35 The Big Bang
35 那轰然一响
……we too are stardust. . .
……我们也是星尘……
Hilde settled herself comfortably in the glider beside her father. It was nearly midnight. They sat looking out across the bay. A few stars glimmered palely in the light sky.
席德舒服地坐在秋千上，靠在爸爸身旁。已经将近午夜了。他们坐在那儿眺望海湾，明亮的天空有几颗星星正闪烁着微弱的光芒。
Gentle waves lapped over the stones under the dock.
温柔的海浪一波波拍打在平台下的礁岩上。
Her father broke the silence.
爸爸打破沉默。
"It's a strange thought that we live on a tiny little planet in the universe."
“想起来真是很奇怪，我们居然住在宇宙这样一个小小的星球上。”
"Yes ..."
“嗯......”
"Earth is only one of many planets orbiting the sun. Yet Earth is the only living planet."
“地球只是许多围绕太阳运行的星球之一，但它却是唯一有生命的星球。”
"Perhaps the only one in the entire universe?"
“会不会也是整个宇宙中唯一的一个？”
"It's possible. But it's also possible that the universe is teeming with life. The universe is inconceivably huge. The distances are so great that we measure them in light-minutes and light-years."
“可能。但宇宙也可能到处充满了生命，因为宇宙之大是无法想象的。其间的距离如此遥远，因此我们只能以光分和光年来计算。”
"What are they, actually?"
“什么是光分和光年？”
"A light-minute is the distance light travels in one minute. And that's a long way, because light travels through space at 300,000 kilometers a second. That means that a light-minute is 60 times 300,000--or 18 million kilometers. A light-year is nearly ten trillion kilometers."
“一光分就是光线在一分钟内可走的距离，这是非常长的距离，因为光线在太空每秒钟可以走三十万公里。这表示一光分就是三十万乘以六十，也就是一千八百万公里。一光年就是将近十兆公里。”
"How far away is the sun?"
“那太阳有多远呢？”
"It's a little over eight light-minutes away. The rays of sunlight warming our faces on a hot June day have traveled for eight minutes through the universe before they reach us."
“它距离地球有八光分多一点。炎热的六月天照在我们脸上的温暖太阳光，可是在太空中走了八分钟才到我们这儿来的。”
Go on...
“然后呢？”
"Pluto, which is the planet farthest out in our solar system, is about five light-hours away from us.
“地球到太阳系最远的一颗星球冥王星的距离大约有五光时。
When an astronomer looks at Pluto through his telescope, he is in fact looking five hours back in time. We could also say that the picture of Pluto takes five hours to get here."
当天文学家透过天文望远镜观察冥王星的时候，事实上他看的是五个小时以前的冥王星。我们也可以说冥王星的画面要花五个小时才能传到这里。”
"It's a bit hard to visualize, but I think I understand."
“实在有点难以想象，但我想我可以了解。”
"That's good, Hilde. But we here on Earth are only just beginning to orient ourselves. Our own sun is one of 400 billion other stars in the galaxy we call the Milky Way. This galaxy resembles a large discus, with our sun situated in one of its several spiral arms.
“很好，席德，但是你要知道我们人类只是刚开始了解宇宙而已。我们的太阳只是银河里四千亿个星球当中的一个，这个银河有点像是一个很大的铁饼。我们的太阳刚好位于其中一个螺旋臂上。
When we look up at the sky on a clear winter's night, we see a broad band of stars. This is because we are looking toward the center of the Milky Way."
当我们在晴朗的冬日夜晚仰望星星时，会看见一条由星星构成的宽带子，那是因为我们正好看到银河的中心。”
"I suppose that's why the Milky Way is called 'Winter Street' in Swedish."
“大概是因为这样，所以瑞典文才把银河称为‘冬之街’吧。”
"The distance to the star in the Milky Way that is our nearest neighbor is four light-years. Maybe that's it just above the island over there. If you could imagine that at this very moment a stargazer is sitting up there with a powerful telescope pointing at Bjerkely--he would see Bjerkely as it looked four years ago. He might see an eleven-year-old girl swinging her legs in the glider."
“在银河系中，离我们最近的一颗恒星距地球有四光年，也许它正在我们这个岛的上方。此时此刻，如果那颗星球上有一个人正用一具强力的天文望远镜对着柏客来山庄看的话，他看到的将是四年前的柏客来山庄。他也许会看到一个十一岁女孩正坐在秋千上晃动她的双腿。”
"Incredible."
“真不可思议。”
"But that's only the nearest star. The whole galaxy-- or nebula, as we also call it--is 90,000 light-years wide. That is another way of describing the time it takes for light to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. When we gaze at a star in the Milky Way which is 50,000 light-years away from our sun, we are looking back 50,000 years in time."
“可是这还是最近的一颗。整个银河(或称星云)共有九万光年这么宽，也就是说光线从银河的一端传到另外一端要花九万年的时间。当我们注视着银河中一颗距离我们有五万光年的星星时，我们看到的是那颗星球在五万年以前的情形。”
"The idea is much too big for my little head."
“这么大的空间实在是我这个小脑袋难以想象的。”
"The only way we can look out into space, then, is to look back in time. We can never know what the universe is like now. We only know what it was like then. When we look up at a star that is thousands of light-years away, we are really traveling thousands of years back in the history of space."
“我们只要眺望太空，所看到的一定是从前的太空。我们永远无法知道现在的宇宙是什么模样。我们只知道它当时如何。当我们仰望一颗距我们有几千光年的星球时，我们事实上是回到了几千年前的太空。”
"It's completely incomprehensible."
“真是不可思议极了。”
But everything we see meets the eye in the form of light waves. And these light waves take time to travel through space. We could compare it to thunder. We always hear the thunder after we have seen the lightning. That's because sound waves travel slower than light waves. When I hear a peal of thunder, I'm hearing the sound of something that happened a little while ago. It's the same thing with the stars. When I look at a star that is thousands of light-years away, I'm seeing the 'peal of thunder' from an event that lies thousands of years back in time.
“因为我们眼中所见的一切事物都以光波的形式出现，这些光波需要时间才能传过太空。我们可以拿打雷来做比方。我们总是在看见闪电后才听见打雷的声音，这是因为声波传送的速度比光波慢。当我听到一阵雷鸣时，我听到的声音事实上已经发出了一会儿。各星球间的情况也是这样。当我看到一颗几千光年之外的星星时，就好像见到几千年前发出的‘雷声’一样。”
"Yes, I see."
“嗯，我明白了。”
"But so far, we've only been talking about our own galaxy. Astronomers say there are about a hundred billion of such galaxies in the universe, and each of these galaxies consists of about a hundred billion stars. We call the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way the Andromeda nebula. It lies two million light-years from our own galaxy. That means the light from that galaxy takes two million years to reach us.
“但是到目前为止，我们谈的还只是我们的银河系。天文学家说，宇宙间大约有一千亿像这样的银河系，而每一个银河系都包含一千亿左右的星球。我们称距我们的银河最近的一个银河系为仙女座星云。它距我们的银河系约有两百万光年。就像我们刚才所说的，这表示那个银河系的光线要花两百万年才能到达我们这里。
So we're looking two million years back in time when we see the Andromeda nebula high up in the sky. If there was a clever stargazer in this nebula--I can just imagine him pointing his telescope at Earth right now--he wouldn't be able to see us. If he was lucky, he'd see a few flat-faced Neanderthals."
同时也表示当我们看见高空中的仙女座星云时，我们看到的是它在两百万年前的情形。如果在这个星云内有一个人正在观测星球——我可以想象那个鬼鬼祟祟的小家伙现在正用天文望远镜对准地球——他是看不到我们的。如果他运气好的话，倒是可以看见几个扁脸的尼安德原人。”
"It's amazing."
“真是太令人吃惊了。”
"The most distant galaxies we know of today are about ten billion light-years away from us. When we receive signals from these galaxies, we are going ten billion years back in the history of the universe. That's about twice as long as our own solar system has existed."
“我们今天所知的最远的银河系距我们大约有一百亿光年。当我们收到来自那些银河系的信号时，我们事实上是收到一百亿年前的人所发出的信号。这个时间大约是太阳系历史的两倍。”
"You're making me dizzy."
“我的头都昏了。”
"Although it is hard enough to comprehend what it means to look so far back in time, astronomers have discovered something that has even greater significance for our world picture."
“虽然我们很难理解这是一种什么样的情形，但天文学家已经发现一种现象，它将对我们的世界观有很大的影响。”
"What?"
“什么现象？”
"Apparently no galaxy in space remains where it is. All the galaxies in the universe are moving away from each other at colossal speeds. The further they are away from us, the quicker they move. That means that the distance between the galaxies is increasing all the time."
“太空中的银河系显然没有一个留在固定的位置。宇宙中所有的银河系都以极快的速度彼此分开，愈离愈远。它们离我们愈远，移动的速度就愈快。这表示各银河系之间的距离在不断增加。”
"I'm trying to picture it."
“我正试着想象这幅画面。”
"If you have a balloon and you paint black spots on it, the spots will move away from each other as you blow up the balloon. That's what's happening with the galaxies in the universe. We say that the universe is expanding."
“如果你有一个气球，而你在它的表面画上许多黑点。然后你愈吹它，那些黑点就分得愈开。这就是宇宙间各银河系所发生的现象。我们说宇宙在扩张。”
"What makes it do that?"
“怎么会这样呢？”
"Most astronomers agree that the expanding universe can only have one explanation: Once upon a time, about 15 billion years ago, all substance in the universe was assembled in a relatively small area. The substance was so dense that gravity made it terrifically hot. Finally it got so hot and so tightly packed that it exploded. We call this explosion the Big Bang."
“大多数天文学家都认为，宇宙扩张的现象只可能是一个原因造成的。那就是：在大约一百五十亿年以前，宇宙间所有的物质都集中在一个比较小的范围内。由于物质密度极高，再加上重力的作用，使得这些物质温度高得吓人。温度日趋上升的结果，这一团紧密的物质终于爆炸了。我们称这个现象为‘宇宙大爆炸’。”
"Just the thought of it makes me shudder."
“挺吓人的。”
"The Big Bang caused all the substance in the universe to be expelled in all directions, and as it gradually cooled, it formed stars and galaxies and moons and planets ..."
“宇宙大爆炸使得宇宙中所有的物质都向四面扩散。当这些物质碎片逐渐冷却后，就形成各个星球、银河系、卫星与行星……”
"But I thought you said the universe was still expanding?"
“你不是说宇宙还在继续扩张吗？”
"Yes I did, and it's expanding precisely because of this explosion billions of years ago. The universe has no timeless geography. The universe is a happening. The universe is an explosion. Galaxies continue to fly through the universe away from each other at colossal speeds."
“是的。而它扩张的理由正是由于一百多亿年前的这次大爆炸。因此目前宇宙各星球并没有固定不变的位置，宇宙仍然在形成中。它是一次爆炸后的产物。各银河目前仍继续以极高的速度向宇宙的四面飞散。”
"Will they go on doing that for ever?"
“它们会永远这样下去吗？”
"That's one possibility. But there is another. You may recall that Alberto told Sophie about the two forces that cause the planets to remain in constant orbit round the sun?"
“有可能，但还有另外一个可能性。你还记得艾伯特告诉过苏菲有两种力量使行星一直在固定的轨道上围绕恒星运行吗？”
"Weren't they gravity and inertia?"
“是不是引力和惯性？”
"Right, and the same thing applies to the galaxies. Because even though the universe continues to expand, the force of gravity is working the other way. And one day, in a couple of billion years, gravity will perhaps cause the heavenly bodies to be packed together again as the force of the huge explosion begins to weaken. Then we would get a reverse explosion, a so-called implosion. But the distances are so great that it will happen like a movie that is run in slow motion. You might compare it with what happens when you release the air from a balloon."
“对，同样的道理也适用于各银河系。因为即使宇宙仍继续扩张，引力的作用却刚好相反。也许几十亿年后有一天，当大爆炸的力量逐渐减弱后，重力会使得各星球重新凝聚，然后就会发生一种‘反爆炸’的现象，也就是所谓的‘内破裂’。不过，由于各银河系之间的距离过于遥远，所以情况会变得像是电影的慢动作，就像你把一个气球里的空气放掉以后的现象。”
"Will all the galaxies be drawn together in a tight nucleus again?"
“那这些银河系会不会再度聚拢成一个紧密的核心呢？”
"Yes, you've got it. But what will happen then?"
“没错，你说对了。但到时候会发生什么事呢？”
"There would be another Big Bang and the universe would start expanding again. Because the same natural laws are in operation. And so new stars and galaxies will form."
“又会有一次大爆炸，而宇宙也会再度开始扩张，因为到时同样的自然法则又会发生作用。所以会形成新的星球和新的银河系。”
未来的宇宙
"Good thinking. Astronomers think there are two possible scenarios for the future of the universe. Either the universe will go on expanding forever so that the galaxies will draw further and further apart--or the universe will begin to contract again. How heavy and massive the universe is will determine what happens. And this is something astronomers have no way of knowing as yet."
“说得好。关于宇宙的未来，天文学家认为有两种可能。要不就是宇宙一直扩张下去，使得各银河系间的距离愈来愈远。要不就是宇宙会开始再度收缩。究竟会发生哪一种现象，要看宇宙有多重、多大而定。而这点天文学家目前还无法得知。”
"But if the universe is so heavy that it begins to contract again, perhaps it has expanded and contracted lots of times before."
“但是如果宇宙重到使它开始收缩的程度，那么也许这种扩张、收缩又扩张的现象以前已经发生过好几次了。”
"That would be an obvious conclusion. But on this point theory is divided. It may be that the expansion of the universe is something that will only happen this one time. But if it keeps on expanding for all eternity, the question of where it all began becomes even more pressing."
“结论显然应该是这样。但在这一点上，各家理论不同。也许宇宙的扩张现象只会发生这么一次，但是如果它永远不断扩张下去，则这个现象是从何处开始的问题就变得更加迫切了。”
"Yes, where did it come from, all that stuff that suddenly exploded?"
“没错，因为这些突然间爆炸的物质最初是从哪里来的呢？”
"For a Christian, it would be obvious to see the Big Bang as the actual moment of creation. The Bible tells us that God said 'Let there be light!' You may possibly also remember that Alberto indicated Christianity's 'linear' view of history. From the point of view of a Chris-tian belief in the creation, it is better to imagine the universe continuing to expand."
“对于一个基督徒来说，这次大爆炸显然就是创造过程开始的时刻。圣经告诉我们上帝说过：‘让世上有光吧!’你可能也还记得艾伯特说过基督教的历史观是‘直线式的’。从基督教相信上帝创造万物的观点来看，宇宙应该是会继续扩张下去的。”
"It is?"
“真的吗？”
"In the Orient they have a 'cyclic' view of history.In other words, history repeats itself eternally. In India, for example, there is an ancient theory that the world continually unfolds and folds again, thus alternating between what Indians have called Brahman's Day and Brahman's Night. This idea harmonizes best, of course, with the universe expanding and contracting--in order to expand again--in an eternal cyclic process. I have a mental picture of a great cosmic heart that beats and beats and beats..."
“东方文化的历史观则是‘循环式的’。换句话说，他们认为历史会不断重复。举例来说，印度就有一个古老的理论，主张世界会不断开合，因此造成所谓的‘婆罗门日’(Brahman's Day)和‘婆罗门夜’(Brahman's Night)轮流交替的现象。这种观点自然比较符合宇宙会永远不断扩张、收缩的看法。在我的想象中，那就像是有一颗宇宙的心脏不断在跳动的情景……”
"I think both theories are equally inconceivable and equally exciting."
“我认为这两种理论都同样令人无法想象，也同样令人兴奋。”
"And they can compare with the great paradox of eternity that Sophie once sat pondering in her garden: either the universe has always been there--or it suddenly came into existence out of nothing ..."
“这就像是苏菲有一次坐在花园里思索永恒的矛盾：宇宙要不就是一向都存在着，要不就是突然无中生有……”
"Ouch!"
“喔，好痛!”
Hilde clapped her hand to her forehead.
席德用手拍了一下额头。
"What was that?"
“怎么回事？”
"I think I've just been stung by a gadfly."
“我好像被牛蝇叮了一口。”
"It was probably Socrates trying to sting you into life."
“也许是苏格拉底在给你一些心灵的刺激呢。”
Sophie and Alberto had been sitting in the red convertible listening to the major tell Hilde about the universe."Has it struck you that our roles are completely reversed?" asked Alberto after a while.
苏菲和艾伯特坐在红色的敞篷车里听着少校对席德讲述宇宙的现象。过了一会儿，艾伯特问道：“你有没有想到现在我们的角色已经完全相反了呢？”
"In what sense?"
“怎么说？”
"Before it was they who listened to us, and we couldn't see them. Now we're listening to them and they can't see us."
“以前是他们听我们说话，而我们看不见他们。现在是我们听他们讲话，而他们看不见我们。”
"And that's not all."
“还不止于此呢。”
"What are you referring to?"
“你是指什么？”
"When we started, we didn't know about the other reality that Hilde and the major inhabited. Now they don't know about ours."
“我们一开始时并不知道席德和少校生活的那个世界，而现在他们也不知道我们存在的这个世界。”
"Revenge is sweet."
“我们算是报了一箭之仇了。”
"But the major could intervene in our world."
“可是那时候少校可以介入我们的世界。”
"Our world was nothing but his interventions."
“我们的世界全是他一手造成的。”
"I haven't yet relinquished all hope that we may also intervene in their world."
“我还不死心。我们应该也有办法介入他们的世界吧？”
"But you know that's impossible. Remember what happened in the Cinderella? I saw you trying to get out that bottle of Coke."
“可是你知道这是不可能的。还记得我们在灰姑娘餐馆里发生的事吗？无论你多费劲，还是拿不起那瓶可乐。”
Sophie was silent. She gazed out over the garden while the major explained about the Big Bang. There was something about that term which started a train of thought in her mind.
苏菲默默不语。当少校正在说明宇宙大爆炸的现象时，她看着这座花园。“大爆炸”这个名词牵动着她的思绪。
She began to rummage around in the car.
她开始在车子里面四处翻寻。
"What are you doing?" asked Alberto.
“你在干嘛？”
"Nothing."
“没事。”
She opened the glove compartment and found a wrench. She grabbed it and jumped out of the car. She went over to the glider and stood right in front of Hilde and her father. First she tried to catch Hilde's eye but that was quite useless. Finally she raised the wrench above her head and crashed it down on Hilde's forehead.
她打开手套箱，找到了一支扳钳。她拿着扳钳，跳出车外，走到秋千旁，站在席德和她父亲前面。她试着吸引席德的视线，但一直都没有成功。最后她举起扳钳敲在席德的额头上。
"Ouch!" said Hilde.
“喔，好痛!”席德说。
Then Sophie hit the major on his forehead, but he didn't react at all.
然后苏菲又用扳钳敲击少校的额头，可他动也不动。
"What was that?" he asked."I think I've just been stung by a gadfly."
“怎么回事？”他问“我好像被牛蝇叮了一口。”
"It was probably Socrates trying to sting you into life."
“也许是苏格拉底在给你一些心灵的刺激呢。”
Sophie lay down on the grass and tried to push the glider. But it remained motionless. Or did she manage to get it to move a millimeter?
苏菲躺在草地上，努力推动秋千。但是秋千仍静止不动。可是又好像稍动了一点点。
"There's a chilly breeze coming up," said Hilde.
“风挺凉的。”席德说。
"No, there isn't. It's very mild."
“不会呀，我倒觉得挺舒服的。”
"It's not only that. There is something."
“不只是风。还有另外的。”
"Only the two of us and the cool summer night."
“这里只有我们两个，在这个凉爽的仲夏夜。”
"No, there's something in the air."
“不，空气里面有一种东西。”
"And what might that be?"
“会是什么呢？”
"You remember Alberto and his secret plan?"
“你还记得艾伯特拟的秘密计划吗？”
"How could I forget!"
“我怎么会忘记？”
"They simply disappeared from the garden party. It was as if they had vanished into thin air . . ."
“他们就这样从花园宴会里消失了。就好像他们消失在空气中了。”
"Yes, but..."
“没错，可是……”
"……into thin air."
“……消失在空气中了……”
"The story had to end somewhere. It was just something I wrote."
“故事总得结束呀。那不过是我编的。”
"That was, yes, but not what happened afterward. Suppose they were here . . ."
“没错，那时候是你编的。可是后来就不是了。他们不知道会不会在这儿.....”
"Do you believe that?"
“你相信吗？”
"I can feel it, Dad."
“爸，我可以感觉到。”
Sophie ran back to the car.
苏菲跑回车子里。
"Impressive," said Alberto grudgingly as she climbed on board clasping the wrench tightly in her hand. "You have unusual talents, Sophie. Just wait and see."
“很不错嘛!”当她紧握着扳钳爬进车里时，艾伯特不太情愿的说。“你有很不寻常的本领。我们就等着瞧吧。”
人生如星尘
The major put his arm around Hilde.
少校搂住席德。
"Do you hear the mysterious play of the waves?"
“你没有听到那神秘的海潮声？”
"Yes. We must get the boat in the water tomorrow."
“听到了。我们明天得让船下水。”
"But do you hear the strange whispering of the wind? Look how the aspen leaves are trembling."
“可是你有没有听见那奇异的风声呢？你看那白杨树的叶子都在颤动呢。”
"The planet is alive, you know ..."
“这个星球是有生命的。不是吗……”
"You wrote that there was something between the lines."
“你在信里说书中的字里行间另有意思。”
"I did?"
“我有吗？”
"Perhaps there is something between the lines in this garden too."
“也许这座花园也有别的东西存在。”
"Nature is full of enigmas. But we are talking about stars in the sky."
“大自然充满了谜题，不过我们现在谈的是天上的星星。”
"Soon there will be stars on the water."
“水上很快也会有星星了。”
"That's right. That's what you used to say about phosphorescence when you were little. And in a sense you were right. Phosphorescence and all other organisms are made of elements that were once blended together in a star."
“对。你小时候就把磷光称为水上的星星。从某个角度来看，你说的并没有错。磷光和其他所有的有机体都是由那些曾经融合为一个星球的各种元素所组成的。”
"Us too?"
“人也是吗？”
"Yes, we too are stardust."
“没错，我们也是星尘。”
"That was beautifully put."
“说得很美。”
"When radio telescopes can pick up light from distant galaxies billions of light-years away, they will be charting the universe as it looked in primeval times after the Big Bang. Everything we can see in the sky is a cosmic fossil from thousands and millions of years ago. The only thing an astrologer can do is predict the past."
“当无线电波天文望远镜可以接收到来自数十亿光年外的遥远银河系的光线时，它们就可以描绘出太初时期大爆炸后宇宙的形貌。我们现在在天空中所看到的一切，都是几千、几百万年前宇宙的化石，因此占星学家只能预测过去的事。”
"Because the stars in the constellations moved away from each other long before their light reached us, right?"
“因为在它们的光芒传到地球之前，这些星座里的星星早就已经彼此远离了，是吗？”
"Even two thousand years ago, the constellations looked considerably different from the way they look today."
“即使是在两千年前，这些星座的面貌也与今天大不相同。”
"I never knew that."
“我以前从来不知道是这样。”
"If it's a clear night, we can see millions, even billions of years back into the history of the universe. So in a way, we are going home."
“在晴天的夜晚，我们可以看见几百万、甚至几十亿年前宇宙的面貌。所以，我们可以说正在回家的路上。”
"I don't know what you mean."
“我不懂你的意思。”
"You and I also began with the Big Bang, because all substance in the universe is an organic unity. Once in a primeval age all matter was gathered in a clump so enormously massive that a pinhead weighed many billions of tons. This 'primeval atom' exploded because of the enormous gravitation. It was as if something disintegrated. When we look up at the sky, we are trying to find the way back to ourselves."
“你我也是在大爆炸时开始，因为宇宙所有的物质整个是一个有机体。在万古之前，所有的物质都聚合成一大块，质量极其紧密，因此即使是小如针头般的一块，也可以重达好几十亿吨。在这样大的重力作用下，这个‘原始原子’爆炸了，就好像某个东西解体一样。所以说当我们仰望天空时，我们其实是在试图找寻回到自我的路。”
"What an extraordinary thing to say."
“这个说法好特别。”
"All the stars and galaxies in the universe are made of the same substance. Parts of it have lumped themselves together, some here, some there. There can be billions of light-years between one galaxy and the next. But they all have the same origin. All stars and all planets belong to the same family."
“宇宙中所有的星球和银河都是由同一种物质做成的。这种物质的各个部分分别又合成一块，这里一块，那里一块。一个银河系到另外一个银河系的距离可能有数十亿光年，可是它们都来自同样一个源头。所有的恒星和行星都属于同一个家庭。”
"Yes, I see."
“我懂了。”
"But what is this earthly substance? What was it that exploded that time billions of years ago? Where did it come from?"
“但是这种物质又是什么呢？数十亿年前爆炸的那个东西究竟是怎样的一种物质？它是从哪里来的呢？”
"That is the big question."
“这是个很大的问题。”
"And a question that concerns us all very deeply. For we ourselves are of that substance. We are a spark from the great fire that was ignited many billions of years ago."
“而与我们每个人都密切相关。因为我们本身就是这种物质。我们是几十亿年前熊熊燃烧的那场大火所爆出来的一点火花。”
"That's a beautiful thought too."
“这种想法也很美。”
"However, we must not exaggerate the importance of these figures. It is enough just to hold a stone in your hand. The universe would have been equally incomprehensible if it had only consisted of that one stone the size of an orange. The question would be just as impenetrable: where did this stone come from?"
“然而，我们也不要太过强调这些数字的重要性。只要你在手中握着一块石头就够了。就算宇宙是由这样一块橘子般大小的石头做成的，我们也还是无法理解它。我们还是要问：这块石头是从哪里来的？”
Sophie suddenly stood up in the red convertible and pointed out over the bay.
苏菲突然在红色敞篷车里站起来，指着海湾的方向。
"I want to try the rowboat," she said.
“我想去划那条船。”她说。
"It's tied up. And we would never be able to lift the oars."
“它被绑起来了，而且我们也不可能拿得动桨。”
"Shall we try? After all, it is Midsummer Eve."
“我们试试看好不好？不管怎么说，现在可是仲夏耶!”
"We can go down to the water, at any rate."
“至少我们可以到海边去。”
They jumped out of the car and ran down the garden.
他们跳下车，沿着花园向下跑。
They tried to loosen the rope that was made fast in a metal ring. But they could not even lift one end.
他们试图解开牢牢系在一个铁圈里的缆绳，可是却连绳尾都举不起来。
"It's as good as nailed down," said Alberto.
“跟钉牢了一样。”艾伯特说。
"We've got plenty of time."
“我们有很充裕的时间。”
"A true philosopher must never give up. If we could just……get it loose . . ."
“一个真正的哲学家永远不能放弃。如果我们能够……松开它……”
"There are more stars now," said Hilde.
“现在星星更多了。”席德说。
"Yes, when the summer night is darkest."
“是的，因为现在是夏夜里夜色最深的时候。”
"But they sparkle more in winter. Do you remember the night before you left for Lebanon? It was New Year's Day."
“可是在冬天里它们的光芒比较亮。你还记得你要动身去黎巴嫩的那个晚上吗？那天是元旦。”
"That was when I decided to write a book about philosophy for you. I had been to a large bookstore in Kris-tiansand and to the library too. But they had nothing suitable for young people."
“就在那个时候，我决定为你写一本有关哲学的书。我也曾经去基督山的一家大书店和图书馆找过，可是他们都没有适合年轻人看的哲学书。”
"It's as if we are sitting at the very tip of the fine hairs in the white rabbit's fur."
“感觉上现在我们好像正坐在白兔细毛的最顶端。”
"I wonder if there is anyone out there in the night of the light-years?"
“我在想那些遥远的星球上是否也有人。”
"The rowboat has worked itself loose!"
“你看，小船的绳子自己松开了!”
"So it has!"
“真的是这样!”
"I don't understand it. I went down and checked it just before you got here."
“怎么会呢？在你回来前，我还到那里去检查过的。”
"Did you?"
“是吗？”
"It reminds me of when Sophie borrowed Alberto's boat. Do you remember how it lay drifting out in the lake?"
“这使我想到苏菲借了艾伯特的船的时候。你还记得它当时在湖里漂浮的样子吗？”
"I bet it's her at work again."
“我敢说现在也一定是她在搞鬼。”
"Go ahead and make fun of me. All evening, I've been able to feel someone here."
“你尽管取笑我吧。可是我还是觉得整个晚上都有人在这里。”
"One of us will have to swim out to it."
“我们两人有一个必须游到那里去，把船划回来。”
"We'll both go, Dad."
“我们两个都去，爸爸。”