自己也已經(jīng)不剩多少力氣

but my power to linger was slight.?

就好像有人在遠方向我揮手一樣，

As if beckoned by those who come before,?

我在巨大的雪堆上半滑半走的行進著

I half floated between the titanic snowdrifts,?

一邊顫抖，一邊恐懼，就這樣被吸進無法想象的、深不見底的漩渦里

quivering and afraid, into the sightless vortex of the unimaginable.

我想要尖叫，想要沉默地陷入譫妄，但我卻只能述說那些有關(guān)神祇的事

Screamingly sentient, dumbly delirious, only the gods that were can tell.?

風(fēng)像一個惡心靈敏的影子那樣回旋，像一個既是手又不是手的東西在翻弄著它

A sickened, sensitive shadow writhing in hands that are not hands,?

在這充斥著腐爛造物的恐怖暗夜中

whirled blindly past ghastly midnights of rotting creation,?

在已經(jīng)死亡、長滿名為城市潰瘍的諸世界的尸體上，

corpses of dead worlds with sores that were cities,?

回旋的風(fēng)把人攪得頭暈?zāi)垦?。這不詳之風(fēng)吹過蒼白的群星，讓它們黯淡下來

charnel winds that brush the pallid stars and make them flicker low.?

越過世界與世界之間，隱約浮現(xiàn)出了如巨怪一般的幽影，

Beyond the worlds vague ghosts of monstrous things;?

那些若隱若現(xiàn)的影子是被玷污神殿的立柱——

half-seen columns of unsanctified temples that?

這立柱座落于構(gòu)成宇宙基盤的無名巖石之上高高地矗立

rest on nameless rocks beneath space and reach up to dizzy evacua?

超過光與暗的領(lǐng)域、直達于難以仰止的太虛

above the spheres of light and darkness.?

就在這座隱藏在宇宙之中的、令人作嘔的墓地里，從超越時空

And through this revolting graveyard of the universe the muffled,?

的黑暗空間里傳來了瘋狂敲打巨鼓的聲響，

maddening beating of drums,??

還傳出了細微的，單調(diào)，被褻瀆的長笛音色，這混雜的聲響都來自于無法想象

and thin, monotonous whine of blasphemous flutes from inconceivable,?

超越時間的暗室

unlighted chambers beyond Time;?

這可憎的敲擊和吹奏伴隨著緩慢地、笨拙地、

the detestable pounding and piping whereunto dance slowly, awkwardly,?

荒謬地舞姿，來自那些龐大而黑暗的終極之神—

and absurdly the gigantic, tenebrous ultimate gods

那些盲目、暗啞、癡愚的蕃神們

—the blind, voiceless, mindless gargoyles?

而他們的魂魄，就是奈亞拉托提普

whose soul is Nyarlathotep.