經典科幻文學:《宇宙盡頭的餐館》第3章13
“What?”
“What use is your life to anyone? When I think of what you’ve made of it the phrase ‘pig’s ear’ comes irresistibly to my mind.”
“But I was President of the Galaxy, man!”
“Huh,” muttered his ancestor, “And what kind of a job is that for a Beeblebrox?”
“Hey, what? Only President you know! Of the whole Galaxy!”
“Conceited little megapuppy.”
Zaphod blinked in bewilderment.
“Hey, er, what are you at, man? I mean Great Grandfather.”
The hunched up little figure stalked up to his great grandson and tapped him sternly on the knee. This had the effect of reminding Zaphod that he was talking to a ghost because he didn’t feel a thing.
“You know and I know what being President means, young Zaphod. You know because you’ve been it, and I know because I’m dead and it gives one such a wonderfully uncluttered perspective. We have a saying up here. ‘Life is wasted on the living.’”
“Yeah,” said Zaphod bitterly, “very good. Very deep. Right now I need aphorisms like I need holes in my heads.”
“Fifty seconds,” grunted Ford Prefect.
“Where was I?” said Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth.
“Pontificating,” said Zaphod Beeblebrox.
“Oh yes.”
“什麼？”
“你的生命對任何人又有什麼用呢？每當我想起你是怎樣對待你的生命時，有個說法就會無法遏制地鑽進我的腦子裏，‘豬耳朵’，一文不值。”
“可我畢竟當過銀河系總統啊！”
“哈，”他的祖先嘀咕道，“這份工作對一個畢博布魯克斯來說，又能意味着什麼呢？”
“什麼？起碼是你認識的惟一一個總統吧！整個銀河系的！”
“狂妄的臭小子。”
贊福德困惑地眨着眼睛。
“嘿——嗯，你又是什麼呢，夥計？我是說，曾祖父。”
這個駝背的小個子老人大踏步走到他的曾孫面前，嚴厲地敲打着他的膝蓋。這樣做的結果是提醒了贊福德，自己正在和一個鬼魂說話，因爲他被敲打了卻毫無感覺。
“你我都清楚，當個總統意味着什麼，年輕的贊福德。你知道，是因爲你已經當過了；我知道，是因爲我已經死了，這給了我相當不錯的洞察力，洞見秋毫。我們這兒有個說法，‘生命在活着時被浪費了’。”
“是啊，”贊福德苦澀地說，“相當正確。相當深刻。我現在需要的正是箴言，就像我需要在腦袋上多幾個洞一樣。”
“五十秒。”福特長官咕噥道。
“我剛纔說到哪兒了？”贊福德·畢博布魯克斯四世問。
“正在斬釘截鐵大發議論。”贊福德·畢博布魯克斯說。
“噢，是的。”
