the moon pool-第70部分

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the　heavenssomething　of　these　mists　drawing　together；

whirling；　whirling；　faster　and　fasterdrawing　as　they

whirled　more　and　more　of　the　mistsgrowing　larger；　grow…

ing　warmforming　at　last　into　the　globes　they　are；　with

others　spinning　around　the　sunsomething　of　regions　within

this　globe　where　vast　fire　was　prisoned　and　bursting　forth

tore　and　rent　the　young　orbof　one　such　bursting　forth　that

sent　what　you　call　moon　flying　out　to　company　us　and　left

behind　those　spaces　whence　we　now　dwelland　ofof　life

particles　that　here　and　there　below　grew　into　the　race　of

the　Silent　Ones；　and　those　othersbut　not　the　_Akka_　which；

like　you；　they　say　came　from　aboveand　all　this　I　do　not

understanddo　you；　Goodwin？〃　she　appealed　to　me。



I　noddedfor　what　she　had　related　so　fragmentarily　was

in　reality　an　excellent　approach　to　the　Chamberlain…Moulton

theory　of　a　coalescing　nebula　contracting　into　the　sun　and

its　planets。



Astonishing　was　the　recognition　of　this　theory。　　Even　more

so　was　the　reference　to　the　life　particles；　the　idea　of　Arrhen…

ius；　the　great　Swede；　of　life　starting　on　earth　through　the

dropping　of　minute；　life　SPORES；　propelled　through　space　by

the　driving　power　of　light　and；　encountering　favourable

environment　here；　developing　through　the　vast　ages　into

man　and　every　other　living　thing　we　know。1





*1　Professor　Svante　August　Arrhenius；　in　his　_Worlds　in　the　Making_

the　conception　that　life　is　universally　diffused；　constantly　emitted　from

all　habitable　worlds　in　the　form　of　spores　which　traverse　space　for

years　and　ages；　the　majority　being　ultimately　destroyed　by　the　heat　of

some　blazing　star；　but　some　few　finding　a　resting…place　on　globes

which　have　reached　the　habitable　stage。W。　T。　G。







Nor　was　it　incredible　that　in　the　ancient　nebula　that　was

the　matrix　of　our　solar　system　similar；　or　rather　DISSIMILAR；

particles　in　all　but　the　subtle　essence　we　call　life；　might　have

become　entangled　and；　resisting　every　cataclysm　as　they　had

resisted　the　absolute　zero　of　outer　space；　found　in　these

caverned　spaces　their　proper　environment　to　develop　into　the

race　of　the　Silent　Ones　andonly　THEY　could　tell　what　else！



〃They　say；〃　the　handmaiden's　voice　was　surer；　〃they　say

that　in　theircradlenear　earth's　heart　they　grew；　grew

untroubled　by　the　turmoil　and　disorder　which　flayed　the

surface　of　this　globe。　　And　they　say　it　was　a　place　of　light

and　that　strength　came　to　them　from　earth　heartstrength

greater　than　you　and　those　from　which　you　sprang　ever　de…

rived　from　sun。



〃At　last；　ancient；　ancient　beyond　all　thought；　they　say

again；　was　this　timethey　began　to　know；　totorealize

themselves。　　And　wisdom　came　ever　more　swiftly。　　Up　from

their　cradle；　because　they　did　not　wish　to　dwell　longer　with

thoseothersthey　came　and　found　this　place。



〃When　all　the　face　of　earth　was　covered　with　waters　in

which　lived　only　tiny；　hungry　things　that　knew　naught　save

hunger　and　its　satisfaction；　THEY　had　attained　wisdom　that

enabled　them　to　make　paths　such　as　we　have　just　travelled

and　to　look　out　upon　those　waters！　　And　_laya_　upon　_laya_

thereafter；　time　upon　time；　they　went　upon　the　paths　and

watched　the　flood　recede；　saw　great　bare　flats　of　steaming

ooze　appear　on　which　crawled　and　splashed　larger　things

which　had　grown　from　the　tiny　hungry　ones；　watched　the

flats　rise　higher　and　higher　and　green　life　begin　to　clothe

them；　saw　mountains　uplift　and　vanish。



〃Ever　the　green　life　waxed　and　the　things　which　crept

and　crawled　grew　greater　and　took　ever　different　forms；

until　at　last　came　a　time　when　the　steaming　mists　lightened

and　the　things　which　had　begun　as　little　more　than　tiny

hungry　mouths　were　huge　and　monstrous；　so　huge　that　the

tallest　of　my　_Akka_　would　not　have　reached　the　knee　of　the

smallest　of　them。



〃But　in　none　of　these；　in　NONE；　was　thererealization

of　themselves；　say　the　Three；　naught　but　hunger　driving；　al…

ways　driving　them　to　still　its　crying。



〃So　for　time　upon　time　the　race　of　the　Silent　Ones　took

the　paths　no　more；　placing　aside　the　half…thought　that　they

had　of　making　their　way　to　earth　face　even　as　they　had　made

their　way　from　beside　earth　heart。　　They　turned　wholly　to　the

seeking　of　wisdomand　after　other　time　on　time　they　at…

tained　that　which　killed　even　the　faintest　shadow　of　the

half…thought。　　For　they　crept　far　within　the　mysteries　of　life

and　death；　they　mastered　the　illusion　of　space；　they　lifted

the　veils　of　creation　and　of　its　twin　destruction；　and　they

stripped　the　covering　from　the　flaming　jewel　of　truthbut

when　they　had　crept　within　those　mysteries　they　bid　me　tell

YOU；　Goodwin；　they　found　ever　other　mysteries　veiling　the

way；　and　after　they　had　uncovered　the　jewel　of　truth　they

found　it　to　be　a　gem　of　infinite　facets　and　therefore　not

wholly　to　be　read　before　eternity's　unthinkable　end！



〃And　for　this　they　were　gladbecause　now　throughout

eternity　might　they　and　theirs　pursue　knowledge　over　ways

illimitable。



〃They　conquered　lightlight　that　sprang　at　their　bidding

from　the　nothingness　that　gives　birth　to　all　things　and　in

which　lie　all　things　that　are；　have　been　and　shall　be；　light

that　streamed　through　their　bodies　cleansing　them　of　all

dross；　light　that　was　food　and　drink；　light　that　carried　their

vision　afar　or　bore　to　them　images　out　of　space　opening

many　windows　through　which　they　gazed　down　upon　life

on　thousands　upon　thousands　of　the　rushing　worlds；　light

that　was　the　flame　of　life　itself　and　in　which　they　bathed；

ever　renewing　their　own。　　They　set　radiant　lamps　within　the

stones；　and　of　black　light　they　wove　the　sheltering　shadows

and　the　shadows　that　slay。



〃Arose　from　this　people　those　Threethe　Silent　Ones。

They　led　them　all　in　wisdom　so　that　in　the　Three　grew

pride。　　And　the　Three　built　them　this　place　in　which　we　sit

and　set　the　Portal　in　its　place　and　withdrew　from　their　kind

to　go　alone　into　the　mysteries　and　to　map　alone　the　facets　of

Truth　Jewel。



〃Then　there　came　the　ancestors　of　the_Akka_；　not　as　they

are　now；　and　glowing　but　faintly　within　them　the　spark　of

self…realization。　　And　the　_Taithu_　seeing　this　spark　did　not

slay　them。　　But　they　took　the　ancient；　long　untrodden　paths

and　looked　forth　once　more　upon　earth　face。　　Now　on　the

land　were　vast　forests　and　a　chaos　of　green　life。　　On　the

shores　things　scaled　and　fanged；　fought　and　devoured　each

other；　and　in　the　green　life　moved　bodies　great　and　small

that　slew　and　ran　from　those　that　would　slay。



〃They　searched　for　the　passage　through　which　the　_Akka_

had　come　and　closed　it。　　Then　the　Three　took　them　and

brought　them　here；　and　taught　them　and　blew　upon　the

spark　until　it　burned　ever　stronger　and　in　time　they　became

much　as　they　are　nowmy　_Akka_。



〃The　Three　took　counsel　after　this　and　said'We　have

strengthened　life　in　these　until　it　has　become　articulate；　shall

we　not　CREATE　life？'〃　Again　she　hesitated；　her　eyes　rapt；

dreaming。　　〃The　Three　are