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《时间足够你爱 TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE》
作者：罗伯特…海因莱因
类型：英文原版
第1节
TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE
The Lives of the Senior Member of the Howard Families （Woodrow Wilson Smith； Ernest Gibbons； Captain Aaron Sheffield； Lazarus Long； 〃Happy〃 Daze； His Serenity Seraphin the Younger； Supreme High Priest of the One God in All His Aspects and Arbiter Below and Above； Proscribed Prisoner No。 83M2742； Mr。 Justice Lenox； Corporal Ted Bronson； Dr。 Lafe Hubert； and others）； Oldest Member of the Human Race。 This Account is based principally on the Senior's Own Words as recorded at many times and places and especially at the Howard RejUvenation Clinic and at the Executive Palace in New Rome on Secundus in Year 2053 After the Great Diaspora （Gregorian Year 4272 of Old Home Terra）…and supplemented by letters and by eyewitness accounts； the whole then arranged； collated； condensed； and （where possible） reconciled with official records and contemporary histories； as directed by the Howard Foundation Trustees and executed by the Howard Archivist Emeritus。 The result is of unique historical importance despite the Archivist's decision to leave in blatant falsehoods； self…serving allegations； and many amoral anecdotes not suitable for young persons。
INTRODUCTION
On the Writing of History
History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion…i。e。； none to speak of。
…L。L。
The Great Diaspora of the Human Race which started more than two millennia ago when the Libby…Sheffield Drive was disclosed； and which continues to this day and shows no sign of slowing； niade the writing of history as a single narrative… or even many patible narratives…impossible。 By the twenty…first century （Gregorian）* on Old Home Terra our Race was capable of doubling its numbers three times each century…given space and raw materials。
The Star Drive gave both。 H。 sapiens spread through this sector of our Galaxy at many times the speed of light and multiplied like yeast。 If doubling had occurred at the twentyfirst…century potential； our numbers would now be of the order of 7 x 10~ x 2？…a number so large as to defy emotional grasp； it is suited only to puters：
7 x 10~ x ~ = 2；066；035；336；255；469；780；992；000；000；000。
…or more than two thousand millioa billion trillion people
…or a mass of protein twenty…five million times as great as the entire mass of our race's native pla Sol III； Old Home。
Preposterous。
Let us say that it would be preposterous had not the Great Diaspora taken place； for our race； having reached the potential to double three times each century； had also reached a crisis under which it could not double even once…that knee of the curve in the yeast…growth law in which a population
* Gregorian Terran dates are used throughout； as no other calendar； not even Standard Galactic； is certain to be known to scholars of every pla。 Translators should add local dates for clarification。
J。F。 45th
can maintain a precarious stability of zero growth only …by killing o1~ its own members fast enougb 。 … lest it drown in its own poisons； mit suicide by total war； or stumble into some other form of the Malthusian Final Solution。
But the Human Race has not （we think） increased to that monstrous figure because the hase~。 figure for the Diaspora must not be thought of as seven billion but rather as a few million at the opening of the …Era； plus tl~e unnumbered； small…but…still…growing hundreds of milhions since； who have migrated from Earth and from its colony plas to still more distant places over the last two millennia。
But we are no longer able to make a reasoned guess at the numbers of the Human Race； nor do we have even an approximate count of the colonized plas。 The most we can say is that there must be in excess。 of two thousand colonized plas； in excess of five hundred billion people。 The colonized plas may be twice that number； the Human Race could be four times that numerous。 Or more。
So even the demographic aspects of historiography have bee impossible； data are out of date when we receive them ~nd always inplete…yet so numerous and so varied in reliability that several hundred humans/puters on my staff keep b？~y trying to analyze； collate； interpolate and ex~ trapolate； and to weigh them against other data before incorporating them into the records。 We attempt to maintain standards of 95 percent in probability of corrected data； 85 percent in pessimistic reliability； our achievement is closer to 89 per cent and 81 percent…and getting worse。
Pioneers care little about sending records to the home office； they are busy staying alive； making babies； and killing off anything in their way。 A colony is usually into its fourth generation before any data reach this office。
（Nor can it be otherwise。 A colonist too interested in statistics bees a statistic himself…as a corpse。 I intend to migrate； once I have done so； I won't care whether this office keeps track of me or not。 I have stuck to this essentially useless work for almost a century partly through indUcements and partly through geic disposition…I am a direct…andreinforced descendant of Andrew Jackson Slipstick Libby himself。 But I am descended also from the Senior and have… I think…some of his restless nature。 I want to follow the wild geese and see what is happening out there…get married again； leave a dozen descendants on a fresh uncrowded pla； then…possibly…move on。 Once I have the Senior's memoirs
collated； the Trustees can； in the Senior's ancient idiom； take this job and shove it。）
What sort of man is our Senior； my ancestor and probably yours； and certainly the oldest living human being； the only man who has taken part in the entire pageant of the crisis of the Human Race and its surmounting of crisis through Diaspora？
For surmount it we have。 Our race could now lose fifty plas； close ranks； and move on。 Our gallant women could replace the casualties in a single generation。 Not that it appears likely that this will happen； thus far we have encountered not one race as mean； as nasty； as deadly as our own。 A conservative extrapolation indicates that we will reach in numbers that preposterous figure given earlier in a few more generations…and move on out of this Galaxy into others before we finish settling this one。 Indeed； reports from farther out indicate that Human intergalactic colony ships are already headed out into the Endless Deeps。 These reports are not verified…but the most virile colonies are always a long way from the most populous centers。 One may hope。
At best； history is hard to grasp； at worst； it is a lifeless collection of questionable records。 It is most alive through the words of eyewitnesses 。 。 and we have but one witness whose life spans the twenty…three centuries of crisis and Diaspora。 The next oldest human being whose age this offIce has been able to verify is only a little over a thousand years old。 Probability theory makes it possible that there is somewhere a person half again that age…but it is both mathematically and historically certain that there is no other human alive today who was born in the twentieth century。*
Some may question whether this 〃Senior〃 is the member of the Howard Families born in 1912 and also the 〃Lazarus Long〃 who led the Families in their escape from Old Home in 2136； etc。…pointhg out that all the ancient methods of identifica
* When the Howard Families seized the Starship New Frontiers' only a few were more than a century and a quarter old； all of that few…save the Senior…are dead； at times and places on record。 （I except the strange and possibly mythical case of life…in…death of Elder Mary Sperling。） Despite geic advantage and access to the longevity therapies known colle？tively as 〃the immortality option；〃 the last died in 3003 Gregorian。 By the records it would seem that most of them died through refusing further rejuvenation…that being still the second monest cause of death today。
…JF。45th
tion （fingerprints； retinal patterns； etc~） van now be bea~iea~True； but those methods e and the Howard Families Foundation had special reason to use them with care； the 〃Woodrow Wilson Smith〃 whose birth was registered with the Foundation in 1912 is certainly the
〃Lazarus Long〃 of 2136 and 2210。 Before those tests ceased to be reliable； they were supplemented by modern unbeatable tests based first on clone transplants and； more lately； on absolute identification of geic patterns。 （It is interesting to note that an impostor showed up about three centuries ago~ here on Secundus； and was given a new heart from a cloned pseudobody of the Senior。 It killed him。） The Senior whose words are quoted herein has a geic pattern identical with that of a bit of muscle tissue removed from 〃Lazarus Long〃 by Dr。 Gordon Hardy in the Starship New Frontiers about 2145； and cultured by him for longevity research。 Q。E。D
But what sort of man is he？ You must judge for yourself。 In condensing this memoir to manageable length I have omitted many verified historical incidents （the raw data are
… available to scholars at the Archives）…but I have left in lies and and unlikely stories on the assumption that the lies a man tells tell more truth about him…when analyzed…than does 〃truth。〃
It is clear that this man is； by standards usual in civilized societies； a barbarian and a rogue。
But it is not for children to judge their parents。 The qualities that make him what he is are precisely those needed to stay alive in a jungle…or on a raw frontier。 Do not forget your debt to him both geic and historic。
To understand our historic debt to him it is necessary to riew some ancient history…part tradition or m~'th； and part fact as firmly established as the assassination of Julius Caesar。 The Howard Families Foundation was established by the will of Ira Howard； who died in 1873。 His will instructed the trustees of the foundation to use his money to 〃prolong human life。〃 This is fact。
Tradition says that he willed this in anger at hjs own fate； for he found himself dying of old age in his forties… dead at forty…eight； a bachelor without progeny。 So none of us carries his genes； his immortality lies only in a name； and in an idea…that death could be thwarted。
At that time death at forty…eight was not unusual。 Believe it or not； in those days the average age at death was about thirty…five！ But not from senility。 Disease； starvation； … acci
dent； murder； war； childbirth； and her violens cut down most humans long before senility set in。 But a human who passed all these hurdles still could expect death from old age sometime between seventy…fiv