第 17 节
作者:雨来不躲      更新:2021-02-20 15:53      字数:4696
  length in the foregoing pages。  The dream was this:
  I saw that I was lying on a bed。  I was neither comfortable
  nor uncomfortable: I was lying on my back。  But I began to consider
  how; and on what; I was lying  a question which had not till then
  occurred to me。  And observing my bed; I saw I was lying on plaited
  string supports attached to its sides: my feet were resting on one
  such support; by calves on another; and my legs felt uncomfortable。
  I seemed to know that those supports were movable; and with a
  movement of my foot I pushed away the furthest of them at my feet …
  … it seemed to me that it would be more comfortable so。  But I
  pushed it away too far and wished to reach it again with my foot;
  and that movement caused the next support under my calves to slip
  away also; so that my legs hung in the air。  I made a movement with
  my whole body to adjust myself; fully convinced that I could do so
  at once; but the movement caused the other supports under me to
  slip and to become entangled; and I saw that matters were going
  quite wrong: the whole of the lower part of my body slipped and
  hung down; though my feet did not reach the ground。  I was holding
  on only by the upper part of my back; and not only did it become
  uncomfortable but I was even frightened。  And then only did I ask
  myself about something that had not before occurred to me。  I asked
  myself:  Where am I and what am I lying on? and I began to look
  around and first of all to look down in the direction which my body
  was hanging and whiter I felt I must soon fall。  I looked down and
  did not believe my eyes。  I was not only at a height comparable to
  the height of the highest towers or mountains; but at a height such
  as I could never have imagined。
  I could not even make out whether I saw anything there below;
  in that bottomless abyss over which I was hanging and whiter I was
  being drawn。  My heart contracted; and I experienced horror。  To
  look thither was terrible。  If I looked thither I felt that I
  should at once slip from the last support and perish。  And I did
  not look。  But not to look was still worse; for I thought of what
  would happen to me directly I fell from the last support。  And I
  felt that from fear I was losing my last supports; and that my back
  was slowly slipping lower and lower。  Another moment and I should
  drop off。  And then it occurred to me that this cannot e real。  It
  is a dream。  Wake up! I try to arouse myself but cannot do so。
  What am I to do?  What am I to do?  I ask myself; and look upwards。
  Above; there is also an infinite space。  I look into the immensity
  of sky and try to forget about the immensity below; and I really do
  forget it。  The immensity below repels and frightens me; the
  immensity above attracts and strengthens me。  I am still supported
  above the abyss by the last supports that have not yet slipped from
  under me; I know that I am hanging; but I look only upwards and my
  fear passes。  As happens in dreams; a voice says: 〃Notice this;
  this is it!〃  And I look more and more into the infinite above me
  and feel that I am becoming calm。  I remember all that has
  happened; and remember how it all happened; how I moved my legs;
  how I hung down; how frightened I was; and how I was saved from
  fear by looking upwards。  And I ask myself: Well; and now am I not
  hanging just the same?  And I do not so much look round as
  experience with my whole body the point of support on which I am
  held。  I see that I no longer hang as if about to fall; but am
  firmly held。  I ask myself how I am held: I feel about; look round;
  and see that under me; under the middle of my body; there is one
  support; and that when I look upwards I lie on it in the position
  of securest balance; and that it alone gave me support before。  And
  then; as happens in dreams; I imagined the mechanism by means of
  which I was held; a very natural intelligible; and sure means;
  though to one awake that mechanism has no sense。  I was even
  surprised in my dream that I had not understood it sooner。  It
  appeared that at my head there was a pillar; and the security of
  that slender pillar was undoubted though there was nothing to
  support it。  From the pillar a loop hung very ingeniously and yet
  simply; and if one lay with the middle of one's body in that loop
  and looked up; there could be no question of falling。  This was all
  clear to me; and I was glad and tranquil。  And it seemed as if
  someone said to me:  〃See that you remember。〃
  And I awoke。
  End