at dawn, when the clouds are red, a great star shines, the beautiful morning star. her beams tremble on the white wall, as if she would like to write there the story of all she has seen during the thousands of years she has watched our revolving earth.

listen to one of her stories.

a little while ago - a few centuries ago, which, though a long time to you men, is just a little while to me - my beams watched a young artist. he lived in the papal state, in one of the world's great cities, rome. many things there have changed since those days, but they haven't changed as quickly as the human being changes from childhood to old age. the eternal city was then, as it is now, a city of ruins. the fig tree and the laurel tree grew among the overturned marble columns and over the destroyed baths, their walls still inlaid with gold. the coliseum was a ruin. church bells rang, and fragrant incense filled the air, while processions with magnificent canopies and lighted candles passed through the streets. it was a beautiful church service honoring the great and inspired arts. the world's greatest painter, raphael, and the greatest sculptor of his time, michelangelo, lived in rome then. the pope himself admired them both and honored them with his visits. indeed, art was acknowledged, honored, and rewarded; but not all great and noble things were known and seen in those days, any more than they are now.

in a little, narrow street stood and old house that had formerly been a temple, and here lived a young artist; he was poor, and he was unknown. of course, he had plenty of friends, other artists, young in mind and thought, who kept telling him he was blessed with ability and talent and that he was a fool for having no more self-confidence. anything he formed out of clay he always broke into pieces; he was never satisfied with what he did; nor did he ever finish anything, which, of course, one must do to become known, acclaimed, and to earn money.

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作文地带知识拓展:

• 英语（English）属于印欧语系日耳曼语族西日耳曼语支，最早被中世纪的英国使用，并因其广阔的殖民地而成为世界使用面积最广的语言。英国人的祖先盎格鲁部落是后来迁移到大不列颠岛地区的日耳曼部落之一，称为英格兰。这两个名字都来自波罗地海半岛的Anglia。该语言与弗里斯兰语和下撒克森语密切相关，其词汇受到其他日耳曼语族语言的影响，尤其是北欧语（北日耳曼语），并在很大程度上由拉丁文和法文撰写。

  英语的英文释义：

  English 名词 uk  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/ us  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/

  the language that is spoken in the UK, the US, and in many other countries

  英语

  American/British English

  美式／英式英语

  Do you speak English?

  你会说英语吗？

  English   形容词 adjective   uk  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/ us  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/

  in or relating to the English language

  英语的

  an English teacher

  英语老师

  relating to or from England

  英格兰的;英国的

  English films/food/people

  英国电影／食品／人

  English law

  英格兰法律