Live Not By Lies

At one time we dared not even to whisper. Now we write and read samizdat, and sometimes when we gather in the smoking room at the Science Institute we complain frankly to one another: What kind of tricks are they playing on us, and where are they dragging us? gratuitous boasting of cosmic achievements while there is poverty and destruction at home. Propping up remote, uncivilized regimes. Fanning up civil war. And we recklessly fostered Mao Tse-tung at our expense-- and it will be we who are sent to war against him, and will have to go. Is there any way out? And they put on trial anybody they want and they put sane people in asylums--always they, and we are powerless.
有一段时间，我们不敢说话，只是偷偷地通过地下出版物交流思想。我们偶尔会聚在科学院的吸烟室，互相抱怨：“政府到底在玩什么把戏？到底想把我们怎样？”周围是铺天盖地的对全宇宙最高成就的吹嘘，而现实中的贫穷和堕落却随处可见。这个政府还扶植那些落后国家的傀儡政府，煽动内战。我们还傻乎乎地出钱，把毛泽东培育起来。最终，还是我们这些人被送上战场，去与他作战，他们逼着你去。我们有出路吗？他们想审判谁，就审判谁。他们把正常人关进疯人院。他们掌握一切，我们无能为力。
Things have almost reached rock bottom. A universal spiritual death has already touched us all, and physical death will soon flare up and consume us both and our children--but as before we still smile in a cowardly way and mumble without tounges tied. But what can we do to stop it? We haven't the strength?
情况已经糟到不能再糟了。一场全面性的精神死亡，正降临到我们所有人头上。肉体的死亡很快也会来临，我们和我们的子孙都无路可逃。但是我们一如既往，还在怯弱地装出笑容，毫不费力地表示顺从。我们能够阻止这一切吗？我们真的没有力量吗？
We have been so hopelessly dehumanized that for today's modest ration of food we are willing to abandon all our principles, our souls, and all the efforts of our predecessors and all opportunities for our descendants--but just don't disturb our fragile existence. We lack staunchness, pride and enthusiasm. We don't even fear universal nuclear death, and we don't fear a third world war. We have already taken refuge in the crevices. We just fear acts of civil courage.
为了得到自己那份吃不饱的口粮，我们无可救药地就把人性抛弃了，把我们所有的原则、我们的灵魂、前人的所有抗争、后人的所有机会都抛弃了，只为了让自己能够可怜地生存下去。我们缺乏忠诚、自豪感和热忱。我们不害怕核武器，也不害怕第三次世界大战，我们已经是废墟中的难民了。我们只害怕作为一个公民，做出有勇气的行为。