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1、【英文文学】基地系列 Forward the Foundation 迈向基地PrefaceDustjacket information: For nearly fifty years, Isaac Asimov thrilled millions of readers with his internationally bestselling Foundation Series, a spell-binding tale of the future that spans hundreds of years and dozens of worlds. Here, now, is Forward t
2、he Foundation, the seventh and final volume in the series. Completed just before his death, it is the Grand Masters last gift to his legions of admirers. Here, at last, is the story Asimov fans have been waiting for, an exciting tale of danger, intrigue, and suspense that chronicles the second half
3、of hero Hari Seldons life as he struggles to perfect his revolutionary Theory of Psychohistory and establish the means by which the survival of humanity will be ensured: Foundation. For, as Seldon and his loyal band of followers know, the mighty Galactic Empire is crumbling, and its inevitable destr
4、uction will wreak havoc Galaxy-wide . A resounding tour de force, Forward the Foundation brings full circle Asimovs renowned Foundation epic. It is the crowning achievement of a great writers life, and a stunning testament to the creative genius of Isaac Asimov. Isaac Asimov began his Foundation Ser
5、ies at the age of twenty-one, not realizing that it would one day be considered a cornerstone of science fiction. During his legendary career, Asimov penned over 470 books on subjects ranging from science to Shakespeare to history, though he was most loved for his award-winning science fiction sagas
6、, which include the Robot, Empire, and Foundation series. Named a Grand Master of Science Fiction by the Science Fiction Writers of America, Asimov entertained and educated readers of all ages for close to five decades. He died, at the age of seventy-two, in April 1997. - - Back Cover information: -
7、 I could not have written this book forty-or thirty, twenty, or even tenyears ago. That is because, piece by piece, over the years, I have been working back to Foundations source: Hari Seldon. Today I enjoy the gift given to me by time: Experience (some might call it wisdom, but I will refrain from
8、such bald self-aggrandizement). For it is only now that I am able to give my readers Hari Seldon during the most crucial, creative years of his life .You see, over time, Hari Seldon has evolved into my alter ego. In my earlier books Hari Seldon was the stuff of legend-with Forward the Foundation I h
9、ave made him real. -Isaac Asimov, June 1991 - DEMERZEL, ETO- . While there is no question that Eto Demerzel was the real power in the government during much of the reign of Emperor Cleon I, historians are divided as to the nature of his rule. The classic interpretation is that he was another in the
10、long line of strong and ruthless oppressors in the last century of the undivided Galactic Empire, but there are revisionist views that have surfaced and that insist his was, if a despotism, a benevolent one. Much is made, in this view, of his relationship with Hari Seldon though that remains forever
11、 uncertain, particularly during the unusual episode of Laskin Joranum, whose meteoric rise- ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA * * All quotations from the Encyclopedia Galactica here reproduced are taken from the 116th Edition, published 1,020 F.E. by the Encyclopedia Galactica Publishing Co., Terminus, with pe
12、rmission of the publishers.内容提要在克里昂一世统治下，第一银河帝国勉强维持最后的统一与繁荣；但帝国国势仍持续衰落。这主要是帝国的政治、经济盘根错节的因素所导致，并非当时任何人所能解决的。克里昂的第二任首相哈里谢顿发展出能预测未来的心理史学，为拯救帝国，他在群星 尽头建立起第二基地，与第一基地互为呼应。哈里谢顿、铎丝凡纳比里、婉达谢顿等人身上充满着传奇色彩，情节的发展匪夷 所思但敌对的力量异常强大，鹿死谁手实难预料。他们能使银河帝国复兴吗?结局如何？看来我们只有迈向基地，才能探测个中奥秘。第一部 伊图丹莫茨尔伊图丹莫茨尔尽管科学家一致认为，在克里昂大帝一世在位大半期间
13、，伊图丹莫茨尔无疑是政府中真正的掌权者，但关于他的统治方式却众说纷纭。根据传统的诠释，丹莫茨尔是银河帝国分裂前最后一世纪，一贯强势而无情的压迫者之一。但如今已有一些修正主义观点，坚持丹莫茨尔即使独裁，也是开明专制。根据此一观点，他与哈里谢顿的关系 常被大做文章。不过真相永远无法确定。尤其是在拉斯金久瑞南事件那段非常时期。久瑞 南的昙花一现 银河百科全书_本书所引用的银河百科全书数据，皆取自基地纪元一二年出版的第一百一十六版。发行者为端点星银河百科全书出版公司， 作者承蒙发行者授权引用。Part 1 ETO DEMERZEL Chapter 1Hari, said Yugo Amaryl, th
14、at your friend Demerzel is in deep trouble. He emphasized the word friend very lightly and with unmistakable air of distaste. Hari Seldon detected the sour note and ignored it. He looked up from his tricomputer and said, I tell you again, Yugo, that thats nonsense. And then-with a trace of annoyance
15、, just a trace-he added, Why are you taking up my time by insisting? Because I think its important. Amaryl sat down defiantly. It was a gesture that indicated he was not going to be moved easily. Here he was and here he would stay. Eight years before, he had been a heatsinker in the Dahl Sector-as l
16、ow on the social scale as it was possible to be. He had been lifted out of that position by Seldon made into a mathematician and an intellectual-more than that, into a psychohistorian. Never for one minute did he forget what he had been and who he was now and to whom he owed the change. That meant t
17、hat if he had to speak harshly to Hari Seldon-for Seldons own good-no consideration of respect and love for the older man and no regard for his own career would stop him. He owed such harshness-and much more-to Seldon. Look, Hari, he said, chopping at the air with his left hand, for some reason that
18、 is beyond my understanding, you think highly of this Demerzel, but I dont. No one whose opinion I respect-except you-thinks well of him. I dont care what happens to him personally, Hari, but as long as I think you do, I have no choice but to bring this to your attention. Seldon smiled, as much at t
19、he others earnestness as at what he considered to be the uselessness of his concern. He was fond of Yugo Amaryl-more than fond. Yugo was one of the four people he had encountered during that short period of his life when he was in flight across the face of the planet Trantor-Eto Demerzel, Dors Venab
20、ili, Yugo Amaryl, and Raych-four, the likes of which he had not found since. In a particular and, in each case, different way, these four were indispensable to him-Yugo Amaryl, because of his quick understanding of the principles of psychohistory and of his imaginative probings into new areas. It wa
21、s comforting to know that if anything happened to Seldon himself before the mathematics of the field could be completely worked out-and how slowly it proceeded, and how mountainous the obstacles there would at least remain one good mind that would continue the research. He said, Im sorry, Yugo. I do
22、nt mean to be impatient with you or to reject out of hand whatever it is you are so anxious to make me understand. Its just this job of mine; its this business of being a department head- Amaryl found it his turn to smile and he repressed a slight chuckle. Im sorry, Hari, and I shouldnt laugh, but y
23、ou have no natural aptitude for the position. As well I know, but Ill have to learn. I have to seem to be doing something harmless and there is nothing-nothing-more harmless than being the head of the Mathematics Department at Streeling University. I can fill my day with unimportant tasks, so that n
24、o one need know or ask about the course of our psychohistorical research, but the trouble is, I do fill my day with unimportant tasks and I have insufficient time to- His eyes glanced around his office at the material stored in computers to which only he and Amaryl had the key and which, even if any
25、one else stumbled upon them, had been carefully phrased in an invented symbology that no one else would understand. Amaryl said, Once you work your way further into your duties, youll begin to delegate and then youll have more time. I hope so, said Seldon dubiously. But tell me, what is it about Eto
26、 Demerzel that is so important? Simply that Eto Demerzel, our great Emperors First Minister, is busily creating an insurrection. Seldon frowned. Why would he want to do that? I didnt say he wants to. Hes simply doing it-whether he knows it or not-and with considerable help from some of his political
27、 enemies. Thats all right with me, you understand. I think that, under ideal conditions, it would be a good thing to have him out of the Palace, off Trantor . beyond the Empire, for that matter. But you think highly of him, as Ive said, and so Im warning you, because I suspect that you are not follo
28、wing the recent political course of events as closely as you should. There are more important things to do, said Seldon mildly. Like psychohistory. I agree. But how are we going to develop psychohistory with any hope of success if we remain ignorant of politics? 1 mean, present-day politics. Now-now
29、-is the time when the present is turning into the future. We cant just study the past. We know what happened in the past. Its against the present and the near future that we can check our results. It seems to me, said Seldon, that I have heard this argument before. And youll hear it again. It doesnt
30、 seem to do me any good to explain this to you. Seldon sighed, sat back in his chair, and regarded Amaryl with a smile. The younger man could be abrasive, but he took psychohistory seriously-and that repaid all. Amaryl still had the mark of his early years as a heatsinker. He had the broad shoulders
31、 and the muscular build of one who had been used to hard physical labor. He had not allowed his body to turn flabby and that was a good thing, for it inspired Seldon to resist the impulse to spend all of his time at the desk as well. He did not have Amaryl抯 sheer physical strength, but he still had
32、his own talents as a Twister-for all that he had just turned forty and could not keep it up forever. But for now, he would continue. Thanks to his daily workouts, his waist was still trim, his legs and arms firm. He said, This concern for Demerzel cannot be purely a matter of his being a friend of m
33、ine. You must have some other motive. Theres no puzzle to that. As long as youre a friend of Demerzel, your position here at the University is secure and you can continue to work on psychohistorical research. There you are. So I do have a reason to be friends with him. It isnt beyond your understand
34、ing at all. You have an interest in cultivating him. That, I understand. But as for friendship-that, I dont understand. However-if Demerzel lost lower, quite apart from the effect it might have on your position, then Cleon himself would be running the Empire and the rate of its decline would increas
35、e. Anarchy might then be upon us before we have worked out all the implications of psychohistory and made it possible for the science to save all humanity. I see. -But, you know, I honestly dont think that were going to work out psychohistory in time to prevent the Fall of the Empire. Even if we cou
36、ld not prevent the Fall, we could cushion the effects, couldnt we? Perhaps. There you are, then. The longer we have to work in peace, the greater the chance we will have to prevent the Fall or, at least, ameliorate the effects. Since that is the case, working backward, it may be necessary to save De
37、merzel, whether we-or, at least, I-like it or not. Yet you just said that you would like to see him out of the Palace and away from Trantor and beyond the Empire. Yes, under ideal conditions, I said. But we are not living under ideal conditions and we need our First Minister, even if he is an instru
38、ment of repression and despotism. I see. But why do you think the Empire is so close to dissolution that the loss of a First Minister will bring it about? Psychohistory. Are you using it for predictions? We havent even gotten the framework in place. What predictions can you make? Theres intuition, H
39、ari. Theres always been intuition. We want something more, dont we? We want a mathematical treatment that will give us probabilities of specific future developments under this condition or that. If intuition suffices to guide us, we dont need psychohistory at all. Its not necessarily a matter of one
40、 or the other, Hari. Im talking about both: the combination, which may be better than either-at least until psychohistory is perfected. If ever, said Seldon. But tell me, where does this danger to Demerzel arise? What is it that is likely to harm him or overthrow him? Are we talking about Demerzels
41、overthrow? Yes, said Amaryl and a grim look settled on his face. Then tell me. Have pity on my ignorance. Amaryl flushed. Youre being condescending, Hari. Surely youve heard of Jo-Jo Joranum. Certainly. Hes a demagogue- Wait, wheres he from? Nishaya, right? A very unimportant world. Goat herding, I
42、think. High-quality cheeses. Thats it. Not just a demagogue, however. He commands a strong following and its getting stronger. He aims, he says, for social justice and greater political involvement by the people. Yes, said Seldon. Ive heard that much. His slogan is: Government belongs to the people.
43、 Not quite, Hari. He says: Government is the people. Seldon nodded. Well, you know, I rather sympathize with the thought. So do I. Im all for it-if Joranum meant it. But he doesnt, except as a stepping-stone. Its a path, not a goal. He wants to get rid of Demerzel. After that it will be easy to mani
44、pulate Cleon. Then Joranum will take the throne himself and he will be the people. Youve told me yourself that there have been a number of episodes of this sort in Imperial history-and these days the Empire is weaker and less stable than it used to be. A blow which, in earlier centuries, merely stag
45、gered it might now shatter it. The Empire will welter in civil war and never recover and we wont have psychohistory in place to teach us what must be done. Yes, I see your point, but surely its not going to be that easy to get rid of Demerzel. You dont know how strong Joranum is growing. It doesnt m
46、atter how strong hes growing. A shadow of thought seemed to pass over Seldons brow. I wonder that his parents came to name him Jo-Jo. Theres something juvenile about that name. His parents had nothing to do with it. His real name is Laskin, a very common name on Nishaya. He chose Jo-Jo himself, pres
47、umably from the first syllable of his last name. The more fool he, wouldnt you say? No, I wouldnt. His followers shout it Jo . JJJJJJJJJJo . JJ-over and over. Its hypnotic. Well, said Seldon, making a move to return to his tricomputer and adjust the multidimensional simulation it had created, well see what happens. Can you be that casual about it? Im telling you the danger is imminent. No, i