I said "To the earth from which I came; it was better there."
And God laughed at me; and I wondered why he laughed.

God said, "Come, and I will show you Heaven."
...

And partly I awoke. It was still and dark; the sound of the carriages had
died in the street; the woman who laughed was gone; and the policeman's

tread was heard no more. In the dark it seemed as if a great hand lay upon
my heart, and crushed it. I tried to breathe and tossed from side to side;

and then again I fell asleep, and dreamed.
God took me to the edge of that world. It ended. I looked down. The

gulf, it seemed to me, was fathomless, and then I saw two bridges crossing
it that both sloped upwards.

I said to God, "Is there no other way by which men cross it?"
God said, "One; it rises far from here and slopes straight upwards.

I asked God what the bridges' names were.
God said, "What matter for the names? Call them the Good, the True, the

Beautiful, if you will--you will yet not understand them."
I asked God how it was I could not see the third.

God said, "It is seen only by those who climb it."
I said, "Do they all lead to one heaven?"

God said, "All Heaven is one: nevertheless some parts are higher than
others; those who reach the higher may always go down to rest in the lower;

but those in the lower may not have strength to climb to the higher;
nevertheless the light is all one."

And I saw over the bridge nearest me, which was wider than the other,
countless footmarks go. I asked God why so many went over it.

God said, "It slopes less deeply, and leads to the first heaven."
And I saw that some of the footmarks were of feet returning. I asked God

how it was.
He said, "No man who has once entered Heaven ever leaves it; but some, when

they have gone half way, turn back, because they are afraid there is no
land beyond."

I said, "Has none ever returned?"
God said, "No; once in Heaven always in Heaven."

And God took me over. And when we came to one of the great doors--for
Heaven has more doors than one, and they are all open--the posts rose up so

high on either side I could not see the top, nor indeed if there were any.
And it seemed to me so wide that all Hell could go in through it.

I said to God, "Which is the larger, Heaven or Hell?"
God said, "Hell is as wide, but Heaven is deeper. All Hell could be

engulfed in Heaven, but all Heaven could not be engulfed in Hell."
And we entered. It was a still great land. The mountains rose on every

hand, and there was a pale clear light; and I saw it came from the rocks
and stones. I asked God how it was.

But God did not answer me.
I looked and wondered, for I had thought Heaven would be otherwise. And

after a while it began to grow brighter, as if the day were breaking, and I
asked God if the sun were not going to rise.

God said, "No; we are coming to where the people are."
And as we went on it grew brighter and brighter till it was burning day;

and on the rock were flowers blooming, and trees blossomed at the roadside;
and streams of water ran everywhere, and I heard the birds singing; I asked

God where they were.
God said, "It is the people calling to one another."

And when we came nearer I saw them walking, and they shone as they walked.
I asked God how it was they wore no covering.

God said, "Because all their body gives the light; they dare not cover any
part."

And I asked God what they were doing.
God said, "Shining on the plants that they may grow."

And I saw that some were working in companies, and some alone, but most
were in twos, sometimes two men and sometimes two women; but generally

there was one man and one woman; and I asked God how it was.
God said, "When one man and one woman shine together, it makes the most

perfect light. Many plants need that for their growing. Nevertheless,
there are more kinds of plants in Heaven than one, and they need many kinds

of light."
And one from among the people came running towards me; and when he came

near it seemed to me that he and I had played together when we were little
children, and that we had been born on the same day. And I told God what I

felt; God said, "All men feel so in Heaven when another comes towards
them."

And he who ran towards me held my hand, and led me through the bright
lights. And when we came among the trees he sang aloud, and his companion

answered, and it was a woman, and he showed me to her. She said, "He must
have water"; and she took some in her hands, and fed me (I had been afraid

to drink of the water in Hell), and they gathered fruit for me, and gave it
me to eat. They said, "We shone long to make it ripen," and they laughed

together as they saw me eat it.
The man said, "He is very weary; he must sleep" (for I had not dared to

sleep in Hell), and he laid my head on his companion's knee and spread her
hair out over me. I slept, and all the while in my sleep I thought I heard

the birds calling across me. And when I woke it was like early morning,
with the dew on everything.

And the man took my hand and led me to a hidden spot among the rocks. The
ground was very hard, but out of it were sprouting tiny plants, and there

was a little streamrunning. He said, "This is a garden we are making, no
one else knows of it. We shine here every day; see, the ground has cracked

with our shining, and this little stream is bursting out. See, the flowers
are growing."

And he climbed on the rocks and picked from above two little flowers with
dew on them, and gave them to me. And I took one in each hand; my hands

shone as I held them. He said, "This garden is for all when it is
finished." And he went away to his companion, and I went out into the

great pathway.
And as I walked in the light I heard a loud sound of much singing. And

when I came nearer I saw one with closed eyes, singing, and his fellows
were standing round him; and the light on the closed eyes was brighter than

anything I had seen in Heaven. I asked one who it was. And he said,
"Hush! Our singing bird."

And I asked why the eyes shone so.
And he said, "They cannot see, and we have kissed them till they shone so."

And the people gathered closer round him.
And when I went a little further I saw a crowd crossing among the trees of

light with great laughter. When they came close I saw they carried one
without hands or feet. And a light came from the maimed limbs so bright

that I could not look at them.
And I said to one, "What is it?"

He answered, "This is our brother who once fell and lost his hands and
feet, and since then he cannot help himself; but we have touched the maimed

stumps so often that now they shine brighter than anything in Heaven. We
pass him on that he may shine on things that need much heat. No one is

allowed to keep him long, he belongs to all"; and they went on among the
trees.

I said to God, "This is a strange land. I had thought blindness and
maimedness were great evils. Here men make them to a rejoicing."

God said, "Didst thou then think that love had need of eyes and hands!"
And I walked down the shining way with palms on either hand. I said to

God, "Ever since I was a little child and sat alone and cried, I have
dreamed of this land, and now I will not go away again. I will stay here

and shine." And I began to take off my garments, that I might shine as
others in that land; but when I looked down I saw my body gave no light. I

said to God, "How is it?"
God said, "Is there no dark blood in your heart; is it bitter against

none?"
And I said, "Yes--"; and I thought--"Now is the time when I will tell God,

that which I have been, meaning to tell him all along, how badly my fellow-
men have treated me. How they have misunderstood me. How I have intended

to be magnanimous and generous to them, and they--." And I began to tell
God; but when I looked down all the flowers were withering under my breath,

and I was silent.
And God called me to come up higher, and I gathered my mantle about me and

followed him.
And the rocks grew higher and steeper on every side; and we came at last to

a place where a great mountain rose, whose top was lost in the clouds. And
on its side I saw men working; and they picked at the earth with huge

picks; and I saw that they laboured mightily. And some laboured in
companies, but most laboured singly. And I saw the drops of sweat fall

from their foreheads, and the muscles of their arms stand out with labour.
And I said, "I had not thought in heaven to see men labour so!" And I

thought of the garden where men sang and loved, and I wondered that any
should choose to labour on that bare mountain-side. And I saw upon the

foreheads of the men as they worked a light, and the drops which fell from
them as they worked had light.

And I asked God what they were seeking for.
And God touched my eyes, and I saw that what they found were small stones,

which had been too bright for me to see before; and I saw that the light of
the stones and the light on the men's foreheads was the same. And I saw

that when one found a stone he passed it on to his fellow, and he to
another, and he to another. No man kept the stone he found. And at times

they gathered in great company about when a large stone was found, and
raised a great shout so that the sky rang; then they worked on again.

And I asked God what they did with the stones they found at last. Then God
touched my eyes again to make them stronger; and I looked, and at my very

feet was a mighty crown. The light streamed out from it.
God said, "Each stone as they find it is set here."

And the crown was wrought according to a marvellous pattern; one pattern
ran through all, yet each part was different.

I said to God, "How does each man know where to set his stone, so that the
pattern is worked out?"

God said, "Because in the light his forehead sheds each man sees faintly
outlined that full crown."

And I said, "But how is it that each stone is joined along its edges to its
fellows, so that there is no seam anywhere?"

God said, "The stones are alive; they grow."
And I said, "But what does each man gain by his working?"

God said, "He sees his outline filled."
I said, "But those stones which are last set cover those which were first;

and those will again be covered by those which come later."
God said, "They are covered, but not hid. The light is the light of all.

Without the first, no last."
And I said to God, "When will this crown be ended?"

And God said, "Look up!"
I looked up; and I saw the mountain tower above me, but its summit I could

not see; it was lost in the clouds.
God said no more.

And I looked at the crown: then a longing seized me. Like the passion of
a mother for the child whom death has taken; like the yearning of a friend

for the friend whom life has buried; like the hunger of dying eyes for a
life that is slipping; like the thirst of a soul for love at its first

spring waking, so, but fiercer was the longing in me.
I cried to God, "I too will work here; I too will set stones in the

wonderful pattern; it shall grow beneath MY hand. And if it be that,
labouring here for years, I should not find one stone, at least I will be

with the men that labour here. I shall hear their shout of joy when each
stone is found; I shall join in their triumph, I shall shout among them; I

shall see the crown grow." So great was my longing as I looked at the
crown, I thought a faint light fell from my forehead also.

God said, "Do you not hear the singing in the gardens?"
I said, "No, I hear nothing; I see only the crown." And I was dumb with

longing; I forgot all the flowers of the lower Heaven and the singing
there. And I ran forward, and threw my mantle on the earth and bent to

seize one of the mighty tools which lay there. I could not lift it from
the earth.

God said, "Where hast THOU earned the strength to raise it? Take up thy
mantle."

And I took up my mantle and followed where God called me; but I looked
back, and I saw the crown burning, my crown that I had loved.

Higher and higher we climbed, and the air grew thinner. Not a tree or
plant was on the bare rocks, and the stillness was unbroken. My breath

came hard and quick, and the blood crept within my finger-tips. I said to

• partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)
• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)
• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)
• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)
• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)
• outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出...轮廓 (初中英语单词)
• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)
• hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)
• thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)
• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)
• mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• summit [´sʌmit] n.顶(点)；绝顶 (高中英语单词)
• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)
• stillness [´stilnis] n.不动；无声，寂静 (高中英语单词)
• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)
• blooming [´blu:miŋ] a.正开花的；妙龄的 (英语四级单词)
• blindness [´blaindnis] n.失明；愚味，文盲 (英语四级单词)
• unbroken [ʌn´brəukən] a.未破的；不间断的 (英语四级单词)
• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)