最後看一眼家園

《暗淡藍點》

這張照片是1990年旅行者一號飛過海王星軌道，距離地球六十四億公里的時候，卡爾薩根說服NASA讓它把相機轉向地球，拍下的最後一張照片。

“最後看一眼家園”。

That's here (在那裡)

That's home (那是我們家園)

That's us (那是我們)

On it everyone you love (在那裡，你愛的每個人)

every one you know (你認識的每個人)

everyone you ever heard of (你聽說過的每個人)

every human being who ever was (在這世上存在過的每個人)

lived out their lives (度過了自己的一生)

The aggregate of our joy and suffering ( 聚集在這裡的，是我們的歡樂和痛苦)

Thousands of confident religions, ideologies (是成千上萬的宗教信仰,意識形態)

And economic doctrines (和經濟學說)

Every hunter and forager (每個獵手與覓食者)

Every hero and coward (每個英雄和懦夫)

Every creator and destroyer of civilization (每個文明的創立者和毀滅者)

Every king and peasant (每個國王和農夫)

Every young couple in love (每對年輕的愛侶)

Every mother and father, hopeful children (每一個母親和父親，充滿希望的孩子們)

Inventor and explorer (發明家與探險家)

Every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician (每一位高尚的教師，每一位貪腐的政客)

Every superstar, every supreme leader (每一位超級明星，每一位最高領袖)

Every saint and sinner in the history of our species (人類史上的每一位聖人和罪人)

Lived here (都生活在這裡)

Like a mote of dust (如一粒微塵)

Suspended……in a sunbeam (懸浮在......一束陽光之中)

The earth is a very small stage (地球是在浩瀚的宇宙背景之下)

In a vast, cosmic arena (一個很小的舞臺)

Think of the rivers of blood (想想過去的血流成河)

Spilled by all those generals and emperors (那為帝王將相而流的血)

So that in glory and triumph (只為讓他們在光榮和勝利中)

They could become the momentary masters (成為瞬間的偉人)

Of a fraction…… of a dot (佔有那一個小點中......那一小部分)

Think of the endless cruelties visited (想想那無盡的殘酷)

By the inhabitants of one corner of the pixel (圖像裡那一個像素點的某個角落的民眾)

On the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants (每天把這殘酷施加到與他們沒什麼區別的)

Of some other corner (另一個角落的民眾身上)

How frequently their misunderstandings (他們為何常常誤解)

How eager they are to kill one another (他們為何渴望殺死對方)

How fervent their hatreds (他們的憎恨為何如此狂熱)

Our posturing (我們在裝模做樣)

Our imagined self-importance (我們自以為很重要)

The delusion that we have some privileged position (妄想著我們人類地位特殊)

In the universe (在宇宙中與眾不同)

Are challenged by this point of pale light (這一切，都因這泛著蒼白藍光的小點而動搖)

Our planet (我們的星球)

Is a lonely speck in the great (不過是一粒孤獨的微塵)

Enveloping cosmic dark (籠罩在偉大的宇宙黑暗之中)

In our obscurity (我們默默無聞)

In all this vastness (沉浸在無盡的浩瀚中)

There is no hint that help will come from elsewhere (沒有一絲線索顯示，除了我們自己)

To save us from ourselves (還有誰能拯救我們)

The earth is the only world known so far to harbor life (地球是目前已知唯一有生命的世界)

There is nowhere else (生命再無其他去處)

At least in the near future (至少在不久的將來，亦是如此)

To which our species could migrate (沒有外星球，供人類遷移)

Visit, yes (只可參觀)

Settle, not yet (不能定居)

Like it or not (不管你喜歡與否)

For the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand (現在，只有地球供我們立足)

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling (據說研習天文，可以讓人謙卑)

And character-building experience (塑造人心，磨練個性)

There is perhaps no better demonstration (也許再沒有更好的方法)

Of the folly of human conceits (能比這遙遠的畫面)

That is distant image (更好地顯示出人類的自負和愚蠢)

To me, it underscore our responsibility (對我而言，它強調了我們的責任)

To deal more kindly with one another (要對人友善)

And to preserve and cherish (懂得珍惜和愛護)

The pale blue dot (這泛著蒼白藍光的小點)

The only home we’ve ever known (是我們知道的唯一的家園)

——Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

旅行者一號使用的是放射性同位素電池（Pu-238）它的半衰期長達89.6年，旅行者一號的外殼經過特殊的設計，可以保護其中的記錄材料長達十億年。

也許旅行者號會如願以償的被外星人撿到，他們會對我們的文明驚訝或者鄙夷，也許它將永遠駛向茫茫的宇宙中，無盡的黑暗，錯過所有的智慧生命體，精心製作的唱片從未被播放，來自地球的人類文明從未被發現。但那都是我們無法想象的事了，我們無法想象倘若幾萬年甚至更遙遠的未來，我們的後代進入了星際航行的時代，當他們再次捕獲旅行者號，閱讀者幾萬年前他們的祖先刻上的信息時，他們會是怎樣的心情——一顆名副其實的時空膠囊。

許久之前就有很多人思考過這樣的問題：

“如果地球文明甚至太陽系被某種未知的力量毀滅，還有什麼可以證明人類曾經存在過，並創造瞭如此燦爛輝煌的文明？”

旅行者號正在孤獨的回答。如果在這份回應上加個期限，那應該是，十億年。