Gavin Pretor-Pinney: Cloudy with a chance of joy

譯者: William Choi 審譯者: Jessie Lee

Clouds.

雲朵

Have you ever noticed how much people moan about them?

有沒有注意到， 人們對雲朵有多少的抱怨嗎？

They get a bad rap.

它們聲名狼藉。

If you think about it, the English language

你想想看，英語總是把含有

has written into it negative associations towards the clouds.

負面概念的詞彙和雲朵連繫起來。

Someone who's down or depressed,

如果有人心情不好或憂鬱，

they're under a cloud.

他們烏雲罩頂。

And when there's bad news in store,

如果有不利某人的壞消息，

there's a cloud on the horizon.

就是地平線上出現烏雲 （意譯：大難臨頭）。

I saw an article the other day.

不久前，我看了一篇文章，

It was about problems with computer processing

那是關於網際網路的

over the Internet.

電腦處理問題。

"A cloud over the cloud," was the headline.

標題是：「烏雲下的雲端運算。」

似乎每個人也預設用雲朵來

It seems like they're everyone's default

doom-and-gloom metaphor.

比喻前景黯淡。

But I think they're beautiful, don't you?

但我認為雲朵是很美麗的，你們呢？

It's just that their beauty is missed

因為雲朵無處不在，

它的美經常被忽略了。

because they're so omnipresent,

so, I don't know, commonplace,

我不知是否因為雲朵隨處可見，

that people don't notice them.

就無法引起人們的注意。

They don't notice the beauty, but they don't even notice the clouds

人們沒發現它們的美， 甚至察覺不到它們的存在，

unless they get in the way of the sun.

除非它們擋住了太陽。

And so people think of clouds as

因此人們把雲朵當作成

things that get in the way.

礙事的東西。

They think of them as the annoying, frustrating obstructions,

他們認為雲朵是討厭的、 令人沮喪的阻礙物，

and then they rush off and do some blue-sky thinking.

忙得不可開交後，又再天馬行空了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But most people, when you stop to ask them,

然而，當你停下來問人們，

will admit to harboring a strange sort of fondness for clouds.

大多數人會承認對雲朵懷有 一種奇怪的情愫，

It's like a nostalgic fondness,

像一種懷舊之情，

and they make them think of their youth.

讓他們想起自己年少時，

Who here can't remember thinking, well,

哎呀，在座的誰記不起

looking and finding shapes in the clouds

孩提時

看著雲朵並尋找其中不同的形狀？

when they were kids?

You know, when you were masters of daydreaming?

你知道嗎，當你還是做白日夢的能手？

古希臘劇作家阿里斯托芬 (Aristophanes)，

Aristophanes, the ancient Greek playwright,

he described the clouds as the patron godesses

在二千五百年前，他形容雲朵為

of idle fellows

遊手好閒者的守護女神，

two and a half thousand years ago,

遊手好閒者的守護女神，

大家能明白他的意思吧。

and you can see what he means.

這些日子，我們成年人似乎無法

It's just that these days, us adults seem reluctant

to allow ourselves the indulgence

讓自己放任，

of just allowing our imaginations

讓想像力

to drift along in the breeze, and I think that's a pity.

在微風中翩翩起舞， 我覺得真是可惜。

I think we should perhaps do a bit more of it.

我認為我們或許應多做些這樣的事。

I think we should be a bit more willing, perhaps,

我認為我們或許應該願意多看看一點

to look at the beautiful sight of the sunlight bursting out

從雲朵後面鑽出來的美麗陽光，

from behind the clouds and go, "Wait a minute,

然後說，「等一下，這多像

that's two cats dancing the salsa!"

兩隻跳騷莎舞的貓呀！」

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲）（掌聲）

Or seeing the big, white, puffy one up there

或將購物中心上面那片

over the shopping center looks like

白白胖胖的雲朵看作是

the Abominable Snowman going to rob a bank.

傳說中的喜馬拉雅山雪人 正要搶劫銀行。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

They're like nature's version of those inkblot images,

它們就像那些墨蹟圖片 的大自然版本，

you know, that shrinks used to show their patients

你知道，就是 60 年代那些精神科醫師

用來展示給病人看的圖片，

in the '60s,

and I think if you consider the shapes you see in the clouds,

我認為如果你在雲朵中看到 不同的圖案形狀，

you'll save money on psychoanalysis bills.

你就能省下精神分析治療的錢。

Let's say you're in love. All right?

比方說你正在熱戀中，好吧？

And you look up and what do you see?

然後你抬頭向上看，看到的是什麼？

Right? Or maybe the opposite.

對嗎？或者剛好相反，

You've just been dumped by your partner,

你剛被伴侶拋棄了，

and everywhere you look, it's kissing couples.

你到處看到的，都是情侶們在接吻。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Perhaps you're having a moment of existential angst.

或者你剛好有短暫的存在焦慮，

You know, you're thinking about your own mortality.

你知道，你正思考自己的死亡，

And there, on the horizon, it's the Grim Reaper.

然後在地平線上，死神就在那裡。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Or maybe you see a topless sunbather.

或者你看到一位袒胸的日光浴者。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

What would that mean?

那是什麼意思呢？

What would that mean? I have no idea.

這意味著什麼？我沒有頭緒。

But one thing I do know is this:

但我篤定知道一件事，那就是

The bad press that clouds get is totally unfair.

大家對雲朵的壞印象是完全不公平的。

I think we should stand up for them,

我認為我們應該挺身為雲朵發聲，

which is why, a few years ago,

那就是幾年前

我創辦「雲彩鑒賞協會」的原因。

I started the Cloud Appreciation Society.

Tens of thousands of members now

現有成千上萬的會員了，

in almost 100 countries around the world.

會員遍佈於全球約一百個國家。

And all these photographs that I'm showing,

所有我在這兒展示的圖片，

they were sent in by members.

都是來自我們的會員。

And the society exists to remind people of this:

協會的存在就是要提醒大眾，

Clouds are not something to moan about.

雲朵不是用來抱怨的。

Far from it. They are, in fact,

事實遠非如此，它們代表著

the most diverse, evocative, poetic aspect of nature.

大自然最多樣化的、令人回味的 和詩意的那面。

I think, if you live with your head in the clouds

我認為，如果你常常埋首於雲堆中，

every now and then, it helps you keep your feet on the ground.

它會使你腳踏實地。

And I want to show you why, with the help of

我要借用一些我最喜歡的雲朵類型

some of my favorite types of clouds.

去解釋箇中原因。

Let's start with this one. It's the cirrus cloud,

讓我們從這個開始。這是卷雲，

named after the Latin for a lock of hair.

這是來自拉丁文的命名， 意思是一束頭髮，

It's composed entirely of ice crystals

全部由對流層的上方

cascading from the upper reaches of the troposphere,

傾瀉下來的冰晶所組成，

and as these ice crystals fall,

當這些冰晶下沉時，

they pass through different layers with different winds

穿過不同風速的各個氣流層，

加速或減速，

and they speed up and slow down,

giving the cloud these brush-stroked appearances,

讓雲朵看起來像畫筆刷過似的景象，

these brush-stroke forms known as fall streaks.

這些景象稱為「雨幡」，

And these winds up there can be very, very fierce.

這風可是十分猛烈，

They can be 200 miles an hour, 300 miles an hour.

風速可達每小時 200 - 300 哩，

These clouds are bombing along,

這些雲跟著風疾速移動，

but from all the way down here,

但從下往上看，

they appear to be moving gracefully, slowly,

它們似乎是優雅地、緩慢地移動，

like most clouds.

像大多數雲朵一樣。

And so to tune into the clouds is to slow down,

若要和雲朵協調一致的話， 就要慢下來、

to calm down.

平靜下來，

It's like a bit of everyday meditation.

像每日作一些冥想。

Those are common clouds.

這些都是常見的雲朵。

What about rarer ones, like the lenticularis,

那麼比較少見的，例如莢狀雲，

the UFO-shaped lenticularis cloud?

狀似不明飛行物的莢狀雲呢？

These clouds form in the region of mountains.

這些雲朵常在山區形成，

When the wind passes, rises to pass over the mountain,

當空氣流過時，被抬升至山丘之上，

it can take on a wave-like path in the lee of the peak,

氣流在山峰背風處以波浪狀推進，

with these clouds hovering at the crest

這些雲隨著看不見的駐波氣流

of these invisible standing waves of air,

的波峰上盤旋，

these flying saucer-like forms,

這些飛碟似的形狀，

and some of the early black-and-white UFO photos

和一些早期的不明飛行物黑白照片，

are in fact lenticularis clouds. It's true.

其實是莢狀雲。這是真的。

A little rarer are the fallstreak holes. All right?

「雨幡洞」就很少見了，好吧？

This is when a layer is made up of very, very cold

這是由非常、非常冷的水滴所組成的雲層，

water droplets, and in one region they start to freeze,

在某個區域裡開始凝結成冰，

and this freezing sets off a chain reaction which spreads outwards

並引起連鎖反應，朝外擴散，

with the ice crystals cascading and falling down below,

導致冰晶如瀑布似地下沉，

giving the appearance of jellyfish tendrils down below.

使它們的外型看起來像水母卷鬚。

Rarer still, the Kelvin–Helmholtz cloud.

更少見的還有凱赫波狀雲 (Kelvin–Helmholtz cloud)，

Not a very snappy name. Needs a rebrand.

並不是很響亮的名字，需要重新命名罷，

This looks like a series of breaking waves,

看起來像一波碎浪，

and it's caused by shearing winds -- the wind

這是由風切引起的 －

above the cloud layer and below the cloud layer

在雲層上方和下方的風

有顯著地不同，而在中間

differ significantly, and in the middle, in between,

you get this undulating of the air,

有波浪狀的氣流，

and if the difference in those speeds is just right,

如果那些風速的差距恰到好處，

波浪的頂端會捲起來，

the tops of the undulations curl over

形成碎浪般的美麗漩渦。

in these beautiful breaking wave-like vortices.

All right. Those are rarer clouds than the cirrus,

好了，這些雲朵較卷雲少見，

但是它們並不算罕見。

but they're not that rare.

If you look up, and you pay attention to the sky,

如果你抬頭看看並仰視天空，

you'll see them sooner or later,

你遲早看得見它們，

maybe not quite as dramatic as these, but you'll see them.

也許沒有這麼的戲劇化， 但你總會看見它們的，

And you'll see them around where you live.

而且你會在住處附近看見。

Clouds are the most egalitarian

雲朵是大自然風景中

of nature's displays, because we all have a good,

最能體現平均主義的，因為每個人

fantastic view of the sky.

都可以看到天空的迷人景色。

And these clouds, these rarer clouds,

而這些雲朵，這些較少見的雲朵

remind us that the exotic can be found in the everyday.

提醒了我們，在日常生活中 隨處可見的奇特風光。

Nothing is more nourishing, more stimulating

沒有什麼讓一顆活躍好奇的腦袋

to an active, inquiring mind than being surprised,

感到驚喜、感到讚歎，可使其 更滋養、更具啟發性了。

being amazed. It's why we're all here at TED, right?

這是我們到來 TED 這裡的原因，不是嗎？

But you don't need to rush off

但是你們無需疲於奔命，

away from the familiar, across the world

離開熟悉的環境周遊列國

to be surprised.

來感受驚喜。

You just need to step outside,

你只需走到外面去，

pay attention to what's so commonplace, so everyday,

注意日常生活中司空見慣的事，

so mundane that everybody else misses it.

人人也錯過的平凡小事。

One cloud that people rarely miss is this one:

大眾最難錯過的雲朵就是這個：

the cumulonimbus storm cloud.

積雨雲或雷暴雲，

It's what's produces thunder and lightning and hail.

它產生雷暴、閃電、冰雹。

These clouds spread out at the top in this enormous

這些雲朵在高空向外展延，

anvil fashion stretching 10 miles up into the atmosphere.

以巨大砧狀的方式， 向大氣層綿延 10 哩。

They are an expression of the majestic architecture

它們是我們大氣層裡宏偉建築的

of our atmosphere.

一種表達方式。

But from down below, they are the embodiment

但是從下面看，它們是

of the powerful, elemental force and power

一股強有力的、猛烈力量的體現，

that drives our atmosphere.

沖擊著大氣層。

To be there is to be connected in the driving rain

在那裡就是與如注的大雨和 猛烈的冰雹連繫，

and the hail, to feel connected to our atmosphere.

去感覺與大氣層連繫。

It's to be reminded that we are creatures

提醒我們只是一些寄宿在

that inhabit this ocean of air.

這浩瀚穹蒼中的生物。

We don't live beneath the sky. We live within it.

我們並不是活在天空下，我們活在其中。

And that connection, that visceral connection to our atmosphere

而這種連繫、這種與大氣層的 非理性連繫，

feels to me like an antidote.

對我來說像一服靈丹妙藥，

It's an antidote to the growing tendency we have

針對與日俱增的趨勢， 這是一服靈丹妙藥，

to feel that we can really ever experience life

我們以為身處無限區域網路的地帶，

by watching it on a computer screen, you know,

僅靠盯著電腦螢幕，

when we're in a wi-fi zone.

我們就可以真正地體驗人生。

But the one cloud that best expresses

但一朵雲道盡了

why cloudspotting is more valuable today than ever

為何辨認雲彩較以為往更為可貴，

is this one, the cumulus cloud.

這朵雲 ─ 積雲。

Right? It forms on a sunny day.

對嗎？它在天朗氣清的日子形成。

If you close your eyes and think of a cloud,

如果你閉上眼睛，想起一朵雲，

it's probably one of these that comes to mind.

它可能就是你會想起的其中一朵。

All those cloud shapes at the beginning,

開始時所有雲朵的形狀

those were cumulus clouds.

都是積雲。

The sharp, crisp outlines of this formation

那銳利、清晰的輪廓

make it the best one for finding shapes in.

使它成為最容易被認出的形狀。

And it reminds us

而它也提醒我們

of the aimless nature of cloudspotting,

辨認雲彩的本質是漫無目標的，

what an aimless activity it is.

真是多麼的漫無目標啊。

You're not going to change the world

你不會憑著躺在地上

by lying on your back and gazing up at the sky, are you?

凝視天空而改變世界，對嗎？

It's pointless. It's a pointless activity,

這是毫無意義的，這是沒有意義的活動，

which is precisely why it's so important.

這恰是為什麼辨認雲彩真的很重要。

The digital world conspires to make us feel

數位世界所有事情都使我們感到

eternally busy, perpetually busy.

永無休止地、沒有止境地忙碌著。

You know, when you're not dealing with

當你不須再應付

the traditional pressures of earning a living

傳統壓力，如維持生計、

and putting food on the table, raising a family,

養家、糊口、

writing thank you letters,

書寫答謝信，

you have to now contend with

而你現在必須處理

answering a mountain of unanswered emails,

回答堆積如山的未回答電郵、

updating a Facebook page,

更新臉書頁和

feeding your Twitter feed.

發佈推特貼文。

And cloudspotting legitimizes doing nothing.

辨認雲彩使無所事事合理化。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And sometimes we need —

有時我們需要 －

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Sometimes we need excuses to do nothing.

有時我們什麼也沒有做的話， 就需要一些藉口。

We need to be reminded by these

我們需要由

patron goddesses of idle fellows

這些遊手好閒者的守護女神提醒

that slowing down

慢下來，

and being in the present, not thinking about

並活在當下，不要想

what you've got to do and what you should have done,

你還需做的事和你本應完成的事，

but just being here, letting your imagination

但此時此地，讓你的想像力

lift from the everyday concerns down here

從日常事務中跳脫出來，

and just being in the present, it's good for you,

只關注當下， 對你也好，

and it's good for the way you feel.

對你的感覺也好，

It's good for your ideas. It's good for your creativity.

對你的意念也好， 對你的創造力也好，

It's good for your soul.

對你的心靈也好。

So keep looking up,

繼續仰視，

marvel at the ephemeral beauty,

驚歎那短暫的美麗，

and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds.

常常記得埋首於雲堆中的生活。

Thank you very much.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)