世界小史 第2章:起源

Have you ever tried standing between two mirrors? You should.

你可曾试着站立在两面镜子之间?你不妨试一试。

You will see a great long line of shiny mirrors, each one smaller than the one before,

你会看见发亮的镜子的一条极长的线条，每一面比前一面小，

stretching away into the distance, getting fainter and fainter, so that you never see the last.

不断向远处延伸，越来越模糊不清，所以你从未看见最后一面。

But even when you can't see them any more, the mirrors still go on.

但即使你再也看不见它们，镜子依然在那儿。

They are there, and you know it.

你知道它们在那里。

And that's how it is with "Once upon a time".

"从前"的情形恰恰就是这样。

We can't see where it ends.

我们不能看见它在哪里结束。

Grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather--it makes your head spin.

祖父的祖父的祖父的祖父——它使你要头晕了。

But say it again, slowly, and in the end you'll be able to imagine it.

但是你慢慢地再说一遍，渐渐地，你就能想象它了。

Then add one more.

然后再说一遍。

That gets us quickly back into the past, and from there into the distant past.

这样，我们就迅速进入过去，随后便进入遥远的过去。

But you will never reach the beginning, because behind every beginning there's always another"Once upon a time".

但是人们永远追溯不到起源，在每一个起源后面总是还有一个"从前"。