Война миров

The Eve of the War

           Yetsovainisman,andsoblindedbyhisvanity, thatnowriter,uptotheveryendofthenineteenthcentury, expressedanyideathatintelligentlifemighthavedevelopedtherefar, orindeedatall,beyonditsearthlylevel. NorwasitgenerallyunderstoodthatsinceMarsisolderthanourearth, withscarcelyaquarterofthesuperficialarea andremoterfromthesun, itnecessarilyfollowsthatitisnotonlymoredistantfromtime’sbeginning butneareritsend. 

           Thesecularcoolingthatmustsomedayovertakeourplanet hasalreadygonefarindeedwithourneighbour. Itsphysicalconditionisstilllargelyamystery, butweknownowthateveninitsequatorialregionthemiddaytemperaturebarelyapproaches thatofourcoldestwinter. Itsairismuchmoreattenuatedthanours, itsoceanshaveshrunkuntiltheycoverbutathirdofitssurface, andasitsslowseasonschangehugesnowcapsgatherandmeltabouteitherpole andperiodicallyinundateitstemperatezones. Thatlaststageofexhaustion,whichtousisstillincrediblyremote,hasbecomeapresent-dayproblemfortheinhabitantsofMars. Theimmediatepressureofnecessityhasbrightenedtheirintellects, enlargedtheirpowers,andhardenedtheirhearts. Andlookingacrossspacewithinstruments,andintelligences suchaswehavescarcelydreamedof, theysee,atitsnearestdistanceonly35,000,000ofmilessunwardofthem, amorningstarofhope, ourownwarmerplanet,greenwithvegetation andgreywithwater, withacloudyatmosphereeloquentoffertility, withglimpsesthroughitsdriftingcloudwispsofbroadstretchesofpopulouscountry andnarrow,navycrowdedseas. 

           Andwemen,thecreatureswhoinhabitthisearth, mustbetothematleastasalienandlowlyasarethemonkeysandlemurstous. Theintellectualsideofmanalreadyadmitsthatlifeisanincessantstruggleforexistence, anditwouldseemthatthistooisthebeliefofthemindsuponMars. 

00:00:00 00:00:00
Настройки
Фон страницы
Размер шрифта
Межстрочный интервал
Фразовые глаголы
Показать / Скрыть меню
Шрифт
Roboto Lora
Уведомления
Страница 2 из 210