Человеческая природа в литературной утопии. «Мы» Замятина

The day of the „Gooddoer’s" elections this year is finished up with an unprecedented in the history of the new humanity scandal: instead of an almost religious ceremony of the unanimous voting, some group is voting against – to the perplexity and dread of the others… Here at last D-503 meets his love 1-330. She gives the promise to make clear everything what is an enigma to him yet up and some days later he comes down again to this subterraneous place, where he was once, but this time she accompanies him.

The door in the end of this labyrinthus appears to be an exit to a quite new to him world behind the „Green Wall“. It is an impetuous world of elements, of nature, of trees, herbs and birds – and some men also, to the great surprise of D-503. But there men during ages have been living here quite independently of the urban men, of the machinehumanity, who had supposed that this race of „wild“ men had died out a long ago. People of the world behind the „Green Wall“ are cheerful, lively, they do not know the urban chemical nourishment, they are eating some ancient „bread“, they are drinking some ancient „wine“, they walk quite naked and their skin is covered with a hair – shining and beautiful and very similar of a horse hair…

The woman 1-330 believes that the human happiness is in the synthesis of primitive life of this „wild“ mankind with the urban mankind s life. She reveals to D-503 that there is a conspiracy against the urban State and that during the trial fly of the „Integral“ to the stratosphere conspirators will seize the „Integral“, which will give them the powerful arm against the urban State. D-503 has– no power to betray the conspirators, for this would destine to death his love 1-330 first of all…

The trial fly of the „Integral“ proceeds. 1-330 partakes as a radiotelegraphist. But in the very moment, when the conspirators were ready to seize the „Integral“, their conspiracy is revealed and consequently the „Integral“ happens to be kept in the hands of the urban State. The woman 1-330 is quite sure that they have been betrayed by D-503. He understands that now 1-330 is lost for him for ever. And the main thing is that he, beyond of his will, was in fact the cause of conspiracy failure – all the dramatic events of last days he was registering at his diary and this diary was read by the agent of the State…

Next morning at the „State paper“ are published sensational news about the conspiracy and in conjunction with it the new State edict of the „Great Operation“. This „Great Operation“ consists of a cauterizing, by means of X-rays, of one of brain centres – namely, of the centre of the fancy, what leads to the full annihilation of the fancy in a human being, and then, having the fancy annihilated, the mankind will not try any more to come out of the state of the great mechanical standardized happiness, in other words – the mankind will be really happy for ever… Therefore all are obliged to submit to the „Great Operation" and everybody refusing will be forced to do it, for everybody ought to be happy…

But evidently not all desire this obligatory mechanical happiness and because of this a revolt begins in the city. Against mutineers are sent detachments of those who have been already operated, who had already no fancy, who are sweeping all in their way as some tanks.

D-503 is seized and submitted to the „Great Operation". At once he is quieted and comes back to his former ideally mechanical state of mind. Now all is again quite simple and clear to him, he calmly appears before the „Gooddoer" and relates him all what he knew about the conspiracy and about the participation of 1-330 in it. Then without any hesitation he comes, in the head of a detachment of „Operated", in order to find and arrest 1-330, his former love. But suddenly this detachment stops in great perplexity and then starts the retreat: first time after many centuries in the streets appeared birds, animals, on the glass pavement are dispersed bright flowers – the „Green Wall" is indeed!

Замечания к «первому переводу»

Хотя текст переведен на английский достаточно точно и бегло, он изобилует языковыми ошибками и стилистическими погрешностями; очевидно, что перевод сделан не носителем языка, – это мы вполне можем ожидать от тех, кто владеет английским подобно Замятину. Пунктуация и графика местами несет на себе следы иноязычного (русского) влияния: кавычки выглядят как „вместо англоязычных " ”, причем закрывающая стоит перед точкой или запятой, а не после, как в английской традиции, а буква «д» имеет русское начертание. Орфографические ошибки вроде «desasperation» и «paroxysme» заставляют предположить французское влияние: после изгнания из СССР Замятин жил в Париже. Английские фразы нередко звучат неестественно и неуклюже, но признаков исправлений, сделанных другой рукой, нет. Мы увидим, что во «втором переводе» многие отрывки значительно улучшены.