Chapter 31 In a deep well of Darkness a crippled robot sat. It had been silent in its metallic darkness for some time. It was cold and damp, but being a robot it was supposed not to be able to notice these things. With an enormous effort of will, however, it did manage to notice them. Its brain had been harnessed to the central intelligence core of the Krikkit War Computer. It wasn’t enjoying the experience, and neither was the central intelligence core of the Krikkit War Computer. The Krikkit robots which had salvaged this pathetic metal creature from the swamps of Squornshellous Zeta had recognized almost immediately its gigantic intelligence, and the use which this could be to them. They hadn’t reckoned with the attendant personality disorders, which the coldness, the darkness, the dampness, the crampedness and the loneliness were doing nothing to decrease. It was not happy with its task. Apart from anything else, the mere coordination of an entire planet’s military strategy was taking up only a tiny part of its formidable mind, and the rest of it had become extremely bored. Having solved all the major mathematical, physical, chemical, biological, sociological, philosophical, etymological, meteorological and psychological problems of the Universe except his own, three times over, he was severely stuck for something to do, and had taken up composing short dolorous ditties of no tone, or indeed tune. The latest one was a lullaby. Marvin droned: Now the world has gone to bed, Darkness won’t engulf my head, I can see by infra-red, How I hate the night. He paused to gather the artistic and emotional strength to tackle the next verse. Now I lay me down to sleep, Try to count electric sheep, Sweet dream wishes you can keep, How I hate the night. 31 一間幽深黑暗的通風井裏，坐着一個跛足的機器人。它已在這機械般的寂靜中坐了好些時日。這兒寒冷、潮溼，作爲一個機器人。它本不該注意到這些。然而，經過堅韌不拔的努力，它竟然注意到了。 它的腦袋上插了一些東西，連結着版求戰區電腦的中央處理器。它很不喜歡這樣，版求戰區電腦的中央處理器也不喜歡。 這可憐的金屬人，是在斯科謝勒斯Ζ星上被版求機器人當廢品拾回來的。拾回來以後，版求機器人發現它有極高的智能，於是決定加以利用。 可惜，它們沒有考慮到它的人格缺陷。即使處在這種寒冷、幽暗、狹窄、孤獨的境況下，它的性格也一點兒沒變。 它一點也不喜歡這份工作。 對於它來說，協調運行整個星球的軍事戰略也太簡單了，只需要動一點點腦子。而剩下的部分卻無聊得要命。它已經演算過了全宇宙各種各樣的問題，數學的、物理的、化學的、生物的、社會學的、哲學的、詞彙學、氣象學、心理學——除了他自己的問題——已經算了三遍。最後他實在無事可做，只好開始創作歌曲。它作的歌謠篇幅短小，情調哀傷，沒有旋律起伏——甚至沒有調子。最新的一首是支搖籃曲。 馬文木然地念道： 此刻萬物已入眠， 黑暗不入我的眼， 紅外線我能看見， 我討厭夜晚。 他停了停，像是要醞釀一下感情和藝術想象力。終於,又念出了第二節： 此刻我也躺上牀， 努力數着電綿羊， 不必祝我睡得香， 我討厭晚上。
