[5, B, Boron, 硼,10.811]
Francis, Child of Scorn
弗朗西斯，轻蔑的孩子
Francis the Talking Mule awoke from a long and dreamless night to find himself part of a twenty-mule team, hauling ore from the borax mines in Death Valley.
会说话的骡子弗朗西斯在一个漫长而无梦的夜晚醒来，发现自己是二十头编制骡队的一员，正从死亡谷的硼砂矿里往外运矿石。
It was a waking nightmare.
真是一场活生生的噩梦。
“This can’t be happening to me!” he cried. “I’m an artiste! Okay, so I’m a comedian. Maybe I work in the movies rather than the legitimate theater. Still, art is art. I’ve dedicated my life to the elevation of the spirit. What am I doing here?”
“这不可能发生在我身上！”它叫道，“我是个艺术咖！好吧，我是个喜剧演员。也许我是在电影而不是在合法的剧院里工作。不过，艺术还是艺术。我将自己的一生致力于提升精神境界的事业之中。我怎么会在这里呢？”
The other mules looked at him as if he were mad. One of them snickered. Another brayed. It was obvious to Francis that he was the only talking mule there.
其他骡子瞅着他，好像它疯了一样。其中一头嘶鸣一声。另一头哼哼叫起来。很显然，弗朗西斯是这里唯一一头会说话的骡子。
The mule skinner strode up. He was a tall cowboy with a long, somewhat lopsided face. He looked strangely familiar. “All right, Mr. Mule,” he said. “What’s all this fuss about?”
赶骡人走上前来。他是个高个子的牛仔，有一张长长的、有点歪的脸。他看起来既熟悉又陌生。 “你好啊，骡子先生，”他说，“你在这大惊小怪些什么呢？”
“You’ve got to call my agent! There’s been a terrible mistake!”
“你必须打电话给我的经纪人！这是一个可怕的误会！”
“No mistake, Mr. Mule.” The cowboy shook his head, making his jowls quiver. There was a twinkle in his eye. “I’m afraid you died, and were reincarnated.”
“没什么误会，骡子先生，”牛仔摇了摇头，他下巴上的肉抖了起来。他的眼睛闪烁着。“恐怕你已经死了，转世了。”
“But why as a mule, of all things? I can sing! I can dance! I’ve brightened the lives of millions!”
“但是为什么会转世成骡子呢？我会唱歌！我会跳舞！我照亮了数百万人的生活！”
“You were given an extraordinary opportunity and, let’s be honest, you wasted it. It happens all the time. People get what they deserve. I myself used to be the president of the United States, and now I’m back where I belong. You don’t see me complaining, do you? And if you did, what good would it do me?”
“您是有过一个非凡的机会，老实说，您浪费了它。这种事一直都有。人们终得其所。我本人曾经是美国总统，现在我回到了我该在的地方。您看不到我在抱怨，对吗？而且如果您抱怨的话，对我又有什么好处呢？”
“My God,” Francis breathed. “You’re really Ronald—”
“我的上帝，”弗朗西斯呼吸。“你真的是罗纳德——”
“Shhh.” The cowboy put a finger to his lips. “Let’s not tempt me with false pride. Now pull yourself together. It’s time we got to work.”
“嘘。”牛仔把手指放在嘴唇上。“你不要用虚荣来诱惑我。现在起来吧。咱们是时候开始工作了。”
“Isn’t there any way out of this?”
“没有离开的办法吗？”
“Work hard, do your honest best, and when you die, you’ll be reborn as a better mule. Then do it again, in your next life. If you keep at it long enough, well,” the cowboy spread his hands, “there’s no telling where you might end up.”
“努力工作，尽你最大的努力，别偷懒，当你死后，你会重生为更好的骡子。然后在下辈子再做一次。如果你坚持足够长的时间，那么，”牛仔伸开了双手，“您最终会到哪里谁也不知道。”
It was good advice, if hard to hear. Francis knuckled down. The route from the Harmony Borax Works to Mojave covered 165 miles, one fifty-mile stretch of which was waterless. The roads were primitive, and in the summer the heat soared as high as 130°. But he bore up under it. He was, underneath all the glitter and the gab, a good soul.
这是一个很好的建议，不过很难听。弗朗西斯开始努力。从和谐硼砂工厂到莫哈韦的路有165英里，其中的五十英里无水。道路很原始，夏天的热得得有130华氏度（54.5摄氏度）。但是它撑了过去。在满是闪闪发光的小星星下面的他有着一颗美好的灵魂。
Sometimes, he and the cowboy spent the evening together, talking about the old days in Hollywood.
有时候，他和牛仔一起度过一个晚上，谈论好莱坞的过去。
Other times, though, a sense of the monstrous injustice of life would swell up in him, and he’d cry out, “Why must I be stuck in this ludicrous body? Why couldn’t I have been reborn as Olivier or Gielgud?”
不过，有时生活中的巨大不公感会压倒了他，这时他就会大声喊出来：“为什么我要被困在这个可笑的身体里？为什么我不能重生为奥利维尔或吉尔古德？ ”
会说话的骡子弗朗西斯，1950-1956年期间七部喜剧系列电影的主角，在20世纪50年代也是名“骡”。
罗纳德·里根（1911-2004），美国第40届总统（1981-1989），1937-1964年期间职业为电影演员。
劳伦斯·奥利维尔（1907-1989），英国演员
约翰·吉尔古德（904-2000），英国演员