Межзвёздный скиталец
Chapter 1
Thenwhence?Otherlives?Otherworlds?Perhaps,whenyouhavereadallthatIshallwrite,youwillhavereceivedanswerstotheperplexitiesIhavepropoundedtoyou,andthatyouyourself,ereyoucametoreadme,propoundedtoyourself.
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Wordsworthknew.Hewasneitherseernorprophet,butjustordinarymanlikeyouoranyman.Whatheknew,youknow,anymanknows.Buthemostaptlystateditinhispassagethatbegins“Notinutternakedness,notinentireforgetfulness...”
Ah,truly,shadesoftheprison-housecloseaboutus,thenew-bornthings,andalltoosoondoweforget.Andyet,whenwewerenew-bornwedidrememberothertimesandplaces.We,helplessinfantsinarmsorcreepingquadruped-likeonthefloor,dreamedourdreamsofair-flight.Yes;andweenduredthetormentandtortureofnightmarefearsofdimandmonstrousthings.Wenew-borninfants,withoutexperience,werebornwithfear,withmemoryoffear;andmemoryisexperience.
Asformyself,atthebeginningsofmyvocabulary,atsotenderaperiodthatIstillmadehungernoisesandsleepnoises,yeteventhendidIknowthatIhadbeenastar-rover.Yes,I,whoselipshadneverlispedtheword“king,”rememberedthatIhadoncebeenthesonofaking.More—IrememberedthatonceIhadbeenaslaveandasonofaslave,andwornanironcollarroundmyneck.
