Stephen? Zweig (1881-1942), a famous Austrian writer, novelist and biographer, was born in Vienna to a Jewish family. He is good at using various genres and has written a lot in his life.
When the Stars Shine is a close-up collection of his history.
In the long history of more than 5, years in which human beings have written records, many outstanding great men have been born, and countless earth-shattering events have taken place: there have been glory and gloom; There has been passion and despair; There have been successes and failures. A far-reaching decision is often tied to a date, an hour, and often only a minute or even a second. Such a dramatic moment is also "when the stars of mankind shine". Zweig's When the Stars Shine is a book that reveals these special moments.
as a historical close-up, Zweig, on the basis of being loyal to history and truth, used artistic means such as atmosphere rendering, environment contrast and psychological portrayal to depict completely different characters' personalities and show colorful historical scrolls. As written in this book, the fall of Byzantium, the talented author of La Marseillaise, Napoleon's Battle of Waterloo, crossing the ocean and Lenin's tortuous road are all fascinating and gripping.
Foreword 1.
No artist is an artist all the time, and all the important and lasting things created by artists are always completed in rare moments full of inspiration.
a nation has only one genius among millions of people; Millions of leisure hours in the world have passed, and only then will there be a truly historic moment, a time when human beings are shining with stars.
they shine like stars, and they are eternal, illuminating the empty night.
First, the escape to immortality-the discovery of the Pacific Ocean (September 25th, 1513)
Equip a ship
Background: Columbus, a genius visionary, boasted enthusiastically for the first time after discovering America, which triggered the fantasies of all evil careerists in Spain, who flocked to the fleet of the second voyage. They didn't find arachis duranensis in Hispaniola, and they were too lazy to work, so they wanted to escape to the ship of Martin Fernandez de Enciso for the colony.
1. The man in the wooden box
A powerful German shepherd found a 35-year-old man hiding in the box, and the captain wanted to kill him. The colony ceased to exist, and balboa suggested that this group of people go to a place called Darien.
2. Danger Rising
Enciso's discipline and order can't control this land, but Barbo has replaced him as the real master here. Enciso drowned on the run. In order to atone for the royal family, Barbour began to try his best to converge on gold. Later, I got the news of Huang Jinguo from the most powerful Indian chief.
The chief looked at the farce, which was both novel and contemptuous: it was the eternal surprise of the ignorant people at the ends of the earth to the civilized people. In the eyes of these civilized people, a handful of yellow metal was more precious than all the spiritual and technical achievements of their civilization.
balboa knows very well that in order to atone for his sins and gain immortal glory and reputation, he must take action: he wants to be the first person to cross the Panamanian isthmus to reach the South China Sea leading to India, and at the same time occupy New Ophir for the Spanish royal family. This hour in the home of Chief Komaglai decided the fate of balboa. From this moment on, the life of this adventurer who came out to hit the Universiade has a lofty and timeless significance.
3. Escape to the immortal cause
balboa sent Pasamonte, the finance minister of the imperial court on the island of Hispaniola, one-fifth of the gold that should be given to the imperial court by law, and also gave the finance minister a large amount of grants and obtained a useless temporary document. And sent a confidant to play his merits and contributions to the DPRK. Report the news of Huang Jinguo and apply for 1 troops. The news is not good, he wants to escape to the immortal cause.
4. Eternal Moment
After eighteen days of arduous March, balboa led sixty-seven of his subordinates to the top of the mountain with the help of Indians, becoming the first European to witness the Pacific Ocean.
it seems that the most serious difficulty has been overcome; The ridge has risen in front of them. According to the Indian guide, you can see the Atlantic Ocean and the unnamed Pacific Ocean from the top of the mountain. An indescribable picture unfolded before him. Behind the sloping mountains and the dense, lush descending hills, as far as I can see, there is a huge flat plate reflecting metallic luster in India and China: ocean, ocean! This new, unknown ocean, this ocean that has fascinated people so far, but no one can see its true meaning, this legendary ocean that Columbus and his successors have been searching for in vain for many years, and this one beats America with its waves? The ocean. ?
5. Gold and pearls
They robbed or exchanged some gold from some aborigines, and even received a lot of pearls from some nearby islands. One of the most beautiful ones once decorated the gateway between the Spanish royal family and the English royal family. Balboa stared at the distance and fell into the fantasy of "Pilu" about Huang Jinguo.
6. The gods rarely bless
during the four-month difficult return trip, he returned to Darien and fulfilled his original promise. However, he did not gain the full trust of the royal family. He was frightened by the decentralization of power in a colony. He began his second great escape and wanted to build a ship, but unfortunately he failed.
7. Sinking
Due to the betrayal of his subordinate Pizarro, balboa's head fell to the ground after a fast and unreasonable so-called rebellion trial presided over by Governor Pedra Ria. Pizarro is happy to finish his unfinished business.
feeling: the great cause is actually created because of escape. Only escape and love can produce immortal power and achieve extraordinary cause. What else inspires people to move forward?
Second, the fall of Byzantium On May 29th, 1453,
I realized the danger
? Ruler of the Ottoman Empire in Mette, Mahon? The decisive cruelty of the Turkish Sultan's accession to the throne at the age of 21?
Excellent political and diplomatic skills
The Byzantine Empire is the Eastern Roman Empire.
The purple robe of Constantine Dragasses, the last Byzantine emperor, is nothing more than a coat woven by the breeze, and his crown is nothing more than a mockery of fate.
mass of reconciliation
Greek-speaking priests didn't really want to bow to their knees. Similarly, friends on the other side of the Mediterranean forgot their promised assistance, only sent a few rowing boats and hundreds of soldiers, and then left the lonely city at the mercy of fate.
The war began
Sudan personally directed the construction project, and it worked around the clock. Byzantium watched helplessly as others breached the contract and blocked its free passage to the Black Sea.
in August, 1452, Mahon met a civilian military commander and publicly announced his intention to attack Byzantium. Shortly after the announcement, the violence began.
walls and artillery
Byzantium at this time had only one kind of power, and that was its walls. Its past, which once encompassed the world, and a relatively great and happy era left it with only a little legacy.
They have all calculated that the cannon used so far can't destroy the walls of Hodosy.
So, shortly after Sudan declared war, Urbas, a Hungarian artillery foundry with unparalleled creativity and rich experience, came into being.
An entire civilian team and an entire army dragged this stiff and long-necked behemoth for two months.
I hope again
At this moment, a terrible thing suddenly happened. The wind suddenly stopped. Only a hundred meters away from the safe harbor, four OARS were attracted by magnets and did not move.
suddenly, there was a slight rustling sound, and the wind suddenly blew. The weak sails of four big ships suddenly swelled round and beat. The wind, the wind that people yearn for and pray for, is awake again! The bow of the rowing boat rose triumphantly, suddenly started, and rushed, leaving the boat around it behind. They're free. They're saved.
The fleet climbed over the mountains
Night fell and the sight was blurred, and this incredible roaming began. As unknown as all great undertakings, as thoughtful as all things done wisely, the miracle of miracles was completed: a fleet crossed the mountains.
save Europe!
Look, a miracle happened. The boat crossed the Da Daniil Strait and entered the Aegean Sea. It is extraordinary courage that paralyzes the enemy. Mahon Mette thought of everything, but he didn't expect such an unimaginable thing: twelve warriors, a solitary sail, dared to break through his fleet and make a long voyage like Argo.
On the eve of the general attack
But at midnight, following Mahon Mette's orders, all the lights suddenly went out together, and Qian Qian absolutely knew that the excitement suddenly disappeared. This sudden silence and heavy darkness, with a decisive threat, make those who are flustered and attentive feel more terrible than noisy lights and enthusiastic cheers.
The last mass in Hagia Sophia
The ceaseless prayer sounds like surging waves vibrating and whirling in the huge hall and rising to the high vault. The last requiem mass of the Eastern Roman Empire began.
Kekaporta, the forgotten small door
Here, the small door of Kekaporta is like a festival, and it is a peaceful scene, open to the city center. It is so ridiculous that they can't believe it. They immediately called for reinforcements, and without any resistance, the whole army broke into the inner city and surprised the defenders who were still in the dark from behind.
The cross fell
Mankind can never fully know what a terrible disaster it was to invade through the open gate of Kekaporta at that fateful moment. The looting of Rome, Alexandria and Byzantium also made the spiritual world lose much precious wealth!
Feelings: We have seen people's excitement and excitement in the face of this vigorous war, the war of faith and the war of humanity, but who can forgive the small loophole that led to the collapse of the building?
III. The Resurrection of Handel (August 21st, 1741)
On the afternoon of April 13th, 1737
Brooke Street Apartment
German? 52-year-old Georg Friedrich Handel was paralyzed on his right side due to a stroke < P > footman?
master's assistant Christopher? Schmidt
Duke of Chandos
Dr. Jenkins
often gets angry
The former great husband felt that he was confined in an invisible grave and could do nothing.
Like a mysterious underground hot spring, there is still elusive vitality in the rigid body, which is Handel's will. His original vitality, which has not been touched by a devastating blow, still refuses to give up the pursuit of "immortality" in the dying body. Because men are not willing to bow their heads and admit defeat. He has to live, and he has to create. This will finally overcame the laws of nature and created a miracle.
he tried to touch the keys with his left hand. The organ rang, and the sound of the piano was clear and pure, flowing through the waiting hall. Hesitantly, the right hand that has been stiff for a long time and has not been used for a long time will also give it a try. Look, the sound of the piano played by the right hand is also like a silvery white spring. Gradually, he began to improvise, and the sound of the piano took him to the rushing Haochuan River. The sound box is wonderfully built and piled up by itself, reaching the place with poor eyesight. His ethereal pavilions rose higher and higher that day, with brilliant brilliance and no thin shadow. This is the ethereal and bright light of music.
in 174, Handel felt that he was a conquered person and a defeated person, which made him once famous as slag and ashes.
Handel hurriedly grabbed the quill pen and wrote down the music score. As if driven by the gods, the notes rushed to the pen very quickly. He couldn't stop, as if he were carried away by a boat sailing alone in a storm. It is a quiet night around, and the sky above this big city is damp and dark, silent and silent. However, in his mind, the light is surging, and the music of the universe that others can't hear is ringing in this room.
I don't want money for this work. I never want a penny for this work, ever. I still owe another person a debt. At any time, it belongs to patients and prisoners. I once wrote about prisoners myself, and it saved me.
the gate has been opened. The river of vocal music flows year after year. From then on, nothing can make Handel bow and yield, nothing can make Handel bow and yield, and nothing can make the resurrected lose the courage to live again.
on April 13th, Handel ran out of energy. He can't see anything, he can't hear anything, and his huge body is lying motionless on the mattress, which is already an empty and heavy body. Just as an empty shell makes the noise of the sea, his heart rings inaudible music, which is more strange and magnificent than anything he has ever heard in his life. The crescendo of urging makes the soul slowly get rid of the exhausted body and send it to weightlessness. The sound of the waves bursts, and the eternal sound floats on the eternal realm. The next day, before the Easter bell rang, Georg Friedrich? Handel is gone.
Thoughts on Messiah: Faith and career give people the courage to come back to life and the comfort of passing away safely. I sincerely envy this kind of happiness. At the same time, the use of contrast and metaphor is also fascinating.
Fourth, a night's genius "La Marseillaise" On April 25th, 1792
On April 2th, when the French king finally declared war on the Austrian emperor and the Prussian king, it became a relief, and important choices were often like this.
Especially in Alsace, people know that Germany and France have always made their first decision on this land.
mayor Dietrich? Ask Captain Rouge? Write a battle song for the Rhine army that will go to the front tomorrow.
The lyrics and music scores of Lu Ri's hard work are written faster and faster, just like taking dictation from others-a storm that his narrow civic mind has never experienced before has hit him. A kind of extreme excitement, a kind of passion that is not his own, and a fantastic power condensed in the only explosive one second, lifted the poor amateur author up a thousand times, shot him out like a rocket, and reached the stars, shining with brilliant brilliance and flame in an instant. Ruzide? Captain Lille became one of the immortals overnight: the initial voices of the streets and newspapers were absorbed and borrowed, forming creative lyrics, which were sublimated into a verse, and the words were immortal, just like the tunes.
So the song spread like an avalanche, and the process of victory was unstoppable. This song was sung at banquets, in theaters and clubs, and even in church later, after the thanksgiving hymn, he soon replaced the thanksgiving hymn. A month or two later, La Marseillaise became the song of the people and the whole army.
So "La Marseillaise", like the winged goddess of victory, soared over all the battles in France, making countless people's blood boil.