经典科幻文学:《生命 宇宙及一切》尾章6

Yes, he said at last in rather a strained drawl. I did have a question. Or rather, what I actuAlly have is an Answer. I wanted to know what the Question was.
Prak nodded sympathetically, and Arthur relaxed a little.
It’s… well, it’s a long story, he said, but the Question I would like to know is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know is that the Answer is Forty-Two, which is a little aggravating.
Prak nodded again.
Forty-Two, he said. Yes, that’s right.
He paused. Shadows of thought and memory crossed his face like the shadows of clouds crossing the land.
I’m afraid, he said at last, that the Question and the Answer are mutually exclusive. Knowledge of one logically precludes knowledge of the other. It is impossible that both can ever be known about the same universe.
He paused again. Disappointment crept into Arthur’s face and snuggled down into its accustomed place.
Except, said Prak, struggling to sort a thought out, if it happened, it seems that the Question and the Answer would just cancel each other out and take the Universe with them, which would then be replaced by something even more bizarrely inexplicable. It is possible that this has already happened, he added with a weak smile, but there is a certain amount of Uncertainty about it. A little giggle brushed through him.
Arthur sat down on a stool.
Oh well, he said with resignation, I was just hoping there would be some sort of reason.
Do you know, said Prak, the story of the Reason?
Arthur said that he didn’t, and Prak said that he knew that he didn’t.
He told it.

“是的，”他还有点不情愿，声音拖得老长，“我是有个问题。其实，是有个答案。我想知道问题是什么。”
普啦刻点点头，表示理解。阿瑟觉得舒服点了。
“这是……唉，说来话长。那个问题可是关于生命、宇宙及一切的终极问题。我们只知道答案是42。不仅没用，反而搞得更麻烦了。”
普啦刻又点点头。
“42，是的，没错。”
他停了停，脸上浮现出思绪如潮、回忆万千的阴影，好似云朵的阴影飘过大地一般。
“恐怕……”他终于又道，“问题和答案是互不相容的。从逻辑上讲，知道了一个就必须蔽掉另一个。两者不能在一个宇宙中同时为人所知。”
他又停了停。阿瑟显出失望的神情，但很快恢复了正常。
“而且，”普啦刻努力思索着，说，“如果真的都被知道了，那么问题和答案，就会彼此删除，把宇宙也删掉，然后会出现更加古怪、无法解释的东西来代替它们。这种事很可能已经发生了。”他虚弱地笑了笑，“但是具有相当的不确定性。”
阿瑟坐在了凳子上。
“噢，好吧，”他放弃了，“我只希望能有个理由什么的。”
“你知道，”普啦刻说，“理由的故事吗？”
阿瑟说不知道，普啦刻说他知道他不知道。
他开始讲故事。