A,Stop,Within,the,Stars,停留星海
时间：2021-02-10 16:04:37 来源：达达文档网 本文已影响 人 
陈佳
The sense of coolness on my skin shocked me fully awake. My body floated in an amazing space. I was weightless. Nothing bound me down， not even gravity1. For once in my life， I felt free. Stars were everywhere， filling up all of the space around me. A sense of wonder filled my mind， as it always does when Im in the sea， submerged2 deep under the rolling waves. Scuba diving3 always contains thrill4， however， with the sun setting， casting5 red， orange and pink streams of light through the water， the glow6 worms gathering all around， glowing brightly， like falling stars. The water developed a new sense of wonder， and the underwater world was expanding rapidly in my mind.
At first， you were breathless. The shock of water was rushing up against your skin， the sense of weightlessness was taking you， and the underlying beauty of the world was lying right in front of you. And then， with the first breath， everything crystallized7. The water was as clear as a diamond. The fish swam along in swarms8， bending and turning with the current9. The beauty of this underwater world was overwhelming10.
My first night dive was a breathless， overwhelming experience， one that held my eyes and brain hostage11 from all other thought the whole while. The beauty that I saw that night stayed with me， and I learned that we are all a small blip12 in a larger universe， and we are all a part of something greater than ourselves.
The first half of the dive was done in the dying rays of sunlight， with colorful refracted13 light all around. It seemed as if we were swimming through a kaleidoscope14. There were so many creatures coming out or going to sleep. Baby octopus15， squid16， nurse sharks， puffer17 fish， lobsters18， and many more. Viewing them in their natural habitat19 was wonderful. I moved my hands and head as a way of telling my dad （designated20 dive buddy for that night） many times， pointing out many sights， like the local dolphins that joined us and swam next to us for some time， or a lionfish here and there. This arrangement ended up having me basically drag him behind me in my excitement. Im sure he was angry with me even before we were halfway through the dive.
Then it was the true purpose of the night dive. When the suns last rays disappear， like dying rays of hope， the whole group spiraled21 down to the bottom of the sea， and turned off the lights we dove down with， submerging us in darkness. But the darkness didnt last long. One by one， little lights flickered22 on all around us. The glow worms had come. Everything faded away， and my dad， kneeled next to me. The rest of the divers were all in a circle on the seafloor. All that was real to me in this moment were the lights. The little lights of hope were slowly coming， all around us. To divers， in moments like those， it seems that when we turn the lights off， the world comes on.
A whole new underwater world came into view. Some octopuses glowed， and fish darted23 past， with little fins24 on their backs lighting up. And the glow worms surrounded everything. It seemed to me， as if I was in the very depths of space. If I just reached out， I could hold a star in my hand， could feel its warmth on my face， could reach planets far away， all while in that single spot， in that single moment， when the world came on.
Deep under the rolling waves of the seas and oceans， there is a vastly undiscovered world， one filled with wonder and light， but also with darkness. You can witness25 things that will be gone in the blink of an eye to the universe， but they will remain within you forever. At that one moment， everything is in focus without really being seen. At that moment， your mind races， trying desperately26 to link the dots， to comprehend this beautiful thing you are seeing. That is the extent of what can be seen underwater. And you get the feeling that no matter where you are， or what you are witnessing， and no matter how small you feel， you will always be a part of something bigger. You just have to wait for your moment， when you see the world turn on.
皮膚上的凉意使我完全清醒了。我的身体漂浮在一个神奇的空间里。我的身体就像没有重量，没有什么束缚我，甚至连重力也没有。生命中仅此一次，我感到了自由。星星到处都是，填满了我周围的空间。当我在大海中，潜入滚滚波涛的深处时，我的脑海中始终充满了一种惊奇的感觉。水肺潜水总是包含着刺激，然而，随着夕阳落下，投下红色、橙色和粉色的光线穿过水面，发光的虫聚集在四周，发出明亮的光芒，就像流星一样。水中显出了一种新的惊奇感，水下世界的样子在我的脑海里迅速扩展开来。
一开始，你喘不过气来。水正冲击着你的皮肤，失重的感觉正攫住你，世界潜藏着的美就在你面前。然后，随着第一次呼吸，一切都变成了水晶。海水如钻石般清澈。鱼儿成群结队地游来游去，随着水流时而拐弯时而掉头。这个水下世界的美丽令人无法抗拒。
我的第一次夜间潜水是一次令人喘不过气来、无法抗拒的经历，是一次自始至终从其他所有思绪中挟制住了我的眼睛和大脑的经历。那天晚上我看到的美景一直令我难以忘怀，而我明白了，我们都是更宽阔的宇宙中的一个小光点，我们都是比自己更伟大的存在的一部分。
潜水的前半程是在逐渐减弱的阳光下完成的，四周折射出五颜六色的光。这就像是我们在万花筒里游泳。那样多的生物要么出来要么睡去。有小章鱼、鱿鱼、护士鲨、河豚、龙虾等等。在它们的自然栖息地观赏它们简直棒极了。我用头和手向父亲（那天晚上指定的潜水伙伴）示意了很多次，指出了很多景象，比如当地的海豚，加入了我们并且在我们旁边游了一段时间，或者是到处都是的狮子鱼。这种安排最终让我兴奋得把他拖到了身后。我敢肯定，在我们潜水到一半之前他就对我很生气了。
接下来才是夜间潜水的真正目的。当太阳最后的光，就像逐渐熄灭的希望之光一样消失时，整群人加速下潜到海底，关掉了伴着我们下潜的灯光，使我们沉浸在一片黑暗中。但黑暗并没有持续太久。一个接一个，小小的亮光在我们周围闪起来。发光的虫已经来了。一切都消失了，而我的父亲跪在我身旁，其余的潜水者都在海底围成一圈。在这一刻，对我来说，只有光是真实的。小小的希望之光在慢慢靠近，在我们周围，到处都是。对潜水者来说，在这样的时刻，似乎在我们关掉灯的时候，世界才开始拉开大幕。
一个全新的水下世界映入眼帘。一些章鱼发着光，鱼儿极速游过，背上的小鳍亮起了光。而发光的虫包围了一切。在我看来，我仿佛置身于宇宙的最深处。如果我伸出手来，我就可以把一颗星星握在手里，可以在我脸上感受到它的温暖，就可以到达遥远的行星，就在世界诞生的那个地方、那个时刻。
在海洋滚滚波涛的深处，有一个广阔的不为人知的世界，它充满奇迹和光，但也充满黑暗。你可以见证在宇宙中转瞬即逝的事物，但它们将永远留在你的心中。那一刻，一切都是焦点，但没有真正被看清。那一刻，你的大脑在飞速运转，拼命地想把点点滴滴联系起来，去理解你所看到的美丽的事物。这就是水下能看到的东西的范围。你会感觉到，无论你在哪里，无论你在见证什么，并且无论你感到自己多么渺小，你都将永远是更伟大的事物的一部分。当你看到世界开启时，你只需要等待属于你的那一刻。
（英语原文选自：www.teenink.com）
【Notes】
1. gravity [■] n. 重力，地心引力 2. submerge [■] vi. 淹没;潜入水中
3. scuba diving 水肺潜水;轻便（潜水器）潜水 4. thrill [■] n. 激动;紧张
5. cast [■] vt. 投射（光、影、视线等）
6. glow [■] n. 微弱稳定的光 7. crystallize [■] v. 使结晶;形成结晶
8. swarm [■] n. 一大群 9. current [■] n. （水，气，电）流
10. overwhelming [■] adj. 压倒性的;势不可挡的
11. hostage [■] n. 人质;抵押品 12. blip [■] n. 小光点
13. refract [■] vt. 使折射 14. kaleidoscope [■] n. 万花筒
15. octopus [■] n. 章鱼 16. squid [■] n. 鱿鱼;乌贼
17. puffer [■] n. 河豚 18. lobster [■] n. 龙虾
19. habitat [■] n. 栖息地 20. designated [■] adj. 指定的
21. spiral [■] vi. 加速下降 22. flicker [■] v. 闪烁
23. dart [■] v. 急冲 24. fin [■] n. 鳍
25. witness [■] vt. 目击;证明 26. desperately [■] adv. 拼命地
