第5章 Dawn 黎明
Edward Everett, 1794-1865. He was born at Dorchester, Mass., now a part of Boston, and graduated from Harvard College with the highest honors of his class, at the age of seventeen. While yet in college, he had quite a reputation as a brilliant writer. Before he was twenty years of age, he was settled as pastor over the Brattle Street Church, in Boston, and at once became famous as an eloquent preacher. In 1814, he was elected Professor of Greek Literature in his Alma Mater; and, in order to prepare himself for the duties of his office, he entered on an extended course of travel in Europe. He edited the "North American Review, " in addition to the labors of his professorship, after he returned to America.
In 1825, Mr. Everett was elected to Congress, and held his seat in the House for ten years. He was Governor of his native state from 1835 to 1839. In 1841, he was appointed Minister to England. On his return, in 1846, he was chosen President of Harvard University, and held the office for three years. In 1852, he was appointed Secretary of State. February 22, 1856, he delivered, in Boston, his celebrated lecture on Washington. This lecture was afterwards delivered in most of the principal cities and towns in the United States. The proceeds were devoted to the purchase of Mt. Vernon. In 1860, he was a candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States. He is celebrated as an elegant and forcible writer, and a chaste orator.
This extract, a wonderful piece of word painting, is a portion of an address on the "Uses of Astronomy, " delivered at the inauguration of the Dudley Observatory, at Albany, N, Y, Note the careful use of words, and the strong figures in the third and fourth paragraphs.
I had occasion, a few weeks since, to take the early train from Providence to Boston;and for this purpose rose at two o'clock in the morning. Everything around was wrapped in darkness and hushed in silence, broken only by what seemed at that hour the unearthly clank and rush of the train. It was a mild, serene, midsummer's night, — the sky was without a cloud, the winds were whist. The moon, then in the last quarter, had just risen, and the stars shone with a spectral luster but little affected by her presence.
Jupiter, two hours high, was the herald of the day; the Pleiades, just above the horizon, shed their sweet influence in the east; Lyra sparkled near the zenith; Andromeda veiled her newly-discovered glories from the naked eye in the south; the steady Pointers, far beneath the pole, looked meekly up from the depths of the north to their sovereign.
Such was the glorious spectacle as I entered the train. As we proceeded, the timid approach of twilight became more perceptible; the intense blue of the sky began to soften;the smaller stars, like little children, went first to rest; the sister beams of the Pleiades soon melted together; but the bright constellations of the west and north remained unchanged. Steadily the wondrous transfiguration went on. Hands of angels, hidden from mortal eyes, shifted the scenery of the heavens; the glories of night dissolved into the glories of the dawn.
The blue sky now turned more softly gray; the great watch stars shut up their holy eyes;the east began to kindle. Faint streaks of purple soon blushed along the sky; the whole celestial concave was filled with the inflowing tides of the morning light, which came pouring down from above in one great ocean of radiance; till at length, as we reached the Blue Hills, a flash of purple fire blazed out from above the horizon, and turned the dewy teardrops of flower and leaf into rubies and diamonds. In a few seconds, the everlasting gates of the morning were thrown wide open, and the lord of day, arrayed in glories too severe for the gaze of man, began his state.
I do not wonder at the superstition of the ancient Magians, who, in the morning of the world, went up to the hilltops of Central Asia, and, ignorant of the true God, adored the most glorious work of his hand. But I am filled with amazement, when I am told, that, in this enlightened age and in the heart of the Christian world, there are persons who can witness this daily manifestation of the power and wisdom of the Creator, and yet say in their hearts, "There is no God."
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爱德华·艾弗雷特（1794～1865年），出生于美国马萨诸塞州多尔切斯特，那里现在是波士顿的一个港口。艾弗雷特17岁的时候以全班第一的成绩毕业于哈佛大学。在大学期间，艾弗雷特就已经是一位非常有声望的作家了。在20岁之前他曾在波士顿布莱特大道教堂当牧师，并以其强大的说服力成为名噪一时的传教士。1814年，艾弗雷特受母校邀请担任希腊文学教授，为了能够胜任自己的职务，他还曾到欧洲游学深造。返回美国以后，他担任了《北美评论》的主编，并同时兼顾着他的教授工作。
1825年，艾弗雷特当选为美国国会议员，并担任议员长达10年之久。1835～1839年，担任马萨诸塞州州长。1841年，艾弗雷特被派往英国担任美国驻英国公使。1846年返回美国，担任哈佛大学校长，直至1849年。1852年，艾弗雷特被任命为美国国务卿。1856年2月22日，艾弗雷特在波士顿发表了他最著名的演讲，这次演讲先后在美国各大城市发表。1860年，艾弗雷特作为美国副总统竞选人参与总统选举。艾弗雷特是一位文风简洁且说服力强的作家，也是一位高尚的演说家。
这篇文章，字韵如画，节选自艾弗雷特在纽约阿尔巴尼的达德利天文台成立时发表的演讲《天文的用途》。
就在几周前，我有一个重要的活动要参加，需要搭乘普罗维登斯开往波士顿的早班列车，于是我不得不在深夜两点钟起床。当时周围的一切都被黑夜所笼罩，一片寂静，直到夜的安静被那个时刻显得格外刺耳的铮铮火车声打破。这是一个温和而宁静的盛夏夜晚，天空万里无云，微风轻轻拂面。月亮，也在最后一刻，缓缓地升了起来，星星闪烁着微小却明亮的光芒，这些光芒丝毫没有因为月亮的出现而变得逊色多少。
木星也缓缓地升起来了，它是黎明的使者。在远处的地平线上，昴星团从东方的天空倾泻而下，看起来如此美丽；天琴座也在天际的顶端闪闪发光；仙女座也从南部眼睛可以看到的范围，时隐时现地闪耀着它的光辉；遥远的北斗星，也远远地望着北方的区域深处。
这就是我进入火车站时壮丽的风景。慢慢地，黎明胆怯地发出微微的光，深蓝色的天空开始明亮起来。那些较小的恒星，像小孩子一样早早地跑去休息了，昴星团的姐妹们也渐渐融合到一起，但是星座西部和北部释放的光芒仍然不变。这变化一步一步稳稳地进行着。就像人们看不见的天使的双手正在悄悄地改换着天空的景色，属于夜晚的星光已慢慢淡去，黎明开始绽放它的辉煌。
蔚蓝的天空现在呈现出淡淡的灰色，值夜星们一个接一个地闭上了它们神圣的眼睛。东方的天空此时仿佛被点燃，紫色的光束不久占据了东方的天际，天空中布满了黎明的曙光，整个天空就像海水涨潮一样，一下子就亮起来了。直到最后，当我们抵达布鲁山的时候，一团紫火从地平线上空闪耀着灼目的光，使那些花儿和叶儿的露珠一下子变得像红宝石和钻石般晶莹剔透。仅仅几秒钟之内，清晨之门就这样被打开了，白昼的主宰者闪耀着令人温暖的光芒，以它的状态来迎接崭新的一天。
我不再好奇那些古代的迷信传言，不再好奇是否真的有谁爬到中亚的峰巅去点亮这个世界，也不再无知地追求真正的上帝，去膜拜他这份最光荣的工作。但我却仍然充满惊奇，当有人告诉我在这个久远的、开明的基督教世界的中心地带，有很多人可以见证这个造物主的力量和这种不可思议的美妙景象，尽管在他们心中，“世界上根本没有上帝”。