一无所有-第10部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



〃Why　not？〃　Kvetur　demanded。　〃Look　how　they　treated　us　Odonians！〃

〃They　gave　us　their　Moon；　didn't　they？〃

〃Yes；　to　keep　us　from　wrecking　their　profiteering　states　and　setting　up　the　Just　society　there。　And　as　soon　as　they　got　rid　of　ua；　I'll　bet　they　started　building　up　governments　and　armies　faster　than　ever；　because　nobody　was　left　to　stop　them。　If　we　opened　the　Port　to　them；　you　think　they'd　e　like　friends　and　brothers？　A　thousand　million　of　them；　and　twenty　million　of　us？　They'd　wipe　us　out；　or　make　us　all　what　do　you　call　it；　what's　the　word；　slaves；　to　work　the　mines　for　them！〃

〃All　right。　I　agree　that　it's　probably　wise　to　fear　Urras。　But　why　hate？　Hate's　not　functional；　why　are　we　taught　it？　Could　it　be　that　if　we　knew　what　Urras　was　really　like；　we'd　like　it　—　some　of　it　—　some　of　us？　That　what　PDC　wants　to　prevent　is　not　just　some　of　them　ing　here；　but　some　of　us　wanting　to　go　there？〃

〃Go　to　Urras？〃　Shevek　said。　startled。

The　argued　because　they　liked　argument；　liked　the　swift　run　of　the　unfettered　mind　along　the　paths　of　possibility；　liked　to　question　what　was　not　questioned。　They　were　intelligent；　their　minds　were　already　disciplined　to　the　clarity　of　science；　and　they　were　sixteen　years　old。　But　at　this　point　the　pleasure　of　the　argument　ceased　for　Shevek；　as　it　had　earlier　for　Kvetur。　He　was　disturbed。　〃Who'd　ever　want　to　go　to　Urras？〃　he　demanded。　〃What　for？〃

〃To　find　out　what　another　world's　like。　To　see　what　a　'horse'　is！〃

〃That's　childish；〃　Kvetur　said。　〃There's　life　on　some　other　star　systems；〃　and　he　waved　a　hand　at　the　moonwashed　sky。　〃so　they　say。　What　of　it？　We　had　the　luck　to　be　born　here！〃

〃If　we're　better　than　any　other　human　society；〃　said　Tirin。　〃then　we　ought　to　be　helping　them。　But　we're　forbidden　to。〃

〃Forbidden？　Nonanic　word。　Who　forbids？　You're　externalizing　the　integrative　function　itself；〃　Shevek　said；　leaning　forward　and　speaking　with　intensity。　〃Order　is　not　'orders。'　We　don't　leave　Anarres；　because　we　are　Anarres。　Being　Tirin；　you　cant　leave　Tirin's　skin。　You　might　like　to　try　being　somebody　else　to　see　what　it's　like；　but　you　can't。　But　are　you　kept　from　it　by　force？　Are　we　kept　here　by　force？　What　force　—　what　laws；　governments；　police？　None。　Simply　our　own　being；　our　nature　as　Odonians。　It's　your　nature　to　be　Tirin。　and　my　nature　to　be　Shevek；　and　our　mon　nature　to　be　Odonians；　responsible　to　one　another。　And　that　responsibility　is　our　freedom。　To　avoid　it。　would　be　to　lose　our　freedom。　Would　you　really　like　to　live　in　a　society　where　you　kave　no　responsibility　and　no　freedom；　no　choice；　only　the　false　option　of　obedience　to　the　law；　or　disobedience　followed　by　punishment？　Would　you　really　want　to　go　live　in　a　prison？〃

〃Oh；　hell；　no。　Can't　I　talk？　The　trouble　with　you；　Shev；　is　you　dont　say　anything　till　you've　saved　up　a　whole　truckload　of　damned　heavy　brick　arguments；　and　then　you　dump　them　all　out　and　never　look　at　the　bleeding　body　mangled　beneath　the　heap—〃

Shevek　sat　back；　looking　vindicated。

But　Bedap；　a　heavyset；　squarefaced　fellow；　chewed　on　his　thumbnail　and　said；　〃All　the　same；　Tir's　point　remains。　It　would　be　good　to　know　that　we　knew　all　the　truth　about　Urras。〃

〃Who　do　you　think　is　lying　to　us？〃　Shevek　demanded。

〃Placid；　Bedap　met　his　gaze。　〃Who；　brother？　Who　but　ourselves？〃


The　sister　pla　shone　down　upon　them；　serene　and　brilliant；　a　beautiful　example　of　the　improbability　of　the　real。

The　afforestation　of　the　West　Temaenian　Littoral　was　one　of　the　great　undertakings　of　the　fifteenth　decad　of　the　Settlement　on　Anarres；　employing　nearly　eighteen　thousand　people　over　a　period　of　two　years。

Though　the　long　beaches　of　Southeast　were　fertile；　supporting　many　fishing　and　farming　munities；　the　arable　area　was　a　mere　strip　along　the　sea。　Inland　and　westward　clear　across　the　vast　plains　of　Southwest　the　land　was　uninhabited　except　for　a　few　isolated　mining　towns。　It　was　the　region　called　the　Dust。

In　the　previous　geological　era　the　Dust　had　been　an　immense　forest　of　holums；　the　ubiquitous；　dominant　plant　genus　of　Anarres。　The　current　climate　was　hotter　and　drier。　Millennia　of　drought　had　killed　the　trees　and　dried　the　soil　to　a　fine　grey　dust　that　now　rose　up　on　every　wind；　forming　hills　as　pure　of　line　and　barren　as　any　sand　dune。　The　Anarresti　hoped　to　restore　the　fertility　of　that　restless　earth　by　replanting　the　forest。　This　was。　Shevek　thought；　in　accordance　with　me　principle　of　Causative　Reversibility；　ignored　by　the　Sequency　school　of　physics　currently　respectable　on　Anarres；　but　still　an　intimate；　tacit　element　of　Odonian　thought。　He　would　like　to　write　a　paper　showing　the　relationship　of　Odo's　ideas　to　the　ideas　of　temporal　physics；　and　particularly　the　influence　of　Causative　Reversibility　on　her　handling　of　the　problem　of　ends　and　means。　But　at　eighteen　he　didn't　know　enough　to　write　such　a　paper；　and　he　never　would　know　enough　if　he　didn't　get　back　to　physics　soon　and　out　of　the　damned　Dust。

At　night　in　the　project　camps　everybody　coughed；　in　the　daytime　they　coughed　less；　they　were　too　busy　to　cough。　The　dust　was　their　enemy；　the　fine　dry　stuff　that　clogged　the　throat　and　lungs；　their　enemy　and　their　charge；　their　hope。　Once　that　dust　had　lain　rich　and　dark　in　the　shade　of　trees。　After　their　long　work；　it　might　do　so　again。

〃She　brings　the　green　leaf　from　the　stone。　From　heart　of　rock　clear　water　running。〃　

Gimar　was　always　humming　the　tune；　and　now　in　the　hot　evening　returning　to　camp　over　the　plain　she　sang　the　words　aloud。

〃Who　does？　Who's　*she*？〃　asked　Shevek。

Gimar　smiled。　Her　broad；　silky　face　was　smeared　and　caked　with　dust；　her　hair　was　full　of　dust；　she　smelled　strongly　and　agreeably　of　sweat。

〃I　grew　up　in　Southrising；〃　she　said。　〃Where　the　miners　are。　It's　a　miner　song。〃

〃What　miners？〃

〃Dont　you　know？　People　who　were　already　here　when　the　Settlers　came。　Some　of　them　stayed　and　joined　the　solidarity。　Goldminers；　tinminers。　They　still　have　some　feast　days　and　songs　of　their　own。　The　tadde*　was　a　miner；　he　used　to　sing　me　that　when　I　was　little。〃



？Papa。　A　small　child　may　can　any　adult　mamme　or　tadde；　Gimar's　tadde　may　have　been　her　father；　an　uncle；　or　an　unrelated　adult　who　showed　her　parental　or　grandparental　responsibility　and　affection。　She　may　have　called　several　people　tadde　'or　mamme；　but　the　word　has　a　more　specific　use　than　ammar　（brother/sister）；　which　may　be　used　to　anybody。



〃*Well；　then；　who's　'she'？〃

〃I　don't　know；　it's　Just　what　the　song　says。　Isn't　it　what　we're　doing　here？　Bringing　green　leaves　out　of　stones！〃

〃Sounds　like　religion。〃

〃You　and　your　fancy　bookwords。　It's　just　a　song。　Oh；　I　wish　we　were　back　at　the　other　camp　and　could　have　a　swim。　I　stink！〃

〃I　stink。〃

〃We　all　stink。〃

〃In　solidarity。。　。〃

But　this　camp　was　fifteen　kilos　from　the　beaches　of　the　Temae；　and　there　was　only　dust　to　swim　in。

There　was　a　man　in　camp　whose　name；　spoken；　sounded　like　Shevek's：　Shevet　When　one　was　called　the　other　answered。　Shevek　felt　a　kind　of　affinity　for　the　man；　a　relation　more　particular　than　that　of　brotherhood；　because）　of　this　random　similarity。　A　couple　of　times　he　saw　Shevet　eyeing　him。　They　did　not　speak　to　each　other　yet。

Shevek's　first　decads　in　the　afforestation　project　had　been　spent　in　silent　resentment　and　exhaustion。　People　who　had　chosen　to　work　in　centrally　functional　fields　such　as　physics　should　not　be　called　upon　for　these　projects'　and　special　levies。　Wasn't　it　immoral　to　do　work　you　didn't　enjoy？　The　work　needed　doing；　but　a　lot　of　people　didn't　care　what　they　were　posted　to　and　changed　jobs　all　the　time；　they　should　have　volunteered。　Any　fool　could　do　this　work。　In　fact；　a　lot　of　them　could　do　it　better　than　he　could。　He　had　been　proud　of　his　strength；　and　had　always　volunteered　for　the　〃heavies〃　on　tenthday　rotational　duty；　but　here　it　was　day　after　day；　eight　hours　a　day；　in　dust　and　heat　All　day　he　would　look　forward　to　evening　when　he　could　be　alone　and　think；　and　the　instant　he　got　to　the　sleeping　tent　after　supper　his　head　flopped　down　and　he　slept　like　a　stone　till　dawn；　and　never　a　thought　crossed　his　mind。

Ha　found　the　workmates　dull　and　loutish；　and　even　those　younger　than　himself　treated　him　like　a　boy。　S