經典科幻文學:《銀河系漫遊指南》第28章1

Chapter 28
It was a long time before anyone spoke.
Out of the corner of his eye Phouchg could see the sea of tense expectant faces down in the square outside.
"We're going to get lynched aren't we?" he whispered.
"It was a tough assignment," said Deep Thought mildly.
"Forty-two!" yelled Loonquawl. "Is that all you've got to show for seven and a half million years' work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly," said the computer, "and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."
"But it was the Great Question! The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything!" howled Loonquawl.
"Yes," said Deep Thought with the air of one who suffers fools gladly, "but what actually is it?"
A slow stupefied silence crept over the men as they stared at the computer and then at each other.
"Well, you know, it's just Everything ... Everything ..." offered Phouchg weakly.
"Exactly!" said Deep Thought. "So once you do know what the question actually is, you'll know what the answer means."
"Oh terrific," muttered Phouchg flinging aside his notebook and wiping away a tiny tear.
"Look, alright, alright," said Loonquawl, "can you just please tell us the Question?"
"The Ultimate Question?"
"Yes!"
"Of Life, the Universe, and Everything?"
"Yes!"

第二十八章
很長一段時間，沒有人開口説話。
佛格的眼角甚至能夠瞟見外面廣場上緊張期待着的人們臉龐的海洋。
“我們會被暴民們絞死的，是嗎？”他喃喃地説道。
“這是一件艱鉅的工作。”深思温和地説。
“42！”盧恩克沃爾嚷道，“難道這就是你經過750萬年的運算後展示給我們的結果嗎？”
“我非常細緻地檢查過了，”電腦説，“這確實就是那個答案。我認為問題出在——老實説吧——你們從來也沒有確切地知道這些問題本身到底是什麼。”
“可這確實是偉大的問題啊！關於生命、宇宙以及一切的終極問題。”盧恩克沃爾嚎叫起來。
“是的。”深思説，帶着一種很享受傻瓜們的騷擾的語氣，“可它確切的內容是什麼呢”
接下來是一陣茫然的沉默，兩人望着電腦，然後對望着。
“嗯，你知道的，這是所有的一切……一切……”佛格有氣無力地説。
“正確！”深思説，“所以，只要你們確切地知道問題到底是什麼，你們就能理解這個答案的意思。”
“噢，這太好了。”佛格咕噥着，一隨手將筆記本扔到一邊，揮手擦掉一滴眼淚。
“你瞧，好吧，好吧，”盧恩克沃爾説，“能請你告訴我們這個問題究竟是什麼嗎？”
“這個終極問題？”
“是的！”
“關於生命、宇宙以及一切？”
“是的！”