John Tyndall ，1820—1893，one of the most celebrated modern scientists，was an Irishman by birth.He was a pupil of the distinguished Faraday.In 1853 he was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Royal Institution of London.He is known chiefly for his brilliant experiments and clear writing respecting heat，light，and sound.He also wrote one or two interesting books concerning the Alps and their glaciers.He visited America，and delighted the most intelligent audiences by his scientific lectures and his brilliant experiments.The scientific world is indebted to him for several remarkable discoveries.
As surely as the force which moves a clock's hands is derived from the arm which winds up the clock，so surely is all terrestrial power drawn from the sun.Leaving out of account the eruptions of volcanoes，and the ebb and flow of the tides，every mechanical action on the earth's surface，every manifestation of power，organic and inorganic，vital and physical，is produced by the sun.His warmth keeps the sea liquid，and the atmosphere a gas，and all the storms which agitate both are blown by the mechanical force of the sun.He lifts the rivers and the glaciers up to the mountains；and thus the cataract and the avalanche shoot with an energy derived immediately from him.
Thunder and lightning are also his transmitted strength.Every fire that burns and every flame that glows，dispenses light and heat which originally belonged to the sun.In these days，unhappily，the news of battle is familiar to us，but every shock and every charge is an application or misapplication of the mechanical force of the sun.He blows the trumpet，he urges the projectile，he bursts the bomb.And，remember，this is not poetry，but rigid mechanical truth.
He rears，as I have said，the whole vegetable world，and through it the animal；the lilies of the field are his workmanship，the verdure of the meadows，and the cattle upon a thousand hills.He forms the muscles，he urges the blood，he builds the brain.His fleetness is in the lion's foot；he springs in the panther，he soars in the eagle，he slides in the snake.He builds the forest and hews it down，the power which raised the tree，and which wields the ax，being one and the same.The clover sprouts and blossoms，and the scythe of the mower swings，by the operation of the same force.
The sun digs the ore from our mines，he rolls the iron；he rivets the plates，he boils the water；he draws the train.He not only grows the cotton，but he spins the fiber and weaves the web.There is not a hammer raised，a wheel turned，or a shuttle thrown，that is not raised，and turned，and thrown by the sun.
His energy is poured freely into space，but our world is a halting place where this energy is conditioned.Here the Proteus works his spells；the selfsame essence takes a million shapes and hues，and finally dissolves into its primitive and almost formless form.The sun comes to us as heat；he quits us as heat；and between his entrance and departure the multiform powers of our globe appear.They are all special forms of solar power—the molds into which his strength is temporarily poured in passing from its source through infinitude.
译文 TRANSLATION
约翰·廷德尔（1820—1893），19世纪最著名的科学家之一。1853年，他被任命为英国皇家学院自然哲学教授。他以在热学、光学及声学方面的杰出实验以及与之相关的文风晓畅的著作闻名于世。
诚然，正如移动钟表时针的力来自拧紧发条的臂膀，地球上的所有力都源于太阳。除却火山喷发和潮汐涨落，地球表面每一个机械运动都由太阳引发，每种力的展现都由太阳促成，无论是有机的还是无机的，也无论是生命的还是物质的。太阳的温度让海洋保持液态，让大气为气态，而翻天倒海的风暴则是因为太阳机械力的鼓荡。太阳将河流与冰川举至高山；而飞流直下的瀑布和一溃千里的雪崩其能量亦直接来自太阳。
雷电也传递太阳的力量。燃烧的火与闪亮的焰所发出的光和热都源于太阳。这些日子里，不幸的是，我们耳闻目接的都是来自战地的消息，但每一次攻击、每一次冲锋都是在运用或者误用太阳的机械力。太阳令军号鸣响，令枪炮齐鸣，令炸弹爆炸。记住，这不是诗，而是刻板的机械的真相。
如我所言，太阳养育了整个植物世界，并借由植物养育了整个动物世界；原野里盛开的百合，牧场连天的草色，以及山冈上的牛群都是阳光的杰作。太阳让肌肉隆起，让血液流动，并建构了大脑。太阳在雄狮脚下迅跑，与黑豹一起腾跃，与鹰一同翱翔，与蛇一道滑行。太阳树起了森林又将它伐倒，种植树木与挥动斧斤的是同一个力。三叶草发芽、绽蕾与镰刀的挥动凭借的也是一样的太阳力。
太阳从矿脉中挖掘矿石，他转动铁，铆接盘子，煮开水，牵引火车。太阳不仅让棉花生长，而且还织布、编网。任何举起的锤子、转动的车轮、来回穿梭的梭机，它们的原动力都是太阳。
阳光的能量在太空中自由地倾泻，而我们的星球则是太阳能量的暂住地。在这里，波塞冬施用咒语；同一的本质幻化为千姿百态、五彩缤纷的相，最后又归结为元初的无。
太阳的来去都以热这一形式呈现；而在来去之间，太阳则化作多样的力，展现于世界。这些力都是太阳力的特殊形式——太阳力在从源头到无限这一嬗变过程中会暂时进入不同的模型。
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