A Non-stop Working Hand

佚名/Anonymous

一個初冬的早晨，我靜靜地坐在客廳里。正對著我的墻壁上，高懸著一個時鐘。

在一片寂靜中，一個人很容易放飛思緒，也很容易捕捉到平常很難聽到的細微聲音，時鐘秒針的嘀嗒聲就是其中之一。為了完成它的職責，它每分鐘都要嘀嗒60次。這是它永不間斷的唯一工作。它永遠都在忙碌著，因而被稱為“永不休憩的工作者”。

聽著時鐘有節奏的嘀嗒聲，我突然發現，秒針所發出來的聲音大小和強度并不是始終如一的。

我仔細地觀察了一番，發現從0秒到30秒，它是在“走下坡”；而從31秒到60秒，是在“爬上坡”。

當它“走下坡”時，看起來毫不費力，在地心引力的作用下，它均勻地一步步走下來。當秒針走到20秒時，它就給人一種正在加速的感覺，這段路似乎走得最為輕松。事實上，秒針并沒有因是“下坡路”而加快速度。

“爬上坡”似乎需要付出努力，它揭示出成語“力爭上游”的含義。當它從31秒開始到60秒時，它就不斷力爭上游，聲音也越來越弱。它似乎在告訴我們，為了達到最高處，它正在聚精會神地默默努力工作。難道你沒有見過那些英雄人物埋頭苦干時的鎮靜和堅定嗎？

“走上坡”路時，有力的嘀嗒聲突然開始變得微弱。這是不是意味著，上帝正通過秒針的嘀嗒聲，向我們暗示某種隱藏著的真理呢？

It was an early-winter morning. I was at the moment sitting calmly in the hall. Opposite me was a clock hanging high on the wall.

In tranquility it is easy to set one's mind working； it is also easy to catch light sounds hardly audible in usual times， among which is the ticking of the clock's second hand. It ticks away 60 times a minute to fulfill its duty—the only work it does， and persistently. It is kept busy all the time， and thus regarded as "a non-stop working hand".

Listening to the rhythmical tapping of the clock， I suddenly found out that the sound emitted by the second hand was not uniform either in volume or in strength.

A close observation revealed that it "went downhill" from 0 to 30 seconds and then "climbed upwards" from 31 to 60 seconds.

While it is descending it seemingly goes effortlessly. Benefited by gravitation it can walk down evenly step by step. When it comes to the point of 20 it gives the impression of acceleration， for this leg of journey seems the most facilitating. Actually of course the hand never accelerates as a result of descending.

"Climbing upwards" seems to entail efforts. It shows up the meaning of the phrase "aim high". When the hand goes from 31 to 60 seconds it is aiming high and its sound becomes weaker and weaker. It seems to tell us that it immerses itself in hard work reticently striving for the highest point. Don't you see the composure and steadiness of those heroic personalities that have put their shoulders to the wheel？

The clink of the second hand in descending suddenly begins to "weaken" when it starts to climb. Does it mean that Heaven， through the clock's ticking， gives us a hint of some hidden truth？