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The War of the Worlds, The War of the Worlds: Chapter 7

The War of the Worlds: Chapter 7

Chapter Seven How I Reached Home

For my own part, I remember nothing of my flight except the stress of blundering against trees and stumbling through the heather. All about me gathered the invisible terrors of the Martians; that pitiless sword of heat seemed whirling to and fro, flourishing overhead before it descended and smote me out of life. I came into the road between the crossroads and Horsell, and ran along this to the crossroads.

At last I could go no further; I was exhausted with the violence of my emotion and of my flight, and I staggered and fell by the wayside. That was near the bridge that crosses the canal by the gasworks. I fell and lay still.

I must have remained there some time.

I sat up, strangely perplexed. For a moment, perhaps, I could not clearly understand how I came there. My terror had fallen from me like a garment. My hat had gone, and my collar had burst away from its fastener. A few minutes before, there had only been three real things before me—the immensity of the night and space and nature, my own feebleness and anguish, and the near approach of death. Now it was as if something turned over, and the point of view altered abruptly. There was no sensible transition from one state of mind to the other. I was immediately the self of every day again—a decent, ordinary citizen. The silent common, the impulse of my flight, the starting flames, were as if they had been in a dream. I asked myself had these latter things indeed happened? I could not credit it.

I rose and walked unsteadily up the steep incline of the bridge. My mind was blank wonder. My muscles and nerves seemed drained of their strength. I dare say I staggered drunkenly. A head rose over the arch, and the figure of a workman carrying a basket appeared. Beside him ran a little boy. He passed me, wishing me good night. I was minded to speak to him, but did not. I answered his greeting with a meaningless mumble and went on over the bridge.

Over the Maybury arch a train, a billowing tumult of white, firelit smoke, and a long caterpillar of lighted windows, went flying south—clatter, clatter, clap, rap, and it had gone. A dim group of people talked in the gate of one of the houses in the pretty little row of gables that was called Oriental Terrace. It was all so real and so familiar. And that behind me! It was frantic, fantastic! Such things, I told myself, could not be.

Perhaps I am a man of exceptional moods. I do not know how far my experience is common. At times I suffer from the strangest sense of detachment from myself and the world about me; I seem to watch it all from the outside, from somewhere inconceivably remote, out of time, out of space, out of the stress and tragedy of it all. This feeling was very strong upon me that night. Here was another side to my dream.

But the trouble was the blank incongruity of this serenity and the swift death flying yonder, not two miles away. There was a noise of business from the gasworks, and the electric lamps were all alight. I stopped at the group of people.

“What news from the common?” said I.

There were two men and a woman at the gate.

“Eh?” said one of the men, turning.

“What news from the common?” I said.

“'Ain't yer just been there?” asked the men.

“People seem fair silly about the common,” said the woman over the gate. “What's it all abart?”

“Haven't you heard of the men from Mars?” said I; “the creatures from Mars?”

“Quite enough,” said the woman over the gate. “Thenks”; and all three of them laughed.

I felt foolish and angry. I tried and found I could not tell them what I had seen. They laughed again at my broken sentences.

“You'll hear more yet,” I said, and went on to my home.

I startled my wife at the doorway, so haggard was I. I went into the dining room, sat down, drank some wine, and so soon as I could collect myself sufficiently I told her the things I had seen. The dinner, which was a cold one, had already been served, and remained neglected on the table while I told my story.

“There is one thing,” I said, to allay the fears I had aroused; “they are the most sluggish things I ever saw crawl. They may keep the pit and kill people who come near them, but they cannot get out of it…. But the horror of them!”

“Don't, dear!” said my wife, knitting her brows and putting her hand on mine.

“Poor Ogilvy!” I said. “To think he may be lying dead there!”

My wife at least did not find my experience incredible. When I saw how deadly white her face was, I ceased abruptly.

“They may come here,” she said again and again.

I pressed her to take wine, and tried to reassure her.

“They can scarcely move,” I said.

I began to comfort her and myself by repeating all that Ogilvy had told me of the impossibility of the Martians establishing themselves on the earth. In particular I laid stress on the gravitational difficulty. On the surface of the earth the force of gravity is three times what it is on the surface of Mars. A Martian, therefore, would weigh three times more than on Mars, albeit his muscular strength would be the same. His own body would be a cope of lead to him. That, indeed, was the general opinion. Both The Times and the Daily Telegraph, for instance, insisted on it the next morning, and both overlooked, just as I did, two obvious modifying influences.

The atmosphere of the earth, we now know, contains far more oxygen or far less argon (whichever way one likes to put it) than does Mars. The invigorating influences of this excess of oxygen upon the Martians indisputably did much to counterbalance the increased weight of their bodies. And, in the second place, we all overlooked the fact that such mechanical intelligence as the Martian possessed was quite able to dispense with muscular exertion at a pinch.

But I did not consider these points at the time, and so my reasoning was dead against the chances of the invaders. With wine and food, the confidence of my own table, and the necessity of reassuring my wife, I grew by insensible degrees courageous and secure.

“They have done a foolish thing,” said I, fingering my wineglass. “They are dangerous because, no doubt, they are mad with terror. Perhaps they expected to find no living things—certainly no intelligent living things.

“A shell in the pit” said I, “if the worst comes to the worst will kill them all.”

The intense excitement of the events had no doubt left my perceptive powers in a state of erethism. I remember that dinner table with extraordinary vividness even now. My dear wife's sweet anxious face peering at me from under the pink lamp shade, the white cloth with its silver and glass table furniture—for in those days even philosophical writers had many little luxuries—the crimson-purple wine in my glass, are photographically distinct. At the end of it I sat, tempering nuts with a cigarette, regretting Ogilvy's rashness, and denouncing the shortsighted timidity of the Martians.

So some respectable dodo in the Mauritius might have lorded it in his nest, and discussed the arrival of that shipful of pitiless sailors in want of animal food. “We will peck them to death tomorrow, my dear.”

I did not know it, but that was the last civilised dinner I was to eat for very many strange and terrible days.

The War of the Worlds: Chapter 7 Der Krieg der Welten: Kapitel 7 La guerra de los mundos: Capítulo 7 La guerra dei mondi: capitolo 7 A Guerra dos Mundos: Capítulo 7 Dünyalar Savaşı: Bölüm 7

Chapter Seven How I Reached Home Capítulo Sete Como eu cheguei em casa

For my own part, I remember nothing of my flight except the stress of blundering against trees and stumbling through the heather. De minha parte, não me lembro de nada de minha fuga, exceto do estresse de tropeçar nas árvores e tropeçar na urze. All about me gathered the invisible terrors of the Martians; that pitiless sword of heat seemed whirling to and fro, flourishing overhead before it descended and smote me out of life. Вокруг меня собрались невидимые ужасы марсиан; этот безжалостный меч жара, казалось, кружился взад и вперед, расцветая над головой, прежде чем опуститься и сразить меня из жизни. I came into the road between the crossroads and Horsell, and ran along this to the crossroads. Entrei na estrada entre a encruzilhada e Horsell e corri até a encruzilhada.

At last I could go no further; I was exhausted with the violence of my emotion and of my flight, and I staggered and fell by the wayside. Por fim, não pude ir mais longe; Estava exausto com a violência da minha emoção e da minha fuga, cambaleei e caí no esquecimento. That was near the bridge that crosses the canal by the gasworks. Isso foi perto da ponte que atravessa o canal pela fábrica de gás. I fell and lay still. Eu caí e fiquei imóvel.

I must have remained there some time. Devo ter ficado lá algum tempo.

I sat up, strangely perplexed. Sentei-me estranhamente perplexo. For a moment, perhaps, I could not clearly understand how I came there. Por um momento, talvez, não consegui entender claramente como cheguei ali. My terror had fallen from me like a garment. Meu terror havia caído de mim como uma vestimenta. My hat had gone, and my collar had burst away from its fastener. Meu chapéu havia sumido e meu colarinho havia se soltado do fecho. A few minutes before, there had only been three real things before me—the immensity of the night and space and nature, my own feebleness and anguish, and the near approach of death. Poucos minutos antes, havia apenas três coisas reais antes de mim - a imensidão da noite, do espaço e da natureza, minha própria fraqueza e angústia e a proximidade da morte. Now it was as if something turned over, and the point of view altered abruptly. Agora era como se algo tivesse mudado e o ponto de vista alterado abruptamente. There was no sensible transition from one state of mind to the other. Não houve uma transição sensata de um estado de espírito para outro. I was immediately the self of every day again—a decent, ordinary citizen. Eu era imediatamente o eu de todos os dias novamente - um cidadão decente e comum. The silent common, the impulse of my flight, the starting flames, were as if they had been in a dream. O silêncio comum, o impulso da minha fuga, as chamas começando, eram como se tivessem estado em um sonho. I asked myself had these latter things indeed happened? Eu me perguntei se essas últimas coisas realmente aconteceram? I could not credit it. Eu não poderia acreditar nisso.

I rose and walked unsteadily up the steep incline of the bridge. Levantei-me e caminhei cambaleante pela inclinação íngreme da ponte. My mind was blank wonder. Minha mente estava em branco maravilha. My muscles and nerves seemed drained of their strength. Meus músculos e nervos pareciam esgotados. I dare say I staggered drunkenly. Ouso dizer que cambaleei bêbado. A head rose over the arch, and the figure of a workman carrying a basket appeared. Uma cabeça se ergueu sobre o arco e a figura de um operário carregando uma cesta apareceu. Beside him ran a little boy. Ao lado dele corria um menino. He passed me, wishing me good night. Ele passou por mim, me desejando boa noite. I was minded to speak to him, but did not. Tive vontade de falar com ele, mas não o fiz. I answered his greeting with a meaningless mumble and went on over the bridge. Respondi sua saudação com um murmúrio sem sentido e continuei pela ponte.

Over the Maybury arch a train, a billowing tumult of white, firelit smoke, and a long caterpillar of lighted windows, went flying south—clatter, clatter, clap, rap, and it had gone. Acima do arco de Maybury, um trem, um tumulto ondulante de fumaça branca e iluminada, e uma longa lagarta de janelas iluminadas, voou para o sul - estardalhaço, estardalhaço, estampido, estampido e tudo se foi. Над аркой Мейбери поезд, вздымающийся клубами белого дыма от костров и длинной гусеницей освещенных окон, мчался на юг — стук, стук, хлоп, стук — и исчез. A dim group of people talked in the gate of one of the houses in the pretty little row of gables that was called Oriental Terrace. Um grupo sombrio de pessoas falava no portão de uma das casas na linda fileira de frontões que se chamava Terraço Oriental. It was all so real and so familiar. Era tudo tão real e tão familiar. And that behind me! E isso atrás de mim! It was frantic, fantastic! Foi frenético, fantástico! Such things, I told myself, could not be. Essas coisas, disse a mim mesmo, não podiam ser.

Perhaps I am a man of exceptional moods. Talvez eu seja um homem de humor excepcional. I do not know how far my experience is common. Não sei até que ponto minha experiência é comum. At times I suffer from the strangest sense of detachment from myself and the world about me; I seem to watch it all from the outside, from somewhere inconceivably remote, out of time, out of space, out of the stress and tragedy of it all. Às vezes, sofro da mais estranha sensação de desapego de mim mesmo e do mundo ao meu redor; Parece que vejo tudo de fora, de algum lugar inconcebivelmente remoto, fora do tempo, do espaço, do estresse e da tragédia de tudo isso. Временами я страдаю странным чувством оторванности от себя и окружающего меня мира; Я как будто наблюдаю за всем этим со стороны, откуда-то непостижимо далеко, вне времени, вне пространства, из стресса и трагедии всего этого. This feeling was very strong upon me that night. Esse sentimento foi muito forte em mim naquela noite. Here was another side to my dream. Aqui estava o outro lado do meu sonho.

But the trouble was the blank incongruity of this serenity and the swift death flying yonder, not two miles away. Mas o problema era a incongruência em branco dessa serenidade e a morte rápida voando além, a menos de três quilômetros de distância. Но беда заключалась в абсолютном несоответствии этой безмятежности и быстрой смерти, летящей вон там, всего в двух милях отсюда. There was a noise of business from the gasworks, and the electric lamps were all alight. Ouvia-se um barulho de negócios vindo da fábrica de gás e as lâmpadas elétricas estavam todas acesas. I stopped at the group of people. Parei no grupo de pessoas. Я остановился у группы людей.

“What news from the common?” said I. “Quais são as notícias do comum?” disse eu

There were two men and a woman at the gate. Havia dois homens e uma mulher no portão.

“Eh?” said one of the men, turning. "Eh?" disse um dos homens, virando-se.

“What news from the common?” I said. “Quais são as notícias do comum?” Eu disse.

“'Ain’t yer just been there?” asked the men. "'Você não acabou de passar por aí?" perguntaram os homens. «Разве ты только что не был там?» — спросили мужчины.

“People seem fair silly about the common,” said the woman over the gate. “As pessoas parecem bastante tolas sobre o comum”, disse a mulher do outro lado do portão. «Люди кажутся довольно глупыми, говоря о простом», — сказала женщина у ворот. “What’s it all abart?” "O que está acontecendo?"

“Haven’t you heard of the men from Mars?” said I; “the creatures from Mars?” "Você não ouviu falar dos homens de Marte?" disse eu; “As criaturas de Marte?”

“Quite enough,” said the woman over the gate. “Thenks”; and all three of them laughed. “Thenks”; e todos os três riram.

I felt foolish and angry. Eu me senti tola e com raiva. I tried and found I could not tell them what I had seen. Tentei e descobri que não podia contar a eles o que tinha visto. They laughed again at my broken sentences. Eles riram de novo das minhas frases interrompidas.

“You’ll hear more yet,” I said, and went on to my home. “Você vai ouvir mais ainda,” eu disse, e fui para minha casa.

I startled my wife at the doorway, so haggard was I. I went into the dining room, sat down, drank some wine, and so soon as I could collect myself sufficiently I told her the things I had seen. Surpreendi minha mulher na porta, tão abatido estava eu. Entrei na sala de jantar, sentei-me, bebi um pouco de vinho e, assim que me recuperei o suficiente, contei-lhe as coisas que tinha visto. The dinner, which was a cold one, had already been served, and remained neglected on the table while I told my story.

“There is one thing,” I said, to allay the fears I had aroused; “they are the most sluggish things I ever saw crawl. “Há uma coisa”, eu disse, para acalmar os temores que havia despertado; “São as coisas mais lentas que já vi rastejar. «Есть одна вещь, — сказал я, чтобы рассеять страхи, которые я вызвал; «Это самые медлительные создания, которые я когда-либо видел. They may keep the pit and kill people who come near them, but they cannot get out of it…. Eles podem manter o fosso e matar as pessoas que se aproximam deles, mas não podem sair dele…. But the horror of them!” Mas o horror deles! ”

“Don’t, dear!” said my wife, knitting her brows and putting her hand on mine. "Não, querida!" disse minha esposa, franzindo as sobrancelhas e colocando a mão na minha.

“Poor Ogilvy!” I said. “To think he may be lying dead there!” "E pensar que ele pode estar morto lá!"

My wife at least did not find my experience incredible. Minha esposa, pelo menos, não achou minha experiência incrível. When I saw how deadly white her face was, I ceased abruptly. Quando vi como seu rosto estava mortalmente branco, parei abruptamente.

“They may come here,” she said again and again. “Eles podem vir aqui,” ela disse novamente e novamente.

I pressed her to take wine, and tried to reassure her. Eu a pressionei para tomar vinho e tentei tranquilizá-la.

“They can scarcely move,” I said. “Eles mal podem se mover”, eu disse.

I began to comfort her and myself by repeating all that Ogilvy had told me of the impossibility of the Martians establishing themselves on the earth. Comecei a confortá-la e a mim mesma, repetindo tudo o que Ogilvy me contara sobre a impossibilidade de os marcianos se estabelecerem na terra. In particular I laid stress on the gravitational difficulty. Em particular, dei ênfase à dificuldade gravitacional. On the surface of the earth the force of gravity is three times what it is on the surface of Mars. Na superfície da Terra, a força da gravidade é três vezes maior do que na superfície de Marte. A Martian, therefore, would weigh three times more than on Mars, albeit his muscular strength would be the same. Um marciano, portanto, pesaria três vezes mais do que em Marte, embora sua força muscular fosse a mesma. His own body would be a cope of lead to him. Seu próprio corpo seria um manto de chumbo para ele. Его собственное тело будет для него свинцом. That, indeed, was the general opinion. Essa, de fato, era a opinião geral. Both The Times and the Daily Telegraph, for instance, insisted on it the next morning, and both overlooked, just as I did, two obvious modifying influences. Tanto o The Times quanto o Daily Telegraph, por exemplo, insistiram nisso na manhã seguinte, e ambos negligenciaram, assim como eu, duas influências modificadoras óbvias.

The atmosphere of the earth, we now know, contains far more oxygen or far less argon (whichever way one likes to put it) than does Mars. A atmosfera da Terra, sabemos agora, contém muito mais oxigênio ou muito menos argônio (da forma que alguém goste de dizer) do que Marte. The invigorating influences of this excess of oxygen upon the Martians indisputably did much to counterbalance the increased weight of their bodies. As influências revigorantes desse excesso de oxigênio sobre os marcianos indiscutivelmente contribuíram muito para contrabalançar o aumento do peso de seus corpos. And, in the second place, we all overlooked the fact that such mechanical intelligence as the Martian possessed was quite able to dispense with muscular exertion at a pinch. E, em segundo lugar, todos nós esquecemos o fato de que a inteligência mecânica que o marciano possuía era perfeitamente capaz de dispensar o esforço muscular em uma beliscada. И, во-вторых, мы все упускали из виду тот факт, что такой механический интеллект, каким обладал марсианин, вполне мог обойтись без мышечного напряжения в крайнем случае.

But I did not consider these points at the time, and so my reasoning was dead against the chances of the invaders. Mas não considerei esses pontos na época, então meu raciocínio estava morto contra as chances dos invasores. Но я не учитывал эти моменты в то время, и поэтому мои рассуждения были абсолютно против шансов захватчиков. With wine and food, the confidence of my own table, and the necessity of reassuring my wife, I grew by insensible degrees courageous and secure. Com vinho e comida, a confiança de minha própria mesa e a necessidade de tranquilizar minha esposa, tornei-me cada vez mais corajoso e seguro.

“They have done a foolish thing,” said I, fingering my wineglass. “Eles fizeram uma coisa tola”, disse eu, apalpando minha taça de vinho. “They are dangerous because, no doubt, they are mad with terror. “Eles são perigosos porque, sem dúvida, estão loucos de terror. Perhaps they expected to find no living things—certainly no intelligent living things. Talvez eles esperassem encontrar nenhum ser vivo - certamente nenhum ser vivo inteligente. Возможно, они не ожидали найти никаких живых существ — уж точно никаких разумных живых существ.

“A shell in the pit” said I, “if the worst comes to the worst will kill them all.” “Uma granada na cova”, disse eu, “se o pior acontecer, vai matar todos eles”. «Снаряд в яме, — сказал я, — в худшем случае убьет их всех».

The intense excitement of the events had no doubt left my perceptive powers in a state of erethism. A intensa excitação dos eventos sem dúvida deixou minhas faculdades perceptivas em um estado de eretismo. I remember that dinner table with extraordinary vividness even now. Lembro-me daquela mesa de jantar com extraordinária nitidez até agora. My dear wife’s sweet anxious face peering at me from under the pink lamp shade, the white cloth with its silver and glass table furniture—for in those days even philosophical writers had many little luxuries—the crimson-purple wine in my glass, are photographically distinct. O rosto doce e ansioso de minha querida esposa olhando para mim por baixo do abajur rosa, o pano branco com seus móveis de mesa de prata e vidro - pois naquela época até mesmo os escritores filosóficos tinham muitos pequenos luxos - o vinho púrpura carmesim em meu copo, são fotograficamente distinto. Милое озабоченное лицо моей дорогой жены, глядящее на меня из-под розового абажура, белая скатерть с серебряной и стеклянной меблировкой стола — ведь в то время даже у писателей-философов было много роскоши, — багрово-лиловое вино в моем бокале фотографически отчетливый. At the end of it I sat, tempering nuts with a cigarette, regretting Ogilvy’s rashness, and denouncing the shortsighted timidity of the Martians. No final, sentei-me, temperando nozes com um cigarro, lamentando a imprudência de Ogilvy e denunciando a timidez míope dos marcianos. В конце я сидел, гасил орешки сигаретой, сожалея о опрометчивости Огилви и осуждая недальновидную робость марсиан.

So some respectable dodo in the Mauritius might have lorded it in his nest, and discussed the arrival of that shipful of pitiless sailors in want of animal food. Portanto, algum dodô respeitável nas Maurícias pode ter sido o senhor em seu ninho, e discutido a chegada daquele navio cheio de marinheiros impiedosos que precisam de comida animal. “We will peck them to death tomorrow, my dear.” "Vamos bicá-los até a morte amanhã, minha querida."

I did not know it, but that was the last civilised dinner I was to eat for very many strange and terrible days. Eu não sabia, mas aquele foi o último jantar civilizado que comeria em muitos dias estranhos e terríveis.