Chapter 78

When the creation was new and all the stars shone in their first splendour, the gods held their assembly in the sky and sang ‘Oh, the picture of perfection! the joy unalloyed!’
 
But one cried of a sudden---‘It seems that somewhere there is a break in the chain of light and one of the stars has been lost.’
 
The golden string of their harp¹ snapped, their song stopped, and they cried in dismay---‘Yes, that lost star was the best, she was the glory of all heavens!’
 
From that day the search is unceasing for her, and the cry goes on from one to the other that in her the world has lost its one joy!
 
Only in the deepest silence of night the stars smile and whisper among themselves---‘Vain is this seeking! unbroken perfection is over all!’
 
当鸿蒙初辟，繁星第一次射出灿烂的光辉，众神在天上集合，唱着“呵完美的画图，完全的快乐！”
 
有一位神忽然叫起来了――“光链里仿佛断了一环，一颗星星走失了。”
 
他们金琴的弦子猛然折断了，他们的歌声停止了，他们惊惶地叫着――“对了，那颗走失的星星是最美的，她是诸天的光荣！”
 
从那天起，他们不住地寻找她，众口相传地说，因为她丢了，世界失去了一种快乐。
 
只在严静的夜里，众星微笑着互相低语说――“寻找是无用的，无缺的完美正笼盖着一切！”

1 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。