红海上的一幕

　　太阳做完了竟日普照的事业，在万物送别他的时候，他还显出十分的壮丽。他披上红袍，光耀万丈，云霞布阵，换起与主将一色的制服，听候号令。尽天所覆的大圆镜上，鼓起微波，远近同一节奏的轻舞，以歌颂他的功德，以惋惜他的离去。

　　景物忽然变动了，云霞移转，歌舞紧急，我战战兢兢的凝视，看宇宙间将有何种变化。太阳骤然躲入一块紫云后面了。海面失色，立即转为幽暗，彩云惊惧，屏足不敢喘息。金线万条，透射云际，使人领受最后的恩惠，然而他又出来了。他之藏匿是欲缓和人们在他去后的相思的。

　　我俯首看自己，见是照得满身光彩。正在欣幸而惭愧，回头看见我的背影，从船上投射海中，眼光跟了他过去，在无尽远处，窥见紫帏后的圆月，岂敢信他是我的影迎来的！

　　天生丽质，羞见人世，他启幕轻步而上；四顾静寂，不禁迟回。海如青绒的地毯，依微风的韵调而抑扬吟咏。薄霭是紫绢的背景，衬托皎月，愈显丰姿。青云侍侧，桃花覆顶，在这时候，他预备他灵感一切的事业了。

　　我渐渐的仰头上去，看红云渐淡而渐青，经过天中，沿弧线而下，青天渐淡而渐红，太阳就在这红云的中间。月与日正在船的左右，而我们是向正南进行——海行九天以来，至现在始辨方向。

　　我很勇壮，因为我饱餐一切色彩；我很清醒，因为我畅饮一切光辉。我为我的朋友们喜悦：他们所属望的我在这富有壮丽与优秀的大宇宙中了！

　　水面上的一点日影渐与太阳的圆球相接而相合，迎之而去了，太阳不想留恋，谁也不能挽留；空虚的舞台上唯留光明的小云，在可羡的布景前闪铄，听满场的鼓掌。

　　月亮是何等的圆润啊，远胜珠玉，他已高升，而且已远比初出时明亮了。他照临我，投射我的影子到无尽远处，追上太阳。月光是太阳的返照，然而他自有风格，绝不与太阳同德性。凉风经过他的旁边，裙钗摇曳，而他的目光愈是清澈了。他柔抚万物，以灵魂分给他们，使各各自然的知道填入诗句，合奏他新成的曲调。此时唯有皎洁，唯有凉爽，从气中，从水上，缥缈宇内。这是安慰，这是休息。这样的直到太阳再来时，再开始大家的工作。

　　A Spectacle over the Red Sea

　　Having accomplished the task of a day’s shine upon the universe, the sun still looked very splendid when all the visible forms and living creatures upon the globe were seeing him off. The sun, dressed in the red robe, emitted radiance in all directions, and rosy clouds, floating near in array, changed into the same uniform with the commanding general, ready for an order. Over the mirror of heavenly dome from the verge of the horizon to the zenith height, a vast stretch of ripples were dancing gracefully to the same rhythm in celebrating his beneficence to the universe and lamenting his departure.

　　Of a sudden, the heavenly scenes were taking on a different look, for the clouds moved their places and the tempo of the song and dance quickened. I wondered with fixed eyes and awesome feelings what changes might occur in the universe. The sun darted itself behind a purple cloud, and the surface of the sea paled at once to a gray, and the rosy clouds, much terrified, halted and held their breath. Myriads of brilliant lights filtered through the cloud and blessed the human world with the last flavor for that day. The sun reappeared from behind the cloud. He had hidden himself for a while in order to prepare the human world for his ultimate departure and ease the intensity of missing him when he was totally out of sight.

　　Lowering my head, I found myself clothed with luster I rejoiced at such splendor about me and felt ashamed of my otherwise gloomy self, and when I turned round, I caught a glimpse of my blue reflections upon the waters. I stationed myself in the ship, but my eyes followed the floating reflections until I beheld the moon half hidden behind the purple curtain. I found it wondrous that it was my reflections that ushered me to the half-hidden moon.

　　A born beauty, the moon was too shy to reveal herself to the human world. Now she drew aside the curtain and made her appearance with graceful gait and then became hesitant in its steps upon fording everything around so still and quiet. A vast blue felt carpet-like sea, with the beat of the breezes, rose and fell. Against the background of the thin purple clouds, the moon looked all the more bright and graceful. With the blue clouds at sides and the peach clouds overhead, the moon prepared herself to perform inspiring miracles.

　　I looked far upwards into the sky by degrees and beheld the red clouds gradually pale themselves and change into the light blue color. They passed the highest point in the sky and began its descent along the curve. Just at this moment, the blue sky became less blue and more reddened, and the sun was found amidst the red clouds. So the sun and the moon positioned themselves respectively on either side of the ship, which was heading in the straight southern direction—we remained disoriented during our nine days’ voyage until now.

　　I became filled with heroic feelings as I feasted my eyes upon the whole spectrum of colors. I became sober as I drank to the full the whole range of splendor. I felt happy for my friends, for I, for whom they harbored high expectations, found myself in the magnificence and the excellence of the universe.

　　The remaining reflections of the sun upon the waters merged with the ball of the sun and disappeared. The sun was no longer reluctant to depart with us and nobody could possibly hold the sun back. The platform was left empty except for the bright clouds glimmering against the beautiful background and expecting the warm applause from the audience.

　　How mellow and full the moon was, far superior to the smooth pearl. She rose much higher and looked brighter than when she first appeared. She shed her light upon me and cast my shadow into endless remoteness to pursue the sun. Though the reflected light of the sun, the moon had a style of her own. With the breezes passing by the moon, the clouds floated, but the moonlight became all the more clear. She caressed all the plants and the living creatures with tenderness and filled them with inspiring souls, so that each of them knew how to compose his own natural song and made respective contributions to the new harmony. At the moment, there was nothing but brightness and comfortable coolness, which emitted from the air and the water and permeated the universe. This was peace and Sabbath. This state remained unchanged until the sun rose in the east and everybody would set to work for another day.

　　史志康 译