停电遐思

Erica Farmington

Night

The lights go out—another power outage1. “Grab the candles,” Mom says, and I do. My younger brother and I raid2 every room to collect the tall candles. I hurry from shelf to shelf gathering wax sticks in my arms and place them in the living room, a few candles in each corner. I take one to the coffee table to use to read. I slide my book beside the candle holder, determined to finish the last three chapters, but lacking conviction.3 So the book remains closed. A sigh escapes my brothers lips.

“This is boring,” he says. A drop of wax falls on my book.

“I know,” I say, but really, I am enjoying the stillness. I like to watch the candle burn and feel that life is simple. I like to look out the window into an immediate darkness unspoiled by harsh light.4 I cherish these silent moments when I feel as if I can live the way they lived, the people of the past—the Egyptians, the Pilgrims, the Greeks—anyone who ever lived to see the black color Im seeing, anyone who lived to see a yellow flame and depended on it.5 I feel at one with a secret, primeval6 age. Im convinced that night, in this unhampered state,7 is the closest a person can get to experience the past.

So, what was night really like for them? Night, as we know it now, is a mellow, tender thing compared to the impenetrable darkness that cloaked Earths first people.8 Even its beauty seemed unparalleled9.

What did a farmers family do at night? Of course, the darkness must have brought them together, forced them into each others company as it has done to us tonight—fostered camaraderie in a time of fear and uncertainty.10 A fire probably blazed11 in a central room where the family gathered to talk and relax. Night was a time when men and women were liberated from work and socialized. They had no computers or TVs, and had to make do12 with books, religion, and conversation.

Nevertheless, to venture outside was sometimes necessary, and the threat of robbers, wolves, even the ethereal, was tangible.13 What emotions did these people feel? What would it have been like to feel the night, heavy and damp against my back? Would it have taken me, smothered me with its clammy hands, isolated me?14 Or would those have been frightful dreams, and dreams only? Perhaps the night was grand, maybe a mixture of both beauty and peril15.

I imagine a young girl, stepping outside her home and into a desert for some air. A cool, earthy smell would greet her. Theres a sky speckled16 with millions of stars—far more than a person could see today—and theres the moon. Its the largest object in the sky, the midnight sun that illuminates the world, the travelers torch.17 It inspires stories of uncertainty, stories of power. I imagine this girl marveling at18 the moon and stars. Shes entranced by this sight as divine as sparkling diamonds,19 and if she wanders too far, she neednt worry, for the stars will lead her back home.

Bzzz! The lights return. Everyone cheers and abandons the room, happy that their period of solitude is over, everyone except me.20 I pull my candle closer, and stare into the night. The glory is gone; it has been dimmed by street lamps, electric signs, TVs, and all other manner of artificial light.21 But in those moments, when every light in every house was snuffed22, people may have had a taste of the old world. They may finally have touched upon the fear, the admiration, and the reverence that our predecessors felt for the night.23?

1. outage: （尤指电的）断供，中断。

2. raid: 突击搜查。

3. slide: 使滑行，使滑动；candle holder:烛台；conviction: 信心。

4. immediate: 当前的，眼下的； unspoiled:（地方）未遭到破坏的；harsh:（光线）耀眼的，刺眼的。

5. cherish: 珍爱，珍视；Pilgrims: 指1620年到达北美洲创立普利茅斯殖民地的清教徒。

6. primeval: 远古的，原始的。

7. convince: 使确信，使信服；unhampered:不受妨碍的，受束缚的。

8. mellow: 柔和的，温和的；tender: 温柔的，体贴的；impenetrable:不能通过的，不能穿越的，此处形容一片漆黑；cloak: 掩盖，隐藏。

9. unparalleled: 无与伦比的，无双的。

10. company: 陪伴；foster:促进，培养；camaraderie: 同志[同事]情谊，友情。

11. blaze: 猛烈地燃烧，发光。

12. make do: 凑合着对付过去，勉强应付。

13. venture: 敢于去（危险的或令人厌恶的地方）；ethereal:（声音、特性等）缥缈的，非人间的，此处加上the表“空灵、幽灵”之意；tangible: 有形的，可触知的。

14. smother: 使窒息，闷死；clammy: 又冷又潮的，湿冷的。

15. peril: 危险。

16. speckle: 点缀，如斑点般散布。

17. illuminate: 照明，照亮；torch: 火把，火炬。

18. marvel at: （对……）感到惊讶，惊叹。

19. entrance: 使（某人）陶醉，令（某人）入迷；divine:〈口〉极好的，极美的；sparkle:闪闪发光，闪烁。

20. abandon: 离弃，抛弃；solitude: 孤独。

21. dim:（使）暗淡，使失去光泽； artificial: 人造的，人工的。

22. snuff: 熄灭。

23. reverence: 尊敬，崇敬；predecessor: 前辈。