`In another moment we were standing1 face to face, I and this fragile thing out of futurity. He came straight up to me and laughed into my eyes. The absence from his bearing of any sign of fear struck me at once. Then he turned to the two others who were following him and spoke2 to them in a strange and very sweet and liquid tongue.
`There were others coming, and presently a little group of perhaps eight or ten of these exquisite3 creatures were about me. One of them addressed me. It came into my head, oddly enough, that my voice was too harsh and deep for them. So I shook my head, and, pointing to my ears, shook it again. He came a step forward, hesitated, and then touched my hand. Then I felt other soft little tentacles4 upon my back and shoulders. They wanted to make sure I was real. There was nothing in this at all alarming. Indeed, there was something in these pretty little people that inspired confidence--a graceful5 gentleness, a certain childlike ease. And besides, they looked so frail6 that I could fancy myself flinging the whole dozen of them about like nine-pins. But I made a sudden motion to warn them when I saw their little pink hands feeling at the Time Machine. Happily then, when it was not too late, I thought of a danger I had hitherto forgotten, and reaching over the bars of the machine I unscrewed the little levers that would set it in motion, and put these in my pocket. Then I turned again to see what I could do in the way of communication.
`And then, looking more nearly into their features, I saw some further peculiarities7 in their Dresden-china type of prettiness. Their hair, which was uniformly curly, came to a sharp end at the neck and cheek; there was not the faintest suggestion of it on the face, and their ears were singularly minute. The mouths were small, with bright red, rather thin lips, and the little chins ran to a point. The eyes were large and mild; and--this may seem egotism on my part--I fancied even that there was a certain lack of the interest I might have expected in them.
`As they made no effort to communicate with me, but simply stood round me smiling and speaking in soft cooing notes to each other, I began the conversation. I pointed8 to the Time Machine and to myself. Then hesitating for a moment how to express time, I pointed to the sun. At once a quaintly9 pretty little figure in chequered purple and white followed my gesture, and then astonished me by imitating the sound of thunder.
`For a moment I was staggered, though the import of his gesture was plain enough. The question had come into my mind abruptly10: were these creatures fools? You may hardly understand how it took me. You see I had always anticipated that the people of the year Eight Hundred and Two Thousand odd would be incredibly in front of us in knowledge, art, everything. Then one of them suddenly asked me a question that showed him to be on the intellectual level of one of our five-year-old children-- asked me, in fact, if I had come from the sun in a thunderstorm! It let loose the judgment11 I had suspended upon their clothes, their frail light limbs, and fragile features. A flow of disappointment rushed across my mind. For a moment I felt that I had built the Time Machine in vain.
`I nodded, pointed to the sun, and gave them such a vivid rendering12 of a thunderclap as startled them. They all withdrew a pace or so and bowed. Then came one laughing towards me, carrying a chain of beautiful flowers altogether new to me, and put it about my neck. The idea was received with melodious13 applause; and presently they were all running to and fro for flowers, and laughingly flinging them upon me until I was almost smothered14 with blossom. You who have never seen the like can scarcely imagine what delicate and wonderful flowers countless15 years of culture had created. Then someone suggested that their plaything should be exhibited in the nearest building, and so I was led past the sphinx of white marble, which had seemed to watch me all the while with a smile at my astonishment16, towards a vast grey edifice17 of fretted18 stone. As I went with them the memory of my confident anticipations19 of a profoundly grave and intellectual posterity20 came, with irresistible21 merriment, to my mind.
`The building had a huge entry, and was altogether of colossal22 dimensions. I was naturally most occupied with the growing crowd of little people, and with the big open portals that yawned before me shadowy and mysterious. My general impression of the world I saw over their heads was a tangled23 waste of beautiful bushes and flowers, a long neglected and yet weedless garden. I saw a number of tall spikes24 of strange white flowers, measuring a foot perhaps across the spread of the waxen petals25. They grew scattered26, as if wild, among the variegated27 shrubs28, but, as I say, I did not examine them closely at this time. The Time Machine was left deserted29 on the turf among the rhododendrons.
`The arch of the doorway30 was richly carved, but naturally I did not observe the carving31 very narrowly, though I fancied I saw suggestions of old Phoenician decorations as I passed through, and it struck me that they were very badly broken and weather- worn. Several more brightly clad people met me in the doorway, and so we entered, I, dressed in dingy32 nineteenth-century garments, looking grotesque33 enough, garlanded with flowers, and surrounded by an eddying34 mass of bright, soft-colored robes and shining white limbs, in a melodious whirl of laughter and laughing speech.
`The big doorway opened into a proportionately great hall hung with brown. The roof was in shadow, and the windows, partially35 glazed36 with coloured glass and partially unglazed, admitted a tempered light. The floor was made up of huge blocks of some very hard white metal, not plates nor slabs37--blocks, and it was so much worn, as I judged by the going to and fro of past generations, as to be deeply channelled along the more frequented ways. Transverse to the length were innumerable tables made of slabs of polished stone, raised perhaps a foot from the floor, and upon these were heaps of fruits. Some I recognized as a kind of hypertrophied raspberry and orange, but for the most part they were strange.
`Between the tables was scattered a great number of cushions. Upon these my conductors seated themselves, signing for me to do likewise. With a pretty absence of ceremony they began to eat the fruit with their hands, flinging peel and stalks, and so forth38, into the round openings in the sides of the tables. I was not loath39 to follow their example, for I felt thirsty and hungry. As I did so I surveyed the hall at my leisure.
`And perhaps the thing that struck me most was its dilapidated look. The stained-glass windows, which displayed only a geometrical pattern, were broken in many places, and the curtains that hung across the lower end were thick with dust. And it caught my eye that the corner of the marble table near me was fractured. Nevertheless, the general effect was extremely rich and picturesque40. There were, perhaps, a couple of hundred people dining in the hall, and most of them, seated as near to me as they could come, were watching me with interest, their little eyes shining over the fruit they were eating. All were clad in the same soft and yet strong, silky material.
`Fruit, by the by, was all their diet. These people of the remote future were strict vegetarians41, and while I was with them, in spite of some carnal cravings, I had to be frugivorous also. Indeed, I found afterwards that horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, had followed the Ichthyosaurus into extinction42. But the fruits were very delightful43; one, in particular, that seemed to be in season all the time I was there--a floury thing in a three-sided husk --was especially good, and I made it my staple44. At first I was puzzled by all these strange fruits, and by the strange flowers I saw, but later I began to perceive their import.
`However, I am telling you of my fruit dinner in the distant future now. So soon as my appetite was a little checked, I determined45 to make a resolute46 attempt to learn the speech of these new men of mine. Clearly that was the next thing to do. The fruits seemed a convenient thing to begin upon, and holding one of these up I began a series of interrogative sounds and gestures. I had some considerable difficulty in conveying my meaning. At first my efforts met with a stare of surprise or inextinguishable laughter, but presently a fair-haired little creature seemed to grasp my intention and repeated a name. They had to chatter47 and explain the business at great length to each other, and my first attempts to make the exquisite little sounds of their language caused an immense amount of amusement. However, I felt like a schoolmaster amidst children, and persisted, and presently I had a score of noun substantives48 at least at my command; and then I got to demonstrative pronouns, and even the verb "to eat." But it was slow work, and the little people soon tired and wanted to get away from my interrogations, so I determined, rather of necessity, to let them give their lessons in little doses when they felt inclined. And very little doses I found they were before long, for I never met people more indolent or more easily fatigued49.
`A queer thing I soon discovered about my little hosts, and that was their lack of interest. They would come to me with eager cries of astonishment, like children, but like children they would soon stop examining me and wander away after some other toy. The dinner and my conversational50 beginnings ended, I noted51 for the first time that almost all those who had surrounded me at first were gone. It is odd, too, how speedily I came to disregard these little people. I went out through the portal into the sunlit world again as soon as my hunger was satisfied. I was continually meeting more of these men of the future, who would follow me a little distance, chatter and laugh about me, and, having smiled and gesticulated in a friendly way, leave me again to my own devices.
`The calm of evening was upon the world as I emerged from the great hall, and the scene was lit by the warm glow of the setting sun. At first things were very confusing. Everything was so entirely52 different from the world I had known--even the flowers. The big building I had left was situated53 on the slope of a broad river valley, but the Thames had shifted perhaps a mile from its present position. I resolved to mount to the summit of a crest54 perhaps a mile and a half away, from which I could get a wider view of this our planet in the year Eight Hundred and Two Thousand Seven Hundred and One A.D. For that, I should explain, was the date the little dials of my machine recorded.
`As I walked I was watching for every impression that could possibly help to explain the condition of ruinous splendour in which I found the world--for ruinous it was. A little way up the hill, for instance, was a great heap of granite55, bound together by masses of aluminium56, a vast labyrinth57 of precipitous walls and crumpled58 heaps, amidst which were thick heaps of very beautiful pagoda-like plants--nettles possibly--but wonderfully tinted59 with brown about the leaves, and incapable60 of stinging. It was evidently the derelict remains61 of some vast structure, to what end built I could not determine. It was here that I was destined62, at a later date, to have a very strange experience--the first intimation of a still stranger discovery--but of that I will speak in its proper place.
`Looking round with a sudden thought, from a terrace on which I rested for a while, I realized that there were no small houses to be seen. Apparently63 the single house, and possibly even the household, had vanished. Here and there among the greenery were palace-like buildings, but the house and the cottage, which form such characteristic features of our own English landscape, had disappeared.
`"Communism," said I to myself.
`And on the heels of that came another thought. I looked at the half-dozen little figures that were following me. Then, in a flash, I perceived that all had the same form of costume, the same soft hairless visage, and the same girlish rotundity of limb. It may seem strange, perhaps, that I had not noticed this before. But everything was so strange. Now, I saw the fact plainly enough. In costume, and in all the differences of texture64 and bearing that now mark off the sexes from each other, these people of the future were alike. And the children seemed to my eyes to be but the miniatures of their parents. I judged, then, that the children of that time were extremely precocious65, physically66 at least, and I found afterwards abundant verification of my opinion.
`Seeing the ease and security in which these people were living, I felt that this close resemblance of the sexes was after all what one would expect; for the strength of a man and the softness of a woman, the institution of the family, and the differentiation67 of occupations are mere68 militant69 necessities of an age of physical force; where population is balanced and abundant, much childbearing becomes an evil rather than a blessing70 to the State; where violence comes but rarely and off-spring are secure, there is less necessity--indeed there is no necessity--for an efficient family, and the specialization of the sexes with reference to their children's needs disappears. We see some beginnings of this even in our own time, and in this future age it was complete. This, I must remind you, was my speculation71 at the time. Later, I was to appreciate how far it fell short of the reality.
`While I was musing72 upon these things, my attention was attracted by a pretty little structure, like a well under a cupola. I thought in a transitory way of the oddness of wells still existing, and then resumed the thread of my speculations73. There were no large buildings towards the top of the hill, and as my walking powers were evidently miraculous74, I was presently left alone for the first time. With a strange sense of freedom and adventure I pushed on up to the crest.
`There I found a seat of some yellow metal that I did not recognize, corroded75 in places with a kind of pinkish rust76 and half smothered in soft moss77, the arm-rests cast and filed into the resemblance of griffins' heads. I sat down on it, and I surveyed the broad view of our old world under the sunset of that long day. It was as sweet and fair a view as I have ever seen. The sun had already gone below the horizon and the west was flaming gold, touched with some horizontal bars of purple and crimson78. Below was the valley of the Thames, in which the river lay like a band of burnished79 steel. I have already spoken of the great palaces dotted about among the variegated greenery, some in ruins and some still occupied. Here and there rose a white or silvery figure in the waste garden of the earth, here and there came the sharp vertical80 line of some cupola or obelisk81. There were no hedges, no signs of proprietary82 rights, no evidences of agriculture; the whole earth had become a garden.
`So watching, I began to put my interpretation83 upon the things I had seen, and as it shaped itself to me that evening, my interpretation was something in this way. (Afterwards I found I had got only a half-truth--or only a glimpse of one facet84 of the truth.)
`It seemed to me that I had happened upon humanity upon the wane85. The ruddy sunset set me thinking of the sunset of mankind. For the first time I began to realize an odd consequence of the social effort in which we are at present engaged. And yet, come to think, it is a logical consequence enough. Strength is the outcome of need; security sets a premium86 on feebleness. The work of ameliorating the conditions of life--the true civilizing87 process that makes life more and more secure--had gone steadily88 on to a climax89. One triumph of a united humanity over Nature had followed another. Things that are now mere dreams had become projects deliberately90 put in hand and carried forward. And the harvest was what I saw!
`After all, the sanitation91 and the agriculture of to-day are still in the rudimentary stage. The science of our time has attacked but a little department of the field of human disease, but even so, it spreads its operations very steadily and persistently92. Our agriculture and horticulture destroy a weed just here and there and cultivate perhaps a score or so of wholesome93 plants, leaving the greater number to fight out a balance as they can. We improve our favourite plants and animals --and how few they are--gradually by selective breeding; now a new and better peach, now a seedless grape, now a sweeter and larger flower, now a more convenient breed of cattle. We improve them gradually, because our ideals are vague and tentative, and our knowledge is very limited; because Nature, too, is shy and slow in our clumsy hands. Some day all this will be better organized, and still better. That is the drift of the current in spite of the eddies94. The whole world will be intelligent, educated, and co-operating; things will move faster and faster towards the subjugation95 of Nature. In the end, wisely and carefully we shall readjust the balance of animal and vegetable me to suit our human needs.
`This adjustment, I say, must have been done, and done well; done indeed for all Time, in the space of Time across which my machine had leaped. The air was free from gnats96, the earth from weeds or fungi97; everywhere were fruits and sweet and delightful flowers; brilliant butterflies flew hither and thither98. The ideal of preventive medicine was attained99. Diseases had been stamped out. I saw no evidence of any contagious100 diseases during all my stay. And I shall have to tell you later that even the processes of putrefaction101 and decay had been profoundly affected102 by these changes.
`Social triumphs, too, had been effected. I saw mankind housed in splendid shelters, gloriously clothed, and as yet I had found them engaged in no toil103. There were no signs of struggle, neither social nor economical struggle. The shop, the advertisement, traffic, all that commerce which constitutes the body of our world, was gone. It was natural on that golden evening that I should jump at the idea of a social paradise. The difficulty of increasing population had been met, I guessed, and population had ceased to increase.
`But with this change in condition comes inevitably104 adaptations to the change. What, unless biological science is a mass of errors, is the cause of human intelligence and vigour105? Hardship and freedom: conditions under which the active, strong, and subtle survive and the weaker go to the wall; conditions that put a premium upon the loyal alliance of capable men, upon self-restraint, patience, and decision. And the institution of the family, and the emotions that arise therein, the fierce jealousy106, the tenderness for offspring, parental107 self-devotion, all found their justification108 and support in the imminent109 dangers of the young. NOW, where are these imminent dangers? There is a sentiment arising, and it will grow, against connubial110 jealousy, against fierce maternity111, against passion of all sorts; unnecessary things now, and things that make us uncomfortable, savage112 survivals, discords113 in a refined and pleasant life.
`I thought of the physical slightness of the people, their lack of intelligence, and those big abundant ruins, and it strengthened my belief in a perfect conquest of Nature. For after the battle comes Quiet. Humanity had been strong, energetic, and intelligent, and had used all its abundant vitality114 to alter the conditions under which it lived. And now came the reaction of the altered conditions.
`Under the new conditions of perfect comfort and security, that restless energy, that with us is strength, would become weakness. Even in our own time certain tendencies and desires, once necessary to survival, are a constant source of failure. Physical courage and the love of battle, for instance, are no great help--may even be hindrances--to a civilized115 man. And in a state of physical balance and security, power, intellectual as well as physical, would be out of place. For countless years I judged there had been no danger of war or solitary116 violence, no danger from wild beasts, no wasting disease to require strength of constitution, no need of toil. For such a life, what we should call the weak are as well equipped as the strong, are indeed no longer weak. Better equipped indeed they are, for the strong would be fretted by an energy for which there was no outlet117. No doubt the exquisite beauty of the buildings I saw was the outcome of the last surgings of the now purposeless energy of mankind before it settled down into perfect harmony with the conditions under which it lived--the flourish of that triumph which began the last great peace. This has ever been the fate of energy in security; it takes to art and to eroticism, and then come languor118 and decay.
`Even this artistic119 impetus120 would at last die away--had almost died in the Time I saw. To adorn121 themselves with flowers, to dance, to sing in the sunlight: so much was left of the artistic spirit, and no more. Even that would fade in the end into a contented122 inactivity. We are kept keen on the grindstone of pain and necessity, and, it seemed to me, that here was that hateful grindstone broken at last!
`As I stood there in the gathering123 dark I thought that in this simple explanation I had mastered the problem of the world-- mastered the whole secret of these delicious people. Possibly the checks they had devised for the increase of population had succeeded too well, and their numbers had rather diminished than kept stationary124. That would account for the abandoned ruins. Very simple was my explanation, and plausible125 enough--as most wrong theories are!
“转眼间，我和这个来自未来世界的脆弱者已面对面站着。他径直走到我跟前，看着我的双眼大笑。他无所畏惧的模样立即给我留下了深刻的印象。接着他转身对跟着他的两个家伙讲话，他讲的话听起来很古怪，却清脆悦耳。
“其他的人也在走过来，不一会儿，八九个这样玲珑的家伙围住了我，其中一个和我打了声招呼。真是奇怪，我想我的声音对于他们怕是太刺耳太低沉了。于是我摇了摇头，用手指指自己的耳朵，又摇了摇头。他朝前跨了一步，犹豫了，接着碰碰我的手。这时我感到背上肩上也有柔小的东西在触摸，他们是想确定我是不是真的，这根本没什么可大惊小怪的。这些漂亮的小个子身上确实有种东西能使人产生信心——他们温文尔雅，像孩子似的悠闲自在。此外，他们又是这样脆弱，我完全可以像玩九柱戏那样一下子打倒他们十几个。不过当我看到他们红润的小手去触摸时间机器时，我只是随即做了个表示警告的动作。有幸的是，我及时想起了我一直疏忽的危险，于是用手伸进时间机器的栏杆，把启动杆拧下来放进了口袋。接着，我又转过身来，琢磨用什么办法来同他们交流。
“这时，我更加仔细地观察了他们的容貌，我在他们精美得如同德累斯顿瓷器的脸上看到的某些特征独一无二。他们的头发都是卷曲的，都长到齐脖子的地方，脸上连根毫毛都没有，耳朵小得出奇，嘴也不大，双唇又红又薄，下巴尖尖的，眼睛大而温柔。也许是出于自私的缘故吧，我觉得即使这样，他们仍然不如我期望的那样有趣。
“他们并不想和我交谈，只是站在我身旁，微笑着相互低声说话。我先开口，指指时间机器和我自己，接着犹豫了片刻，不知如何来表达时间，随后我指指太阳。一个穿紫白格子衫的特别漂亮的小东西马上顺着我的手势，学了一声雷鸣声，这使我大吃一惊。
“我一时间不知所措，可他表示的含意十分清楚。我心中陡然冒出一个问题：这些小东西是傻子吗？你们也许难以理解我怎么会有这个想法。要知道，我历来预期80多万年的人们在知识、艺术和其他任何方面都会远远超过我们。可他们中的一个突然问了我一个问题，他居然问我是不是乘着雷雨从太阳上下来的！这个问题表明他仍处在我们5岁儿童的智力水平上，有助于我对他们的衣着、脆弱无力的四肢和虚弱的外表做出正确的判断。一阵失望感从心头掠过，我顿时感到我造这台时间机器白费功夫。
“我点点头，指着太阳惟妙惟肖地学了一声霹雳。他们吓了一跳，全都后退几步，向我连连鞠躬。这时，其中一个冲我大笑，他把手里拿着的一串我从未见过的鲜花套在我的脖子上，这个主意获得了一片美妙的喝彩声。紧接着，他们全都跑来跑去采摘鲜花，笑着把花朵扔到我身上，差点没把我淹没在花堆里。你们没见过那种场面，几乎想象不出漫长的文化岁月创造出了何等娇嫩绚丽的花朵。接着有人建议把他们的玩具弄到最近的楼里去展览，于是他们带我走过白色大理石雕的斯芬克斯像——它好像面带微笑一直在注视我吃惊的神情——朝一座石头已受侵蚀的大厦走去。我跟着他们，按捺不住内心的快乐，想到我原来满心期盼的是人类极其严肃和聪慧的后代。
“房子的入口很大，整座建筑绝对庞大。我最注意的自然是越聚越多的这些小人以及那些朝我张着大口的幽暗而神秘的大门。我从他们头顶上看到的这个世界给我留下的整体印象，是一片交织着美丽的鲜花和灌木丛的荒园，一座早已没人看管又不长杂草的荒园。我看到一支支奇妙的白花高耸着，光溜溜的花瓣有1英尺宽。它们散布在斑驳的灌木丛中，像是星星点点的野花。可就像我说的，我这时没有去细看这些花，因为时间机器还扔在杜鹃花包围的草地上呢。
“拱门上精雕细刻，当然我没有去仔细观察这些雕刻。可我经过时好像看到类似腓尼基人的装饰图案，我好像觉得它们经过风吹雨打已残缺不全。几个穿着更漂亮的人在门口迎接我，于是我们走了进去。我身上穿的是19世纪暗色的长衫，样子十分古怪，脖子上还戴着花环，身旁簇拥着一大群人，他们身着色彩鲜艳又柔和的袍子，四肢洁白光亮，沉浸在一阵阵欢声笑语中。
“大门通向一个与它相称的大厅，厅里挂着棕色的窗帘。屋顶处在阴影里。窗户有些装了彩色玻璃，有些没有装，温和的阳光照了进来。地面是用某种非常坚硬的大块白色金属铺成的，不是金属板而是金属块。地面磨损严重，据我判断，这是由于过去世世代代的人在上面来回走动的缘故，以致主道上都走出了深沟。大厅里横放着许多磨光的石板桌，桌面离地约有1英尺，上面堆满了水果，其中有些水果我认出来，是肥大的紫莓和桔子，但大部分水果我不认识。
“桌子间散放着许多垫子。领我来的那些人坐上垫子，然后打着手势让我也坐下。没有进行任何仪式，他们便动手吃水果，把果皮和果柄之类的东西扔到桌旁的圆坑里。我倒很乐意学他们的样，因为我又渴又饿。我边吃水果边偷闲观察这个大厅。
“也许最让我感到吃惊的是大厅破烂的外表。窗户上污迹斑斑，像幅几何图，玻璃已多处破碎，窗帘的下摆蒙上了厚厚的尘土。我还看到身旁那张大理石桌子的一个角也裂开了。不过，总的感觉还是富丽堂皇，生动别致。厅里大约有几百号人在用餐，大多数人尽量坐在靠近我的地方，他们边吃水果边饶有兴趣地望着我，小眼睛闪闪发光。他们都穿着同样柔软牢固的丝绸服装。
“顺便提一句，他们只吃水果，这些遥远的未来人是严格的素食者。虽然我嗜肉成痹，可跟他们在一起，也只得以果代肉了。的确，后来我发现，马、羊、牛和狗都继鱼龙之后灭绝了。不过这些水果非常可爱，尤其是那种我在时好像一直都有的水果——一种有三角外壳的粉质果实——特别好吃，我把它当作自己的主食。起初，我被这些奇怪的水果和我看到的奇怪的鲜花迷惑了，但后来我慢慢明白了它们的内在意义。
“不管怎么说，我现在和你们讲的是我在遥远未来吃水果餐的情形。我稍感饱足之后，立即决定学习这些陌生人的语言。显然这是我接下来要干的事。先从水果学起倒也方便。我拿起一个水果，做着手势叽里咕嗜询问起来，可就是表达不清我的意思。一开始我的尝试换来的竟是吃惊的神情和哄堂大笑，不过随即有个金发小家伙似乎明白了我的意图，并重复了一个名字。他们相互间只得翻来覆去来谈论和解释这件事。我初次学发他们语言中优美的短音时，居然把他们逗得乐不可支。然而，我感到自己像个求教的小学生，坚持不懈，很快学了十几个名词，至少可以随意使用。接着我学了指示代词，甚至还学了‘吃’这个动词。木过这是很花功夫的事，那些小人很快就厌倦了，都想回避我的提问，于是我只得决定在他们想教我时再零零碎碎学。不久我发现后来学到的内容真是少得可怜，因为我从没有碰到过比他们更懒惰、更容易疲劳的人。
“我很快发现了一件怪事，我的那些小主人对什么都缺乏兴趣。他们会和孩子一样惊奇地喊着向我跑来，但他们又会像孩子一样随即停止对我的观察，逛到别处去找别的玩具玩。晚饭和我刚开始的交谈结束了，我第一次注意到起初围着我的人几乎已经走光。同样奇怪的是，我也很快对那些小人失去了兴趣。我刚吃饱肚子就走出大门，再次来到阳光普照的天地里。我连续不断地遇上这些未来人，他们总要跟我走一阵，谈论我，笑话我，然后再友好地朝我笑笑，做着手势离我而去，撇下我和我的时间机器。
“我走出大厅时，傍晚的宁静已降临大地，西落的太阳照亮了四周的景色。起先，万事万物都叫我费解，一切都同我熟悉的世界截然不同——连花都不一样。我刚从里边走出来的那幢高大建筑坐落在一个大河谷的坡上，可泰晤士河从它现在的位置移离了大约1英里的距离。我决定登上大约1英里半开外的一个山峰，站在上面可以在遥远的8O27O1年把我们的这颗行星看得更加清楚。要说明一下，这个年代是我机器的小转盘记录的时间。
“我边走边留意，看看有什么可以帮助解释这壮观的废墟，我就是在这片废墟中发现这个世界的，真的已是一片废墟。比如，小山上去一点就是一大堆花岗岩，大块的铝把这些石头连结起来，形成一个绝壁和断墙的大迷宫。迷宫中间长着一丛丛茂密而又非常美丽的宝塔形植物——可能是尊麻科植物——但是叶子呈奇美的棕褐色，不刺人。这显然是某个庞大建筑的废墟，为什么而建我就不得而知了。在以后的日子里，我注定要在这里遇上更加奇特的事——我先在此提示将有更为奇特的发现——不过这要到时候才讲。
“我突然想起了什么，从我坐着休息了片刻的平台上向四周望望，这才发现眼前看不见有什么小房子。显而易见，独立式的房子，甚至可能连房子里的人都已经消失。绿草丛中到处是宫殿式的建筑，但构成我们自己英国风情的房子和小屋却已不见踪影。”
“共产主义。”我自言自语。
“紧接着我又想到别的事情。我望着那五六个跟着我的小家伙，陡然发现他们全都穿着一样的服装，柔软的脸上全都不长毛，他们全都长着像女孩一样浑圆的四肢。你们或许会觉得奇怪，我以前居然没有注意到这些。可这一切太奇怪了，这次他们的脸我看得十分清楚。从服装和区分两性的特征来看，这些未来人都是一个模样。小孩子在我看来好像只是比他们的父母亲小一号而已。我随即得出结论，这时候的孩子成熟得特别早，至少在生理上是这样。我后来找到了这个看法的充分证据。
“看到这些人生活在悠闲和安全之中，我感到他们男女长得很像也就成了意料中的事，因为男刚女柔，家庭的建立和职业的不同都只是体力时代战斗的需要。在男女人口众多而又平衡的地方，过度地生儿育女对于一个国家只会是坏事而不会是好事；在暴力罕见和后代安居的地方，家庭不太需要讲求效率——确实没有必要；在孩子的需求上出现的男女特殊化也不再存在。即使在我们自己的时代里，这个现象也已开始出现。在那个未来世界里，这个转变过程已经完成。我必须提醒你们，这是我当时的想法，我后来才领教了这种想法是多么不符合实际情况啊。
“正当我在思索这些事情时，我的注意力被圆顶下一个井一样美丽的建筑吸引住了。我思路一转，心想这里居然还有这种怪并存在，接着又陷入了刚才的沉思。靠近山顶的地方没有什么大建筑物，由于我的步行能力相当出色，就很快抛开了跟着我的人。我怀着一种奇怪的自由感和冒险心理，继续向前，来到山顶上。
“在那里，我发现有一张椅子，是用我不认识的某种黄色金属做的。椅子已有好几处生了粉红色的锈斑，它半理在柔软的答薛里，两边的扶手做得像怪兽的头。我在椅子上坐下，俯视我们过去的世界在那漫长的一天结束时夕阳笼罩的辽阔景象。这是我从未见过的迷人风景。太阳已经下山，西边金光灿灿，地平线上泛出几道紫红色的光芒。下面是泰晤士河旁的．山谷，泰晤士河镶在中间，宛如一条磨光的钢带。我刚才提到过点缀在斑驳的绿草丛中的大宫殿，其中有些已成废墟，有些还住着人。在这个荒园世界里，到处矗立着白色或银色的塑像，到处是圆顶或笔直的方形尖塔。没有树篱，没有产权标志，没有耕作的迹象，整个世界成了一个荒园。
“请注意，我现在开始解释我见到的那些事情了，我的解释基本上是叙述我那天晚上见到的情景。（后来我发现只讲对了一半真相——或者说只讲对了真相的一个方面。）
“我好像觉得遇上了正在走向衰败的人类。红色的日落使我想起人类自身的日落。我第一次认识到，我们现在从事的社会劳动的古怪后果。可是，仔细想想，这又是非常合乎逻辑的后果。力量是需求的产物；安全助长衰弱。改善生活条件的工作——使生活越来越安全的真正文明化过程——已稳步走向顶峰，人类团结起来战胜自然的胜利一个接着一个，我们现在看来只是梦想的事情已成为有目的从事的工程，并且正在付诸实施，其中的收获就是我所看到的情景。
“不管怎么说，我们今天的卫生和农业仍处于初级阶段，我们这个时代的科学只征服了人类的一小部分疾病，但即使这样，它还是稳步而不懈地在朝前发展。我们的农业和园艺只是在各处除掉几株杂草，或许也培养了一些有益的植物，但绝大多数植物只得靠自己奋力竞争，寻找生路。我们通过优生学不断改良我们喜爱的植物和动物种类——只是少得可怜，一会儿是改良的新品种桃子，一会儿是无核葡萄，一会儿是更大更香的鲜花，一会儿又是饲养方便的牲口。我们之所以不断改良这些品种，因为我们的理想是模糊变化的，我们的知识非常有限，因为大自然在我们笨拙的手里也是胆小迟钝的。这一切总有一天会变得井然有序，越来越好。无论出现什么漩涡，这是潮流的必然趋势。整个世界将会变得理智和有教养，充满合作精神。一切将朝着征服自然的方向越走越快。最终，我们会明智而又谨慎地重新调整动植物的平衡，以适应我们人类的需求。
“这个调整，我说，一定已经完成，而且还完成得很不错。其实这一调整是在我的时间机器跳跃过的时空里完成的。空中没有蚊虫，地上不长杂草，到处都是水果和又香又美的鲜花；彩蝶翩翩飞舞。预防性医疗这个理想已经实现，疾病也已灭绝。逗留期间，我没有见到任何传染病的迹象。我后面还要告诉你们，甚至连动植物的衰落和腐烂也都深受这些变化的影响。
“社会成就也受到了影响。我看到人类居住在富丽堂皇的房子里，衣着华贵，‘然而却没有看见他们从事什么艰苦的劳动。没有任何斗争的迹象，既没有社会斗争，也没有经济斗争。商店、广告、交通、所有构成我们这个世界主体的一切商业贸易都没有了。在那金色的傍晚，我突然想到天堂社会这个概念也是很自然的。我猜想，他们遇上过人口增加的问题，但他们肯定采取了措施，因为他们的人口已停止了增长。
“但是随着环境的变化而来的必定是对变化的适应。除非生物学全是胡说八道，否则是什么促使人类产生智慧和活力的呢？当然是艰难和自由。在这样的条件下，只有积极灵巧的强者方能生存下来，弱小者只得靠边。这样的条件助长有能力的人忠诚合作，助长自律、忍耐和果断。而家庭的建立以及随之产生的强烈的倾慕、对子女的温存和父母的自我奉献，都在孩子即将遭受的种种危险里找到了正当的理由和根据。现在，这些即将来临的危险在哪里呢？有一种情感正在兴起，它将不断发展，与夫妻间的倾慕、强烈的母爱以及一切激情背道而驰。因为这些激情现在成了多余的东西，它们只会使我们感到难受，感到残酷无情，是和我们美好快乐的生活不协调的。
“我想到这些人长得都很纤弱，想到他们贫乏的智力和那大片的废墟。这使我更加坚信人类完全征服了大自然，因为征服之后才会出现宁静。人类曾经是强大的、精力充沛的聪明的人，他们用巨大的活力改变了自己的生活条件。现在我们来看看改变后的条件引起的反应吧。
“在绝对舒适和安全的新条件下，那种躁动不安的精力，也就是我们的力量将会变成弱点。即使在我们自己的时代里，某些引起曾经是生存所必需的癖好和欲望也成了我们不断失败的原因。例如，勇敢和对战争的热爱对于一个文明人来说已帮不了什么大忙，甚至还可能成为障碍。在身体健康和没有危险的情况下，体力和智力都会变得无所适从。我断定，他们在漫长的岁月中不曾有过战争甚至暴力事件的危险，不曾有过遭遇野兽的危险，不曾有过任何需要他们增强体质去抵御的疾病，他们也不需要参加艰苦的劳动。在这样的生活中，我们所说的弱小者就和强壮者具备了同样的保护能力，弱小者也就不再弱小。实际上他们更具自卫的能力，因为强壮者由于精力无处发泄只会感到烦躁不安。毫无疑问，我所见到的精美建筑，是我们人类现在毫无目的的精力同自己的生活条件完美地协调之前最后一次奔涌的产物。这是一场全面的胜利，它开始了最后的伟大和平。这历来就是人类的精力在安全环境中的最终归宿，它沉洒于艺术，沉洒于色情，然后就是消沉与衰退。
“即使这一追求艺术的冲动也终将消失，它在我看到的时间里几乎已经消失。用鲜花修饰自己，在阳光下跳舞唱歌，这就是他们仅剩的全部艺术精神，仅此而已，甚至连这种冲动最后也会衰退成自我满足的消极行为。我们一直在痛苦和需求的这块磨石上接受磨炼。可在我看来，这块可恨的磨石终于在这里破碎了！
“我站在越来越黑的暮色中，心想我用这一简单的解释掌握了世界的奥秘——掌握了这些有趣的人的全部秘密。他们为抑制人口增长而发明的节育方法可能太成功了，他们的人口不是保持稳定，而是减少了。这可以用来解释那片废墟。我的解释非常简单，似乎也有道理，就像大多数错误的理论！”
收听单词发音 |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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anticipations
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| 预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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variegated
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| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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eddying
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| 涡流，涡流的形成 | |
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partially
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36
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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37
slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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38
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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39
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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40
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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41
vegetarians
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| n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 )；素食者；素食主义者；食草动物 | |
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42
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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43
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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44
staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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45
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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46
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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47
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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48
substantives
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| n.作名词用的词或词组（substantive的复数形式） | |
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49
fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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50
conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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51
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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52
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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53
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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54
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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55
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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56
aluminium
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| n.铝 (=aluminum) | |
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57
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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58
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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59
tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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60
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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61
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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62
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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63
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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65
precocious
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| adj.早熟的；较早显出的 | |
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66
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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67
differentiation
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| n.区别，区分 | |
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68
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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71
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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72
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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73
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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74
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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75
corroded
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| 已被腐蚀的 | |
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76
rust
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| n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退 | |
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77
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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78
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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81
obelisk
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| n.方尖塔 | |
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82
proprietary
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| n.所有权，所有的；独占的；业主 | |
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83
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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84
facet
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| n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面 | |
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85
wane
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| n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦 | |
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86
premium
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| n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的 | |
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87
civilizing
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| v.使文明，使开化( civilize的现在分词 ) | |
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88
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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89
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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90
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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91
sanitation
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| n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备 | |
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92
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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93
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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94
eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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95
subjugation
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| n.镇压，平息，征服 | |
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96
gnats
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| n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 ) | |
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97
fungi
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| n.真菌，霉菌 | |
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98
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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99
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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100
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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101
putrefaction
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| n.腐坏，腐败 | |
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102
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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103
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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104
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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105
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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106
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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107
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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108
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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109
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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110
connubial
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| adj.婚姻的，夫妇的 | |
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111
maternity
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| n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的 | |
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112
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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113
discords
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| 不和（discord的复数形式） | |
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114
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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115
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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116
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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117
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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118
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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119
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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120
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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121
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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122
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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123
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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124
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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125
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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