25. “Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham
He was surprised at himself because he ceased to believe so easily, and, not knowing that he felt as he did on account of the subtle workings of his inmost nature, he ascribed the certainty he had reached to his own cleverness. He was unduly pleased with himself. With youth's lack of sympathy for an attitude other than its own he despised not a little Weeks and Hayward because they were content with the vague emotion which they called God and would not take the further step which to himself seemed so obvious.
One day he went alone up a certain hill so that he might see a view which, he knew not why, filled him always with wild exhilaration. It was autumn now, but often the days were cloudless still, and then the sky seemed to glow with a more splendid light: it was as though nature consciously sought to put a fuller vehemence into the remaining days of fair weather. He looked down upon the plain, a-quiver with the sun, stretching vastly before him: in the distance were the roofs of Mannheim and ever so far away the dimness of Worms. Here and there a more piercing glitter was the Rhine.
The tremendous spaciousness of it was glowing with rich gold. Philip, as he stood there, his heart beating with sheer joy, thought how the tempter had stood with Jesus on a high mountain and shown him the kingdoms of the earth. To Philip, intoxicated with the beauty of the scene, it seemed that it was the whole world which was spread before him, and he was eager to step down and enjoy it. He was free from degrading fears and free from prejudice. He could go his way without the intolerable dread of hell-fire.
Suddenly he realised that he had lost also that burden of responsibility which made every action of his life a matter of urgent consequence. He could breathe more freely in a lighter air. He was responsible only to himself for the things he did. Freedom! He was his own master at last. From old habit, unconsciously he thanked God that he no longer believed in Him.
на русском:
Как вы, вероятно, знаете, Маргарет Уокер была афроамериканкой, и ее поэма относится к силе и выносливости ее предков женского пола, которые были рабами.
- Они коснулись земли, и зерно выросло."
В предыдущей строке говорится, что они сеяли семена на вспаханном поле. Очевидно, они сеяли семена вручную (не с машин), поэтому их руки приближались к земле и даже касались земли (земля здесь означает почву, а не планету Земля), и из этих семян зерно росло в полях.
-У них есть много чистых слов, чтобы сказать."
Их мысли и слова были чисты. Они не говорили плохо о людях и не использовали плохие слова.
на английском:
As you probably know, Margaret Walker was African-American, and her poem refers to the strength and endurance of her female ancestors who were slaves.
"They touched the ground, and the grain grew."
The previous line says that they sowed seeds in a plowed field. Obviously, they sowed seeds manually (not using machines), so their hands came close to the ground and even touched the ground (earth here means soil, not planet Earth), and from these seeds the grain grew in the fields.
"They have a lot of clean words to say."
Their thoughts and words were pure. They didn't say bad things about people or use bad words.
The universe is enormous, so the chances of us being the only living creatures are small. Although we think we are intelligent and that we know a lot about Space, we have only explored a very small area. We might be the only creatures that can travel in Space, but it is unlikely.
In fact, some people say that we might have been visited by aliens. These people point to ‘wonders’ such as Stonehenge in Britain and the Nazca lines in Peru as proof that aliens have been here.
So, what are the chances that there is life out there?
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