An unspeakable horror seized me. There was a darkness; then a dizzy, sickening sensation of sight that was not like seeing; I saw a Line that was no Line; Space that was not Space: I was myself, and not myself. When I could find voice, I shrieked1 aloud in agony, “Either this is madness or it is Hell.” “It is neither,” calmly replied the voice of the Sphere, “it is Knowledge; it is Three Dimensions: open your eye once again and try to look steadily2.”
I looked, and, behold3, a new world! There stood before me, visibly incorporate, all that I had before inferred, conjectured4, dreamed, of perfect Circular beauty. What seemed the centre of the Stranger’s form lay open to my view: yet I could see no heart, nor lungs, nor arteries6, only a beautiful harmonious7 Something — for which I had no words; but you, my Readers in Spaceland, would call it the surface of the Sphere.
Prostrating8 myself mentally before my Guide, I cried, “How is it, O divine ideal of consummate9 loveliness and wisdom that I see thy inside, and yet cannot discern thy heart, thy lungs, thy arteries, thy liver?” “What you think you see, you see not,” he replied; “it is not given to you, nor to any other Being to behold my internal parts. I am of a different order of Beings from those in Flatland. Were I a Circle, you could discern my intestines10, but I am a Being, composed as I told you before, of many Circles, the Many in the One, called in this country a Sphere. And, just as the outside of a Cube is a Square, so the outside of a Sphere presents the appearance of a Circle.”
Bewildered though I was by my Teacher’s enigmatic utterance11, I no longer chafed12 against it, but worshipped him in silent adoration13. He continued, with more mildness in his voice. “Distress14 not yourself if you cannot at first understand the deeper mysteries of Spaceland. By degrees they will dawn upon you. Let us begin by casting back a glance at the region whence you came. Return with me a while to the plains of Flatland, and I will shew you that which you have often reasoned and thought about, but never seen with the sense of sight — a visible angle.” “Impossible!” I cried; but, the Sphere leading the way, I followed as if in a dream, till once more his voice arrested me: “Look yonder, and behold your own Pentagonal house, and all its inmates15.”
I looked below, and saw with my physical eye all that domestic individuality which I had hitherto merely inferred with the understanding. And how poor and shadowy was the inferred conjecture5 in comparison with the reality which I now beheld17! My four Sons
calmly asleep in the North-Western rooms, my two orphan18 Grandsons to the South; the Servants, the Butler, my Daughter, all in their several apartments. Only my affectionate Wife, alarmed by my continued absence, had quitted her room and was roving up and down in the Hall, anxiously awaiting my return. Also the Page, aroused by my cries, had left his room, and under pretext19 of ascertaining20 whether I had fallen somewhere in a faint, was prying21 into the cabinet in my study. All this I could now SEE, not merely infer; and as we came nearer and nearer, I could discern even the contents of my cabinet, and the two chests of gold, and the tablets of which the Sphere had made mention.
Touched by my Wife’s distress, I would have sprung downward to reassure22 her, but I found myself incapable23 of motion. “Trouble not yourself about your Wife,” said my Guide: “she will not be long left in anxiety; meantime, let us take a survey of Flatland.”
Once more I felt myself rising through space. It was even as the Sphere had said. The further we receded24 from the object we beheld, the larger became the field of vision. My native city, with the interior of every house and every creature therein, lay open to my view in miniature. We mounted higher, and lo, the secrets of the earth, the depths of mines and inmost caverns25 of the hills, were bared before me.
Awestruck at the sight of the mysteries of the earth, thus unveiled before my unworthy eye, I said to my Companion, “Behold, I am become as a God. For the wise men in our country say that to see all things, or as they express it, OMNIVIDENCE, is the attribute of God alone.” There was something of scorn in the voice of my Teacher as he made answer: “Is it so indeed? Then the very pick-pockets and cut-throats of my country are to be worshipped by your wise men as being Gods: for there is not one of them that does not see as much as you see now. But trust me, your wise men are wrong.”
I. Then is omnividence the attribute of others besides Gods?
SPHERE. I do not know. But, if a pick-pocket or a cut-throat of our country can see everything that is in your country, surely that is no reason why the pick-pocket or cut-throat should be accepted by you as a God. This omnividence, as you call it — it is not a common word in Spaceland — does it make you more just, more merciful, less selfish, more loving? Not in the least. Then how does it make you more divine?
I. “More merciful, more loving!” But these are the qualities of women! And we know that a Circle is a higher Being than a Straight Line, in so far as knowledge and wisdom are more to be esteemed26 than mere16 affection.
SPHERE. It is not for me to classify human faculties27 according to merit. Yet many of the best and wisest in Spaceland think more of the affections than of the understanding, more of your despised Straight Lines than of your belauded Circles. But enough of this. Look yonder. Do you know that building?
I looked, and afar off I saw an immense Polygonal28 structure, in which I recognized the General Assembly Hall of the States of Flatland, surrounded by dense29 lines of Pentagonal buildings at right angles to each other, which I knew to be streets; and I perceived that I was approaching the great Metropolis30.
“Here we descend31,” said my Guide. It was now morning, the first hour of the first day of the two thousandth year of our era. Acting32, as was their wont33, in strict accordance with precedent34, the highest Circles of the realm were meeting in solemn conclave35, as they had met on the first hour of the first day of the year 1000, and also on the first hour of the first day of the year 0.
The minutes of the previous meetings were now read by one whom I at once recognized as my brother, a perfectly36 Symmetrical Square, and the Chief Clerk of the High Council. It was found recorded on each occasion that: “Whereas the States had been troubled by divers37 ill-intentioned persons pretending to have received revelations from another World, and professing38 to produce demonstrations39 whereby they had instigated40 to frenzy41 both themselves and others, it had been for this cause unanimously resolved by the Grand Council that on the first day of each millenary, special injunctions be sent to the Prefects in the several districts of Flatland, to make strict search for such misguided persons, and without formality of mathematical examination, to destroy all such as were Isosceles of any degree, to scourge42 and imprison43 any regular Triangle, to cause any Square or Pentagon to be sent to the district Asylum44, and to arrest any one of higher rank, sending him straightway to the Capital to be examined and judged by the Council.”
“You hear your fate,” said the Sphere to me, while the Council was passing for the third time the formal resolution. “Death or imprisonment45 awaits the Apostle of the Gospel of Three Dimensions.” “Not so,” replied I, “the matter is now so clear to me, the nature of real space so palpable, that methinks I could make a child understand it. Permit me but to descend at this moment and enlighten them.” “Not yet,” said my Guide, “the time will come for that. Meantime I must perform my mission. Stay thou there in thy place.” Saying these words, he leaped with great dexterity46 into the sea (if I may so call it) of Flatland, right in the midst of the ring of Counsellors. “I come,” cried he, “to proclaim that there is a land of Three Dimensions.”
I could see many of the younger Counsellors start back in manifest horror, as the Sphere’s circular section widened before them. But on a sign from the presiding Circle — who shewed not the slightest alarm or surprise — six Isosceles of a low type from six different quarters rushed upon the Sphere. “We have him,” they cried; “No; yes; we have him still! he’s going! he’s gone!”
“My Lords,” said the President to the Junior Circles of the Council, “there is not the slightest need for surprise; the secret archives, to which I alone have access, tell me that a similar occurrence happened on the last two millennial47 commencements. You will, of course, say nothing of these trifles outside the Cabinet.”
Raising his voice, he now summoned the guards. “Arrest the policemen; gag them. You know your duty.” After he had consigned48 to their fate the wretched policemen — ill-fated and unwilling49 witnesses of a State-secret which they were not to be permitted to reveal — he again addressed the Counsellors. “My Lords, the business of the Council being concluded, I have only to wish you a happy New Year.” Before departing, he expressed, at some length, to the Clerk, my excellent but most unfortunate brother, his sincere regret that, in accordance with precedent and for the sake of secrecy50, he must condemn51 him to perpetual imprisonment, but added his satisfaction that, unless some mention were made by him of that day’s incident, his life would be spared.
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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arteries
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| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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prostrating
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的现在分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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intestines
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| n.肠( intestine的名词复数 ) | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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polygonal
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| adj.多角形的，多边形的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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precedent
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| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
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conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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professing
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| 声称( profess的现在分词 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
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demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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instigated
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| v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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imprison
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| vt.监禁，关押，限制，束缚 | |
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asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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millennial
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| 一千年的，千福年的 | |
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consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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